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My mom bought us a "foodsaver" machine with a bunch of vacu-sealed bags and ... I'm at a loss as to what to use it for. I like to cook with minimal leftovers, and I don't have a lot of freezer space. does anyone have one of these and uses it regularly?
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Apr 3, 2023 18:53
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BBQ Dave posted:My mom bought us a "foodsaver" machine with a bunch of vacu-sealed bags and ... I'm at a loss as to what to use it for. I like to cook with minimal leftovers, and I don't have a lot of freezer space. does anyone have one of these and uses it regularly? I use it to freeze cheap meats to eat at a later time. I only use it in conjunction with a sous vide machine.
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Apr 3, 2023 18:57
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BBQ Dave posted:My mom bought us a "foodsaver" machine with a bunch of vacu-sealed bags and ... I'm at a loss as to what to use it for. I like to cook with minimal leftovers, and I don't have a lot of freezer space. does anyone have one of these and uses it regularly? If you don't want to change how you cook, that probably won't work. However, if you do want to try freezing leftovers, even if you don't have a ton of freezer space, you can freeze stuff a lot more compactly using vacuum bags than other types of containers, so room may not be quite as much of an issue as you expect
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Apr 3, 2023 19:00
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I mainly use mine for freezing meat I found on sale (or found at all, during the depths of the covid shortages). I'm unworthy of love or human companionship, so 99% of the time I'm cooking for myself. I'll buy say a couple whole chickens, break 'em down, and freeze meal-sized portions...2 thighs or a leg quarter or whatever. Or I'll use it to freeze 1 pound packages when I make a big batch of bacon or sausage. I like it for freezing veggies from the garden too - it keeps freezer burn at bay better than ziploc bags or whatever, at the expense of extra, uh, expense. I'm not sure I've ever used it for leftovers though. There's also a fermentation technique where you vacuum seal veggies and salt in a bag instead of trying to keep them submerged under brine in a jar, but I've never tried it myself.
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Apr 4, 2023 00:00
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I am also not using my vacuum seal bag as much as I expected. To avoid waste I find myself reusing ziplock bags and glass containers. Honestly though I lived in a household where freezer burn was never a thing you tried to avoid, so I don’t know if there’s some major food quality gains I could be making here.
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Apr 4, 2023 00:23
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Steve Yun posted:I see a bunch of griswolds on eBay for $40-80, which is high but not out of reach But then you add on shipping. Cast iron is heavy as gently caress.
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Apr 4, 2023 01:30
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Vacuum sealer recommendations? I’ve got a cheap $30 food saver I’ve had for 10 years that does the job for freezing meat and sous vide, but if there’s a hint of liquid it fails miserably at making a deal and there’s no good way to prevent the liquid from ruining the deal unless I freeze it first. I’d like something that can handle liquid a bit better. When I vacuum seal, I normally don’t do more than 4-5 things in one go, so cool down time doesn’t matter a whole lot. I looked into the special anova chamber sealer but I need to store this thing in a cabinet when I’m not using it, and that thing seemed hefty and expensive.
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Apr 4, 2023 03:13
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When the gently caress did Benriners get so loving expensive? I was trying to divert a friend away from a Temu piece of crap, only to find that the days of paying $20 for the standard model are long gone, Don't get me wrong, I like the look and design of the new versions. But $50 - $60 for the Super Benriner feels ridiculous, let alone charging up to $100 from some resellers on Amazon.
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Apr 4, 2023 04:43
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SwissArmyDruid posted:When the gently caress did Benriners get so loving expensive? I was trying to divert a friend away from a Temu piece of crap, only to find that the days of paying $20 for the standard model are long gone, I think the past decade? I’ve had a camel camel camel price watch on the jumbo white benriners for years
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Apr 4, 2023 05:07
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nwin posted:Vacuum sealer recommendations?
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Apr 4, 2023 10:33
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nwin posted:Vacuum sealer recommendations? I have a food saver i got at Costco and I've done soups in it before, you just have to be good on the timing and be ok with a little air in there.
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Apr 4, 2023 15:21
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Does kitchen equipment also cover dining plates? I have been using the same cheap white plates now for 15 years since I moved into my first own flat and I don't like them very much, especially when entertaining guests. I've got some nicer stoneware stuff, but I'm just missing plain white plates that don't look like trash, but are also robust enough to not break with everyday use. After looking around a bit my favorite so far is this Villeroy & Boch set Is bone porcelain actually worth it (besides the ethical considerations)? And is that stuff durable enough for everyday use? At 35€ per plate I would be a bit annoyed if they got chipped from just throwing them in the dishwasher. I'm not really worried about dropping them, just normal handling. Any other (euro) brand or material recommendations are also welcome. I'm not set on anything yet, as long as it's a bit more fancy than Ikea plates.
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Apr 4, 2023 16:32
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Eezee posted:Is bone porcelain actually worth it (besides the ethical considerations)? And is that stuff durable enough for everyday use? At 35€ per plate I would be a bit annoyed if they got chipped from just throwing them in the dishwasher. I'm not really worried about dropping them, just normal handling. Yes and yes. Bone ash strengthens the porcelain, allowing for a lighter piece which is less likely to be damaged from regular handling, and IME also less likely to chip. It’s almost always more durable than stoneware. Wirecutter has a helpful writeup, in addition to their usual suggestions. I have plates and bowls from the BBBY fitz & floyd brand, a previous recommendation, which I’ve been happy with, though I don’t know about euro availability.
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Apr 4, 2023 17:07
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If you want durable/light wouldn't you be better off getting corelle or something anyway though?
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Apr 4, 2023 17:12
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Eezee posted:Does kitchen equipment also cover dining plates? https://www.crateandbarrel.com/dining-and-entertaining/craft-minimalist-tabletop-collection/1 I've got 2-4 of a variety of colors/pieces from this set. They're pretty cheap and sometimes go on sale. Nice enough, let me mix up the colors if i'm feeling like a fancy bitch, and ultimately if something chips or breaks I'm not going to lose sleep over something I spent under $5 on.
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Apr 4, 2023 17:55
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Corelle is honestly perfect in every way, except it has grandma rep
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Apr 4, 2023 17:59
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i like nice words
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You're using the word "except" wrong 
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Apr 4, 2023 18:42
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If you messed with my Grandma, she would cut you. Or she would have in the 70s.
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Apr 4, 2023 20:40
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hypnophant posted:Yes and yes. Bone ash strengthens the porcelain, allowing for a lighter piece which is less likely to be damaged from regular handling, and IME also less likely to chip. It’s almost always more durable than stoneware. Wirecutter has a helpful writeup, in addition to their usual suggestions. I have plates and bowls from the BBBY fitz & floyd brand, a previous recommendation, which I’ve been happy with, though I don’t know about euro availability. Thanks for the link. That's exactly what I was looking for and cinders a bunch of things i didn't even consider. I do like those Crate and Barrel plates, but unfortunately they don't do business in Germany. I can get Corelle, but their stuff is so light that it feels cheap to me. Plates gotta at least have a little bit of weight. Same for cutlery. Having a light fork or knife feels terrible.
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Apr 4, 2023 20:48
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Anne Whateley posted:Corelle is honestly perfect in every way, except it has grandma rep BrianBoitano posted:You're using the word "except" wrong grandma rep is how I learned about benriners. Pretty sure Grandma is still using the one that's as old as I am.
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Apr 4, 2023 21:07
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My mom has a 40-50 year old benriner that’s still sharp
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Apr 4, 2023 21:34
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Steve Yun posted:My mom has a 40-50 year old benriner that’s still sharp Oh poo poo, does she have one of the wood ones?! edit: wait, gently caress, it's 2023. That puts 50 years just outside of wood benriner range.
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Apr 4, 2023 23:03
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Eezee posted:Does kitchen equipment also cover dining plates? There's a post way back in the thread a ways back about porcelain plates, pros/cons and stuff. I think I recall the poster liking Wedgwood for upper-tier stuff I think I still have it bookmarked on my PC. I'll check tonight and link it if it's there. Edit: It's this post by SubG: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3749739&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=54#post475146700 Mr_Roke fucked around with this message at 03:11 on Apr 5, 2023 |
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Apr 5, 2023 03:03
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The Slack Lagoon posted:I have a food saver i got at Costco and I've done soups in it before, you just have to be good on the timing and be ok with a little air in there. I don't understand can you elaborate? I do a lot of soups!
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Apr 5, 2023 04:20
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BBQ Dave posted:I don't understand can you elaborate? I do a lot of soups! If you put the bag on an angle on your counter it will generally suck the air out without the liquid, but it's not perfect and it takes a bit of practice. When I'm freezing liquid, I put it in a container and freeze it, then take it out of the container and vacuum seal it. My mom got me these Souper Cubes thingies that are good for it, but I also just use deli containers and that works just fine. I love having a vacuum sealer. It's great.
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Apr 5, 2023 05:12
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I had a good opportunity to grab a discounted Breville Control Freak about 6 months ago and went for it. It's been excellent honestly, if anything better than what I imagined. It's completely replaced our gas cooktop unless we need to be running multiple pans at once. There's nothing quite like the consistent cooking that it delivers. Even the wife, who was ridiculously skeptical due to the price, openly agrees that it changed the way we cook for the better. We've also saved a decent amount of money because electricity is 10c a kwh here but natural gas is super expensive, so it's even paid for a lot of its initial cost and will definitely break even within its product lifetime. Anyways enough about the device; my question is, does anyone have one of these? If so, what are the best ways that you use the Control Freak? What techniques stand out to you? It's just my primary cooktop at this point, so it's in use daily, but I haven't gone out of my way to do anything super specific in it besides capitalizing on the consistent temps to do things like blooming spices, french omelets, keeping things consistently warm through meals, or simmering soups and such without having to keep an eye on it; things like that. It's even good for high temp wok cooking (please don't murder me for saying that  )Looking for ideas to bring this baby to the next level now that I'm really comfortable with how it functions, basically. Taima fucked around with this message at 11:51 on Apr 5, 2023 |
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Apr 5, 2023 11:42
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Candy making! One example: Candied nuts 250g nuts roasted 5 minutes at 350°F, toss, 5 more minutes, cooled 80g sugar and splash of water, add desired spices incl salt and 1/4 tsp cayenne, bring to 220°F. Stir in nuts, back up to 220°F, dump on cooling rack on a sheet pan Into 330°F oven for 11 minutes until IR gun shows nuts are 300°F or higher
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Apr 5, 2023 13:19
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It also makes tempering chocolate super easy! You can do it straight in the pan even, no water bath needed! I wish I could get a 220V powered model with a bigger induction coil and more power...
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Apr 5, 2023 13:33
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We're looking to redo our kitchen soon and are ready to replace our electric range with induction. Any recommendations?
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Apr 5, 2023 14:29
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The Midniter posted:We're looking to redo our kitchen soon and are ready to replace our electric range with induction. Any recommendations? Do it. (I got a Cafe induction range with a double oven that I really like. Only thing I don't like is that I wish it had a better indicator that I've left the oven on for an extra hour)
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Apr 5, 2023 14:32
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If you’re fine with there being a little air in there you don’t need to use the foodsaver at all and can just put it in a ziplock. Ime ziplocks actually seal better than my food saver.
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Apr 5, 2023 14:59
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bird with big dick posted:If you’re fine with there being a little air in there you don’t need to use the foodsaver at all and can just put it in a ziplock. Ime ziplocks actually seal better than my food saver.
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Apr 5, 2023 15:07
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I wish ziplocks were dishwasher safe. They're a better user experience than those silicone bags with the chunky zipper seal, but a pain to wash by hand and set up carefully so they can air dry.
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Apr 5, 2023 17:17
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BrianBoitano posted:I wish ziplocks were dishwasher safe. They're a better user experience than those silicone bags with the chunky zipper seal, but a pain to wash by hand and set up carefully so they can air dry. I run about 2:1 success with my ziplocks through the dishwasher, although of course ymmv.
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Apr 6, 2023 03:15
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https://www.tiktok.com/embed/7218679587994225962 Not a fan of designs on flatware but jeez this looks like a fun set
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Apr 8, 2023 09:49
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fun in the sense that by the time you finish polishing the set, the pieces you did at the start have already begun to tarnish again
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Apr 8, 2023 13:31
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I am so sorry friends! I don't post in gws regularly and completely forgot I had asked a question in here.BrianBoitano posted:Candy making! One example: Oh poo poo that sounds amazing! That's such a good idea!!! Can I ask what your usual spice complement is for this dish? I would totally give it a go. What about some freshly ground green cardamom? We also have some vanilla beans floating around, or is that weird? I do not understand desserts but it's something I would like to learn soon. For the past few years I have been focusing on East Asian cooking - focus on various regional Chinese but plenty of Japanese, Korean, Thai. As a result my western cooking has suffered and my dessert game is scuffed to say the least. Speaking of which, I haven't really had an opportunity to get into Vietnamese food, thoughts there? Worth it? What is it good at? I love pho, bun bo hue, and bahn mi like any warm blooded food lover but don't even really know where to start beyond that. Sextro posted:It also makes tempering chocolate super easy! You can do it straight in the pan even, no water bath needed! Making chocolate would be great- is there a certain recipe you prefer? Again I just don't know who I should be watching when it comes to this kind of thing. I have brave tart's book. I have the milk bar book. Idk that's basically it. I want to get into desserts though.
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Apr 10, 2023 13:27
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Taima posted:Oh poo poo that sounds amazing! That's such a good idea!!! Can I ask what your usual spice complement is for this dish? I would totally give it a go. What about some freshly ground green cardamom? We also have some vanilla beans floating around, or is that weird? Basic is just salt and cayenne. I've done instant espresso, which faded away tbh, but my favorite has been ground chipotle + cumin + sweet paprika
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Apr 10, 2023 17:31
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What’s the diff between a freeze dryer and a dehydrator? Like, if I was going to store dried vegetable for a year could I get away with a $125-250 Excalibur instead of buying a $3000 freeze dryer?
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Apr 12, 2023 06:38
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Think about the difference between dried apples (gummy, chewy) in trail mix and freeze-dried apples (crispy, like astronaut ice cream) in breakfast cereal. Or bananas or berries or apricots or whatever
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Apr 12, 2023 06:52
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