Indispensable Kitchen Gadgets

[oliviabenson]

I see Dash bread maker $33. Any one use one?

[chessiegal]

I get emails from WIlliams-Sonoma every day. I would unsubscribe but some of what they are selling is sometimes amusing. Today they recommend cooking up a romantic dinner with Le Creuset heart shaped casseroles and skillets. Seems to me the skillets are particularly not useful. The cost of the casserole is $220. 

[Leeds]

On 1/17/2023 at 4:04 PM, chessiegal said:

I get emails from WIlliams-Sonoma every day. I would unsubscribe but some of what they are selling is sometimes amusing. Today they recommend cooking up a romantic dinner with Le Creuset heart shaped casseroles and skillets. Seems to me the skillets are particularly not useful. The cost of the casserole is $220. 

This is the kind of thing someone buys for their partner when they have no idea what to get as a gift.  And has too much disposable income and shelf space.

[Anela]

On 12/14/2022 at 10:01 AM, supposebly said:

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.

I've wanted to try no-knead bread, but I'm afraid of burning myself. I also don't have a dutch oven, and didn't know what to use instead. 

I have made dough with a stand mixer (not a kitchenaid). The rolls I made at Christmas, were okay, I just need to learn to shape them better, and I guess they could have risen more beforehand. 

On 1/17/2023 at 7:04 PM, chessiegal said:

I get emails from WIlliams-Sonoma every day. I would unsubscribe but some of what they are selling is sometimes amusing. Today they recommend cooking up a romantic dinner with Le Creuset heart shaped casseroles and skillets. Seems to me the skillets are particularly not useful. The cost of the casserole is $220. 

This reminds me of a woman on instagram/tiktok. Emily mariko. She had one of these, that was shaped like a pumpkin. That thing cost over $300. 

[JTMacc99]

On 1/23/2023 at 4:18 PM, Anela said:

This reminds me of a woman on instagram/tiktok. Emily mariko. She had one of these, that was shaped like a pumpkin. That thing cost over $300. 

Le Creuset stuff is expensive. There is an outlet mall near me, and back in the day when I was just married and building up my collection of kitchen stuff, I picked up a couple things over time from the outlet. At least there, I could cherry pick from the items that were on super-clearance. 

I badly mistreated one of the Dutch ovens I bought. I should probably look into whether or not there is a way to have the inside enamel repaired. 

ETA: I just looked it up, and the answer to my question from the internet is: If you damaged your Le Creuset pot yourself, it's less expensive to buy a new one than to fix it.

However, if it chipped or is otherwise damaged by means that were not your fault, they will replace the item. This is a lifetime warranty with no receipt required.

[chessiegal]

2 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

However, if it chipped or is otherwise damaged by means that were not your fault, they will replace the item. This is a lifetime warranty with no receipt required.

That reminds me of an All-Clad non-stick skillet I bought at Williams Sonoma. Not too long after I bought it, the non-stick surface fractured. I took it back to the store for a replacement. The salesclerk got very snippy, saying I had used a metal utensil on it. I assured I had not, and I was the only person who used it. She reluctantly gave me a new skillet. I'm a forensic scientist - I know a fracture pattern when I see one!

[JTMacc99]

There would be no doubt that the damage I did to my stuff was on me. Heh. I was pretty stupid.

And what the heck would be the reason to be a snippy sales clerk at Williams Sonoma? Just replace the thing; it's not your money.

[chessiegal]

I was somewhat taken aback by the WS clerk's attitude. At the time they were offering no questions asked returns, didn't even need a receipt. A metal utensil may have left scratches, but not a fracture pattern. I'm a real snob when it comes to anything kitchen related and always take good care of what I have. Otherwise, I wouldn't even be shopping at WS. 😉

[possibilities]

Someone gave me a hand me down Le Creuset item. I don't know why she didn't want it. Maybe because she had carpel tunnel syndrome and it's heavy.

It's a round casserole dish, diameter approx, I'm guessing, 8 inches. It weighs a ton!! But when you use it, you really do feel like it's something special in some way.

Still, I would not buy one at the retail price. As a freebie hand-me-down, I love it, though.

 

[Leeds]

On 1/23/2023 at 1:18 PM, Anela said:

I've wanted to try no-knead bread, but I'm afraid of burning myself. I also don't have a dutch oven, and didn't know what to use instead. 

 

I make no-knead bread and just shape it and bake it on a baking sheet, no Dutch oven needed (ha).

I'm not sure why you would burn yourself making no-knead bread as opposed to anything else that comes out of an oven.

[JTMacc99]

My pepper mill broke a few weeks ago. The top got cracked and is permanently loose. I can tighten it down and still use it, but it's broken.

As I have a reason to buy myself a gift coming up, I spend a few minutes researching "Best Pepper Mills" on the internet. Decided to go with a French one that everybody seems to like a lot. It cracks the pepper first and then grinds it to one of six settings second. One review said "It'll be the last one you buy."  I'm getting to the age where not only will it be the last one I'll buy, but I'm guessing that one day my kids will fight over who gets it.

[possibilities]

2 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

My pepper mill broke a few weeks ago. The top got cracked and is permanently loose. I can tighten it down and still use it, but it's broken.

As I have a reason to buy myself a gift coming up, I spend a few minutes researching "Best Pepper Mills" on the internet. Decided to go with a French one that everybody seems to like a lot. It cracks the pepper first and then grinds it to one of six settings second. One review said "It'll be the last one you buy."  I'm getting to the age where not only will it be the last one I'll buy, but I'm guessing that one day my kids will fight over who gets it.

Please tell us if you like it once you have it, and also what it's called. I could really use one, but all the ones I've looked at seemed terrble.

[chessiegal]

Decades ago I bought a Magnum 9" pepper grinder at Sur Le Table on the recommendation of a clerk. It's the best pepper grinder I've ever had and I'm still using it today.

Magnum 9" pepper grinder.

[supposebly]

A friend gave me a humongous solid wood pepper grinder as a present about 10 years ago. I think it will outlive me.

 

 

[oliviabenson]

One of these. I bought one a year or so ago. Not this brand. But looks similar. I use it for everything scrambled eggs, grilled cheese, make soup etc. best $ I spent. 
 

6 quart jumbo skillet lol

[possibilities]

44 minutes ago, supposebly said:

A friend gave me a humongous solid wood pepper grinder as a present about 10 years ago. I think it will outlive me.

 

 

I like hardwood kitchen stuff. Everything is plastic these days, and I know plastic is easier to take care of, but I still prefer wood for most uses.

[SuprSuprElevated]

I have a tall, copper-looking mill I purchased from Crate & Barrel 25+yrs ago. Still use it, still works, but my gripe is an uneven grind. Maybe there is no avoiding this, but the pepper grains vary widely in size with each twist.  I have been considring buying the one my pal (in my head) Jacques Pepin' uses:

PepperMate+pepper+mill

peppermate.com

[JTMacc99]

13 hours ago, possibilities said:

Please tell us if you like it once you have it, and also what it's called. I could really use one, but all the ones I've looked at seemed terrible.

It's this one made by Peugeot.  (The picture has the Salt one as well, which I have no interest in buying. How on earth could fresh ground salt make a difference?)

Like I mentioned above, in my searches for "best pepper mill", this one was on most of the lists along with ones from Le Creuset, Trudeau, Fletcher, and Oxo. I liked the look of this one the best and the idea of being able to select the grind with ease. So that's why I went with it.

 

[chessiegal]

19 minutes ago, JTMacc99 said:

How on earth could fresh ground salt make a difference?

It's not the taste, it's the size of the grain. I use Himalayan sea salt that comes in a large grain - too big for normal use. I have an OXO salt grinder that has settings for different size grains from coarse to fine.

[EtheltoTillie]

I have a beloved pepper mill for 40-plus years with a hand crank on the top instead of the type where you have to hold the actual pepper mill top in your  hand.  I don't know why, but I like the crank better.  You get more leverage.

But they don't make them anymore.  If you go into any kitchenware department or store, there are no pepper mills with a crank.  But I wanted a duplicate for my weekend house and I finally found one on Ebay!  Came with saltshaker, same as original. 

Edited March 4, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

[JTMacc99]

So early experience with my new Peugeot (which is the same company as the one that makes cars) Pepper Mill is that it is great.

It's a two stage grinder, meaning that first it cracks the pepper corns, and then it grinds them to the selected level of fineness. The grinds on the finer settings are very consistent. It's low effort to use it, and super low effort to select your grind.

Note: I am not America's Test Kitchen. I've used probably 10 different pepper mills in the last 20 years. Having said that, this one is better than those 10; possibly materially better. 

The model I bought is "Peugeot 23485 Paris u'Select 9-Inch Pepper Mill, Chocolate"  I think the u'Select is how they identify the mills with the grind setting mechanism. There are a ton of different salt and pepper grinders made by Peugeot.

Which I guess makes sense as Peugeot of France literally invented the Pepper Grinder in 1842 according to the internet. Who knew?

[possibilities]

I use three different kinds of peppercorns. Now I have to decide if I'm seriously going to buy three different mills, or if that's just financial insanity! 

[chessiegal]

1 hour ago, possibilities said:

I use three different kinds of peppercorns. Now I have to decide if I'm seriously going to buy three different mills, or if that's just financial insanity! 

I don't see where you have a choice! 😄

[Lovecat]

On 2/27/2023 at 9:35 PM, oliviabenson said:

One of these. I bought one a year or so ago. Not this brand. But looks similar. I use it for everything scrambled eggs, grilled cheese, make soup etc. best $ I spent. 
 

6 quart jumbo skillet lol

I had a similar one that was my favorite, and my husband burned the crap out of it.  I made him buy me a new one :)

[possibilities]

Getting back to the pepper mill  discussion.... I see they sell the USelect in a few different sizes. I'm wondering if anyone who bought one already can say what size they got, and how much pepper it holds.

I don't want something enormous, but I also don't want something I have to refill every ten seconds. 

Also, I'm wondering... did yours come in secure packaging? A lot of reviews on Amazon say their mill was damaged in shipping because it was sent loose and unboxed, which seemed weird to me. 

Places other than Amazon do sell it, for more money of course, but I might pay more from elsewhere, to get it shipped properly, so I don't have to deal with returning a damaged one. Where have others bought theirs? And did it arrive safely?

[JTMacc99]

19 hours ago, possibilities said:

I'm wondering if anyone who bought one already can say what size they got, and how much pepper it holds.

I don't want something enormous, but I also don't want something I have to refill every ten seconds. 

I bought the nine inch one, and it holds a decent amount of pepper. I'm not sure how much, as I just pour in pepper corns until it is full. Looking at the Amazon stuff, it doesn't look like anybody answered that question, but nobody seems to be complaining about capacity.

19 hours ago, possibilities said:

Also, I'm wondering... did yours come in secure packaging? A lot of reviews on Amazon say their mill was damaged in shipping because it was sent loose and unboxed, which seemed weird to me. 

Mine came to me just fine. I'm skeptical of the people posting pictures of their delivery just wrapped in plastic, in pieces, rolling around in an Amazon box. 

Worst case scenario, which is you somehow get a disgruntled employee just tossing a broken mill in the box, you just turn around and send it back to Amazon and tell them to replace it with one that isn't trash.

I also saw a one-star review where the person notes that it came with pepper in it, and therefore it must have been used and probably faulty. If they bothered to read anything, they would have discovered that the mills are filled with some pepper so they can be tested in factory before they are shipped.

[possibilities]

Amazon has gotten strict about returns, charging shipping now (we don't have a UPS drop off anywhere near here), which makes me really reluctant to take chances, but I did wonder how something made of wood would so easily break in shipping. They don't look that fragile. I've never actually gotten anything broken in shipping from Amazon, but then I never saw reviews saying their stuff had arrived damaged, either, so it made me wonder.

*You can get them to waive the return shipping fee if you get a live person instead of the chatbot, but it takes approx 10 years to get past the chatbot, so it's a hassle.

 

 

[chessiegal]

Whole Foods takes Amazon returns.

[Bastet]

On 3/6/2023 at 7:08 AM, JTMacc99 said:

So early experience with my new Peugeot (which is the same company as the one that makes cars) Pepper Mill is that it is great.

It's a two stage grinder, meaning that first it cracks the pepper corns, and then it grinds them to the selected level of fineness. The grinds on the finer settings are very consistent. It's low effort to use it, and super low effort to select your grind.

Thank you for this feedback.  After using it without a word for a good ten years, my mother has started complaining about her pepper mill like she's getting paid per gripe -- she says it won't produce a fine enough grind no matter which setting she puts it on. 

So I'll get her one of these and see if she likes it.  (If she does, I'll get her the salt grinder, too, because, while my parents would roll with it, for the once a week I do the cooking there, having mismatched grinders would send me 'round the bend.)

[MerBearHou]

My favorite indispensable kitchen item is my meat cleaver from menwiththepot.com.  It’s a beauty and does a great job — I care for it like it’s a gem.  If you’ve never watched their short Instagram or YouTube videos, you’re missing out — they’re two Polish guys who do rustic, beautiful cooking in the very green forest in Ireland and have a great little sense of humor while they cook, even though you never see their faces, but you do see their dog from time to time. 

Edited June 14, 2023 by MerBearHou

[Mittengirl]

Does anyone have any silicone reclosable bags?  I have been considering buying some, but some are rather pricey.  However, I don’t want to buy cheap ones if they don’t last any longer than a regular ziploc bag.

Edited June 14, 2023 by Mittengirl

[supposebly]

I've been using one for my lunch sandwiches for almost a year. They last. No comparison to Ziploc. 

[Jaded]

On 6/13/2023 at 11:56 PM, MerBearHou said:

My favorite indispensable kitchen item is my meat cleaver from menwiththepot.com.  It’s a beauty and does a great job — I care for it like it’s a gem.  If you’ve never watched their short Instagram or YouTube videos, you’re missing out — they’re two Polish guys who do rustic, beautiful cooking in the very green forest in Ireland and have a great little sense of humor while they cook, even though you never see their faces, but you do see their dog from time to time. 

I love their YT videos. It can be really relaxing to watch a few in a row.

[Leeds]

One of my indispensable kitchen tools is a decent potato peeler .  One of my first jobs in the kitchen growing up was peeling potatoes with an ancient but still sharp peeler.  I was fascinated when I went to university and first saw someone peeling a potato with a paring knife.  The inefficiency and waste was amazing to me.   (A rigid one like the first example, not a swivelly one - somehow I can't get the hang of those!)

 

[Mittengirl]

On 6/14/2023 at 3:15 PM, supposebly said:

I've been using one for my lunch sandwiches for almost a year. They last. No comparison to Ziploc. 

What brand do you have?

[EtheltoTillie]

On 6/16/2023 at 11:17 PM, Leeds said:

One of my indispensable kitchen tools is a decent potato peeler .  One of my first jobs in the kitchen growing up was peeling potatoes with an ancient but still sharp peeler.  I was fascinated when I went to university and first saw someone peeling a potato with a paring knife.  The inefficiency and waste was amazing to me.   (A rigid one like the first example, not a swivelly one - somehow I can't get the hang of those!)

 

I grew up with the swivel one you picture in your lower photo, but when the OXO was introduced I made the switch. What a difference the comfort grip makes. I really don’t like the ones with the Y shaped handle. 

Edited July 1, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

[EtheltoTillie]

The picture of the rigid peeler looks like an apple corer I have. 

[Leeds]

27 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

The picture of the rigid peeler looks like an apple corer I have. 

Yes, I had one of those too, but it got lost/left behind somewhere along the line, and I don't need one often enough to justify the space in my already over-cluttered "essential/useful/lethal" drawer.

[possibilities]

Roughly 25 years ago, I went to a lot of trouble to get a peeler with a wooden handle (more comfortable) and it's served me well. Then last week I accidently dumped it into the compost when I put peels in there, and by the time I found it a week later (where is the peeler?? damnit, where did I put the peeler???-- didn't even think to look in the compost), the handle was starting to rot.

I know there are a lot of peelers now that are probably just as good, but this one had a perfect shape for my hand and I'm grieving. Most of them are too small. This on had a nice, smooth, rounded, kind of fat shape that curved to my palm perfectly. I have not seen one like it. 

I get attached to my favorite tools.

 

[Mondrianyone]

5 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I get attached to my favorite tools.

I feel you. My sympathies.

If you happen to be a handyperson, maybe you could patch the damaged areas with wood filler of some kind (two-part putty, for instance) and then sand and reshape the handle. I'm the sort of person who would do that, but I get that some people need to just let go and move on.

I've been meaning to post this link to the gadget guy on Epicurious's YouTube channel. I love Dan, and he has an amazingly impressive résumé (I Googled him). Most of the videos are merely for entertainment, because who would buy some of these wacky products, but there are some gadgets he tests that I've actually considered buying (or already own), so it's fun to get an expert's take on them. For anyone who's interested:

I tried to link to the main page that lists all his videos, but that doesn't seem to be happening.

[possibilities]

I am working on salvaging it. It's cracked, but the rot is the bigger problem. 

Back in the day, I would have tried to find someone with a lathe to make me a custom handle. But I have lost some of my ambition lately, so I'm going to see what I can DIY on a lesser level.

[Bastet]

3 hours ago, possibilities said:

but the rot is the bigger problem

Yeah, that's pretty tough to come back from -- the elements are a natural enemy of untreated wood, and deterioration starts surprisingly quickly.

3 hours ago, possibilities said:

Back in the day, I would have tried to find someone with a lathe to make me a custom handle. But I have lost some of my ambition lately, so I'm going to see what I can DIY on a lesser level.

I relate to the loss of ambition on a cellular level.  But, on the flip side, there are so many more ways today to connect with someone who has the skill and equipment to customize something for you.  So keep that idea percolating in case you want to come back to it.

I am profoundly simple when it comes to a vegetable peeler, as I don't use one often.  I don't eat potatoes and don't eat a lot of carrots (those seeming to be the two most common uses), so I mostly use it to create a citrus peel, shave of parmesan, etc.  I grew up with the bottom picture, and what I have now is just a basic OXO Good Grips (not the Y design, just the wider, softer handle take on the old school style).

[Leeds]

On 7/2/2023 at 10:39 AM, possibilities said:

Roughly 25 years ago, I went to a lot of trouble to get a peeler with a wooden handle (more comfortable) and it's served me well. Then last week I accidently dumped it into the compost when I put peels in there, and by the time I found it a week later (where is the peeler?? damnit, where did I put the peeler???-- didn't even think to look in the compost), the handle was starting to rot.

I know there are a lot of peelers now that are probably just as good, but this one had a perfect shape for my hand and I'm grieving. Most of them are too small. This on had a nice, smooth, rounded, kind of fat shape that curved to my palm perfectly. I have not seen one like it. 

I get attached to my favorite tools.

 

My father was a keen composter and tended to his large compost heap lovingly.  When the centre had "cooked" long enough he would use the prime stuff on his roses and vegetables.  Various "lost" spoons etc turned up over the years, but I don't remember a potato peeler being amongst them.  I'm now thinking of asking my lovely sister-in-law to pick up a non-swiveling one from Sainsbury's, though it would be one of those things that costs more to post than to buy.  Maybe I could ask her to throw in some Thornton's chocolates to make it worth while . . . 

[EtheltoTillie]

On 7/2/2023 at 1:53 PM, Mondrianyone said:

I feel you. My sympathies.

If you happen to be a handyperson, maybe you could patch the damaged areas with wood filler of some kind (two-part putty, for instance) and then sand and reshape the handle. I'm the sort of person who would do that, but I get that some people need to just let go and move on.

I've been meaning to post this link to the gadget guy on Epicurious's YouTube channel. I love Dan, and he has an amazingly impressive résumé (I Googled him). Most of the videos are merely for entertainment, because who would buy some of these wacky products, but there are some gadgets he tests that I've actually considered buying (or already own), so it's fun to get an expert's take on them. For anyone who's interested:

I tried to link to the main page that lists all his videos, but that doesn't seem to be happening.

Man this guy's accent alone gets me.  He's obviously a New Yorker or Long Islander.  He says "peela."  I would speak that way if I didn't curb it. 

[Mondrianyone]

40 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

He's obviously a New Yorker or Long Islander.  He says "peela."

Joisey, in fact. But he's clearly spent so much time in NY that I can forgive him.

41 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I would speak that way if I didn't curb it. 

Sometimes I hear myself recorded and think, "I don't always do as good a job as I tell myself I've done." But I keep troying to do betta, becawse it's impohtant to sound smawt.

[EtheltoTillie]

On 7/4/2023 at 2:10 AM, Leeds said:

My father was a keen composter and tended to his large compost heap lovingly.  When the centre had "cooked" long enough he would use the prime stuff on his roses and vegetables.  Various "lost" spoons etc turned up over the years, but I don't remember a potato peeler being amongst them.  I'm now thinking of asking my lovely sister-in-law to pick up a non-swiveling one from Sainsbury's, though it would be one of those things that costs more to post than to buy.  Maybe I could ask her to throw in some Thornton's chocolates to make it worth while . . . 

NYC has now put composting bins out on the curb.  I'm going to start collecting my peels and coffee grounds separately.  There's a whole list of stuff we can put in, like paper with food on it.  I have to learn it so I can separate out what isn't allowed and collect what is allowed. 

[possibilities]

Soaking my peeler repeatedly in hydrogen peroxide has made a big difference. It's not back to where it was before The Incident, but it's much better and I think will be useable.... and possibly, if I sand it, it might become almost lovely again. I think the rot didn't go as deep as I had feared. 

[chessiegal]

I swear Williams Sonoma loves to come up with solutions to something that isn't a problem. Today's email focused on cocktails. One item was a container that holds 16 large round ice cubes for $22.95. I make large round ice cubes of 2 sizes and store them in - wait for it - a Ziploc bag. Takes up less space, reusable, and way cheaper.

Edited July 8, 2023 by chessiegal
correcting spelling

[Scatterbrained]

On 8/17/2022 at 10:55 AM, Scatterbrained said:

Any recs for storage containers (mostly for the fridge)?  

I prefer glass something that can multitask, but am willing to consider all options.  I initially thought the ikea365 line was a good idea, but my nearest ikea is not an easy drive.  When I finally went to the store, there was not a lot of product displayed.  I am wondering if it is being discontinued.  I liked that different sizes (capacities) of containers used the same lids.  Keeping up with lids can be aggravating.  I also liked that they were a multitask item (fridge, freezer, microwave, oven, dishwasher, for example).  Anything that nests for storage would also be a plus.

thanks.

Answering my own question:  I went with Rubbermaid Brilliance food storage glassware.  
 

The lids are not glass.  They are top rack dishwasher safe and somewhat microwaveable (there are restrictions listed in the user manual).   They vent and lock. 

The containers are glass (although Rubbermaid also makes a plastic version, so read the box carefully before you purchase).  The glass containers are microwave safe, freezer safe, dishwasher safe, and oven safe up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.   They are not burner safe, grill safe, or toaster oven safe. 
 

They don’t nest, but various sizes will stack well with each other with the lids on.  It is no nice to be able to view items easily when they are being stored in the fridge.

[Mondrianyone]

Glad you found something you like, @Scatterbrained. I have a set of glass Lock&Lock containers, which sound similar. Also two sets in plastic, for non-fridge storage, although my husband keeps using the glass ones in the pantry, which continues to irk me.

I posted something a few years ago about cleaning the lid gaskets when they get mildewed, but I can't find it. Anyway, after ruining one by using a knife, I found a YT video that showed how to use a credit card to slide out the gasket, and that works perfectly. So, should you ever need to do that . . .

 

Edited August 16, 2023 by Mondrianyone
punctuation