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Hey Steve as an update: I suggest using granite mortar and pestle. The ceramic ones have been making a teeth hurting noise and I switched a few years back. I got the 3 cup one from Amazon that ships from Thailand.
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Dec 31, 2015 13:55
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TheQuietWilds posted:What's the current goon consensus on stand mixers? The only one that gets advertised to me are kitchenaid, but popularity isn't always a sign of value or quality. Bosch Universal Plus Kitchen Machine https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0016KU16G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_DgFKwbGBG78RZ
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Jan 10, 2016 06:53
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obi_ant posted:Please pardon my ignorance, I recently moved so I'm doing a bit of research to see what type of kitchen equipment I need. I'm looking at frying pans / skillets at the moment and I can't really tell if a cast iron skillet can be used to "replace" a regular stainless steel one. From that the research I've been doing, it would be advantageous for me to get a frying pan that can go from the stove top to the oven if needed. Which led me to look at cast iron. I know that cast iron requires more maintenance when compared to their stainless counterparts. So, for the frying pan and deeper skillet, would it make sense for me to go strictly cast iron? When I had cast iron I'd reach for the stainless every time because I can use acids liberally, the pan was much lighter, and the handles way more comfortable to hold. I'd not be quick to write off a regular pan.
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Jul 11, 2017 08:34
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Re: using crap I have a vitamix, a cuisinart, and an electric kettle. All three live on my counter, and get regular use. It wasn't until I moved them to my counter that I started using them more. My rice cooker is getting used daily, no matter where it is. I eat rice every day. But the other appliances I'd ignore. Once they came into the light I started using them far more.
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Aug 13, 2017 06:52
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Croatoan posted:It's silly to not get this in addition to whatever you get. http://a.co/1pYrLgQ From the reviews. You will likely roll your eyes. “r: Black|Verified Purchase I ordered a set of these pans because they came highly rated on a cooking show I watch that tests cooking implements. I did not use them for a year after I purchased them because my other non-stick pans were still working well. When I finally used them I noticed that the bottom was not flat. This makes cooking difficult because all the juice and fat will run to the outside edges. I don't like to use a lot of oil so it made frying egg rolls and bacon impossible unless I wanted to fill the pan up with oil. Their customer service said "Please note that cookware is generally designed with a slightly raised center to allow for the expansion of the metals during the heating or cooking process." This is simply not true and to prove it I set out some of my pans and added a bit of water. From the picture you can see the T-fal pans are the only ones that have a raised middle and the water pools to the edge. All the other pans the water was evenly distributed and not pooling to the outside edge. I cook all the time and anyone that knows me calls me a hard core foodie. I take my cooking seriously and I cannot recommend T-fal non-stick pans. If you want a good quality non-stick pan spend $10 more and get the one in the right side of the pan. Search for "stone earth pan" and get the value for you money.” First of all, I’ve not heard of people using oil for bacon. I thought it has fat in it already that renders out. Second of all who is pan frying egg rolls. I am so confuse. What even.
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May 12, 2018 13:56
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SymmetryrtemmyS posted:Does anyone have any experience with Indian mixies, or mixer/grinders? I cook a lot of Indian food and it's kind of a pain to break out the mortar and pestle every time I want to make a little paste. There are a few competing brands, even of the much smaller 110V selection, and I don't want to waste money on a subpar product. Most of the reviews I can find aren't in English, so I guess what I'm asking is, what brand should I go for? Check for the Preethi on Amazon. Go for the Eco one. Also, when you get it, use it frequently, like every day, for at least a week. With Indian manufactured poo poo, their expectation is that you’ll bring it back to the store you bought it at, where they have repair guys who can fix all the poo poo in that store. So manufacturers don’t have the best quality control. Essentially you’ll find out if you got a dud after about 15 uses. So use it once in the AM and once in the PM. That’s the frequency that an Indian would be using this guy, as people cook breakfast and lunch in the morning, and then dinner when they get back from work. If you have a dud, you’ll know very quickly if you treat it like an Indian in India. The poor reviews are from people who don’t cook, and have sat on the machine for too long.
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Feb 7, 2019 19:49
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Lawnie posted:I’m sorry you felt discouraged from asking a question because I made an extremely obtuse reference to an, admittedly hilarious, series of posts in the smoking meat thread when you first got started. Unlike some goons you have actually learned things since then and I don’t find your posts anywhere near as weird anymore. That avatar on the other hand.  Honestly, the towel thing wasn't a dumb question. Once you said why you were asking for specific suggestions, it all made sense. You want the drat things to be proper absorbent. Fair game.
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Mar 6, 2019 23:21
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I. M. Gei posted:Why do people hate this av so much? Everyone seemed to love it when I first bought it. It came from a BYOB thread originally. It looks goddamned creepy. Moving avatars are the worst. I AM LOOKING AT YOU, CASU. YOU AND THOSE WORMS. Srsly though, it wasn't a dumb question (RE: towels), but it came off that way, because it's an equipment thread, and you were asking about something as basic as towels. Of all the things to get specific about, towels aren't really high on that list. BUT, it made hella more sense when you were like, "I've been burned on this before guys. Just humour me and tell me what towels to buy." dino. fucked around with this message at 01:28 on Mar 7, 2019 |
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Mar 7, 2019 00:33
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I. M. Gei posted:I used to say it too, but now that words like “retarded” are falling out of favor, using autism as a pejorative reads a little worse than it used to. My bad. I've edited to a less lovely word. Hope this is better?
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Mar 7, 2019 01:28
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$250 for a pasta maker seems excessive. There’s zero chance that it’ll extrude 100% of the dough. I’m aware that 00 flour isn’t like gold, but the waste would be enough to annoy me about spending $259, and having waste.
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Mar 7, 2019 07:45
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I. M. Gei posted:I’m still on the fence about Unicorns because I hear they don’t grind very fine. I like my pepper ground SUPER fine, which is part of the reason I love my Peugeot Paris. I own both a Peugeot and a Unicorn, and I have to say I reach for the Peugeot more often, because I also really like very very finely ground. The unicorn is fine for cooking, but it really does wind up with too many shards.
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May 15, 2019 00:02
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Wait. Y’all don’t send out your scissors for sharpening when you send your knives? My knife guy is more than happy to sharpen my scissors too.
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Jul 4, 2019 12:37
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Steve Yun posted:I sharpen everything myself Fancy!
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Jul 4, 2019 12:44
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Keret posted:While we're kind of on blenderchat, I'm hemming and hawing about getting a refurb Vitamix. I've gotten really into DIY stuff lately, and I want to make my own nondairy milks at home so I don't have to keep getting single use cartons and bottles at the supermarket. If I'm regularly making nut/oat/soy milks, is it worth the investment to grab a Vitamix over, say, a cheaper Breville? I don't know what type of Vitamix to look at, either. This refurb one on their site isn't a bad price, maybe it's a good option? Yes. Pull the trigger and get it. The vitamix people let you pay it off in instalments without charging interest. Just get it.
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Jul 27, 2019 15:38
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I cannot be arsed to spend silpat money. Fox run makes silicon baking mats for cheap, and they ship from the amazon.
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Aug 3, 2019 08:47
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ulmont posted:Yes. For context, Dark Sky says it's currently 85% humidity at 11:19 at night. Translation: I am swamp thing. Even in south Florida it wasn’t that severe inside the a/c house.
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Aug 22, 2019 00:07
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VelociBacon posted:Hopefully you don't put them in the washer? They're both broke!
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Nov 2, 2019 10:31
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sterster posted:What's a unique kitchen tool for about 25$ that I could get for my secret Santa. She didn't specify what she wanted so just looking for some kitchen ideas. Silicon baking mat. I can always use those fucks, because they're so handy to have around.
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Nov 12, 2019 07:57
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Dear gods how many people are y'all cooking for that a gallon sized pot is /small/.
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Nov 21, 2019 10:33
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Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:This is the new hotness of what I used for years. Worked great. Alternatively, spend the extra dough and get an instant pot, which will give you more options than just rice. Yup. This is the one I've been suggesting to people since 2013. Get one. They will last forever. Ex husband got ours in the divorce. I bought a new one. Used that for years. Current rice cooker is a fancy one with bells, and/or whistles. Boyfriend has the Aroma now. He loves it, as the rice cooker makes consistently good rice every time. Don't get one of those lovely models where the top is a glass piece of crap. PS The Aroma /does/ have a timer.
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Nov 26, 2019 06:21
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If you're making one kind of rice, all the time, and that's your go-to rice, get the Aroma. It's a solid machine, it's $30, and it will sort you out right. For about 95% of situations, the Aroma will do the job, and do it well. It has brown rice and white rice settings. With the white rice setting, you're talking 25 minutes, give or take, to completion. It has a timer that you can program so that it'll be done when you're home. It's pretty straightforward to clean. There's not a lot of faff. If you're genuinely using various different types of rice, and need each type to be consistently good, spring for the Zojirushi or Cuckoo, or whatever brand you fancy. This goes double for if you're aiming for that GABA rice stuff. The setting for GABA rice couldn't be easier to use, and though it takes a loooooong time, it's a lot less fuss than soaking and then loading the rice cooker. Some of the fancier models have a multicook option, which is really handy. And some of the induction fuckers can knock up white rice in 16 minutes from cold water to finish. Not 16 minutes after it hits full pressure. Not 16 minutes on the counter once the water boils. 16 minutes from the time you hit start to the time you open the pot. However, the model is like $350+. That said, I literally work in rice imports, and keep on hand at least 6 different types of rice at all times (white hom mali jasmine, brown jasmine, white basmati, white calrose, black jasmine, multigrain, and whatever else catches my fancy at the market). I don't care for the taste of rice that's been set on the keep warm. For me, rice has to be fresh. If I have leftover rice, I'll mix it with spices (lemon rice, coconut rice, tomato rice, tamarind rice, whatever), and put that away. Otherwise, I'll mix it in with the daal, and put it in the fridge to take as lunch for work. My rice cooker is a 3 cup model, so I can make just enough for me while I'm cooking dinner. But before this one, I had the Aroma, and it served me well. Now it's serving the boyfriend well.
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Dec 14, 2019 15:12
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Re pressure cooker: get the 6 quart presto and never look back. Those things are work horses, don’t take up that much room, and are a good starter stove top pressure cooker. Re: GABA/the zoji That one is a good model and will produce consistently good rice. Throw regular brown in there, and hit the GABA button, and it’ll get it sorted. The good thing is that the texture is softer and less aggressively chewy than typical brown rice. I don’t buy into the hype about supposed magic benefits, but I do enjoy the really nice textured brown rice. Read the manual though. That sucker has many many features that will prove useful.
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Apr 6, 2020 16:14
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Vim Fuego posted:Thanks for the responses to braising chat, everyone. I'm probably gonna get a mormon family size crockpot for the long braises, I'll post if I find one with special temp settings. On a stove top model, the heat will get significantly higher than the electric model. So if you’re going to do a popping of spices, then add beans, and then pressure cook, it’ll be possible on the stove, whereas the electric will never get hot enough. Also, the stove top doesn’t scream that obnoxious “overheat” error like the instant pot does. My sister in law has one, and she ends up using it for potatoes. The rice cooker does the rice. The stove top pressure cookers of various sizes do everything else. The instant pot is relegated to potatoes, because it sucks at anything else Indian. Long story short, you have way less control with an electric. But if you have recipes that are already timed and give you exact guidance, and you tend to cook that way, live your best life I guess.
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Apr 28, 2020 15:49
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Lawnie posted:I do it all the time on my (weak) gas range. The pot bottom is slightly domed which is annoying, but my stove already isn’t level so I’m used to having all my oil pool in one side or the other of my pots. Where did you find that it’s not stovetop safe? It doesn’t say on the manual to not use it on the stove? If that inner thingy is stove top safe, I take back every bad thing I ever said. That sounds like hella a game changer. Up till now, If I’m at a friend’s house that doesn’t have a stove top pressure cooker, I’ll just do the spices and the onions and whatnot really quick on the stove (while doing the water in an electric kettle) and then rinse out that stove top pan with the water I would be using to cook the beans, and it’s worked just fine. The whole thing hits pressure really quickly, because it doesn’t have to work to get up to heat so much. If it’s possible to just throw the inner pot on the stove, that’s awesome. Also, to the person who thinks I’m being a condescending poo poo: I know what it means to pop spices. I’ve been cooking South Indian since I was 10. Your definition and mine might be two different things, but I’m not making stuff up to be a jerk. This was the experience that I’d had with the thing. It doesn’t get hot enough. Popping spices should take a few seconds once you throw them in. I can be a condescending poo poo for several reasons. This ain’t one of them. Next time, stretch before you reach that hard.
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Apr 28, 2020 19:38
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Nitrousoxide posted:How hot do you need to get spices? My instant pot goes to 345 f (about 175c) Ok, so buckle in, because this is basically what you want to do for any popping of spices. - you want to use a neutral oil, like peanut or canola. Coconut will work in a pinch, but make sure it’s the kind that can take a good bit of heat. - depending on what you’re making, you want your whole spices prepared. For mustard seed, cumin seed, and urad daal, you can use them as is. For personal preference, I prefer using whole hulled urad daal, but the split kind works too. For coriander or fennel, you want to crush it lightly to open it up. Cinnamon, clove, and cardamom, you’re not popping anyway, so just leave them as is, and you’re fine. - you want something that will pool the oil in one spot, so that the spices are fully submerged. If you’re using a pressure cooker, a very common technique is to tilt the pot so that the oil is all in one edge, and then you get more depth. - you want the oil hot enough that a bit of smoke escapes the surface once it has full heat. This means high heat. This isn’t meant to take a long time. You want the popping to start almost as soon as the spices hit the fat. - this is why you see so many Indian cooks using those little spice boxes with the tiny spoons. It’s meant to go so fast that you don’t have time to faff about with jars. - first goes mustard seed, cumin seed is last. The order does matter. After cumin goes curry leaf and asafoetida (if you are using it). The curry leaves need to hit the screaming hot oil, and instantly flash fry really crispy. There is a specific flavour that comes from that happening that you won’t get with a gently bubbling oil. - start with the oil. Get it hot over high heat. Add mustard seed, lift the pot off the stove, and swirl. If the seeds didn’t pop instantly, your oil wasn’t hot enough. This is fine. You need to get the oil hot enough by the time the asafoetida and curry leaves go in. Set the pan flat on the heat, and wait until the mustard seeds start popping like mad. - Once they begin flying all over the place, tilt the pan to get your pool of oil. This is a simple one, so your next ingredient is urad daal. Tilt, swirl around, and tilt again, so that the urad daal turns a golden reddish brown, but only just so. If your oil isn’t hot enough, your urad daal gets sulky and hard, Rather than crispy and shattery. - add the cumin seeds as soon as you get a good light brown on the urad daal. Tilt, swirl. Tilt again. - drop in your curry leaves and toss the pan (or stir it) so that the curry leaves explode with the sound of their frying. Add asafoetida ( a couple of shakes), and stir through. Again, this should instantly disperse in the oil, and smell super fragrant. This whole process should take about 15 - 30 seconds, maximum. If it’s taking longer, the oil isn’t hot, and it won’t get that proper taste. Some people use olive oil, but if they’re not using the light, super refined stuff, the extra virgin stuff burns. Some people use indian sesame oil, and the oil burns and smokes. Bengalis use mustard oil, but that’s supposed to smoke. They still get it hot enough that the spices pop instantly. I don’t know if I explained it clearly, so ask if there are any doubts. Also, if you do have an instant pot, and don’t mind using a separate pot for the popping of spices, you can do that procedure I just mentioned in what’s called a tarka pan. It’s a dedicated small little pan that has a narrow sided bowl so that you don’t have to tilt to get the depth of oil. You can throw the tarka on at the end if you want. That’s a perfectly valid way to do stuff.
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Apr 28, 2020 23:40
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Steve Yun posted:You should YouTube yourself doing this I’ve put up a few YouTube videos on my general cooking stuff. Cannot recall if it involved these exact spices, but there you go. But basically any South Indian channel will tell you to do the same. It’s such a basic, ubiquitous part of our food that we all take it for granted, because we’ve watched every person in our family do that thing when they make any food of any sort. And apparently that makes me a condescending rear end in a top hat. 😑
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Apr 29, 2020 10:25
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Whalley posted:where I'll just prepare a tarka in a small saucepan and stir that through at the end.
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Apr 29, 2020 16:50
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VelociBacon posted:I bought a significantly more expensive carbon steel wok and barely use it because I have only an electric range. Anyone know if you should even have a wok without a really powerful gas stovetop? You need a wok ring, and a bit of patience is all. My mom used hers on our electric stoves in Miami all the time, and it was fine. Good Indian cooking is possible without a kadai (same as a wok, usually thicker material, made of aluminium or cast iron), but it'll end up being hella greasy AF as gently caress. That deep bowl shape to the bottom (flat bottomed woks are indeed useless; you might as well use a large skillet) lets you add just enough oil to submerge the spices completely, but not use a ton of oil. Or the curry leaves. Or the dried chilies. Or if you're Bengali, the bay leaves. Either way, you want that depth of oil to cook your tarka, which is the base of pretty much all South Indian cooking, and frequently the base of most North Indian cooking as well. There are certainly dishes where you grind all the spices together into a paste, and fry that in oil, but even then, you need submersion without gallons of oil. It's fine on electric. Get you a wok ring. It basically focuses the heat and stabilises your wok atop your electric cooktop. Even when I had a gas range, it was still a home gas range, and not some kind of jet fuel shooting lava at the bottom of my pots. Not everything for wok cooking is stir fry.
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Jun 19, 2020 21:54
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