what's cooking? part 5: 2017-2027

yeah, yenbamroong also says 2 servings at a time max for stir fry. will check out the pok pok book as well.

The first time I bought fresh shahe fen, it was a bit dry. This made the noodles difficult to separate into long strands. I have since learned that you need to grab from the packs in the back to get truly fresh ones. It seems obvious now, but it has made my stir fried noodle addiction more manageable.

I have established a definitive guide to cookware materials:

- Frying and saucepans: stainless steel. Plus cast-iron skillet.
- Dutch oven: enameled cast iron (which I don’t actually have and is probably not a huge bonus over regular cast iron but I think I'd prefer it)
- cake pans and cookie sheets: aluminum
- small prep bowls: glass, ceramic
- mixing bowls: stainless steel, ceramic
- wooden spoons: wood
- liquid measure: glass
- measuring spoons: originally wrote "who cares", friend of mine pushed hard for metal, will have to evaluate
- potholders: cloth

to avoid:
- plastic and silicone prep and mixing bowls. They stain like mad and confer no advantages.
- plastic liquid measures like the Oxo ones (you will break off the handle someday then just have to replace it with the Pyrex you should’ve gotten in the first place)
- ceramic knives: who are these for
- nonstick frying pans: take your pick of reasons, just don’t bother

feedback and vicious arguments welcome

Oh I have some thoughts

silicone is good for spatulas and (especially) kitchen brushes.

silicone is permitted for spatulas for sure

I really need a brush, I keep having to rub things on other things with my damn hands

Measuring spoons and cups DEF

Metal, I meant

these brushes are great for basting, evenly distributing oil and marinades, etc: https://www.amazon.com/Zicome-Silicone-Pastry-Basting-Barbecue/dp/B00QF0RRAA/ref=sr_1_7?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1523389375&sr=1-7&keywords=silicone+brush

I don’t currently have a non-stick frying pan, only a stainless steel one and I’m largely ok with that except when it comes to frying eggs. It takes too much fat and the eggs still stick and turn into a mess.

Chefs knife 10” no more or less

a good quality nonstick frying pan is imo important for omelets frittatas etc

we have a bunch of oxo measuring cups & they are great and have lasted 10+ years without replacement
also like pryex

Too short for me but I think it comes down to how tall you are relative to the countertop

I have made some very good omelettes in a stainless steel pan lately. I consider the fact that this requires like a tablespoon of butter to be a feature not a bug.

wood spoons otm for stirring/sauteing. also otm that you need silicone spatulas for scraping every last bit out of a bowl or container.

also need a non-coated wok, shovel, and spider. more important to me than a cast-iron skillet these days.

I measured my chef's knife blade and it was 7.5". It works well for me. I think a 10" blade would start to be unwieldy for my preferences.

The 10" cast iron skillet I got from my sister for my 21st birthday has been in daily use for four decades. Now I could not live without it. The other kitchen item I swear by is a large (8 qt.?) sturdy stainless steel stock pot with a thick aluminum base and a steel (not glass!) lid. It gets used constantly.

btw, I am not a fan of glass lids on saucepans or pots. I've dropped one and shattered it and that was more than enough to convince me against them.

transparency is kind of useless after things get simmering, but the thermal conductivities are very different. I wonder if that can matter in some applications.

Nonstick frying pan: I keep ONE inexpensive one at a time, for eggs only, never touch it with anything except a silicone spatula, and cover it with an old potholder when I put it away. No one else is allowed to use it. Usually lasts at least a few years before it gets too scratched.

Whisk: Yes. You might think a fork is just as good until you're trying to combine something wet with something really powdery and it clumps up. You need a whisk.

uncoated wok & shovel otm
i dont fry in mine but our spider fell apart years ago anyway

NB I didn’t mean to list a minimally complete kitchen just my material preferences for some things. Can’t imagine a whiskless existence.

I admire yr approach to the nonstick pan IO, v sensible

Our landlord replaced our stove a few months ago; it’s a nice Samsung job with a powerful burner which came with an accompanying wok holder. So I own a wok now, have used it a few times, it’s a blast. It’s starting to blacken nicely.

nice, a round one that you use with the ring? I looked for a cheap one, but the majority are flat bottom.

I had plastic measuring cups until I left the 1 cupper in a soup pot and turned the burner on. Now my largest measuring cup is the 1/2 C. Stainless steel ones otm.

Another up-side: You can heat things in metal ones over the gas flame if you need to melt butter or infuse oil quickly.

^^^person I could cook with

I really love my microplan and dowel rolling pin and glass lasagna size pan that I use for a lot of things. All the rest above is pretty spot on. The last time I moved I fit almost all my utensils in a bottle bag and all the cookware in 2 boxes. I kind of want one of those deep soup pots though.

I make eggs every morning so a non-stick pan is a must.

i love non-stick pans. i just get really cheap ones and then replace when they are inevitably done.

I bought a bunch of paper last year to do fish en papillote but I can't seem to make myself do it.

Yeah found a round-bottom wok at Uwajimaya here in Seattle.

damn, that place looks amazing

i used a carbon steel 12" skillet at my friend's house the other day and i'm totally smitten. definitely gonna splurge on one in a few paychecks

They’re not even a splurge! ~$30

Oh wait I’m thinking wok; don’t know about a carbon steel skillet?

they are similarly affordable

Carbon steel is my material of choice for wok after trying 3 or 4 different kinds

same

mr veg got me a carbon steel wok for my birthday a few years back & i love it

is anything that isn't carbon steel even really a wok

Rude!

is anything that isn't carbon steel even really a wok

― valorous wokelord (silby), Wednesday, 11 April 2018 9:03 AM (twelve minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Truth

I bought a bunch of paper last year to do fish en papillote but I can't seem to make myself do it.

― Yerac, Tuesday, April 10, 2018 5:43 PM (two hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

do it! easy and satisfying.

I know! I just made fish and veggies tonight but it seems so much easier to just cook separately and not portioned out for some weird reason.

made kuay tiew kua gai tonight (but with tofu instead of gai). my first experience with preserved cabbage. i might need to find some other uses because i'd need to make this 100 times to use the container. not very saucy, so easier to get more char than pad see ew.

oh that sounds good. do you think kim chee would work for this?
also, anyone ever work with fermented bean curd? i made a Filipino dish once that used it that was KILLER. it was super simple - sauteed onions with LOADS of ginger, added pureed canned tomatoes and a couple cubes of fermented tofu and then stewed a side of fish in it. it was one of the best, simple things i ever made. picked up some more fermented tofu to make this again, but haven't yet. was wondering if anyone had any other ideas. thx

the cabbage was pretty subtle. there was some minced pickled yellow radish in there as well. they were nice additions, but I bet you could use almost anything with that pickled/fermented profile. I've not used fermented bean curd, but I remember seeing it in the book I'm working through. I think it may have been one of the curries? I'll try to find it again.

it's good in congee

huh, that's a good idea. i tried congee once @ a nice restaurant and the blandness turned me off. but i wld def try to make it w/some more intense flavors added

did the deep fried garlic green beans tonight, and they did not disappoint. had them with jasmine rice and spicy fried tofu (brined with garlic lemongrass, white pepper, salt. stir fried with prik tum). will be doing this one again on Friday by request.

Did you brine your own tofu?
ahi poke with quinoa tonight, tomorrow may try the pad see ew again with fried tofu.

I need to figure out a new chickpea salad to make. I usually do a cumin/tumeric, red onion/pepper thing but want to change up the flavor profile.