...Magimix...
Apropos of sous-vide, which I think is basically a foot spa you are using to cook food (and I don't have either, but if someone gives me an excuse), I asked myself what are the best things in my kitchen:
- […] mandolin
The one knife that I keep stupidly sharp.
Apropos of sous-vide, which I think is basically a foot spa you are using to cook food (and I don't have either, but if someone gives me an excuse), I asked myself what are the best things in my kitchen:
- […] mandolin
OT: whereas this word always makes me think of Vivian Stanshall on Tubular Bells. As does “pangolin”. I'd pay good money to watch Mike Oldfield trying to play a pangolin.
Opinel kitchen knives. The little carbon steel paring knives are very useful, the big chefs knife does the job & the bread knife is excellent.
Apropos of sous-vide, which I think is basically a foot spa you are using to cook food (and I don't have either, but if someone gives me an excuse), I asked myself what are the best things in my kitchen:
- […] mandolin
OT: whereas this word always makes me think of Vivian Stanshall on Tubular Bells. As does “pangolin”. I'd pay good money to watch Mike Oldfield trying to play a pangolin.
I think ian means a mandoline. One of those words where the subtle addition of a single letter makes a big difference to the meaning*. But I’m not ruling out the possibility that he slices his fennel with a musical instrument accompanied by Viv Stanshall commentary - it’s an appealing mental image.
Aside from “the one knife”, which should be the star of any kitchen, I will also nominate my Thermapen as being worthy of mention here - so useful for any temperature-critical culinary operation.
What’s salad spinner? Does lettuce taste better if you make it dizzy first?
*see also silicon/silicone
According to my very big OED subscription, mandolin is an accepted spelling (the original British spelling, -e came from the US)
I know someone would seize on the confusion
I have a boring modestly cheap knife, that I swipe with a boring knife sharpener before each use, and it cuts as well as I need any knife to.
The salad spinner is like a colander in a bowl with the plunger. You put your soggy salad in the colander and plung plung plung till the colander spins at a high rate of knots, flinging the water off the leaves. Bad Cat scarpers the moment it comes out of the cupboard (not sure why, it's not noisy, unlike her other kitchen nemesis, Mademoiselle Magimix). I know the other solution to soggy greens is not to eat them, but I like my greens. Not sure how else to dry them without a faff.
My Baby Boa Constrictor strap wrench.
Means EVERY and jar is openable, without damaging the top/lid.
Using a salad spinner sounds like a lot of faff to me. I usually just leave the lettuce to drain in a colander after washing. Maybe shake it a little to help get rid of any excess, but certainly doesn't need a special gadget for the job.
a properly washed but dry salad
According to my very big OED subscription, mandolin is an accepted spelling (the original British spelling, -e came from the US)
Mandoline is from the French, surely? It being a French invention. Or so I've always assumed... A quick bit of googling throws up much folklore but few hard facts, so that may be nonsense.
The most useful thing I have is a Breville hot water dispenser
https://www.breville.co.uk/breakfast/hot-water-dispensers/hotcup-with-variable-dispense-gloss-black/VKJ318-01.html#start=3
Mrs Scum has weak hands and could not lift a kettle of boiling water. It is easy to put a cup below the spout of this thing and get a cuppa by just pressing a button.
a properly washed but dry salad
Lettuce is over 90% water. A few more drops on the surface of the leaves surely doesn't make much difference?
Oh, And my gralefruit knife.
Gralefruit = typo in the lunchtime menu of one of the episodes of Fawlty Towers.
OT: whereas this word always makes me think of Vivian Stanshall on Tubular Bells. As does “pangolin”. I'd pay good money to watch Mike Oldfield trying to play a pangolin.
My Baby Boa Constrictor strap wrench.I've often thought of buying a second one, to hold the jar itself.
Means EVERY and jar is openable, without damaging the top/lid.
Reed and pine bunting?
Reed and pine bunting?
Excellent! ;D
Now, how about coming up with one for glockenspiel? (starting to think this needs to be split off into a thread of its own...)
So much stuff. I'm fortunate to have a well equipped kitchen with many things that do their job well, and are satisfying, like exoglass bread tins, microplane graters, magimix, they are all favourites in their own ways but not so much to call out as favourite.
So.
#1 has to be my dick knives (https://www.nisbets.co.uk/kitchenware-and-knives/chefs-knives/dick-knives/dick-premier-plus-knives/_/a33-4)
....And the Jamie Oliver knife block set, adequate for my needs.
According to my very big OED subscription, mandolin is an accepted spelling (the original British spelling, -e came from the US), though I know someone would seize on the confusion and imagine me attacking fennel with a string instrument. I know I did. You could probably slice an egg with one.
My Baby Boa Constrictor strap wrench.I've often thought of buying a second one, to hold the jar itself.
Means EVERY and jar is openable, without damaging the top/lid.
Might be a tad awkward to stop them unravelling but these things are hardly expensive or bulky, unlike some things mentioned upthread. You could splash out!
Given that you live in France, where screw cap bulbs abound, you could justify one for lamp fittings...
:D ;D :D ;D :D ;D :DApropos of sous-vide, which I think is basically a foot spa you are using to cook food (and I don't have either, but if someone gives me an excuse), I asked myself what are the best things in my kitchen:
- […] mandolin
OT: whereas this word always makes me think of Vivian Stanshall on Tubular Bells. As does “pangolin”. I'd pay good money to watch Mike Oldfield trying to play a pangolin.
....And the Jamie Oliver knife block set, adequate for my needs.
Does it come with the obligatory drizzle of olive oil?
I throw mine in the drawer with the other knives. It's survival of the fittest in my kitchen.I throw mine in the door.
Doesn't the strip scratch them, or is it sheathed in something?
Another vote for slow cooker.
Artificial incarceration. They should be allowed to roam free!
The thing seems to work by siphoning a quantity of water into a heating chamber.The most useful thing I have is a Breville hot water dispenser
https://www.breville.co.uk/breakfast/hot-water-dispensers/hotcup-with-variable-dispense-gloss-black/VKJ318-01.html#start=3
Mrs Scum has weak hands and could not lift a kettle of boiling water. It is easy to put a cup below the spout of this thing and get a cuppa by just pressing a button.
What's the temperature like? Barakta may be in the market for such a thing, for broadly similar reasons.
I would say the temperature is hot but not as hot as a kettle on a rolling boil. Perfect for making... tea.
I would say the temperature is hot but not as hot as a kettle on a rolling boil. Perfect for making... tea.
Heresy!
In other news, I've been using the pangolin this morning to slice aubergines ...;D :D :D :thumbsup:
I'm sure I read somewhere that the optimum temperature for making tea is 98ºC. The water from those hot tap things is fine for the purpose, IME. Just don't do the American trick of serving a cup of warm water with a teabag on the side. :sick:
The UK Tea and Infusions Associations specifies 90-98 degrees for black tea, but they don't differentiate between large loose leaf, shredded loose leaf, or tea bags, so frankly I don't think they are to be trusted.
I'm rather partial to a cup of lapsang souchong, and that definitely benefits from water somewhat below boiling point.
I'm sure I read somewhere that the optimum temperature for making tea is 98ºC. The water from those hot tap things is fine for the purpose, IME. Just don't do the American trick of serving a cup of warm water with a teabag on the side. :sick:
I have had that American liquid they describe as tea. It was awful.
I also enjoy the occasional cup of laspang. I took some into work, a while back.
I'm rather partial to a cup of lapsang souchong, and that definitely benefits from water somewhat below boiling point.
When I used to have it at work, people always accused me of drinking whisky.
I'd have thought that the scales on a pangolin make it of more use as a grater... ;)
All Lapsang Souchong tastes like hot water that has been strained through a tramp's mouldering underpant gusset.
Just don't do the American trick of serving a cup of warm water with a teabag on the side. :sick:
And Poland, at least in cafes, maybe not so much at home. I think it's quite common in various places around the world.QuoteJust don't do the American trick of serving a cup of warm water with a teabag on the side. :sick:
The same is done in Israel. My advice to a first time would-be traveller was 'Avoid tea'. Some questioned this.
I stand by it...
Back when Brewdog were going through their phase of having an infuser beer tap at the bar, I had the misfortune to try a beer which had lapsang souchon soaking in it. I did not like, so I have never been tempted to try it as tea.
Back when Brewdog were going through their phase of having an infuser beer tap at the bar, I had the misfortune to try a beer which had lapsang souchon soaking in it. I did not like, so I have never been tempted to try it as tea.
Americans boil water on their 'stove top' with a proper whistling kettle. Everyone knows there's not enough electricity in the US to power electric kettles.
I once literally fell from the sky over El Paso.
Hmm... One of my cousins moved there, shortly followed by her mother. They were previously living in Gillingham, Kent.I once literally fell from the sky over El Paso.
Well, no-one would go there by choice. Would they?
I have finally purchsed a decent sharpening stone for my (mediocre) kitchen knives. What a difference. Tomatoes are cut instead of being bounced off. Happy bunny.
Did you get all three flavours?
(https://www.potnoodle.com/sk-eu/content/dam/brands/pot_noodle/global_use/1726721-potnoodlenormal.png.rendition.586.315.png)
I have finally purchsed a decent sharpening stone for my (mediocre) kitchen knives. What a difference. Tomatoes are cut instead of being bounced off. Happy bunny.
I have a few cheap combination stones but worry about getting the angles right.
Did you get all three flavours?
(https://www.potnoodle.com/sk-eu/content/dam/brands/pot_noodle/global_use/1726721-potnoodlenormal.png.rendition.586.315.png)
Bombay Bad Boy or nothing for me.
Don't you know it...IRTA "pulled spork". ;D
But there is pulled pork and spare rib flavour too.
(https://www.simpleskincare.com/sk-eu/content/dam/brands/pot_noodle/united_kingdom/1641087-8718114797977.png)
(https://digitalcontent.api.tesco.com/v2/media/ghs/825499b6-912d-4b76-86cf-465ef8206242/3bd6c41c-c942-4c8d-a7bf-bfe9afa1bb7f_618570500.jpeg?h=540&w=540)
(https://www.instantpot.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/WM_110-0002-02_Duo3Qt_WhiteLED_badge.jpg)
You can do this with it too:
(https://pbase.com/johnewing/image/171294334.jpg)
Of course, the soup tastes a bit like candles afterwards.
(https://www.instantpot.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/WM_110-0002-02_Duo3Qt_WhiteLED_badge.jpg)
I didn't like ours. It didn't intensify flavours in cooking. The only thing it was good for was making chicken stock without stinking the house up
Combined pressure cooker and slow cooker.Ingenious. What happens if you engage both modes at once? :D
Combined pressure cooker and slow cooker.Ingenious. What happens if you engage both modes at once? :D
I had to look up Instant Pot. So, it's an electric pressure cooker. We had a pressure cooker in India (not electric – cooking with electricity would be pretty useless in a country where the power goes off at least once a day – just a simple sealed pot which we put on top of the gas stove). It got lots of use, they I can't remember exactly what we used it for, but I do seem to recall lots of chick peas.
My wife has already used the Instant Pot to make yoghurt and it seems to have turned out very well, so maybe it can justify its existence for that purpose alone (she does get though a lot of yoghurt).I have a hefty yoghurt habit but when you have to pay cold hard cash for your milk and cream, even at supermarket prices Yeo makes Greek cheaper than I can. I'm doubtful I'd make it tastier.
Not used my Prestige PC since I sprayed the kitchen ceiling with an assortment of pea and ham.The "truly terrible jokes" thread has never made me laugh that hard! ;D
(I had a traumatic encounter with a pressure cooker as a small, and regard them all with deep suspicion.)
My wife came home with an Instant Pot yesterday. She seemed disappointed that I didn’t share her excitement.
But I had two questions:
1. What do we need it for?
2. Do we have space in our kitchen for yet another gadget?
And a further question:
3. Did you not wonder why the friend who gave it to you absolutely free was so keen to get rid of it?
I wondered if people bought them that were afraid of traditional pressure cookers.
Hey Mrs citoyen and I can talk and see what we can do with our new toys.
My wife came home with an Instant Pot yesterday. She seemed disappointed that I didn’t share her excitement.Seems like an echo of a discussion in our house (bar the free bit).
But I had two questions:
1. What do we need it for?
2. Do we have space in our kitchen for yet another gadget?
And a further question:
3. Did you not wonder why the friend who gave it to you absolutely free was so keen to get rid of it?
On a related note, this seems like a reasonable place to grumble about the landlord's elec-chickens coming and relocating the cooker isolator switch so that you didn't have to reach over the cooker[1] to frob it. As a side-effect we are now down to one double socket on the useful side of the kitchen, and half of that is dedicated to kettle duty.
[1] AIUI this is a relatively new regulation, on the dubious[2] basis that people are in the habit of reaching over hot pans to frob the cooker isolator. Personally, I'd put it by the doorway you're going to be heading for if something catches fire.
[2] Well, probably those people who turn the cooker off at the isolator every time they use it?
Speaking of hot grill pans, barakta has aspack-handlepiece of assistive technology for picking up hot plates. It's like a plastic version of a grill pan handle, with silicone knobbles to grip against the ceramic. Anyway, she was molishing cheese-on-toast, and had stuck the plate under the grill for a minute to finish it off. Which is how we discovered that the silicone knobbles weren't made of silicone...
Speaking of hot grill pans, barakta has aspack-handlepiece of assistive technology for picking up hot plates. It's like a plastic version of a grill pan handle, with silicone knobbles to grip against the ceramic. Anyway, she was molishing cheese-on-toast, and had stuck the plate under the grill for a minute to finish it off. Which is how we discovered that the silicone knobbles weren't made of silicone...
Ouch!
You can get genuine silicone oven mitts, which are brilliant. Might not be suitable for barakta's needs though, I guess, otherwise I assume you'd have already thought of that.
Speaking of hot grill pans, barakta has aSo glad to read this, having one minute previously posted:spack-handlepiece of assistive technology for picking up hot plates. It's like a plastic version of a grill pan handle, with silicone knobbles to grip against the ceramic. Anyway, she was molishing cheese-on-toast, and had stuck the plate under the grill for a minute to finish it off. Which is how we discovered that the silicone knobbles weren't made of silicone...
I also understand some of the youngper sons and daughters are using "I'm down for that" to express agreement to a proposed activity, whereas I'd use "I'm up for that". Except of course, being an oldper son, I'm probably not upfrit (does this mean frightened? Ed.) unless it's a cup of tea and maybe a cheese and onion toasty.
You can get genuine silicone oven mitts, which are brilliant.
Speaking of hot grill pans, barakta has aspack-handlepiece of assistive technology for picking up hot plates. It's like a plastic version of a grill pan handle, with silicone knobbles to grip against the ceramic. Anyway, she was molishing cheese-on-toast, and had stuck the plate under the grill for a minute to finish it off. Which is how we discovered that the silicone knobbles weren't made of silicone...
Ouch!
You can get genuine silicone oven mitts, which are brilliant. Might not be suitable for barakta's needs though, I guess, otherwise I assume you'd have already thought of that.
Yep, we've got some of those. They're her weapon of choice for oven trays (which tend to be less heavy). I may have added googly eyes.
Sad to say that Ron 'Ronco' Popeil died a few days ago (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/29/business/ron-popeil-dead.html), though it seems the company is still going under a different owner.
I have a Philippe Starck lemon juice squeezer. (https://www.selfridges.com/GB/en/cat/alessi-juicy-salif-citrus-squeezer_874-10106-PSJS/?cm_mmc=PLA-_-Google-_-HOMETECH-_-ALESSI&POR=Y&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=na_na_pla-b_na_na_na_DOM_PLA-HOMEANDTECH-HOME-SHOPTAIL-CSSTEST-W3&gclid=CjwKCAjw0qOIBhBhEiwAyvVcf1uYqy0q-gPBeKnZr5ycyYd7PeL8gnqvIvxVB2-0PmCh5WJphLPSkhoC5UsQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds)
It works remarkably well, in addition to having good looks.
Not when its a gift.I have a Philippe Starck lemon juice squeezer. (https://www.selfridges.com/GB/en/cat/alessi-juicy-salif-citrus-squeezer_874-10106-PSJS/?cm_mmc=PLA-_-Google-_-HOMETECH-_-ALESSI&POR=Y&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=na_na_pla-b_na_na_na_DOM_PLA-HOMEANDTECH-HOME-SHOPTAIL-CSSTEST-W3&gclid=CjwKCAjw0qOIBhBhEiwAyvVcf1uYqy0q-gPBeKnZr5ycyYd7PeL8gnqvIvxVB2-0PmCh5WJphLPSkhoC5UsQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds)
It works remarkably well, in addition to having good looks.
Juicy price.
Doesn't matter how good the mill is, sooner or later someone will set it down on a wet surface, usually just before a meal.I confess to being unsure of what the consequences of such an action might be.
I'd have to nominate the digital cooking thermometer.
Until I owned one, I didn't realise how fantastic they are.
Cooking something from frozen in oven and need to know if it has heated through? Probe with thermometer.
Is that source heated up? Thermometer.
It is great.
You can get genuine silicone oven mitts, which are brilliant.
We used to have a pair, but if they got water or oil on them they got very slippery. Then they cracked. Finding out was very unpleasant. Nowadays we use tea-towels, but I've just been looking at a pair of professional baker's padded leather gloves (https://www.finarome.com/gants-et-maniques/8523-paire-de-gants-de-boulanger-en-cuir-rembourre-matfer-3334497730124.html) that go right to the elbow. I might spring for those.
I mentioned my Thermapen at the top of the thread. It’s pretty basic - no alarms or anything fancy like that. Still an excellent bit of kit though.https://www.thermoworks.com/ChefAlarm
What model is yours, Mrs P? Might be tempted to upgrade…
Welding gauntlets.
Doesn't matter how good the mill is, sooner or later someone will set it down on a wet surface, usually just before a meal.I confess to being unsure of what the consequences of such an action might be.
You can get genuine silicone oven mitts, which are brilliant.
We used to have a pair, but if they got water or oil on them they got very slippery. Then they cracked. Finding out was very unpleasant. Nowadays we use tea-towels, but I've just been looking at a pair of professional baker's padded leather gloves (https://www.finarome.com/gants-et-maniques/8523-paire-de-gants-de-boulanger-en-cuir-rembourre-matfer-3334497730124.html) that go right to the elbow. I might spring for those.
Welding gauntlets.
I mentioned my Thermapen at the top of the thread. It’s pretty basic - no alarms or anything fancy like that. Still an excellent bit of kit though.https://www.thermoworks.com/ChefAlarm
What model is yours, Mrs P? Might be tempted to upgrade…
I'd have to nominate the digital cooking thermometer.
Until I owned one, I didn't realise how fantastic they are.
Am I the only person who uses the thermometer for sugar, chocolate and swiss meringue syrups?
I've never used it for meat.
As you were.
Talking about welding gloves, we had a proper pair of welders mitts at home when I were lad. They were white in colour - I have always though they might have had asbestos in the mix.
You can get genuine silicone oven mitts, which are brilliant. Might not be suitable for barakta's needs though, I guess, otherwise I assume you'd have already thought of that.
Yep, we've got some of those. They're her weapon of choice for oven trays (which tend to be less heavy). I may have added googly eyes.
I've also acquired some stout gauntlets, hot Dutch Ovens, for the handling of.
Regular oven gloves were not equal to this task!
So you're telling me I should hang onto the massive gauntlets that came with our wood burning stove for kitchen porpoises, and not leave them with the stove? :demon:
(No, I'm not really going to be that person)
You can get genuine silicone oven mitts, which are brilliant. Might not be suitable for barakta's needs though, I guess, otherwise I assume you'd have already thought of that.
Yep, we've got some of those. They're her weapon of choice for oven trays (which tend to be less heavy). I may have added googly eyes.
I am a big fan of welding gauntlets instead of oven gloves. They provide far far far far better insulation than anything else I've found.
When it comes to doing a BBQ, they also allow you to literally pick up bits of fire and move them to where you need them.
Highly recommend.
J
I mentioned my Thermapen at the top of the thread. It’s pretty basic - no alarms or anything fancy like that. Still an excellent bit of kit though.https://www.thermoworks.com/ChefAlarm
What model is yours, Mrs P? Might be tempted to upgrade…
That looks boss. Mine doesn't even have any buttons - you fold out the probe to switch it on, then close it to turn it off.
My wife asked me the other day if the temperature on it can be set to Fahrenheit. I gave her a withering look by way of response. (The long answer is that you can, but it involves opening up the case - which requires screwdrivers - and adjusting internal components. Then you have to re-open the case when you want to change it back to using sensible units.)
That is useful to know. I have wondered about our Neff oven not meeting desired temps. Also upper tray chrome grill rusted within 3 years with replacements at mid £30 each. Overpriced Bosch brand.
Out of curiosity, how do you go about using such a thing to check an unknown oven?
Is it a single-point-in-time calibration measurement, rather than a continuous measurement whist baking something?
Do you just wait till its up to some nominal temperature, then stick the probe in, with the wire coming out the door seal, and leave the reading to stabilise for 5 mins or so? Are we measuring the air-temperature somewhere in the middle of an empty oven?
I like my Bosch oven and will be sad to leave it (and the rest of my dream kitchen).
I recently have purchased and fallen in love with one of these:
A 24cm Le Creuset iron pot, from their outlet shop in York. I've had a few more big iron pans from there - a flatter, wider one, and a slightly bigger oval one - and they are largely ignored, but this is spectacular. I know folk who've had bad ones, and folks who really don't rate them, but this would be my rescue-from-a-burning-building item. Well, were it not flameproof and thus retrievable from the smouldering ruins...
Except if it's got hot and the water fairies spray it with water, then it will crack...
J
A 24cm Le Creuset iron pot, from their outlet shop in York. I've had a few more big iron pans from there - a flatter, wider one, and a slightly bigger oval one - and they are largely ignored, but this is spectacular. I know folk who've had bad ones, and folks who really don't rate them, but this would be my rescue-from-a-burning-building item. Well, were it not flameproof and thus retrievable from the smouldering ruins...
Except if it's got hot and the water fairies spray it with water, then it will crack...
J
We regularly take our cast-iron frying pans off the stove and put them under the hot water tap. They've lasted ~40 years so far.
When I had a real job (>30 years ago) I worked in a lab where they tested cookware, which occasionally involved doing just that. The results were spectacular.
Did your testing show that adding water to hot pans warped them?It wasn't so much adding a bit of water to the pan, more dunking a red hot pan in iced water. I can't honestly remember what the metal pans did but I do remember what the glass (oven-proof and for hob use) ones did (always broke, occasionally exploded). I've often added cold water to hot metal pans and never had any problems.
Can't see the difference between adding a few mm of water to the empty pan and pouring in a load of wine halfway through cooking.
I should hope so for that price!
Recently treated ourselves to a new mixer. The (very) old Kenwood Major is starting to need more and more TLC, and I've already rebuilt its gearbox and replaced a burnt out capacitor or two. I need to recalibrate the speed control board and (re)diagnose an intermittent total failure to switch on, so we decided to splash out on a modern version. The Titanium Chef XL Patissier. Holy chuff.
Built in digital scales, touch-screen control, in-bowl illumination, and warming function! The damn thing will work as a dough-proving cupboard! Fair enough, the old one would warm a dough to an extent, but more as a side effect of the excessive motor heat being transmitted through the gearbox into the dough hook if it was tasked with a whole bag of flour...
'tis a wondrous thing.
You are almost set up for domestic Chorleywood Bread Process bread ;)
Recently treated ourselves to a new mixer. The (very) old Kenwood Major is starting to need more and more TLC, and I've already rebuilt its gearbox and replaced a burnt out capacitor or two. I need to recalibrate the speed control board and (re)diagnose an intermittent total failure to switch on, so we decided to splash out on a modern version. The Titanium Chef XL Patissier. Holy chuff.
Built in digital scales, touch-screen control, in-bowl illumination, and warming function! The damn thing will work as a dough-proving cupboard! Fair enough, the old one would warm a dough to an extent, but more as a side effect of the excessive motor heat being transmitted through the gearbox into the dough hook if it was tasked with a whole bag of flour...
'tis a wondrous thing.
You will of course already have an anti-walking mat.
Right now this is my favourite bit of shiny.
(https://pbase.com/image/172348424.jpg)
but MrsT has been all "jack of all trades and master of none" about it.
How easy is it to keep clean?
MrsT has been all "jack of all trades and master of none" about it.
Air frying doesn't give you the greasy fried goodness of actual frying, but if you approach it as a compact, efficient convection oven, it's pretty darncoolhot. Aubergines with a fraction of the oil is amazing. Part of a par-baked garlic baguette without feeling the need to cook - and then eat - a whole one is great. I'm batch preparing things like falafel, veggie burgers and samosa and then air frying what I need when I need it. I'm minimising my supermarket trips because pandemic, and air frying frozen broccolli is the only way I've found so far of it not being a horrible mushy consistency. I don't eat much meat, but it's produced some perfectly adequate sausages and a couple of burgers. Quesadilla I'm having to ration myself on and it's best if I try and forget about how easy it was to use some of that pastry-in-a-tube stuff to make pain au chocolat. Pizza is nicely revived the next day. Air fried crumbled tofu as a mince substitute is a game changer!
Steaming. Only tried this once or twice. Haven't got much to compare it to. Broccoli and cauliflower gets air fried now.
Grill. I've tried this once for toast, but have mostly reverted to the air fryer mode as I tend to go more for pitta or corn tortilla. If I'm doing bready bread then it's gluten free and a bit of a weird one anyway, but the time I tried it it came out more dried and crouton-like than Maillard goodness. I've tried provisionally retiring the toaster anyway, and haven't really missed it over the last couple of weeks.
I've yet to yoghurt or dehydrate.
If I moved into an unfurnished flat, I wouldn't be in any rush to buy an oven - the Foodi, my rice cooker and a frying pan set-up would be fine, I think.
How easy is it to keep clean?
I don't have any concerns about the inner pot: that takes very little effort to clean, just the measuring scale on the side is etched quite deep and needs a bit of attention to make sure there's nothing stuck in that after a pressure cook.
The air frying basket thing is still non-sticking, occasionally showing signs of oil depositing on the sides and starting to brown. That needs a bit more elbow grease and the stand thing that snaps on the underside is easy enough to remove - it's kind of annoying having the two parts in the washing up bowl at the same time though! Just weird shapes!
The pressure lid has never needed much more than a swill and a quick wipe so far. You can just dunk that and pull out the the seal from time to time for a proper wash. I'm not doing huge portions, so it's rare for any food to splash up on the lid.
The thing I'm cautiously keeping an eye on is the crisping lid. When the time comes to clean that it's either going to need a pokey thing to get past the safety grill and the heating element, or a security hex key to remove the grill and get decent access.
I'm seriously not missing the clean-up of roasting trays covered in oil, though.
MrsT has been all "jack of all trades and master of none" about it.
That's my instinctive feeling, but my wife got hold of one that a friend was getting rid of and has successfully been using it to make yoghurt.
The slow cooker we bought last year but I found that everything we cooked in it tasted as if it came out of a tin
We have an air fryer I'm very happy with but I can't get a whole duck into it so I'd like a bigger one. The Ninja is about the same price as the Philips XXL, so that's what got me asking.
Some nice ideas there, and caveats. MrsT would certainly go for the veggie ideas whereas I'm an unrepentant carnivore. I might have a closer look at the 2-basket model. Though I wouldn't get a duck into that.
Rats.
The slow cooker we bought last year but I found that everything we cooked in it tasted as if it came out of a tin
In what way? Tasting metallic?
I've got the OP350 model, which has a 21cm diameter frying basket IIRC. How big are ducks? Is that big enough for a duck?
There's a guy on YouTube who sets very meaty slow cooks going, climbs a Canadian mountain or two and then gets back to his van for a seriously protein-heavy refuel. It does sound like it does a good job of it!
Do you think the pressure cook + air fry options would do better/different compared to the air fryer alone?
By the way T42 - the non stick removable pan in the AG301 measures 21x21cm square-ish and 9.5cm deep - duck size?
The bearings are SMOOTH!
It oozes quality!
One of these https://www.lakeland.co.uk/25823/simplehuman-Under-Counter-Pull-Out-Waste-Bin-30L (https://www.lakeland.co.uk/25823/simplehuman-Under-Counter-Pull-Out-Waste-Bin-30L)
One of these https://www.lakeland.co.uk/25823/simplehuman-Under-Counter-Pull-Out-Waste-Bin-30L (https://www.lakeland.co.uk/25823/simplehuman-Under-Counter-Pull-Out-Waste-Bin-30L)What I like about this kind of system is that when you're wiping crumbs off the surface you can sweep all the debris over the edge and into the bin.
Well, I decided to give yoghurting a try (coconut milk with a dairy yoghurt starter).
citoyen, how long do you let yours ferment for?
I pulled mine after 18 hours - mostly because I wanted to use the Foodi to cook other stuff for a meal!
Now waiting to see how it firms up after some time in the fridge...
Sorry, only just seen this... I'll have to ask my wife, she's the yoghurt maker. I don't think it's very long though - probably not a lot more than 18 hours.
That said, reading the review, it's sort of kitchen rocket science. There are space vehicles with fewer buttons. I see the benefits of occasional pressure cooking for beans and pulses and air frying – what the fuck is that – sounds cool (or rather hot). As we're only two, cranking up the oven all the time seems a bit wasteful. That said, it has the potential to become just another gadget in the endless battle for counter real estate (I know, just move house). I have no idea how two people accumulate so much kitchen crap (only one of whom cooks). Though this post might shed some light on it.
Sorry, only just seen this... I'll have to ask my wife, she's the yoghurt maker. I don't think it's very long though - probably not a lot more than 18 hours.
There are small clumpy bits in mine that sort of suggest perhaps if I'd have left it a bit longer it would have started thickening up a lot more. I'm enjoying it, although it would probably lend itself best to smoothie making!
They strike me as the sort of thing invented by and for people who don't have the luxury of a proper stove in a dedicated room for cooking.
My wife has put me straight - it's an Instant Pot we have, not the Ninja. But I think they're much the same thing, aren't they?
Anyway, she says she leaves it 24 hours, which is how long it takes for the lactose to fully ferment, but it can be ready to eat in as little as 8 hours.
(ETA: looked it up and it seems the main difference is that the Ninja does air-frying, which the Instant Pot doesn't - or at least the version we have doesn't)
I'm on the fence. I like the idea of chips and stuff, I do a fair amount of small volume roasting (broccoli, that kind of thing) which involves heating the entire oven which seems a bit of a waste for a single tray.
What I found annoying was nothing to do with the gadget but the need to spray stuff with a light film of oil. The only refillable oil sprayers I've found don't spray, they squirt like a water pistol. In any YT vids you see of them they use aerosol cans. :sick:
Hungry now! Want chips! Bah!This. They do look really good.
How big is a 2kg chicken?
I'd be interested to know what the energy use is of doing those roasties/chips in the gadget vs a fsn oven...
I'm still not sure about a 15-in-1 smart-lid. That sounds smarter than me.
How big is a 2kg chicken?
Big enough to feed a family of six, I'd say.An insufficiency of Voracious Oaves there, I think!
Sorry, citoyen, but the only good way to cook sprouts is to douse them with petril, cremate them utterly and bury the ashes at a crossroads at midnight :demon:Not a fan?
Sorry, citoyen, but the only good way to cook sprouts is to douse them with petril, cremate them utterly and bury the ashes at a crossroads at midnight :demon:
Sorry, citoyen, but the only good way to cook sprouts is to douse them with petril, cremate them utterly and bury the ashes at a crossroads at midnight :demon:
Nah. Shred the sprouts, crumble some black pudding. Heat the black pudding in a frying pan until the fat's melting out, add the shredded sprouts, then chase the whole mixture round the pan for a minute or three, until the sprouts are just showing a bit of colour. Lovely.
I wonder if we should have a new topic regarding air fryers/slow/pressure cookers?
Could some of the previous relevant posts - and especially nikki's chips photo be migrated there?
Sorry, citoyen, but the only good way to cook sprouts is to douse them with petril, cremate them utterly and bury the ashes at a crossroads at midnight :demon:
How big is a 2kg chicken?
Big enough to feed a family of six, I'd say.
Sorry, citoyen, but the only good way to cook sprouts is to douse them with petril, cremate them utterly and bury the ashes at a crossroads at midnight :demon:
Nah. Shred the sprouts, crumble some black pudding. Heat the black pudding in a frying pan until the fat's melting out, add the shredded sprouts, then chase the whole mixture round the pan for a minute or three, until the sprouts are just showing a bit of colour. Lovely.
That sounds nice, but for me, sprouts don't need too much embellishment - they're perfectly good* without the addition of bacon, black pudding, chestnuts, whatever.
But I am sorely tempted to try them with black pudding, I must confess. It does sound good.
*yes, Mr L, they really are
They used to be really harsh and bitter, but that's been bred out of them over the last 40 or so years, so now they're much milder.
I might have bought a ninja machine thing, so let's see how they compare.
I love sprouts. I keep hinting to Pingu that he should make his sprout curry more often. It's amazeballs.
Joak about Russian gas supplies goes here ==>
We have a bottle of stuff in the cupboard called Fry Light. It's a blend of rapeseed oil, water, emulsifiers, thickening agents and alcohol - presumably to make it the right consistency for spraying. It's really nasty. It wasn't me who bought it and I won't use it - tried it once, never again.
Assuming satisfactory unboxing before this evening, I'm going to cook halloumi and greek-style potatoes
[...]
I just have to wait till 10pm now.
it just seems to squirt a strange milky fluid everywhere you don't want it squirted.
They used to be really harsh and bitter, but that's been bred out of them over the last 40 or so years, so now they're much milder.
Interesting. I didn't know that. I assumed it was just down to the way my parents cooked them.
I have noticed some supermarket sprouts can be a bit bland but that's generally true of all supermarket veg. (It's amazing to have a proper carrot and be reminded that carrots actually do taste of something.)
Assuming satisfactory unboxing before this evening, I'm going to cook halloumi and greek-style potatoes
[...]
I just have to wait till 10pm now.
Sounds good! Standing by for photos at 22:25...
came out perfectly
Wine glasses. I have a thing about glasses. I am very pernickety about the shape, size and weight of my drink ware.I swear by ikea's cheapest, good size, good shape, stem right length to fit the dishwasher, fine but not too delicate. Under £1.
I've recently broken the 2nd last one of my favoured red wine glasses. They were John Lewis' own from a few years back and they don't sell them anymore.
Most decent sized wine glasses come with a stem that is way too long. That's just asking to be knocked over. But I do want a stem. And I want a glass that's not so thin it will break if you look at it, but isn't too thick either.
What a pain it is trying to find a replacement that fits my exacting requirements. :facepalm:
I'm not sure how you're drinking wine, but the boxes I have come with a tap that dispenses wine directly into your mouth, sort of like a boozy scuba apparatus. This has the added bonus of cutting down on washing up, which – for those of us with a demonically possessed dishwasher* – is a significant plus.
*sadly now a confirmed case of diabolical expropriation.
Hmm. Good shout. I wonder if they have any in the Furrybootoon click & collect place. I see they have the height on the website but not the stem length.....
Sounds like Morrison's cheapo ones that we use.Hmm. Good shout. I wonder if they have any in the Furrybootoon click & collect place. I see they have the height on the website but not the stem length.....
For the record my favoured glass is 20cm tall and the stem length is approx 8cm...
@feanor Glad it's not just me ;D
@ian we had to give up on the boxes years ago cos we were drinking too much.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51987334288_5d52eb03c4_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ncWFgN)Wine glass for Mrs Pingu (https://flic.kr/p/2ncWFgN) by Richard Rajham (https://www.flickr.com/photos/189177564@N02/), on FlickrHmm. Good shout. I wonder if they have any in the Furrybootoon click & collect place. I see they have the height on the website but not the stem length.....
For the record my favoured glass is 20cm tall and the stem length is approx 8cm...
(https://flic.kr/p/2ncWFgN)Hmm. Good shout. I wonder if they have any in the Furrybootoon click & collect place. I see they have the height on the website but not the stem length.....
For the record my favoured glass is 20cm tall and the stem length is approx 8cm...
Sent from my motorola edge 20 using Tapatalk
Someone got me one of those tapes ~30 years ago. The scale you want to use is always on the wrong edge.
I just had a quick peek in the glass cupboard. I counted 47 various wine glasses. 2 of them get used regularly. One of them being a cheapo Morrison's one.Sounds like Morrison's cheapo ones that we use.Hmm. Good shout. I wonder if they have any in the Furrybootoon click & collect place. I see they have the height on the website but not the stem length.....
For the record my favoured glass is 20cm tall and the stem length is approx 8cm...
(https://flic.kr/p/2ncWFgN)Hmm. Good shout. I wonder if they have any in the Furrybootoon click & collect place. I see they have the height on the website but not the stem length.....
For the record my favoured glass is 20cm tall and the stem length is approx 8cm...
Sent from my motorola edge 20 using Tapatalk
I fail to grok how they decide what you can have delivered to the C&C vs home but never mind...
(https://flic.kr/p/2ncWFgN)Hmm. Good shout. I wonder if they have any in the Furrybootoon click & collect place. I see they have the height on the website but not the stem length.....
For the record my favoured glass is 20cm tall and the stem length is approx 8cm...
Sent from my motorola edge 20 using Tapatalk
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51987334288_ed915c4537_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ncWFgN)
Wine glass for Mrs Pingu (https://flic.kr/p/2ncWFgN) by Richard Rajham (https://www.flickr.com/photos/189177564@N02/), on Flickr
Some ****ing 'designer'…
Hadn't thought about there. Will try if I don't get on with the IKEA ones.
Meanwhile, who thought these were a good idea? https://www.debenhams.com/product/villeroy-boch-newmoon-set-of-4-red-wine-glasses_p-d52acb2b-6811-4272-9d94-4a8a19ae4caa?colour=Clear (https://www.debenhams.com/product/villeroy-boch-newmoon-set-of-4-red-wine-glasses_p-d52acb2b-6811-4272-9d94-4a8a19ae4caa?colour=Clear)