The Something Offal kitchen equipment thread

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Goons with Spoons > The Something Offal kitchen equipment thread

SubG: Aug 19, 2004; It's a hard world for little things.

You said `Fundamentally what makes the wok special is the large, high powered burner that heats a huge surface area at once. If you don't have a high btu burner, there's no real point in the wok.' That is not true. High heat cooking is one thing a wok does. It is not the only thing. You do not need a high output burner to `take advantage of the wok's design'.

And if your burner output isn't enough to heat a wok, it's not enough to heat a saut� either. But it almost certainly is. You just have to preheat, work in batches, and so on.

# ? Jun 17, 2020 23:14

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# ? May 11, 2024 18:26

SymmetryrtemmyS: Jul 13, 2013; I got super tired of seeing your avatar throwing those fuckin' glasses around in the astrology thread so I fixed it to a .jpg

Submarine Sandpaper posted:

Oh yeah I agree for deep frying. Just not really a traditional wok regarding how to cook with it.

deep frying is a common technique in wok-based chinese cooking though. and like subg said, a wok is an excellent deep frying vessel for a multitude of reasons

You can cook so many things in a wok. It isn't necessary for a lot of cooks, but I'd argue that it's beneficial to own for almost everybody.

# ? Jun 18, 2020 04:02

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

SubG posted:

You said `Fundamentally what makes the wok special is the large, high powered burner that heats a huge surface area at once. If you don't have a high btu burner, there's no real point in the wok.'

I stand by that statement. If you're just using it on a normal home range it's a fairly redundant piece of kitchen equipment that isn't going to do much you can't do with equipment you probably already own.

# ? Jun 18, 2020 04:08

xtal: Jan 9, 2011; by Fluffdaddy

Based on everything I know about woks, most of the last few posts are totally wrong. The wok's reason to be is on a gas stove where the wok's shape and thermal conductivity/retention properties allow the deep center to be hot and the outer edges to be cold.

If you're preheating a wok to an even temperature, or using it for deep frying, it may work for sure, but it would work with any other pan and defeats the purpose of a wok. The best reason to use a wok for deep frying is that you already own a wok and have a gas stove and use it as your workhorse pan. It's not a reason to go buy one.

xtal fucked around with this message at 05:09 on Jun 18, 2020

# ? Jun 18, 2020 04:54

Resting Lich Face: Feb 21, 2019; This case of an intraperitoneal zucchini is unusual, and does raise questions as to how hard one has to push a blunt vegetable to perforate the rectum.

All this wok talk makes me wish I had gas...

Sigh... :negative:

# ? Jun 18, 2020 07:34

therobit: Aug 19, 2008; I've been tryin' to speak with you for a long time

Buy a camp chef outdoorsman with the 30k btu burners for 99 bucks if you don't have enough heat for your wok.

Resting Lich Face posted:

All this wok talk makes me wish I had gas...

Sigh...

Eat some cabbage.

# ? Jun 18, 2020 09:46

SubG: Aug 19, 2004; It's a hard world for little things.

Fart Car '97 posted:

I stand by that statement. If you're just using it on a normal home range it's a fairly redundant piece of kitchen equipment that isn't going to do much you can't do with equipment you probably already own.

In the sense that owning a chef's knife (or, horrors, more than one), a paring knife, a filet knife, and a bread knife is redundant because, you know, they all cut things and so owning more than one is fairly redundant. Or owning a tumbler, a coffee mug, an old fashioned glass, and a cocktail coupe is a bunch of fairly redundant glassware because they all serve the basic function of keeping your drink from spilling all over the table before you can drink it. But if we're not subscribing to that particular form of insanity then we probably own a lot of kitchen implements because they're well-suited to specific tasks. Even if we have other things which could theoretically serve the same function.

And if you're doing stir fry in a fuckin' saut� pan of all things then, no, really, using a pan with sloping sides like a wok actually has advantages. Like if you want to toss the food. You could theoretically use a fry pan/French skillet because they also have sloped sides, but for most stir fry dishes you're looking at a bunch of sauce in addition to the protein/veg, and having a pan that's one big valley with no flat surface helps with managing a bunch of liquid mixed in with your protein/veg. And, like with deep frying, having all that extra edge helps keep poo poo in the pan and not spattering on your cooking surface or whatever. It's also useful for heat management--having a hot center and cooler edges lets you move poo poo around in a way that's fundamental to a lot of cooking techniques. It's also makes a wok really good for pan roasting poo poo--peppers, pine nuts, peppercorns, whatever--without overcooking.

It also, as previously discussed, works as a deep fryer and has several advantages over e.g. using a dutch oven. And it's a steamer. And works well with a lid, and so for the various cooking techniques that involve using a covered cooking vessel.

If you were really worried about wasting your kitchen space on redundant cookware, you'd be tossing out your other poo poo and getting a wok, not the other way around. But, you know, that would be silly. Because even if you could theoretically grill a burger in a wok you wouldn't fuckin' do it because you have something else that's better suited to the task. And while I'm sure it is theoretically possible to make, I dunno, pan fried noodles in a fuckin' saut�, unless you were trying to prove something I don't know why you'd put yourself through it because using a wok to do it would make your life a whole lot easier.

# ? Jun 18, 2020 19:32

Flash Gordon Ramsay: Sep 28, 2004; Grimey Drawer

I like it when i just need to deep fry a few small things, the slope lets me use less oil. Or so I think.

# ? Jun 18, 2020 19:38

hypnophant: Oct 19, 2012

SubG posted:

Nobody�s arguing that a wok isn�t the best thing to make stir fry in, friend. They�re just pointing out that a wok takes up a lot of space and if you don�t make stir fry very often, you might prefer to have that space for other things.

E: went back and looked and the original question is in fact about stir fry, but on an induction burner. I�d be amazed if you could get good performance out that combo even with a flat-bottom wok, just because induction relies on close contact between the element and the pan to create heat, but woks don�t cost very much so if you want to try it don�t let subg scare you off

hypnophant fucked around with this message at 20:09 on Jun 18, 2020

# ? Jun 18, 2020 20:02

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

SubG posted:

In the sense that owning a chef's knife (or, horrors, more than one), a paring knife, a filet knife, and a bread knife is redundant because, you know, they all cut things and so owning more than one is fairly redundant. Or owning a tumbler, a coffee mug, an old fashioned glass, and a cocktail coupe is a bunch of fairly redundant glassware because they all serve the basic function of keeping your drink from spilling all over the table before you can drink it. But if we're not subscribing to that particular form of insanity then we probably own a lot of kitchen implements because they're well-suited to specific tasks. Even if we have other things which could theoretically serve the same function.

And if you're doing stir fry in a fuckin' saut� pan of all things then, no, really, using a pan with sloping sides like a wok actually has advantages. Like if you want to toss the food. You could theoretically use a fry pan/French skillet because they also have sloped sides, but for most stir fry dishes you're looking at a bunch of sauce in addition to the protein/veg, and having a pan that's one big valley with no flat surface helps with managing a bunch of liquid mixed in with your protein/veg. And, like with deep frying, having all that extra edge helps keep poo poo in the pan and not spattering on your cooking surface or whatever. It's also useful for heat management--having a hot center and cooler edges lets you move poo poo around in a way that's fundamental to a lot of cooking techniques. It's also makes a wok really good for pan roasting poo poo--peppers, pine nuts, peppercorns, whatever--without overcooking.

It also, as previously discussed, works as a deep fryer and has several advantages over e.g. using a dutch oven. And it's a steamer. And works well with a lid, and so for the various cooking techniques that involve using a covered cooking vessel.

If you were really worried about wasting your kitchen space on redundant cookware, you'd be tossing out your other poo poo and getting a wok, not the other way around. But, you know, that would be silly. Because even if you could theoretically grill a burger in a wok you wouldn't fuckin' do it because you have something else that's better suited to the task. And while I'm sure it is theoretically possible to make, I dunno, pan fried noodles in a fuckin' saut�, unless you were trying to prove something I don't know why you'd put yourself through it because using a wok to do it would make your life a whole lot easier.

I think you're wrong, you can rail on it and make up bad comparisons and poor examples all you want. Owned & used a wok regularly for 5 years. I don't miss it, and there are a very select few foods that I am unable to make as well without it. You can keep posting about it, I don't need to.

Fart Car '97 fucked around with this message at 22:34 on Jun 18, 2020

# ? Jun 18, 2020 22:27

SubG: Aug 19, 2004; It's a hard world for little things.

hypnophant posted:

E: went back and looked and the original question is in fact about stir fry, but on an induction burner. I�d be amazed if you could get good performance out that combo even with a flat-bottom wok, just because induction relies on close contact between the element and the pan to create heat, but woks don�t cost very much so if you want to try it don�t let subg scare you off

Flat bottom woks work...okay. Like given the option I'd use a round-bottom on a gas burner, but a flat bottom wok still more or less just a wok.

Fart Car '97 posted:

I think you're wrong, you can rail on it and make up bad comparisons and poor examples all you want. Owned & used a wok regularly for 5 years. I don't miss it, and there are a very select few foods that I am unable to make as well without it. You can keep posting about it, I don't need to.

I'm not arguing that you can't stir fry in a saut� pan (although based on your deleted edit I'm guessing you're using saut� pan interchangeably with fry pan/skillet, and a fry pan is a better substitute than a saut�). I'm saying a wok is a versatile cooking implement that's good for a lot of different cooking methods, and it's ideal for stir-fry. And you don't need a fancy high-output burner to take advantage of one.

# ? Jun 18, 2020 22:50

canyoneer: Sep 13, 2005; I only have canyoneyes for you

Speaking of taking up a lot of space, I have started baking bread and smoking lots of meats.

I've been considering getting a slicer to make uniformly sized slices of bread and to go through a brisket quickly. Any recommendations?

# ? Jun 19, 2020 00:36

SubG: Aug 19, 2004; It's a hard world for little things.

canyoneer posted:

Speaking of taking up a lot of space, I have started baking bread and smoking lots of meats.

I've been considering getting a slicer to make uniformly sized slices of bread and to go through a brisket quickly. Any recommendations?

I think the Chef's Choice is the commonly recommended home kitchen one. If you're willing to devote the space to a commercial deli slicer you can check craigslist for inexpensive used ones.

# ? Jun 19, 2020 00:57

Kaiser Schnitzel: Mar 29, 2006; Schnitzel mit uns

This is one of the most consistently contentious threads on SA and I love it for that.

I love my $16 walmart carbon steel wok, and it would take up a ton of space but it lives in a big drawer and I keep my onions in it so its a multitasker! It's great for stir fry of course but it also does great grilled onions/peppers for fajitas etc and is way lighter and easier to handle than a similarly large cast iron skillet.

# ? Jun 19, 2020 02:24

VelociBacon: Dec 8, 2009

Kaiser Schnitzel posted:

This is one of the most consistently contentious threads on SA and I love it for that.

I love my $16 walmart carbon steel wok, and it would take up a ton of space but it lives in a big drawer and I keep my onions in it so its a multitasker! It's great for stir fry of course but it also does great grilled onions/peppers for fajitas etc and is way lighter and easier to handle than a similarly large cast iron skillet.

I bought a significantly more expensive carbon steel wok and barely use it because I have only an electric range. Anyone know if you should even have a wok without a really powerful gas stovetop?

kidding but I still don't use it much

# ? Jun 19, 2020 15:02

Subjunctive: Sep 12, 2006; ✨sparkle and shine✨

VelociBacon posted:

I bought a significantly more expensive carbon steel wok and barely use it because I have only an electric range. Anyone know if you should even have a wok without a really powerful gas stovetop?

kidding but I still don't use it much

Someone will be by this evening to confiscate your wok.

# ? Jun 19, 2020 15:23

dino.: Mar 28, 2010; Yip Yip, bitch.

VelociBacon posted:

I bought a significantly more expensive carbon steel wok and barely use it because I have only an electric range. Anyone know if you should even have a wok without a really powerful gas stovetop?

kidding but I still don't use it much

You need a wok ring, and a bit of patience is all. My mom used hers on our electric stoves in Miami all the time, and it was fine. Good Indian cooking is possible without a kadai (same as a wok, usually thicker material, made of aluminium or cast iron), but it'll end up being hella greasy AF as gently caress. That deep bowl shape to the bottom (flat bottomed woks are indeed useless; you might as well use a large skillet) lets you add just enough oil to submerge the spices completely, but not use a ton of oil. Or the curry leaves. Or the dried chilies. Or if you're Bengali, the bay leaves. Either way, you want that depth of oil to cook your tarka, which is the base of pretty much all South Indian cooking, and frequently the base of most North Indian cooking as well. There are certainly dishes where you grind all the spices together into a paste, and fry that in oil, but even then, you need submersion without gallons of oil.

It's fine on electric. Get you a wok ring. It basically focuses the heat and stabilises your wok atop your electric cooktop. Even when I had a gas range, it was still a home gas range, and not some kind of jet fuel shooting lava at the bottom of my pots. Not everything for wok cooking is stir fry.

# ? Jun 19, 2020 21:54

Resting Lich Face: Feb 21, 2019; This case of an intraperitoneal zucchini is unusual, and does raise questions as to how hard one has to push a blunt vegetable to perforate the rectum.

I'd love a wok ring that is just a solid hunk of cast iron with a divot for a round-bottom wok that I can just set on an induction burner but I doubt such a thing exists. Ahhh the heat retention would be glorious though.

Resting Lich Face fucked around with this message at 23:11 on Jun 19, 2020

# ? Jun 19, 2020 23:08

Croatoan: Jun 24, 2005; I am inevitable.
ROBBLE GROBBLE

I know it's rather specialized but anyone have a good cherry pitter? Preferably one I could use for other stone fruits like olives?

# ? Jun 20, 2020 14:25

Resting Lich Face: Feb 21, 2019; This case of an intraperitoneal zucchini is unusual, and does raise questions as to how hard one has to push a blunt vegetable to perforate the rectum.

13" Le Crueset enameled cast iron skillet is coming. :dance:

# ? Jun 20, 2020 19:29

Clark Nova: Jul 18, 2004

Resting Lich Face posted:

I'd love a wok ring that is just a solid hunk of cast iron with a divot for a round-bottom wok that I can just set on an induction burner but I doubt such a thing exists. Ahhh the heat retention would be glorious though.

you know, that 9" lodge wok discussed a few days ago is basically this, assuming a real wok will fit inside it

# ? Jun 20, 2020 19:50

Thumposaurus: Jul 24, 2007

The best thing I found for pitting cherries is a round piping tip on your finger.
I had to pit a ton of cherries in one kitchen I worked in from the trees on the property we tried every pitter out there they would squish the cherries too much or were too fiddly to use. Once you get into a groove with the tip on your finger you can fly through them.

# ? Jun 20, 2020 20:19

canyoneer: Sep 13, 2005; I only have canyoneyes for you

Croatoan posted:

I know it's rather specialized but anyone have a good cherry pitter? Preferably one I could use for other stone fruits like olives?

We have been very happy with our Oxo pitter for cherries

# ? Jun 20, 2020 20:23

Resting Lich Face: Feb 21, 2019; This case of an intraperitoneal zucchini is unusual, and does raise questions as to how hard one has to push a blunt vegetable to perforate the rectum.

I haven't met an oxo product I dislike.

# ? Jun 20, 2020 20:50

Hauki: May 11, 2010

Resting Lich Face posted:

I haven't met an oxo product I dislike.

those awful-rear end top-view measuring cups that have like a 40% margin of error

# ? Jun 20, 2020 21:44

Guy Axlerod: Dec 29, 2008

I managed to break the handle off of their garlic press. It was OK until then I guess.

# ? Jun 20, 2020 22:32

Resting Lich Face: Feb 21, 2019; This case of an intraperitoneal zucchini is unusual, and does raise questions as to how hard one has to push a blunt vegetable to perforate the rectum.

Hauki posted:

those awful-rear end top-view measuring cups that have like a 40% margin of error

Fuckin' love those things.

# ? Jun 20, 2020 22:59

Submarine Sandpaper: May 27, 2007

Their food mill is on the just ok side.

Like dont buy if you want a great one.

# ? Jun 20, 2020 23:01

Verisimilidude: Dec 20, 2006; Strike quick and hurry at him,
not caring to hit or miss.
So that you dishonor him before the judges

I got some plastic oxo measuring spoons where the measurements all wore off because they were just printed on and not engraved or anything

otherwise every oxo product I own is great

# ? Jun 21, 2020 00:56

horchata: Oct 17, 2010

Hauki posted:

those awful-rear end top-view measuring cups that have like a 40% margin of error

I thought it was pyrex measuring cups that had inaccurate measurements

# ? Jun 21, 2020 04:44

Resting Lich Face: Feb 21, 2019; This case of an intraperitoneal zucchini is unusual, and does raise questions as to how hard one has to push a blunt vegetable to perforate the rectum.

Resting Lich Face posted:

13" Le Crueset enameled cast iron skillet is coming.

It's back-ordered :negative:

# ? Jun 21, 2020 21:28

Croatoan: Jun 24, 2005; I am inevitable.
ROBBLE GROBBLE

Resting Lich Face posted:

It's back-ordered

I mean, they're the european lodge. I'm sure it'll only be delayed a month or so. Sucks but it's not like it'll be october? One would hope I mean?

# ? Jun 21, 2020 22:33

Resting Lich Face: Feb 21, 2019; This case of an intraperitoneal zucchini is unusual, and does raise questions as to how hard one has to push a blunt vegetable to perforate the rectum.

Well yeah but I was excited and my workhorse pan is dying real bad. Yeeting nonstick outta here and getting on the quality everyday cookware train.

# ? Jun 21, 2020 23:36

Scholtz: Aug 24, 2007; Zorchin' some Flemoids

Any consensus on Cusinart Multiclad Pro vs Tramontina for a stainless steel 2-3 quart saucepan?

# ? Jun 22, 2020 04:34

SubG: Aug 19, 2004; It's a hard world for little things.

Scholtz posted:

Any consensus on Cusinart Multiclad Pro vs Tramontina for a stainless steel 2-3 quart saucepan?

I have a 6 qt MCP and I've had problems with discolouration and pitting that I haven't had with any of my other stainless, including pots and pans I use more frequently. I have hard water so that might be a contributing factor, but in any case I wouldn't buy anything from the MCP line again.

# ? Jun 22, 2020 04:45

Remy Marathe: Mar 15, 2007; _________===D ~ ~ _\____/

My experience with Cuisinart MCP has been different, we've got their 2 & 3 qt. saucepans, and apart from normal wear scratches there's been nothing that doesn't come and go with the acidity of whatever was cooked in it last. Out of curiosity I looked it up and our 2 qt. is 7 years old, I use that thing all the time and it doesn't look appreciably different than the day we got it.

Lots of people talk up Tramontina too though, I suspect they're close to the same sweet spot of price and quality.

# ? Jun 22, 2020 05:28

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Hauki posted:

those awful-rear end top-view measuring cups that have like a 40% margin of error

I worked in a kitchen that insisted on purchasing those things in bulk and I can confirm they're inaccurate pieces of poo poo that don't even pour well

# ? Jun 22, 2020 14:24

Subjunctive: Sep 12, 2006; ✨sparkle and shine✨

Huh. I guess you just test them will masses of water on a scale? I�m curious now about how accurate mine are.

# ? Jun 22, 2020 16:33

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Subjunctive posted:

Huh. I guess you just test them will masses of water on a scale? I�m curious now about how accurate mine are.

We used them in large scale batching of cocktails a lot l and the biggest issue is the "top-down" readings are just really awkward to judge where the meniscus is, so I would use the side-read measurements since they were more accurate, which at that point is defeating the point

# ? Jun 22, 2020 16:45

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# ? May 11, 2024 18:26

Murgos: Oct 21, 2010

If you want accuracy shop for lab beakers. They are essentially the same price and you can still get them made from Borosillicate glass. They don't have handles usually but, eh.

# ? Jun 22, 2020 18:07

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