Cookin again

[Dannyalcatraz]

So, work has been nuts, haven't cooked much, but I do want to talk toys, I mean tools of the trade. What are everyone's favourites, how many do you have?

Man...That’s a tough question for me to answer. I have a lot of gear. I’ll have to think about this.

 

[prabe]

Man...That’s a tough question for me to answer. I have a lot of gear. I’ll have to think about this.

I'm in kinda the same boat, but offhand my favorites run from simple (good sharp knives) through specific (double oven is good) through idiosyncratic (I have had nothing but bad experiences with "seasoned" cast iron). Probably my favorite cooking tool, though, is room to work. We moved last spring, and the new place has a kitchen about twice the size of the old one, and it's glorious to work in.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Let me see...

I have a lot of gizmos I have a big ass Kitchen Aidstand mixer with all the attachments, but I seldom use it. i don’t bake seriously, and the main reason we got it was to use the sausage-casing stuffer attachment. But we stopped stuffing sausage casings, and now we just make the meat into chubs- much easier to work with for SO many reasons.

Mom bought me a Masterbuilt electric smoker, but I’ve barely used it. Mom also just bought a Cuisinart multifunction toaster oven that I have to admit is pretty nice. Easy to use and does the job well.

But I have to say, some of the stuff that gets the heaviest use are the ”basic” things- knives, pots, etc.

One of the biggest surprises was our acquisition of a few Cutco paring knives. Not exactly a premium name in knives, nonetheless, these are some of the best I’ve handled. Why? The handle is a full-sized, ergonomic grip that nearly anyone- even my Mom whose hands are starting to give her fits- can get a secure grasp on. MIT looks funny, but it’s SO functional.

Another surprise was my 30qt. stock pot (Hamilton Beach?) that I use primarily on holidays. (See post #299.)

i have a couple of really good seasoned cast iron pans that I love, but I also got a Matfer Cougat carbon steel pan as a gif a little while ago. I’m loving it, but I’m also having problems getting and maintaining a proper season on it- not sure if my seasoning method isn‘t right or if I have a defective pan. But when it works? Damn it’s good! Think of a good cast iron pan...but with something like half the weight. They’re sometimes as cheap as $50 on Amazon.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I'm in kinda the same boat, but offhand my favorites run from simple (good sharp knives) through specific (double oven is good) through idiosyncratic (I have had nothing but bad experiences with "seasoned" cast iron). Probably my favorite cooking tool, though, is room to work. We moved last spring, and the new place has a kitchen about twice the size of the old one, and it's glorious to work in.

Space is indeed a factor! Not just amount, but arrangement.

A couple years ago, we replaced our kitchen sink and everything in it. To explain:

First, we bought an asymmetrical sink that had a large side and a small side, similar to, but not quite as radically asymmetrical as one we had 20 years ago in a different house. (They just don’t make them like that anymore.) For the first time in this house, I was able to place all but my biggest pots in the sink FLAT. That made a huge difference in ease of cleaning them. For the first month after that, I was as enthusiastic as a stereotypical 1950s housewife.

To go with that, we added a taller faucet with an integrated sprayer. This also makes dishwashing much easier.

We also added a big ole water filter with its own faucet.

 

[Umbran]

But I have to say, some of the stuff that gets the heaviest use are the ”basic” things- knives, pots, etc.

Yeah, same here. The basics are key...

Big old Kitchen Aid stand mixer. Unlike some of you folks, we use it a lot, as my wife loves to bake. I think, shortly after we got it, I stripped a gear in the attachment hookup - so it is fine as a mixer, but I don't think any attachment as worked since. Mind you, we almost never need the attachments, so we don't care. It has been around for 13+ years (got it as a wedding present) and it shows no sign of stopping.

Food processor - also 13+ years old, but clearly showing its age. Will be buying a new one soon.

Decent knives - Victorinox sells some wonderful wonderful kitchen knives for cheap. Excellent recent investment.

Cast Iron... what the heck are you guys doing with your cast iron that you have problems? I don't want to explain things to people who already know stuff, but... if you are having issues, maybe we can work them out here?

Recipe holder. Nobody ever talks about how important these are. They are key to good kitchen performance.

 

[CleverNickName]

Cast Iron... what the heck are you guys doing with your cast iron that you have problems? I don't want to explain things to people who already know stuff, but... if you are having issues, maybe we can work them out here?

I can't believe I forgot to mention my cast iron skillet! I got this one (a 12" Lodge brand) from my mom as a housewarming gift when I moved away from home in 1993. For the longest time, it was my only cooking vessel and I used it for everything: it was my skillet, wok, cake pan, saucepan, baking dish, and serving platter. I still use it almost daily.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Love my KitchenAid as some have already mentioned. Also love my cast iron pans/Dutch oven, and my carbon steel pan. As umbran said, if anyone's having problems, let us know. Once you get the seasoning down, there isn't anything better.

But I have to say my best and oft used item is my freeze dryer. Food waste is down to almost zero, and the food lasts for 25 years stored properly. And it's super lightweight. And many things rehydrate back to fresh. Spendy, bit I love it.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Re knives, I've began to make my own. And I do some woodworking, so here are two of my most recent additions.

 

[prabe]

Cast Iron... what the heck are you guys doing with your cast iron that you have problems? I don't want to explain things to people who already know stuff, but... if you are having issues, maybe we can work them out here?

I managed to (accidentally) remove the seasoning from my cast iron skillet three times in six months by, as best I could tell, cooking in it and cleaning it. I followed the instructions I could find as precisely as I could, and it still happened. I was never willing to do anything in it that involved any time, because I was convinced that anything with any acid would pull the seasoning off. I stopped cooking in it, and I ended up donating it to a thrift shop.

I have a couple Le Creuset Dutch ovens (3-qt and 7-qt) and they're built like tanks, and I use them at every opportunity (the little one is my secret weapon for mac-cheese). Enameled cast iron is a marvelous thing; I've given up on seasoned cast iron.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Recipe holder. Nobody ever talks about how important these are. They are key to good kitchen performance.

We have a 6’ tall Metro shelf of cook books, and on one shelf, the venerable plastic box of 3x5 index cards with recipes. Here’s an earlier picture of it:

But my Mom’s old iPad 2 is also hanging off of that rack, and on IT are bookmarks of important cooking sites (like the Cook’s Illustrated family of sites, Food Network, etc.), as well as our family “Recipedia” of recipes we’ve worked out and entered into the Notes app.

But I have to say my best and oft used item is my freeze dryer. Food waste is down to almost zero, and the food lasts for 25 years stored properly. And it's super lightweight. And many things rehydrate back to fresh. Spendy, bit I love it.

We don’t have a freeze dryer, but we did get a Food Saver.

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It’s a little awkward at times, but it definitely does reduce the amount of freezer burn.

Also learned a trick recently that is so freaking obvious that I’m kicking myself. When you have to use a freezer bag and are trying to get all the air out, submerge it. It will get all the air out without fuss or risk of puncture.