-- Please discuss your kitchen hardware/tools/cooking utensils etc...

[Simply Red]

Hi Guys.

So in this thread I'd be interested in the following:

- newer tools that you use that are not as common

- common utensils that you have in the kitchen that are staples for your cooking.

- Old family treasure passed down to you - such as a special knife or something useful like that.

- A few more items you may consider discussing - Cutting-boards, knives (again), presses, spatula's, maybe pancake turners/spatula's.

- I'm okay with even going as far as spices in your spice-rack.



Lately I don't have a bunch to brag about - I did recently drop about $350 at Burlington Coat Factory (of all places) on cookware (I had nothing decent since the divorce) - they had a lot of unique things, one of my sautee skillets is ceramics and has the best handle for flipping pasta's (or whatever) - another thing I had discovered there was a really nice bacon press. I will get the brand-name a little later on this weekend.

I will add photo's over the weekend, hopefully.


I wanted the thread to drop tonight though, so please share anything that's cool, special or especially 'useful' for your throwing down in the kitchen.


Thanks guys.

Look forward to hearing about and/or seeing your gear.

[cdcox]

Wusthof Classic 7 Inch Santoku knife -- my workhorse knife

Revere Ware 12 Qt copper bottom Stock Pot. Best overall pot/pan in the kitchen.

Lodge 12 inch cast iron skillet. Seasoning could be better, but I love this pot.

Carbon steel wok. This was a wedding present: 31 years old. Very well seasoned.

Cuisinart Food processor -- This thing is a champ.

[007]

I hate the kitchen. Cooking is the absolute last thing I want to spend my time doing.

[cdcox]

We bought a ceramic cooktop range last Fall. I hate it. Heat control is horrible. I would rather cook on electric coils, and I'm 100% serious about that.

[BucEyedPea]

Wusthof Knives
Cuisinart (use it a LOT)
Le Creuset Dutch Oven
Nutribullet
Mango Cutter
Cherry Pitter
Tons of cookie cutters and aspic cutters, leaf shape cutters for pies

Gawd! I'm to tired to think.

[BucEyedPea]

Originally Posted by cdcox

We bought a ceramic cooktop range last Fall. I hate it. Heat control is horrible. I would rather cook on electric coils, and I'm 100% serious about that.

Yeah, I passed on those. Tho' I despise electric cooking. I prefer gas stove--grew up using that and had it in Boston. Much easier to control. Pro chefs prefer gas stoves.

[BucEyedPea]

Originally Posted by cdcox

Wusthof Classic 7 Inch Santoku knife -- my workhorse knife

I want to get a Santoku next. I got my daughter one for Xmas. I have a regular standard chef's knife by Wusthof.

[cdcox]

Originally Posted by BucEyedPea

Yeah, I passed on those. Tho' I despise electric cooking. I prefer gas stove--grew up using that and had it in Boston. Much easier to control. Pro chefs prefer gas stoves.

Yeah, gas is far and away the best. Gas isn't an option for me at this point.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

Microwaves are actually very well suited for cooking bacon. Renders the fat due to the liquid content. Doesn't curl as the heat is applied uniformly at the molecular level. If you have a convection/microwave combi-oven that allows things like stainless steel racks to keep the bacon up out of it's grease, it's the perfect solution.

This. Bacon in the microwave owns.

Wife has this deal with channels to hold the bacon up out if the grease. It's awesome. I want bacon all the sudden.

Originally Posted by Simply Red

I still need some things - that's one - I'd like to get a crock pot for Great Northerns and Chuck Roast (in the winter months)

I still need several items - I will revisit cooking again - once time free's up - I truly think I could enjoy it again - versus it feeling like a chore.

Crock pots Are cheap broseph. Just go get you one. I've got a good crock pot fajita recipe. It doesn't have to be all roasts.

I don't have much cool. Kitchen aid mixer is good.

Wife has this cool apple slicer. You just line it up on the apple over the core, press down and it'll perfectly slice your apple. Pretty damned slick. Not sure the brand. Xoxo maybe?

I never knew how good ice cream scoop was. I'd always used a big spoon. Get an ice cream scoop. I don't eat a lot if ice cream, but it's with the money. Zulus brand

Our pans are ass. It's on the agenda to get some decent ones.

I have a wustof knife set. It's the best steel I've used.

Airware cookie sheets are a must.

I've got some big ass bowls. They're the cheap walmart stuff but they'll hold a pint of farm sweet corn we put up or a big ass salad.

We got some Rubbermaid produce keeper containers. They really help keep produce good longer.

[Baby Lee]

I have an Amana glasstop, haven't had any problems with it. Don't use it a lot because I don't often need all that burner space. MoF, I usually use my induction plate on top of the stove top. But that's a safety thing. Like I said, with induction, the only thing that gets hot is the pot. I do use it for cast iron cooking, which brings me to the drawback which is treating the glass surface with kid's gloves, no scraping the cast iron around the cook surface.

[BucEyedPea]

I don't cook anything in a microwave (save for the popcorn the SO likes) and I don't use any non-stick cookware.

I would love an induction burner tho. Saw one in the thread. Oh! Man I want one of those real bad.

[TimBone]

My wife bought some highfalutin cutting knife from one of her younger cousins for some high school fundraiser. I swore up and down that it'd be a cheap ass knife due to the fact that a school fundraiser was selling it. I was wrong. That thing showed up in the mail, and I ran the blade down my arm to prove my wife wrong....that thing shaved my arm with no force at all. Looked like I had waxed my arm. Wonderful knife. I'll check the brand name tomorrow and post it here.

Also, the blender thread has convinced me that I want a Vitamix, but I'm gonna settle for a Ninja because I'm cheap.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by cdcox

Wusthof Classic 7 Inch Santoku knife -- my workhorse knife

Revere Ware 12 Qt copper bottom Stock Pot. Best overall pot/pan in the kitchen.

Lodge 12 inch cast iron skillet. Seasoning could be better, but I love this pot.

Carbon steel wok. This was a wedding present: 31 years old. Very well seasoned.

Cuisinart Food processor -- This thing is a champ.

Season your skillet.

Originally Posted by BucEyedPea

I don't cook anything in a microwave (save for the popcorn the SO likes) and I don't use any non-stick cookware.

I would love an induction burner tho. Saw one in the thread. Oh! Man I want one of those real bad.

Why no microwave or nonstick?

[chiefzilla1501]

Heat diffuser. Originally bought it to make tagines now I can't imagine cooking anything stovetop on low heat without it

[nstygma]

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

I have an Amana glasstop, haven't had any problems with it. Don't use it a lot because I don't often need all that burner space. MoF, I usually use my induction plate on top of the stove top. But that's a safety thing. Like I said, with induction, the only thing that gets hot is the pot. I do use it for cast iron cooking, which brings me to the drawback which is treating the glass surface with kid's gloves, no scraping the cast iron around the cook surface.

I also have an induction cook top. I use cast iron and a thin steel wok. I'm unsatisfied though. The induction cook top does not heat evenly, only in a ring pattern. Any tips to get a good even heat? I purchased the thick cast iron thinking it would help a little but it didn't.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by nstygma

I also have an induction cook top. I use cast iron and a thin steel wok. I'm unsatisfied though. The induction cook top does not heat evenly, only in a ring pattern. Any tips to get a good even heat? I purchased the thick cast iron thinking it would help a little but it didn't.

Buy a heat diffuser and put it on your stovetop