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Remy Marathe posted:Are there any risks with using a lower-end honing steel (Besides handle-based issues)? I ask because I see a Winco 12" hone for like $10, and others seem to run in the ballpark of $25-$30. Such a simple object I'm not really even sure what to compare. Lot's of people use ceramic hones, I think the deal is they're less likely to chip a blade? If you use the sides only, and not the middle V grove, it's probably OK. The V groove angle is probably not suited to kitchen knives. But running/pulling it along the left with the knife in a vertical/perpendicular to the ground way, and then the right side of the blade on the right side without touching the bottom, seems to me OK. Ceramic hones seem to have some fans, I've heard idahone mentioned, also to follow on from ikea chat in another thread, ikea sell a ceramic hone. http://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/10167004/ that some people down here are using after running their knife on stones. Fo3 fucked around with this message at 19:00 on May 6, 2013 |
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May 6, 2013 18:53
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Fo3 posted:Lot's of people use ceramic hones, I think the deal is they're less likely to chip a blade? Thanks, so being ceramic means it is a hone then, and not taking metal off my blades? That renders my first question moot then. And yeah I've been using the sides and avoiding the 'V' since that actually seemed to have a dulling effect on my knife edges.
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May 6, 2013 19:07
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Any recommendations on where to get decent almond paste? My wife and I hada lovely almond mousse for dinner the other day and want to try and make it, but she is convinced my"blender some almonds" plan won't work.
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May 6, 2013 21:40
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Food processor some almonds and you'll be good. See: http://candy.about.com/od/nutcandyrecipes/r/Easy-Almond-Paste.htm
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May 6, 2013 21:43
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PhazonLink posted:If you still want the single serving thing, just get a mason jar and some attachment. this. it works with cuisinart blenders. I literally just unscrew my blender jar, screw on the bottom to my mason jar, invert, and go. I'm convinced it's somehow going to explode the mason jar, so I throw a heavy dishcloth over the top while I pulse - but I do this anyways out of habit with my actual blender top. works fine for small purees/single servings.
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May 6, 2013 22:02
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You goons talking up the Thermapen better not have been blowing smoke, because I took the $100 dive and it just showed up. What should I make first?
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May 6, 2013 23:14
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Remy Marathe posted:Thanks, so being ceramic means it is a hone then, and not taking metal off my blades? That being said, there's nothing inherently wrong with using it frequently. You're removing material every time you use it, but so what? You're doing this in the first place because you want a sharp edge to work with, right? That's what you're getting. You're slightly reducing the work life of the knife, but that's part of using it. If you really want a honing `steel' that's going to work on any blade steel and isn't going to be appreciably abrasive you should find a borosilicate rod, but one of those is going to run you literally around a hundred times what that Lansky thing did.
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May 6, 2013 23:39
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Schpyder posted:You goons talking up the Thermapen better not have been blowing smoke, because I took the $100 dive and it just showed up. I use my pen a lot to double check my more sensitive meat temperatures, and I also use it for quick reads on frying oil. So, steak frites maybe? with a ridiculous flintstones size steak? Or use it to cook a thick porkchop to medium rare - get a good hard sear with a salt crust, pull the meat from the pan when you hit 135, tent it with foil, rest for 5-10 mins, and get ready for the most ridiculously good porkchop you've ever had. You can really taste the difference here with quality meat though, so don't do it with a supermarket pork chop. I did this a couple weeks ago because I was in a rush, and was reminded of why paying more money for meat is generally worthwhile.
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May 6, 2013 23:59
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If you pull your chop at 135 and tent it, carryover will get it to at least 142. Hardly mid rare. Pull at 128. Also, brine the chop with pickling spice, sugar, salt, and a few cinnamon sticks for 3-4 hours.
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May 7, 2013 00:43
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yeah, true. my last couple I've slipped too and not caught it until it was 138, and it was way over where I wanted it to be - so probably best to err on the side of caution.
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May 7, 2013 05:51
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PhazonLink posted:If you still want the single serving thing, just get a mason jar and some attachment. Just don't use this to blend frozen fruit.
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May 7, 2013 16:33
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A few question even though it's too late to be delivered by Mom's Day. What is more useful a food processor or stand mixer? What are the recs for both? Also, what are the recs for a hand/stick blenders and hand mixers?
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May 10, 2013 02:18
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I have a really lovely gas cooktop made sometime before the Kaiser came to power, and it pretty much only has three settings: on, kinda on and gently caress off hot. While fine for most stuff, it's absolutely infuriating when trying to do long simmers or pressure cook stock; I end up having to babysit it for an hour and a half. Since I'm in a rental, I was thinking maybe a portable induction hotplate would help solve my issues. Anyone have any experience with these? Are the ~$80 chinese ebay ones just going to give me brain cancer? They all seem to be the same thing relabelled - 2kw, ~25cm diameter. This page (http://www.allamericancanner.com/allamerican915pressurecanner.htm) tells me that the biggest thing I want to use on it is ~35cm diameter, but it's got a really thick base so will that be a problem at all? All my other cookware is fine, according to http://www.all-clad.com.au/consumer-service/frequently-asked-questions/#faq1 , although a fat woman at work told me you need a copper core to make induction 'work properly'. PhazonLink posted:A few question even though it's too late to be delivered by Mom's Day. What is more useful a food processor or stand mixer? What are the recs for both? Also, what are the recs for a hand/stick blenders and hand mixers? I use my stand mixer all the time - it's a mixer, a meat grinder, an ice cream maker, a pizza/bread dough kneader and second set of hands combined. Ever since I got some decent knives, I find that I don't use my food processor very often. Unless I am making large quantities of something and need to chop like half a dozen onions, it is just too much effort to clean for the small decrease in work. everyone else might disagree, though, since I am pretty lazy. As for stick blenders, I've got a Bamix Swissline and it's a tank. BrosephofArimathea fucked around with this message at 06:09 on May 10, 2013 |
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May 10, 2013 05:46
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PhazonLink posted:A few question even though it's too late to be delivered by Mom's Day. What is more useful a food processor or stand mixer? What are the recs for both? Also, what are the recs for a hand/stick blenders and hand mixers? Click this: 
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May 10, 2013 05:55
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Schpyder posted:You goons talking up the Thermapen better not have been blowing smoke, because I took the $100 dive and it just showed up. I just paid $100 for one as well. Can't wait to use the thing. I've never cooked with temperatures before at all, is there a website/blog with temperature based recipes/directions like this: Chef De Cuisinart posted:If you pull your chop at 135 and tent it, carryover will get it to at least 142. Hardly mid rare. Pull at 128. around?
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May 10, 2013 13:35
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[quote="joelcamefalling" post="415309016" All my other cookware is fine, according to http://www.all-clad.com.au/consumer-service/frequently-asked-questions/#faq1 , although a fat woman at work told me you need a copper core to make induction 'work properly'. [/quote] If a magnet is attracted to a pan, that pan will work on induction. Fat woman is wrong, magnets don't stick to copper.
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May 10, 2013 14:16
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Boris Galerkin posted:I just paid $100 for one as well. Can't wait to use the thing. I've never cooked with temperatures before at all, is there a website/blog with temperature based recipes/directions like this: If you haven't already got the ThermaPen yet, make sure you check the back cover of one of the booklets that comes with it. There is a decently detailed temperature chart there that lists the "chef recommended" temps (while acknowledging that USDA recommended temps are a little higher) and talks about carryover. I cut mine out of the book and put it up on my fridge. I know there are definitely some here who would argue with some of their "chef recommended" temps, but personal preference takes over at some point. This is what it looks like:  or check out the ThermaPen blog: http://www.thermoworks.com/blog/2010/10/chef-recommended-tw-approved/
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May 10, 2013 16:36
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joelcamefalling posted:Since I'm in a rental, I was thinking maybe a portable induction hotplate would help solve my issues. Anyone have any experience with these? Are the ~$80 chinese ebay ones just going to give me brain cancer? They all seem to be the same thing relabelled - 2kw, ~25cm diameter. I just got a Max Burton 6200 so I could give induction a try. I've been using it mostly for cooking steaks in a cast iron skillet outsite so I don't smoke up the kitchen. (Don't tell the grill snobs but I actually prefer this to steaks cooked on my grill) So far I'm really starting to love the induction cooktop vs. our generic apartment quality electric stove. However, I'm not sure that an induction hob would work great for the use case you've got. I've read reviews that a lot of the induction cooktops auto-shutoff after 2-3 hours so I'm not sure if that would work for you if you're trying to do a long simmer.
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May 10, 2013 18:03
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Shopping for blenders on Amazon is literally the worst. I've never seen so many products that seem to have big clusters of 1-star reviews that are all along the lines of "dead in 3 months" or "dead in 6 months" or "sucks at everything, can't chop ice" I really don't want to spend a ton of money on a VitaMix; I use a blender maybe every two weeks. The Ninja NJ600 Pro is a much more reasonable price, but its ratings are mediocre to awful. And then I look at more expensive products, like the Breville BBL605XL Hemisphere Control, and while the average rating is pretty good the lowest ratings can all be summed up as "this blender will die on you within a year, but before it goes it will gently caress your wife while you're not at home; buy a VitaMix instead" I can't justify buying a $400 blender, I just can't. I imagine a lot of other people can't, either. Does everyone just put up with cheaper blenders that die after a year or whatever, or is there some hidden gem somewhere in here? I want a blender that can crush ice and make hummus, won't die or fall apart within 1-2 years, and doesn't cost as much as a VitaMix. Any particular recommendations? I've read the last 15ish pages of the thread and there are a lot of VitaMix recommendations and a few for blenders that get some really lovely Amazon reviews, are there any others?
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May 13, 2013 01:44
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joelcamefalling posted:Since I'm in a rental, I was thinking maybe a portable induction hotplate would help solve my issues. Anyone have any experience with these? Are the ~$80 chinese ebay ones just going to give me brain cancer? They all seem to be the same thing relabelled - 2kw, ~25cm diameter. For what it's worth I use an Avantco IC1800 for virtually everything now. It isn't nearly as attractive as some of those other ones, but its built like a tank, and has good control features. They have a smaller BT-M20 one that might be more appropriate in a home setting. I only use the stove now if I need simultaneous things cooking. Especially nice for pressure cooking.
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May 13, 2013 02:41
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QuarkJets posted:Shopping for blenders on Amazon is literally the worst. I've never seen so many products that seem to have big clusters of 1-star reviews that are all along the lines of "dead in 3 months" or "dead in 6 months" or "sucks at everything, can't chop ice" Find a used VitaMix. They last forever. I got mine at an auction that was auctioning off some failed restaurants stuff. 100bux.
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May 13, 2013 02:48
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QuarkJets posted:Shopping for blenders on Amazon is literally the worst. I've never seen so many products that seem to have big clusters of 1-star reviews that are all along the lines of "dead in 3 months" or "dead in 6 months" or "sucks at everything, can't chop ice" buy a kitchenaid, be ok if and when it craps out. or a used vitamix.
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May 13, 2013 04:12
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Troll posted:For what it's worth I use an Avantco IC1800 for virtually everything now. It isn't nearly as attractive as some of those other ones, but its built like a tank, and has good control features. They have a smaller BT-M20 one that might be more appropriate in a home setting. Sweet, that sounds exactly like what I need. They also seem to have a bigger model that takes 10" pans and 240v. Not fussed about pretty displays, just something that wont break with a 21lb pressure cooker + 20lbs of stock.
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May 13, 2013 08:18
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QuarkJets posted:Shopping for blenders on Amazon is literally the worst. I've never seen so many products that seem to have big clusters of 1-star reviews that are all along the lines of "dead in 3 months" or "dead in 6 months" or "sucks at everything, can't chop ice" I've got the Breville, and someone else on page 82 or something said they have too. It's actually cheaper here ($160) as Breville is Australian. I've had no problem with mine, I use it for oat/milk/ice/frozen banana/dash of cinnamon and honey smoothies for breakfast. It does the job perfectly for me. From some bad reviews I saw, there seems to be some from serious green leaf smoothie makers, saying it wasn't as good as a vitamix in doing that, so anyone that wants thick, thick, with no liquid added smoothies, or green leafy ones, and that they are someone who takes smoothies seriously, or any "raw food" type people should just get a vitamix as that is important enough for their specific needs to spend the extra. I didn't even look into a Vitamix as they retail at $900 here and not worth importing due to voltage/frequency power supply differences. On a second note, you mentioned you want to make hummus. That's a bad idea, as this blender like some other complaints mentioned, the blade base in not removable. So it would be hard to get all the stuff out and clean solids out from under the blade without a bottle brush. I actually use my philips food processor for hummus. Comes with a mini blender (good for making your own tahini), comes with a blender (with removable blade so I use that for pureeing veg, eg for baby food as it's easier to scrape food out and clean semi solids, but it's nowhere near a smoothie blender standards for ice etc - That's what I use the Breville blender for), and the food processor bowl is something I'd make hummus in. http://www.philips.com.au/c/Food-Preparation/viva-collection-750-w-compact-3-in-1-setup-2.1-l-bowl-hr7762_90/prd/ So I'd suggest if you don't want to spend $500 on a vitamix (or buy s/h), you get two different dedicated products like I did, or make do with a ninja. Edit: ninja master prep type thing I meant, not a ninja plain table top blender. Fo3 fucked around with this message at 09:44 on May 13, 2013 |
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May 13, 2013 09:26
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QuarkJets posted:Shopping for blenders on Amazon is literally the worst. I've never seen so many products that seem to have big clusters of 1-star reviews that are all along the lines of "dead in 3 months" or "dead in 6 months" or "sucks at everything, can't chop ice" Recently bought the breville as a housewarming gift, it is amazing and I want one now. The best part is that the base doesn't need to be parted out for cleanung - the blade assembly is designed so that it's easy to get under with a sponge or just water, nothing gets trapped and you don't need to gently caress with the carafe, base, blade, washer hoohah. BREVILLE 4 LYFE.
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May 13, 2013 13:37
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joelcamefalling posted:Sweet, that sounds exactly like what I need. They also seem to have a bigger model that takes 10" pans and 240v. Not fussed about pretty displays, just something that wont break with a 21lb pressure cooker + 20lbs of stock. That is an impressive amount of stock. What pressure cooker do you use? One other thing worth noting about induction tops is that they can produce a high frequency sound at max power that some people (myself included) hear / feel in their teeth. I only experience it on max power in close proximity. They generally have beastly cooling fans inside them as well. * The high frequency noise varies based on cookware and position. If you can hear it, usually it can be mitigated significantly even at max power just by shifting the cookware a bit. Troll fucked around with this message at 02:24 on May 14, 2013 |
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May 14, 2013 02:18
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Chef De Cuisinart posted:Find a used VitaMix. They last forever. I got mine at an auction that was auctioning off some failed restaurants stuff. 100bux. Where do you go to hear about such auctions? I'd like to get a vitamix as well, and other stuff hopefully.
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May 14, 2013 06:15
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7 Bowls of Wrath posted:Where do you go to hear about such auctions? I'd like to get a vitamix as well, and other stuff hopefully. I would as well. All of the used vitamixes on ebay appear to be at least $200; that's better than buying new I guess, but buying used electronic devices online carries its own risks gently caress it, I'm going to order the Breville, hopefully this isn't a dumb decision
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May 14, 2013 08:55
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My wife and I got a Breville when we got married and we just love it.
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May 15, 2013 05:10
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I have an amazon gift card so I'm going to use it to get a thermapen. I just want to make sure this is what I want http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...&pf_rd_i=468294
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May 15, 2013 22:05
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That's the one.
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May 15, 2013 22:37
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Scott Bakula posted:I have an amazon gift card so I'm going to use it to get a thermapen. I just want to make sure this is what I want That's the one. There should be other colors to suit your taste, as well.
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May 15, 2013 22:37
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I got mine in orange so I could quickly locate it in the drawer of kitchen tools.
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May 15, 2013 22:53
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If you don't get the flame or camo one you might as well not bother.
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May 15, 2013 23:33
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yeah getting a black one is p much a waste of money. I have a british racing green one, because why the gently caress not.
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May 15, 2013 23:35
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FishBulb posted:If you don't get the flame or camo one you might as well not bother. They're sold out of literally every limited edition thermapen except for the hot coals one, and have been since I ordered mine.  I got orange.
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May 16, 2013 00:14
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Word. The flame is too Guy Fierish and camo is designed to be lost. Good choice.
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May 16, 2013 00:54
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Orange Thermapen best Thermapen.
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May 16, 2013 01:34
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Purple was the cheapest by a whole £3 so I went for that
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May 16, 2013 08:17
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Shere posted:I'm looking for a blender specifically for the purposes of making daily protein smoothies, the idea being that I only want a single serving and I don't want to have to messy up a giant pitcher every day for just that. I saw this at Bed Bath and Beyond: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=17588915 and I like the idea of having multiple cups that I can just take and go, no need to even transfer the contents and plenty of clean cups so I don't have to worry about immediate cleanup if I do use a different container. I was wondering if anyone had experience with this or had any other recommendations to give. Used to have a Magic Bullet that did little shakes perfectly. I really liked that old machine, until the crappy materials they used to drive the blades wore down and I couldn't find spare parts. If only they'd made that gear out of steel instead of plastic or rubber or whatever it was...
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May 16, 2013 11:11
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