The Something Offal kitchen equipment thread

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

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

I have the OXO food mill and it is great. I love it for a ton of things, but trying to rice potatoes in it was absolutely miserable the 3 times I did it. Huge pain, and it overworked them. I got the OXO ricer and never looked back.

I use my potato masher for stuff other than mashing potatoes though. It gives the best texture to tomato sauces for example.

# ¿ May 5, 2020 20:10

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# ¿ May 11, 2024 10:03

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

SubG posted:

What was the problem with potatoes in the OXO food mill?

But yeah, I use an old traditional potato masher all the time, just usually not for making mashed potatoes. It's what I use for refried beans, for example.

I tried all 3 different grate sizes, and it just did not want to actually push potatoes through until it had thoroughly churned them into mush, with a lot of effort. A ricer pushes out light, fluffy strands of potato. The food mill made little lines of mashed potatoes.

# ¿ May 6, 2020 00:05

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

SubG posted:

Huh. Sounds like the OXO food mill sucks. I've got some no-name French food service food mill and the coarse disk gives me exactly what I want out of traditional mashed potatoes, and the fine gives a super smooth pommes pur�e texture.

I can't even imagine what's going on where you've got a food mill that's having trouble pushing potatoes through. Like it should be like you cook the potatoes, drain them, dump them in the hopper, two or three turns and boom you're done, add your butter, dairy, whatever, mix, serve.

If boiled potatoes are too tough for it, how the gently caress does it handle literally anything else? Like if you're trying to pur�e something thicker/starchier, or are using it to deseed/deskin tomatoes, berries, or whatever.

It works great on tomatoes, fruits, everything else I throw at it. It gives me mashed potatoes, which is not what I want. I want riced potatoes for gnocchi, which is what the discussion was about.

# ¿ May 6, 2020 02:09

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

Fart Car '97 posted:

Just want to say that I actually got one of these on the cheap for spices a day or two before you posted about it and it's a piece of poo poo. It takes up more space, makes a huge mess (which was the entire reason I sought out a grinder with a separable bowl), and doesn't work as well as a $20 Krups grinder.

This is also my experience with the same grinder. The top of the metal bowl doesn�t actually seal to the plastic lid, so like 10% of whatever I am grinding ends up flying out, every time.

It will eventually get a good grind, but it takes like a full minute, and only if I pick it up and actively shake it while grinding so that a big pick of compressed, half-ground spices doesn�t get stuck under the blade.

gently caress it. I�ve been living with it for like 2 years because �it does eventually do a good enough job�, but nah. Typing this out made me mad enough to order a Krups.

# ¿ May 18, 2020 13:46

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

Murgos posted:

What don't you like about the handles?

They're nice and large, offer an excellent and very sure grip and don't get hot. I guess I could see if you had small hands the size could be uncomfortable?

The current All Clad handles are kinda thin, and the inward curve is super uncomfortable. I have large hands, and I would expect the bigger your hands, the more uncomfortable it would be. The previous generation was even worse, so at least they are improving, but they are still really bad, and there's no excuse for a pan that expensive to not have figured their poo poo out. I still own and love 3 pans and 2 pots , I just have to constantly use a towel wrapped around the handles

# ¿ Jun 13, 2020 12:56

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

WHY BONER NOW posted:

Huh well my last whisk didn't get all nasty...but I never washed it with the dishwasher. Going by the reviews online it seemed like a recent drop in quality.

The original whisk that came with my KA like 8 years ago gets the grey/black residue that rubs off and gets everywhere if you put it in the dishwasher.

I�d bet that it�s just the same, and you�ll be fine to buy one as long as you keep hand washing.

# ¿ Jun 26, 2020 13:02

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

Scholtz posted:

I also finally bought a thermapen. I want to keep it looking nice so I was thinking about getting a holder for it but that seems a little expensive. One thing that's nice though is I could just put it on my knife strip. I guess there's this too, but idk if I like the look of it.

I guess what I'm asking is, how does everyone else store theirs? Also, would just attaching a piece of steel to the back of the pen harm it? I have a piece left over from an old car cell phone mount.

Mine stays in the pocket of my apron at the restaurant, and in a drawer with a ton of other utensils at home. I�ve had it for 5 years. It looks brand new.

I wouldn�t worry too much about it.

# ¿ Jun 26, 2020 21:30

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

Those shallow waffles are just pancakes that are lying. Belgian4lyfe

# ¿ Aug 17, 2020 03:43

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

Wooden cutting boards are for kitchen decoration and as serving boards. Fight me.

# ¿ Mar 17, 2021 20:21

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

Wahad posted:

Does anybody have an easy-to-read breakdown of the differences between the various Instant Pot models? I've been thinking about getting one but apparently there's like a dozen of them so I have no idea which extra features are worth the cost. Recommendations for one model or another also welcome, of course.

Sorry, there was only ever one Instant Pot worth buying, but you can't get it anymore.

# ¿ Apr 10, 2021 18:07

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

The best slow cookers are found at thrift stores/ebay and must be at least 20 years old. Sometime around then all slow cookers seemed to up the temp of what "low" is, and it still actually simmers, instead of just staying at like 180f. Trying to do anything like chili, or overnight oatmeal or anything that settles will end up scorching in a modern slow cooker.

I assume it was a liability thing of them not wanting to be responsible for people throwing in a whole frozen pork shoulder or something, putting it on low and then poisoning themselves because the middle is below 130 for 7 hours.

Edit:

Thumposaurus posted:

Bonus points for finding one with woodgrain or mushrooms or some poo poo printed on the side.

This is the ideal Crock Pot. You may not like it, but this is what peak slow cooking looks like.

Doom Rooster fucked around with this message at 15:41 on Apr 18, 2021

# ¿ Apr 18, 2021 15:23

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

AnonSpore posted:

My zojirushi rice cooker has been having an off and on problem for like a year now where the gasket won't fully seal and all the moisture condenses and leaks out of the lid, leaving me with crackers instead of rice. Anyone have any tips on how to DIY fix or replace this without having to buy a whole new cooker?

I�ve had the same thing happen a lot. Every time it�s turned out to be some dried rice spilled around the edges preventing a seal. I take a brush and clean it up all around. Fixes the problem every time.

# ¿ Apr 18, 2021 23:08

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

Empty Sandwich posted:

gracias

any special use for the two blades rather than four?

The two blade ones are for sausage stuffing. Just needs to agitate and push, not cut against the die so much.

# ¿ Apr 27, 2021 16:18

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

It�ll be a standard feature in the Thermapen One Series X.

# ¿ Jun 26, 2021 16:59

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

Bagheera posted:

Meat slicer/deli slicer recommendations?

I'm starting a business selling bacon. It's a simple 1-person company smoking whole pork bellies and slicing them for sale. I've never owned a deli slicer before.

I won't be using the slicer every day. Once a week, I'll slice three pork bellies (about 15 pounds each) into slices between 1/16 and 1/4 inch thick.

Because this is a startup, cheaper is better. But I'll pay extra for good quality.

There are "Chef's Choice" slicers that cost a little over $100. Then there are Hobart slicers that start at $1,500 (and go up to five figures). Can you help me choose something?

Do not get the chef�s choice. I have one, and I�m glad that I got it, but it will absolutely not turn out a professional product.

The slide is too short for most bellies, especially ones the size you�re talking about. It also doesn�t perfectly slice the bottom of a belly, even with the nonserrated blade. It leaves a little flap, that gets bigger every slice. If I am making something that I want to impress, I have to flip whatever it is over after every slice to avoid the weird flap issue. You are not going to want to do this for 3 whole bellies.

It is also MUCH slower than any commercial slicer I have ever used.

Again, I�m happy I got it, but I use it for relatively small projects, maybe 3 times per year. I cannot imagine doing 3 bellies a week on it and not wanting to quit.

# ¿ Jun 28, 2021 06:33

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

Unless the belly is pretty darn close to rock hard frozen, it�s going to warp on the travel and the cut, leaving you with wavy uneven thickness.

# ¿ Jun 29, 2021 19:05

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

Happiness Commando posted:

I was coming here to ask about toaster ovens too, but I only want to spend like $100. Are there any budget-conscious recommendations?

Buy Elegant Fugue�s toaster oven.

# ¿ Jul 12, 2021 16:56

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

Haven�t ever seen the Ozeri in a store. BBB should sell the OXO, which is the best non-commercial scale I have ever used.

Scales that I would choose to use over the OXO start at $150 through restaurant supply.

# ¿ Jul 21, 2021 20:39

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

Terebus posted:

Thanks for the reply! I'm gonna go grab that ninja blender then because your description is pretty good for what I'm going to use it for. I don't need it to be the smoothest smoothie I've ever had.

Of note, the little single serve blender jar does an even significantly better job then the big main blender. I have the Ninja Professional series at home, and the main blender does a good, but not Vitamix/Blendtec level job on stuff, but the single serve just freaking liquifies anything, better than the Vitamixes I use at work in restaurant kitchens.

# ¿ Jul 25, 2021 00:49

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

SubG posted:

Cool, I'd like to see side-by-side comparisons.

Basically the fundamental reality is that for US$200 I'm not seeing Ninja getting a motor that's better than you get in a US$250 Vitamix. Because if they could do that, they'd already be doing that in their blenders, right? And with a Ninja blender the value proposition is that you're getting like 75% of the blender for around a quarter the price. Which, you know, is fine. But unless you're getting more motor in the US$200 Ninja then I don't see any way it's not going to have all the same failings versus a real pacojet that a Vitamix has. Only with the US$200 Ninja you can't do all the other things you can do with a high-end blender.

Like I guess if you were making a whole shitload of fancy bespoke ice cream on site it might be worthwhile to have a button for it instead of having to twiddle the speed dial or whatever. But this thing's clearly aimed at home kitchens and I just don't see the advantage of a unitasker that takes up the same space and costs as much as a more versatile machine.

I don't understand why you keep bringing up the Vitamix. The use case for this is not something that a Vitamix does or attempts to do. The comparison for this is Pacojet vs. Ninja clone vs. Nothing.

Like your argument is like you saying if I am deciding between getting a cheap Mitsubishi TV vs. a top of the line Samsung TV, the Mitsubishi TV is trash because Honda makes better cars.

# ¿ Aug 6, 2021 04:50

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

SubG posted:

Kinda. Like in practice you end up feeding it in bit by bit using a tamper or whatever.

Unless I'm misunderstanding what you're trying to say, no. It's absolutely something you can do with a high-end blender.

Like the fundamental problem being solved by all ice cream making techniques is you can't just mix up an ice cream base and freeze it. Because you wouldn't get ice cream, you'd get a milk ice cube. All "conventional" ice cream machines solve this problem by agitating the ice cream base as it's freezing and produce the right texture that way. If you're really motivated you can do the same thing purely by hand (like just throw a ziplock full of ice cream base into the freezer and take it out every half hour or so and agitate it by hand until it's done). The gimmick with a pacojet and that ninja thing is that you're freezing poo poo up front and you're using a powerful motor to churn it to give you the texture you want. You can do that with a high-end blender as well.

Do you have any links to videos/instructions for this? I�ve never heard this claim before and my pastry chef who has been begging for a Pacojet that we absolutely cannot afford would be very interested.

# ¿ Aug 6, 2021 13:18

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

bamhand posted:

On a related note, recommended fire extinguisher to go with the wok cooking?

Keep a full box of salt with the lid ripped off near the wok. It�s how you put out uncontrolled fire INSIDE the wok. Just dump the whole thing in on top of whatever is on Fire. Costs $1 instead of $50+ for the fire extinguisher use.

# ¿ Aug 28, 2021 02:14

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

prom candy posted:

still not seeing how that's anything other than a sex toy

It doesn�t help that has the same name as one of the most well known sex toys ever.

That being said, it�s a great invention for some folks. For the lazy, it makes it easy to open a bottle of wine in about 2 seconds. For the elderly and people with some types of disabilities, it makes it possible to open a bottle of wine at all.

# ¿ Aug 30, 2021 06:06

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

I. M. Gei posted:

SURELY there is a device that grates an entire rear end wedge of parmesan cheese without making my arm sore as gently caress, right?

Right?

We go through about 8lbs of parm per day. SOP is grate it with the grater disc of the food processor, then run it through with the normal food processor blade. The closest you�re gonna get to microplaned texture without using an actual microplane.

# ¿ Sep 11, 2021 05:19

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

barkbell posted:

i want an ankarsrum but we talked about different mixer options and we decided to go with 7 qt kitchenaid mixer because it seemed to be more versatile and it looked like it could still handle some of the heavier wet doughs i do. we do have a 40yo 5qt kitchenaid tho so maybe we just need the ankarsrum

Just as a heads up, for the 7qt KA and dough. You gotta be making a decent sized batch for the KA dough hook to do a anything at all. Like, I don't do batches of under 1,000g flour because it just barely touches and spins around the top.

If you frequently do smaller batches than that, I would either get a Bosch/Ankarsrum, or resign yourself to hand-kneading most of your bread.

# ¿ Nov 2, 2021 00:32

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

Verisimilidude posted:

My zojirushi rice cooker is starting to have an issue. Previously it would keep rice at a nice texture for a couple days, but now the day after I make rice the top layer of the rice is dry and inedible. Two days after the entire thing will be dry. I haven't changed my technique, water amounts, or brand of rice, so my worry is that it's the rice cooker. Anyone deal with this before?

Check the silicone seal yeah, but also clean the plastic rim of the unit itself. Every time I have rice drying out, I find a piece of dried old rice in one of those two places, which breaks the seal.

# ¿ Nov 11, 2021 03:57

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

Bagheera posted:

After a few hours, I can't give out samples because the bacon is too old. I know, cooked bacon that's been in a plastic container for four hours is not actually spoiled. But food serving guidelines prevent me from serving it to people, even as a free sample.

Are you sure about that? Our health inspector in Austin told us that cooked bacon was considered a shelf stable product that didn�t even need refrigeration. The USDA website considers cooked bacon shelf stable as long as it�s cooked to a .85 water activity, and gives the guideline of that level being reached if the cooked product weight has been reduced 40% or more from the raw weight.

It�s certainly possible that your local regulations are different, but if you�re just assuming that the 4 hour rule applies, or you were told by another civilian that it does, it would be worth contacting your local health authority to confirm.

Fresh cooking it there could certainly still be a marketing win too though, like you mentioned.

# ¿ Nov 21, 2021 03:19

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

Just lol if you need any kitchen utensil besides your hands. If you're worried about hot stuff, you need to toughen up! Replacing a pasta fork with your hands is probably the toughest, but once you're there, you know you are a real cook.

# ¿ Dec 11, 2021 18:44

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

BrianBoitano posted:

Who has good plastic cutting boards with a groove / moat to catch juice and which don't warp in the dishwasher?

I�ve had my OXO cutting board for like 8 years and it�s still in great shape. Grooved side and flat side.

The groove is a little shallow, so it�s great for most stuff, but if you�re cutting a whole prime rib or something, you�ll overflow if you�re not careful.

# ¿ Dec 11, 2021 23:20

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

Thrift shops IMO. Nobody makes slow cookers that are actually slow anymore. BIG GUBMINT (I assume) made it so that even the "low" settings are a solid boil for food safety reasons (I assume).

I may have a modern Scandinavian kitchen aesthetic, but there will always be a brown and yellow 1970s crock pot there.

# ¿ Dec 19, 2021 17:17

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

Paul MaudDib posted:

My Food Saver isn't sealing completely again - the seals it's making have little gaps in them. I've taken to running multiple seal cycles and pushing down a little to try and help it make good contact but I'm not pleased.

I had one previously that stopped being able to pull a vacuum unless you pushed down in the middle - like it couldn't keep consistent pressure in the middle.

I'm kinda over the food saver and I'm thinking seriously about just jumping to a chamber vacuum sealer. Costco has the MaxVac Pro (LEM 1380) for $650. I did look at the ones on amazon but the cheaper ones have pretty shallow chambers - the MaxVac is still only 3.5" while the VacMaster models (VP210, VP230) are 5" deep on both models, while the ebay ones are 2" deep - that seems pretty shallow. And the "keep the lid pushed down while it's sealing or you could get sparks/fire/destroy the heater bar" is pretty lol - I think I'll pay a bit more for one with a latching bar.

Any thoughts? The Costco one seems ok as a starter (and if it ever has problems costco is great about taking it back), not sure it's worth paying 50-100% more for a slightly bigger chamber with the VP210 or VP230. Am I missing anything else?

$649 - https://www.lemproducts.com/product/maxvac-pro-chamber-sealer/all-vacuum-sealer-products

$999 - https://www.vacmasterfresh.com/vacmaster-vp210-maintenance-free-chamber-vacuum-sealer/

$1345 - https://www.vacmasterfresh.com/vacmaster-vp230-commercial-chamber-vacuum-sealer/

Has anyone used a chamber vacuum at higher elevations? I see the note there that the MaxVac may not work at altitudes above 1600 feet... I've kind of always wanted to move back to the Front Range sometime.

I�m in Denver and have used a VacMaster chamber vac at least 4 times per day for about 4 months. Works just fine, but we run a 22 second cycle instead of the 14 while I was in Austin.

# ¿ Dec 21, 2021 03:16

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

Submarine Sandpaper posted:

Is there a new can opener rec? I gave mine away and the ez does it seems like it's nothing but fakes on amazon, or they also went downhill.

Would also love this rec. I got the EZ and it looks right. The made in USA branding all over, but it is terrible. It won't even cut through 80% of the cans I tried it on.

# ¿ Jan 22, 2022 17:19

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

I don�t have a brand name, but the olive wood options really are worth it. I got a set for my wedding from folks at work 4 years ago. I use the spoon at least twice a week and I smack that sucker hard on the side of pots and as far as finish goes, it�s like brand new. The whole thing has stained a nice dark brown, but all surfaces are still very smooth and pristine.

You really do want to hand wash though. Dishwasher will apparently still wreck them over time.

# ¿ Feb 4, 2022 23:11

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

Happiness Commando posted:

I've used This Oxo for many years and it's fine and runs off batteries.

I went through 3 of the OXO scales breaking in 4 years before I just switched to the MyWeigh. Makes me super sad because I LOVE the form factor of the OXO so much.

# ¿ Feb 8, 2022 19:07

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

Vegetable posted:

Don�t you need to season a cast iron? It�s a royal pain.

Oh god, now you�ve done it. We�re going to get at least a page of �actually it�s easy! Here�s the method I use that was passed down to me by my��

# ¿ Feb 19, 2022 01:21

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

AngryRobotsInc posted:

Pastry cutters! I know I don't need to spend a bajillion dollars on one, but also don't want a flimsy cheapo that'll fall apart if I look at it funny. Anyone got a brand recommendation?

The oxo good grips one feels like a tank, but feels good in the hand. It feels like it'll last a century. $15

# ¿ Apr 5, 2022 18:08

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

Fart Car '97 posted:

If you're working with anything wet, chamber sealers are a game changer. Same for infusions. I've been lucky enough to work with them in working kitchens for years and Ive always pined for one for home use and here we are...

# ¿ May 6, 2022 05:32

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

I�ve had my joule since shortly after it launched, and it is ALMOST perfect. It�s powerful, quiet, the app is great, with little HD gifs of exactly what each temp looks like. It�s great and I would get it again over anything else on the market.

The only complaint I have is that 80f is the min temp. I would love to be able to just set it to circulate with no heating element.

# ¿ May 28, 2022 05:16

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

Do they know that they are supposed to hold the burrito while they try to eat it? That tape is at the halfway mark, and I think the only time I have ever had a burrito fall apart before that point was a Chipotle burrito that had extra of pretty much everything, and the dude couldn't really even roll it enough to visibly cover the insides.

It's not uncommon for a burrito to fall apart in the last few bites, but that tape does nothing to solve that problem.

# ¿ Jun 2, 2022 02:48

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# ¿ May 11, 2024 10:03

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

Johnny Truant posted:

I'm starting to get a bit more into making smoothies, and I'm thinking of maybe upgrading from using my immersion blender to an actual... blender blender. Any recs for a good blender that won't break the bank and maybe doesn't have a gigantic footprint? I'm about to take a look at what Costco has, but I know nothing about blenders so...

I got Ninja Pro series something a few years ago for about half the price of the cheapest Vitamix. The blender itself is about 80% as good as the Vita, but can�t really do the interesting unique things a Vita can do, like cook soup.

HOWEVER it came with an individual smoothie jar with its own blade and separate lid with a drinking hole/tab. That thing is legitimately better than any blender I have ever used, and I�ve spent years in restaurant kitchens with different models of Vitamix.

The Ninja smoothie jar turns anything into perfectly smooth incredibleness. I grind spices in it, and it always results in absolutely perfect uniform powders so fine I have to wait a few seconds for them to settle so I don�t immediately mace the kitchen. The smoothies I have made in it have no discernible seeds left. It emulsifies anything. Every time I use it I am still surprised at how crazy good it is.

The downside? It is loving LOUD. But it gets jobs done in like 10 seconds, better than anything else I can use, so it�s okay for me. It will wake
Up anybody in your house though.

# ¿ Jun 12, 2022 22:18

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

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