[Kitchen Remodeling]

On 8/17/2006 at 7:25 PM, Dave Hatfield said:

Kitchen remodeling is something that most of us have either done or at least seriously contemplated. It’s an agonizing process and a strain on any relationship. The thought behind this thread is that the more practical help we can get on kitchen remodeling the better.

The inspiration for this thread was when I realized that I know of 5 kitchens that have recently had complete remodels; each is very nice & each is very different. So, I talked to our friends & got their permission to photograph their kitchens and for them to answer a series of questions. I also have their agreement to answer any questions that you may have. (The answers will come through me as I want to maintain privacy for my friends.)

In each post there will be a complete description of the kitchen along with lots of photos.

In addition here is a list of standard questions I intend to ask.

Q. What was your kitchen before it was a kitchen?

Q. How large is the kitchen?

Q. What kind of cooking do you do? Family? Dinner parties? Ethnic? Gourmet?

Q. What were the 3 top goals for your new kitchen?

Q. What was the biggest problem that had to be over come?

In the design phase ? During actual construction ?

Q. What are you most pleased about in your new kitchen?

Q. Least pleased about?

Q. If you were doing your kitchen again what would you change?

What I’m looking for with this initial thread starting post is feedback. How much interest is there in the topic? Are there other questions I should be asking? Would anybody else like to write up their kitchen once they’ve seen these write ups?

I’ll be starting with our own kitchen so here’s a teaser picture.

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We're going to be doing a complete kitchen remodel. The plan is to gut the room and completely redo it. How difficult is it to live in the house while something like this is happening? Since both work and school are remote, should we just go rent a beach house for a week or something?

[Building a homemade pizza oven? Anyone done it?]

On 12/6/2022 at 3:09 AM, AlaMoi said:

I did all the research, checked out many options, considered everything from total homespun DIY to cast shells + outer DIY masonry.

then . . . for the 'experience' I volunteered as a "fair" helper firing up, using a wood beehive oven.

 

omg.  takes 36 hours to get it heat soaked thru.

cannot just go like the dickens to get it hot - if you do, it cracks/etc from the rapid temp changes.

slow firing, constant attention - no, you do not take a nap or sleep overnight - slow fire, stoke regularly, constantly monitor.

 

totally completely utterly impractical to do pizza in a wood fired pizza oven in the back yard.

 

still love the idea, but a pizza stone and an oven that'll do 550'F at the push of a button . . .

 

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I can't afford to buy a WFO, even the DIY kits are pricey. I found like 500 from scratch DIY instructional videos on YT. I watched 6 and while the basic concept was the same, they all did things differently. I don't recognize any of the YT'ers names on these videos, so I don't know who's legit and who's just okay.  Truth be told I'm not exactly a builder/handyman. But I'm seeing videos where they build one for like $80-300. And they look like as long as you pay attention a normal person could build one.  I think I just need to find a solid video to follow and I'd be able to get it done.  Does anyone have a recommendation for a particularly good video?

[Cutting Boards]

On 9/24/2004 at 2:53 AM, Daddy-A said:

Mottmott,

Yeah I'll keep looking, but I think I've found a great deal on a maple end-grain board from a local department store (The Bay for my fellow Canucks). Regular $49, on sale for $19. Wife is picking one up today on her lunch break

Actually, I use a local supplier for my butcher block (Vancouver, BC). Let's be honest, IKEA is going to be way cheaper on a small cutting board. Boos makes an excellent product, as does another company called Michigan Maple (in Sault Ste. Marie, ON), but with shipping and all, it's much cheaper for me to go local.

Also, when I do countertops, unless the client is insanely wealthy (my favorite kind) I do edge grain tops rather than end grain. They're less expensive, but won't hold if the client cuts directly on them (i.e. they'd still need a cutting board.) Much more cost efficient, and ultimately easier to maintain if you go with granite, quartz or solid surface (e.g. Corian) and use a good cutting board.

Re the Boos furniture pieces: Seen this one yet?

A.

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Hey I'm looking for cutting board recommendations. After years of abusing my knives with bamboo I'm ready for the next step. Ideally not wood, because it traps alot of bacteria imo and something really gentle on the blades.

[Building a homemade pizza oven? Anyone done it?]

On 12/5/2022 at 8:48 PM, Margaret Pilgrim said:

Totally subscribe to all of the caveats above.   We built//installed an Italian pizza oven in the country.    Lots of free fuel.   Retired, supposedly lots of time.    I wanted it also for cooking large hunks of meat and baked stuffs.    It works a charm...but requires someone at attendance at all time.   You don't leave a fire burning at these temps.    It takes almost an hour to bring it up to temp.    Great if you are feeding a small crowd, but from my end, shaping and topping pizza for a crowd is a LOT of work.   Letting guests create their own is often a disaster as they overload and wind up with calzone.    For wildfire reasons, we don't use in on hot summer days, and manning it in the rain is equally impractical.    We've had it for around 16 years.    Husband says we've now got the cost per pizza down to under $100, plus ingredients, maybe.     I often make pizza on the floor of  my kitchen oven since no one at the end of the day has much stomach for several hours attention to the pizza oven.

 

Had the Ooni been available at the time we built, I'd have gone for it in a heartbeat.    

 

Our pizza oven is charming, for sure.    But it gets little use.   

 

 

Husband, outdoor pizza oven, adds you need at least 3 feet internal area to cook two pizzas at a time.

Hello. Home pizza oven owners - I'm toying with either a Fyra or a a Karu. The first runs on pellets whereas after is 50 quid dearer and seems to run logs charcoal or gas with an additional purchase of an adaptor. Any views on pros and cons? Anyone got one of these?

[Pacojet Competitor? The Ninja Creami]

On 8/27/2021 at 10:41 PM, andrewk512 said:

Has anyone heard of this or had experience with it? It was mentioned briefly on Cooking Issues this week and I was immediately intrigued but sadly there is a complete lack of information from any reviewer that is also a serious cook.

 

- it looks to function in a similar way to a pacojet but at the much more affordable price of $200. If it remotely approximates a pacojet in quality of product then it's going to be a game changer. Maybe not for a restaurant kitchen where the reliability of the Ninja brand may be in question but certainly for home use. The only thing stopping me from jumping the gun on it is that it ships from the US to Canada so I will probably be out a small bit of cash due to shipping/restocking if I return it.

 

Honestly, I find it plausible that it would approximate a Pacojet considering the age of the Pacojet technology, the presumed cost savings of converting towards digital components as opposed to primarily mechanical info, and marketing towards consumers meaning durability is less of a necessity

My partner and I are looking into getting a creami(any model) for more savory concoctions and niche ice creams. The pacojet can do these no problem but we are looking for a cheaper alternative. Can the creami handle things like making nut milk from whole cashews or oats(in water), or making ice cream from more obscure bases like a block of tofu(in water/nut milk ofc)? Also has anyone tried things like soup bases from whole vegetables or anything along those lines yet? We'd love any insight! Thank you

[Portable induction burners]

On 10/30/2023 at 6:55 AM, liuzhou said:

I use a portable induction cooker regularly. As do all my friends and neighbours. Over the years, I've had three. Never had anything I'd describe as noisy.

 

This is my current one.

 

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Hi, I have been looking at a portable induction cooktop. I could use it inside or outside, and I want a 1 or 2-burner 110v model. I've looked all over stores and Internet, no shortage of them. The reviews on many are just ghastly. I was just looking to see if someone on here uses one and how they like it. We are full-time and cook most of our meals. Thanks

[A Folding Knife for the Kitchen]

On 9/18/2010 at 6:54 PM, David A. Goldfarb said:

There are good photos of the Ryback Folder on the Cherusker Messer site and of various handmade examples on Wilkins' site, but here's the one I have--

Next to a Wusthof 8-inch Santuko--

The locking mechanism--

The blade after sharpening--

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Hello. Just curious, but wondering if there are many pocket knives on the market designed by knife makers who are also designers of chefs knives? I can think of Ken Onion's orange "Leek" by Kershaw, that's used by Andrew Zimmern; JKI carries some rustic looking pocket knives; I also remember seeing a Kato folding knife that JNS posted years ago.