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If you have stainless steel or copper cookware and you cook in it, it will lose its shine after a while. If you're like me, you don't give a gently caress. If you like the shiny look, then you want some of this: When I do shine up the copper, this is what I use and it is unbeatable.
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Jan 17, 2011 14:39
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Halal to the Chief posted:I second this. I live in a house full of brits and without it they would wither and die. It gets a serious workout without ever flagging, the only issue is that after a while, and with heavy use, mineral deposits build up in the working and can cause the water, and thereby the tea, to taste "off." Yep. The one I have (as in the picture) is a Narita brand - picked it up in Chinatown 6 years ago or something and it hasn't been turned off since. Just press the button, and boiling water comes out. Or, if you want to take it on a picnic or something, unplug it, and it has a nice carrying handle and an air pump so you can dispense hot water far away from electricity. There are a ton of brands, though - Zojirushi, Panasonic, etc. Just pick one up at your local Asian supermarket or on Amazon.
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Jan 17, 2011 14:41
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geetee posted:I'm really kicking myself for not buying the 12" saute pan My guess is that they're going to end up going with another distributor, maybe Williams Sonoma. We managed to wrangle the 10 piece set for the MIL this xmas, but it took some internet shennanigans to do so. I was lucky enough to get my 10 piece set back before they started to believe the hype (is it even possible to be a cooking hipster?), and added a 12" saute on the order. I think it was like $210 for everything. You have to order their 12 piece set now to get the 12" pan, and I'm seriously considering it just to get another one, (well, that and an enameled cast iron dutch oven). Oh, and I'm sure it goes without saying, but you should also have one of these:  20 bucks, and has the potential to make your life soooo much easier. Unless you want gaufrette, of course.
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Jan 17, 2011 15:01
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I was gifted a Foodsaver from my mom, and it's so drat cool. It's like a whole self contained station for vacu-sealing food. Which brings me to... ...does anybody have any good sous vide options that won't put me in the poor house? I tried it on a gas cooktop in a stockpot with my thermapen my first try, and of course I can barely get the heat on my cooktop down low enough to be effective, and it's far too fickle.
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Jan 17, 2011 16:19
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LoungieMu posted:I was gifted a Foodsaver from my mom, and it's so drat cool. It's like a whole self contained station for vacu-sealing food. Which brings me to... Loungie: You need a pot big enough (20 liters or so), then it is much more controllable, and then heat in bursts... Either that, or a cooler filled with water, then take out some water, and heat, and add back, to maintain a stable temp.
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Jan 17, 2011 17:25
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LoungieMu posted:I was gifted a Foodsaver from my mom, and it's so drat cool. It's like a whole self contained station for vacu-sealing food. Which brings me to...
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Jan 17, 2011 18:13
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Marble cutting boards are the poo poo. I got one that's about 14" by 20" for Christmas, and it makes a huge difference, especially for things like puff pastry that do best when they stay chilled. I have to work on the kitchen table because my kitchen is so small, so it really helps to have a nice surface that is also portable. Don't know what brand though.
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Jan 17, 2011 18:34
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Chard posted:Marble cutting boards are the poo poo. I got one that's about 14" by 20" for Christmas, and it makes a huge difference, especially for things like puff pastry that do best when they stay chilled. I have to work on the kitchen table because my kitchen is so small, so it really helps to have a nice surface that is also portable. Don't know what brand though. So long as you don't actually cut things on it, right?
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Jan 17, 2011 18:38
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Great for pastry, poo poo for cutting.
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Jan 17, 2011 18:38
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Well, yeah. I should have specified that before I got it, all I had was a hard plastic board that grabs pastry like it has tiny claws built in. I now use that one on top of the new one to protect the surface while I'm actually cutting stuff. The old one is barely stiff enough to pick up without dumping stuff. I'm poor and my new board rocks, leeme 'lone 
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Jan 17, 2011 18:46
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I picked up a $14 Chinese cleaver at the asian market two weeks ago. It had some hilarious brand name like Cleverest Son's Wife or such. It's loving sharp, loving heavy, full tang, and I loving love this thing!
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Jan 17, 2011 19:13
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I love my: Oxo good grips vegetable peeler skrub'a root vegetable scrubbing abrasive gloves Stick blender (mine's Dualit) with whisk and beater attachments Tefal Airbake Non-stick loaf tin. I bought this recently and it is loving AMAZING. I can put my bread dough in there without oiling or flouring it (I just did it once to see) and when it is baked I turn the tin over, and out the loaf falls. Sticky cakes come out like a dream too. It's FANTASTIC, and so much better than my older conventional "non-stick" tins. Beech wood spatula Oxo good grips salad spinner Egg-shell piercer. Makes a small hole in the base of an egg so that when boiling eggs the air does not expand and break the shell. I boil quite a lot of eggs; a small thing, but it makes a difference. The Joseph Joseph folding boards are rubbish. I'd like a recommendation in the UK for a decent saute pan. I don't know if I should get non-stick or metal, and I don't want to spend too much.
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Jan 17, 2011 19:23
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There was a lot of talk in the KitchenAid thread about a flat beater that scraped the sides of the bowl as it mixes. I just got a Pro 600 and I really am not digging having to stop and scrape the sides. I know KitchenAid has a version with a spatula edge for $30. I remembered goon recommendations for two different brands that were cheaper and better, but I don't want to dig through the KitchenAid thread looking for it because I'm lazy. Anybody?
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Jan 17, 2011 19:24
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My list of weird but indispensable items: *itty bitty spatula. Ostensibly for cookies, but I use it for all kinds of stuff. *two pair of tongs- one regular and one with ends that are flat like spatulas. I don't mean to come across as some sort of spatula fetishist, but you can never have a large enough variety of spatulas. *steel ball whisk. Easy on your pans and will bang out a pan sauce or roux in no time flat.
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Jan 17, 2011 19:25
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Nione posted:There was a lot of talk in the KitchenAid thread about a flat beater that scraped the sides of the bowl as it mixes. BeaterBlade
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Jan 17, 2011 23:21
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LoungieMu posted:It had some hilarious brand name like Cleverest Son's Wife or such. My parents have several knives by this brand! My mother got them because of the name. My father often recommends people get choppers made in Kong Moon (now Jiangmen, I think), so I'll leave that out there for anyone who's looking to get one.
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Jan 18, 2011 00:25
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Mr. Wiggles posted:Yep. The one I have (as in the picture) is a Narita brand - that's interesting - I have a mini-prep food processor thing (holds like 2 cups) that I picked up at an asian market for like 12 bucks, and it's a Narita brand product too. I can't live without my narita mini prep, I'll definitely give this hot water thing a go.
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Jan 18, 2011 01:51
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The Fear posted:That's a jug he just puts hot rocks from the fire in there to heat hot water. Unappreciated Wiggles bait! Excellent. I looove my creuset pot and my new thrift store cast iron waffle press. I want a stand mixer really bad but just to make sausage, and apparently hand powered sausage stuffers are better.
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Jan 18, 2011 02:11
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Nione posted:There was a lot of talk in the KitchenAid thread about a flat beater that scraped the sides of the bowl as it mixes. I just got a Pro 600 and I really am not digging having to stop and scrape the sides. I know KitchenAid has a version with a spatula edge for $30. I remembered goon recommendations for two different brands that were cheaper and better, but I don't want to dig through the KitchenAid thread looking for it because I'm lazy. Anybody? There is also one called the Side Swipe that I (and Cook's Illustrated) prefer. Pushes the batter/whatever down to the bottom of the bowl, though it is more annoying to clean.
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Jan 18, 2011 02:41
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mindphlux posted:I know I could just google it (and will in like 2 seconds) but for the benefit of the thread, what exactly is that? the electric element in my kettle just broke, so I'm sort of in the market for a new hot water heater... Mindphlux, I have a feeling you enjoy Heineken and midwives....
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Jan 18, 2011 04:44
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Anybody got any good recommendations on decent steamer equipment? Not just the little satellite dish thing that predator used to cauterize his wounds with when he fought Danny Glover, I'm wanting something with capacity. I'm learning to make radish cakes and so it seems I'm gonna need something that can handle a bit of surface area.
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Jan 18, 2011 05:01
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therattle posted:I'd like a recommendation in the UK for a decent saute pan. I don't know if I should get non-stick or metal, and I don't want to spend too much. Best nonstick pan: http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/96225800 It's cheap as gently caress (£1.01) and it works without breaking. I've used one for 2 years with zero issues. Buy more than one, it's an excellent workhorse for things that need quick heat. Awesome cast iron pan: http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/20114265 £7.14. It will last forever. Cook some steaks/sausages/bacon on it and just leave it in the loving oven. I use mine nearly every day.
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Jan 18, 2011 05:04
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Ikea sells a decent ceramic honing rod for only $9 (in Canada). http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/30167003 
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Jan 18, 2011 05:10
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mindphlux posted:that's interesting - I have a mini-prep food processor thing (holds like 2 cups) that I picked up at an asian market for like 12 bucks, and it's a Narita brand product too. I can't live without my narita mini prep, I'll definitely give this hot water thing a go. If you like that you may be interested in the Narita Brand glass cutting board also, which is known for it's longevity.
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Jan 18, 2011 05:16
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Wroughtirony posted:*itty bitty spatula. Ostensibly for cookies, but I use it for all kinds of stuff. Aside from my pans and knives, the thing I use the most in the kitchen is the drat spatula. A good spatula makes handling food a breeze, instead of loving about with a fork and ruining that perfectly cooked bit of fish or whatever. For those of you with weak, feeble, limpdick wooden or plastic spatulas, BOW DOWN AND PAY OBEISANCE TO THE MIGHT AND GLORY OF METAL SPATULA:  Click here to view the full image Burnt stuff stuck to the edge of this baby? No loving problem, metal scrubber and it's as good as new. Does it discolour or warp with frequent use? Like gently caress it does. Do you have to find a special place/plate/bowl/counterspace to rest this motherfucer on while cooking? gently caress no. Lean it against the pan or pot, go on, it can take it. Does it give a gently caress if you reach into your hot-as-a-furnace oven with it to gently caress about with stuff on your thermonuclear cast iron pan? Hell no, it LIVES for that poo poo. Metal spatulas rule. Go get one now.
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Jan 18, 2011 05:28
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LoungieMu posted:I picked up a $14 Chinese cleaver at the asian market two weeks ago. It had some hilarious brand name like Cleverest Son's Wife or such. It's loving sharp, loving heavy, full tang, and I loving love this thing! I saw this cleaver at the Asian market today. Very nearly bought it. I may return based on this recommendation.
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Jan 18, 2011 07:02
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Nione posted:There was a lot of talk in the KitchenAid thread about a flat beater that scraped the sides of the bowl as it mixes. I just got a Pro 600 and I really am not digging having to stop and scrape the sides. I know KitchenAid has a version with a spatula edge for $30. I remembered goon recommendations for two different brands that were cheaper and better, but I don't want to dig through the KitchenAid thread looking for it because I'm lazy. Anybody? There was a thread in deals about a cheap kitchenaid offer that had some accessories discussed. http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3378346
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Jan 18, 2011 10:00
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Steakandchips posted:Best nonstick pan: Thank you very much, but I am good for frying pans and griddle pans (Tefal frying pan has lasted me about 10 years). I am looking specifically for a saute pan: wide flat base, straight sides, close-fitting lid.
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Jan 18, 2011 11:48
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therattle posted:I am looking specifically for a saute pan: wide flat base, straight sides, close-fitting lid. Well, there are these: http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/20083457 http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/10101169 And this: http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/00131727 Which I've been using for a while with this lid: http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/80112522 KozmoNaut fucked around with this message at 12:52 on Jan 18, 2011 |
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Jan 18, 2011 12:49
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KozmoNaut posted:Well, there are these: Thanks. That's exactly what I'm looking for (although glass lid would be nice, he added demandingly). Any idea what they're like to cook with? Oo! Forgot one I LOVE: garlic peeler. A tube of rubber in which a clove of garlic is rolled with some pressure, which removes the peel super-easily. VVV Definitely messier, and probably slower. therattle fucked around with this message at 15:54 on Jan 18, 2011 |
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Jan 18, 2011 15:31
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therattle posted:Thanks. That's exactly what I'm looking for (although glass lid would be nice, he added demandingly). Any idea what they're like to cook with? Flat side of a knife?
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Jan 18, 2011 15:35
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therattle posted:Thanks. That's exactly what I'm looking for (although glass lid would be nice, he added demandingly). Any idea what they're like to cook with? You can just buy the correct glass lid separately, the "Stabil" lids should fit everything they've got. The 365+ pots recently won a shootout of reasonably-priced stainless steel cookware in a Danish newspaper and I see no reason why the Favorit one should fare any worse. Go have a look, as long as they're not suspiciously light, I'd bet they're quite good. As long as they have a sandwiched bottom, stainless steel cookware is pretty hard to screw up.
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Jan 18, 2011 16:49
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Happy Hat posted:Flat side of a knife? I just crack the skin off with my fingers and they peel really easily? The knife is for AFTER the garlic is peeled.
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Jan 18, 2011 17:08
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Starting to remember why the last time this thread was made it died...
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Jan 18, 2011 19:03
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Yeah but I'm actually serious about the water pot. Very concrete improvement to daily life.
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Jan 18, 2011 19:15
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therattle posted:Definitely messier, and probably slower. Messier how? I'm already using my knife which will need to be cleaned anyways. I don't want to wash a garlic peeler. Slower? Put the knife on the garlic and hit it. It takes one second.
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Jan 18, 2011 19:16
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I'm seeing a lot of bitching and very little product recommendation in this thread. Try to focus. As another contribution of a specific product that I find particularly useful: A rolled stainless steel bench scraper. Like this one:  Why is this better than your average bench scraper? Well, it does all the things you want a bench scraper to do, such as scraping your bench, cutting pastry dough and making a nice platform to transfer ingredients from your bench/board to your cooking vessel, but its design is clever for one other reason. With the handle being rolled out of the same piece of steel, you can easily position the scraper on edge at a solid 90 degree angle. This makes smoothing icing and making it straight a hell of a lot easier.
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Jan 18, 2011 19:27
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I did a double take when I saw that picture because drat, that looks like something you'd take with you to the bathroom of a Hollywood nightclub. Straight useful upon closer inspection, too.
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Jan 18, 2011 20:15
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Mr. Wiggles posted:Yeah but I'm actually serious about the water pot. Very concrete improvement to daily life. I don't know, after looking at it more, it looks like it just takes forever to heat water and then slowly keeps it at that temperature. That seems pretty inefficient, I only need hot water like 2-3 times a day, depending on what I'm cooking. I was hoping it was like one of those tankless water heaters that run water over some huge rear end electric coils, instantly boiling it.
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Jan 18, 2011 22:44
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It takes about 5 minutes to boil from filling, but then it stays at boiling temperature the rest of the time (it's a modest pressure vessel).
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Jan 18, 2011 22:55
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