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Kitchen gadgets needed to give as gifts

gfweb

By gfweb
in Kitchen Consumer

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boilsover

boilsover

Posted
Posted
9 hours ago, Smithy said:

Here's another favorite of mine: the Emsa Perfect Beaker

 

This is the brainchild of the owner of Frieling.  He is justifiably proud of it.  He commissioned the University of Alaska to calibrate it

Now,, if he would only have it made in borosilicate glass (so hot liquids do not crack/craze it), THEN it would be perfect!

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Porthos

Porthos

Posted
Posted
On 11/6/2016 at 9:32 AM, andiesenji said:

So on a ruse, I took Celia to Star Restaurant Supply ...

For folks in the greater L.A. area, this is a treasure trove for the avid cook.

 

I have never made the treck over there but I have a great restaurant equipment store, Arrow Restaurant Supply ( http://www.arrowreste.com/ ) nearby.  It can be a rabbit hole if I'm not careful.

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Porthos Potwatcher
The Once and Future Cook

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andiesenji

andiesenji

Posted
Posted
34 minutes ago, lindag said:

Sorry.  I did fix the link.

Flour Whisk

That's the Danish dough whisk.  I wrote about them on several threads over the years.  I have two sizes and have often recommended them for quick breads and biscuit/scone doughs where you don't want to overwork the dough.

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"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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andiesenji

andiesenji

Posted
Posted
On 11/8/2016 at 8:50 AM, Porthos said:

 

I have never made the treck over there but I have a great restaurant equipment store, Arrow Restaurant Supply ( http://www.arrowreste.com/ ) nearby.  It can be a rabbit hole if I'm not careful.

I first "discovered" Star restaurant supply back in the late '60s.  It was next door to Builder's Emporium and we went there to pick up some lumber.  I told my husband I was going to "take a look" at what they had in Star.  An hour later he was frantically looking for me and finally remembered my mentioning the place.  He found me with a pile of stuff on the counter and discussing knives with the clerk.  I know I spent nearly $200. that day and money went a lot further back then.  

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"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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chromedome

chromedome

Posted
Posted

An odd little thing that might work as a gift is grapefruit spoons. Remember them? Like a teaspoon with a serrated edge, for scooping out your grapefruit in the morning? 

 

I know they may seem quaint to many of you...the culinary equivalent of cufflinks or antimacassars, perhaps...but I have several, and find them surprisingly useful for any number of things, such as scraping the pulp from little Delicata or Sweet Dumpling squash (two of my favorites) or whisking the seeds and membranes out of halved peppers. Faster than a paring knife, easier to handle in a gloved hand (if the peppers are hot) and with notably less potential for cutting more deeply than intended. 

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“Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too.” - William Cowper, The Task, Book Three

 

"Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition...The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.” - psychologist David Dunning

 

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ElsieD

ElsieD

Posted
Posted
30 minutes ago, chromedome said:

An odd little thing that might work as a gift is grapefruit spoons. Remember them? Like a teaspoon with a serrated edge, for scooping out your grapefruit in the morning? 

 

I know they may seem quaint to many of you...the culinary equivalent of cufflinks or antimacassars, perhaps...but I have several, and find them surprisingly useful for any number of things, such as scraping the pulp from little Delicata or Sweet Dumpling squash (two of my favorites) or whisking the seeds and membranes out of halved peppers. Faster than a paring knife, easier to handle in a gloved hand (if the peppers are hot) and with notably less potential for cutting more deeply than intended. 

 

I have one of these and use it all the time for precisely the tasks you mention.  Works like a charm.

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Porthos

Porthos

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, andiesenji said:

He found me with a pile of stuff on the counter and discussing knives with the clerk.  I know I spent nearly $200. that day and money went a lot further back then.  

 

Had you started your catering business by then?

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Porthos Potwatcher
The Once and Future Cook

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andiesenji

andiesenji

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, Porthos said:

 

Had you started your catering business by then?

I was getting ready. We had just installed a huge Garland range with 8 burners a griddle with salamander and two full-sized ovens and the "warming oven" up top 36" above the cooktop.  We also had a commercial 80 gallon, high temp hot water heater and a Hobart undercounter dishwasher.  

I had to get certification for the kitchen from the L.A. County health department, which took several months.  

But I did a lot of volunteer stuff with my "portable" 4 burner propane stove.  Pancake breakfasts outside for the service clubs, Lions, Elks, etc., in shopping centers.  The adjustable pancake dropper was a fantastic purchase - it was on sale that day.  And so were the full-size sheet pans - I bought a dozen - buy ten, get two free.  I still have some of them - I use them on my wire shelving where they fit perfectly and allow small bottles and jars to sit securely.

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"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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andiesenji

andiesenji

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, ElsieD said:

 

I have one of these and use it all the time for precisely the tasks you mention.  Works like a charm.

I have several of them.  I use them for scraping the skin off ginger and galangal, other fiddly roots that are too uneven for peelers.

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"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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chromedome

chromedome

Posted
Posted

LOL Ditto. I have (IIRC) a dozen, and I believe I've used them maybe twice for grapefruit.

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“Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too.” - William Cowper, The Task, Book Three

 

"Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition...The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.” - psychologist David Dunning

 

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Martin Fisher

Martin Fisher

Posted
Posted (edited)

re: grapefruit spoons

I don't own a one.

They seem to vary in design.

What design do you find most useful?

 

Edited by DiggingDogFarm (log)

~Martin :)

I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

Unsupervised, rebellious, radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, and adventurous cook. Crotchety, cantankerous, terse curmudgeon, non-conformist, and contrarian who questions everything!

The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can hunt and trap out of it!

 

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gfweb

gfweb

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted (edited)

Just bought grapefruit spoons. After serious study on Amazon I've concluded that many are left handed, requiring a backhand motion for a righty. A pox on that. I found a version that is toothed on both sides and bought. Also a scraper, long forceps, a Kunz spoon and a sizzle platter.

Edited by gfweb (log)
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Anna N

Anna N

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, gfweb said:

Just bought grapefruit spoons. After serious study on Amazon I've concluded that many are left handed, requiring a backhand motion for a righty. A pox on that. I found a version that is toothed on both sides and bought. Also a scraper, long forceps, a Kunz spoon and a sizzle platter.

 

Hmmm.  Gifts?  Self-indulgence? Were we all supportive or merely enabling? Inquiring minds and all that.  You perhaps should get a discount given how much the rest of us have spent in the process of helping you out.:)

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Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

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liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
Posted

I don't know about grapefruit spoons, but i do know that when I was kid back in the dark ages, we did have a grapefruit knife. I don't remember that we had grapefruit more than once in a blue moon, but I do remember the knife.

 

It was just like this. I do get grapefruit (imported) here, so I might go searching for one locally, just to bring back childhood memories.

 

What I really need is a pomelo knife. Pomelos are everywhere here but a real pig to get into. I've considered everything from a band saw to dynamite to get that skin off, then 55% of the time the fruit wasn't worth getting to - dry and fibrous. But when you get a good one...

 

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

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Anna N

Anna N

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, liuzhou said:

I don't know about grapefruit spoons, but i do know that when I was kid back in the dark ages, we did have a grapefruit knife. I don't remember that we had grapefruit more than once in a blue moon, but I do remember the knife.

 

It was just like this. I do get grapefruit (imported) here, so I might go searching for one locally, just to bring back childhood memories.

 

What I really need is a pomelo knife. Pomelos are everywhere here but a real pig to get into. I've considered everything from a band saw to dynamite to get that skin off, then 55% of the time the fruit wasn't worth getting to - dry and fibrous. But when you get a good one...

 

That grapefruit knife might have come right out of my cutlery drawer!

 

image.jpeg

 

Don't know why I hang onto it!  Can't eat grapefruit  and haven't found another use for it. 

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Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

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Smithy

Smithy

Posted
Posted

All this discussion about grapefruit spoons (yes, I have some) and knives (new to me) reminded me of the peach pitting spoon my parents found for me at a garage sale one year after a massive canning session at my house. I'd never heard of one before then, but I use it a lot on clingstone fruits. Here's a USA source: Stainless Steel Pitting Spoon at kitchenkrafts.com.

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Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
Host, eG Forums - nsmith@egstaff.org

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chromedome

chromedome

Posted
Posted
12 hours ago, DiggingDogFarm said:

re: grapefruit spoons

I don't own a one.

They seem to vary in design.

What design do you find most useful?

 

 

I have two different kinds. One is shaped like a regular teaspoon, with a rounded tip; the other has a slightly pointed tip. Since I don't use them for eating grapefruit I can't advise which is better for that purpose, but I see little difference between 'em for how they're used in my house. I just reach into the drawer, and use whichever comes to hand first. 

 

Mine, like gfweb's, are serrated on both sides (or more accurately, all the way around the tip for approximately 60% of the spoon's length). 

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“Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too.” - William Cowper, The Task, Book Three

 

"Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition...The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.” - psychologist David Dunning

 

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ElsieD

ElsieD

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, Anna N said:

That grapefruit knife might have come right out of my cutlery drawer!

 

image.jpeg

 

Don't know why I hang onto it!  Can't eat grapefruit  and haven't found another use for it. 

 

Me too.

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