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You can bring down the cost on a Vitamix significantly by buying used on eBay. That's what I did, no regrets at all.
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Nov 2, 2023 22:24
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If you think you might make stock often, get a pressure cooker. It also makes beans and polenta like a champ! Stovetop generally better than electric, for searing and for longevity.
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Nov 2, 2023 22:31
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Decline posted:A newly minted home cook here. Really enjoying it and wish I had started much earlier in life. Having a blast expanding my repertoire and trying new things. Would love some recommendations on the following pieces of equipment: Nthing cheap nonsticks. I get mine from Ikea. I have a food processor attachment for my stick blender, it's jank, but I don't do anything that has historically required the full grunt of a stand blender, and it cuts down on one fewer appliance. Would put it on the level of a mini chopper. SwissArmyDruid fucked around with this message at 00:43 on Nov 3, 2023 |
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Nov 3, 2023 00:41
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Having a vitamix at home and using blendtecs at multiple jobs...I'd take the vitamix by a mile. It handles small blends better, makes smoother smoothies and handles thicc stuff significantly better.
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Nov 3, 2023 00:56
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Steve Yun posted:
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Nov 3, 2023 03:37
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Decline posted:Any size recommendations on the pots/pans? From what I understand I will want to make sure that I have a sauté pan, stock pot, and skillet. Is it worth having a 10" and 12" skillet? The array of saute pan sizes a little bewildering. At minimum, a 12" tri-ply skillet, 8" non-stick, 8 qt stock pot, and 2 or 3 qt saucepan. it depends what you like to cook - 12" is big enough for 4 cuts of meat which is handy if you're cooking for a family, meal prepping, or if you just want to have leftovers, or you can do one-pot meals, braises, etc. If you mostly use it for searing get the shallow sides, if you do more saucy stuff you may prefer the taller straight sides. If you never cook more than two cuts of steak, 10" is fine. You probably don't need both, the 8" non-stick is big enough for eggs and fish but can also back you up on the rare occasion you need more than one skillet. An 8qt stockpot is plenty big for making a normal household amount of stock with like a chicken carcass or ham bone or equivalent amount of bones. 6qt is a little tight once you get the veg in there. I would definitely not spend the money to get a tri-ply stockpot unless you are making very delicate consommes or something. It's total overkill for normal stock.
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Nov 3, 2023 04:09
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hypnophant posted:and 2 or 3 qt saucepan. Go for 3. I can’t count how many times I got frustrated when I had a 2 qt saucepan
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Nov 3, 2023 04:32
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Decline posted:- Stainless steel pot/pan essentials. Could use advice on putting together the essential line up. Getting a 4 qt saute pan was life changing for me.
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Nov 3, 2023 04:37
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I should probably use my sautee pans when I sautee. For some reason I always reach for the skillets first and use the sautees as secondary skillets
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Nov 3, 2023 05:32
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Steve Yun posted:I should probably use my sautee pans when I sautee. For some reason I always reach for the skillets first and use the sautees as secondary skillets Weirdly, a saute pan is way harder to "toss" food in than a skillet. The 8 quart stock pot a few people mentioned is great for soup, pasta, and stock in everyday amounts. I personally prefer a triple ply/multiclad here, so I have more even heat distribution if I'm sauteing aromatics or whatever to start off a batch of soup. I really prefer a triple ply or at least thicker bottom  on most cookware.For my needs, I like having a second stock pot that's 16 quarts or bigger. I usually pressure can my stock, and a canner load is 7 quarts. You can't make anywhere near that much stock at a time in an 8 quart pot because of all the solids. The bigass stock pot is the only one where I'm ok with with a thin bottom, since 99% of the time it's just for making stock, or boiling a bunch of pasta to feed a group or whatever. Nothing where scorching or uneven heat distribution is much of an issue. So you can kinda cheap out here, as long as the handles seem sturdy.
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Nov 3, 2023 11:29
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I'm in the middle of upgrading from gas to induction and a lot of my current stuff that is all 10+ years old is not going to work. I'm pretty much only getting 12" skillets, 4 quart sauce pans, 8 quart pots - the smaller stuff has seen less and less use over the years and I'm leaving it all behind entirely (outside a single 8" nonstick for single serving scrambled eggs). e; Poitn being, if you're buying stuff now I would advise you err on the side of making sure things are induction capable & if you ahve the choice between two sizes go with the bigger. Nephzinho fucked around with this message at 14:08 on Nov 3, 2023 |
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Nov 3, 2023 14:05
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When I moved last year and the new house had induction, I got this set from Cuisinart. They have a nice feel to them, they all work with induction, and I think they'd cover most people's needs for stainless.
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Nov 3, 2023 15:41
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Fwiw I use every piece of the 12 set of Cuisinart and the handles are imo good
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Nov 3, 2023 15:56
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Can I get some confirmation I'm not missing something stupidly obvious with my new Vitamix 5300? Trying to turn it on, I have the bottom switch in the | position, and pushing and releasing the Start/Stop and it should go, yes? I'm not missing a safety feature? Seems like I got a DOA if so.
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Nov 3, 2023 22:45
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Did you select a speed on the dial? Is the power LED on?
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Nov 3, 2023 22:57
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Even if the dial is completely cranked down it should spin when you turn it on.
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Nov 3, 2023 23:00
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BrianBoitano posted:Did you select a speed on the dial? Is the power LED on? I don't see an LED and the manual doesn't give me the impression I have one and yes I have tried various speed selections when setting it to 1 didn't work.
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Nov 3, 2023 23:02
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Teabag Dome Scandal posted:I don't see an LED and the manual doesn't give me the impression I have one and yes I have tried various speed selections when setting it to 1 didn't work. Long shot, but plug something else into the outlet to make sure that it’s providing power. The first time I plugged in my Vitamix, it tripped the GFCI switch, and a reset was needed. Has not done it since, after many unpluggings and pluggings.
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Nov 4, 2023 14:31
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Is there a decent thread rec for good chinese / vegetable cleaver? I have a pretty heavy duty bone cleaver and want to give a thin veggie one a try. Hoping for something pretty cheap to give a go and if it really sticks then I'd prob buy a much nicer one (if needed).
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Nov 4, 2023 23:47
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It used to be the CCK cleaver, but it's expensive now. Ask in the knife thread Edit: the most recent bit of cleaver chat is here https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3846213&pagenumber=51&perpage=40&userid=0#post533134892 Happiness Commando fucked around with this message at 23:58 on Nov 4, 2023 |
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Nov 4, 2023 23:56
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Happiness Commando posted:It used to be the CCK cleaver, but it's expensive now. Ask in the knife thread Thanks, posted there, couldn't find the thread.
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Nov 4, 2023 23:59
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Anyone have experience with Thermapen warranty support? I got one last December as a gift. Battery just died today, tried changing it, couldn't get both 2032s out but some other important looking small black part fell out.
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Nov 5, 2023 18:47
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Happiness Commando posted:It used to be the CCK cleaver, but it's expensive now. Ask in the knife thread
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Nov 5, 2023 19:12
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Arsenic Lupin posted:I got this carbon-steel Chinese cleaver in 2020. Sharpest knife I've ever owned. I think it was recommended in this thread? I ended up buying the 7" one from that same storefront over on ebay.
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Nov 5, 2023 19:16
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That Works posted:Is there a decent thread rec for good chinese / vegetable cleaver? I have a pretty heavy duty bone cleaver and want to give a thin veggie one a try. That should be enough to at least tell you if you like push cutting and a square blade before you spend more on a real cleaver mystes fucked around with this message at 20:06 on Nov 5, 2023 |
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Nov 5, 2023 20:04
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Diamonds On MY Fish posted:Anyone have experience with Thermapen warranty support? I got one last December as a gift. Battery just died today, tried changing it, couldn't get both 2032s out but some other important looking small black part fell out. I lit an out of warranty Signals on fire and it worked for a while and then stopped. I emailed them to do some troubleshooting and they offered to replace it even after I told them half of it was melted. I bought a replacement instead but appreciated them, they’ll take care of you.
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Nov 5, 2023 23:46
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I had a Dot with a loose probe jack and they accused me of dropping it, although they did eventually agree to send a replacement (which never arrived). YMMV I guess, I still buy their stuff and have never had another problem with anything.
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Nov 6, 2023 00:30
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Diamonds On MY Fish posted:Anyone have experience with Thermapen warranty support? I got one last December as a gift. Battery just died today, tried changing it, couldn't get both 2032s out but some other important looking small black part fell out. Sounds like you broke it.
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Nov 6, 2023 00:59
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Yeah I mean I'll own up to that, but something shouldn't be so ridiculously easy to break while performing a simple task like a battery change.
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Nov 6, 2023 06:58
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Is the Thermapen actually worth the 80€? Seems like a lot for a thermometer.
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Nov 6, 2023 11:23
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Eezee posted:Is the Thermapen actually worth the 80€? Seems like a lot for a thermometer. You can get ripoffs for much less and see if it becomes something you integrate into your workflow. They'll be slower and a bit less accurate and much worse construction but they do the job. If you like it you can ask Santa for a thermapen! On this topic my kitchaid leave-in oven thermometer is way off and my roast came out rate, not medium rare. Can someone recommend me a good one? I kinda don't want a digital one because I don't want to fuss with the door seal on my oven. Ty!
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Nov 6, 2023 12:43
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The small "thermapop" ones are cheaper and have much of the larger pen's functionality. I went that route since I don't use probe thermometers super frequently and also was reluctant to go all-in on the price. So far it's been good enough for me.
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Nov 6, 2023 12:45
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Thermapen's #1 feature is the speed of readings - it's the fastest available. If you are willing to hold the probe in the meat for 5+ seconds, (vs the 2-3s), there's lots of cheaper options. Accuracy of probes is basically the same across the board, most people don't leave them in the place long enough to stabilize the readings.
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Nov 6, 2023 12:56
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Checking back in with the thread, the Di Oro silicone spatula that was recommended is very nice. No complaints.
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Nov 6, 2023 13:25
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VelociBacon posted:You can get ripoffs for much less and see if it becomes something you integrate into your workflow. They'll be slower and a bit less accurate and much worse construction but they do the job. If you like it you can ask Santa for a thermapen! For regular probes, I agree, a $15 one is perfectly fine. I can see you’d notice a Thermapen’s speed when you’re cooking like 15 or 20 pieces of meat, but I personally am cooking like 1-3 pieces so it doesn’t matter whatsoever if it takes an extra second each. You also rarely have to wait for the temp to finalize, it just needs to be past X, or going in the right direction when you switch pieces, which it only takes a second to determine anyway.
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Nov 6, 2023 17:13
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i like nice words
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VelociBacon posted:You can get ripoffs for much less and see if it becomes something you integrate into your workflow. They'll be slower and a bit less accurate and much worse construction but they do the job. If you like it you can ask Santa for a thermapen! Not sure of your price range, but earlier this year I splurged on a Meater Block and it's great. It replaced a "weird random Amazon brand" thermometer with wired probes, that worked great until individual probes stopped working right. Which led to an overcooked Thanksgiving turkey last year  .The Meater probes are wireless, so no worries about door seals. The only downside is the base unit has to be within a few feet of the probes. That means on a counter next to the oven, or on a side table next to the smoker. The base is attached to a nice bamboo block, which I'll usually stick inside a Ziploc bag to keep from dripping poo poo on it since it's kind of in harm's way. If it could be 10-20 feet away, safely in the house, I'd have no complaints. As long as the base unit connects to the probes, and the base also connects to WiFi, it's then cloud connected. Last Memorial Day weekend I made a Lowes run and was able to check on my brisket from miles away. Actually it occurred to me that I'd never used it in the oven, and wasn't sure the probe would transmit through the thicker steel as compared to a smoker. I tried to turn it on, but the batteries I replaced a few months ago (4 x AA) were dead. So maybe one downside. Then it decided it wanted to update the firmware. Eventually I got the answer...yes it works in the oven. You're welcome  .The one other minor downside to the Meater is the probe is about 1/4" thick and has to be inserted a couple inches into the meat. Thick because it has electronics inside, and it has to go that deep to keep the electronics below 200 F or so. The thickness and depth can both be annoying depending on what you're cooking. Oh and seconding Anne on the door seal not being an issue. The cords are pretty thin. They do have a temperature limit though (as do the wireless probes), so if you're using them on a grill you can hit a hot spot where it goes under the lid and kill the cord.
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Nov 6, 2023 23:30
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unknown posted:Thermapen's #1 feature is the speed of readings - it's the fastest available. This might be a unpopular opinion but unless you're using it for fish I don't think you need the speed of a thermapen. That said I have one and use it all the time.
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Nov 6, 2023 23:46
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I could see splurging on a Thermapen if I cooked a lot of fish, but I've been using a Lavatools Javelin for probably 15 years now that cost $20 and has never had any issues. I do use ThermoWorks probes for my smoking though.
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Nov 6, 2023 23:59
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https://twitter.com/cookingissues/status/1721562154522771632?s=46 $700 juicer
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Nov 7, 2023 00:01
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Anne Whateley posted:The door seal isn’t a problem ime. I have the Thermoworks one, because it also does cold stuff like when I make ice cream, but I use an Ikea one at my parents’ and it’s also totally good for being all of $10. I think Bluetooth ones are also a thing, so there’s no cord coming out of the oven, but the display is still outside of the oven and there’s an alarm. JoshGuitar posted:Not sure of your price range, but earlier this year I splurged on a Meater Block and it's great. It replaced a "weird random Amazon brand" thermometer with wired probes, that worked great until individual probes stopped working right. Which led to an overcooked Thanksgiving turkey last year Thanks to both of you for taking the time to steer me in the right direction. I had actually never heard of the MEATER products but they do look pretty slick. Not at all that expensive for a single probe and the MEATER 2 is now out which can be used in open-flame situations (the sticky outy end is good to 500C, 932F). I'll pick that up. Cheers goons. I'll leave my thoughts after I've used it a few times. e: For  goons, it came to $190CAD after tax with free shipping for the Meater 2 +.
VelociBacon fucked around with this message at 00:27 on Nov 7, 2023 |
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Nov 7, 2023 00:24
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