Kitchen Equipment

[WindwardOahuRN]

Interesting thoughts on buying kitchen stuff:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/09/dining/09mini.html

I did spring for a pricey set of cookware which I love dearly and which should survive a nuclear attack. I also bought a two-pack of eight-inch non-stick aluminum restaurant supply fry pans at Sam's club for twenty dollars which perform as well the pricey stuff. Don't know if they'll last as long but for the price who cares.

I love restaurant supply stores but haven't been to one since I moved here.

About his list of "inessentials." Microwave, stand mixer, and rice cooker? All essentials, to me.

[TATTRAT]

Re: Kitchen Equipment

Personally, I use the same stuff at home, that I do in the restaurant/hotel. The one thing that is a GREAT investment, is a good set of knives. The rest you can go as low brow or high end as you want, imo. I think I might have a total investment of $150 bucks in cookware and utensils, and my knives cost more then that.

[Miulang]

Re: Kitchen Equipment

Personally, I use the same stuff at home, that I do in the restaurant/hotel. The one thing that is a GREAT investment, is a good set of knives. The rest you can go as low brow or high end as you want, imo. I think I might have a total investment of $150 bucks in cookware and utensils, and my knives cost more then that.

But the most expensive knife set in the world is worth squat if you don't know how to use the knives properly or care for them.

Miulang

[1stwahine]

Re: Kitchen Equipment

Wow! We just bought a Kenmore heavy duty coated 10 piece set of pots and pans from Sears this Saturday. The regular price was $169.00. However, they made a mistake and listed the price as $139.00 w/ 50% off at that too. We bought it fast!

Auntie Lynn

[cezanne]

Re: Kitchen Equipment

I'm anti-bling when it comes to kitchen stuff. I too like good knives. But my wife got this Food Chopper from Pampered Chef that's pretty cool. Don't know if it's worth that much but it's a cool contraption.

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Kitchen Equipment

Food Chopper from Pampered Chef

The link is dead - but I know the device; my daughter sold PC for a couple years.

[Ms_Aloha_Nui]

Re: Kitchen Equipment

I have pots and pans, a variety of pieces, that I have bought from garage sales and thrift stores...all the fry pans are cast iron except for one non-stick pan. All the pots are cast iron as well....but my knives are all Gerber knives and worth way more than any thing else in my house....I love to cook and my knives are an essential tool so I don't mind spending the money on them.

[TATTRAT]

Re: Kitchen Equipment

But the most expensive knife set in the world is worth squat if you don't know how to use the knives properly or care for them.

Miulang

Good point. And NEVER run knives through a dishwasher! One of the quickest way to ruin an edge.

[Da Rolling Eye]

Re: Kitchen Equipment

IMHO, a good set of cookware makes a world of difference.

We used to have a cheapy set from one of those Safeway promotions and, halfway through it's life, I'd have to occasionally take a rubber mallet to "reflatten" the bottoms.

Finally gave it up and bought a new set of Circulon. Dang! Flat bottoms, thicker and heavier cookwear means faster and more even cooking with less heat. Our old set literally wobbled on our flat top range because the thinner material started to warp. A good stainless set would work as well.

As for knives, I don't have a nice set, although I'd like to one day. I simply keep what I do have sharpened as often as possible. Makes cutting faster and safer than dull knives. Makes scaling and gutting fish a snap and cuts to the bone with less pain.

[Honoruru]

Re: Kitchen Equipment

I agree with that a good set of knives are important. When I showed some of my friends how sharp my knives were, they said "Wow! Isn't that dangerous?" And I said "No. A sharp knife is a safe knife. A dull knife is dangerous."

[1stwahine]

Re: Kitchen Equipment

I agree with that a good set of knives are important. When I showed some of my friends how sharp my knives were, they said "Wow! Isn't that dangerous?" And I said "No. A sharp knife is a safe knife. A dull knife is dangerous."

I agree.

I have a Sharpening Stone which belongs to my late father. The bugga is old but still makes my knives sharp!

Auntie Lynn

[Da Rolling Eye]

Re: Kitchen Equipment

I agree.

I have a Sharpening Stone which belongs to my late father. The bugga is old but still makes my knives sharp!

Auntie Lynn

A memory. When I worked experimental gang for Dole, on occasion we had to clear an old plot. The luna used to always bring one old, Filipino man along. His job? Keep our machetes sharp. Yeah, he'd sit in one spot all day with an old, worn whetstone between his feet and a can of water next to it. He had our machetes sharp enough to cut hair. Reason we needed them so sharp was, to cut the old plants you had to step on them half way up and bend them down. One cut at ground level on the stalk took it out. When you've been doing that all day, the machete work starts to get a bit sloppy from fatigue. Because of the angle we need to come in at (almost parallel to the ground), a dull machete can easily skip off the stalk and ricochet upwards to end up in our legs.

[cezanne]

Re: Kitchen Equipment

Good point. And NEVER run knives through a dishwasher! One of the quickest way to ruin an edge.

Huh? What?

[WindwardOahuRN]

Re: Kitchen Equipment

Huh? What?

I knew that, but....

[Honoruru]

Re: Kitchen Equipment

I have a Sharpening Stone which belongs to my late father. The bugga is old but still makes my knives sharp!

Auntie Lynn

I bought my sharpening stone when Arakawa's closed. I went there one Saturday to buy "something," "anything" to remember it by. The shelves were nearly empty, but I finally found this sharpening stone, not in the best shape, but I bought it anyway. It's been good for me ever since.