This is where we post what we use, what we like, what we don't like. Questions, comments, product reviews for every kitchen tool and appliance except knives (knives should have their own thread imo).

Cutting boards

Is your cutting board warped, cracked, curved, or bent? Does it spin around or flex when you put it on a table? Is it not big enough for normal tasks and things fall off of it often? If yes to any of these then get rid of it.

In general, thicker is better, especially for wood. Thin wooden cutting boards are the nut low and will not last. For wood you want 1 inch thick minimum. For plastic I recommend 1/2 inch minimum, 3/4 inch ideally. In terms of cutting area size I think 18x24 inch is ideal for most home cooks. If you're into breaking down large hunks of meat then you may want something larger.

I prefer plastic cutting boards. They're much cheaper, easier to clean, and they can generally take more abuse without getting ****ed up than wood. This is the board I use at home. It's $45 for a board that's nice and large, thick enough to not ever get warped or curved, and it'll last forever. Compare this to a good quality wooden board of the same size and you'll be paying almost twice as much. The only advantage of wooden boards is they look nicer.

Sheet pans

Here is some bad news: they don't sell good sheet pans in any department store or Target or whatever. I even went to a Williams-Sonoma store once and they didn't have any good sheet pans either. Your best bet is to order them online or go to a restaurant supply store.

When your sheet pans are in the oven, do they ever bend, flex, or curl up? Do they ever make popping noises? If yes, then throw them out, they suck. You need thicker sheet pans. Usually, sheet pans marketed for "commercial use" are the only ones worth buying. Sheet pans marketed for home use are flimsy pieces of ****. You'll want a thickness of 18 gauge. I don't know what thickness the gauge refers to but 18 is good and thick.

You should familiarize yourself with the standardized sizes of commercial sheet pans. When you buy sheet pans of these sizes, it's much easier to buy things to fit in those sheet pans such as wire racks and Silpats.

"Full" sheet pans are 26x18 inches
"Half" sheet pans are 18x13 inches
"Quarter" sheet pans are 13x9 inches

Your oven at home will probably not be able to fit a full sheet pans, so stick to halfs and quarters.

I also recommend not getting sheet pans that are dark colored. These will absorb more heat from the oven and can overbake the edges and bottom of your food. These are the sheet pans I use at home. They're equal quality to the ones used at all the best restaurants in the world.

Cooking utensils

Step 1: get rid of all the wooden spoons in your kitchen and burn them.

Step 2: replace them with utensils that work. Ruhlman likes flat edged wooden spoons, which are fine. I prefer silicone spatulas. The silicone spatula can do everything a flat edged wooden spoon can, plus every other scraping job you would normally use a spatula for.

A few things to look for in a spatula:

1. silicone head, not regular rubber. Rubber will melt, silicone won't.
2. flat edge, for scraping the bottom of a pan while sauteeing or whatever.
3. a firm but flexible head. If it's too flexible it will break easily and be generally annoying. Too firm and you won't be able to scrape out a bowl easily.
4. the head securely attached to the handle. Some spatulas are made so the head detaches from the handle easily, supposedly for easier cleaning. This is bad, I gaurantee you the head will come off occasionally when you really don't want it to.
5. good weight balance. If the weight balance is too far towards the handle, the spatula will fall out of a small bowl or pan easily. This is a problem with the Oxo spatulas (also because the heads are too small).

I suggest getting at least 3 good silicone spatulas. These are the spatulas I use at home. They meet all 5 of my requirements above.

Peeler

A good vegetable peeler is a must. I prefer the Oxo peelers because they have a very comfy grip.

Microplane

If you don't have one, get one. You can use these to grate cheese, zest citrus fruits, and many other things.

Cherry pitter

A good kitchen tool is one that has multiple uses, but there are some exceptions. A cherry pitter will make pitting cherries hella easier. If you like cherries I strongly suggest getting one, even though they don't do anything else. The Oxo cherry pitter is badass.

Whisk

The most important thing about a whisk is a comfortable handle imo. Usually whisking involves standing over something and whisking for a long time. This is why I prefer the Oxo whisks, they have very comfy handles and are lightweight. I suggest not getting one with anything protruding from the end of the handle. When you whisk something in a pot you want to frequently change your grip and hold it at the end to work your way into the corners of the pot. This will be really uncomfortable if there's a hook or something sticking out of the end.

The other thing to consider is the thickness of the wires. Thinner wires, such as on the Oxo, are lighter and easier for whipping egg whites, cream, and thin sauces. But for thicker sauces and some candies (pate de fruit, caramels) thinner wires will struggle a bit and you want a heavier whisk. I can't recomend a good brand of heavy whisk cuz I don't use them at home and never bought one.

Digital scale

If you have any interest in using them fancy hydrocolloids (xanthan gum, carrageenan, gellan gum, etc) that all the kids like to do these days, then you'll absolutely need at least one good scale. Or if you simply want to make your food more consistent, easier to make, and have less dishes to wash, then you'll also want a good scale. Liberation from measuring cups and beakers is quite nice.

For me, the definition of a good scale is:

1. minimum 2 kg capacity, preferably 5 kg
2. increments of not more than 1 gram
3. quick response (by this I mean you don't have to wait like 5 seconds for a reading after putting something on it)
4. weights in US and metric
5. easy to read display, even when there's a large bowl or pot on the scale

I've used about 15 different brands of digital scales in my life, and none have met all these criteria. When I find one that does I'll let you know.

If you want to experiment with hydrocolloids you'll need a scale that measures in .1 gram increments.

Round metal cookie cutters

I love this set of round cookie cutters. I use them for cutting round shapes for cookies, crackers, and some other things. They're also great for using as round molds for plating.

Ron,

Thanks for an excellent start to this thread! As an initial follow-up question, I notice that your recommended half sheet pan for home use is not dishwasher safe. Is there one you'd recommend that is, or is "good and dishwasher safe" a non-existent category? I have been itching to throw out my sheet pans and replace them, and had my eye on these.

As a related technique question, do real bakers use sheet pans with parchment, silpat, neither, or it depends?

I've found Sam's Club to be a place to get some basic cookware such as sheet pans that are made for commercial use. That's where I got my cheap, basic metal mixing bowl set. Getting a set of metal mixing bowls was one of the most important purchases I ever made for equipping my kitchen.

those questions are definitely related. I probly should've put this in the op:

Do not ever put food directly on a sheet pan!

Your goal should be to never have to wash sheet pans. Ideally you'd put whatever you're baking on parchment/silpat/rack/foil and food would never touch the pan. Of course once in a while you won't be able to avoid getting some **** on the pan, but washing it after every use is ridic.

The other reason to never put food on a sheet pan is because commercial sheet pans give off a powdery metallic residue. One of the reviewers of the pan you linked rated it 1 star because of this. That person obviously never worked in a restaurant or bakery. Every good sheet pan I've ever used has this residue. I guess it's the aluminum or something, I dunno. But if you always line the pan with something like you're supposed to, you'll never get this residue on the food.

Those pans you linked to look fine.

I bake on parchment 99% of the time. Parchment is the default, only use something else if the thing you're making really needs a silpat or something else. I like the Kirkland brand cuz it comes in big rolls and it's cheap. It's on amazon and I think it's available at costco.

No idea if KitchenCraft is available outside the UK, but I like their stuff and these spatulas are superb imo, and colourful too

Actually a lot of their stuff is very good (apart from the wooden spoons, ldo) and their ColourWorks range is fun and attractive too.


Yup, Oxo peelers >>> all other peelers


If anyone does know, I'd be interested.


Nah, if you're weighing it instead of eyeballing it you're a chemist, not a cook.

Teaspoons, tablespoons, cups and guesstimation ftw



Good stuff though, well done!

Cooks make estimates and then go with it. Chefs make estimates, then record these estimates for posterity with digital scales to assure accurate reproduction of their masterpieces. I don't know a single world class chef (or line cook) that uses guesstimation on the line.. it would be a good way to get fired. Sure for home cooking estimation is fine, but if your following the recipe in a cookbook then your better off using a scale.

I recently switched to a bakers scale, this way I can reduce or increase proportions accordingly when I work from a cookbook. So cheep, such a good investment in the caliber of my cooking!

PS: I know the food industry really well, but I am a neophyte cook. Not because i don't know how, its mostly due to the lack of time I have had to invest in cooking until recently.

- TT

Does anyone here have a non KitchenAid stand mixer? I've never had a stand mixer at home and it's about goddang time I had one. The only thing I know for sure is I'm not getting a KA.

Here is my experience with KAs:

At pastry school they had about 40 KAs. There were always at least 1 or 2 that were ****ed up and not working. Fortunately they had the money and resources to get them repaired quickly.

At the bakery I interned at they had 3 KAs. One of them was leaking oil and unusable. One had a piece loose at the joint where the attachment went in and you had to stop and shove it back in about every 10 minutes of mixing. One was working fine but the bowl would pop out of the little nub in the back if you put a stiff dough in it.

At the restaurant I interned at they had 1 KA. The gear shifter wouldn't go to the lowest (off) position. So the only way to turn the machine on/off was to plug/unplug it while it was running.

At the candy shop I'm working at right now there's 1 KA. When you move the gear shifter to a different gear, nothing happens unless you jiggle it around for a few seconds.

I've spent way too much time reading amazon reviews and egullet threads about mixers. The consensus on KAs seems to be that when the company was sold to Whirlpool in 1986, the quality soon dropped off (before 1986 KA had been owned by Hobart, which is a company that makes outstanding commercial mixers). Lots of people have KAs from the 1980s and before that sre still running fine today. But more recently they've been made with plastic gears and generally ****ty quality parts.

I hate the bowl lift/lower mechanism. This makes it such a PITA to scrape down the bowl. You usually have to remove the bowl and take off the attachment to be able to scrape the bowl properly. I know KA makes some mixers that have the superior top-lifting mechanism, but I've never used them.

But the main thing I hate about KAs is the noise. They are so freaking loud. You can't talk in a normal voice to someone standing right next to you with a KA on high speed in the same room.

I've been looking at the Hamilton Beach, Breville, and Bosch Compact.

I'm leaning towards the HB which is only $170, by far the cheapest normal size mixer that I know of. It also has a 3yr warranty (KAs have a 1yr warranty). They sell extra bowls for $22, KA bowls are about twice that. The Bosch looks pretty spiffy but I don't like the plastic bowl. I might want to make Italian meringue in it, and I don't know how safe it would be to pour 120*C sugar syrup into a plastic bowl. Also I saw a couple youtube videos of the Bosch and it looks like the dough hook doesn't work all that well.

If I can find one on ebay or cl, I would get a used Hobart N50. These are the most solid sturdy machines you'll ever see in your life. They don't make them anymore. Even though they have the same bowl lift/lower mechanism that KAs have, I would still get a Hobart if I could.

I have the Breville, really great but I miss some of the cool attachments that are only available in the KitchenAid mixers such as the meat grinder and the fruit strainer. I also got the Breville blender, I regret this purchase... I should have gottent the Vitamix. The Breville blender is great, top of the class, but the Vitamix is the best... fast enough to cook soup without the need for a heating element.

Hmm, in that case I'm a cook not a chef then. I've never worked in the food industry (not counting my job in McDonalds 15 years ago when I was a student) so I won't argue with you on that, and if I was working in a Michelin star restaurant then it sounds like I'd be weighing everything if I wanted to keep my job.

But even if you're home cooking using a recipe, measuring that exactly is pretty pointless imo — every cookbook I've ever seen gives both imperial and metric units, yet they're always rather loose about converting from one to the other, preferring approximations such as 1lb ~ 500 g (when it's actually 454g, or if they mean 500g then it should 17.6 oz). I reckon I can eyeball it to within that 10% margin anyway.

TT

Most mixers have all the same attachments as the KA. But I'm not interested in those cuz I don't make sausage or pasta and I already have a Vitamix and food processor.

From some youtube videos I've seen, it looks like the Bosch Universal is the one I would get if I used lots of attachments.

What are these cookbooks that say 1 lb = 500g? I'll be sure to avoid them. I have never seen a cookbook say that, they usually say 450 = 1 lb. I think maybe you're just buying ****ty cookbooks!

I'm a little biased towards weighing everything because I'm a pastry cook and a 10% error for any ingredient in a pastry recipe will usually mean the difference between a good result and a bad, possibly inedible result.

This might be YMMV. I've used an Oxo peeler and it's decent, but I greatly prefer a Pampered Chef model.

Also, currently researching immersion blenders, would appreciate recommendations.

This is the one I decided to get, but you may be better off getting an immersion blender from a restaurant supply store for cheeper if you don't need the attachments - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004RF7QJW/. The only thing you really need to be concerned with is the suction that the blender creates, so as long as you avoid the cheapest bottom end products you will be fine.

I have the OXO peeler, it is insanely powerful, but its also easy to cut yourself. I started using a blunt edge peeler for most work and instead I save the OXO for special situations.

I have a Cuisinart immersion blender, works really well, comes with a whisk attachment that's decent, and a chopper attachment that I've never used: http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-HB-1...ersion+blender

Re: Immersion Blenders:

From what little research I remember doing, there was little differentiation between the entry level ~$40-$50 things. No one I know has ever used the ability to turn them in to a blender or salsa chopper or whatever. I doubt anyone produces such a thing, but I would recommend against buying a cordless immersion blender if it does exist. Just seems like a terrible idea.

Re: Electric Mixers:

Ron, I don't have any data to counterpoint yours honestly. My parents have an ancient KitchenAid and it's a workhorse and they've never had any issues with it. I've had the standard head tilts back model of a new one for a few years now and while it generally does a good job, 1) I used it on a thick dough early in its career and it bent the whisk so that it doesn't come as close as it should to the side walls of the bowl (probably I should replace this whisk instead of needing to scrap down all the time) 2) the little knob on the speed slider fell off. Lame. As far as I know the more professional version has metal gears, better construction, and the mechanism lifts vertically which is so superior. However, I can't say I would recommend it.

I did a bit of research and it appears that people who are really in to this stuff like the Electrolux Assistant the best. They do seem very, very expensive though.

the discussion of KA blenders is interesting, but the difference in the model is the key. A $500 model that is identical to a $170 model (of the same id#) is the issue. Lighter transportables are put out so that Mary Jane homemaker can have a pantry to counter mixer. The workhorses are not supposed to be moved, but be the centre of the workflow.

So to make that work they do the Walmart plan, looks right but is gutted. I bought a black 5 qt professional from Costco a few years ago when they had them on sale, it's a real boat anchor. As someone who is tremendously hard on all tools, this thing is bulletproof.

+1 to the 5qt professional KA, my wife uses hers to make thick bread dough a lot and the thing is a champ.

If you read this blog, your opinion might change.

http://modernistcuisine.com/2011/09/...g-the-balance/

KA stand mixer is the nuts. I have the 5qt pro plus attachments.

lol at eyeballing everything. Just. lol.

This is all I could think when reading the anti digital scale comments. For those of you who scoff at digital scales, try making french macaroons by eyeballing it and see if you get feet. Try using Mortons Kosher Salt by volume in a recipe written using Diamond Crystal (actually don't, I'm making a point - def don't want anyone ruining something they work hard to make). The point here is that measuring in the kitchen is essential, whether for volume, mass, or time. Cooking a perfect dish is hard enough as it is, don't make it harder.

Obviously, there are some recipes that have a greater margin for error than other recipes. I usually don't need precise measurements if I am making soup, for example.

I don't want to be the anal retentive guy who has to measure everything exactly. I don't want to be the careless guy who refuses to measure anything. I want to be the guy who, if a recipe calls for 454g of chopped onions, understands when I can get away with using 400g or 500g if my onions don't come out to exactly 454g.

I actually don't have a scale. I've been meaning to buy one, though.

Also wanted to add to the sheet pan / peeler discussion.

My favorite sheet pan is a Vollrath Wear Ever as chosen by Cooks Illustrated as their best tested. These hold shape really well and even when warped at high temp, have gone back to flat for me.

My favorite peeler is this Kuhn Rikon model. These are hands down the best peelers out there. Buy some - you won't regret it.

Those of us who are pro-scale feel exactly the same way, precise measurement but there can be room for deviation if the produce calls for deviation. If however you are baking, then its usually best to stick to the program.

BTW - I just got my third scale. First was a really sexy manual scale, very attractive in the kitchen but it was inaccurate. Second was a pocket scale for measuring to the hundredth gram (needed for making dishes that use modernist additives like xantham, agar, or sodium citrate), and my latest is a digital bakers scale which has a percentage mode. I am still trying to get the hand of the percentage feature, most of the recipes I have been making are from Modernist Cuisine which includes bakers measurements; but I am not sure how to incorporate that into the scale. Any insight?