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Comments
Good calls. Another thing that annoys me about cooking sites and shows is when they oversell how quick and/or easy something is.
For instance: I've now perfected a from scratch Mac and Cheese recipe that is pretty easy as far as making something from scratch goes in ingredients/measurements. Now, if I were like most cookbook writers/bloggers I'd say "This recipe is SO easy you'll never reached for the boxed stuff again!".
My "easy" recipe still involves grating a block of cheese, measuring out all the ingredients, boiling the pasta, making a simple roux to a cheese sauce, and baking it all for 20 minutes. So yes, if I started with a preheated oven, already boiled pasta, pregrated cheese, already measured ingredients etc, I probably could do it in not that much more time than a box of Kraft.
It's not a hard recipe at all but to compare it to being as fast and easy as boxed is just the type of thing that's liable to discourage a new cook.
Thanks for all the knife tips
I own two sous vide machines, love them and highly recommend them
Sous vide is definitely on my list of things to try. I've looked at them a couple of times but not sure where to jump in. Actually not even getting into the machine itself, it seems like the times I've seen it done on TV the food was vacuum sealed, do you need a vac sealer too?
I was looking at a few around the $75-90 mark because I don't want to spend a ton to start and I'm short on kitchen space so definitely one of the stick looking ones.
I have two Anova machines, one bluetooth and one wifi. I have had one of them almost 3 years. They are a big name and certainly worth a look. Can usually find the bluetooth on sale but under $100 if not in a rush
I think everyone should own a vacuum sealer. not required for sous vide, though it makes easier. but I use regularly for things unrelated to sous vide. see a big sale on meat at the grocery store? vacuum sealer. want to buy a 1/4 or 1/2 cow? vacuum sealer. have a great day fishing? vacuum sealer
I have been using the food saver v2224 (I think that is the model number) for just under 3 years and it died just a few days ago. I ordered the 5860 as a replacement and should have soon. one day I'll splurge for a chamber sealer haha
if you opt for a sous vide then I recommend checking out serious eat's website and the sous vide everything channel on youtube. a lot of good info
I have the Victorinox knife as my backup knife for when I send my main knives off to be sharpened. it is a good knife. why I asked his budget because if it was a lower budget that was going to be what I recommended too.
I love to cook. whether in the kitchen or on the grill
my wife and I rarely go out to eat and we never do frozen meals in the oven like stoufers (sp?). we cook a full dinner every night. I love kitchen toys but I am quick to get rid of something that does not work for me or that I don't use. so things that work for me, like a sous vide, might not work for you. and you might love an instant pot while I have zero use for one
I do love getting good stuff and then using the he!! out of it. and I love an excuse to try something new. so hopefully people post some of their favorite toys too
Steaks before their sous vide bath...
Steak after an 800 degree reverse sear on a kamado...
I couldn't agree more with the Sous Vide advocates on this thread. The ability to cook protein to the proper temperature, and then using fire to "reverse sear" it for the Maillard Reaction is outstanding! Also, IMO, a vacuum sealer is imperative to achieving desired results.
That said, a good internal meat temperature thermometer, like a Thermapen, is the most invaluable aid to cooking meat properly. I've found that regardless of cooking temp, high or low, if you cook the meat to the proper internal temperature for your doneness, it comes out great. This has liberated me from chasing temps on a grill, or worrying about the proper temp in an oven or cast iron skillet.
Finally, for a budget conscious knife, you CAN'T beat the Victorinox!
Best of luck in your culinary pursuits...
everything in this post is 100% accurate, including no butter and just herbs in the bag with the steaks!
Good call. I have always kinda wanted a vacuum sealer but really hadn't looked at them in a long time. Looking at some reviews I hadn't realized that the price, selection, and quality had gotten so much better. Think I'm going to pick one up today.
Anova was one of the brands I had looked at.
I feel like chili is one of those things that everybody has a cool secret ingredient in their recipe. As long as it's not overboard like that Cincinnati style stuff. I had some Skyline Chili one time and it tasted strongly of cinnamon..just weird.
As far as specialty appliances go I have an Instantpot.
I was gifted the Instantpot. It has its uses but it's like any other fad in that people will try to tell you that you can cook any number of things in it. You CAN, but just like the crockpot craze before it, just because you can doesn't mean you should.
The pros are that it's just a high tech pressure cooker and a pressure cooker has its uses. For cooking a braised cut of meat like a pot roast or pork roast it works quite well and can majorly cut down on your cooking time. Like by hours. It's also great for stews/soups and making broth/stock. I've never owned a dedicated rice cooker but it does a pretty good job at cooking a lot of rice with minimal effort.
I've never used it for a lot of its supposed uses and outside of obvious one pot meals like a stew it's rarely my only thing used to cook something: I might pressure cook some meat with stock/aromatics to get it tender and then add further stuff on the stove after to make a sauce/finish the dish. It's also a pressure cooker, meaning it works on steam pressure so you need a certain amount of liquid and it can't be too thick. I tried making my long simmered spaghetti sauce in it thinking it would speed it up but it was too thick and scorched before it produced enough steam to seal the pressure gauge.
It does take up a lot of space too. But, as I said, a pressure cooker is useful and I certainly never would have bought one of the old fashioned manual ones. So I enjoy it as a niche item but it certainly hasn't changed my life..but I'm a single guy with no kids so maybe I'm not the target demo lol.
@scooterdawg
I love using mine for beans. Buy a bag of frozen or dried beans (use a ton of water if it's dried), toss in some salt, pepper, and garlic cloves and it's an awesome side dish.
Good call..I made some hoppin john in mine for new years this year. I hate blackeyed peas with a passion that will never be tamed but my mom has me brainwashed into the luck thing. I threw some dried ones in the Instantpot with a ham hock and such and cooked the eff out of them and they were able to be choked down..which is a plus!