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mod sassinator posted:2-2.5 qt pots will be pretty small, even for cooking just for yourself. I would look at something in the 3-4 qt range. I have a 4 qt straight sided sauce pan I use for small quantities of pasta all the time and it works great. You can totally make smoothies with a stick blender. I have this http://www.amazon.com/Oster-2-Speed-250-Watt-Blender-Silver/dp/B0000AZUW9 and I've made a few shakes in it. A VitaMix is superior, but a stick blender is better than a tabletop model in general.
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Jun 24, 2013 17:06
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Gilgameshback posted:I have a mix of Cuisinart multiclad and All-Clad and I don't notice much of a difference in cooking. The Cuisinart is much easier to clean for some reason. angor posted:Looking for two recommendations. That saucier pan is probably the tenth pan you should be buying, if not later. (I'm omitting non-stick from the list as you seem to be full up!) This is the one to use for risottos: http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-MCP...e+pan+multiclad Here's a good order for a lonely person: 1.) 12" fry pan (http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-MCP...lticlad+12-inch) 2.) 4 quart sauce pan (http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-MCP...quart+multiclad) 3.) 12" cast-iron (LODGE) 4.) 2 quart sauce pan (http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-MCP...cepan+multiclad) 5.) 6+ quart pressure cooker 6.) 5 1/2 quart saute pan (http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-MCP...e+pan+multiclad 7.) Dutch oven (I'm stupid so I got an oval staub. Realistically this is a stupid thing but I got it for nostalgic reasons and for cool oval braises) 8.) roasting pan w/ rack 9.) big cheap stockpot (MAYBE, I'm lazy so i'd probably use it for lobsters more often than stock and I'd just use the pressure cooker to make all the stock I need) 10.) that saucy pan thing, but lets face it you don't really need it Really, the edges are cool for hollandaise or chocolate or whatever but largely unnecessary as most pots these days don't have very sharp edges anyways. No Wave fucked around with this message at 18:26 on Jun 24, 2013 |
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Jun 24, 2013 18:23
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always vitamix. vitamix owns
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Jun 24, 2013 18:33
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angor posted:Looking for two recommendations. Just buy the Cuisinart MCP-12 MultiClad Pro cookware set from amazon USA for about $270. http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-MCP...t+multiclad+pro I didn't buy that set, bought individually pieces I wanted and had no problems getting them to Australia, (larger fry pan, larger stockpot, larger saute, and the 2 saucepans) As far as food processor vs stick blender, stick blenders are better for blending hot stuff while still in it's pot. So good for soups and purees. Food processors are good for slicing and combining ingredients. proper blenders are better to deal with smoothies, ice, uncooked ingredients. Choose which you want most of I guess. All are handy in their own ways. I wouldn't go without a stick blender, but I wouldn't buy one that comes with attachments and blades, fittings and bowls that tries to be a food processor either. I've got a 15 year old stick blender (black and decker "slender blender"), a cheap food processor (philips), and a fancy blender for smoothies/ice (breville 605) Read the first page of this thread, and maybe the last 20-10 pages or so as these are the most popular questions. Edit: Getting a vitamix outside of the USA is not economical feasible. It's like $900, curse your stupid 110VAC/60hz! Fo3 fucked around with this message at 19:37 on Jun 24, 2013 |
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Jun 24, 2013 19:32
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If thermomix was available in the US I'm sure there would be terrabytes dedicated to thermomix hax...Fo3 posted:Just buy the Cuisinart MCP-12 MultiClad Pro cookware set from amazon USA for about $270. http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-MCP...t+multiclad+pro Especially because you'd be better off using the pressure cooker you should own in lieu of the stockpot for most uses (I mean, why have two pots that can hold the same quantity of liquid), 2 and 4 quart are slightly better sizes than 1.5 and 3 quart for saucepans, 8" fry pan is kind of pointless... etc. etc. Getting a 2 quart saucepan, 4 quart saucepan, 12-inch skillet, and 5 1/2 quart saute pan seems more expensive, in that it costs roughly the same as this entire set, but in terms of surface area it comes out even and the pieces are frankly more useful. You'll want a 6 quart pressure cooker anyways (which often come with steamer inserts), a dutch oven to handle your braises (the lodge cast-irons are cheap as gently caress), and a 10" nonstick for eggz, so I don't really see you being down anything. I bought an 8" non-stick t-fal and it was so small it was ridiculous. You could fit, like, one jumbo egg sunnyside up. Returned it even though I only got, like, $10 back after shipping. No Wave fucked around with this message at 19:52 on Jun 24, 2013 |
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Jun 24, 2013 19:48
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Also - just put in an order for the moritaka 240mm gyuto, dojo paring knife (thanks SubJesus), an edge faux, a 320 shapton glass stone and a 1000 shapton glass stone (thanks deimos). a.) Should I get higher-grit stones as well? b.) What kind of bevel should I be looking to put on the Moritaka and Dojo/what angle am I shooting for? I'm probably going to gently caress around on the stones with my fibrox boner and fillet de sole and stick with the factory edge on the Moritaka for a few months at least, but I'm curious about how to progress. c.) How often does the hand american borosilicate come back in stock? Or is there a honer that is sufficient for these two knives that makes more sense? Thanks!
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Jun 24, 2013 20:05
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No Wave posted:Also - just put in an order for the moritaka 240mm gyuto, dojo paring knife (thanks SubJesus), an edge faux, a 320 shapton glass stone and a 1000 shapton glass stone (thanks deimos). a. The higher the grit you go to the easier it is for the knife to lose b. Keep whatever bevel it comes with (if you're unsure use the sharpie method to make sure you're getting an even bevel: sharpie the edge and start sharpening, if the entire sharpie line disappears you're on the right angle). If you're unsure of the angle, email chefknivestogo and ask, they're very helpful. c. Any smooth steel would be ideal, since you're going with a hard steel japanese knife I'd recommend against diamond loaded ones, again, you can email chefknivestogo for a recommendation. deimos fucked around with this message at 22:21 on Jun 24, 2013 |
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Jun 24, 2013 20:39
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I was under the impression that higher grit edges lasted longer as a general rule.
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Jun 24, 2013 21:08
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Nope, anything above 1500 for a kitchen knife is overkill. You're just polishing the edge past that grit. You could do without any stones above 1000 grit and just strop, or use a 1200-2000 grit hone. Higher grits have their purpose, like you wouldn't shave with anything not sharpened with 6000 grit, but they don't hold their edge any longer though either. edit; How long a blade keeps it's edge is all to do with the steel, the bevel, the edge (concave, multi bevel etc), and how it's used, not the stone grit it was sharpened on. Fo3 fucked around with this message at 22:04 on Jun 24, 2013 |
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Jun 24, 2013 21:56
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Fo3 posted:edit; How long a blade keeps it's edge is all to do with the steel, the bevel, the edge (concave, multi bevel etc), and how it's used, not the stone grit it was sharpened on. Yeah, in retrospect I said that wrong, what I meant to say was closer to "the higher the grit the faster the effect that grit may have on the edge will be worn off, specially on softer steels".
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Jun 24, 2013 22:20
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My plan going forward is: get .5 micron green paste get balsa strop get whatever honing rod chefknivestogo recommends Then, for the knives, I will: sharpen using only the 1000 grit at the angle/bevel that chefknivestogo tells me the knives already have (I'm assuming there's no need to reprofile them) strop after sharpening hone before/after usage Is that about correct? For some reason sharpening in particular is something that I have a lot of trouble learning/making intuitive. I really, really appreciate the help because I've honestly gone crazy for weeks before because there are so many different techniques and I didn't know how to get started.
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Jun 24, 2013 23:21
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For Japanese knives, do not hone before/after each use. They don't need it. You will only need to touch up the edges every month or so, if that. Honing every use is more for softer steels that need to be trued. Honestly, I don't know how much you'll really notice from stropping. I like the edges I get from my 1200 grit waterstone.
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Jun 24, 2013 23:26
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angor posted:
The Bamix is really solid. If you can swing £150-180, the Bamix Superbox often comes up on sale, and that box includes a stand, 3 different sized beakers with lids, a spicemill, 4 different blades (aerator, blender, chopper, meat), their "Slicesy" processor and 6 blades for grating/slicing/chopping - S-shaped doublesided blade, large holed grater, mediu grater, fine grater, thick slicer, thin slicer. It's more money, but the machine also comes with a 10 year warranty, so compared to spending $60 on a similar Bosch every 2-3 years it's a no-brainer.
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Jun 24, 2013 23:33
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GrAviTy84 posted:For Japanese knives, do not hone before/after each use. They don't need it. You will only need to touch up the edges every month or so, if that. Honing every use is more for softer steels that need to be trued. Unfortunately my current honing rod is a diamond steel that I got for my wicked sick German knives five years ago (whoops) Will I get happy performance if I just take the edgepro out and use the 1000 grit stone every other month or so? Seems like an easy way to save a hundred bux for now until it bugs me. I would like this to be unapologetically sharp, though.
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Jun 24, 2013 23:36
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GrAviTy84 posted:Honestly, I don't know how much you'll really notice from stropping. I like the edges I get from my 1200 grit waterstone.
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Jun 24, 2013 23:57
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No Wave posted:I do like the idea of putting off the strop and the honing rod... A 1000 and 4000 grit stone set should take care of everything unless you want to use your knife to do robot-assisted surgery or are the officiant at a pre-Columbian Aztec human sacrifice. I don't really know of any culinary application that calls for a loaded strop or any other kind of strop.
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Jun 24, 2013 23:59
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SubG posted:Depends on what you're used to. I expect a sharp knife to cut a tomato under its own weight and and for there to be little feeling of resistance when push cutting. Without stropping regularly I just don't get that, even if the edge is otherwise sharp enough to actually do the task. I don't know that everyone has that sort of expectation from their cutlery, or if most people would consider the additional performance worth the effort. But I definitely think even very hard steels get a lot out of routine stropping. I'm a lot more comfortable with my sharpening skills now, but I still don't get this sharp  it's totally my expectation that a knife would cut a tomato under its own weight, but I jusssttt can'ttt get there. you should post a knife thread man and teach us your ways of wisdom
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Jun 25, 2013 00:10
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SubG posted:Depends on what you're used to. I expect a sharp knife to cut a tomato under its own weight and and for there to be little feeling of resistance when push cutting. Without stropping regularly I just don't get that, even if the edge is otherwise sharp enough to actually do the task. I don't know that everyone has that sort of expectation from their cutlery, or if most people would consider the additional performance worth the effort. But I definitely think even very hard steels get a lot out of routine stropping. If it's over, like, ten dollars nm - i'm looking for something basically free to gently caress around with before I get the real deal.
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Jun 25, 2013 00:10
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No Wave posted:Is there a more bootleg option than the balsa/green powder? Like, I remember hearing that a manila folder worked. I want to see if I actually do strop before I drop the dollars (some things I'm just too lazy to do). Cardboard or newspaper are supposed to work for stropping a straight razor. Again, I don't think that the edge of a chef's knife is really thin enough to benefit much from stropping.
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Jun 25, 2013 00:38
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No Wave posted:If the choice is a set of all-clad or a set of multi-pro plus a vitamix - given that these two options cost the same - I'd go with the second every. single. time. and never feel sorry even for a second. The gains for All-Clad over multi-pro are small enough and the costs so high that it's something that I'd only say is worth it if you already have a top-of-the-line blender, amazing knives, a good range, all the other good poo poo (juicer/microplane etc) and a puddler. Which I think a lot of people here do, probably, but I'm trying to articulate where dollars are best allocated (in my experience) This is a solid list, and I appreciate it. I have one big problem that I stupidly forgot to mention: I'm in Bahrain. If I order from the US, my parents will have to lug it back to the UK. THEN, my girlfriend will have to lug it to Bahrain in September. I was trying to keep the number of pans to a minimum, especially considering international excess baggage fees are $20+ per kilo. If I buy in the UK it's easier, but it will be more expensive. Other things to keep in mind: I have an electric glass top stove. I will work on getting a single induction burner, but that's a year away at least. I am a vegetarian (I don't know if this makes a difference in the type of pans I need).
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Jun 25, 2013 00:48
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In your case, I think you'd get the most use out of the 5 1/2 quart saute pan - if you need a pan to boil pasta in you can get a cheapy in Bahrain. I may be overthinking this, but I think vegetarians often have to make a greater volume of food and require more surface area. I know I need all 12" whenever I make brussel sprouts, peppers, onions, heck anything that's not a solid piece of meat. Plus, it is undoubtedly the optimal pan for risotto.
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Jun 25, 2013 00:53
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mindphlux posted:I'm a lot more comfortable with my sharpening skills now, but I still don't get this sharp mindphlux posted:you should post a knife thread man and teach us your ways of wisdom No Wave posted:Is there a more bootleg option than the balsa/green powder? Gilgameshback posted:Cardboard or newspaper are supposed to work for stropping a straight razor. Again, I don't think that the edge of a chef's knife is really thin enough to benefit much from stropping.
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Jun 25, 2013 01:53
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Also, the usual sharpening confusion is coming on for me. I'm having difficulty understanding (I'm not saying this sarcastically, I mean I'm having trouble interpreting the info) why sharpening over 1k would be overkill but stropping wouldn't be - it seems like for most edges you have to progressively build up to finer grits, but going straight from 1k to stropping seems to render that unnecessary (my understanding being that stropping is the equivalent of something like a 60k grit). Also - most sources seem to say that going from 1k to 5k is totally possible and fine - meaning that, especially if I'm using the edge pro, what would be the advantage of using the 2k at all when I can go straight to 5k? It seems like for my own sanity - as long as I'm learning the edge pro system - I'd do well getting a ceramic rod for routine honing, and a 1k and 5k stone to get me to wicked sharpness. Basically, I can't understand how a 5k is overkill but stropping, which is the equivalent of a finer grit, isn't... Again, I'm not trying to contradict anyone's experience, I'm just trying to figure out a framework that makes sense to me. EDIT: Didn't see SubG's post above - will see the results I get with the 1k and a leather belt before laying down any more scratch. Am probably most interested in a honing rod next because I am lazy. The chefknifetogo person recommended that I get a mac black ceramic rod, but I'll probably hold out for the borosilicate... so 1k and leather belt for now. No Wave fucked around with this message at 02:05 on Jun 25, 2013 |
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Jun 25, 2013 01:54
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Stropping is really more akin to polishing. fwiw. I got a pretty affordable strop with my straight razor from whippeddog.com edit: for instance: http://whippeddog.com/products/view/poor-man-strop-kit will get you a leather strop, balsa wood strop, and two compounds. The green compound and a slightly finer red compound. edit2: also fwiw, hanging strops are harder to learn with than paddle strops. GrAviTy84 fucked around with this message at 02:01 on Jun 25, 2013 |
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Jun 25, 2013 01:56
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I have stropped, with the green compound, on my standard issue shun 10". I didn't notice enough performance increase to make it worth the effort, and I don't have the real estate for a strop paddle. Maybe every two weeks I'll do 20 passes on the waterstone to true up the edge, and that seems to work as well as a strop to refresh the performance, for the same time investment. My sharpness benchmark is shaving the top of my wrist without pulling. I don't know how many tomatoes that is. If you had a hanging strop and could use it, I can see how that might be faster than my status quo.
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Jun 25, 2013 02:55
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GrAviTy84 posted:For Japanese knives, do not hone before/after each use. They don't need it. You will only need to touch up the edges every month or so, if that. Honing every use is more for softer steels that need to be trued. I disagree. I touch up the edge on mine weekly, and do a pass or two daily on a 6k stone. It makes a difference. Granted I'm talking about work here, and not home use. My CCK cleaver, which has been relegated to home use hasn't been sharpened in about 6mos, and it's still a razor.
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Jun 25, 2013 03:36
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Chef De Cuisinart posted:I disagree. I touch up the edge on mine weekly, and do a pass or two daily on a 6k stone. It makes a difference. Granted I'm talking about work here, and not home use. My CCK cleaver, which has been relegated to home use hasn't been sharpened in about 6mos, and it's still a razor. Well yeah. I'm not a pro cheffy cheff  I'm just an overly spergy home cook.
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Jun 25, 2013 03:43
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GrAviTy84 posted:I'm just an overly spergy home cook. Show me some hawt edge thinning, amirite? e: I think edge thinning is a thing most people don't know they have to do eventually. And in the case of some knives, need to do before they even begin to sharpen. All of the Tojiro ITK knives are very rough finishes, and should be thinned before sharpening, Even the DP series, which I recommend as the best home knife series period, could use some thinning on a few pieces.
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Jun 25, 2013 03:47
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No Wave posted:In your case, I think you'd get the most use out of the 5 1/2 quart saute pan - if you need a pan to boil pasta in you can get a cheapy in Bahrain. I may be overthinking this, but I think vegetarians often have to make a greater volume of food and require more surface area. I know I need all 12" whenever I make brussel sprouts, peppers, onions, heck anything that's not a solid piece of meat. Plus, it is undoubtedly the optimal pan for risotto. The more I think about it, the more I agree with you. Some of those reviews for the 5.5qt saute pan are a little off putting though. Mainly the ones about sticking (which I assume is user error) and warping (which, with an electric stove, is terrifying.)
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Jun 25, 2013 11:36
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Chef De Cuisinart posted:Show me some hawt edge thinning, amirite? Double Bevel dat ride 
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Jun 25, 2013 17:04
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nevermind
Gilgameshback fucked around with this message at 19:32 on Jun 25, 2013 |
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Jun 25, 2013 19:24
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O god, I forgot to add content to my last post, I was gonna mention that this is a pretty
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Jun 25, 2013 19:39
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Wow - that is great. I feel so much better, finally. So it looks like something we've been missing from our discussion is the distinction between slicing and push-cutting - slicing benefits from a slightly rougher edge, and push-cutting from an extremely polished one. So I'll probably optimize my fish filleting knife and my deboner for slicing, ie, I won't go past the fine grit stone, and I'll just hone them afterwards. I'll sharpen them to 15 degrees, single bevel. I'll get my CCK cleaver extremely polished (maybe pick up another stone later, maybe just strop it for a while), as I'm more likely to use it for push-cutting motions, and I'll probably sharpen it to 20 degrees as the metal is a little softer. My paring knife would be better geared towards push-cutting, as well, but I'll probably go with 15 degrees because the metal is harder and can take it. I'll probably treat my chef's knife (the Moritaka gyuto) the same as the fish knife and deboner, though maybe with some stropping afterwards. With the option later to put on a 20 degree double bevel. It's finally coming together! Thanks deimos. If this edge faux thing works out I'll be gifting my dad with a nice used chef's choice 110 system soon. However, it does seem that a honing rod would be useful, and that ceramic will do just fine for my purposes. No Wave fucked around with this message at 21:25 on Jun 25, 2013 |
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Jun 25, 2013 21:18
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RETHINKING: I found a place that sells 1/2" diameter pyrex rods. Can I just use this instead of the hand american thingy? If I wanted to buy a plastic handle/cap to put on these - does anyone know where to buy this sort of component? Thanks! EDIT: Strikes me as super weird that there's are imitations of the edge pro system but not the much-less-complicated borosilicate honing rod. Makes me want to find a rubber cap and 1/2" diameter handle and start selling them for 30 bux. DOUBLE EDIT: Bottleneck appears to be that pyrex rods only come in a 48" length and it's an extremely difficult material to cut. Am negotiating with distributors currently. No Wave fucked around with this message at 23:44 on Jun 25, 2013 |
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Jun 25, 2013 22:58
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No Wave posted:RETHINKING:
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Jun 25, 2013 23:36
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SubG posted:Depends on the tolerances of the rods. The reason why you pay more for one that's designed for use as a honing steel is that you know it'll be true. EDIT: Dope - looks like mountain glass will cut my pyrex! I've found a place to get a grip for my rod! Let's DO THIS! No Wave fucked around with this message at 23:53 on Jun 25, 2013 |
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Jun 25, 2013 23:46
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Oh god should I get a CCK or a Nakiri? Keep in mind where I live (Puerto Rico) if I look at a piece of steel wrong it'll rust, my carbon steel knives basically live drenched in oil and I have to take careful care of my cast iron (I solve it by using the filthy goon option: I don't clean them until I am ready to use it again or a the end of the week), I am not sure I could baby a CCK every time I use it, is something like the Tojiro DP Nakiri a good substitute for it? I am not sure how the spine widths compare or the overall weight/feel to either of them.
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Jun 26, 2013 17:34
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CCK forever and always. Patina is awesome. You can get it to have an smooth, even black patina by doing stuff to it, but don't let rust dissuade you from buying an awesome knife and buying a not nearly as awesome knife instead. I mean, they use carbon steel poo poo in south east asia all the time and they don't baby it. It'll be fine.
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Jun 26, 2013 17:52
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Is there actually an argument why "forcing" patina is bad? I put the word in quotes because it has an almost propagandistically negative connotation. Adding patina seems to only add to the utility of the knife.
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Jun 26, 2013 17:55
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GrAviTy84 posted:CCK forever and always. Patina is awesome. No Wave posted:Is there actually an argument why "forcing" patina is bad? You can certainly start off by forcing a patina on a kitchen knife and just expect that it's just going to change/get better with use...just like when you're seasoning bare cast iron or carbon steel for the first time.
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Jun 26, 2013 18:23
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