Kitchen Stuff! - Plate, Cookware, Gadgets

[TPR950H]

ps. aeropress coffee maker FTMFW

[mofonyx]

I dunno about the aeropress, I haven't tried it but the general opinion is that it gives a 'too clean' cup. I like my murky French Press the way it is.

related coffee video, unrelated to the press.

http://vimeo.com/17456700

[dismalfuture]

The SodaStream gave me intense lower intestinal pain and violent gas. Used it for one day and I couldn't handle the pain. lol

As far as knives go, most of those fancy ass $100 knives are instruments that aren't going to be of any worth if your skills aren't up to scratch. For one, I would say 99% of people in the West who go gaga for Shuns and Santokus don't even realize that the Japanese motion for cutting is the reverse to what Western chefs learn. Also, they'll fall out of repair quickly if you don't sharpen them the correct way.

I just use Henckels - a 9" chef, a few different paring knives and a tourne knife for fucking around with, and I'd like to get a slender eminceur knife as my all-around. I don't really care the brand as long as I get to sharpen them regularly. I would rather replace cheap knives (with a passable amount of hand weight) every year than try to maintain old knives.

I have just about everything I want in a kitchen. Would like a deep fryer but that's for later I guess. Kinda dangerous in such a small space. I will probably replace all my dishes and bowls sometime, they're in a state of mismatch and not very useful anymore.

[TPR950H]

^^ that company makes a metal filter for the aeropress:

http://coava.myshopify.com/collections/frontpage/products/disk-coffee-filter

so i guess somewhat related?

[mis]

I just bought one of these a few months back and totally reduced the # of seltzer bottles I had to recycle per week from 5-6 to 0.

Is this basically a CO2 Soda Siphon?

[jyoni]

I've deferred to spartan knives. My wife runs a rib joint that provides knives so no one has to wreck their own. Greban I think they are? Just basic industry grade stuff that works really well. I can't remember the last time I used one out of our set.

[tweeds]

Bought two Global knives when I was home over summer, a 21cm chef's knife, and an 8cm peeling knife. Just two knives to get started, maybe get a third for paring or mid-sized work in future, but the 21cm has treated me well over the last 4 months.

[choice]

crosspost from ancient recent purchases

Missing a bunch of throwaway rikon shit, a Global boning knife, some smaller wusthoff knives, and a razors edge dry block. Typical go to knives for work.

While I agree that Shun gets a lot of undeserved praise, they're incredibly durable compared to legit featherweight Japanese knives that in my own opinion are too fragile to be slung around a kitchen on the daily. I'm sure a lot of people would disagree with me, but I'd be more pissed if I knocked the tip off of a Hattori than I would if I busted up my Ken Onion.

I imagine they're kind of a go to knife for most western cooks because of their larger grips also. My hands are too big for a lot of those knives.

[choice]

Not that I'm knocking traditional japanese knives in any way; they're superior in pretty much every other avenue - especially when it comes to holding an edge.

[Aeroplane]

any cast iron honks in here? Its become an obsession for me. I treat my iron like children.

[DaBestSpoona]

Is this basically a CO2 Soda Siphon?

yeah but the CO2 is reuseable to make 60-110 liters of carbonated water depending on size and then you take it to your local store to recycle\exchange for a refilled one for 14 dollars.

[Pavlov's Bell]

any cast iron honks in here? Its become an obsession for me. I treat my iron like children.

I have a cast iron grill pan that I got from Crate and Barrel.... thing is garbage. Everything sticks to it and gets ripped. Maridanes and juices form nasty crust piles that smoke up and are near impossible to get off. I've had nothing but bad expreiences.

[jyoni]

If you're into cast iron I'd recommend hunting down some old Griswold. Shit's matchlessly awesome, stylishly stamped, and there's that thrill of accumulating.

[Solix]

I have a cast iron grill pan that I got from Crate and Barrel.... thing is garbage. Everything sticks to it and gets ripped. Maridanes and juices form nasty crust piles that smoke up and are near impossible to get off. I've had nothing but bad expreiences.

It takes time for cast iron to cook well. The more you cook with it, the better it gets. Yours is just new, thing needs to be seasoned.

[Brienneoftarth]

My Mom works at WIlliams and Sonoma so I have a ton of le creuset and all clad stuff she gets really cheap.

though my ultimate gadget now is a VITAMIX i just got. thing is insane. I am kind of in a detox/no drinking phase right now, so I use it to blend up raw kale and blueberries (which it does incredibly) but in the future I want to experiment with it. really cool appliance.

[choice]

My Mom works at WIlliams and Sonoma so I have a ton of le creuset and all clad stuff she gets really cheap.

though my ultimate gadget now is a VITAMIX i just got. thing is insane. I am kind of in a detox/no drinking phase right now, so I use it to blend up raw kale and blueberries (which it does incredibly) but in the future I want to experiment with it. really cool appliance.

tell her to lift one of those overly expensive gravity fed meth lab beaker coffee makers and I'll buy it offa' you.

[Brienneoftarth]

I will be sure to have her steal this item for you.

tell her to lift one of those overly expensive gravity fed meth lab beaker coffee makers and I'll buy it offa' you.

[blm14]

any cast iron honks in here? Its become an obsession for me. I treat my iron like children.

YES! I have a HUGE collection of cast iron, but I only buy vintage pieces because they are machine-pressed and the castings used much finer sand back in the day so they have glass-like surfaces.

I'll photograph some of my stuff when I get home. But I love kitchen gadgets, I have a mandoline, a kitchenaid 325 watt stand mixer, a slow-cooker, a pressure cooker, a rice cooker, two coffee grinders (one for coffee and one for spices), etc. Good shit.

[DaBestSpoona]

I bought an NXR range a few months back, this thing is a beast. Just bought a new fridge too.

How the hell do people keep their stainless steel stoves so shiny and clean? Do they not cook? Mine is all scratched up and my grates are covered with grease stains I couldnt get out with barkeepers friends.

[Aeroplane]

How the hell do people keep their stainless steel stoves so shiny and clean?

I hear that all the time from people with SS. I'm in the process of changing kitchen appliances. Black all the way.

[dismalfuture]

I have a cast iron grill pan that I got from Crate and Barrel.... thing is garbage. Everything sticks to it and gets ripped. Maridanes and juices form nasty crust piles that smoke up and are near impossible to get off. I've had nothing but bad expreiences.

Probably not seasoned enough man, I bought a cheap grill pan and had the same experience, and I just didn't really season it well enough before using.

[echoepidemic]

bake it > grapeseed oil > rub it > bake it > love it

???

[Solix]

bake it > lard > rub it > bake it > love it

???

Fixed 67890

[tweeds]

Is there a kitchen tool that cleans up after messy flatmates? Anti-slob technology & all that.

Where 2 cop

[dismalfuture]

ask sidney lo.

[ayo4yayo]

i bought these at Sur La Table .....

[Pavlov's Bell]

I have a cast iron grill pan that I got from Crate and Barrel.... thing is garbage. Everything sticks to it and gets ripped. Maridanes and juices form nasty crust piles that smoke up and are near impossible to get off. I've had nothing but bad expreiences.

I seasoned this thing over the weekend, grilled up some cutlets that were marinading in Italian dressing and it got gunked up like crazy. Apparently marinades with sugar shouldn't touch the pan b/c they burn onto the surface tonight. I cleaned/seasoned the griddle again afterward and I'm going to take another stab at cooking on it tonight. Before the meat hits the grill I'm gonna rub it down with a quick hit of veg oil. If that doesn't do the trick, then I'm giving up. Could just be that cast iron grills are more difficult to manage than cast iron skillets.

[Aeroplane]

grills can definitely be a bitch. Another key to cast iron is get it smokin hot before you start cooking (and yes it will smoke up the house). It takes quite a bit of patience to finally enjoy the cookware. I think it's worth it, a lot of people don't...why else would there be teflon and George Formans!

[dismalfuture]

yeah I would only really do two things with a grill pan: straight steaks or chicken breasts, pork chops, etc, and as you said, well-seasoned pan and oiling the meat is key, and the other thing would be paninis. No marinades or anything else that will fall in the ridges and burn up. Just some salt on your meat, and then pepper it when it's done.

[B-Dawg]

Girlfriend's friend works at Sur la Table=40% off shopping spree for meee!

Le Creuset 3.5qt round and 6.75 qt oval, Shun Bob Kramer 10" Chef's Knife