High-Tech Kitchen Equipment

[akwa]

The "vaporizer" is a rotary evaporator.  This is basically a high-tech distillation machine that allows you to distill under a vacuum.

They are not cheap, unless you get a used one.

Used glassware needs to be REALLY clean, or you could buy a used one and new glass.

There are many other ways to do something similar.  People who make their own essential oils have similar distillation equipment.  The rotary evap has the advantage that the temperature can be lower due to the vacuum, but a non-vacuum approach will work for many things.  A soxhlet extraction column has some advantages.  A full soxhlet outfit in glass is MUCH cheaper than the whole rotary evap outfit.

I have Buchi, which is the probably the best one, but Heidorf and Yammato also make them.  For larger volume it gets both dificult and expensive, unless you go the non-vacuum route.  The essential oil people make soxhlet and other extraction/distillation equipment up to very large sizes.

The Lincoln impinger is just a track grill or conveyor grill, and is hardly new.  Every burger king has one!

Turbo Chef is old at this point.  Many companies have mixed microwave and convection, and radient in various mixtures.  I have a small one by Sharp, and it is OK, but generally not worth the hassle compared to a combi-oven.  However if there is a specialty product like souffles and that is all you make then great.

Liquid nitogen doesn't really require much in the way of equipment, apart from a dewar and some cryo-gloves. 

There are various chefs custom making things like the drip machine for doing alginate / calcium reaction, but in more complicated ways.  This is basically a small version of industrial equipment made to make artifical cherries or other alginate/calcium reaction products.

So, here are some of the new tech goodies I am very interested in getting:

1.  A critical point extraction set up.  This is a way to extract flavor essences from food using liquid CO2 near its critical point. 

2.  Freeze drying equipment. 

3.  Very high shear mixers - for hydrating hydrocolloids

These are all beyond exotic - they aren't even commerial products necessarily, or if they are, they are beyond the Fisher Scientific / Cole-Palmer level and into the really weird stuff.

My current kitchen upgrades are much more tame (i.e. things it is possible to buy). I'm getting a Synesso espreosso machine - leagues beyond any other.  I am upgrading my Rational comb-ovens, getting a new vacuum packing machine... these things are fun but don't make the grade for really new high tech gizmos.

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hey nathan

what do you do with the used equipment?

lol

wg

[akwa]

hey nathanm

can you explain the difference between alihn and friedrich style bulb

wg

[nathanm]

hey nathanm

can you explain the difference between  alihn and friedrich style bulb

wg

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There are several common variations in distillation columns. One aspect is condenser design - how the unit cools hot gases to make some of them condense like dew on the condenser. Alihn, spiral and others are variations that may have some advantages in some contexts, but it is not a big deal for most of what you'd want to do with cooking.

The only big difference in condensers is the cold trap style that is meant to be used with something extreme cold (dry ice). However, most cooking uses do not need or want extreme cold condensnig coolant.

Note however that different condensing columns can be set up in a variety of ways to achieve VERY different results. That difference is things like whether you do direct distillation, reflux distillation, soxhlet extraction, fractional distillation etc. This is NOT the same as condenser design - it is how the condenser is connected to the rest of the system.

[jackal10]

The things that have made the biggest differences for me are accurate electronic scales and thermometers.

Besides the usual induction hobs, water baths, ISI whippers, wood fired brick bread oven, dehydrator/dessicator (which I have) here are some more unusual things not yet made it to my kitchen.

Wet grinder/stone edge mill: used in Asian cooking for idlies, vadas, dosas, and poories, but many applications to get those light textures http://www.innoconcepts.com/prideplus.htm

Ultrasonic emulsifier/homogeniser. http://www.biologics-inc.com/sonicator.htm I'm sure here is some mileage here. Many sauces are fat/liquid emulsions. Interesting things happen if the particle or droplet size is small enough. In the old days a cream maker emulsifier was sometimes used to make a cream from milk and butterfat. Many other combinationas are possible, such as bacon/red wine. Using modern technology I think a new range of sauces might be possible

Double screw extruder. http://www.dayijixie.cn/english/slg65_e.asp Many snack foods are made by extrusion of a starch mass through a heated double screw extruder, that kneads and condtions the starch in a way that is hard to reproduce otherwise. I'd love a domestic scale one

Tweedy vacuum mixer. http://www.apvbaker.com/bakery/tweedy.php

In commercial bakeries using a short-time dough system they feature high intensity mixing under air pressure and then vacuum to expand the dough. A domestic version would be interesting

Edited November 6, 2005 by jackal10 (log)

[Silly Disciple]

Ultrasonic emulsifier/homogeniser. http://www.biologics-inc.com/sonicator.htm I'm sure here is some mileage here. Many sauces are fat/liquid emulsions. Interesting things happen if the particle or droplet size is small enough. In the old days a cream maker emulsifier was sometimes used to make a cream from milk and butterfat. Many other combinationas are possible, such as bacon/red wine. Using modern technology I  think a new range of sauces might be possible

If I'm not mistaken, there's one such tool at The Fat Duck as well. Can't remember the brand though.

[pedro]

. . . . .

antigriddle does not work by liquid nitrogen and is therefore not technically related to the teppannitro concept; a rose is a rose is a rose

. . . . .

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But it is conceptually.

[akwa]

. . . . .

antigriddle does not work by liquid nitrogen and is therefore not technically related to the teppannitro concept; a rose is a rose is a rose

. . . . .

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But it is conceptually.

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i thought my point was not so subtle

conceptually it is identical

with all due respect to any interested parties this is not a chicken and the egg question

this is a i can make one here before yours gets here question

wg

[nathanm]

Ultrasonic emulsifier/homogeniser. http://www.biologics-inc.com/sonicator.htm I'm sure here is some mileage here. Many sauces are fat/liquid emulsions. Interesting things happen if the particle or droplet size is small enough. In the old days a cream maker emulsifier was sometimes used to make a cream from milk and butterfat. Many other combinationas are possible, such as bacon/red wine. Using modern technology I  think a new range of sauces might be possible

If I'm not mistaken, there's one such tool at The Fat Duck as well. Can't remember the brand though.

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Yes, these are cool, I have one. There are several good brands. Still working out the best techinque.

[nathanm]

The things that have made the biggest differences for me are accurate electronic scales and thermometers.

Yes, these are very useful, relatively cheap, and have a big impact.

Wet grinder/stone edge mill: used in Asian cooking for idlies, vadas, dosas, and poories, but many applications to get those light textures http://www.innoconcepts.com/prideplus.htm

I've never even heard of one of these! I did not realize that Indian cuisine had spawned a residential machine like this for doing wet grinding. May need to try one...

Ultrasonic emulsifier/homogeniser. http://www.biologics-inc.com/sonicator.htm I'm sure here is some mileage here. Many sauces are fat/liquid emulsions. Interesting things happen if the particle or droplet size is small enough. In the old days a cream maker emulsifier was sometimes used to make a cream from milk and butterfat. Many other combinationas are possible, such as bacon/red wine. Using modern technology I  think a new range of sauces might be possible

Yes, these are quite interesting. I have one and I have made "cream" by combining an arbitrary fat and liquid. Still working on other aspects of the technique however.

Double screw extruder.  http://www.dayijixie.cn/english/slg65_e.asp Many snack foods are made by extrusion of a starch mass through a heated double screw extruder, that kneads and condtions the starch in a way that is hard to reproduce otherwise. I'd love a domestic scale one

There are several common kinds of screw extruders in use in kitchens. One is an extrusion style pasta machine. I have one of these and it is great for pasta but I have not tried other other material in it. However it should work.

Many sausage makers and meat grinders also use screw extrusion.

A Champion vegetable juicer is also a screw extruder of a sort.

The key issue with a screw extrusion press is how much pressure you need, and what consistency of dough. Pasta making requires fairly high pressure and a very stiff dough / paste. Sausage is obviously the other extreme - very soft and low pressure.

Tweedy vacuum mixer.  http://www.apvbaker.com/bakery/tweedy.php

In commercial bakeries using a short-time dough system they feature high intensity mixing under air pressure and then vacuum to expand the dough. A domestic version would be interesting

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Hmm... this is interesting but I wonder how the bread tastes. In essence this "leavens" bread by making a dough foam. Although one purpose of yeast or other leavening is to make gas bubbles to raise the dough, they also add flavor etc. So I am not so sure that this is a great idea. Maybe it is...

[jackal10]

I've never even heard of one of these!   I did not realize that Indian cuisine had spawned a residential machine like this for doing wet grinding.  May need to try one...

I had not realised either, until the wife of an indian colleague showed me.

Yes, these are quite interesting.  I have one and I have made "cream" by combining an arbitrary fat and liquid.   Still working on other aspects of the technique however.

This is real cutting edge stuff!

There are several common kinds of screw extruders in use in kitchens.  One is an extrusion style pasta machine.  I have one of these and it is great for pasta but I have not tried other other material in it.  However it should work.

Many sausage makers and meat grinders also use screw extrusion.

A Champion vegetable juicer is also a screw extruder of a sort.

The key issue with a screw extrusion press is how much pressure you need, and what consistency of dough.  Pasta making requires fairly high pressure and a very stiff dough / paste.    Sausage is obviously the other extreme - very soft and low pressure. 

I had not though of that. I must experiment making prawn crackers with a pasta machine.

However the commercial machines with a double screw knead, and the heated jacket cooks the mass at the same time.

Tweedy vacuum mixer. 

Hmm... this is interesting but I wonder how the bread tastes. In essence this "leavens" bread by making a dough foam. Although one purpose of yeast or other leavening is to make gas bubbles to raise the dough, they also add flavor etc. So I am not so sure that this is a great idea. Maybe it is...

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Short time, mechanically aerated doughs are now the bulk of commercial bread production ("Wonderloaf", "Mother's Pride" etc). Mostly bland pap, although some are flavoured with a yeast or sourdough sponge addition. However they don't have to make bad bread, and I'm sure that was not he intention of the original developers. High intensity mixing followed by low temperature fermentation can provide a different range of techniques and textures to the currently popular artisanal low knead style.

Edited November 7, 2005 by jackal10 (log)

[akwa]

nathan m

can you whip the homogenized cream?

nathan/jackal

can you illustrate the difference between an ultrasonic homogenizer and a standard homogenizer

for example, I found a brinkmann new w/ 500 watts power for the same price as a 150 watts ultrasonic; is the wattage greater because the standard homogenizer is less efficient?

thanks for keeping a great thread team

ps jackal after moving to an indian neighborhood and falling madly for iddli, i must have the grinder

great suggestion

wg

[nathanm]

An ultrasonic homogenizer uses ultasonic sound waves. The classic use in a lab is to rupture cell walls, however it also works to emuslify - breaking up droplets of oil into finer droplets. Mechanical homogenizers use shear forces in liquids to try achieve something similar.

Comparing the two is hard - it depends on a number of factors.

I believe that one could whip artifical "cream", just like any fat emulsion. As Jackal10 pointed out, there are a number of old fashioned kitchen devices designed to take butter and milk and turn it into whipping cream. I don't have one, but it would be amusing to try it the old fashioned way.

Herve This has done a lot of experiments taking various fats and water whipping them. He has done chocolate, and I believe even camembert cheese, emuslified them then whipped them.

Here are some links in French

http://www.linternaute.com/femmes/cuisine/...w/it_this.shtml

http://www.sciencesetgastronomie.com/proto...20chantilly.htm

Here is a Google translated version of the whipped chocolate recipe

These translations can be a bit comical - I once had "bernaise" sauce translated as as "resident of Bearn". I am sure you can figure it out. Would be interested in how it turns out since I haven't tried it.

Edited November 7, 2005 by nathanm (log)

[akwa]

with regards to the chantilly of herve this

if i am not mistaken, in all of the recipes i have used, the fat had to be heated. for example chocolate or cheese melted into milk;

the gagnaire/this references include melted butter into liquid, then whipped; i believe it was a kientzheim instead of mayonnaise.

i dont remember any of these made with oils that are liquid at room temperature, do you?

for this i just know the false pil pil which is oil trapped in a water/agar base. but it doesnt whip like cream, it resembles more of an egg white mayonnaise

any thoughts?

[jackal10]

Some more references:

http://www.college-de-france.fr/chaires/ch..._Gastronomy.pdf

http://www.pierre-gagnaire.com/anglais/cdmodernite.htm

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/...4294671,00.html

[nathanm]

Yes, it is made differently, but I suspect that the result is not that different from emulsfying a fat into a "cream" and then whipping.

Any fat needs to be liquid to be emulsified, so if you have chocolate that is in a solid state you will need to melt it as a first step no matter what. Then you can whip it up. I think that in the Herve This examples the emuslifying occurs at the same time as whipping.

With a high shear homogenizer, or ultrasonic homogenizer, one could probably make much smaller fat droplets and thus make a much more stable emulsion. Also, one could do it for fats which are liquid at room temp, instead of a solid in which case melting would not help.

Homogenized milk, of course, has the fat droplets broken up finely enough to be stable and prevent the cream from separating.

[edsel]

There's an entertaining piece by Ted Allan in the October Popular Science that mentions several of these cool toys.

The Future of Food

The accompanying photo gallery has links to vendors.