boilsover

Hi, Franci: For simple washing, any old bottle brush will do. For dried on sediment and crud, you might consider this: http://www.eckraus.com/mechanical-bottle-brush.html Cheers

Andie: This is beautiful work. The last time I looked for some competent hand engraving services for a presentation corkscrew, all I could find were computer-guided machines for hire. In awful fonts and with limited graphics. Basically, if it's not one of the available program options, it can't be done. I think this work has gone the way of fabric re-weavers. My suggestion to the OP is to find that steady-handed calligrapher and turn them loose on the Thermapens with fine-tip Magic Markers. Cheers

"This is the side. I have no idea whether I should try to take this back down to bare metal before seasoning or not." You should check into the electrlytic method of doing this. http://www.gcica.org/forum/showthread.php/155-Cleaning-Cast-Iron-using-Electrolysis-By-John-Belden

My list to Santa is topped with a 10L Gairtopf pickling crock and a kraut cutter.

$9.99??? Incredible score!

I know this is an old thread, but I wanted to offer up an alternate solution which has worked out very well for me: a stovetop pressure fryer. This is basically a pressure cooker, but it is one of the very few that are approved (and safe) for frying. The two I know of are the Pressure Magic by Fagor and the Rapid Chef The Supercooker. Both can be found here: I believe the Rapid Chef is also made by Fagor in Spain. These look like an old-style, armature-sealing PC, but they are specially-designed to both pressure cook and -fry. The seals are heavy and heat-proof, and there are 3 safety systems. They are also 8 psi units, so for use with regular PC preps, you need to add about 5 minutes' cooking time. I have the Rapid Chef 8Q, which I use for both pressure frying and deep frying (sans cover), as well as a PC. The only practical difference is that, when pressure frying, you want no more than a 2" oil depth, whereas with the cover off, you can have it much deeper. I find that pressure frying conserves oil and keeps food moister. The vessels themselves are SS shells with a thick (I think about 5mm), encapsulated aluminum base. They make very decent stockpots in their own right. Which makes them triple-taskers in my book. They come with an instructional DVD (the technique is a little different than with a regular PC), and there is an available 325-page cookbook with a focus on the pressure frying function.

I was luck enough to find 3 Gripstands of graduated sizes at a small-town junk shop for not very much money. I wouldn't have paid full retail, but they sure are nice.

For one loaf at a time, I like the Greene's Gripstand bowls.

Hi, Zachary: I think this would be really useful. But I also suggest that you broaden the base to include all constructions. Parameters something like this: Name of the line/brand Construction (# of layers) Thickness of aluminum and/or copper Thickness of steel cladding, middle layers and base Photo of cutaway Source of the information Link to the source Date of the source You'll find some verry useful thickness data here: and here: http://www.centurylife.org/2013/10/23/cookware-even-heating-rankings-induction-and-electric/ Actually, all the articles on CenturyLife by Franz are quite valuable: http://www.centurylife.org/category/howtoguides/choose-cookware/ If you scroll down about 3/4 of the way in this thread, http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/986216#9218272 you'll also find some astute thickness sleuthing. Don't forget Silgit, Fissler, Berndes and Rosle when you make your list. They all make great stuff! Cheers!

Well, yes, obviously you can use stainless. Copper confectionary pans are quite easy to maintain. And such uncoated pans are great for "high acid" fruit jams--have been for hundreds of years.

I favor the lower, wider French- or Belgian-shapped copper pans for jams. I seem to get better evaporation from them than I do from the higher-sided maslin shape. To me, that means less time under heat, better color, fresher flavor, especially if you're giving the product more heat in your canner. Whatever you get, make sure you get a pan with a thick base, or plan on also buying a heat diffuser plate like a Bella Copper. As the sugar % goes up, so does the danger of scorching. Thick copper is very expensive. Disk-bottomed SS maslin pans are quite affordable. You might try here: http://www.preserveshop.co.uk/jam-making-equipment/maslin-pans

You obviously cannot be trusted--your wine fridge is empty.

Elaina: Here's a good selection: http://www.preserveshop.co.uk/jam-making-equipment/maslin-pans Cheers

Is the deep English-style "bucket" shape essential to you, or is a shallower confiture pan acceptable? I think everyone would benefit from a thick pan bottom. I have a $$$ thick heavy vintage copper confiture pan from Belgium, and I wish it was even thicker, because unless your hob is very even, thin pans are prone to scorch when you're getting close to your desired sugar concentration.

Four fingernails usually do it for me.

Sure, there's no shortage. Ones to check out would include Vollrath, Lincoln, Berndes, Rosle, deBuyer, Paderno World Cuisine, Silga. Falk if you won't need induction compatibility. Viking, if you can find any. I'd say it's more a question of construction and ergonomics rather than of brand, although the premium brands seem to sweat the details a little more. Just in case you haven't seen this: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/25717-understanding-stovetop-cookware/ You might also like: http://www.centurylife.org/2013/10/23/cookware-even-heating-rankings-induction-and-electric/ and http://www.centurylife.org/2013/10/29/cookware-even-heating-rankings-butane-propane-natural-gas-etc/

Ahpadt: Not at all. It's not that M'Cook is poor quality. As I've said, it's on a par with A-C's d5 and Demeyere Industry 5. It's just that I do not buy the theory that putting a middle layer of steel between 2 thin layers of aluminum accomplishes much. My preference is for a thick central layer of conductive metal, i.e., triply, OR a thick disk bottom, like Sitram. IMO, "hand made" isn't a good way to describe how any of these pans are made. There may be people manning the computer-guided machinery or pressing buttons on machine tools (or even holding the handles to the bodies for riveting), but that's about it. Mauviel has French labor costs. Beyond that, they set their prices where they do for their own reasons. Sitram is also made in France, BTW.

Hi, ahpadt: Nothing against Mauviel as a maker--they make very high quality stuff. But M'Cook is a different construction than either the Sitram or Bourgeat being discussed. M'Cook is a thin (2.6mm) steel-centered 5-ply full-clad (like A-C d5 and Demeyere Industry 5) whereas the Sitram and Bourgeat are thicker, disk-bottomed, triply pans. If you like the style of M'Cook, you might also like All-Clad's Thomas Keller line, exclusively at Williams-Sonoma. It employs Demeyere's strategy of using different constructions for different pans within the line. Cheers

Yes. I would put it this way: IMO, Bourgeat is to Sitram what All-Clad is to Tramontina. I looked again at the video, and the pan Passard is using is not Matfer-Bourgeat Excellence, either. It has a pinched-closed handle base like Sitram's, but the other end is different from Sitram's current offerings. Kerry may be right if it's something that's discontinued or not offered in USA.

Hell, yes. They are essentially eternal, and therefore a great value. Note that Sitram Catering is not induction-compatible, and neither is Bougeat copper bimertal. OTOH, Sitram Profisserie is compatible. As for your sticking issue, you merely need to learn the proper technique to use with SS. Heat first until droplets of water ball up and roll around (Google "Leidenfrost effect"), THEN add your fat, and finally the food. You will be pleasantly surprised. There are YouTube vids out there showing the technique. Also, you can "season" SS after a fashion. No, it's not like seasoning cast iron, and no, it's not just wiping some oil, and no, it doesn't last terribly long... What you do is put 1/8" of oil in your pan, wipe it up the walls, heat it to just BELOW the oil's smoke point, let it cool to room temp, and wipe it out WITHOUT washing. This is the same classic method used for "seasoning" aluminum omlet and crepe pans. Unless something sticks/burns really badly, all you do is wipe out the pan, or scrub with a little salt and oil. Avoid soap, else you'll have to start over.

OK, hard to tell. The pan in the vid seems to show an open end to the handle. All the Sitrams I've seen have pinched-closed ends.

Hi, Kerry: The pan itself looks like a Sitram, but the end of the tubular handle looks different. My WAG is Rösle. Cheers

There could be a few explanations. First, if your spoon is 18/8 or 18/10 SS, it is not induction-compatible--the magnet test is not always determinative. Second, your spoon might be too far outside the *true* diameter of the coil under the glass. The painted circles on the glass are generally much larger than the actual coils. Third, there may be some sensor at work. Try your two smallest mixing/mise en place bowls on that large hob, see what happens.

"A small pot will not work on the large ring..." Actually, most induction tops are the same way. This is a safety feature controlled by the electronic sensors. Without *some* size-safety sensors that prevent the coil from energizing, your watch, a spoon, a dropped piece of aluminum foil, a steel button, etc., etc., it would end very poorly...

IMHO, this isn't even a close call--get the Proline. The Proline is 4.8mm thick, 3.7mm of which is aluminum. The Mauviel is only 2.6mm thick overall, and has a central layer of steel (like All-Clad d5). Assuming the 3 steel layers are 0.3mm each, there's only 1.5mm of aluminum in the pan. For a comparative analysis of evenness of the Proline and other skillets, paste this into your browser: centurylife.org/2013/10/23/23/cookware-even-heating-rankings-induction-and-electric/ Note that d5--the pan most like M'Cook-- performed 'way behind Proline. Note also that BB&B carries Berndes, the winner in this event.