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1redflag posted:My fiance is starting a wedding registry and I figured I should at least find out what goons would recommend when it comes to china/crystal. I remember someone having a few good posts on the subject in the not too distant past, but can't seem to find them. My hope is to just have one set of nice "everyday" china and stemware that we use all the time (and replace piecemeal as it breaks). We have Crate and Barrel everyday dishes and they have been great. It’s the kind with the blue line around the rim and it’s a pattern that we should be able to get forever. My advice would be to get extra plates and bowls, or whatever you use the most of. We have like 12 or 16 dinner plates and extra bowls. The other thing we got and love are the soup plates. But get extras now and get a pattern that will still be made. As for stemware, we have a full set of Waterford that we never ever use. And a motley assortment of everyday stuff, we kind of gave up on everyday stuff matching stemware wise.
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Nov 6, 2017 03:59
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Really, seriously, extensively sit down with your fiancé and THINK long and goddamned hard about how you live your life now, a year from now, five years from now, and ten years from now. Are y’all already the type of people who throw dinner parties on the reg for parties of 6-12 people? Do you currently host Thanksgiving? Do you own a house with a formal dining room and furniture to store rarely used plates and silverware and crystal? How do you feel about the plates/ cups/ silverware that you already own? Are you planning on having kids in the next three to seven years? Are you going to buy a house? I ask all of this because I have never ever in m life ever encountered anyone who has said “drat I use that set of twelve crystal wine glasses that I got from my registry all the drat time and am so glad I got them!” But I do know a shitton of people who are still using the everyday dinnerware stuff ten and fifteen years later. When you ask for amounts of stuff consider the room you have now and the room you are planning on having ten years from now- you don’t want to be like my husbands grandma with a set of 16 pewter goblets in the sideboard that she unwrapped after her wedding 60 years ago, shoved in the sideboard, and then gave to her grandsons wife 60 years later. Only register for what you need and will use. It’s totally ok to ask for extravagant stuff but ask for the really COOL extravagant stuff like awesome handmade artisan cheese boards with matching knife or whatever. Things that you’d want to show off.
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Nov 7, 2017 03:04
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So a couple of years ago I got the Peugeot Paris U’Select Pepper Grinder. It owns and I love it and it’s beautiful and I wouldn’t trade it for anything... but it is annoying to use when I need large quantities of pepper for recipes that call for spoonfuls. What’s a good electric pepper grinder that grinds pepper ultra super fine as gently caress so I don’t bite into broken peppercorn chunks?
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Nov 7, 2017 03:22
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One piece of plate advice I have is, get some form of white. We got this fun red color, and whenever i photo’ed anything I made that was awesome, it didn’t look any good. Now, you may not care about photo blogging your food, but I eventually got some white plates and bowls and noticed how much more appetizing and spectacular the food looked. Photos or no. Other topic: are there any theories or info known about kitchen lighting? I like my kitchen bright so I can see. I just put in some new bulbs that are much “whiter” I guess in the blue spectrum? Is it brighter? Yes. Can I see better? Yes. Not sure it’s as inviting, though. Should I be going for warmer?
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Nov 7, 2017 03:31
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30 Goddamned Dicks posted:Really, seriously, extensively sit down with your fiancé and THINK long and goddamned hard about how you live your life now, a year from now, five years from now, and ten years from now. Are y’all already the type of people who throw dinner parties on the reg for parties of 6-12 people? Do you currently host Thanksgiving? Do you own a house with a formal dining room and furniture to store rarely used plates and silverware and crystal? How do you feel about the plates/ cups/ silverware that you already own? Are you planning on having kids in the next three to seven years? Are you going to buy a house? 1redflad did say that they just wanted a nice set of everyday china stemware
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Nov 7, 2017 03:40
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1redflag posted:My fiance is starting a wedding registry and I figured I should at least find out what goons would recommend when it comes to china/crystal. I remember someone having a few good posts on the subject in the not too distant past, but can't seem to find them. My hope is to just have one set of nice "everyday" china and stemware that we use all the time (and replace piecemeal as it breaks). Here's a recommendation from SubG a while back on the subject. I have the weird habit of only buying one each of everything so I have two dozen unique wine glasses. There are a couple Schott Zwiesels mixed in there and they're very nice. SubG posted:Not sure what price range you're looking for, but I like Schott Zwiesel's Tritan stuff as glassware that looks and feels good while also being really rugged (in the sense of not getting scuffed by repeated trips through the dishwasher and putting up with getting bumped/knocked over/dropped without exploding). I've got a combination of a couple of the Tritan lines---mostly Classico and the Paris Barware lines---and they mix and match fine. Another solid recommendation from Friend: Friend posted:I don't have any of their regular glassware but Bormioli Rocco is a really good brand. They are made to be nigh-unbreakable. I have two sets of their wine glasses, and when my under-cabinet wine glass rack fell, the only things that broke were my non-bormioli glasses and the glass bowl they fell on. Steve Yun fucked around with this message at 03:46 on Nov 7, 2017 |
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Nov 7, 2017 03:44
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Thanks Steve, those were the exact posts I was talking about! Also, to the other poster, I completely agree; I am trying to make this our "one set" that we use all the time because I know way too many people who have a fine china set that gets used once a year. We cook a lot at home though, so we'd get good usage out of a quality set (and I'd like to toss my current stoneware set from my mom's first marriage in the 70's that I've been using for the last decade), and we like to drink so the stemware would see good rotation. Trying to keep my fiance away from the serving sets etc cause we will likely never use half that poo poo, but sometimes you have to pick your battles (she originally wanted an everyday set AND a fine china set).
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Nov 7, 2017 04:14
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So I'm getting into making bread now and I'm wondering how necessary it is to get a stand mixer like the Bosch in the OP vs a Kitchenaid. I'm upgrading from a piece of poo poo $40 stand mixer that I got at a Kmart so both choices will be a huge upgrade, but if I'm only making 1-2 loaves per week with the occasional batch of bagels would I really need the heftier Bosch? Or would something like the Kitchenaid Pro do fine?
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Nov 7, 2017 18:44
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I have the 1HP KA and haven't needed to upgrade yet. I do pizza dough in it pretty often and occasionally bagels. If I were to buy something new I'd go with the Ankarsrum
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Nov 7, 2017 18:55
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I have both a Kitchenaid Pro and a Bosch Universal. They are very good at different things. The KA is absolutely fantastic for anything with the paddle attachment. Think cookies, cakes, etc... Get one of the aftermarket Edge Beaters and it's even better. The KA is however, garbage at kneading bread with the dough hook. I'd try pizza dough, and after 30 minutes, there would be virtually no good gluten development. On the flipside, the Bosch would be smooth and get great window paning at 10 minutes, but drier doughs like cookies take forever for it to actually incorporate all of the flour on the edges of the bowl. The center column on the Bosch is super annoying for batters like cakes, because I constantly feel like I am leaving half the batter in the bowl if I don't spend 5 minutes scraping every inch of it. The KA however is a quick and easy bowl to scrape. If you are even remotely serious about bread, get the Bosch. I started off wanting to be cheap(er) and thought the KA would be fine, but ended up having to dump out every bread that I made and finish it off by hand (nice). I now own both. Edit: And yes, I tried different batch sizes in the KA, from half batches to double batches. The larger batches saw very slightly better results, but still not adequate.
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Nov 7, 2017 19:03
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El Disco posted:So I'm getting into making bread now and I'm wondering how necessary it is to get a stand mixer like the Bosch in the OP vs a Kitchenaid. I'm upgrading from a piece of poo poo $40 stand mixer that I got at a Kmart so both choices will be a huge upgrade, but if I'm only making 1-2 loaves per week with the occasional batch of bagels would I really need the heftier Bosch? Or would something like the Kitchenaid Pro do fine? The Ankarsrum is the answer. It'll do anything a KA can (I've made the most fantastic cookies in it, light and airy and melt-in-your-mouth) but it's also really, really good at making bread dough. The downside is that it's pretty expensive, but the silver lining there is that it'll last decades of regular use. It's bottom-heavy and has suction cup feet, so you really won't move it accidentally. I've made bagels with an entire 5# bag of flour in mine. No problem.
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Nov 7, 2017 19:09
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Doom Rooster posted:The KA is however, garbage at kneading bread with the dough hook. I'd try pizza dough, and after 30 minutes, there would be virtually no good gluten development. On the flipside, the Bosch would be smooth and get great window paning at 10 minutes, but drier doughs like cookies take forever for it to actually incorporate all of the flour on the edges of the bowl. The center column on the Bosch is super annoying for batters like cakes, because I constantly feel like I am leaving half the batter in the bowl if I don't spend 5 minutes scraping every inch of it. The KA however is a quick and easy bowl to scrape. I've made many, many loaves of bread with my kitchenaid pro's dough hook with basically no handkneading and no tricks to develop gluten. The dough comes out perfectly nice with plenty of gluten both in totally lean loaves and ones that have eggs and fat in them. I'm not sure what's going on with yours but I don't think it's an issue endemic to the brand itself.
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Nov 7, 2017 19:17
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drat, that Ankarsrum looks wild! I want, but have no need for, one!
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Nov 7, 2017 19:21
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Doom Rooster posted:drat, that Ankarsrum looks wild! I want, but have no need for, one! I bought mine (one generation old, but still works just fine - it doesn't go up quite as high in rpm, but it has the torque) for $80. Craigslist, man. The listing had been up for a month, because nobody knows what an Ankarsrum is or how amazing they are. The same model is selling for $300+ elsewhere. If you don't have a stand mixer already, the Ankarsrum is the right one to choose. If you do have a stand mixer, you might want to consider upgrading if you bake a lot of bread.
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Nov 7, 2017 20:26
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I'm in a small house, with a kitchen smaller than you would expect in a small house, and already own a KA and Bosch. I have no space left for another stand mixer. 95% of my use is bread, which the Bosch is already amazing at, so cannot justify trading it in for an Ankarsrum. Should be moving into a new, much bigger house in the next few years, so I'll definitely be looking into one then.
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Nov 7, 2017 21:26
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I'd get an Ankarsrum today if the attachments were universal, but I don't really want to store another appliance with a move soon.
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Nov 7, 2017 21:30
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Dr. Gitmo Moneyson posted:So a couple of years ago I got the Peugeot Paris U’Select Pepper Grinder. It owns and I love it and it’s beautiful and I wouldn’t trade it for anything... but it is annoying to use when I need large quantities of pepper for recipes that call for spoonfuls. What’s a good electric pepper grinder that grinds pepper ultra super fine as gently caress so I don’t bite into broken peppercorn chunks? Unicorn Magnum. http://www.unicornmills.com/Magnum-0/ No question.
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Nov 7, 2017 23:07
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Test Pattern posted:Unicorn Magnum. http://www.unicornmills.com/Magnum-0/ No question. Yep. It’s named like a dildo and kind of looks like one but it puts out pepper like nothing else.
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Nov 7, 2017 23:10
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Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:Yep. It’s named like a dildo and kind of looks like one but it puts out pepper like nothing else. Honey, do you want to get the 9" black magnum? If you think that is more than we need we could go with a 6" in black AND white.
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Nov 7, 2017 23:12
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a little under 6" is the average size
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Nov 7, 2017 23:15
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I guess mine is average then. Haven't had any complaints.
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Nov 8, 2017 00:11
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SymmetryrtemmyS posted:I bought mine (one generation old, but still works just fine - it doesn't go up quite as high in rpm, but it has the torque) for $80. Craigslist, man. The listing had been up for a month, because nobody knows what an Ankarsrum is or how amazing they are. The same model is selling for $300+ elsewhere. Good call on checking Craigslist, I just found one near me for $270. Not quite a steal like yours but still better than new. And it's only missing the cookie beaters.
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Nov 8, 2017 00:51
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Steve Yun posted:I guess mine is average then. Haven't had any complaints. That’s because your hand can’t talk.
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Nov 8, 2017 01:01
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Steve Yun posted:Here's a recommendation from SubG a while back on the subject. I have the weird habit of only buying one each of everything so I have two dozen unique wine glasses. There are a couple Schott Zwiesels mixed in there and they're very nice. The only failure in the SZ glassware I've had I think was a DOA/shipping problem---had an old fashioned glass with a chipped bottom discovered after being washed for the first time. It's possible that the thermal cycling caused it to crack, but I think it was probably an existing defect that I just hadn't noticed, but you could convince me either way. Fake edit: just looked it up, and the product name of the tall drinks glass what they call a `long drink/iced beverage cocktail glass'. It's from the Iceberg line. The old fashioned glasses are from the Paris Barware line. The product photos of the different Tritan lines sometimes makes it look like the colour of the glass varies, but I've got glassware from three different lines and the glass is visually indistinguishable.
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Nov 8, 2017 01:27
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Test Pattern posted:Unicorn Magnum. http://www.unicornmills.com/Magnum-0/ No question.
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Nov 8, 2017 01:30
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Is there a consensus on an immersion blender recommendation?
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Nov 8, 2017 01:35
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wormil posted:Is there a consensus on an immersion blender recommendation? Bamix has been extremely good to me
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Nov 8, 2017 08:40
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Friend posted:I don't have any of their regular glassware but Bormioli Rocco is a really good brand. They are made to be nigh-unbreakable. I have two sets of their wine glasses, and when my under-cabinet wine glass rack fell, the only things that broke were my non-bormioli glasses and the glass bowl they fell on. Update on these: they are currently on sale for 8 glasses for $16 at Meh.com (today only)
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Nov 8, 2017 14:22
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Dr. Gitmo Moneyson posted:So a couple of years ago I got the Peugeot Paris U’Select Pepper Grinder. It owns and I love it and it’s beautiful and I wouldn’t trade it for anything... but it is annoying to use when I need large quantities of pepper for recipes that call for spoonfuls. What’s a good electric pepper grinder that grinds pepper ultra super fine as gently caress so I don’t bite into broken peppercorn chunks? Just an FYI re: everyone suggesting the Unicorn Magnum pepper mill. It is hands down the best mill I've ever used and I'll use mine until the heat death of the universe. HOWEVER, the one caveat is that even on its finest setting, the pepper it spits out isn't particularly fine. It's not powdery, if that's what you're looking for. It's still pretty fine, but it is definitely not "ultra super fine".
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Nov 8, 2017 14:48
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You guys don't have one hooked up to a cordless drill like Alton Brown?
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Nov 8, 2017 17:10
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What do you guys like for food storage? My wife and I are trying to get away from our smaller plastic stuff and get glass, but I'll also like a couple of larger bowls or pans in case we have a lot of leftovers. Lids that fit tight and latch are a bonus.
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Nov 8, 2017 17:31
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10 Beers posted:What do you guys like for food storage? My wife and I are trying to get away from our smaller plastic stuff and get glass, but I'll also like a couple of larger bowls or pans in case we have a lot of leftovers. Lids that fit tight and latch are a bonus. We tried to do this a couple years ago and got that Glasslock stuff. (Glass rectangular containers with heavy duty snap-on lids. I am displeased with them and have been for a while because I keep having to have them send me new lids because mildew and black poo poo gets up under the lid seals, no matter what we do. Recently I gave a try to those Rubbermaid Brilliance containers (plastic) and I have been really happy with them. http://www.rubbermaid.com/en-US/brilliance-food-storage-containers I'm not saying these are your best bets ever but I'm surprised at how satisfied we are with them. Good seals, good latches, they don't retain that oiliness that foods can leave on plastics (at least so far). [edit] Recently as in, I have had them for about a year.
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Nov 8, 2017 17:52
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Feenix posted:We tried to do this a couple years ago and got that Glasslock stuff. (Glass rectangular containers with heavy duty snap-on lids. I'm surprised they would send out new lids. Those gaskets aren't affixed to the lids, so you can pull them out to wash. I just use a butter knife to pry them out every so often and the gasket and the area the gasket was in a wash. After they dry, I put the gasket back in and everything is fine.
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Nov 8, 2017 18:28
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.Z. posted:I'm surprised they would send out new lids. Those gaskets aren't affixed to the lids, so you can pull them out to wash. I just use a butter knife to pry them out every so often and the gasket and the area the gasket was in a wash. After they dry, I put the gasket back in and everything is fine. They aren't? I thought they were adhered somehow. Wow. Good to know! I still really like the lightness (and lack of glass-chippability) of the Rubbermaid Brilliance.
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Nov 8, 2017 18:53
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Dr. Gitmo Moneyson posted:So a couple of years ago I got the Peugeot Paris U’Select Pepper Grinder. It owns and I love it and it’s beautiful and I wouldn’t trade it for anything... but it is annoying to use when I need large quantities of pepper for recipes that call for spoonfuls. What’s a good electric pepper grinder that grinds pepper ultra super fine as gently caress so I don’t bite into broken peppercorn chunks?
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Nov 8, 2017 19:04
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i like nice words
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Flyndre posted:Bamix has been extremely good to me They look like good blenders. Guess I should have mentioned I was hoping to stay around or under $100. edit; I should have asked which Bamix? I see now they have less expensive ones. wormil fucked around with this message at 20:24 on Nov 8, 2017 |
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Nov 8, 2017 20:02
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wormil posted:They look like good blenders. Guess I should have mentioned I was hoping to stay around or under $100. My $30 Cuisinart stick blender has been great FWIW
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Nov 8, 2017 20:05
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Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:My $30 Cuisinart stick blender has been great FWIW Seconded.
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Nov 8, 2017 20:15
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The Midniter posted:Just an FYI re: everyone suggesting the Unicorn Magnum pepper mill. It is hands down the best mill I've ever used and I'll use mine until the heat death of the universe. HOWEVER, the one caveat is that even on its finest setting, the pepper it spits out isn't particularly fine. It's not powdery, if that's what you're looking for. It's still pretty fine, but it is definitely not "ultra super fine". How fine is it, then? I’m looking for something as fine as the Peugeot Paris on the 1 setting.
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Nov 8, 2017 20:18
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Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:My $30 Cuisinart stick blender has been great FWIW Same
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Nov 8, 2017 20:24
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