Cooking Irons

[Walsingham]

I just moved house, and had to leave behind my hard-worn cooker. Moving into the new one I found of all things - no cooker!

 

I have the cash to buy a new cooker of a pretty high standard, but the kitchen as a whole is rubbish. My longer term plan (8 months) is to completely remodel the rear of teh house, inorporating better security, double-glazing, floor and kitchen units. At that time I'm going to go with agas range cooker with all the trimmings.

 

Until then I have opted to go with a 'effects based cooking solution' or what you might call 'moron chef' approach. To this end I have bought in separate units:

 

- 3.5 kg slow cooker

- large electric griddle

- electric steam cooker (that also does rice)

 

Between them this should allow me to cook 90% of my normal meals.

 

So far I've only used the griddle/sandwich press thing, but it is FANTASTIC. You don't need any cooking oil for sausages or steak, and you can also do vegetables around the edges.

 

Does anyone else have any good successful hardware in their kitchen?

[Gfted1]

Does anyone else have any good successful hardware in their kitchen?

 

 

My wife.

 

Joking aside, Id like to help but my cooking skills come to a merciful end right after spaghetti and scrambled eggs. Oh, and grilled cheese.

[LadyCrimson]

What you're calling a griddle/sandwich press thing - is that anything like those 'lean mean grilling machines' (or their knockoffs)? If yes, yeah, they're pretty cool for electric cooking devices. You can toss meats/burgers or vegies or whatever in them, close the lid, and in 8-10 minutes they're done.

 

If not, then, well, try one out.

 

An electric wok or fry-pan of some kind would be a must for me, if I had no actual stove top range. Only problem is finding a good one - a lot of the cheaper ones break easily or start to lose their high-heat capabilities fast (their heating elements or plugs don't seem well protected), but this one on Amazon is rated pretty high by viewers. Never tired it personally tho.

 

My mother loved those rectangular electric skillets. You could either use it to quick fry some eggs or cook pancakes on, or toss chicken, rice, vegies, liquid etc in it, cover it, and it'd be kinda like using an oven to make an all-in-one casserole/pan-dish. But again, you have to research them a bit, since many cheaper ones are just that ... cheap.

 

Edited April 28, 2008 by LadyCrimson

[SteveThaiBinh]

I have a steam cooker and I love it. It's the only way to cook vegetables and rice properly.

[Walsingham]

Do you think I could justify this as a cooking implement?

[Gorgon]

Don't you think having that in the knife rack might scare women off.

[Nick_i_am]

I'm still looking for my grandfathers.

[Gorgon]

Where did they get off to, and how did you manage to have two. Cloning ?

[SteveThaiBinh]

Do you think I could justify this as a cooking implement?

Steak might be impressed, but the okra would just laugh and say you were overcompensating.

[Deadly_Nightshade]

Do you think I could justify this as a cooking implement?

 

I have one of those - original too, although I'll have to check the make. I'm almost sure it's the same as the one they call "World War." I'll see if I can find out what year it was made.

 

Edit: It was gift from a friend of my father who lived for several years in Nepal - so he might be able to tell me more about it's origins.

Edited April 30, 2008 by Deadly_Nightshade

[Walsingham]

Apparently the shape of a kukri makes a massive differences to the way it cuts. The Greeks and Spartans also used a similar shape. Even inexpertly it can damn near cut a chap in two. I had a great quote on the subject from a manual on jungle warfare, but I've lost the bloody thing.

 

The relevance of this to cooking is that I very much enjoy cooking big feasts for friends, and doubly so over summer. I was thinking about gettinga big cleaver so I can do pig roasts and vension. Then I read the aforementioned quote.

[tarna]

Just heard about this new type of oven.

http://www.turbochef.com/residential/products/overview.aspx

Looks good if it isn't all hype...

Cooks with 5 Star Results, 15x Faster

Imagine cooking anything - from fresh asparagus in 45 seconds, a frozen pizza in 90 seconds, to a rack of lamb in 4 minutes, or a Thanksgiving turkey in 42 minutes - with five-star quality results and in a fraction of the time. Meats come out caramelized, moist and tender. Baked goods are golden brown, flaky and perfect. Vegetables are crisp, flavorful and nutritious.

When we remodeled the kitchen several years back, we made it a pseudo-commercial kitchen. Bought a very nice convection oven with all the trimmings. Cost about 1200 USD ( I think ) and does everything but sing and dance. This one looks really nice.

 

As knives go, if you are willing to spend some real money for your kitchen knives, go with ceramic ( brittle ) or damascus. I just had a set of 53 layer Japanese VG10 damascus knives made up for my wife for Yule last year. Cost about 2300 USD for a set of 11 items ( 8 knives and 3 other utinsels ). These knives are far sharper than ceramic and since my wife now possesses them, I would never want to be caught cheating on her ( read - John Bobbitt!!! ) :wink:. If you buy them regular they won't cost you near the amount I paid. I had custom handles made out of purple heart wood ( stole one of my wife's favorites so that the maker could make a template of the grip ), her name acid etched into the blades, custom mosaic pins, that sort of thing. Ask Fionavar for the pic of the blades.

The knife-maker I used was one of my customers. When he was making the handles ( he bought the blades and built around them ), he cut himself down to the bone.

 

He said it never even hurt it was so clean a cut! :F**k!:

I shaved a single layer of skin off my fingertips and didn't know it until I washed my hands ( ouch ouch ).

 

Ceramic blades are much cheaper and are excellent blades. The only drawback is that they are brittle and can break if you drop them. You really cannot sharpen them either. The steel blades you can and I would recommend a good diamond sharpener to keep a fine edge. Even with these 'drawbacks', ceramic blades are impressive.

 

If you like fried foods, one of the kids bought me a covered frier last year for Yule. It is very similar to this one...

http://www.t-falusa.com/tefal/products/pro...36NB5PBQN700DC7

I love it for it's speed and cleanliness. My wifes loves it because I no longer make a mess when I fry french fries ( chips ). It's covered so you don't spatter oil. You fill the basket, put the lid on it and then lower the basket into the oil. It regulates temperature as you cook.

[LadyCrimson]

That oven looks really awesome, except I think I'd still use the regular oven for short-time meats like burgers/small steaks, to make sure they're cooked hot enough long enough. But cutting the time for cooking anything that usually takes 30-60 minutes or more is always fantastic.

 

Interesting, the way they seem to use a combo of microwaves and airflow cooking.

[Deadly_Nightshade]

As knives go, if you are willing to spend some real money for your kitchen knives, go with ceramic ( brittle ) or damascus.

 

I would choose Damascus over ceramic myself, if only because they are sturdy and will last longer. In fact, any steel from Japan will be a little higher quality than some other places, due to the naturally higher carbon content.

[Walsingham]

Thanks for the in-depth there, tarna. I'm ashamed to say I was mostly joking about the knives. I bought some Global knives for friends this last Christmas. Great fething big chef's knives. Expensive, but easy to clean, surprisingly easy to hold. However, I was brought up to prize a soft steel knife in the kitchen. Just keep a piece of ceramic plate handy and you'll keep a fine edge. As a further warning about expensive knives my little brother bought the wrong sharpening kit (one of those cheater's wheels) and has almost wrecked his Global knives. The edge on them now is far too obtuse.

 

As for fryers I'd actually quite like one, but I'm too old to be encouraging the eating of fried food on anything like a regular basis. Might get one for my older brother though. He doesn't seem to mind what he eats.

[tarna]

That oven looks really awesome, except I think I'd still use the regular oven for short-time meats like burgers/small steaks, to make sure they're cooked hot enough long enough. But cutting the time for cooking anything that usually takes 30-60 minutes or more is always fantastic.

 

Interesting, the way they seem to use a combo of microwaves and airflow cooking.

165 degrees for 15 seconds is considered industry standard for prevention of foodborn illnesses like E. Coli, Norwalk, Wisteria, et cet.

Burgers and such I usually just fry in a pan and temp as I go until it's ready.

As knives go, if you are willing to spend some real money for your kitchen knives, go with ceramic ( brittle ) or damascus.

 

I would choose Damascus over ceramic myself, if only because they are sturdy and will last longer. In fact, any steel from Japan will be a little higher quality than some other places, due to the naturally higher carbon content.

Certainly. I only offered the ceramic knives as an alternative because they are about 1/4 to 1/3 of the price and are still excellent blades. Most people are not willing to upkeep their blades as Wals mentioned by keeping them properly honed. Cheaper metals will not hold a proper edge for long on their own but with good maintainence, can give a good edge for quite a while. I have a belt-buckle knife made out of 440 carbon steel that I sharpen yearly whether I use it or not. However, continued sharpening will change the overall shape of the blade giving it a curved edge instead of a straight one. The difference is obviously the quality of metal used. A good Japanese damascus blade is very expensive for the average homeowner but will have a very long life. The difference in cutting quality would only be noticable to someone that has handled both ceramic and damascus.

The difference between a regular store-bought blade and a damascus however is night and day!

 

I'm ashamed to say I was mostly joking about the knives. I bought some Global knives for friends this last Christmas. Great fething big chef's knives. Expensive, but easy to clean, surprisingly easy to hold.

I kinda figured that. If you were having a 'Manly' pig-roast, you would be using a machete to carve the servings :wink:.

Global is a very good set of knives. I could have saved a lot of money by purchasing them for my wife instead but she had looked over the Global set and didn't like the grips. Since she would be using them for 8 or so hours a day, her complaint was understandable. Being a mechanic, I understand these seeming minor complaints about a tool that you must handle daily. Since she has not once complained about what I spend on tools, I could hardly skimp on hers.

[Walsingham]

No, absolutely, I couldn't agree more. When you really use something a lot your opinion shifts dramatically. I still might get a kukri. We'll see how work goes, and how much free cash I have. The biggest pain is that in the British Army you don't feth about, pretending you're a ghurka. You might meet one. And they make nails seem like twiglets in the hard department.

 

Otherwise, I was interested in ceramics. I'm not shy of new tech like that. It seemed kind of cool. But I DO drop things, and besides which I like steel knives. There's a meditative quality in sharpening them. I know this is creepy, but when I was a teacher I used it to good effect. You'd be amazed how often pupils DON'T give out to you if you spend your free time sharpening knives in the common room, in view from the window. It also gave me an easy way to ingratiate myself with teh other teachers, because once I realised the propaganda value I got them to bring in their knives as well.

[tarna]

Just thought of a new toy for your kitchen...a dehydrator. You can make various types of 'jerky' as well as dry vegetables...most notably, I noticed that you like habaneros. I've been drying and grinding them for a bit lately as I've found a good source/price. I'm up to a little over a kilo of dried ground spice. A most excellent seasoning.

Edited June 7, 2008 by tarna

[Walsingham]

Just thought of a new toy for your kitchen...a dehydrator. You can make various types of 'jerky' as well as dry vegetables...most notably, I noticed that you like habaneros. I've been drying and grinding them for a bit lately as I've found a good source/price. I'm up to a little over a kilo of dried ground spice. A most excellent seasoning.

 

A dehydrator? Can you recommend one? I can't find any reviews. It would be great for making biltong, and as you say, drying some of teh copious quantities of fruit and herbs I get from my garden.

[tarna]

Just thought of a new toy for your kitchen...a dehydrator. You can make various types of 'jerky' as well as dry vegetables...most notably, I noticed that you like habaneros. I've been drying and grinding them for a bit lately as I've found a good source/price. I'm up to a little over a kilo of dried ground spice. A most excellent seasoning.

 

A dehydrator? Can you recommend one? I can't find any reviews. It would be great for making biltong, and as you say, drying some of teh copious quantities of fruit and herbs I get from my garden.

The one that I have has no name on it. Since it is a very simple device ( 5 stackable trays with a weak electric heater in the base and a lid of course ), I would imagine that any would do. I paid about $40 US for mine from a friend that was moving ( I was being nice as he needed the money ) about 12 years ago. Since it is such a simple appliance, I would imagine that you could buy one for minimal expense. Check for vegetable driers. With the five trays, I can dry nearly 3 Kg of sliced fresh habaneros. That's all I really use it for. From that you should be able to approximate the capacity for your needs. I don't dry meat in it anymore as I food poisoned myself the last time ( another story ). Read the directions when you buy it!

If you are going to dry spices, buy a cheap coffee grinder. About $ 15 USD.

[Walsingham]

Bone question: won'tthe coffee grinder just grind things?

[tarna]

Bone question: won'tthe coffee grinder just grind things?

It just makes it a bit easier to gring your spices after drying them. Especially if you are grinding stuff from your garden to last through the winter.

[Jorian Drake]

Bone question: won'tthe coffee grinder just grind things?

It just makes it a bit easier to gring your spices after drying them. Especially if you are grinding stuff from your garden to last through the winter.

hi tarna. please clean up your PM box, thanks

[theslug]

We just got a new oven and microwave and the oven came with a cast iron grill grate. Not quite sure how it integrates into the oven but it's a neat attachment. I'd say a good kitchen always need a cast iron pan/grill and a few non stick skillets. Sadly we don't have any of those. Our kitchen is actually pretty big but we have so many gd knickknacks around there's no space to do anything. Also we only have one of those synthetic cutting boards. I should have made a wooden one like I planned back in woodworking class.

[Joseph Bulock]

I cook a lot, and there are a few things I'd hate to be without...

 

My griddle with removable plates is great. Makes breakfast stuff, sammiches, grills vegetables and my fake meats very fast, and works well with all of the various mexican and south american stuff I cook.

 

My immersion blender does the same stuff that a normal blender would without making a bunch of dishes and what not.

 

Finally, it's low tech, but I can't imagine cooking without my wok. It's a heavy duty cast iron wok, not the cheapies you get at IKEA or whatever, but it cooks with very little oil and cleans up in a few seconds while making better Chinese or Thai dishes then what I can get for ten bucks at a restaurant. This is probably related to the fact that I'm pretty picky, but still...