Good Kitchen Tools, Gadgets, White Goods etc…..
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Thanks for opening up the Topic @Giles and @neph93
After I promised I shall now deliver, bare in mind that the follwing Products are avilable in Germany/the EU (and the UK, at least for now) and are eventually not as easy to get elsewhere:
Cooking Pots/Pans:
De Buyer Made in France, Iron and Copper Pots/Pans, really high/pro quality, the very renowend Mineral B Series is really "cheap" for the quality, the copper pots/pans are expensive (as all copper pots/pans)
WMF Partly Made in Germany, an absolute German staple for Stainless Steel Pots, the german made products are really heavy, well made and not that cheap, the chinese made sets change name and pricing by the day and are basicly their way to make the Max amount of money with their known name
Enamel Pots/Pans/Bowls/Water Pots/Strainers
Riess Made in Austria, and absolute Staple straight from the Mountains since 1550 (!) the Products made by the absolute Intstitution when it comes to european enemal are high quality and well priced
-> Sidenote: Falcon Enemal ist marketed as british but actually comes from china for almost the same pircing as Riess
Kitchen Ceramics
Emile Henry Made in France, very colorful and well made cermaic products, they make everything from a baking dishes to kitchen utensils, 10 Year warrenty on basiclly everything
Römertopf Made in Germany, the Brick red Products are very well known all over Germany and are a staple in every household, their classic "Römertopf" was a classic present for every young women in the olden days when she left home nowdays they do everything from chicken grillers to bread storage boxes
-> Sidenote: Le Cruset and Staub Products cost the same or more then EH and Römertopf Products but are from China (both as far as I know only produce their Cast Iron Products in France these Days)
PorcelanThat is one Product Genre that isn´t to probelamtic in germany because we have Tons of good Manufacturers that do quality products in germany, if it´s on the finer Side of the Specturm with Brands like Rosenthal and KPM, on the "younger" Side like Arzberg or Thomas or with an more Rustic Approach like Gmundner from Austria everybody should find something
Kitchen Glassware
Pyrex Made in France, There is not much to say about Pyrex, no frills, good quality, good price
Glasses
The second "easy" category at least if you always read whats on the Box are Glasses, Manufacturers like Riedel and Schott deliver good quality Made in Germany but tend to Outsource their Cheaper lines which often times leads to bad quality
A really good Source for daily use Glasses is the Duralex Picardie Range of Bistro Glasses from France.
Tools/Knives
Solingen near Cologne in the West of Germany is one of the Knive Maker Capitals of the World and even tough some companys grew huge and sourced most of their Production out there is still quite a decent amount left that actaully produce in germany like Güde, Mono, Herder, Dick (Yes great name for Interntional Business) and more, just Google "Solinger Knives".
In General this industry is a lot of marketing, store displays and old names with no substance left, the amount of brands that are only left as Names with random branding on Asian products is insane to me. If I'd search for Asian Products Good or Bad/Cheap I'd rather buy them from the Asian Brands themselves then from a Eurooean brand with a 500% higher price.
I hope that helps you guys a bit if in search of a well made product, sorry if there are any misspells the last time a wrote a english text that long was at least 10 Years ago and I had to google a lot of Kitchen Vocabulary
EDIT: I almost missed the US Products because they where on another list, Epicurean makes Wood Based Cutting Boards in the US that are a really good sort of cheap alternative (at least when it comes to function) to the renowned Boos Blocks which are also US made. Microplane also do the grating part of their craters in the US.
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Mainly it comes down to the price. At twice the price, I'd like to know how robust is the motor.
Same/similar retail pricing now as Anova, $199 for the stainless/white version and $179 for the all-white one. Hard to say how reliable or robust the motor is, but if being more powerful means it doesn't have to work as hard, it could have a longer duty cycle. The reviews on Amazon remain positive (slightly moreso than Anova) but the warranty is only 1 year to Anova's 2.
I looked at the Instant Pot and haven't really had the urge to get one. We do use our Crock Pot a ton though. We also use that to make food for the dogs: they get bone broth with every meal.
Yeah, we have a crock pot and a pressure cooker, and we don't have one either–but to be fair, this is a different beast than either. I'm told even by Instant Pot enthusiasts that if you are doing low and slow, stick with your crock pot. What is interesting to me is compressing cook times down, but again, that's kind of a pressure cooker thing too. A quick Google search shows a bone broth recipe at 2 hours in the pot--that's what makes it interesting, as any broth I've ever made took a hard boil for a much lengthier period of time.
Being at altitude, pressure cooking in general is also interesting, as it take elevation-based variability out of the picture.
I have a feeling our gas range will be the next major appliance to go. I really, REALLY love gas ranges, but the ease of cleanup for induction ranges has me thinking about that, especially since we can get direct flame out on the grill. Anyone have experience with induction ranges?
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I've heard stories that Instant Pot doesn't let the flavors marry because it's so fast. That's probably my biggest reason why I don't have one.
I paid $99 for the top of the line Anova on Black Friday.
My bone broth recipe is pretty simple: bones, water to cover, a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, crock pot on high for 6 hours, then low for 30 hrs. Most of the time the stock has the consistency of dense jello when its cooled, once in awhile depending on the cut of bones, it comes out like hardened rubber cement.
I'm pretty low rent when it comes to other things in my kitchen. Mason jars serve as storage, measuring cups, and drinking vessels. I have two Ken Onion Shun knives, and the rest are the cheapest Amazon Essentials knives I can find. Knowing how to sharpen things closes the gap between nice cutlery and cheap cutlery.
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There are no wooden cutting boards in my house nor will there ever be.
In my past life I was a manufactured food investigator/inspector.
There is too much shit that grows in wooden cutting boards.
Plastic. If there's a gouge, I'll sand it out. After that, it gets tossed.
No wooden cutting boards.
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In terms of white goods, Miele.
They are engineered and tested to last 20 years based on typical usage.
This is from someone who used to fix appliances from all manufacturers. -
Studies have shown wood's perfectly safe, and maybe safer than plastic. I think the most important factor is how you care for it. In our case, we frequently wash our block with soapy water, keep it oiled up with an oil that won't go rancid, and routinely flip it over so that any bacteria that have penetrated the grain on a given side can die off. We also avoid meat and cheese on it. The one thing that is a standing disadvantage for nice cutting boards is that you don't typically routinely replace them, but I am not sure the science is settled that there's a cumulative microbiome of bacteria that necessitates that. What I can say is we don't get sick, the board doesn't stink, and foods cut on it taste untarnished by it.
We love our Boos block and it is permanently on the counter, secured to the granite by a rug pad. We have plastic cutting boards for meats and cheeses. The only use for it than cutting vegetables is as a charcuterie board.
Excuse the mess, but here it is:
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Yep, thats what I read too, Oak boards even "kill" Bacteria because of the Acid that is in Oakwood (which is also used to tan leather). I do it like you @mclaincausey I use the Wood Board for everything then Chicken including Pizza serving and cutting and never had a single problem.
In great Michelin started Sushi Resturants basicly every cutting and preparing Surface is made out of Wood, I recently watched the "Omakase" Series on the Eater Youtube Channel and noticed that.
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We have a Joule sous vide wand and we love it. I have made 72hrs beef short ribs with it, as well as perfect roasts. It's been a revelation.
I also like the Thermapen Mk4 instant thermometer for when grilling steaks and the iGrill 2 for pieces I want to roast or smoke for a long time. If you've never cooked with a stay-in thermometer it will change your life.
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I wish I had not started this thread - it's costing me a feckin fortune….
I already spend a Fortune and I´m not nearly there
I recently discoverd Alpes Inox Kitchens an italian company that custom makes stainless steel kitchens with an insane eye for details, one of those will for shure go in if I buy my own place in the future
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WRT boards, I think the key thing is to not use the same boards for meats and items one plans to eat raw (e.g., salad).
The fact that a lab can detect the presence of a given bacteria does not mean that said bacteria is present in quantities large enough to contaminate.
Personally I like the Epicurean cutting boards because they look & feel "woody" but they go in the DW.
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Can also vouch for the Sous Vide. My brother got my mom one for Christmas and it's amazing. We've done steaks and burgers so far and they've been perfect each time. All you gotta do is sear them on the cast iron.
I'd also suggest the Ninja Foodi for easy cooking. I got my mom one for Christmas and it can pressure cook, air fry, broil, and there's a few other options. We did a rotisserie chicken that cooked perfectly, then browned it using either the air fry or broil option. She had a solid Christmas for kitchen gadgets.
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+1 on the Thermapen, @JDelage it is bad ass. Instant read is important, and that is the best I've used.
I also have a thermometer that you leave in while roasting and smoking and allows you to set an alert temperature. Both are important, no matter how much cooking one does by feel.
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Just ordered…..
https://www.riess-markenshop.de/en/p/riess-stainless-steel-cristall-water-kettle-with-lid-1
(Thanks @Steffen ::) )
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Pish tosh, y'all work way too hard.
Here in the 21st century, we have digital kettles:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Bonavita-1-0-l-Variable-Temperature-Gooseneck-Electric-Kettle-29602/301886683The gooseneck is great for tea and pourover coffee, but I'll even use it for a quick vegetable blanch (e.g., take the sting out of some julienned red onion). And setting specific temperature is great to get the most out of teas and coffees.
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@mclaincausey I use a Digital Kettle at the Moment but i really don´t like the Tons of cheap looking plastic on those things, it ruins the whole ahstetic in the kitchen, I recently dicoverd the Kitchen Aid Precision Kettle which seems to be new and I´m really tempeted to try it, it looks quite well made on the photos which would go against my therory that everything they make is trash expect the Kitchen Aid Machine itself (at least these days, the old toasters where solid like a tank) but we shall see.
I´m sorry for you loss of money @Giles don´t read further into what I wrote, there is a ton of money more at risk
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Wow, that is much more attractive @Steffen . Should I ever need to backfill, that will be on the short list.
