The Something Offal kitchen equipment thread

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Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

A few pages late but I'm really surprised the stainless steel cookware discussion happened without the Tramontina tri-ply being mentioned.

They are a shameless knockoff All-Clad's D5 line. They are very well made and perform 95% as good as the D5 line at 1/4 the price. I've owned the 8 piece set for 7 years and I don't see myself replacing them, ever.

# ¿ Apr 27, 2020 03:23

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# ¿ Apr 23, 2024 21:53

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

I would argue that electric pressure cookers are the best way to make stock, period.

# ¿ Apr 28, 2020 14:24

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Hed posted:

This might be a good time to take advantage of local restaurant supply / food service dealers that have opened their doors to the public.

Yeah, Cambros average $2-12/unit at the local supply ranging from 1qt up to 22qt. Home use is mainly going to be 2 and 4qt units which were $3-4/each with lids $2-3/each and 2-4qt units have interchange lids.

# ¿ May 2, 2020 18:08

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Veni Vidi Ameche! posted:

I�m sold. I am going to verify that my local Restaurant Depot is open to the public, then go get me some containers.

I�m currently keeping my wheat flour in a large pickle jar. It�s actually pretty great until the flour level gets low.

Keep in mind the lids come in 2 styles:

https://www.cambro.com/Products/food-storage/square-food-storage-containers/camsquares---lids/

https://www.cambro.com/Products/food-storage/square-food-storage-containers/seal-covers-for-camwear-camsquares/

The classic lids are nice because they stack well and are easier to open, but the newer 'seal' lids seal much better and don't leak liquids nearly as much as the classic lids. They also make sliding a cambro out of a stack/tight space easier.

# ¿ May 3, 2020 14:27

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Hauki posted:

I have a bowl lift 600 and it feels more robust than most of their home styled mixers from what I�ve seen. I feel like bowl lift is almost as key as better gears though, the pin on the tilt-head always wobbled around a bunch on me mixing stiffer doughs or at higher speeds.

It's because they're fundamentally different in how they mix. For kneading the bowl-lift models can use a kneading screw that presses down into the base of the bowl, which re-creates the 'kneading by hand' motion more realistically. Their motors and attachments are designed to handle the greater pressure of this motion so yeah, as a whole they're more robust by necessity. The home models with tilt-heads use dough hooks that press against the side of the bowl, so they don't apply as much pressure as the bowl lift ones and their gears are organized in a way that will ruin them if you try to use a screw hook because it will apply pressure in a direction they aren't designed for.

# ¿ May 3, 2020 17:02

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Lawnie posted:

Don�t make poo poo up like this just to get me to go into the store. Those are practically free compared to the bulk storage options available through, say, BB&B or even Costco.

Webstaurantstore.com sells 2Qt cambros for $4 and their prices tend to be a touch inflated compared to retail/wholesalers.

We have a restaurant depot in DC that's open to the public (or rather, was open). Their business model is essentially "the entire Winco / Trimark-Adams Burch catalog jammed into a tiny lovely warehouse." My prices are based off that store. Yes it's ridiculous and if it doesn't survive COVID it will be a great loss.

# ¿ May 3, 2020 18:01

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Hed posted:

There are 3 RDs in the DC area, each of varying quality. I've only shopped at Eisenhower Ave and the MD one.

e: I hope this doesn't come off as a "let them eat cake" but if you have a legal entity for a corporation / LLC for really any purpose, you can get a card. When I did it it was submit paperwork online, take application and your articles of organization to the front desk on your first trip (go during a slow time to make this easy) and presto, they'll give you 2 cards no problem.

you ate my cat posted:

Hold up, where is/was this?

Best Kitchen Supply in the Union Market warehouses. It's on the southernmost strip left of the center entrance.

# ¿ May 3, 2020 20:38

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

barkbell posted:

got my factory 2nd 3-qt all clad saute pan. I literally cannot tell what is wrong with it. The lid has a couple tiny scratches on the top edge I guess? I would scratch it more the first time using it.

I got one of their immersion blenders from that sale & same. I cannot find anything wrong with it and it was new in box.

I assume it's a situation like a pallet of stuff fell over at a logistics center. Most large companies don't even bother to check the contents of the pallet to see if it's OK, they just immediately mark it as B stock/damaged and get on with it. Not worth the time to go through everything and sort it out.

# ¿ May 14, 2020 21:12

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Tricky Ed posted:

I have one very much like this: https://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-BCG111ER-Blade-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B081PBH4NX

It works well enough for spices. People who care about coffee recommend a burr grinder because they're more consistent. I don't have any experience with them.

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.

Fart Car '97 fucked around with this message at 13:26 on May 18, 2020

# ¿ May 18, 2020 13:21

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

I actually solved the mess issue today by sliding a rubber band into the gap in the lid to create a seal. Wrap the rubber band around the removable cup, place it upside-down into the lid, then use something flat & thin (I use a small knife) to slide the band off the cup and into the little gap to create a gasket. It's perfectly sealed now. FWIW I noticed it ground the test batch much better after sealing it than it had ground prior batches. It's still a POS and I wish I'd got something else but eh.

Fart Car '97 fucked around with this message at 14:44 on May 18, 2020

# ¿ May 18, 2020 14:42

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:

There should have been a o ring in that gap in the first place. Mine certainly came with one.

When did you but it and is it the same model? Because I can find no evidence of this model ever coming with an O-ring, but lots of evidence of people putting one in themselves.

# ¿ May 18, 2020 14:54

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

xtal posted:

I'm pretty sure an o ring is necessary for any manual grinder to operate.

OK but that doesn't change the fact that this model, which retails for $40-45, doesn't come with one? and doesn't even appear to have been designed with one in mind? In fact they'll sell you a separate spice grinding kit for a $20 premium that comes with lids that, according to most reviews, will not even stay on while grinding. Point is this grinder is bad and nobody should buy it.

# ¿ May 18, 2020 16:17

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

xtal posted:

If it's not too late, you may be able to look at the manual to see what parts were shipped, VS what you received. If there is no o ring, that's a good reason to refund. An o ring will come with any grinder as they are a requisite for a grinder to work. This is cannabis, not challenger.

If I'd paid full price I'd probably put the refund in but I got it half off and the rubber band has pretty much solved my issues with it.

DC based folks, I saw that Best Kitchen Supply at Union market was open today! They've been closed since covid but must have been granted a special license.

# ¿ May 19, 2020 05:01

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Putty posted:

- I like to make jerky and I was thinking maybe a meat grinder too to make my own ground beef to load into my jerky gun. Is this even worth it compared to buying ground in the store (which I've done previously)? Also maybe a slicer for cutting up eye round for traditional jerky.

I have the cheaper kitchen-aid grinder (the plastic one) that I got for $25 and being able to grind your own meat for burgers & ground sausage really is really awesome. I'll never buy store bought ground meat again.

# ¿ May 22, 2020 15:48

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

No Wave posted:

I'm really lazy so I couldn't imagine wanting to grind/clean every time - is it that much better when you grind it at home?

If you can afford a butcher who will grind the meat to your specifications and cost doesn't matter then no, but quality difference between grocery store ground meat and what you'll make yourself for the same price is huge.

# ¿ May 22, 2020 17:18

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

The meat you buy to grind is generally higher quality than what Safeway or Kroger or whoever is going to put in their cheap ground meat. Plus, grinding comes with an up-charge because it's time & labor.

Say you've got $20 to spend on meat

-You can buy $20 in low quality store ground meat
-You can spend $20 on higher quality meat of your choice and probably get a similar amount as the lower quality store ground meat
-You can spend $20 on the same lower quality cuts the grocer uses for their ground meat but get more because you aren't paying for grinding.

Fart Car '97 fucked around with this message at 18:07 on May 22, 2020

# ¿ May 22, 2020 17:47

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Kaiser Schnitzel posted:

Why is a steel better than stone for pizza? Better heat conductivity? If that's the case, would a pizza aluminum be even better, or would it not hold enough heat?

TLDR Thermal mass + Pizzas cook fast and steel dumps the heat into the pizza faster than a stone does.

# ¿ May 27, 2020 02:07

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Charcoal is worth the effort unless you're spending some solid money on a grill, basically any gas grille under $250 is going to be a piece of poo poo

# ¿ May 31, 2020 17:46

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Red Crown posted:

Yeah I hadn't really thought of this. When you put it that way it makes much more sense to get charcoal.

No, it really doesn't make sense, but it's a cute quip.

# ¿ Jun 5, 2020 03:57

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Pro tip if you can afford a gas grill worth buying you can also afford a cheap charcoal grill to go alongside it

# ¿ Jun 5, 2020 04:35

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Happiness Commando posted:

I only have a metal one and its fine for up to ~60% hydration, haven't gone higher. Plenty of flour and semolina are key.

I did a 2 65% hydration pies on my metal peel yesterday and they were fine

wormil posted:

I have an Ozeri zk14, $14 on Amazon, I tested and it's accurate. Had it for about 2 years now.

FWIW I killed the same scale in less than a year and i didn't exactly beat it up

Fart Car '97 fucked around with this message at 01:04 on Jun 6, 2020

# ¿ Jun 6, 2020 00:58

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

drainpipe posted:

I'm moving to an apartment with access to a backyard, so I'm looking to get my grill game going. What's a good basic charcoal grill? I'm not looking for anything too fancy as I haven't really done much grilling. I don't want to blow a wad of cash on some top of the line thing only to find I use it only once or twice a year.

The best charcoal grill you're gonna get is whatever one you can get off craigslist. Especially if you can get one dirt cheap and just buy a new grate for it.

# ¿ Jun 9, 2020 06:19

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

PolishPandaBear posted:

I want to get a tortilla press. I've read that cast iron is the way to go. The local Mexican markets only have aluminum ones, which I've read can bend and make uneven tortillas. Amazon doesn't have the cast iron Victoria available that everyone raves about, and everything else on Amazon looks lovely and overpriced for cast iron or is aluminum. Am I overthinking this?

Yes.

# ¿ Jun 11, 2020 03:15

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

teraflame posted:

I need a small set of pans and pot for a tiny apartment.

Are these any good? https://materialkitchen.com/products/29-your-way

If not, please recommend.

Looks like overpriced instagram SEO bullshit

# ¿ Jun 13, 2020 00:48

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Clark Nova posted:

Lodge does make a bigger wok. I was thinking of getting one so that I could do stir fry dishes on my induction range but I'm not convinced it'll work well enough to be worth spending $50-60 to try

It will not be worth it. Fundamentally what makes the wok special is the large, high powered burner that heats a huge surface area at once. If you don't have a high btu burner, there's no real point in the wok.

# ¿ Jun 16, 2020 18:38

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

SubG posted:

Not true at all. You can use woks for all kinds of cooking. For example we're talking about using a wok as a deep fryer. You do not need a high output burner for deep frying. I routinely use a wok for 干煸四季豆/gan bian si ji dou. Never get the wok over a medium heat. 鱼香茄子/fish fragrant eggplant? Get that wok too hot and you'll absolutely gently caress up your eggplant. And on and on.

And even if you are doing something where you need high heat--like if you just heard the term wok hei on the internet and have become convinced for some reason it's the one single thing that a wok is for--you can still manage it on even a fairly anemic American residential range. You just need to be more careful about getting the cooking surface hot before adding the food, work in small batches, and so on. You know, the same as you'd do for literally any cooking surface on the same range.

Seriously. Everybody stop spreading this nonsense about how woks only work if you've got a jet engine in your kitchen.

What is the wok doing that a large sautee pan can't on a normal home range?

Fart Car '97 fucked around with this message at 04:58 on Jun 17, 2020

# ¿ Jun 17, 2020 04:51

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

SubG posted:

I literally listed several things in the post you're responding to.

A wok is also nicer for deep frying than a straight-sided saut� pan or dutch oven because of the geometry--having a couple inches of wok between spattering oil and the rangetop (or whatever) makes it a lot less messy and less likely to start a fire. The extra surface area compared to volume is usually nice for a lot of frying tasks--like tempura or whatever--as well. And letting poo poo cool/drain in a wok rack is super convenient.

But I'm not sure how any of this is relevant. You said that a wok isn't worth it if you don't have a high output burner. That simply isn't true. A wok is a super flexible cooking vessel useful for many cooking methods, not just super-hot wok hei/bao cooking.

I don't believe the question was about deep frying. He specifically asked about stir fry. Everything you listed is doable with a large saute pan except deep frying. That aside, we're talking about the relative benefits of a wok over other more standard pieces of equipment you probably already own. Those benefits are slim if you don't have a burner that can take advantage of the Wok's design. Assuming Clark already has a 12"+ pan the answer to the question "will a wok improve my stir fry" the answer is "Not really". Is a wok a good piece of equipment if you don't own a big pan already? Sure, in the sense that it's a big pan and big pans have their uses. But I stand by the fact that I think a wok is a less versatile piece of equipment for a standard range than a large saute pan, and won't work fundamentally better than the same pan outside of a few niche scenarios.

When I had a large space and didn't care about stuff piling up I had a wok that I would use frequently, but mostly just because I had it and felt obliged to. At almost at no point did I feel like it was performing any unique role. It was just an oversized pan. It was one of the first pieces of equipment to be put on the chopping block when I moved to a smaller space and had to prioritize versatility in my equipment. Ironically due to much better access to Chinese markets near my apartment, I cook more Chinese food now than I did before, and I still don't really miss the wok.

Fart Car '97 fucked around with this message at 19:01 on Jun 17, 2020

# ¿ Jun 17, 2020 15:32

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

SubG posted:

You said `Fundamentally what makes the wok special is the large, high powered burner that heats a huge surface area at once. If you don't have a high btu burner, there's no real point in the wok.'

I stand by that statement. If you're just using it on a normal home range it's a fairly redundant piece of kitchen equipment that isn't going to do much you can't do with equipment you probably already own.

# ¿ Jun 18, 2020 04:08

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

SubG posted:

In the sense that owning a chef's knife (or, horrors, more than one), a paring knife, a filet knife, and a bread knife is redundant because, you know, they all cut things and so owning more than one is fairly redundant. Or owning a tumbler, a coffee mug, an old fashioned glass, and a cocktail coupe is a bunch of fairly redundant glassware because they all serve the basic function of keeping your drink from spilling all over the table before you can drink it. But if we're not subscribing to that particular form of insanity then we probably own a lot of kitchen implements because they're well-suited to specific tasks. Even if we have other things which could theoretically serve the same function.

And if you're doing stir fry in a fuckin' saut� pan of all things then, no, really, using a pan with sloping sides like a wok actually has advantages. Like if you want to toss the food. You could theoretically use a fry pan/French skillet because they also have sloped sides, but for most stir fry dishes you're looking at a bunch of sauce in addition to the protein/veg, and having a pan that's one big valley with no flat surface helps with managing a bunch of liquid mixed in with your protein/veg. And, like with deep frying, having all that extra edge helps keep poo poo in the pan and not spattering on your cooking surface or whatever. It's also useful for heat management--having a hot center and cooler edges lets you move poo poo around in a way that's fundamental to a lot of cooking techniques. It's also makes a wok really good for pan roasting poo poo--peppers, pine nuts, peppercorns, whatever--without overcooking.

It also, as previously discussed, works as a deep fryer and has several advantages over e.g. using a dutch oven. And it's a steamer. And works well with a lid, and so for the various cooking techniques that involve using a covered cooking vessel.

If you were really worried about wasting your kitchen space on redundant cookware, you'd be tossing out your other poo poo and getting a wok, not the other way around. But, you know, that would be silly. Because even if you could theoretically grill a burger in a wok you wouldn't fuckin' do it because you have something else that's better suited to the task. And while I'm sure it is theoretically possible to make, I dunno, pan fried noodles in a fuckin' saut�, unless you were trying to prove something I don't know why you'd put yourself through it because using a wok to do it would make your life a whole lot easier.

I think you're wrong, you can rail on it and make up bad comparisons and poor examples all you want. Owned & used a wok regularly for 5 years. I don't miss it, and there are a very select few foods that I am unable to make as well without it. You can keep posting about it, I don't need to.

Fart Car '97 fucked around with this message at 22:34 on Jun 18, 2020

# ¿ Jun 18, 2020 22:27

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Hauki posted:

those awful-rear end top-view measuring cups that have like a 40% margin of error

I worked in a kitchen that insisted on purchasing those things in bulk and I can confirm they're inaccurate pieces of poo poo that don't even pour well

# ¿ Jun 22, 2020 14:24

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Subjunctive posted:

Huh. I guess you just test them will masses of water on a scale? I�m curious now about how accurate mine are.

We used them in large scale batching of cocktails a lot l and the biggest issue is the "top-down" readings are just really awkward to judge where the meniscus is, so I would use the side-read measurements since they were more accurate, which at that point is defeating the point

# ¿ Jun 22, 2020 16:45

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

horchata posted:

Is there a different lid for cambros that seal better? I bought a 4qt 3 pack from a restaurant supply place by my work and the kids are kinda... meh

There are two types of Cambro lids:

"Camsquare Covers", which are color coded per size and inset a little bit to help stacking:

And "Seal Covers"

Seal covers are a buck or two more each and seal significantly better, but they're harder to open and aren't inset so they aren't quite as stable in tall stacks.

The seal covers are generally a lot better imo. The classic covers are always going to make an absolute mess if you're storing liquids in them, but they're also easier if you're using the Cambro in a way that you're going to be opening and closing it lot, which you probably won't be for home use.

Fart Car '97 fucked around with this message at 16:18 on Jul 10, 2020

# ¿ Jul 10, 2020 16:16

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

I wouldn't normally say the Camseals are really worth it for dry goods, but they probably are worth it if you're storing flour in a 4Q, because a 5lb bag of flour fits perfectly into a 4Q cambro w/ a camseal lid. Might be a bit dicier if you're using the classic lid.

# ¿ Jul 10, 2020 17:15

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

DNK posted:

Any opinions on https://hexclad.com My wife got some ads and the reviews seem real. We have an aging calphalon set with some (minor) gouging due to overzealous washing/scrubbing (by me � with a plastic scrub brush only).

Do they actually last? Their durability is basically the major selling point.

I looked into them a while ago and almost all the actual reviews ranged from "Worthless" to "They aren't actually non-stick so what's the point?"

# ¿ Jul 14, 2020 02:13

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Auction Liquidators like https://www.rasmus.com are a better bet for deli slicers than craigslist.

# ¿ Jul 22, 2020 19:58

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

The moment you smell a fresh ground spice like cumin, compared to what youd buy pre-ground, you'll be glad you got a spice grinder.

# ¿ Jul 31, 2020 02:05

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...6K4UIOHIRSO3RU4

# ¿ Aug 17, 2020 03:27

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Re: Tofu Press Chat:

https://www.amazon.com/EZ-Tofu-Press-Removes-Texture/dp/B007LLGMG2

It's probably the only single purpose kitchen gadget I own and you can pry it from my cold dead hands. "You really don't need a special tool to press tofu" is only said by people who have never owned this thing. Do you NEED this tool to press tofu? No. Will you be glad you have it every time you use it? Yes.

Fart Car '97 fucked around with this message at 14:53 on Aug 31, 2020

# ¿ Aug 31, 2020 14:51

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

Regardless of the cooking method, your tofu will marinate better the more liquid you've pressed out of it. Especially if your marinade is oil based.

# ¿ Aug 31, 2020 16:10

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# ¿ Apr 23, 2024 21:53

Fart Car '97: Jul 23, 2003

I don't think there's anything obscure about it

# ¿ Sep 2, 2020 01:08

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

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