Indispensable Kitchen Gadgets

[Gramto6]

9 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

I found the tomato powder at Amazon for $8 a package (+ free Prime shipping🎉). But I really need to investigate the website.

I looked a little bit what I saw on the items I looked at was they ship free Storewide for orders in the US. You in the US?

Their Tomato Powder is $8.99 for an 8 oz package. 

Edited September 18, 2022 by Gramto6
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[annzeepark914]

Yup...in the US. I really need to check out this site.

[Gramto6]

2 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

Yup...in the US. I really need to check out this site.

Lots of cool spices!! I am probably going to try the Shakshuka Blend. They even give a recipe!

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, Gramto6 said:

I am probably going to try the Shakshuka Blend. They even give a recipe!

Looking that up, it seems to be Ras el Hanout, which is some combination of any or all of: cumin, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, coriander, cayenne, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, anise, paprika, fenugreek, and S&P.  There are so many variations, but all are delicious!

[Gramto6]

11 hours ago, Bastet said:

Looking that up, it seems to be Ras el Hanout, which is some combination of any or all of: cumin, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, coriander, cayenne, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, anise, paprika, fenugreek, and S&P.  There are so many variations, but all are delicious!

Yeah, there are so many variations. This one looks good and I don't want to have to buy all the individual herbs.

There was a great show on Food Network, maybe Good Eats or Best Thing I Ever Ate, where Alex Guarnaschelli and Alton Brown act out making Shakshuka and it is like a play and they are dressed in Middle Eastern costumes.  They do the shopping and go through the recipe. I'm going to have to see if I can find a link.

Found one!!  Need to find the full show to watch. The episode is called My Shakshuka. Season 15 episode 5.

https://the83k.substack.com/p/good-eats-is-back-and-alton-made

I have Dish and this is their show.  I had to sign in to see it ,but I'm sure all other networks show it too. 

https://watch.foodnetwork.com/video/good-eats-food-network/my-shakshuka

Sorry fell down a rabbit hole looking for this...

Edited September 18, 2022 by Gramto6
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[Gramto6]

LOL I actually bought a jar of preserved lemons to try the recipe (from Amazon). They are salted and are probably just fine still.  

OK trying to pull myself out of the rabbit hole, but I think I have to get the spice and make this dish!!

I have a problem with finding things to eat that appeal to me and I think am ready for Shakshuka!!

[Mondrianyone]

15 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

I just bought a package of The Spice Way tomato powder. I went to their website where they instruct you to place 1-2 tsps of the powder into an infuser, then pour a cup of boiling water over it. Would that be a tea infuser??? (when I ordered the powder I thought I could just use the teaspoon to a measuring cup & add the water). 

What are you supposed to be making by using the infuser? I keep tomato powder on hand, mostly to make tomato paste, so I don't waste a bunch when I open a can for just a tablespoon or so. (Yes, I know you can freeze the leftover paste, but I don't want to be bothered.) I also use it to zhuzh up a sauce or a soup. But I don't remember anything about an infuser. I'm curious what the end result is supposed to be.

When I started using it, I Googled around and found a few helpful sites:

https://thesurvivalmom.com/10-uses-tomato-powder/?unapproved=990512&moderation-hash=1d0070f94b2e5add6d158fec59ef1c0a#comment-990512

http://yourthrivelife.com/2014/05/06/15-ways-to-use-tomato-powder/

https://www.harmonyhousefoods.com/blog-tomato-powder-tips

[Gramto6]

Sounds like she is going for making tomato soup?

As far as wasting tomato paste, I always buy tomato paste in the tubes. You just squeeze out what you need and the rest is there to use when needed.  That said, I am going to buy some of the powder too. I like some of the suggestions from the links you posted @Mondrianyone.

[Mondrianyone]

5 minutes ago, Gramto6 said:

I always buy tomato paste in the tubes.

Yep, I have a tube in the pantry, too. But I think the powder is a lot more cost-effective, and I can make it to exactly the consistency I want.

Tomato soup sounds right, but I'm still puzzled about what the infuser brings to the party.

I hope you find some good stuff on those links!

[annzeepark914]

13 minutes ago, Mondrianyone said:

Yep, I have a tube in the pantry, too. But I think the powder is a lot more cost-effective, and I can make it to exactly the consistency I want.

Tomato soup sounds right, but I'm still puzzled about what the infuser brings to the party.

I hope you find some good stuff on those links!

Actually, I just checked out your links and will forget about an infuser. These are great resources. Thanks!!

Edited September 18, 2022 by annzeepark914

[Mondrianyone]

22 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

These are great resources. Thanks!!

You're very welcome.

We're having steak tonight, coated with the rub we always use. I just got inspired to add some tomato powder to the rub. We'll see how that works. I'll blame you guys if it goes wrong.

[Gramto6]

4 hours ago, Mondrianyone said:

You're very welcome.

We're having steak tonight, coated with the rub we always use. I just got inspired to add some tomato powder to the rub. We'll see how that works. I'll blame you guys if it goes wrong.

Will be interested in hearing how it turns out!

I'm putting together an order on The Spice Way right now. Tomato powder is on the list.

[annzeepark914]

3 hours ago, Gramto6 said:

Will be interested in hearing how it turns out!

I'm putting together an order on The Spice Way right now. Tomato powder is on the list.

I'll be interested in what you're cookin' up 😊.

[Mondrianyone]

4 hours ago, Gramto6 said:

Will be interested in hearing how it turns out!

It was good. Not super tomatoey, but it sweetened the spiciness and took down the saltiness.

I'm going to put some in the dough next time I make pizza, and I read someone (on Chowhound?) saying they sprinkle it on bland tomatoes to jazz up a BLT when fresh tomatoes aren't at their best. All kinds of interesting uses for the stuff, and I haven't been taking full advantage!

[Gramto6]

3 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

I'll be interested in what you're cookin' up 😊.

So far my list includes:

The Tomato Powder, Shawarma Spice Blend, Lemon Grass Powder, Shakshuka Blend, and Paprika. May add a few more, still going through the site.

Edited September 19, 2022 by Gramto6
typo

[Leeds]

On 9/17/2022 at 5:24 PM, annzeepark914 said:

I just bought a package of The Spice Way tomato powder. I went to their website where they instruct you to place 1-2 tsps of the powder into an infuser, then pour a cup of boiling water over it. Would that be a tea infuser??? (when I ordered the powder I thought I could just use the teaspoon to a measuring cup & add the water). 

I don't understand this either.  An infuser is for tea leaves, or maybe whole herbs such as basil if for some reason you don't want them in your finished product.  A powder by definition just dissolves into the liquid and there's no point to an infuser.  It makes me question The Spice Way (and other companies) when they give bad directions like this.

[possibilities]

I was thinking they print the same info on every label, no matter the product.

[Gramto6]

On 9/21/2022 at 10:17 AM, possibilities said:

I was thinking they print the same info on every label, no matter the product.

That is possible, they have several herbs/spices that can be brewed as tea. I still haven't finished shopping there yet, got sidetracked...

[EtheltoTillie]

On 9/18/2022 at 12:56 PM, Mondrianyone said:

Yep, I have a tube in the pantry, too. But I think the powder is a lot more cost-effective, and I can make it to exactly the consistency I want.

Tomato soup sounds right, but I'm still puzzled about what the infuser brings to the party.

I hope you find some good stuff on those links!

I never heard of tomato powder. Must try it for this purpose of making small amounts of TP. 

[Leeds]

16 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I never heard of tomato powder. Must try it for this purpose of making small amounts of TP. 

When I see TP I think "Toilet Paper", which makes the above a very odd post.

[Gramto6]

I had all kinds of problems trying to get back on the Spice Way site that I just went to Amazon and got some of the Tomato Powder (which was tasty sprinkled on a White Castle burger!) and I also got powdered Lemongrass which I haven't tried yet.  I'm going to try it with Chinese noodles and shrimp with veggies.

Several of the things I wanted to try are available on Amazon so will get them there... Not sure what went wrong there...

Edited October 14, 2022 by Gramto6
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[chessiegal]

I was looking at the FB page of a consignment shop near me that I really like. My Community Outreach group uses them to sell things to raise money. The owner really knows her stuff, and always prices things competitively. I was surprised at what old Pyrex pieces are going for. Here are some examples.

[rcc]

41 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

I was looking at the FB page of a consignment shop near me that I really like. My Community Outreach group uses them to sell things to raise money. The owner really knows her stuff, and always prices things competitively. I was surprised at what old Pyrex pieces are going for. Here are some examples.

I had the middle set. Gave the larger one to niece. Sold others at garage sale. 

[chessiegal]

30 minutes ago, rcc said:

I had the middle set. Gave the larger one to niece. Sold others at garage sale. 

For anywhere near the prices they are asking?

[rcc]

1 minute ago, chessiegal said:

For anywhere near the prices they are asking?

It was over 12 years ago and don't remember what I got but doubt it.

[Gramto6]

Yeah, old Pyrex is very pricey. I need to check out my cupboard, may be some buck$ hiding there!

[SuprSuprElevated]

I have the big yellow bowl from that Pyrex set, I remember th green one, not sure if the others broke or got lost somehow from Mom's house 🧐.  The finish is pretty much ruined from the dishwasher years. 🙁

[rcc]

Those Pyrex bowls are very heavy.

[Gramto6]

Not sure if this is the place for this or not. I have been loving my Ninja Foodi Air Fryer. I have been seeing a commercial for Pillsbury Crescent rolls where the kid makes pizza rolls. it says you can make them in oven or air fryer.  I Googled the rolls in air fryer and found a recipe for ham and cheese rolls that you air fry, 4 min per side at 360°. Worked like a charm and they were flakey just like from the oven. Cheese was melty and they made great snacks! I only used half the rolls, next batch (4) will have pizza sauce and cheese and maybe some spam in them...I have a small tin of spam I need to use up.... (First hubby was Chinese, his mom used a lot of Spam...it's not so bad if used carefully...) I'll use the leftover in noodles with the dried lemon grass I bought from Amazon.

I still can't believe the air fryer made these so well!!!

[annzeepark914]

I need suggestions re: where to buy a really good temperature gauge for a gas oven. Our relatively new oven just had its oven igniter replaced. When I set the oven for 400° tonight & checked the temp after the oven chimed it was ready, the temp showed 325°. The temp thing I used was one I bought in a grocery store. 

[chessiegal]

53 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

I need suggestions re: where to buy a really good temperature gauge for a gas oven. Our relatively new oven just had its oven igniter replaced. When I set the oven for 400° tonight & checked the temp after the oven chimed it was ready, the temp showed 325°. The temp thing I used was one I bought in a grocery store. 

This is what America's Test Kitchen recommends.

CDN DOT2 ProAccurate Oven Thermometer,

Seems like a deal for $8.

[JTMacc99]

On 11/3/2022 at 5:58 PM, Gramto6 said:

Not sure if this is the place for this or not. I have been loving my Ninja Foodi Air Fryer.

I have that Air Fryer, and I agree. It's a winner. I haven't gone too far outside of things like potatoes and other standard Air Fryer stuff, but I can say it does an excellent job for what I want it to do.

[SuprSuprElevated]

7 minutes ago, JTMacc99 said:

I have that Air Fryer, and I agree. It's a winner. I haven't gone too far outside of things like potatoes and other standard Air Fryer stuff, but I can say it does an excellent job for what I want it to do.

My biggest hesitation to jumping into the air fryer game is clean-up.  How is it to clean?

Edited November 10, 2022 by SuprSuprElevated

[JTMacc99]

19 hours ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

My biggest hesitation to jumping into the air fryer game is clean-up.  How is it to clean?

As I'm not cooking a lot of things like chicken wings, it's pretty straightforward. This one has a rack that sits in a non-stick tub.  The tub/pot/whatever cleans up with soap and water. Sometimes it needs a little elbow grease, but it cleans up fine. The rack can require a bit of work to clean it, depending on how dedicated you are to making it look like it just came out of the box after every use.

[Mindthinkr]

I’m thinking of getting someone a bread maker for Christmas. Any suggestions? 

[chessiegal]

47 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

I’m thinking of getting someone a bread maker for Christmas. Any suggestions? 

I can ship you mine that I haven't used in over 15 years. ☺️ It's a Breadman Plus. It works fine, I just lost interest. Too big to drag out, use, and put away. It takes a chunk of counterspace - too much to leave out all the time.

[SoMuchTV]

1 hour ago, Mindthinkr said:

I’m thinking of getting someone a bread maker for Christmas. Any suggestions? 

14 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

I can ship you mine that I haven't used in over 15 years. ☺️ It's a Breadman Plus. It works fine, I just lost interest. Too big to drag out, use, and put away. It takes a chunk of counterspace - too much to leave out all the time.

I've seen some very gently used ones in thrift stores.  Maybe check those out if you're looking for a less expensive way to try one out.  I'm thinking you can get the manuals/recipe books online if they're not included.

And... I just realized you're thinking of getting it for someone else.  Yeah, maybe not the thrift shop then.  But if you and the recipient have similar tastes, it still might be someplace to check one out for yourself.

[chessiegal]

ATK recommends these 2 breadmakers: Zojirushi Home Bakery Breadmaker and Hamilton Beach Home Baker 2 lb. Breadmaker.

[Mittengirl]

13 hours ago, chessiegal said:

Zojirushi Home Bakery Breadmaker

I would not recommend the Zojirushi simply on the basis of price.  If you already have a bread machine that you use often and are looking for an upgrade the Z would (possibly) make sense.  But not as a gift, IMO.

I went the thrift store route with my bread machine, which looked to have been barely used, and I paid $6 for it.  Which probably amounts to about $0.50 per use.  Or a dollar a year.

[chessiegal]

I didn't read the ATK reviews/reason for their recommendations. I did look at the prices of the 2. Usually when they recommend a pricey option, they usually come up with a less expensive choice. I see the Hamilton Beach is $99 on Amazon.

[Mindthinkr]

1 hour ago, chessiegal said:

I didn't read the ATK reviews/reason for their recommendations. I did look at the prices of the 2. Usually when they recommend a pricey option, they usually come up with a less expensive choice. I see the Hamilton Beach is $99 on Amazon.

That is the present I will be giving. The Z one was far more than I budgeted to give a friend as a gift.  Thanks everyone for you suggestions and thoughts. Plus I’m an Amazon member and got free shipping. 

[oliviabenson]

I want to buy a bread maker too. I saw some on hsn/qvc for less than $50. Since I’m alone and doubt I will be using it much might buy a cheap one. 
 

No thrift stores near by or I’d go looking.

Fresh bread sounds so yummy !

[AimingforYoko]

On 11/9/2022 at 7:43 PM, SuprSuprElevated said:

My biggest hesitation to jumping into the air fryer game is clean-up.  How is it to clean?

Game changer on that front*

*-AimingforYoko will not be getting a commission for this recommendation.

[SuprSuprElevated]

8 minutes ago, AimingforYoko said:

Game changer on that front*

*-AimingforYoko will not be getting a commission for this recommendation.

That certainly looks useful, but I guess I was thinking about the fryer itself; the cavity I guess, not so much the basket.

Thanks!

[chessiegal]

On 12/11/2022 at 9:53 AM, oliviabenson said:

I want to buy a bread maker too. I saw some on hsn/qvc for less than $50. Since I’m alone and doubt I will be using it much might buy a cheap one. 
 

No thrift stores near by or I’d go looking.

Fresh bread sounds so yummy !

I'd be wary of buying a cheap one, as you get what you pay for. I posted upthread that Hamilton Beech makes a good one as tested by American's Test Kitchens.

[isalicat]

On 12/11/2022 at 6:53 AM, oliviabenson said:

I want to buy a bread maker too. I saw some on hsn/qvc for less than $50. Since I’m alone and doubt I will be using it much might buy a cheap one. 
 

No thrift stores near by or I’d go looking.

Fresh bread sounds so yummy !

Have you tried just making some bread without a machine? The kneading of fresh dough is lovely... try a few recipes before you buy a machine (lots are very easy, like challah/egg bread) so you know if you really need to buy something you already said you won't be using much.

[oliviabenson]

8 hours ago, isalicat said:

Have you tried just making some bread without a machine? The kneading of fresh dough is lovely... try a few recipes before you buy a machine (lots are very easy, like challah/egg bread) so you know if you really need to buy something you already said you won't be using much.

I never made bread before.

the cheap ones sold out before I bought one.

Oh well next year .

[supposebly]

This is what I do. It's no-knead bread. It's quite simple.

3 cups of flour, 2 tsp of dry yeast, 1 tsp of salt, mix with 2 cups of water to make the dough.

Leave covered for 6-9 hours. Bake in a loaf pan on 430F for about 45 minutes. 

It takes 5 minutes to mix the ingredients.

I'm a terrible baker but this works almost every time!

These days, I combine with one cup of rye because I'm German and I'm not a fan of too fluffy bread.

Edited December 14, 2022 by supposebly

[possibilities]

I used to make my own bread. I enjoyed kneading it! 

I found a recipe and just followed it. Breadmakers didn't exist back then, at least not as far as I knew.

[chessiegal]

Got an email from Williams Sonoma today with ideas for Christmas gifts. Among their suggestions was the Breville Smart Oven Pizzaiolo Pizza Oven which sells for the tidy sum of $999.95. The email does say these are high tech suggestions.

Quote

Brick oven performance at a fraction of the cost.

The Pizzaiolo is the first domestic countertop oven to hit 750°F and cook an authentic wood fired style pizza in 2 minutes. It replicates the three types of heat generated by a brick oven - conductive, radiant and convective. Our Element iQ system also replicates the ideal baking environment for New York, Pan, Thin & Crispy and Frozen pizzas. 

No thank you.