Legit kitchen appliances & accessories

[horn4life 3829]

36 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

I use my 30 year old twin-bladed electric knife for those tasks.  Works like a charm.

You will never get as clean and thin a cut with an electric knife.  I get the convenience, but hate the cord aesthetically from a presentation perspective.  And I like to shave the meat for leftovers on the roasts paper thin!

[jimmyjazz 46967]

5 minutes ago, horn4life said:

You will never get as clean and thin a cut with an electric knife.  I get the convenience, but hate the cord aesthetically from a presentation perspective.  And I like to shave the meat for leftovers on the roasts paper thin!

Well, I'm not slicing at the table, and I'm not slicing rib roasts, briskets or turkey super thin for the standard family/holiday dinner.  It works in that context.

[Jkwellborn 7006]

You will never get as clean and thin a cut with an electric knife.  I get the convenience, but hate the cord aesthetically from a presentation perspective.  And I like to shave the meat for leftovers on the roasts paper thin!

If I’m worried about shaving meat, I’ll get the meat slicer out. Or the razor. Just depends.

[Sam Lin 3589]

On 12/13/2023 at 10:10 AM, dcbc said:

So you took your Victorinox down to a 15 degree angle?  I have their Chef's knife and was eyeballing the CC1520, which is on sale for $92.

I didn't check the sharpener model you posted. If this is the case, you're taking a 20' Victorinox and reprofiling it to a 15' Asian angle. That would explain how many passes it took you, you had to do some serious grinding of metal. But that should only be needed the very first time you sharpen - for maintenance sharpening after that the angle is already matched, so you should only need a few passes on 2 and a polish pass on 3.

[dcbc 14641]

1 hour ago, Sam Lin said:

I didn't check the sharpener model you posted. If this is the case, you're taking a 20' Victorinox and reprofiling it to a 15' Asian angle. That would explain how many passes it took you, you had to do some serious grinding of metal. But that should only be needed the very first time you sharpen - for maintenance sharpening after that the angle is already matched, so you should only need a few passes on 2 and a polish pass on 3.

I posted a manual Chef's Choice Sharpener with both a 15 and 20 degree pass option (plus the polishing).  I also asked about the electric version of essentially what I have, the 1520.  What our friend posted was the 15xv, which only has a 15 degree sharpener plus the polisher.  According to the manual, it will re-angle a 20 degree blade down to a 15, and, yes, I imagine that would take a few more passes on the first go-'round.  The manual says just to run it through the polisher for maintenance most of the time. 

 

On my manual sharpener, it suggests 8 total pulls (mine requires back and forth) the first time, and 4--6 on subsequent sharpenings.  It works well, but I'm curious about the 1520 Model since I want to keep my Euro knives Euro.

 

Both electric sharpeners mentioned as well as my manual sharpener all use the diamond disks.  The electrics have better guides and have separate slots for each side of the blade. 

Edited December 15, 2023 by dcbc

[Baboontyme 2875]

I have ordered a bunch of stuff.  Disclaimer, not surly cooking elite, no goal to become surly cooking elite. After pondering everything from the all clad stainless to ceramic I decided that I can't remember the last time I made anything in a frying pan other than eggs/breakfast or ground beef for tacos. That said I do like to tinker and I like to have decent stuff, especially in a new kitchen. With a decent range and an actual hood vent instead of a microwave one who knows I may start trying to cook my chicken breasts in the house. 

I read lots of reviews, and relied pretty heavily on serious eats.  Let me know how I did. 

The range I settled on that has been sitting in my garage for 3 months is this one

steak knives ordered 2 sets 

4 qt saucepan  I also bought a 1.5 qt matching. I own a decent stock pot. 

10" preseasoned OXO carbon steel pan I also bought the matching 8" and 12" so I can throw just about everything else I own away. I will keep my 12" lodge cast iron and an 8" and 10" non stick TFAL that I recently purchased for use on the hot plate that I have been trying to use for 5 months 🙄. Wife can use those. 

Sam Lin's knife block - do I need knife guards?

I'm not sure I need any other knives. I have a serrated Wusthof slicer which is my go to for roasts, in addition to an edge slicer that sometimes I will use for brisket. I have a decent chef's knife, a Victorinox paring knife and another Wusthof 8" filet knife. What's missing?

[NoName 17105]

1 hour ago, Baboontyme said:

I have ordered a bunch of stuff.  Disclaimer, not surly cooking elite, no goal to become surly cooking elite. After pondering everything from the all clad stainless to ceramic I decided that I can't remember the last time I made anything in a frying pan other than eggs/breakfast or ground beef for tacos. That said I do like to tinker and I like to have decent stuff, especially in a new kitchen. With a decent range and an actual hood vent instead of a microwave one who knows I may start trying to cook my chicken breasts in the house. 

I read lots of reviews, and relied pretty heavily on serious eats.  Let me know how I did. 

The range I settled on that has been sitting in my garage for 3 months is this one

steak knives ordered 2 sets 

4 qt saucepan  I also bought a 1.5 qt matching. I own a decent stock pot. 

10" preseasoned OXO carbon steel pan I also bought the matching 8" and 12" so I can throw just about everything else I own away. I will keep my 12" lodge cast iron and an 8" and 10" non stick TFAL that I recently purchased for use on the hot plate that I have been trying to use for 5 months 🙄. Wife can use those. 

Sam Lin's knife block - do I need knife guards?

I'm not sure I need any other knives. I have a serrated Wusthof slicer which is my go to for roasts, in addition to an edge slicer that sometimes I will use for brisket. I have a decent chef's knife, a Victorinox paring knife and another Wusthof 8" filet knife. What's missing?

i have the wood handled  version of those steak knives, they are very good.

[Baboontyme 2875]

42 minutes ago, NoName said:

i have the wood handled  version of those steak knives, they are very good.

Nice. They were a serious eats "budget" rec. 

I also ordered the dcbc chain mail scrubbers. 

[Sam Lin 3589]

2 hours ago, Baboontyme said:

Sam Lin's knife block - do I need knife guards?

I'm not sure I need any other knives. I have a serrated Wusthof slicer which is my go to for roasts, in addition to an edge slicer that sometimes I will use for brisket. I have a decent chef's knife, a Victorinox paring knife and another Wusthof 8" filet knife. What's missing?

Nope.

Add knives when you have an actual need.

[dcbc 14641]

As for pans, the only hole I see is a good, stainless frying pan and a saute pan.  Sometimes you want stuff to stick a little for some good fond. 

[After irth 1245]

After dicking around with substandard stainless pans for a few go-rounds, I ended up trying the Sur La Table branded 5-ply, and they have been awesome.  For those that may be in need...

[dcbc 14641]

 .....................

Edited December 15, 2023 by dcbc
Duplicate

[Baboontyme 2875]

Any of these knives look like they're worth a crap?

 

 

[jimmyjazz 46967]

I'd take the Henckels to a pro knife sharpener and ask them.  I don't know about the rest.

[Baboontyme 2875]

2 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

I'd take the Henckels to a pro knife sharpener and ask them.  I don't know about the rest.

I found them online. They're $12 knives. I am going to melt them all down and forge a katana. 

[dcbc 14641]

17 hours ago, Baboontyme said:

I found them online. They're $12 knives. I am going to melt them all down and forge a katana. 

If they're sharp and stay sharp and feel good in your hand, yes.  If you don't know the answers to those questions, hard to say.  I've had a set of Henckels for over 20 years.  They're our house knives. They're okay, but they have to be sharpened often and aren't really comparable to what my knives, which I picked up individually after some research (a mixed set), are.  The handles are comfortable though and I use them when it's a pretty quick task.

Edited December 16, 2023 by dcbc

[Sam Lin 3589]

Those are cheap stamped Henckels, you can tell bc the logo is a single person and not 2 people side by side. That said, it's at least a Victorinox equivalent in quality and steel, and better balanced (and better looking). Street price is about double a Victorinox.

[dcbc 14641]

18 hours ago, Sam Lin said:

Those are cheap stamped Henckels, you can tell bc the logo is a single person and not 2 people side by side. That said, it's at least a Victorinox equivalent in quality and steel, and better balanced (and better looking). Street price is about double a Victorinox.

I have both and prefer the Victorinox, but the Henckels aren't the worst thing in the world.  The Victorinox has the pretty but stinky rosewood handle.  So it looks nice compared to the Henckels.  But 95% of people who use our house knives wouldn't really want for more, if I had to guess.  Mostly because I try to keep them sharp though.

Edited December 17, 2023 by dcbc

[Okie State 3887]

Similar to Wüsthof Gourmet line.

[Baboontyme 2875]

Oxo carbon steel pans arrived today. They are beautiful. If only I had a range to use them on. 

I have something for you guys. Been giving me anxiety all week.

Water line to ice maker/fridge was replaced because the fridge location is moving over slightly and we need more line. Still using existing fridge until flooring is in. Water and ice from existing fridge tasted great. I went to Lowe's and bought a braided stainless pvc core water line. The plumbers installed it.

It tastes awful. It's quite clearly the water that sits in that line that tastes terrible. If I don't get water for a couple of hours, the first 16ish oz taste totally fine. I assume this water has been sitting in the fridge line between the water dispenser and ice maker. The next 60-75 oz are bad, and then it tastes fine again. 20 ft hose.

I wondered if I had a bad hose so I ordered another one, same style different brand. It arrived today and I ran some water from the sink through it, then let the water sit in it for a couple of hours coiled up in the sink and tasted it. Blech. Same plastic/metallic/whatever taste. 

I have changed the filter in the fridge and also spent a lot of time just running water through the one that is currently hooked up but the bad taste doesn't seem to be lessening. 

What is strange to me is that I have googled this and there are surprisingly few results. Where I have found results that closely matched, they were questions on forums with no real solutions. 

it's not just me, either, everyone tastes it. I could have them replace with pex or even copper maybe but that seems risky. Drywall ceiling below in basement and the stainless ones have an auto shut off.

frustrated. Anyone ever experience something similar? We/I drink a ton of water from the fridge. 

[dcbc 14641]

51 minutes ago, Baboontyme said:

Oxo carbon steel pans arrived today. They are beautiful. If only I had a range to use them on. 

I have something for you guys. Been giving me anxiety all week.

Water line to ice maker/fridge was replaced because the fridge location is moving over slightly and we need more line. Still using existing fridge until flooring is in. Water and ice from existing fridge tasted great. I went to Lowe's and bought a braided stainless pvc core water line. The plumbers installed it.

It tastes awful. It's quite clearly the water that sits in that line that tastes terrible. If I don't get water for a couple of hours, the first 16ish oz taste totally fine. I assume this water has been sitting in the fridge line between the water dispenser and ice maker. The next 60-75 oz are bad, and then it tastes fine again. 20 ft hose.

I wondered if I had a bad hose so I ordered another one, same style different brand. It arrived today and I ran some water from the sink through it, then let the water sit in it for a couple of hours coiled up in the sink and tasted it. Blech. Same plastic/metallic/whatever taste. 

I have changed the filter in the fridge and also spent a lot of time just running water through the one that is currently hooked up but the bad taste doesn't seem to be lessening. 

What is strange to me is that I have googled this and there are surprisingly few results. Where I have found results that closely matched, they were questions on forums with no real solutions. 

it's not just me, either, everyone tastes it. I could have them replace with pex or even copper maybe but that seems risky. Drywall ceiling below in basement and the stainless ones have an auto shut off.

frustrated. Anyone ever experience something similar? We/I drink a ton of water from the fridge. 

I'd probably run a temporary copper solution and test it.  We only have a very short stainless run and all the water lines still are copper.  It's fine unless you run a drywall screw through it (ask me how I know).

Edited December 17, 2023 by dcbc

[Baboontyme 2875]

2 hours ago, dcbc said:

I'd probably run a temporary copper solution and test it.  We only have a very short stainless run and all the water lines still are copper.  It's fine unless you run a drywall screw through it (ask me how I know).

I don't think I am going to be able to do much experimenting on my own here. It will require plumber involvement to even replace the line. There would be a significant amount of fish taping, tight connections, water shutoffs. I think I probably could do it but it would take me 2.5 hours, a lot of curse words and another piece of my rapidly diminishing sanity. And while the builder is a pos who is terrible at his job the plumber is awesome and could change the line out in 10 minutes. 

Between the boy and I we spent about 90 minutes doing this tonight just to make damn sure that taste isn't going away. It's not. I ordered a 15' run as I think that can work with pex core instead of pvc and I will have him switch that and just hope it's better. Is pex core probably the same as pvc? Yes. I'm resigned to thinking we're going to have to find a different drinking water source. I guess at the end of the day it's just people's recycled piss anyway. 

And I made scrambled eggs in the Oxo on the hot plate. 

[Chopper 17429]

12 hours ago, Baboontyme said:

I don't think I am going to be able to do much experimenting on my own here. It will require plumber involvement to even replace the line. There would be a significant amount of fish taping, tight connections, water shutoffs. I think I probably could do it but it would take me 2.5 hours, a lot of curse words and another piece of my rapidly diminishing sanity. And while the builder is a pos who is terrible at his job the plumber is awesome and could change the line out in 10 minutes.

This is perplexing because I can't imagine the cause being the braided stainless tubing. I'm no plumber but even if you had copper in the wall you're going to need a flex line from the wall to the fridge, right? How's the refrigerator water taste compared to the water directly from the kitchen faucet specifically after you haven't run any water in the house for at least couple hours? 

We're in Fort Collins where so many rave about the taste of the local water. It's better than most -- or probably all -- city water I've tasted but (the wife is a "super taster" and that causes me to try to pay more attention to taste than I would have otherwise) we ended up getting a whole house filter and use a Zero water pitcher (not brita) for the espresso machine. The britas and the small refrigerator wate filters don't do much. I think you can count on them to take out most of the chloramines but that's about it.

Edited December 17, 2023 by Chopper

[jimmyjazz 46967]

Did the refrigerator sit unused and unplugged for a while AFTER having been in service?  The reason I ask is because I once did a major remodel of an old house that required us to move out, and the refrigerator sat for months.  When I finally powered it up and let it cool down, I grabbed a cup for some water and it was f'n AWFUL.  Within a half hour I was having a horrible allergy attack.  The internal water lines & storage had gotten moldy.  It took several hours to flush it, and I think the plumber actually used some diluted bleach at first.

[52-80 19379]

FYI the Combustion Inc multi-sensor wireless thermometer + lcd display is on sale at $169. The thermometer alone is “just” $127. 
 

 

[thunderlounge 8318]

How many probes can it monitor?

[52-80 19379]

7 minutes ago, thunderlounge said:

How many probes can it monitor?

up to 4. 
 

It sounds a bit overkill especially since other companies make stick-thermometer clones at a fraction of the price, but you really are supporting a legitimate project with ongoing innovation. 
 

its not a static product. it uses common tech standards so the product can be ‘hacked’ or plugged into more complex workflows. if you google around, the company (really the owner chris young) actively engages customers across the web on new ideas, and they update the firmware with it. 
 

i havent actually used mine — its in the mail waiting to be picked up — but i can throw extra bucks at people doing cool shit. 

[thunderlounge 8318]

I'm close to needing a new set, and just starting to look into it. Would like something that works over wifi instead of BT, but that will depend on a few things (quality, operation, etc.)

Been looking at the thermoworks stuff a bit lately.

[Zepol87 9308]

Gf wants a juicer but has limited counter space any decent recs for a compactish one?? What she spends at the damn juice place a month we could have a pretty badass one 

[jimmyjazz 46967]

12 minutes ago, thunderlounge said:

Been looking at the thermoworks stuff a bit lately.

Those have been my go-to for a long time.  I'm on #3.  Inexpensive, accurate, reliable.  Eventually they just get kinda worn out, but it takes a while.

[Mittens 8631]

6 minutes ago, Zepol87 said:

Gf wants a juicer but has limited counter space any decent recs for a compactish one?? What she spends at the damn juice place a month we could have a pretty badass one 

I'm very interested in this as well.  There used to be a juicing thread w/ a bunch of recipe suggestions and a lot of info on appliances as well, but I can't find it - maybe it was on surly?

[52-80 19379]

23 minutes ago, thunderlounge said:

I'm close to needing a new set, and just starting to look into it. Would like something that works over wifi instead of BT, but that will depend on a few things (quality, operation, etc.)

Been looking at the thermoworks stuff a bit lately.

https://www.reddit.com/r/combustion_inc/comments/17pa8d7/wifi_integration/
 

[Mittens 8631]

2 hours ago, Mittens said:

maybe it was on surly?

*shaggy

[Baboontyme 2875]

21 hours ago, Chopper said:

This is perplexing because I can't imagine the cause being the braided stainless tubing. I'm no plumber but even if you had copper in the wall you're going to need a flex line from the wall to the fridge, right? How's the refrigerator water taste compared to the water directly from the kitchen faucet specifically after you haven't run any water in the house for at least couple hours? 

We're in Fort Collins where so many rave about the taste of the local water. It's better than most -- or probably all -- city water I've tasted but (the wife is a "super taster" and that causes me to try to pay more attention to taste than I would have otherwise) we ended up getting a whole house filter and use a Zero water pitcher (not brita) for the espresso machine. The britas and the small refrigerator wate filters don't do much. I think you can count on them to take out most of the chloramines but that's about it.

I'm zeroing in and I do believe it is the line, specifically it is pvc-lined stainless braided. I also think I might be a "super taster". I have for years had issues with Kingsford charcoal giving off a chemical taste that no one else seems to notice. Though in the case of the water line my kids taste it, too.

The water lines are copper and the water tastes fine directly out of the faucet. I just prefer it filtered and chilled through the fridge. 10-12 years ago we had a plumber tie a valve into the line in the basement and run it up through the floor to the existing fridge. There is a tie in there to the line that is currently hooked up and a shut off. I can access this via an access panel that they cut into the drywall ceiling in the basement. I don't know what kind of line was on it for the past 10-12 years but it tasted fine until it was replaced last week with the pvc lined stainless tubing.

I let some water sit overnight in the pex lined tubing that I bought from Amazon. Poured it into a cup this morning and no funny taste at all. Same experiment with an extra roll of the pvc lined tubing tasted terrible. I think if they can replace the current line with the pex lined Amazon one the issue will be resolved. I hope. 

 

[Baboontyme 2875]

On 12/17/2023 at 11:15 AM, jimmyjazz said:

Did the refrigerator sit unused and unplugged for a while AFTER having been in service?  The reason I ask is because I once did a major remodel of an old house that required us to move out, and the refrigerator sat for months.  When I finally powered it up and let it cool down, I grabbed a cup for some water and it was f'n AWFUL.  Within a half hour I was having a horrible allergy attack.  The internal water lines & storage had gotten moldy.  It took several hours to flush it, and I think the plumber actually used some diluted bleach at first.

Missed this. No, it has been in use the entire project. Between the kids and I we're probably filling up damn near 300 oz daily from the fridge. Or we were.

[Texzilla58 4778]

It can still get moldy in those lines in the fridge. I’m sure there are videos to show how to clean it out.

[VABuckeye 2481]

Is a super taster like one of those golden ears audiophiles?

[Baboontyme 2875]

2 hours ago, VABuckeye said:

Is a super taster like one of those golden ears audiophiles?

Even better.

[NeverMarryAStripper 22241]

I bet you’ve had some bad experiences eating pussy

[dcbc 14641]

16 hours ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

I bet you’ve had some bad experiences eating pussy

Edited December 19, 2023 by dcbc

[Baboontyme 2875]

23 hours ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

I bet you’ve had some bad experiences eating pussy

I'm married (not to a stripper) so it's possible but I don't remember. 

I changed the water line out today. I got impatient. Damn if that didn't fix the problem completely. I don't think it was a super taster thing. I asked my wife to try the water out of the pvc lined hose and she said dose nasty. 

TLDR don't use a stainless pvc lined braided hose to your refrigerator water/ice line. 

[dcbc 14641]

I'm married (not to a stripper) so it's possible but I don't remember. 
I changed the water line out today. I got impatient. Damn if that didn't fix the problem completely. I don't think it was a super taster thing. I asked my wife to try the water out of the pvc lined hose and she said dose nasty. 
TLDR don't use a stainless pvc lined braided hose to your refrigerator water/ice line. 

Or maybe not a 20' PVC line? What did you replace it with?

[Baboontyme 2875]

1 hour ago, dcbc said:

Or maybe not a 20' PVC line? What did you replace it with?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09WVXGGFW?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

 

15' was the shortest I could make do with. But it has to be the pvc core. I have been running so many experiments I feel like Bill Nye. To recap I let water sit in two separate pvc core hoses for a period of time, then poured in a plastic cup and tasted and both had that terrible metallic taste. Same experiment with the pex lined hose and it was fine. 

Running a whole lot more water through the pvc lined hose may have lessened the bad taste but I didn't want to bank on that. 

 

[dcbc 14641]

51 minutes ago, Baboontyme said:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09WVXGGFW?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

 

15' was the shortest I could make do with. But it has to be the pvc core. I have been running so many experiments I feel like Bill Nye. To recap I let water sit in two separate pvc core hoses for a period of time, then poured in a plastic cup and tasted and both had that terrible metallic taste. Same experiment with the pex lined hose and it was fine. 

Running a whole lot more water through the pvc lined hose may have lessened the bad taste but I didn't want to bank on that. 

 

So you went with a PEX line?

[Baboontyme 2875]

Yep. I'm not sure I totally buy this but from the Amazon link. I mean it is what it is, it tasted poor, and now it doesn't so there's something there. Even my wife said the old water was gross, and we all know she has terrible taste. 

 

[bluto 4980]

On 12/17/2023 at 2:05 PM, Zepol87 said:

Gf wants a juicer but has limited counter space any decent recs for a compactish one?? What she spends at the damn juice place a month we could have a pretty badass one 

Actual juicer or badass blender that can liquify? If the latter then go vitamix and be done with it for at least ten yrs (mine is a refurb going on ten yrs now with zero issue on almost daily use)

[mycox 587]

The Le Creuset Signature Cast Iron Everyday Pan for $179 will do everything you need, and will probably last past your lifetime. It's a braiser, a fry pan, you can bake with it, and it's a skillet. No seasoning needed and the enamel is nonstick over time. The only negative is it doesn't come with a lid. You can purchase one from Le Creuset for $40 or buy an aftermarket lid for ~$20.

I was debating on getting the Cast Iron Signature Braiser 3.5 qt, but the Everyday Pan does everything the braiser does (but not as deep) for half the price.

[52-80 19379]

15 hours ago, mycox said:

The Le Creuset Signature Cast Iron Everyday Pan for $179 will do everything you need, and will probably last past your lifetime. It's a braiser, a fry pan, you can bake with it, and it's a skillet. No seasoning needed and the enamel is nonstick over time. The only negative is it doesn't come with a lid. You can purchase one from Le Creuset for $40 or buy an aftermarket lid for ~$20.

I was debating on getting the Cast Iron Signature Braiser 3.5 qt, but the Everyday Pan does everything the braiser does (but not as deep) for half the price.

Its heavy as shit tho. The wimmens wont like it. Imagine its full of food and hot and having to transport from stove to the oven…

[tigol 2466]

4 hours ago, 52-80 said:

Its heavy as shit tho. The wimmens wont like it. Imagine its full of food and hot and having to transport from stove to the oven…

The "wimmens" as you so eloquently put it also dislike it due to the difficulty in storing it and transporting it.  They are inflexible, uncompromising, overpriced boat anchors.

[Jerry Callo 8952]

1 hour ago, tigol said:

The "wimmens" as you so eloquently put it also dislike it due to the difficulty in storing it and transporting it.  They are inflexible, uncompromising, overpriced boat anchors.

They aren't going to like being called that.