Hey Mikey and pp

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kcdave
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Hey Mikey and pp

Post by kcdave »

pp, add a sticky to this please, so we can educate the masses.

Mikey, you do not own a crock pot? WTF?

You do need one, please get one soon. Use it, mess around with it, perfect it, and get back with us. Cooking forum can use all the help it can get.

Anywho, sorry Mikey, the point of this thread is not about calling you out. We all know you are the king of grub. Point is though, if the friggin king of grub is missing an important item in the kitchen, what the hell is everyone else missing?

This whole cooking thing is not easy. Esp, if you want to do it the right way. To cook decent grub, you need to have a good recipe. We seem to be posting plenty of them. You need to have good ingredients, and I see great explanation here, on exactly what to use, and good places to find them.

However, there are just some things you MUST have to complete a kitchen, to be prepared, to make the grub you really want when you are in the mood for it.

Checking my list, Im short on:

A pressure cooker and a deli slicer. So its not like I can boast either. Just seems to be shit that you need at times, and hate it when you do not.

Must haves:

Cook top, oven, nuke, grill, pots/pans, skillets, crock, deep fryer, outdoor fryer, griddle, pressure cooker, deli slicer, smoker, stock pot, electric knife, rotisserie. I know Im forgetting many. Please add on.
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Post by BBMarley »

I have em all but a smoker- that's coming next summer...

Add ons: Wok. Stir Fry's are great for mixing in various veggies, meats, peppers you may just have sitting around. Steamer- for steaming fresh vegetables (I have one that just goes in the mocrowave and works great). As far as grills- need a gas and charcoal- both serve their own purposes. I have a weber gas, but I also have a small charcoal one I use for certain dishes I make.

I'm having a brain fart as I know there is alot more- I'll add on if I think about them
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Post by Headhunter »

Other must haves...

Stand Mixer. Over the last year, I've started cooking artisan breads, and My 6 qt KitchenAid is an invaluable addition to the process. Sure I can do the shit by hand, but it is much more time intensive and a hell of a lot messier. Made some kick-ass french bread to go with my home-made pasta last night, which brings me to cool tool #2.

Pasta maker. These can come in many sizes, shapes, and forms, but at a bare minumum a good pasta roller is invaluable. I've got attatchments for my stand mixer that do the job. Home made pasta rules the roost!

Grinder. Again, for me, it's an attachement for the stand mixer. Home made dumplings are done in no time. Just add veggies and meat, next thing you know, you're wrapping the dumplings.

Food processor. I use this all the time. Yesterday, it was to make some pesto for dipping the french bread, and mixed in with the pasta. Also great if you have the slicer plates. Makes stir fry a cinch. A deli slicer will work, but it's pretty messy to do like that. A good FP makes the task effortless.

Knives A good set of sharp knives is essential. I've got a set of Henckel 4 stars that I love. Lots of debate over the best knives, but just get your self a set. At a minumum get a good veggie knife and a good meat knife.

Microplane and other graters If you like fresh spices and cheeses, and good set of graters is essential as well. I love the microplane for fresh cinamon, gloves, ginger, etc. I've got a wheel grater for Parm, and hand graters for other cheeses like pecorino, mozarella, a et al.

Ice cream maker Not essential, but a cool extra toy. I bought an attachment for my stand mixer that sucks. I'd go with a stand alone unit with self refrigeration if you don't own any.

Those are a few I can think of for now.



Where are ya, PP? I haven't seen her here for a while. I'll sticky this and maybe she'll stop by and say hey!
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Mikey
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Post by Mikey »

I'm actually pretty poorly equipped, but have found that a lot of gadgets though nice to have take up too much space and end up in the back of the cabinet above the oven. For example the bread maker my mom gave us 15 years ago that was used maybe half a dozen times and hasn't seen the light of day since.

I've got assorted pots and pans, mostly the Faberware set that my mom gave us for a wedding present 18 years ago and other stuff the we had before and have added since. Nothing non-stick :oops: A nice set of non-stick cookware would be great, but I really don't find it necessary.

I've got a set of knives that were pretty cheap but work fine. A good set of high quality knives would also be high on my list.

Don't have a pressure cooker or a crock pot. Again, nice to have but not really necessary. The somewhat pathetic set of kitchen gadgets we have includes, along with the bread maker, a small food processer, blender (a cheap old Waring), rice cooker, electric spice grinder (a necessity IMO), a hand blender and a hand held mixer

A good stand mixer would be a really nice item to have, but then I'm not that much into baking (maybe I would be if I had one). Things like pasta makers, meat grinders and deli slicers, though all things that I've craved at one time or another, would also end up just taking up space most of the time.

I finally replaced the old electric cooktop with cast iron burners (that took about 20 minutes to heat up) with a new infrared unit that rocks. I'd like to have a gas cooktop, but we don't have gas so that's sort of ruled out. We do have propane at the house but the kitchen isn't plumbed for it.

I'm really into grilling more than anything else, anyhow. I've got a pretty good Weber gas grill. The one item at the top of my list is a decent smoker. I'm eventually going to replace the Weber with a built-in outdoor kitchen. When we put in our pool and extensive hardscaping five years ago we designated a place for it. Before we poured any concrete I ran conduits from the opposite end of the house with phone, coax and network cables and wiring big enough for a 60 amp service to the area, where we may also eventually build a guest house / office. There's also water available there.

Oh yeah, I also have a place on the patio that is designated for a fire pit, which has yet to be built. When I do it will be designed to double as a wood / charcoal grill.
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Post by BBMarley »

Mikey wrote: When we put in our pool and extensive hardscaping five years ago we designated a place for it. Before we poured any concrete I ran conduits from the opposite end of the house with phone, coax and network cables and wiring big enough for a 60 amp service to the area, where we may also eventually build a guest house / office. There's also water available there.

Oh yeah, I also have a place on the patio that is designated for a fire pit, which has yet to be built. When I do it will be designed to double as a wood / charcoal grill.
Sounds like Mikey is having a big T1B bash at his place- I'll bring the Guiness!
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Post by Ruff »

Things not already mentioned above, but must have:

instant-read thermometer
digital timer, preferably with several timers

I would like a gas stove, but I'm not gonna throw out the infra-red to get one.
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Post by Mikey »

BBMarley wrote:
Mikey wrote: When we put in our pool and extensive hardscaping five years ago we designated a place for it. Before we poured any concrete I ran conduits from the opposite end of the house with phone, coax and network cables and wiring big enough for a 60 amp service to the area, where we may also eventually build a guest house / office. There's also water available there.

Oh yeah, I also have a place on the patio that is designated for a fire pit, which has yet to be built. When I do it will be designed to double as a wood / charcoal grill.
Sounds like Mikey is having a big T1B bash at his place- I'll bring the Guiness!
I've gotta build all that shite first. In the meantime I just have to live with the pool and the Weber.
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Post by Headhunter »

Ruff wrote:Things not already mentioned above, but must have:

instant-read thermometer
digital timer, preferably with several timers

I would like a gas stove, but I'm not gonna throw out the infra-red to get one.

Good call on both.

Mikey, I gave away our breadmaker last year. Never used the thing, and thought the results kind of left something to be desired.

I've found the world of artisan bread making so vastly superior to anything that you get out of a breadmaker. And one tool needed... the instant read thermometer!

I'm glad I have a gas range. I hate cooking on electric now at families houses. Drives me crazy!
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Mikey
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Post by Mikey »

Instant read thermometer is a definite must.
As for digital timers, I've got one on the microwave, one on the double ovens and my watch. I've never needed more than three at one time.

HH - I love good bread. It's the one thing that made Atkins the hardest when I was doing that. Haven't gotten into making it myself, though. Maybe someday. There's a vendor at the Farmers' Market I go to every Sat. morning that sells about a dozen different bread products. I usually just buy the sourdough, but their rosemary and olive is out of this world. They also have hard rolls and loaves made with cranberries and walnuts. I get a half dozen of those rolls every Sat. too.
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Post by Headhunter »

I'll have to start a series of bread threads. It really is a wonderful touch to a great meal. Bread making is time intensive only in the sense that there is a lot of time spent allowing the bread to rise. The actual effort put forth for a good bread is minimal at best. My aspirations are to open a little bakery in retirement. To sell some quality baked goods in a little town in the hill country, so to that end, I have been making lots of bread the last year. It really is a food of love because of the patience required to do it right.

Here's a link to an RTT thread about a simple, less time intensive prosciutto ring bread. Since this thread, it has become a family favorite, and I'm requested to make it an almost every family gathering. It's also nice because you can actually start this one after work and have the same night. you'll notice this thread was written before I aquired the stand mixer. You can also do this by hand, just hand knead the dough for 10 minutes instead of the 45 seconds in a food processor. :D

http://thesmackbat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8461

I'll get you the recipe for butter pop-overs. It uses Wondra flour, so there is no rise time. You'll be eating these 35 minutes later and they are awesome. Or you could buy the Bread bible mentioned in that thread. Great place to start.
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Post by BBMarley »

HH-

That looks great man. I'm not the baker- my wife is- but I'm going to get this recipe to her. Thanks man!
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Post by Headhunter »

I've altered it a bit for my tastes since then. I use about double the amount of prosciutto, and I go heavy on the pepper, making sure it's coursely ground. I also add Basil to it. I just grab a few leaves from the garden, chop and toss in. I also baste the bread with the bacon grease about 2 to 3 times while cooking.

If you can find cubed prosciutto, that's what I use. It comes in an 8 ounce package, so I just dump the whole thing in.

Truly a wonderful bread! I can almost smell it now!
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Post by ppanther »

Kitchen essentials! Yes!

HH has a great list. Mine will be a lot like his.

Stand Mixer
#1 most-used kickass item in my kitchen. I bake a lot, and one of the reasons I am able to bake a lot is because my stand mixer makes it so easy. Perfect cakes require perfect mixing. Perfect breads require perfect kneading. My stand mixer is a lot more perfect than I would be if I was doing it by hand.

Good Knives
I cannot begin to tell you how much nicer it is to cook with good knives. It turns chopping from drudgery to (very nearly) pleasure. I LOVE my knives. Love 'em. Hate to watch anyone else use 'em. They have a lot less respect for the blades than I do. Don't they know dings are bad?! And please please PLEASE don't cut into plastic and/or paper packages with my knives. If you do, make sure I'm not looking, unless you're in the mood to hear me shriek.

Food Processor
Pasta dough. Pesto. Baked goods that require blending without overworking (scones, pie and tart crusts, etc.). Tapenade. Various fillings for various things. Sauces blended, all sorts of things chopped or shredded... seriously, the food processor is one of the greatest things ever made. Keep it on the counter, though, or it runs the risk of being forgotten.

Good pots and pans
As one who used to have crappy pots and pans, I can tell you first-hand the difference between warped/uneven heating/is-that-really-nonstick? cheap crap and nice, triple-play aluminum core stainless. I can also fill you in on the joy of anodized nonstick as opposed to (ick) teflon coating. I can tell you why it's so wonderful to use my Le Creuset dutch oven. I am a way better cook than I was just two years ago... and a lot of it is because of the pots and pans. (And knives.) (And cookbooks.)

Thermometers
I got a set of varied thermometers as a housewarming gift when I moved to this apt. I use my instant-read thermometer every time I roast meat. Whenever someone says "how long until [blah blah] is done?" I answer with "as soon as it's [some number] degrees. It'll beep." And I've gotta tell ya, I've never burned (or dried out) a roast since I got that thermometer. The other thermometer I use all the time is the one that's stuck in my oven. It turns out that my oven is one of the rare beasts that actually heats to the temperature I set -- but rather than trust that it will ALWAYS be exactly right, I check the thermometer often. If I am making a souffle, for instance, and I put it in the oven at too low a temperature, I will have a freaking disaster on my hands. I do not like disastrous souffles. An oven thermometer is the easiest way to avoid them. (Well, for me it is. For others, there may be many other ways to turn souffles into disasters.)

Pasta Rollers
Like HH, my set is an attachment to the stand mixer. I was sort of 'OK' with pasta until I had it fresh. I don't mean grocery store deli section Contadina fresh... I mean FRESH. Homemade pasta is unbelievably tasty. Also, I am a huge fan of pumpkin (or butternut squash) ravioli, and there are simply not enough restaurants making it. So I need my pasta rollers.

I think that's it for my list. There are notable requirements for good cooking: dry and liquid measures, microplanes/graters, blenders, mortar/pestle, spice grinder (coffee grinder reserved for spices only), ice cream maker, bakeware of all shapes and sizes, etc.

As for Crock Pots...

Well, I have one... but I really don't love it. I've used it twice in two years. Both times, I had high hopes. I bought (what I thought were) good crock pot cookbooks. I tried (what seemed to be) the most interesting and highly seasoned recipes. I ate (what was in my opinion) truly bland stewed food. I have heard that crock pots make great soups, but I am skeptical... how do you reduce anything? How can you control that by simply "taking the lid off"? Why is it any better/easier than a good dutch oven? Another friend swears to me that it makes great spaghetti sauce, but again I ask... how does it reduce with a lid on it?? I imagine spaghetti sauce in a Crock Pot and I visualize watery tomato slop. I may very well be wrong, it might make the best sauce in the world... but seriously, I doubt it.

Onto the matter of Pressure Cookers... I would NOT mind getting one and playing around with it. I have a book that has a few interesting recipes that involve pressure cookers. It's not a pressing need for me, though. I'd rather skip the Pressure Cooker and go for the 4-qt. saucepan that my set is missing, so I can make fudge, caramel, and marshmallows. (I don't have a 4-qt. pot, and I once tried a fudge recipe that suggested the use of a 4-qt pot. So I started it in a 3-qt. pot and as soon as it came to a boil, I learned FAST that a 3-qt. pot was a bad idea. So I transferred it to my 5-qt stock pot, which worked fine until I had to "quickly pour the fudge". I am sure it was funny to watch, but my 5-qt. stock pot is very heavy (see: triple ply stainless, above) and fudge at the ready-to-pour stage is incredibly hot.)

Yeah. So anyway, the 4-qt. pot is next on my list. And it will have a triple-ply bottom; it will NOT be All Clad. I need even heat and I need it to be (relatively) light. I will be getting said pot in the very near future.

Nice thread.
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Post by mothster »

Le Creuset dutch oven..........

the last word in stove top cookery
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Post by kcdave »

Instant read thermometer added to my list.

Also, rack pp for the thermometer in the oven idea. I will be doing that tomorrow and checking the accuracy of my oven.
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Post by itsanalias »

Mikey wrote:I'm actually pretty poorly equipped
My many and sincere condolences. 8)
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Post by Dinsdale »

What a coincedence -- I used to trade barbs with a guy who went by the name itsanalis on a different board, a long time ago -- talk about your small worlds.
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Mikey
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Post by Mikey »

itsanalias wrote:
Mikey wrote:I'm actually pretty poorly equipped
My many and sincere condolences. 8)
I'll send you my Christmas wish list next week.

:wink:
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Re: Hey Mikey and pp

Post by ElvisMonster »

kcdave wrote:Mikey, you do not own a crock pot? WTF?
No shit. How the fuck do you plan on cooking epicly tender and flavorful ribs without a crockpot?!!1
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Mikey
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Re: Hey Mikey and pp

Post by Mikey »

ElvisMonster wrote:
kcdave wrote:Mikey, you do not own a crock pot? WTF?
No shit. How the fuck do you plan on cooking epicly tender and flavorful ribs without a crockpot?!!1
Oh, well for cooking barbecue ribs I have this epic piece of equipment called a barbecue. It usually works.
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