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Steve Yun posted:Anyone know where I can get those aluminum stacking steamers like they have at most Chinese restaurants? I got mine when my brother-in-law's parents passed away and we were foraging through their house.
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Aug 16, 2012 07:02
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BraveUlysses posted:Aren't dutch ovens good to use for frying too? Cast iron should hold the temperature better than aluminum They're pretty good, but anyone with a decent burner, using the correct amount of oil should have no problem with temp dropping in stainless steel/aluminum. One thing that sucks about deep frying in cast iron is cleaning up all that grease residue without using soap.
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Nov 15, 2012 05:44
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Steve Yun posted:That cutting board is tiny IMO +1. If I were you I'd opt for a sani-tuff cutting board instead. also, plastic mixing bowls will get dingy really fast. I'd spend a few extra bux for some glass ones. pancake molds? I don't get why these are necessary. and, I'd get a real whetstone over that accusharp. You're not going to get a very good edge with it. http://www.amazon.com/Suehiro-D1069...grit+waterstone Other than that, everything looks good.
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Nov 15, 2012 22:32
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Ghetto Blaster posted:I think you guys are right about needing to raise my budget, i had no idea they were so expensive, especially if i want to get a chefs knife which i think i do. Some of the knifes you've all suggested are really nice especially the Japanese ones. Thanks! If you are willing to more than double your budget, this is a fantastic knife: http://www.chefknivestogo.com/moao2gy24.html I have one of these and love it: (string search for GEKKO GE-5M) http://japanesechefsknife.com/SPECIALS.html One thing you may want to consider is how much upkeep do you want to have to perform. Many of these Japanese knives cannot be honed. One big difference between (most) Japanese and European knives is the steel. European knives are designed to be mass produced and as a result, are forged. You cannot effectively mass produce a knife with very hard steel, and as a result the steel in Henckels/Wusthof/etc are softer requiring frequent truing/honing and cannot hold an agressive (steep) edge. Japanese knives (again typically) are made with very hard steels. These steels can hold quite aggressive edges but are brittle and do not bend like european knives do. Because of this they cannot be honed/trued but they also do not require nearly as much day to day upkeep as a Euro knife. A high grit water stone serves the purpose of a knife steel for these knives, but only need very infrequent touchups if proper knife handling is used. Some japanese steels are not entirely stainless. Aogami or Shirogami (Blue steel, white steel) can oxidize and pick up a patina. Some people think this looks nice and attractive, others don't care for it. Also, consider what handle. Many japanese knives come in both western (what you're probably used to seeing ) and "wa" forms (the moritaka above), ie gyuto vs wa-gyuto. You also should pay attention to the bevel. Some knives are single beveled edge which can take some getting used to for most people. You probably want a double bevel. GrAviTy84 fucked around with this message at 20:40 on Nov 19, 2012 |
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Nov 19, 2012 20:34
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Modernist cuisine raves about the slab of steel, too.
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Nov 28, 2012 19:26
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GigaFool posted:Any reason not to use something like this? nonstick. Edit: adding more info for those that don't know why nonstick is bad in this application wiki posted:The pyrolysis of PTFE is detectable at 200 °C (392 °F), and it evolves several fluorocarbon gases[20] and a sublimate. An animal study conducted in 1955 concluded that it is unlikely that these products would be generated in amounts significant to health at temperatures below 250 °C (482 °F).[21] More recently, however, a study documented birds having been killed by these decomposition products at 202 °C (396 °F), with anecdotal reports of bird deaths as a result of non-stick cookware heated to as little as 163 °C (325 °F). Since you're using this in an oven at 550 F, you can see why this would be bad. GrAviTy84 fucked around with this message at 20:30 on Nov 28, 2012 |
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Nov 28, 2012 20:25
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GigaFool posted:Funny enough, the company that manufactures them (Cadco) is based in my hometown. Meh, still nonstick, which means it has a finite lifetime because it will eventually flake off or whatever. Get it if you want, but I would rather buy something once and use it till I get tired of it or lose it or die, than buy something that may or may not be detrimental to my health and that will wear out eventually anyway.
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Nov 28, 2012 20:42
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Steve Yun posted:Cook's Illustrated did a test of saute pans and said that yes anything larger than 10 inches will heat less evenly. If you don't mind that: I think that would depend heavily on the footprint of your heat source. Cooks illustrated also says that we should use blade grinders over burr for coffee, so...yeah. 
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Nov 30, 2012 19:16
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a handful of dust posted:The gently caress? they also pointed an infrared thermometer at blade and said "welp doesn't get hot"
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Dec 4, 2012 03:00
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I don't see the need for serrated at all. Can cut bread and tomatoes just fine with a good edge.
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Dec 6, 2012 19:37
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mediaphage posted:Don't listen to gravity about bread - a good serrated knife really does make slicing crusty loaves easier. You don't need one for tomatoes, but I'm quite happy with a good bread knife. I don't know, I have no problems cutting crusty bread. Knife cuts through it like scissors through wrapping paper. Goddamn posted:Any recommendations for stoves, fridges, and maybe freezers? Don't have gas unfortunately. We have a Kenmore. French door fridge, bottom freezer drawer style. Love it. GrAviTy84 fucked around with this message at 22:20 on Dec 6, 2012 |
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Dec 6, 2012 22:16
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mcppants posted:I am looking for a one to two hundred dollar crock pot or slow cooker. Any recommendations? Why would you spend more than 5-10bux on a crockpot? You can buy one of the best pressure cookers you can buy for $170 (the Kuhn Rikon). You're nearly there to a puddle system. You can buy a really good enameled cast iron dutch oven. Crock pots are one of the most useless kitchen devices. Everything they can do can be done faster, better, and with more control in a multitude of other ways. If you must have one, they have a ton at thrift stores, they will do the same thing as a 200bux one will. fake edit: lol "Brown" things with temperatures "up to 400 degrees" holy lol
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Dec 13, 2012 17:40
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MisterOblivious posted:The point of a crock pot is to do things slower dummy. Aside from the traditional "hot meal making your apartment smell great when you get home from a long shift" they're also really nice for making yogurt. Anything you can make by throwing together in a glorified electric iron before you go to work can be made the night before the moment you get home from work and shut off before you go to bed and stored for the next day using far superior methods of cooking. Then it's just a reheat when you get in. If you want to just put food in a thing and set it to cook or whatever, then a puddle machine is a significantly better use of money and time. The point of a slow cooker is to trade quality of food almost entirely for convenience.
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Dec 14, 2012 06:41
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MisterOblivious posted:Please explain to me how cooking a roast in a dutch oven and then reheating it the next day is "superior" because I'm just not seeing it. People said it all already, but yeah, letting the braising liquids redistribute and the ability to brown food and build fond. Sure you can do this in a different pot, but that defeats one major convenience of a slow cooker: the one pot meal. If you're going to bother with browning, you might as well do it in the same pot you'll cook in. The heating up the house, energy use, whatever arguments are trivial. Both are heat sources, both have inefficient lids, both conduct heat through the walls, both heat up the house. I don't know what kind of person is cranking the heat on their ish when they braise, but that's not necessary. And with a gas stove it is probably still cheaper to use than a crock pot. This is all moot with a pressure cooker, which can get you your braised oxtails in 45 minutes. And with a closed system pressure cooker like a kuhn rikon you're not dissipating all the flavor into making your house smell good, it ends up in your mouth where it belongs.
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Dec 14, 2012 17:55
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Doh004 posted:Whenever I watch videos of chefs on the internet, a lot of them seem to have these knives that are between a paring knife and a chef's knife. It seems smaller than a 6" chef's knife would be, but they use them to finely mince shallots/garlic. What is it, and is it a good thing to have? In western knives it is called a utility knife. In Japanese knives it is called a petty. I have a Tadatsuna 150mm petty.  Tadatsuna 150mm petty by gtrwndr87, on Flickr I think the Japanese knives win fantastically in this purpose. The thin profile, aggressive edge, and rigidity is just delightful.
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Dec 17, 2012 17:27
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Doh004 posted:Man that's beautiful I use mine for most things where I'm just doing something fast, which implies that it is my daily use general purpose prep knife. Slice breads, salume, cheese, tomatoes, chiffonade herbs, the allium duties. It's even taken to some mild chicken disassembling. No breaking bones, but it is perfectly fine for cutting through tendons.
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Dec 17, 2012 20:32
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Chef De Cuisinart posted:Don't get a utility/petty. Just learn to use the tip of your chefs properly. Or get a CCK cleaver. Best all purpose knife ever. Well yes, from a purely practical POV all you really need is a comfortable gyuto/chef's knife but I have to disagree. Buy all of the knives, they're so pretty 
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Dec 17, 2012 23:34
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I don't know. I use an air popper and there are probably only 2-5 unpopped kernels per big ol batch and they all stay in the machine. Never had this problem since switching to an air popper.
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Dec 18, 2012 20:25
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dino. posted:How do you manage to make popcorn not taste like cardboard in an air popper? I've never had luck with those machines, which is why I've gotten so good at popping on the stove. Yeah, there's like 5 or 10 kernels that are unpopped, but the oil makes it so that the salt and things stick to the banged grains. Season it just like you would any other food silly. Some fresh extra virgin oil and some fine sea salt so good.
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Dec 18, 2012 21:59
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If you have to go enamel I would go Staub over Le Creuset any day.
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Dec 22, 2012 08:05
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The black enamel in the Staubs isn't that big of a deal and I haven't had a problem seeing the fond. You can feel the fond with your utensil anyway. The white enamel in Le Creusets just ends up discolored and gross looking with time anyway. Staubs have the condensation dimples that Le Creusets don't have. They are also considerably thicker all around with more overlap on the lip of the lid with a tighter fitting seal and a metal lid handle/buttonthing (plastic on Le Creuset). Aesthetically, I think the exterior enamel job on the Staubs look prettier, too, with more depth and shimmer compared to the more flat looking LCs. All of this for marginally more money (you're paying a shitton anyway, might as well do it right).
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Dec 23, 2012 00:59
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Doh004 posted:My brother made this for me for Christmas! looks like it's got a healthy swoop to the blade so you should still be able to rock it and stuff. Congrats! A good cleaver is one of my favorite kitchen tools.
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Dec 25, 2012 21:48
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Pantsmaster Bill posted:Is there another option other than a themapen for a decent thermometer? Not sure I want to spend £50 on one, but I will if the others are absolute shite. Thermoworks makes a significantly cheaper one http://www.amazon.com/RT600C-Super-...rds=thermoworks It is quite fast, though not as fast as a thermopen. That is due to the use of a Thermistor as opposed to a Thermocouple (might be the other way around). The thermocouple (or whatever it is) is faster in response time, but also makes up for an extra 40bux in price. Still, with around a 6 second response time this cheaper thermoworks is significantly faster than most probes, it also has a thin tip, and is waterproof. Bear in mind it tops out at around 302F so you can't use it for frying oil. I like an analog dial for that stuff anyway.
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Dec 27, 2012 19:43
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Wet the blade, wipe off the rice residue from previous cuts with every cut, and use long swooping slices starting from the heel of the knife and ending near the tip. The biggest mistake I see is with people using these little tiny sawing slicing motions and pushing down too hard. That just turns the sushi into a ragged ball of garbage. Sharp, clean, moist knife, long slices.
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Jan 2, 2013 19:38
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Just use two warmed tablespoons and make quenelles for ice cream. While OXO makes some nice things, often times you can get better from other brands, so I, too, would buy piecemeal. For instance: You can get a better grater than an OXO one, namely a microplane one. I prefer the Zyliss pizza cutter over the oxo. I prefer a Titan peeler over the oxo. I prefer the Art and Cook potato masher (a food mill or ricer is the best thing for mashed potatoes though) And I prefer wooden spoons and silicone or metal spatulas (depending on stainless or nonstick pan). GrAviTy84 fucked around with this message at 19:27 on Jan 3, 2013 |
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Jan 3, 2013 19:24
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Laminator posted:How exactly are you supposed to tell when you need professional knife sharpening versus DIY sharpening? I've never sharpened my knifes and they are in desperate need of some love, it's been like 3-4 years for a few of my knifes. Is this the "get someone else to do it" time? If so, is there a mail-in place to get it done, because there does not seem to be a decent local place to do it (I'm in OKC). Does Williams-Sonoma do sharpening? Depending on how much effort you want to put into it and what knives you have, you may be able to do a better job yourself with a small investment in some stones. Based on your post, I think you may be calling "honing" "DIY Sharpening". Knife steel, stainless in particular (and European knives in general), are made of a soft-ish steel whose edge folds over during use. This edge is still quite sharp it just needs to be bent back straight. This is called honing and is usually done with a rod. Carbon steel (Japanese/Chinese knives in general) is far more brittle and doesn't bend so much as the edge just wears away due to use. These (again, generally) cannot be honed, especially because the steel on a conventional hone will be softer than the knife steel so all you'll end up doing is shave off the ribs on a hone. So to answer your question, assuming stainless steel european style knives, you will know you need to sharpen when honing doesn't do anything. The flopping of the edge back and forth eventually causes it to break, similar to how you can bend a paperclip back and forth and it will eventually break. Sharpening isn't difficult to learn. You can have it done by a professional if you want, but the price of stones is the same cost as 2 trips to a pro sharpener and it's not a very steep learning curve. Almost anything can hold an edge. I used a cheapo kiwi cleaver (7bux) to learn sharpening on and now I do it on all my knives.
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Jan 3, 2013 23:10
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Anyone have any good recommendations for a 0.1 g resolution scale? Mine is dying a slow death.
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Jan 7, 2013 02:29
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Might get one for coffee/modernism but I'm not sure it would work well for baking. I often use a scale to make a big batch of dough directly in my stand mixer bowl, using the scale to hit hydration and salt rates.
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Jan 7, 2013 16:58
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Slimchandi posted:What should I be looking for in a stovetop pressure cooker? Any brand recommendations for the UK? The Kuhn rikon is a unique pressure cooker. It is a completely sealed system. It doesn't lose moisture when used properly. This means in practice, that it doesn't lose flavor. By comparison, food out of a Kuhn will taste brighter, fresher, where the other cookers will taste flat by comparison. Still delicious either way but I am a firm believer that if you're going to buy a pressure cooker, go cheap or go big. That is to say, it's not worth it to go mid range.
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Jan 20, 2013 22:19
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mindphlux posted:knife guys I don't think you're into a fine enough grit to get anything from stropping. Maybe something in the mid 1k grit range?
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Feb 9, 2013 23:10
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mindphlux posted:all the all clad pans look really nice, but how do you deal with that godforsaken handle? why wouldn't they put the curve on the top side, and the indented groove thing on the bottom side? or just not have an indented groove thing? I thought that before I got AC, but now I don't mind it so much. I notice more control with the edges up and it gives a nice place for your thumb to go. I think the idea for keeping it thin is to aid in heat dissipation. It's almost negligible anyway when you use a towel to handle the, erm, handle, which I do almost all the time. IIRC the modernist cuisine guys said it really doesn't matter though. Thinness of the pan and size of the burner are the most important factors when considering a pan' evenness of heat. That said, I prefer the dynamics of using a stainless lined pan and I have no complaints so far regarding my 3ply All Clad. Well, they are kinda on the heavy side compared to what I came from (cheap stamped stainless with pancake bottoms), I could see 5 ply getting kinda annoying to use with the added weight. the copper core AC is hella though.
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Mar 18, 2013 06:35
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I think for mandolines, either get a cheap one with good adjustability or if you get a more expensive one, make sure the blade is removeable so you can sharpen it. So yeah: adjustability and removable blade. The Benriners are great. I have an OXO Steel one that I got for a wedding gift. The blade is removeable and I put a pretty sweet edge on it so I think it's great. For some reason people don't review it very highly though. I don't really know why. It's pretty expensive, though....
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Mar 26, 2013 17:16
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Yeah, I was gonna recommend cambros, because that's what I use, but they want to keep all that stuff on the counter. I don't really know why you'd want flour out on the counter all the time though. Sugar, I just use some red enameled metal jar with a glass lid and a silicone gasket, I think it holds about 4 cups of sugar. That one I keep on the counter, but I have a bigger container in the pantry that I refill it with or that I grab if I need a shitton of sugar for whatever reason.
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Mar 26, 2013 23:49
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indoflaven posted:I was looking at a Vitamix to make kale shakes and stuff. Consumer Reports rates the $60 Ninja blender better than the $450 Vitamix. Anyone use either of these? I think the vitamix is still better. I'm pretty sure that consumer reports was factoring in cost. Is the vitamix $400 better? Up to you to decide. Are you just pureeing smoothies/soups? You can do that with pretty much any blender. Are you going to make flours? Nut butters? Juicing? I don't think the Ninja even comes close to the Vitamix in these. Blend-tec vs Vitamix is a better question to ask if these latter options are what you're after. Edit: or go big. Get a thermomix. :P GrAviTy84 fucked around with this message at 21:47 on Mar 29, 2013 |
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Mar 29, 2013 21:43
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The Midniter posted:I've had a Thermapen for about three weeks now and I am utterly amazed at how versatile and useful it is. Yeah, thermapens own pretty friggin hard. If you're even considering getting one at some point you should just pull the trigger already. Such a great piece of kitchen gear.
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Apr 4, 2013 21:25
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If precision is what your after you could always PID your slow cooker. Then you could use it to sous vide.
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Apr 6, 2013 15:34
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Fo3 posted:It's poor form to post after your self, but lets talk knives again. If you like bolsterless knives and prefer hard steel you should really just forget about european knives altogether and go Japanese. http://www.chefknivestogo.com/toshitk24wa.html http://www.chefknivestogo.com/moao2gy24.html if the Japanese style handles don't float your boat, there are also western handled ones http://www.chefknivestogo.com/higykn24.html
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Apr 9, 2013 20:16
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Fo3 posted:
They're both stainless and the gyuto is 60/40 beveled which could get annoying depending on your cutting style. Stainless steels are generally softer. I like Aogami and Shirogami steels. They are harder, though they can be prone to getting a patina. If you don't like that look, you might not like them. I think it looks cool so ymmv. The CCK cleaver is as close to the ONETRUECLEAVER you are going to get this side of sperglordland (also sperglord price), though most of the spergs still prefer it. It is also a high carbon steel that will stain, but like I said, it's not really that big of a deal and some people like it. I love my hiyashi dojo 80 mm paring  Hayashi Dojo 80mm paring by gtrwndr87, on Flickr This is clad aogami super. The core is aogami (and consequently the edge is ao) but the surface is clad with stainless so it now looks stainless except for the edge which is a kind of blackish smoke color. Of course it kind of matters what you plan on using the knife for. I use my tadatsuna petty more for things like deboning and stuff, so a stainless may be better suited to your tasks depending on what you plan on using it for. This one is a tadatsuna proprietary moly steel. Tadatsuna 150mm petty by gtrwndr87, on Flickr edit: and while I'm show and telling I guess I can show off my gyuto  gekko gyuto by gtrwndr87, on Flickr It's damascus clad VG-10. I kinda wish I had gotten ao or shiro, and as such I plan on adding the tojiro gyuto at maybe 210mm to my "collection". GrAviTy84 fucked around with this message at 22:12 on Apr 10, 2013 |
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Apr 10, 2013 21:59
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SubG posted:A CCK small slicer with some patina on it ends up looking like something Pyramid Head would use for prep work. Makes total sense to me. I didn't really care for paring knives either until I got this one and I love it.
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Apr 10, 2013 23:35
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Fo3 posted:Yeah I saw the Gekko knives at JCK, did consider it, maybe still will, it's just a shame they are sold out of the petty knife. The thing I wish I knew about damascus before buying mine is that most aren't really damascus at all. If you have a japanese vendor at all near you you should go try some japanese style handles. I was against them like you at first, but after trying some I wish I would have gotten one with a japanese handle. If you end up liking it, honestly, the Tojiro ITK shirogami stuff is a friggin steal and a half.
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Apr 11, 2013 23:33
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