Basic Kitchen Equipment

OmManiPadmeOmelet said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Lena B Katz said:

I'd say try an IKEA for reasonably priced trash. (great value for the
money).

But id' serously consider investing in a good stirfry wok (like the
catastraphon i got). So versatile, so useful!

I remember going to college sophomore year witout a meal plan. I remember
what I used, when. And which things sat mouldering on a shelf.

Lena

I use my cast iron skillet for stir fry... :-)

I can't use a wok on my glass top stove.

.... you can't use a wok? I feel sorry for you...

Lena

Default User said:

Doug Kanter said:

"Default User" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:

> In article <[email hidden]>,
> "Doug Kanter" <[email hidden]> wrote:

>> If I need to bang out a one paragraph letter, I can do it in under
>> a minute. It takes longer than that for my computer to boot up

and >>> be ready to rock.

Quoted message said:

>
> Heh. I'm an internet junkie. My computer stays on unless the
> weather is bad.

I pretty much leave mine on all the time, but that's just because
I'm firmly of the belief that it's better for the hardware not to be
constantly power-cycled.
Brian

That's simply not true.

That's based on my experience as an electronics test engineer who dealt
with computer equipment. I turn off the monitor because it's a big
power draw and has high reliability compared to the other items.

What's your contention based on?

mine goes off, occasionally. windows has massive memory leaks. I'm
hoping my new install fixes that.

Lena

in retrospect, trying to start a computer with three separate XP installs
on it was probably a bad idea. Each one kept trying to claim that it was
the "one true install"....

Doug Kanter said:

"cathyxyz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

... and maybe a kettle to

Quoted message said:

boil water for tea etc.

And it should be a kettle that you can get your whole hand and a sponge
into, for cleaning. No ceramic coating inside, either.

Agreed. Ours has a lid on top that comes off.... its easy to clean.

Cheers
Cathy(xyz)

"Lena B Katz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Doug Kanter said:

"Lena B Katz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

With this, I can make practically anything that's canned, and most
things
that are boxed (lipton sidedishes, say).

No wonder you can't afford what you need. You waste your money on
packaged
foods. You're brain's being deteriorated by MSG & all the other chemicals
in
that junk.

Baka!

<plonk>

lena

You won't plonk me. You can't resist coming back over and over again to
argue.

"Lena B Katz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Default User said:

Doug Kanter said:

"Default User" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
> OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:
>
>> In article <[email hidden]>,
>> "Doug Kanter" <[email hidden]> wrote:
>
>>> If I need to bang out a one paragraph letter, I can do it in under
>>> a minute. It takes longer than that for my computer to boot up
and >>> be ready to rock.
>>
>> Heh. I'm an internet junkie. My computer stays on unless the
>> weather is bad.
>
>
> I pretty much leave mine on all the time, but that's just because
> I'm firmly of the belief that it's better for the hardware not to be
> constantly power-cycled.
> Brian

That's simply not true.

That's based on my experience as an electronics test engineer who dealt
with computer equipment. I turn off the monitor because it's a big
power draw and has high reliability compared to the other items.

What's your contention based on?

mine goes off, occasionally. windows has massive memory leaks. I'm
hoping my new install fixes that.

No it doesn't.

"ewdotson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Lena B Katz said:

Doug Kanter said:

"ewdotson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

>>>> paring knife
>>>
>>> better to get kitchen skissors.
>>
>> Are you on drugs? Peel an apple or chop garlic with scissors?
>>
>
> Honestly, I think a vegetable peeler would probably be a better option
> here. Using a paring knife to peel veggies is more hassle than it's
> worth. As far as garlic goes, I've always used my chef's knife. I
> know the standard wisdom is that a chef's knife and a paring knife are
> the two knifes everyone needs to start off with, but for whatever
> reason, I really don't find myself using my paring knife all that
> often. YMMV, I suppose.

At least your idea is within the realm of sanity. She's suggesting
scissors.
Right.

What do you use your paring knife for?

The last three uses or so for mine were -- opening a package of corned
beef, opening th3e spicesn inside the corned beef, and opening a bag of
dried potato flakes.

for me, scissors work better.

While, as I noted, I don't really use my paring knife for, I should
probably note that I do have a santoku in addition to my chef's knife.
I think I'd have a hard time managing without two cutting blades to
avoid cross-contamination issues, but the two larger blades just work
better for me. When I do break out my paring knife, it's typically for
small vegetables or fine, detailed work. Generally though, I have no
problems dealing with garlic or shallots with my chef's knife or
santoku.

I don't either, most of the time. But sometimes, that small knife's a great
thing to have. For instance, some brocolli florets are very tight together
in the bunch, and for reasons most people would understand, I might want
little bits, not big chunks. You can't always maneuver a big knife in
between the florets, and tearing them off doesn't always work neatly,
either.

OmManiPadmeOmelet said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Doug Kanter said:

"OmManiPadmeOmelet" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
"Doug Kanter" <[email hidden]> wrote:

>>Ok, so what are you criticizing for?
>>The thread is aimed at the MINIMAL needs.
>>--
>>Peace, Om.
>
>I don't see it that way. I interpreted it as how to equip a new cook
>PROPERLY, not as if the person were going backpacking or living in
>poverty.
>The presence of the words "dollar store" in the original post do not
>necessarily mean everything has to be cheap or pathetic.

The thread is an offshoot of the "food snob" thread.
It's aimed at trying to equip the minimalist cook.

I could be wrong, but that's the impression I got.

What is the very LEAST you could get by with and still achieve decent
meals with minimal effort?

If this was about all the toys I'd like to have, my list would be very
long. <G>
--
Peace, Om.

I might like a very fancy gas stove, 3 completely separate ovens, and to
keep the cooking zone free of interference, several trap doors through which
I could drop intruders into a pit of snakes. Other than that, I like the
tools I have. They include some stuff I got in 1971 while in college. I
agreed to paint window frames for a guy who owned a restaurant supply store,
because I had no money for cooking toys. It was a great arrangement.

When I was a senior college, between working and school, I had about 3
hours per day free for housecleaning, cooking and studying.

Cooking was pretty much the last thing on my mind...

I used the pressure cooker and the toaster oven, and lived on rice
cooked in bone stock, salads and roast chicken or turkey and instant
breakfast (slimfast) drinks for my entire senior year. :-P

In our appliance gathering years, I picked up a toaster oven. It was a
real novelty until it caught fire. DH refuses to get another one so I'm
out of luck. I use the pressure cookers a lot. During the hot months
they are really good if you want a quick stew or soup without heating
the kitchen much!

Quoted message said:

I'd make stock meals on my days off and heat them up during the week.

A pressure cooker is one of the fastest ways to make stocks! Even
though I use pressure cookers, my kids so far haven't bought them. I
have them on next year's Christmas list. We try to get at least one
practical gift that they wouldn't buy themselves so I think the pressure
cookers would fit the bill. They do know how to use mine and one has
even borrowed one of my pressure cookers for a couple of weeks at a time.

Quoted message said:

Salad makings were pre-cut and stored in individual bins in the 'frige
for the week. Shredded lettuce in one bin, sliced tomatoes in another
and mixed veggies and shredded cooked chicken in a third. Rice was good
for awhile in frozen portions, nuked. Bone stock and rice was made on my
days off then portioned.

Food was not a priority. Getting sleep and passing what was left of my
classes was. I lost 35 lbs. that year.

My only priorities while getting an education was maintaining our family
lifestyle and staying on the dean's list.

Quoted message said:

Not a bad thing. ;-)

OmManiPadmeOmelet said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Doug Kanter said:

Quoted message said:

<gag> You must own a cheap one.......

They are no harder to clean than a toaster if you get a decent one, and
a helluva lot faster and easier to clean than the oven!!!!!!!

Oven? I take out the racks. I set it on "Clean Yo Bad Self Now". I open a
beer. Elapsed time: under a minute. 3 hours later, it's done. I put a sticky
not on it saying "Needs a wipe", so I remember to do that before I use it
next. That takes 2 minutes.

I don't use the cleaning cycle... All that does is burn in stains.

I clean by hand using oven cleaner.

Could not stand the smell in the house for 3 days the one time a
housemate used it. :-(

Om, we have the new JennAir self clean oven. I've used the cycle once.
You take the racks out and set the clean cycle to either 2, 3 or 4
hours then press the button and that's it! I was impressed. It didn't
smell up the house either. The manual says you will notice some smells
the first couple of times you use it but then nothing. I'm a real
cheapskate for somethings so I went nowhere near the electric meter. I
likely would have had a heart attack! For me the self clean cycle will
be better for me than oven cleaner. If you figure out how much per year
you spend on oven cleaner, the self cleaner likely ends up being cheaper
but that likely depends on how often you clean your oven.

Doug Kanter said:

"Lena B Katz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Doug Kanter said:

"~patches~" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

>OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:
>
>
>
>>>Invisible garlic. Can't be done with scissors or a paring knife. Back
>>>to
>>>your room before the orderly notices you've gone missing.
>>>
>>
>>
>>Geez! What has gotten into you today?
>>You are wearing a Sheldon disguise?
>
>He was getting on my nerves so I did that little click of a button thing
>😉 My personal experience has been that the garlic press gets more
>flavour followed by smashing the garlic head on the chopping block
>followed by simply chopping the garlic. I think it depends on what you
>are using the garlic for.

Have you seen the movie "Goodfellas"? The guy using a razor blade to cut
garlic insanely thin? That's on its way to being invisible garlic.

here's the transcript of what we were talking about:

1. I say i'd rather have kitchen scissors than paring knife
2. You say "are you crazy" followed by some thigns that I agreed with and
others I did not.
3. I ask what you do with paring knife that you don't do with scissors.
4. You say invisible garlic -- which you follow by saying can't be done
with either.

I did not say it could not be done with either tool. I said it could not be
done with scissors. If you believe otherwise, please point to the precise
words you misunderstood.

Doug Kanter said:

"Lena B Katz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>What do you use your paring knife for?

Lena

Invisible garlic. Can't be done with scissors or a paring knife. Back to
your room before the orderly notices you've gone missing.

I think you typed "or a paring knife" instead of "or a serrated chef's
knife".

--

saerah

http://anisaerah.blogspot.com/

email:
anisaerah at s b c global.net

Adam Bowman said:

I always wonder when someone brings up a point about Bush, and you
then bring up something that Clinton did, are you saying they are both
wrong? Because that's all it points out to me, places where they both
messed up. It doesn't negate the fact that Bush did wrong; was that
your intention?

That type of argument is like

"Bob shot someone"

"Yeah, but don't you remember when Don hit that guy with a bat?"

Rickie Beth said:

I moved into my first apartment three years ago with no cooking
equipment and minimal cooking skills. (In college, I lived off of a
meal plan and a contraband hot-pot.) I bought what I *thought* were
the basics, but I've found that many of those items I never used. Now
I love cooking and I certainly do have my toys, but I know which items
I would start fresh with, if I had to do that again.

*frying pan, with lid
*sauce pan, with lid
*pasta pot -- also used for soups, stews, etc.
*chef's knife
*vegetable peeler -- it makes nice thin slices from a brick of cheese,
too.
*can opener -- with a bottle opener on the end. I'm 24, I like beer,
sue me.

Get the twist tops. That way you get your exercise and beer at the same
time 😉

Quoted message said:

*wooden spoon
*slotted spoon
*spatula
*spring-loaded tongs -- best thing I ever bought for myself.
*mesh strainer -- for picking out gunk, not for draining since I use
the pot lids/slotted spoon for that.
*large pyrex bowl and 2 quart pyrex dish - good for mixing and
storing, plus it can go in the oven.
*cookie sheet -- a *small* one. The big ones don't fit in my
apartment's oven.
*small cutting board -- anything too large is difficult to fit on the
counter and is a pain to wash in my tiny sink.

Again, this is just my list, tailored to the way I cook. If I had to
start brand new with no equipment again, this is what I would go out
and buy to be minimally functional in the kitchen.

Good list!

Lena B Katz said:

Doug Kanter said:

"Lena B Katz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

when was the last time you shopped for an apartment? A working,
functional stove can be hard to find. Particularly if your apartment
happens to be a dorm room, or a suite with a communal stove -- in which
case cooking in the oven is far harder than grabbing a spare unit for
some
soup.

I shopped apartments 3 years ago. I looked at 30. All of them had a
normal
stove & oven.

how many of them had their own hot water heaters? == or washing machines?

city apartments are far, far different than suburban ones.

I've never seen a suburban apartment that did not have a working stove
and oven.

--

saerah

http://anisaerah.blogspot.com/

email:
anisaerah at s b c global.net

Adam Bowman said:

I always wonder when someone brings up a point about Bush, and you
then bring up something that Clinton did, are you saying they are both
wrong? Because that's all it points out to me, places where they both
messed up. It doesn't negate the fact that Bush did wrong; was that
your intention?

That type of argument is like

"Bob shot someone"

"Yeah, but don't you remember when Don hit that guy with a bat?"

Doug Kanter said:

"Default User" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Doug Kanter wrote:

[power cycles and effect on computers]

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

That's based on my experience as an electronics test engineer who
dealt with computer equipment. I turn off the monitor because it's
a big power draw and has high reliability compared to the other
items.

What's your contention based on?

It's based on mixed results of studies from companies like HP, Dell &
Compaq over the years, described several years ago in either PC
Magazine or PC World - I don't recall which. They said that
obviously, you shouldn't turn it off & on every time you get up to
use the bathroom, but on in the morning and off at the end of the
day? No extra wear they could point to.

Studies I read in days past seemed to indicate the other way, that the
heat swings of power cycles stressed the boards and components. It also
went along with my personal experience of the various workstations and
PCs we had in the labs, I tended to see fewer problems with the 24/7
machines.

Quoted message said:

My own experience seems to
bear out these ideas. There are 3 machines here, all with hard disks
over 8 years old. One runs day & night as a server. The other two are
shut down at night. No failures for any of them.

I haven't seen anything from you that changes my mind. That's the cool
thing, I only said that I "firmly believe" that it's true. It would
take compelling evidence to change that.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

If it were true, you'd also leave on every
other piece of electrical equipment in the house, like TV, stereo,
etc.

None of those are personal computers.

So? Except for the hard disk, a computer contains nothing so
different from a TV, VCR, DVD player, etc.

In point of fact, I don't turn off the VCR (unless I need to record) or
the DVD player. The TV, like a monitor, is a big power draw item, and
has high reliability compared to the other items mentioned.

Brian

--
If televison's a babysitter, the Internet is a drunk librarian who
won't shut up.
-- Dorothy Gambrell (http://catandgirl.com)

"OmManiPadmeOmelet" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

I don't use the cleaning cycle... All that does is burn in stains.

I clean by hand using oven cleaner.

Could not stand the smell in the house for 3 days the one time a
housemate used it. :-(

You buy your appliances at the crappy appliance store?
Dishwashers suck, self cleaning ovens suck. (laugh)

Self cleaning stinks the first time, after that no, but I still
keep the windows open. I wouldn't want to do it with
the windows closed.

I'll never clean an oven by hand again, the fumes would
slay me, and I just don't work that hard for something
you can get as a feature anymore.

I can't imagine why you have stains burned in unless
you'd already messed with the finish with oven cleaner.

nancy

Doug Kanter said:

"Lena B Katz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

With this, I can make practically anything that's canned, and most things
that are boxed (lipton sidedishes, say).

No wonder you can't afford what you need. You waste your money on packaged
foods. You're brain's being deteriorated by MSG & all the other chemicals in
that junk.

Holy freakin' [censored]! Hell hath frozen over. Doug Kanter has has
proven he Kan!

Thank you kindly, Doug, for trimming 120+ lines of Lena's previous
post. Keep up the good work. 🙂

nb

Doug Kanter said:

I can make pancakes over a campfire.......

Ooooh, ...sorry... wrong answer. Go to jail without passing go
for not trimming a jillion lines of useless txt.

So sad. And you were doing so well. 🙁

nb

"sarah bennett" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

I've never seen a suburban apartment that did not have a working stove and
oven.

I don't think I've ever lived anywhere it wasn't required
by law to have a working oven.

nancy

In article <[email hidden]>,

Doug Kanter said:

"OmManiPadmeOmelet" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Doug Kanter said:

Oh please....what adult can't make friggin pancakes? If you don't spot
your
mistakes after the first three tries, and either fix them, or consult a
book
and THEN fix them, you're an idiot.

Pancakes ain't rocket science...

but neither are hard boiled eggs.

How many threads about hard boiled eggs have appeared on this list just
in the past 2 years??????
--
Peace, Om.

You know my policy on failure to consult resources available to everyone. No
further comment is necessary.

Except that if everyone looked up the resources, the cooking discussion
list would not exsist. ;-)
--
Peace, Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-[censored]." -Jack Nicholson

In article <[email hidden]>,

Rickie Beth said:

I moved into my first apartment three years ago with no cooking
equipment and minimal cooking skills. (In college, I lived off of a
meal plan and a contraband hot-pot.) I bought what I *thought* were
the basics, but I've found that many of those items I never used. Now
I love cooking and I certainly do have my toys, but I know which items
I would start fresh with, if I had to do that again.

*frying pan, with lid
*sauce pan, with lid
*pasta pot -- also used for soups, stews, etc.
*chef's knife
*vegetable peeler -- it makes nice thin slices from a brick of cheese,
too.
*can opener -- with a bottle opener on the end. I'm 24, I like beer,
sue me.
*wooden spoon
*slotted spoon
*spatula
*spring-loaded tongs -- best thing I ever bought for myself.
*mesh strainer -- for picking out gunk, not for draining since I use
the pot lids/slotted spoon for that.
*large pyrex bowl and 2 quart pyrex dish - good for mixing and
storing, plus it can go in the oven.
*cookie sheet -- a *small* one. The big ones don't fit in my
apartment's oven.
*small cutting board -- anything too large is difficult to fit on the
counter and is a pain to wash in my tiny sink.

Again, this is just my list, tailored to the way I cook. If I had to
start brand new with no equipment again, this is what I would go out
and buy to be minimally functional in the kitchen.

-- RB

OmManiPadmeOmelet said:

The thread is an offshoot of the "food snob" thread.
It's aimed at trying to equip the minimalist cook.

I could be wrong, but that's the impression I got.

What is the very LEAST you could get by with and still achieve decent
meals with minimal effort?

If this was about all the toys I'd like to have, my list would be very
long. <G>

The cutting board is a good addition to the "Must have" list that
Patches started. :-
--
Peace, Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-[censored]." -Jack Nicholson

In article <[email hidden]>,

Lena B Katz said:

OmManiPadmeOmelet said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Lena B Katz said:

I'd say try an IKEA for reasonably priced trash. (great value for the
money).

But id' serously consider investing in a good stirfry wok (like the
catastraphon i got). So versatile, so useful!

I remember going to college sophomore year witout a meal plan. I remember
what I used, when. And which things sat mouldering on a shelf.

Lena

I use my cast iron skillet for stir fry... :-)

I can't use a wok on my glass top stove.

... you can't use a wok? I feel sorry for you...

Lena

Meh. The cast iron skillet works just fine. :-)

I don't need a wok.

Really.

And it saves space as it's good for many other things.
--
Peace, Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-[censored]." -Jack Nicholson

Nancy Young said:

"sarah bennett" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

I've never seen a suburban apartment that did not have a working stove and
oven.

I don't think I've ever lived anywhere it wasn't required
by law to have a working oven.

show ... law? please?

a friend of mine in college lived in a efficiency without a stove or oven.

Lena