Cookware That Really Works

[Jay Francis]

Kitchen Scales. In this day and age, I think everyone needs a kitchen scale. I have two and both are highly recommended.

Cuisinart makes a terrific, fool proof, gravity scale which you can get for under $20. Model SA-105 called the precision portion scale and good for measures up to 300 grams (or 10 ounces).

Forget about spring loaded scales. In this day and age, they don't have the accuracy that you can achieve consistently with the above, or, with a digital scale.

The above Cuisinart fit my needs for years, but when I started baking more, I found that I needed something that could handle larger measures. By luck, and with a 20% off coupon at Birdbath and Beyond, I took a chance on the Salter 101digital scale. And it turned out to be everything I needed in a scale.

Here is what it looks like:

http://www.chefsresource.com/sal10elkitsc.html

[andiesenji]

Kitchen Scales. In this day and age, I think everyone needs a kitchen scale. I have two and both are highly recommended.

I found that I needed something that could handle larger measures. By luck, and with a 20% off coupon at Birdbath and Beyond, I took a chance on the Salter 101digital scale. And it turned out to be everything I needed in a scale.

I have this scale also and it is a good one, holds a larger container than some of the others.

I also use a balance beam baker's scale for repeated weighing of the same amount as when I am scaling bread dough. This has the advantage of not turning itself off as the digital scale does after a short time. Also it is now like second nature as I have been using this scale for 50 years.

[jayt90]

I'm not aware that Japan has a reputation for manufacturing (or designing, for that matter) shoddy products.

[*]The Robot Coupe technology was indeed licensed in 1971. But the Robot Coupe was a commercial design, and almost completely unsuitable for domestic use. Before putting it on the market, Sontheimer had to re-engineer almost every part. It's not possible to "steal" your own work.

Here is what I remember as a consumer in the mid 70's:

The Japanese-made Cuisinart processors were well made, but similar in appearance and performance to the French made Cuisinarts, which had a Pabst motor. News reports, and industry information at the time indicated that Cuisinart, of Conn., had lifted the French design, after a disagreement with Robot Coupe, and had the machine made in Japan. There were lawsuits over this, and Cuisinart won, in U.S. courts. Robot looked like a loser, and their product was not available

in the U.S. or Canada. The fancy tubes and push buttons cames later.

[mnebergall]

I'm not aware that Japan has a reputation for manufacturing (or designing, for that matter) shoddy products.

[*]The Robot Coupe technology was indeed licensed in 1971. But the Robot Coupe was a commercial design, and almost completely unsuitable for domestic use. Before putting it on the market, Sontheimer had to re-engineer almost every part. It's not possible to "steal" your own work.

Here is what I remember as a consumer in the mid 70's:

The Japanese-made Cuisinart processors were well made, but similar in appearance and performance to the French made Cuisinarts, which had a Pabst motor. News reports, and industry information at the time indicated that Cuisinart, of Conn., had lifted the French design, after a disagreement with Robot Coupe, and had the machine made in Japan. There were lawsuits over this, and Cuisinart won, in U.S. courts. Robot looked like a loser, and their product was not available

in the U.S. or Canada. The fancy tubes and push buttons cames later.

I have a Robot Coupe food processor that I bought in the early 80;'s. It closely resembles the Cuisinarts that were also available at the time. Mine has a chrome body. I still use it. I have a whole set of grating discs, etc. (which I never use).

[Dave the Cook]

I'm not aware that Japan has a reputation for manufacturing (or designing, for that matter) shoddy products.

[*]The Robot Coupe technology was indeed licensed in 1971. But the Robot Coupe was a commercial design, and almost completely unsuitable for domestic use. Before putting it on the market, Sontheimer had to re-engineer almost every part. It's not possible to "steal" your own work.

Here is what I remember as a consumer in the mid 70's:

The Japanese-made Cuisinart processors were well made, but similar in appearance and performance to the French made Cuisinarts, which had a Pabst motor. News reports, and industry information at the time indicated that Cuisinart, of Conn., had lifted the French design, after a disagreement with Robot Coupe, and had the machine made in Japan. There were lawsuits over this, and Cuisinart won, in U.S. courts. Robot looked like a loser, and their product was not available

in the U.S. or Canada. The fancy tubes and push buttons cames later.

I have a Robot Coupe food processor that I bought in the early 80;'s. It closely resembles the Cuisinarts that were also available at the time. Mine has a chrome body. I still use it. I have a whole set of grating discs, etc. (which I never use).

I remember the lawsuit, and I also remember home-style Robot-Coupes. I believe the consumer market is what the lawsuit was about, as well as (if memory serves) reverse licensing of technology. Robot-Coupe had completely missed the potential of adapting their machine for home use. When Cuisinart launched their line, Robot-Coupe sought to recover lost ground by asking Cuisnart to turn over their designs. Perhaps there were agreements to exchange technology, and R-C felt that it had been cheated. Regardless, when Cuisinart refused, R-C sought relief in the courts. Sometime during this period, R-C brought out its own consumer product, and, yes, it was very similar in appearance to the Cuisinart product. I suspect the rush to market had something to do with this, and maybe access to the Cuisinart modifications did, too. Of course, even today, most food processors are nearly indistinguishable. There are only so many ways to package a bowl, a blade and a honkin' big direct-drive motor.

As for the manufacturing dispute, I think that R-C was the original fabricator, again, under license, of Cuisinart's machines. When R-C sued Cuiz, the latter probably felt uncomfortable with the manufacturing arrangement, and found someone else to make them.

If someone else has more accurate, or simply more, information, I'd love to hear it.

Nevertheless, Robot-Coupe has been active in North America for more than 30 years (check Robot-Coupe USA for more details). They abandoned the consumer market long ago, and now specialize in choppers, blenders, mixers and devices that invoke combinations of these processes for commercial food prep, nutrition, health care and laboratory uses. And they still make food processors.

[Stagiaire]

It is a round peice of metal that you place over your burner.  It absorbs and distributes  the heat so you can obtain a perfect simmer.

This is the one I have

Flame Tamer

←

Here's a cheaper one...works perfectly:

http://www.bridgekitchenware.com/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=718

[sparrowgrass]

To add a little zest to your life, run down to the hardware store and pick up a Microplane. Great for zesting citrus and grating hard cheese--turns a chunk of hard parmesan into "snow" in seconds.

You can buy them at a kitchen store, but my hardware store often has them on sale for $7.

[dumplin]

I like the Williams-Sonoma cotton bar towels for kitchen towels. I've had lots of different ones, but these have lasted the longest--going on 5 years and they still look new. You can bleach them, and they're very absorbent. I hate it when you only dry one or two pans before you towel is soaking wet.

I had friends that were good cooks. When I got married, and they asked what I wanted I told them to surprise me. They knew what cooks needed in the kitchen. I got some great things from them. Great mixing bowls, a board scraper, a roasting pan... more things than I would have thought of.

My mom gave me this hard black plastic spatula for cooking that has little holes in it. Things don't stick and it doesn't warp from high heat. I have used it from everything from eggs to stirring pie filling on the stove. We use it so much that its always dirty, and I've wished I had more than one because I don't like having to use another spatula. I got my mom to go the specialty store that carries them and get me another one. I also got her to buy me 4 more to give as Christmas gifts. ( I tried to find this spatula on the internet, but I didn't see it.)

[robyn]

I like the Williams-Sonoma cotton bar towels for kitchen towels. I've had lots of different ones, but these have lasted the longest--going on 5 years and they still look new. You can bleach them, and they're very absorbent. I hate it when you only dry one or two pans before you towel is soaking wet...

←

I go through tons of towels. I buy packages 12 white (bleachable) "hotel hand towels" at Costco or factory outlets. Less than a buck each. At that price - you don't have to worry how many you use. Robyn