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Mr. Wiggles posted:Maybe it seems like cheating but a tortilla press is a pretty great little invention if you're interested in making thin circles of dough. I've only ever used mine for corn tortillas, flour I much prefer to roll out so I can get a larger, more oddly-shaped tortilla. As for the splinters I have yet to experience any, possibly due to the 6061 metal. Mine is the newest at ~2 years old but in comparison to my mother's (~35) and grandmother's (~50) they're all equally smooth. Although if you do cut one without a pipe cutter, do take care to round over and sand the ends a bit.
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Feb 16, 2011 22:27
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Im shopping for a dutch oven. Anyone wanna recommend enameled vs bare cast iron?
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Feb 17, 2011 05:58
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Enameled is awesome if you can afford it, afaik that's the only reason to go bare. Bare will be fine on meaty/oily stuff, but anything acidic will risk loving up the seasoning.
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Feb 17, 2011 08:45
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Ikea sells an enameled dutch oven that is quite affordable: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40131725 Just remember to check it for chips in the enamel. I've been extremely happy with mine.
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Feb 17, 2011 10:52
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Steve Yun posted:Im shopping for a dutch oven. Anyone wanna recommend enameled vs bare cast iron? HOWEVER, you get cookware you can safely use for hammering nails and beating up house intruders. Seriously, it's a hunk of solid iron -- it laughs at metal utensils and cooking in open fires. Enameled is expensive and can develop cracks that harbor pathogens (which is part of why restaurants tend to avoid enameled cookware). The enamel can chip if you use metal utensils. Cheap enameled cookware made in China can contain toxic lead and cadmium which leach out into your food. THAT SAID, my dad has a Le Creuset dutch oven that was his mother's wedding present. Yes, that's right, it has lasted for two generations, something like 50 years. The enamel is worn through in a few spots from frequent use, but it's still quite usable. Personally, I've got both kinds of dutch ovens and have only needed them a half dozen times. I prefer to use a larger, thick, multi-ply pan that is fully oven safe. Easier to clean, conducts heat more evenly, but still has respectable heat capacity. Acetone fucked around with this message at 16:57 on Feb 17, 2011 |
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Feb 17, 2011 16:53
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nevermind
Steve Yun fucked around with this message at 21:23 on Feb 17, 2011 |
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Feb 17, 2011 17:56
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Steve Yun posted:Im shopping for a dutch oven. Anyone wanna recommend enameled vs bare cast iron? I have this Tramontina 6.5 Qt., though I somehow paid only $39 for it, and it's been fantastic. I had a bare Lodge one that I never liked as much because I always had to worry about what I was putting in it. I had originally purchased the Lodge enameled one, and didn't like the lid setup at all. There were little feet around the edge that made it not sit completely on the edge of the pot, letting the contents dry out. The internet seems to think that it used to rattle due to it not being completely flat, so they put the feet on instead of fixing whatever manufacturing issue may have caused that.
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Feb 18, 2011 01:43
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dino. posted:At the restaurant, when we steam vegetables, we put said vegetable into a mixing bowl, pour boiling water over it, and let it sit for about 3-5 minutes. You end up with perfectly steamed vegetables every time.  I can't wait to try this out!I made parsnip soup the other night and was unimpressed with how my food processor did at making a puree out of the cooked parsnips. I'll be damned if I dick around with my blender when I can reach for this wonderful tool: Cuisinart Immersion Blender  It turned that pot of veggies into a beautiful pureed soup in seconds. Holy poo poo! I'm making more soup just so I have an excuse to use it again. The price was cheap and so far it's performed well above my expectations. Also, the base disconnects for easy cleanup of the stick/blender portion.
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Feb 18, 2011 03:49
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CuddleChunks posted:
Haven't had the chance to use it yet though.
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Feb 18, 2011 04:56
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I literally just ordered that immersion blender off amazon 30 minutes ago. Good to know I made a good choice.
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Feb 18, 2011 04:56
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overdesigned posted:I literally just ordered that immersion blender off amazon 30 minutes ago. Good to know I made a good choice. I got an immersion blender for my birthday about a year ago and it was great. I use it to make soups and smoothies all the time. I even made hummus with it a couple times.
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Feb 18, 2011 05:03
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overdesigned posted:I literally just ordered that immersion blender off amazon 30 minutes ago. Good to know I made a good choice. You can make aioli in about a minute with the immersion blender -- just toss in 2 or 3 small cloves garlic, something like a cup of veg oil with a dash of olive, a couple egg yolks, and a squirt of Dijon. Oh, and S+P. Fifteen or twenty seconds with the blender, and that was aioli for as long as it seemed safe to eat. If you're good about prompt refrigeration and can source pasteurized or irradiated eggs, an immersion blender means you never buy mayo or salad dressing again. Also, cleanup consists of: rinse, fill cup with soapy water, blend, swap for fresh water, and blend again to rinse. Takes like 15 seconds versus all the scrubbing and rinsing for a normal blender. There's only one catch about the immersion blender: it can't whip cream worth a drat. It turns into butter in less than a minute.
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Feb 18, 2011 16:53
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 Woooo, shouts out to the Cuisinart immersion blender crew. I made another pot of parsnip soup last night and did my puree right in the soup pot. VROOOM! It's like a little race car, it feels so drat powerful I start looking for other things to blend. Acetone - thank you for the aioli recipe, I am going to finally try my hand at mayonnaise and maybe some aioli with this thing. CuddleChunks fucked around with this message at 18:44 on Feb 18, 2011 |
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Feb 18, 2011 17:48
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I have a Dualit immersion blender with which I am also very happy.
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Feb 18, 2011 17:57
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I have that same immersion blender and it is amazing. It even came with a decent measuring cup. One time i used it on some potatoes and it turned them into glue so it's a great tool if you ever need to make edible glue or inedible mashed potatoes.
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Feb 18, 2011 18:10
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Acetone posted:There's only one catch about the immersion blender: it can't whip cream worth a drat. It turns into butter in less than a minute. It whips cream fine if you have/use the balloon whisk attachment.
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Feb 18, 2011 23:46
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Also, fresh butter is the loving best. I'd love to make that in a minute (but already have too many gadgets and a functional old immersion blender).
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Feb 19, 2011 03:59
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Yo. I would like to purchase a frying pan for tossing pasta with sauce over heat, restaurant-style. (Since my last non-stick pan went out I've been too lazy to replace it and have been doing all of my frying in a wok.) What exactly am I looking for? A sautee pan? A nonstick? A cast-iron skillet (I don't think so?)? I'm pretty sure I need something with rounded sides, but a lot of the stuff I see in Amazon have straight sides (and look deeper than what I need and also I don't think I need a lid?). Also, is it okay to get a piece of poo poo or do I need to invest in quality? My gut says piece of poo poo would be best but I don't really know. What do you guys use personally?
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Feb 20, 2011 06:46
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chiyosdad posted:Yo. I would like to purchase a frying pan for tossing pasta with sauce over heat, restaurant-style. (Since my last non-stick pan went out I've been too lazy to replace it and have been doing all of my frying in a wok.) What exactly am I looking for? A sautee pan? A nonstick? A cast-iron skillet (I don't think so?)? I'm pretty sure I need something with rounded sides, but a lot of the stuff I see in Amazon have straight sides (and look deeper than what I need and also I don't think I need a lid?). Also, is it okay to get a piece of poo poo or do I need to invest in quality? My gut says piece of poo poo would be best but I don't really know. What do you guys use personally? A lot of restaurants use aluminum pans, although there's some  talk about how it reacts with acidity, such as tomatoes or lemon juice, and how small amounts of aluminum can get into your food. I'm not sure if that topic is similar to the Teflon debate and how harmful it may be when scratched... Stainless is another option, but more expensive. I've used these french style carbon steel fry pans and love them. I think you treat them similarly to cast iron in that you don't wash with soap, and you can also scrub it out by heating kosher salt and giving it a nice...exfoliation? Also great for searing meats because you can toss it in the oven.
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Feb 20, 2011 17:13
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Can someone recommend a decent pressure cooker? I read this article on pressure-cooked stocks and looked up the Kuhn Rikon pressure cookers that supposedly produced the best results, but they're around $200 a pop. If that's the going rate for "good" pressure cookers, then that's fine and I'll save up. But if there's another manufacturer that makes a similar-quality pressure cooker for less money that would be super. The article said that the method of temperature regulation is important, and that the two more common types of pressure regulation are inferior to the method the Kuhn Rikon uses, which is a spring valve that regulates pressure without releasing steam. I don't have the foggiest idea where to start searching for similar pressure cookers because I don't know what the pressure regulating method is called.
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Feb 21, 2011 03:31
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bombhand posted:Can someone recommend a decent pressure cooker? I read this article on pressure-cooked stocks and looked up the Kuhn Rikon pressure cookers that supposedly produced the best results, but they're around $200 a pop. If that's the going rate for "good" pressure cookers, then that's fine and I'll save up. But if there's another manufacturer that makes a similar-quality pressure cooker for less money that would be super. Email the cookingissues folks and ask them, they're super chatty about food.
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Feb 21, 2011 03:37
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bombhand posted:Can someone recommend a decent pressure cooker? I have a Fagor 6-qt that is reviewed well and cost half as much. I've made stock, beans, stews, soups, etc. in it and everything has come out fantastic. No complaints.
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Feb 21, 2011 07:58
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CuddleChunks posted:Cuisinart Immersion Blender
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Feb 28, 2011 23:59
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Any recommendations for a dehydrator? Everyone in my family (except me  ) will have a garden this year including various berries, as well as an apple orchard. I want to be able to snack on fruit during the day at work but would prefer dry stuff over fresh due to liquids being a bad thing where I work.Also being able to make my own jerky would be amazing.
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Mar 1, 2011 04:32
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Steve Yun posted:Bought this immediately when you recommended it, didn't use it until last night. Creamiest mashed potatoes I've ever had in my life. It was like pudding. Get caressed. You seriously made mashed potatoes with an immersion blender? That's so wrong, I don't even..... In what universe are quality mashed potatoes compared to frigging pudding? The whole point of the exercise is to leave starch cells intact, not to beat them into a thin caloric slurry. Please refrain from further food abuse.
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Mar 1, 2011 05:57
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Mr. Wiggles posted:I have this, and it is amazing.
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Mar 1, 2011 09:27
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Bleston Humenthal posted:Get caressed. You seriously made mashed potatoes with an immersion blender? That's so wrong, I don't even..... In what universe are quality mashed potatoes compared to frigging pudding? The whole point of the exercise is to leave starch cells intact, not to beat them into a thin caloric slurry. Please refrain from further food abuse. Don't be retarded, there's nothing saying you have to blitz it into goo, though immersion blenders are wonderful for making aligot. Also, caressed? Seriously? Kenning fucked around with this message at 10:11 on Mar 1, 2011 |
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Mar 1, 2011 10:08
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I am admittedly new to cooking. A friend told me to try it out and I thought it was an interesting texture, but if that's a no-no then I guess I won't do it again...
Steve Yun fucked around with this message at 12:37 on Mar 1, 2011 |
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Mar 1, 2011 12:35
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Steve Yun posted:I am admittedly new to cooking. A friend told me to try it out and I thought it was an interesting texture, but if that's a no-no then I guess I won't do it again... I've found it made it like wall-paper paste - thick, gloopy, and sticky - not very pleasant. I was told off for using the beater attachment on my immersion blender to make mashed potato, although that, to me, didn't have the same effect at all as the blender attachment.
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Mar 1, 2011 13:09
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Steve Yun posted:I am admittedly new to cooking. A friend told me to try it out and I thought it was an interesting texture, but if that's a no-no then I guess I won't do it again... Next time try doing this.
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Mar 1, 2011 14:27
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Hmm. So it seems the blended potatoes were smooth and creamy when I ate them, but after checking the leftovers this morning they've turned into playdoh. I read up on it and see why blending is a bad idea now, but it seems you still have a window of time before it turns into glue. At any rate, umm, the immersion blender blends the hell out of things.
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Mar 1, 2011 21:05
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Revdomezehis posted:Any recommendations for a dehydrator? Everyone in my family (except me What's your budget? I'm cheap and bought a Nesco American Harvest like 4 years ago and it's still working fine. If I was richer I'd get an Excalibur 9-tray. Also thanks to whoever recommended the Victorinox chef's knife with the fibrox handle, been using one for about a month and like it a lot.
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Mar 2, 2011 01:54
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My budget for it is basically "within reason" meaning I'll pay more than $200 if I have to, as long it ends up actually being worth it. I mean a zojirushi rice cooker can be super expensive especially compared to the $20 walmart one which would work well, but the zojirushi is the one I'd rather own.
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Mar 2, 2011 01:58
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Revdomezehis posted:Any recommendations for a dehydrator? Everyone in my family (except me The best dehydrator I've ever used wasn't a proper dehydrator it was Alton Brown's MacGuyver'd together one from his show Good Eats. You can find instructions via Google but it's really simple to put together (and cheap, gotta love cheap). Basically you get a box fan and use bungie cords to strap four cellulose furnace or heater filters to it. You put the food you're dehydrating on right on the filters (which is why you use cellulose ones and not fiberglass) and run the fan until the food's all dried out and tasty.
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Mar 2, 2011 02:09
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CuddleChunks posted:
Jumping on this fan wagon. I've gone too long without one. Soups, mayo, salsa, guac, frothy milk for coffee, here I come. icehewk fucked around with this message at 07:23 on Mar 2, 2011 |
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Mar 2, 2011 07:16
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Revdomezehis posted:My budget for it is basically "within reason" meaning I'll pay more than $200 if I have to, as long it ends up actually being worth it. I mean a zojirushi rice cooker can be super expensive especially compared to the $20 walmart one which would work well, but the zojirushi is the one I'd rather own. This is a general product recommendation point, rather than a specific product: I have never regretted paying for quality, and have mostly, and frequently, been glad of it. I have, however, often regretted buying cheap crap. I know that money is a limited resource, but my general recommendation is pay for quality if you can. There is no substitute for it.
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Mar 2, 2011 13:55
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This sort of advice is especially relevant for kitchen product advice. Really, when you look at kitchen products, more often than not you look for permanency. Pots and pans especially (except non-stick) are things you should have most of, if not your entire, life. An item you buy that warps or goes kablooey in a few short years is essentially wasted money since you'll eventually be buying quality if you care at all about cooking and you'll have wasted some years using crap. I love building my kitchen tool collection. In my mind I check off boxes from my list one by one, hoping I never have to erase the checkmarks.
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Mar 2, 2011 19:04
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Bo-Pepper posted:I love building my kitchen tool collection. In my mind I check off boxes from my list one by one, hoping I never have to erase the checkmarks. I do this too. I made a checklist titled, "Someday We Will Have Nice Things" that consists entirely of nice kitchen tools I want. I learned my lesson when the cheapass pan I got from a dollar store warped and died. Boo to replacing poo poo.
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Mar 2, 2011 19:14
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Yes, there's an Afrikaans expression: goedkoop is duurkoop, which means cheap purchases are expensive purchases - because the cheap crap gets thrown out and you either have to repeatedly replace it, or spring for the decent stuff you should have bought in the first place. (Of course, this is all predicated on people being able to afford decent stuff). I do think, though, that when it comes to kitchen equipment a lot of people buy a lot of stuff, without realising that you actually can make do very well (probably better) with fewer, better items. Knives, for instance. One does not need a 12-piece knife set. I basically only use a chef's knife, parer, and bread knife. If I cooked meat I'd use a carving knife. That's pretty much all one needs. I got a le Creuset casserole dish as a wedding present that I expect to use until I die or stop cooking: and every time I use it I'll get a feeling of satisfaction from it
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Mar 2, 2011 19:34
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icehewk posted:guac
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Mar 2, 2011 20:05
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