Questions tagged [equipment]
Questions on selecting, maintaining, and using cooking tools and equipment.
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Why isn't glass ideal for the fermentation of sauerkraut?
I last made sauerkraut over 20 years ago, so embarking on it again I did some reading and chose an Alton Brown recipe. He specifically calls for the fermentation to be done in a plastic container. ...
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What is the history of the standard sheet (bun) pan?
What is the history of the standard sheet (bun) pan? Who came out with the sizing? Why that size? When did it occur?
There are full size(26x18 Inch), half(18x13) and quarter(13x9).
image from
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What should I look for in a cookie jar?
I would like to upgrade from the novelty plastic bin I currently use for cookies. What cookie jar features would prevent the cookies from getting stale for the longest amount of time? What shape of ...
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How can I be sure I'm buying the right KitchenAid beaters?
My daughter has a KitchenAid Architect stand mixer. Through a series of moves, she's misplaced the wire whip and the dough hook and I'd like to get her replacements.
Easier said than done! Stores ...
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Why does my knife leave grey streaks in the butter?
Sometimes my flatware leaves grey streaks in butter. I've only seen this with knives in cold butter. They claim to be stainless steel which I would think wouldn't do this. If I recall they were the ...
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Can I fix my universal meat grinder which leaks when I make cranberry orange relish
'Tis the season for cranberry orange relish, but what a mess!
The source of the leak: where the handle meets the barrel of the grinder. Is there a gasket there that can be replaced?
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Which tools can be used to safely cut bone?
I need to cut various types of bone for its marrow (ie, leg of lamb, or pork bone). I'm wondering what type of tool would accomplish this safely. I've considered bolt cutters, saws, large cleavers, ...
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When does the new home oven/stove smell go away?
Our last stove broke and our landlord had to replace it. We got one from GE Hotpoint and it seems like an OK stove. It's a gas model. We have had it for a few months now but haven't been able to ...
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Prevent the grinder basket on Cuisinart coffee maker from sticking
I have a Cuisinart grind and brew coffee maker. The grinder basket is very hard to remove.
I have cleaned it as well as I could and Cuisinart just offered to sell me a new part for $30 that may or ...
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Would it be a bad idea to electroplate a knife?
I'm curious, I haven't seen any electroplated kitchen knives before so I'm not sure if they exist. And if not, why?
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What Kind of Pan is This?
This is a screen-shot of "Chopped", a show on the Food Network that I watch a lot. Most of the pans on the show are stainless steel, but it seems that these pans are always the ones the chefs grab ...
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Old-Fashioned Candy/Deep-Fry Thermometer - How Shallow Can I Go?
I have a thermometer like this:
Today I'm making tostadas. I don't need or want deep oil for that, just over a centimeter would be plenty. In order to submerge the bulb of this thermometer in oil ...
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How do I fix a cast iron pot that was heated empty for hours?
I left my cast iron pot on the gas stove, on high flame, and then forgot about it for 3 hours. It was empty and I was drying it before I oiled it to store it. After I discovered it and let it cool, I ...
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How should I clean my metal mesh tea strainer?
I have one of these teeli tea strainers, and it's wonderful. It's a very fine metal mesh basket with plastic frame. I've had it for perhaps 10+ years and it's still working well after brewing ...
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Restaurant kitchen supplies that are also really useful in a home kitchen?
What are some good suggestions for the kinds of cooking tools and supplies you might normally see in a restaurant kitchen, but are also super useful in a home environment?
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What's the best container to ferment vegetables?
I'm brand new to fermenting. Popular purchases are Ohio stoneware crocks and A German style air-lock ceramic crock for fermenting the harvest. (pictured in order below)
I'm interested in smaller ...
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Should I get the small or large size of a pour over brew device when I'm only brewing one cup? (eg. Hario V60, Woodneck)
Assuming that I am only going to brew a cup of coffee for myself and won't be brewing more than one cup at a time, should I still get the larger of the two sizes (or three sizes in terms of the V60) ...
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Can you brew black tea in a macchinetta?
If I use black tea leaves (not grounded leaves like in commercial teabags), and place them in the macchinetta (either instead of a coffee, or with the water). Is the brewed result going to be any good?...
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What is the best way to turn the chunks of jaggery into fine powder?
I have big chunks of jaggery. I want to turn them into fine powder.
What is the best way to turn the chunks of jaggery into their powdered form?
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What kind of tray or tray coating to use for pretzels?
I've been making traditional German pretzels with a lye bath, but the pretzels tend to bake onto the baking sheets. I've tried a few different kinds of trays, all with less that perfect results.
Non-...
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Even heating: skillet thickness vs. electric element size
I've recently started transitioning to stainless-clad aluminum-core skillets, and one oft-compared property of various offerings is the thickness - generally a thicker sandwich contains a thicker ...
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Why use a sandwich press instead of an oven or pan?
I often make hot sandwiches. Usually I just put butter on the outsides of the bread, then put them in the oven just until the cheese melts. I see other people just put the sandwiches in a pan with ...
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Is there any way to salvage an old rusted wok?
Hello Seasoned Advice: I cannot find an answer on any previous posts here relating to woks about what to do if the wok is Already Rusted. I found this wok in my husband's house when I moved in - he ...
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Extrusion pasta maker versus roller: which one makes the best pasta?
Roller pasta makers require you to work the dough by hand and then run it through the roller multiple times. Some extrusion pasta makers don't even require mixing the ingredients before placing them ...
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Chosing 2 pans - the most versatile solution
I'm mot a noob cook, but it's the first time I'm buying myself a proper kitchenware. I have a hard time deciding which frying pan would be the best form me. In fact I'm pretty much set on buying 2 ...
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Best tool for quickly cutting vegetables into a salad?
I like eating a salad for lunch, but would like to somehow optimize the time it takes to cut the vegetables. My salad usually contains tomatoes, cucumbers, bell pepper, carrot, etc.
I could buy an ...
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Opening wine bottle with rounded top using a waiter's friend
For opening non-screw-cap wine bottles I tend to use a "waiter's friend" style corkscrew (i.e. one with a lever that you push against the top of the bottle in order to extract the cork). I recently ...
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Mayonnaise in stand mixer is very runny
I've frequently made homemade mayonnaise in my food processor following Alton Brown's recipe, and consistently had good results.
Last week the food processor was busy with something else, and so I ...
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Why can't I heat water properly on a new glass cooktop using a stainless steel pot?
I have just started using a glass cooktop and my RACO stainless steel cook pot takes ages to heat and won't boil unless on the highest setting. It makes a scummy mark on the cook top. I thought that ...
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Do scalloped sides on a knife blade have any effect? [duplicate]
One of the first knives I was ever given was a Wusthof 7-inch Santoku. Over my years of use, I've never put much thought into the cut-outs along the side of the blade (which appear to be variously ...
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Can I fit normal kenwood bowls in the major series
I have a Kenwood Chef Major and while it's great, I find the mixing bowl to be a bit on the large size for simple jobs. I'm wondering if there is any reason why I wouldn't be able to fit a normal chef ...
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Where to find a large individual brownie pan?
I'm looking for a large baking pan for cooking individual square brownies, preferably at least 8cm x 8cm (3.14 inches) but I can't find anything anywhere!! Can anyone suggest where I can get something ...
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Utensil to thaw meat
A very long time ago, I was at a friend's house where her father took out this piece of ribbed metal from the cupboard.
It was a dark piece of metal about the size of an adult hand. It had grooves on ...
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Misto nozzle leaks
While trying to clean my Misto, the nozzle came off. I pushed it back on, but it leaks and now I can't get any pressure when I pump. How do I replace the spray nozzle so it fits tightly?
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What should I look for in a crepe pan?
Amazon link
Remarkable to find them all together like this, but these are the options I am considering.
Hard-Anodized Aluminum
Non-Stick (Teflon)
Blue Steel (I've never even heard of it)
Cast-Iron
...
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why should the madeleine tins start off cold?
I have a recipe for Madeleine's which calls for the tins to be buttered, sprinkled with flour and then put in the fridge or freezer for the remainder of the prep time. What is the reasoning for this?
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What is this plastic handle that is used for corn and watermelon called?
I've seen these plastic handle things and searched for phrases like the one in the question title but failed to find it. What are they called? And where can I get buy them from?
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Keeping Food Hot & Delicious
I'm having a large amount of guests over tomorrow and I wanted to know how can keep large portions of food hot and ready to serve without it getting cold or damp, while also keeping my deserts cool ...
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Very unusual kitchen tools
I found this very interesting post. I can guess what some of them must be but have no idea about the others. Can someone please help identify these:
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Bell Pepper Mousse - won't charge or discharge
I made an ISI Whip recipe for Bell Pepper Mousse, chilled the mixture in the container for 2 hours, then charged the mixture twice, heard gas release, shook it vigorously 20 times and it would not ...
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What is this spoon-like kitchen utensil with a rubbery head and wooden handle called?
What is this utensil or kitchen tool called that has a rubber-like head and a wooden handle?
What is it used for?
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steam oven vs conventional oven
I am in a debate as to whether diced, marinated pork shoulder cooked in a vacuum bag in a regular conventional oven gives the same result as the same pork, cooked in a steam oven.
The bagged pork had ...
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Stirring with knives?
So this past weekend I encountered a peculiar line in a recipe which I am hoping someone with more cooking knowledge than me can shed light on
Combine flour, brown sugar, and a pinch of salt in ...
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RPM for milk frothing?
So I had one of those American capitalist/consumer moments where I would have liked to have a milk frother handy. But I just can't bring myself to buy such a frivolous single-use additional material ...
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What are these used for
These metal tubes are open on one side and hang from the handle suggesting a frying use?
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Tools to peel and crush a whole garlic bulb
I'm conscious of this other question, yet this is (veritably) a different question that doesn't duplicate.
What are some tools or appliances that peel an entire garlic bulb?
Are there any for ...
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Where can I find a hand blender like this?
My mom uses this in India. It is very convenient, has 5 types of detachable blades - some are smooth for mixing, while some sharp for chopping. I haven't been able to find a similar product on amazon.
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How do I clean my cast iron grill pan?
I'm recently the proud new owner of what I appears to be a Le Creuset "Skinny Grill" which is an enameled cast iron grill pan.
I fairly new to cast iron but I'm accustomed to the no-soap cleanup and ...
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Creating a home "anti-griddle"?
I watched a restaurant documentary last night (Spinning Plates; pretty good!) which featured a modernist chef demonstrating their kitchen's anti-griddle: essentially a large metal plate chilled down ...
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What does one use a saw for?
In the 1939 illustrated book Madeline is a kitchen scene. On the counter are plates (or bowls), a colander, a ladle, a saucepan, a large knife — and a hand saw. Is a hand saw a kitchen implement?...