Sid Post
-
Posts
138 -
Joined
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Store
Help Articles
Posts posted by Sid Post
-
-
With KitchenAid, it really depends on the specific model. The Fiber/Plastic gears don't hold up very well. I also don't want to burn out the one I bought ~30 years ago. There is also a lot of difference in grind quality. For the cost of the mixer grinder, you can buy a good quality 12# grinder that will work much better if you are grinding more than a really small amount (like a 1/2~1#).
-
After substandard local grocery store options and similar @#$*! from Walmart, I really want something that tastes good and has good quality. Goo from a bunch of random animal parts they can't sell with poor quality spices might be acceptable during a food shortage brought on by panic buying but, ENOUGH!
Don't make me buy a $600 grinder, a $200 stuffer and, import some real spices (not the sawdust commonly sold at Walmart and the local grocery stores)!
I want some real sausage! Slovacek's in West, Tx is ~4 hours away so, I can't make that drive more than a few times a year. Now that it is cold out, Usinger's is on my watch list for a shipping deal! I don't want to go that far North but, some day I hope to see Usinger's in person!
How many people's 'BUCKET LIST' includes sausage stops all across the nation? 😍
-
1
-
-
Mail order for meat products where I live isn't really an option. Plus shipping irregularities are really bad. I had a guaranteed 3-day package that took two weeks arrive today, well actually it is still at the Post Office!
-
Enough with the Chorizo! Where can I find good Portuguese Linguica sausage or, barring that, REAL Spanish Chorizo? I live in East Texas so anywhere about two hours outside of Dallas on I-20 or I-30 is good for me. Texarkana or Shreveport are a distant probability if there is a good place for sausage there without anything closer.
TIA,
Sid
-
Any Kolache options in East Texas that are really good? I-20 or I-30 about 2 hours East of Dallas is pretty close to me.
TIA,
Sid
And no, I'm not into frozen bread and canned fillings! Jalapeno and cheese sausage links in a Kolache are what I'm after.
-
On my old school BOV800XL, I don't recall making toast exclusively. However, the broiler really works well with open face sandwiches.
-
1
-
-
Minimum for me will generally be ~3lbs so, 10 quarts or smaller shouldn't be a problem. On some of the 10 quart reviews, people report good results on 1.5Kilos of dough so I'm not too worried about my "small" mixes being problematic. The real question is how often would I need 8 quarts or possibly 10? And, how much bigger and bulkier are the 8 and 10 quart mixers? Again, some reviews say the main difference is the bowl diameter without any significant changes to other dimension and only minor weight differences. This has me thinking a 10 quart mixer is probably best considering the modest cost differences between the 3 sizes (probably less than the cost of a second bowl for example).
With my KitchenAid, I often get the 5 quart bowl pretty full frequently but, not with heavy dough which would tear it up. However, I don't see myself mixing cakes or corn bread in a heavy spiral mixer so, this comparison probably isn't relevant.
-
On the Pizza forum, a lot of people do 1 Kilo of pizza dough in 5, 8, and 10 quart spiral mixers. On the Fresh Loaf, the 5's and 8's seem to have a stronger following but, those people are generally only making a couple of loaves of bread at a time.
-
1 hour ago, AAQuesada said:
you don't want to get something bigger than you need but if you are going to be doing multiple loaves / large batches say around the holidays.. 10 quarts is reasonable.
Absolutely. My first impulse is to go with 5 quarts but, the 8's and 10's are tempting for special occasions. That is offset by possibly getting a second bowl.
The Famag with its curved breaker bar seems like a good option for small quantities where the 5 quart model MIGHT be able to do just a 1 pound ball of dough. The 10 quart model minimum seems to be 1.5 pounds to 1.0 kilo depending on what I read.
-
Pleasant Hill Grain has good pricing on the Famag options. Yes a bit more expensive than the Chinese options and cheaper than the German mixer which has more eye appeal IMHO.
The Famag breaker bar and tilt head removable bowl seems to tick all the boxes for me and keeps calling my name. The other Italian options certainly have their fans but, I think I want to stay away from the fixed bowls. I also expect Pleasant Hill Grain to be around for the long term in the unlikely event I need some service support so, I think the Famag is probably the best option for me. Now, do I really need to upsize to a 10qt model or, should I wait and try some simple no-knead options first? Hmm ...
-
I should also note, that I have other mixers for normal household needs so I can live with it being a "uni-tasker" for bread doughs. My KitchenAid mixer will stay on the counter for normal needs so a second planetary style mixer would be redundant and I don't want to get rid of the KitchenAid for sentimental reasons.
-
The Chinese mixers don't appeal to me. The ones I have seen in person seemed really pretty crude. Then there is the cost which is only marginally cheaper than most of the Italian options. To be honest, I generally try to avoid supporting the Chinese economy if I can because of their horrible policies towards basic human rights abuses and other terrible things that are part of the ruling political class.
I tend to trust the collective wisdom of the bread making regions for the better mixers, hence my interest in the Italian, German and, Scandinavian based mixers. They evolved over time there to serve the needs of "locals" and their bread making.
The bigger KitchenAid mixer are super nice for cakes and cookies plus normal household mixing needs but, they really don't work well bread based doughs.
Perhaps I need to investigate some of the no kneading bread options that use simple folds and time to work their magic. As I moved to more hearty bread types though, I don't think that method will work very well.
-
Long time Kitchenaid user here. I'm looking to make better bread (and have a separate interest in link sausages). I also do some cakes, candy and, rarely cookies though I'm bit into Oatmeal varieties at the moment.
I was thinking about an ANKARSRUM mixer but, I began to wonder about really stiff doughs though I believe it would be awesome for cakes, egg whites, and similarly diverse things. When I get out of the ~$300 range mixer options, I begin to think about more industrially oriented spiral mixers but, I don't really have room or the need for a 20 quart Hobart stand mixer. The Hobart N-50 is simply to expensive being $3K with pretty limited capacity.
This takes me to the Famag IM-10 (lift head) and Häussler Alpha. The breaker bar on the Famag looks like a good feature to me and, there is a curved bar accessory but I'm not sure what advantage that would have for me. The Häussler Alpha looks a bit more 'polished' and is an attractive machine as well with really expensive accessories that might be worthwhile if I get seriously into very soft things or very wet things.
I tend to think the Italian "mindset" might be a little better as well as I'm a gluten fan and think more in terms of Italian and French breads. The German 'mindset' might be a bit better and more versatile due to the wider variety of bread types popular there. Or, am I overthinking this all and would be better served with an ANKARSRUM mixer even though I'm not into Scandinavian gluten free breads.
Finally, All 3 mixers are going to serve the vast majority of people well and a totally blind choice would be a wonderful option for most people as these are all three such great mixers.
I tend to think my main interest is in Italian and French bread styles but, over time who knows where my interests might go? Cakes, Pumpernickel or Rye, cookies, ...?
Random Google reviews aren't really helpful with advocates and financial biases lacking objectivity in most cases. What are the Pro's and Con's for these mixers for long term non-commercial use? Does the breaker bar really make a big difference in stiff high gluten breads? I'm getting older and have wrist issues (too much computer desk work) and a rebuilt shoulder so heavy hand kneading isn't viable for me.
I want to move away from commercially sourced breads. I eat a lot of flour tortillas and 'wrap' breads, cornbread and, hearty breads with Brioche being the 'hot' ticket right now. I want to be able to mix small batches (~2lbs) frequently while retaining capacity for big batches of hearty bread for social events. Any mixer needs to be a counter top compatible unit and weight needs be under 100lbs with a 60~80lb range being the upper range of what really makes the most sense considering my physical abilities today and likely effects of aging over time (live on a farm now and grew up on one so, I'm not a soft couch potato but I'm also not a ~20 year old throwing square bales by hand daily either
).
I know this post is overly long but, hopefully it gives people a good picture of where I coming from with this purchase in both physical and capability constraints!
TIA,
Sid
-
COVID craziness has normal business things in a crazy state right now. Cars, bicycle, and other things are almost to the point of where toilet paper was a few month ago.
My Kubota tractor is worth more used 6 years later than what I paid for it! 😄
The new one is interest free for 72 months too!
Bicycles locally are an easy 50% more expensive then they were pre-COVID with $1,000 models selling like hot-cakes for ~$1500. 😵
Appliances can be in a similar state in some areas where demand is up. I think it is like pasta sauce on the shelf ... you don't need any but, there are only two jars left so you buy them. The next person on aisle doesn't need any either but panics because there isn't any on the shelf.
Buyer psychology is a strange thing right now with COVID induced craziness.
-
1
-
-
I'm glad I don't live in a 300 square foot apartment.
-
1
-
-
Yes on the 24" being limiting. I had a 24" electric oven and while it heated up faster due to its smaller volume, a lot of my sheet pans simply would not fit in it along with a few roasters and other pans with various handles.
The Miele steam oven even at 24" would be really useful for many households, mine included. However, you would loose your planned storage space. The 36" Hestan oven would certainly be a good complement though to go with a steam oven. Breads, fish, vegetables, etc. would work out well in a steam oven and you would have that nice 36" oven for Thanksgiving Turkey's and Christmas hams as well. It might be worth checking out adjacent kitchen space or possibly adding an island to hold your overflow cookware and go with a double oven. I suspect you might find yourself using a 24" Miele steam oven a lot more than you suspect; assuming you cook regularly in your kitchen and it isn't mainly just a showpiece.
-
The only real negative with a stove like that is having to bend over to check or get something out of the oven. I really do like wall ovens for that reason and is part of the reason for a stove with oven and a separate oven in the wall. A bit of the best of both I guess with a gas and an electric oven.
-
The wall mount stainless models will generally work really well for you.
-
Most residential electric ovens are glacial in their heat up unless you are buying something expensive and powerful. Gas do seem to heat up faster in general though cheap ones are generally not as even heating as a similarly priced electric.
In 24" formats, your options are pretty limited and get really expensive fast when you get into the European brands that work so well.
-
1 hour ago, Anna N said:
So today @Kerry Bealwas kind enough to pick me up a new one and deliver it, sans box, to my house. I just can’t deal with big cardboard boxes at the moment. I am sharing this even before I have taken a look at it in situ. I did notice that it seem to come with many accoutrements. I don’t recall there being anything with the first version. After I’ve had a chance to do some investigating I will post more.
Mine case with a roasting and pizza pan. Like you, mine finally bit the dust after many many years of faithful service. I tried a different cheap alternative but, just could live without my awesome frozen pizza cooker extraordinaire that also makes wonderful breads and other things without heating up my kitchen like the main oven does. Plus, I can pretend I'm being 'GREEN' by not using my main oven.
-
3
-
-
14 hours ago, weinoo said:
Did anyone see this crazy price on the 4-Qt. Staub cocotte? From all vendors - wondering if they're discontinuing this size?
Of course, I needed one. Now all I have to do is find room.
It's a gateway drug! Buyer beware!
Seriously, the Staub 4qt round Dutch Ovens are a real teaser to get you into the Staub family. I prefer them to LC personally which is where I started with Enameled Cast Iron.
-
1
-
-
On 2/17/2019 at 2:17 PM, DiggingDogFarm said:
Okay! Okay!
The only reason I miss the big oven is for sanitizing various tools and equipment for cheese-making, fermenting, canning, and the like.
I do have a rather big stock pot that's large enough to sanitize some things, but not everything.
I guess I'll have to eventually buy a jumbo stock pot just for that purpose.
The self-cleaning feature is nice for an old cast iron skillet that needs to be reseasoned! ☺️
-
how long does it take to make toast in one of these ovens?
-
Vegtables change with the season in terms of price and quality. Their bulk items are cheap and very good. I bought almost all my fruit there before I moved.
Current sales, deals, and bargains (Part 2)
in Kitchen Consumer
Posted
I wish I could find some out here in East Texas for a reasonable price. I remember buying them when I lived in Tucson. They were really good when I was hiking and camping a lot but, they also were good for all sorts of baked goods and desert themed items. Mmm ...