The Something Offal kitchen equipment thread

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Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

I have one of the baby peugots, it's great. The recent trend of high end expensive pepper grinders seems insane and very much some end stage capitalism brain poo poo

# ? Aug 5, 2023 22:42

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# ? May 12, 2024 11:29

FaradayCage: May 2, 2010

Discussion Quorum posted:

I watched one video of someone popping a lawn bubble on YouTube and immediately ended up with blister/zit popping videos in my feed

Be careful is all I'm sayin'

I bought a Unicorn Magnum back when it was all the hotness and have liked it enough that I haven't bothered looking into replacing it. Not pretty but it's efficient and just works

Kent, the young people today, they think comedy is dirty words. It's not, it's words that SOUND dirty, like "Unicorn Mills 9-inch Magnum Plus Pepper Mill"

# ? Aug 5, 2023 22:47

Nettle Soup: Jan 30, 2010; Oh, and Jones was there too.

I spent like a week looking at them and then just picked a random little wooden one off amazon because they all seemed like too much. Made sure to get one with ceramic burrs rather than plastic like the supermarket one I had, and it's been fine.

But you could always go for one of the MANLY and MASCULINE and EXPENSIVE ones. I think pepper grinders are inherently phallic and that breaks something inside men's brains.

# ? Aug 5, 2023 23:41

Zarin: Nov 11, 2008; I SEE YOU

I really just want a pepper grinder that is well-suited to being chucked up on a drill for when I want something automated.

I tried several from Amazon but nothing seemed to fit the bill very well.

I'm sure there's something out there, but I haven't found it quite yet.

# ? Aug 5, 2023 23:48

No Wave: Sep 18, 2005; HA! HA! NICE! WHAT A TOOL!

Nettle Soup posted:

I spent like a week looking at them and then just picked a random little wooden one off amazon because they all seemed like too much. Made sure to get one with ceramic burrs rather than plastic like the supermarket one I had, and it's been fine.

But you could always go for one of the MANLY and MASCULINE and EXPENSIVE ones. I think pepper grinders are inherently phallic and that breaks something inside men's brains.

I'd never heard of the pepper cannon until you referenced expensive grinders here and I looked it up. It looks pretty amazing and if lord Kenji likes it I'm in. If anyone has bad experiences with it let me know, otherwise will get it around christmas maybe.

# ? Aug 5, 2023 23:52

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

BrianBoitano posted:

We have a panini press, which is great for robust bread, but for plain grilled cheese it smooshes too much. My solution last time was to prop it up just the right height using a wooden spoon

... 15 seconds before I was going to pull it, the wooden spoon slipped out and the full weight, plus momentum, ejected the cheese in all directions. Great technique to make disappointed people and cheesy appliances

This is called "tickling the Welsh rabbit's tail".

# ? Aug 5, 2023 23:55

Zarin: Nov 11, 2008; I SEE YOU

The Midniter posted:

Recently upgraded my range to an LG induction unit and I don't know why I waited so long. This thing kicks rear end. Water boils in no time flat, the heat is incredibly responsive, AND the range I got from Costco came with an induction-capable set of nonstick stuff for eggs and whatnot so I didn't feel bad tossing my old stuff.

It has an "air sous vide" feature which I'm keen on trying - IMO the biggest drawback to conventional sous vide is that it's a wet environment but I'm wondering if constantly circulating air will help promote a crust on proteins while still keeping it from overcooking. I'm sure the temperature won't be quite as precise as the water method, but it'll be fun to experiment.

DR FRASIER KRANG posted:

"Air sous vide" just sounds like a convection (air fryer) setting.

Anne Whateley posted:

Air sous vide seems like just regular oven reverse searing. Which is cool and good and better than regular SV for thick things, but not something that really needed a gimmicky name

SubG posted:

I'm pretty sure if there's air it's sans vide.

El Mero Mero posted:

It's hilarious that convection has been trend-rebranded twice now

Anne Whateley posted:

It would work with air but takes longer. For reverse searing, you still have a difference, but less of one so it creates less of a gradient. For example, I do pork roasts with the oven at 250�F until the center gets to 140�.

It does dry out the very exterior, but not like jerky. It sets you up perfectly for a sear that leaves an incredible crust, which is why I prefer it to SV.

Welp, this conversation broke my brain and I am now desperate for Answers. I checked, and my APO will hold 130F on the convection setting no problem. (Hell, it'll go down to 75F apparently).

So I grabbed a ribeye out of the freezer, thawed it in a bowl of cold water, and it's now in a breezy 130F chamber for the next couple hours. After that, I'll get a cast iron pan ripping hot on the (propane

) grill out on the balcony and see what kind of crust we get.

If this works, then . . . well, I don't know what. But I've been searching for Better Crust for awhile now and this seems almost dumb enough to work. And perhaps obvious enough that I really feel like I should have considered it myself before now.

# ? Aug 5, 2023 23:59

Zarin: Nov 11, 2008; I SEE YOU

No Wave posted:

I'd never heard of the pepper cannon until you referenced expensive grinders here and I looked it up. It looks pretty amazing and if lord Kenji likes it I'm in. If anyone has bad experiences with it let me know, otherwise will get it around christmas maybe.

Stainless steel, booooo *crowd also boos along with me*

Could have been a Salt Cannon if it had ceramic burrs I guess.

# ? Aug 6, 2023 00:04

No Wave: Sep 18, 2005; HA! HA! NICE! WHAT A TOOL!

Zarin posted:

Welp, this conversation broke my brain and I am now desperate for Answers. I checked, and my APO will hold 130F on the convection setting no problem. (Hell, it'll go down to 75F apparently).

So I grabbed a ribeye out of the freezer, thawed it in a bowl of cold water, and it's now in a breezy 130F chamber for the next couple hours. After that, I'll get a cast iron pan ripping hot on the (propane ) grill out on the balcony and see what kind of crust we get.

If this works, then . . . well, I don't know what. But I've been searching for Better Crust for awhile now and this seems almost dumb enough to work. And perhaps obvious enough that I really feel like I should have considered it myself before now.

I'm not sure if that will be enough heat with 100% convection. We'll see but you may end up having to raise the temp. I know steam ovens can act as pseudo-vide to degree-accurate temperatures but convection mode might end up being a different story (if I'm understanding the device correctly).

No Wave fucked around with this message at 00:09 on Aug 6, 2023

# ? Aug 6, 2023 00:05

Borsche69: May 8, 2014

i remember that my breville oven would get as low as around 130F and i did reverse sear in there just fine. you get an insane sear and wall to wall medium rare, but i will say that the crust itself might be a little tougher and more 'jerky' like than if you reverse seared it at like 200 or 250. but i wouldnt say that the effect is noticeably to care enough outside of like a double blind

# ? Aug 6, 2023 00:27

Zarin: Nov 11, 2008; I SEE YOU

No Wave posted:

The heat transfer won't be as good as in water so your steak may not get hot enough like ever. Even at 200 degrees in a convection oven it can take a really long time to hit the right temperature.

Good reminder for me to hit it with the instant-read and see where we're at after the 2.5 hours or so.

I'll be (attempting to) sear the hell out of it, so I'm not TOO worried about it - I figure any under-temp in the center gives me a bit more room/time to sear.

Is this playing fast/loose with food safety though? :shrug:

Time will tell on that one.

# ? Aug 6, 2023 00:35

Borsche69: May 8, 2014

Zarin posted:

Good reminder for me to hit it with the instant-read and see where we're at after the 2.5 hours or so.

I'll be (attempting to) sear the hell out of it, so I'm not TOO worried about it - I figure any under-temp in the center gives me a bit more room/time to sear.

Is this playing fast/loose with food safety though? Time will tell on that one.

i have found that an hour and a half at 130, assuming that the breville thing is actually holding a true 130 temp (i've been out of town for awhile and can't test, wouldnt surprise me if it did not actually keep a temp that low) will get it up to around 110-115 which is where i'll pull and sear and finish at 120-125 for a rest.

# ? Aug 6, 2023 00:41

Borsche69: May 8, 2014

for the record i was using the smart oven air fryer pro. just on normal convection bake settings.

# ? Aug 6, 2023 00:41

Nephzinho: Jan 25, 2008

FaradayCage posted:

What are our thoughts on pepper grinders?

I keep a unicorn next to my stove for use while actively cooking and a peugot on the table for anyone who wants to add a little more.

# ? Aug 6, 2023 01:52

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

Unicorn put in a new, improved type of burr set into the magnum in the last few years. Our old one got lost in the last move some how, so replaced with a new one.

It still puts out the same massive amount, but the grind is insanely consistent, and can go much finer. It�s amazing.

# ? Aug 6, 2023 02:05

Shooting Blanks: Jun 6, 2007; Real bullets mess up how cool this thing looks.

-Blade

Doom Rooster posted:

Unicorn put in a new, improved type of burr set into the magnum in the last few years. Our old one got lost in the last move some how, so replaced with a new one.

It still puts out the same massive amount, but the grind is insanely consistent, and can go much finer. It�s amazing.

Good to know! I'm happy with mine as-is, but should I ever need to replace it, I'll stick with the same brand.

# ? Aug 6, 2023 02:52

Eezee: Apr 3, 2011; My double chin turned out to be a huge cyst

FaradayCage posted:

What are our thoughts on pepper grinders?

I've noticed the twist ones can be killer on the wrist some times. The lever ones solve this, but they're janky and they do break eventually.

I assume you can't really improve on the giant wooden tower in terms of longevity.

Has anyone looked into electrics? Or is there a grinder you have that stands out for some reason?

In particular I have a small wooden one that has always bugged me because it needs refilling so often. I've taken to using it as a dining table grinder.

While there are no good lever pepper mills, there are definitely good lever coffee grinders that will do just fine for pepper. Something cheapish like a Kingrinder or Timemore would be more than good enough. Or just get something no name from Amazon if you don't care about consistency that much.

Zarin posted:

I really just want a pepper grinder that is well-suited to being chucked up on a drill for when I want something automated.

I tried several from Amazon but nothing seemed to fit the bill very well.

I'm sure there's something out there, but I haven't found it quite yet.

Kingrinder is definitely drill compatible. It's even in their marketing.

Eezee fucked around with this message at 03:02 on Aug 6, 2023

# ? Aug 6, 2023 02:57

VelociBacon: Dec 8, 2009

I have the Peugeot pepper mill and honestly the real challenge is finding great pepper locally. I've had some that I wanted basically on every meal but generally that goes quick and I'm using grocery store peppercorns the next month. Is there a pepper subscription service?

# ? Aug 6, 2023 03:31

Shooting Blanks: Jun 6, 2007; Real bullets mess up how cool this thing looks.

-Blade

VelociBacon posted:

I have the Peugeot pepper mill and honestly the real challenge is finding great pepper locally. I've had some that I wanted basically on every meal but generally that goes quick and I'm using grocery store peppercorns the next month. Is there a pepper subscription service?

I guess you could set it up on Amazon if you find one you like there?

# ? Aug 6, 2023 03:33

Steve Yun: Aug 7, 2003; I'm a parasitic landlord that needs to get a job instead of stealing worker's money. Make sure to remind me when I post.; Soiled Meat

VelociBacon posted:

I have the Peugeot pepper mill and honestly the real challenge is finding great pepper locally. I've had some that I wanted basically on every meal but generally that goes quick and I'm using grocery store peppercorns the next month. Is there a pepper subscription service?

Which black pepper is the good black pepper

# ? Aug 6, 2023 03:37

Nettle Soup: Jan 30, 2010; Oh, and Jones was there too.

No Wave posted:

I'd never heard of the pepper cannon until you referenced expensive grinders here and I looked it up. It looks pretty amazing and if lord Kenji likes it I'm in. If anyone has bad experiences with it let me know, otherwise will get it around christmas maybe.

That's the one! Seems okay, but Fakespot seems to think 80% of the Amazon reviews on it are unreliable.

# ? Aug 6, 2023 03:41

Lawnie: Sep 6, 2006; That is my helmet
Give it back
you are a lion
^{It doesn't even fit}; Grimey Drawer

Steve Yun posted:

Which black pepper is the good black pepper

Penzeys sells an extra-bold Indian telicherry black pepper that is very tasty and peppery

# ? Aug 6, 2023 04:04

SwissArmyDruid: Feb 14, 2014; by sebmojo

I have a vintage williams-sonoma grill press, but only because it's chrome-plated carbon steel, instead of cast iron. I just can't cast iron anymore.

# ? Aug 6, 2023 16:35

mystes: May 31, 2006

SwissArmyDruid posted:

I just can't cast iron anymore.

I find casting fireball gets the food done quicker anyway

# ? Aug 6, 2023 16:38

Arsenic Lupin: Apr 12, 2012; This particularly rapid💨 unintelligible 😖patter💁 isn't generally heard🧏‍♂️, and if it is🤔, it doesn't matter💁.

My husband constantly leaves the peppermill on fine when I prefer thick, so the Unicorn rules in the ease of changing the grind. The knob on the top of the Peugeot doesn't give the same level of control

# ? Aug 6, 2023 17:32

Bagheera: Oct 30, 2003

Our vegetable peeler broke. Do you have preferred brand of style? I'm thinking of getting this Oxo peeler. It's the same style as our old peeler, and Oxo is a good brand. What would you recommend?

This would be used once a day for typical home cooking: potatoes, squash, various fruits, nothing special or heavy duty.

# ? Aug 6, 2023 19:53

Bagheera: Oct 30, 2003

We need sliding shelves for our kitchen cabinets. We can't afford custom-made shelves, so we're looking at pre-fab.

Here's an example of what we're looking at. It meets our requirements:
-Two shelves that slide out.
-Metal grates (which I think will last longer and cost less than wood)
-Holes in the bottom frame, so they can be screwed in at the bottom.

They don't have to exactly match the width and depth of our 36-inch wide cabinets. If there's a 2-foot-wide sliding shelf next to a 1-foot empty space, that's ok.

Do you have any brands you prefer?

# ? Aug 6, 2023 19:56

Steve Yun: Aug 7, 2003; I'm a parasitic landlord that needs to get a job instead of stealing worker's money. Make sure to remind me when I post.; Soiled Meat

Oxo is good, it seems to peel a lot off

If you want thin peels to maximize your vegetable and don�t mind more shak shak action, Messermeister

Edit: Amazon doesn�t seem to have the messermeisters

# ? Aug 6, 2023 20:00

Discussion Quorum: Dec 5, 2002; Armchair Philistine

Nettle Soup posted:

But you could always go for one of the MANLY and MASCULINE and EXPENSIVE ones. I think pepper grinders are inherently phallic and that breaks something inside men's brains.

This is why the Unicorn Magnum is so great - it's just a long, thick, plastic cylinder with a good bit of heft. You wrap one hand around the base and, with a firm but flexible grasp, twist the head. You can power through a huge load with very little effort. Adorn it with a pair of truck balls for extra manliness.

Doom Rooster posted:

Unicorn put in a new, improved type of burr set into the magnum in the last few years. Our old one got lost in the last move some how, so replaced with a new one.

It still puts out the same massive amount, but the grind is insanely consistent, and can go much finer. It’s amazing.

That's actually good to know. Mine is actually the mini (pretend I made the obvious jokes here too), and refilling it can actually be mildly annoying, my only complaint, really. I guess I might spring for the full size sooner rather than later.

# ? Aug 6, 2023 20:01

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

Bagheera posted:

Our vegetable peeler broke. Do you have preferred brand of style? I'm thinking of getting this Oxo peeler. It's the same style as our old peeler, and Oxo is a good brand. What would you recommend?

The Oxo peeler is fine if you like that style. I haven't done a lot of veg peeler comparison shopping, but I got the Oxo after decades of using one of those stamped metal ones that's like made out of compressed rust and it was a definite upgrade but, you know, still just a veg peeler.

# ? Aug 6, 2023 20:05

Bagheera: Oct 30, 2003

Alternative knife sharpeners?

Cheap upright sharpeners like this one don't get my knives as sharp as I like them.

After years of practice, I'm still no good with a whetstone. I can't hold a knife at a consistent angle while I move it across the whetstone.

I'm afraid to use electric sharpeners, as I'll grind down my knives too much.

I pay a guy to sharpen my knives every few months (and I hone them every time I use them), but that's gotten expensive.

There are some alternatives that might help me. Have you tried any of these devices?

Ruixin sharpener This clamps to a table/counter and keeps a consistent angle for sharpening.

Work Sharp Precision Adjust A friend says he uses this on all his hunting/camping knives. I wonder if it would work well for my cutlery.

# ? Aug 6, 2023 20:06

Bagheera: Oct 30, 2003

Steve Yun posted:

Oxo is good, it seems to peel a lot off

If you want thin peels to maximize your vegetable and don�t mind more shak shak action, Messermeister

Edit: Amazon doesn�t seem to have the messermeisters

This one?

Thanks for pointing me to that brand. I have a set of steak knives from them that are great. I didn't know they made other equipment.

# ? Aug 6, 2023 20:08

ihop: Jul 23, 2001; King of the Mexicans

Bagheera posted:

We need sliding shelves for our kitchen cabinets. We can't afford custom-made shelves, so we're looking at pre-fab.

Here's an example of what we're looking at. It meets our requirements:
-Two shelves that slide out.
-Metal grates (which I think will last longer and cost less than wood)
-Holes in the bottom frame, so they can be screwed in at the bottom.

They don't have to exactly match the width and depth of our 36-inch wide cabinets. If there's a 2-foot-wide sliding shelf next to a 1-foot empty space, that's ok.

Do you have any brands you prefer?

I have something like this installed in one of my cabinets to hold cutting boards vertically. I can't help you with the brand because I don't remember but it's probably the same one. The slides have worked great and it's pretty useful but get some loctite to go with it because the thumb screws that hold the vertical partitions are CONSTANTLY falling out.

# ? Aug 6, 2023 20:30

Steve Yun: Aug 7, 2003; I'm a parasitic landlord that needs to get a job instead of stealing worker's money. Make sure to remind me when I post.; Soiled Meat

Bagheera posted:

This one?

Thanks for pointing me to that brand. I have a set of steak knives from them that are great. I didn't know they made other equipment.

No, this:

# ? Aug 6, 2023 20:42

Zorak of Michigan: Jun 10, 2006

We have that Oxo peeler, but we usually reach for the similar one we own from Zyliss. Z has a better eye remover, and otherwise seems to work just as well. I do find myself curious about this Messermeister now.

# ? Aug 6, 2023 21:07

FaradayCage: May 2, 2010

Bagheera posted:

This one?

Thanks for pointing me to that brand. I have a set of steak knives from them that are great. I didn't know they made other equipment.

These steak knives are 40% off at the moment:

https://www.messermeister.com/products/san-moritz-elite-4-piece-non-serrated-steak-knife-set

Well worth it?

I've been considering a set. Does it work well with bone-in chicken as well? Also tougher cuts of beef? I'm not used to seeing steak knives that are not serrated (which is probably the cheap way).

# ? Aug 6, 2023 21:41

Shooting Blanks: Jun 6, 2007; Real bullets mess up how cool this thing looks.

-Blade

Bagheera posted:

Our vegetable peeler broke. Do you have preferred brand of style? I'm thinking of getting this Oxo peeler. It's the same style as our old peeler, and Oxo is a good brand. What would you recommend?

This would be used once a day for typical home cooking: potatoes, squash, various fruits, nothing special or heavy duty.

I've heard a lot of love for the Kuhn Rikon peeler in the past, but I can't speak from personal experience.

# ? Aug 6, 2023 21:47

Steve Yun: Aug 7, 2003; I'm a parasitic landlord that needs to get a job instead of stealing worker's money. Make sure to remind me when I post.; Soiled Meat

I swear Penzeys must be doing some illegal doping of all their spices. There�s no way dill can be so emerald green. There�s no way spices can be so fragrant.

# ? Aug 6, 2023 21:54

Nettle Soup: Jan 30, 2010; Oh, and Jones was there too.

I have one of these silly little peelers and I like it so much I bought a second when I saw it on sale, so I have a backup when the first one gets thrown out with the peelings.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001U51ZRQ?amp=&amp=

# ? Aug 6, 2023 22:00

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# ? May 12, 2024 11:29

Eezee: Apr 3, 2011; My double chin turned out to be a huge cyst

Kuhn Rikon makes one that I find the most enjoyable to use. It is however made of cheap plastic and the blade is not stainless steel, so it rusts if you leave it wet. The extremely sharp blade makes up for that though. And its 5eur here. There are probably cheaper sources than Amazon in the US.

https://www.amazon.com/Kuhn-Rikon-2781-Original-4-Inch/dp/B000H7O3QS/?th=1

# ? Aug 6, 2023 22:22

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

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