Mixing bowls

[Shel_B]

Shel - I regularly make around 3-4lb of potato salad at a time and use a 3 liter sistema container to hold it. It is usually very filled. I'm gradually switching over to glasslock containers so even though you asked for stainless, I would recommend the glasslock.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001DYV574/

Eta: actually, I just realized that I use 3-4 lbs of potatoes to make it. Not sure what the final weight is but the volume fills the 3l container.

Good to know about the capacity. Thank you.

I have some of those containers (not Glasslock, but another brand that's almost identical in appearance), as well as some Pyrex and Anchor Hocking glass bowls with lids. I want stainless to minimize the potential of breakage during travel (not that it's ever happened) and because they make excellent bowls for preparing certain foods. I can prepare the food, store it, and travel with it all using one bowl. That's not to say that can't be done in glass, but it seems like the stainless bowls are the right size and shape in some situations. So, with the addition of stainless, I'll have every situation covered.

Edited October 11, 2013 by Shel_B (log)

[judiu]

Honestly, if you'll take a bit of care to put the bowl back in your vehicle, the (erm) Zip Lock (I think) bowls are great! I regularly make LARGE batches of salads and these bowls are great. They're ugly enough not to get swiped and cheap enough to be replaced if they do. They'll hold a batch of 4 can bean salad with onion and celery, no problem, about a 1 lb. batch of macaroni salad (1 lb. macaroni, that is) or probably 5 lbs potato salad. I love them, and I like to think I'm as green as the next person!

[Shel_B]

Honestly, if you'll take a bit of care to put the bowl back in your vehicle, the (erm) Zip Lock (I think) bowls are great! I regularly make LARGE batches of salads and these bowls are great. They're ugly enough not to get swiped and cheap enough to be replaced if they do. They'll hold a batch of 4 can bean salad with onion and celery, no problem, about a 1 lb. batch of macaroni salad (1 lb. macaroni, that is) or probably 5 lbs potato salad. I love them, and I like to think I'm as green as the next person!

Where I go, no one's going to swipe anything, so that's a non-issue. I don't use plastic for food prep or storage.

[Shel_B]

I have some of those containers (not Glasslock, but another brand that's almost identical in appearance

I looked and it turns out that the containers are Glasslock.

[mgaretz]

I typically use glass for pot lucks, specifically the Pyrex ones with lids that come in a set of four for between $15-19. I have two sets. While I hear you on the breakage issue, not everything I bring to pot lucks is cold, at least not intended to be served cold. That being said, when pot lucks are at our temple and scheduled to start at say 6:00, often the Rabbi will talk until 7:00 as the food gets cold. Having glass allows it to be popped in the microwave to reheat. Stainless eliminates that option.

[Shel_B]

I typically use glass for pot lucks, specifically the Pyrex ones with lids that come in a set of four for between $15-19. I have two sets. While I hear you on the breakage issue, not everything I bring to pot lucks is cold, at least not intended to be served cold. That being said, when pot lucks are at our temple and scheduled to start at say 6:00, often the Rabbi will talk until 7:00 as the food gets cold. Having glass allows it to be popped in the microwave to reheat. Stainless eliminates that option.

A good point. However, I do already have several glass bowls with lids should they be appropriate. The stainless just fills out my options. Nesting stainless bowls should minimize storage concerns as well.

I might mention that the potlucks I go to are usually well planned. On Sunday, for example, we're going to the home of Toots' daughter. We know who is bringing what, and there will be no surprises. That's typical of what we do for family potlucks ...

[Kerry Beal]

I typically use glass for pot lucks, specifically the Pyrex ones with lids that come in a set of four for between $15-19. I have two sets. While I hear you on the breakage issue, not everything I bring to pot lucks is cold, at least not intended to be served cold. That being said, when pot lucks are at our temple and scheduled to start at say 6:00, often the Rabbi will talk until 7:00 as the food gets cold. Having glass allows it to be popped in the microwave to reheat. Stainless eliminates that option.

Actually stainless can be put in the microwave. It gets hot more quickly and you have to make sure it doesn't touch other stainless in the microwave or the sides. Make sure you have oven mitts or a towel for removal.

If you have two little stainless bowls in the nuke and they get too close they will arc and catch fire (she says from experience) and the smell of burning chocolate is not pleasant!

[Shel_B]

Actually stainless can be put in the microwave. It gets hot more quickly and you have to make sure it doesn't touch other stainless in the microwave or the sides. Make sure you have oven mitts or a towel for removal.

If you have two little stainless bowls in the nuke and they get too close they will arc and catch fire (she says from experience) and the smell of burning chocolate is not pleasant!

When I read Kerry's comment, I thought "What has this person been drinking?" So, since Google is my friend, I checked online. Most answers were emphatically NO! But interspersed was the occasional "yes" answer. The video in this post seems to support Kerry's contention, but I'd like to investigate further. Are there some foods that this works well with, some foods that it doesn't? Does the composition of the stainless steel make a difference?

And heres an article I found addressing the issue: http://themessybaker.com/2011/01/21/how-to-temper-chocolate-in-a-microwave-a-give-away/

I also asked my uncle about this. For many years he designed cookware and kitchen appliances for a well known manufacturer of these products. He's also an accomplished amateur cook. It'll be interesting to read what he has to say on the subject.

Perhaps you'll note that the microwave oven in the video seems to have a metal shelf built into it. I'm intrigued. Thanks, Kerry!

Edited October 12, 2013 by Shel_B (log)

[Shel_B]

Myth Debunked! I decided to give it a try, and heated a frozen hot dog in a small stainless steel bowl in my microwave oven. There were no ill effects; no sparks, no arcing, no explosions. The hot dog was nicely heated through, and had the taste and texture it usually does when heated on the stove top.

I was also going to try nuking the stainless lid from my new All-Clad saucepan, as the composition of the steel is probably different than that of the bowl. The idea was to see if compositional differences might affect the results. However, I wasn't sure if the handle on the lid is stainless, so I decided to hold off on that test.

Interesting how this thread has evolved ... in any case, thank you, Kerry!

Edited October 12, 2013 by Shel_B (log)

[Kerry Beal]

You are quite welcome. You really need to be sure it's stainless - if not the whole thing fails miserably!

[Shel_B]

ETA - my nets sped up! Yay! The bowls I use are indeed on the Colombian website (link - in Spanish) - click on "Recipientes de Acero - Frascos" and they're the first item on the menu. I have the two largest sizes at the moment, which are both about the size you're looking for. You could, if you can't find what you're looking for locally, probably have them shipped to you from Bogotá....

They sure do look nice, and the shape is closer to want I want than anything I've seen thus far. I have relatives in Panama and some good friends in Peru, and I'll ask them if they have access to these bowls. Thanks!

[Smithy]

Those are handsome bowls in the iMusa set. However, the largest of the bowls is only 24 cm in diameter - 9.4 inches. Taking a wild guess by the picture because they don't list the height or the capacity, I come out at a rough capacity of 1.8 liters, or less than 2 quarts. Maybe that's the 2L bowl to which Panaderia Canadiensa refers, but you should check. Is that big enough for your purposes? Panaderia Candiensa, is the 2L bowl to which you refer also your largest bowl of that type, or do you have bowls larger than listed in that link?

[Panaderia Canadiense]

I have larger bowls in that series that don't appear on the website. The 24 cm comes in at just a hair shy of 2L, and it is the bowl I refer to; I've also got a 30 cm, a 35 cm and a pair of giant 45 cms (which hold just shy of 5L), all in that lovely flat-bottomed design.

[judiu]

Honestly, if you'll take a bit of care to put the bowl back in your vehicle, the (erm) Zip Lock (I think) bowls are great! I regularly make LARGE batches of salads and these bowls are great. They're ugly enough not to get swiped and cheap enough to be replaced if they do. They'll hold a batch of 4 can bean salad with onion and celery, no problem, about a 1 lb. batch of macaroni salad (1 lb. macaroni, that is) or probably 5 lbs potato salad. I love them, and I like to think I'm as green as the next person!

They are Rubbermaid "Takealong" brand, not Zip Lock, now that l've looked! (Dratted late night posts after a few adult beverages...)

[dcarch]

Even nothing harmful seems to have happened when you place a St. Steel bowl in the microwave oven. Actually you may not always know what can happen because you cannot see microwave.

Microwave is a very strange form of electromagnetic energy. It can be focused with lenses made of wax or paraffin. It can be reflected from large, plane sheets of metal, as light is reflected from plane mirrors. Metal parabolas may be used to produce parallel beams or high energy focused beams. Microwave can travel in tubes like plumbing as in microwave communication systems. The frequency, or wave length interacts with objects in a very complicated way.

I would not use anything in it that is not recommended by the manufacturer.

dcarch

Edited October 14, 2013 by dcarch (log)

[Shel_B]

I heard back from my uncle, the engineer, inventor, and cook. Here's what he had to say about using stainless steel in a microwave oven:

Very interesting discussions about using metal in a Microwave.

Actually the demos are sort of deceptive since the SS bowl was used as a shield to temper the chocolate. Any metal will reflect or shield the waves except for the energy coming straight down into the chocolate. If the metal touches the walls it may arc enough to start a fire. Therefore what is the purpose of using metal ? It may also reflect back into the Magnetron and damage it. I guess shielding the chocolate from most of the energy may be somewhat useful, but I’m sure with enough trial & error I could do the same with a substantial power reduction which is what the stainless did. Anyway, in my humble opinion, the old rule still stands “Don’t Use Any Metal in a Microwave Oven”.

[dcarch]

Exactly my concerns.

I also worry that the door which you can see inside may be designed specifically based on the wave behavior inside and wave length of the microwave. Suppose what you are doing changes something and the door may not be shielding the wave anymore.

dcarch

[Shel_B]

The way I understand all this is that it may be OK or it may not be OK, depending on a variety of circumstances. So, you pays your money and you takes your chances.

Even though using a stainless bowl seemingly worked well in my case, based on my uncle's comments, I'll not be using metal in my oven in the future. While I don't know the background of anyone making claims on the internet, or on this forum, I do know my uncle's credentials very well, and, amongst other cookware products and inventions, part of his work involved designing specialized microwave ovens for a national chain of restaurants. If he says to be careful, and that he wouldn't put metal in a microwave oven, I'll heed his caution.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I have three collections of mixing bowls.  In order of which they were acquired:  Pyrex, real Pyrex* -- the good stuff -- from a garage sale in the '70's; beautiful turn of the century wheat sheaf pottery from King Arthur Flour; and more recently Vollrath stainless steel.

 

Amazon just dropped the price of the 13 quart Vollrath bowl.  How could one resist?  Sadly I have difficulty envisioning quantities.  Were the 13 quart bowl any larger it would not fit in the dishwasher.  It should be good for laundry.

 

 

*but they are chartreuse.

 

[kayb]

I wondered when I read that on another thread what in the name of God you were going to do with that large a bowl. Except, it would be excellent for mixing up large quantities of Chex mix.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

2 hours ago, kayb said:

I wondered when I read that on another thread what in the name of God you were going to do with that large a bowl. Except, it would be excellent for mixing up large quantities of Chex mix.

 

 

Well, many recipes begin "In a large bowl..."

 

[DesertTinker]

21 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

...Amazon just dropped the price of the 13 quart Vollrath bowl.  How could one resist?  Sadly I have difficulty envisioning quantities.  Were the 13 quart bowl any larger it would not fit in the dishwasher.  It should be good for laundry.

 

 

*but they are chartreuse.

 

I’ve got the “economy” version Vollrath 47943, paid a dollar for it at a yard sale. It gets used for sauerkraut prep, large batches of coleslaw, but most importantly, Thanksgiving stuffing/dressing.

[andiesenji]

Since I posted in August 2005, I have sold most of my Pyrex  and other vintage bowls - I had a very large collection.

I still have all my stainless bowls from the enormous to the 2 cup size, my vintage melamine Rosti bowls I bought in 1968 and still use several times a week because they are the perfect size, the perfect depth and are easy to hold and nowadays, with my arthritic hands, that is important.

 

I no longer make things in large batches so could dispense with most of my extra-large bowls.  

I have added  a couple of semi-flexible silicone bowls that are designed for microwave use.  I haven't used them enough to review them.  They were sent to me for  use and review and are not yet released for sale.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Last night I made bouillabaisse and ran out of reasonably sized bowls.  (One is in the refrigerator with ranch dressing.)  I wish Vollrath made a 1 quart size.

 

[heidih]

I only have 2 biggiish ones. The flatter one is ancient (wedding present 1985) but great when you have quantity. ( always reminds me of the placenta catcher in the delivery room...) I tend to use it for things like a big cole slaw- toss and later transfer to smaller. I do have sime smaller glass ones. The other one is  TJ Max - the black rubberish bottom keeps it from skidding on the counter. Since broke my favorite bread bowl it is now my no-knead dough receptacle.