My Future Kitchen Part 2

Part two of my shopping list for my kitchen, long and short term alike. Last time I focused on pots and pans. This time, electrics. I have already amassed an ice cream maker, food processor, electric knife, skillet, waffle iron, hand mixer and stick blender. I am missing some key things though.

What kitchen doesn't have a stand mixer? Long before I even knew what it was, it was the most recognizable appliance from my grandmother's house. KitchenAid is still the standard, and I will not wander from that choice. Mine will be the 5 qt with the hinged top and locking bowl model. The hinged top allows you to move the mixing implement out of the way while mixing, and that makes things easier. I also intend to have the meat grinder attachment, for sausage making.

One of the biggest memories I have is of my family's electric griddle. Part griddle, part waffle maker, it was the perfect device for waffles, pancakes, french toast and especially grilled cheese. The big squares are great for cooking lots of things, and I cannot imagine not having one in my kitchen. It is a pity then, that waffle maker/griddle combos are hard to find now. I have a waffle maker already, so I have settled on a large single piece digital griddle. The digital lets me pick the temperature setting specifically, instead of depending on vague settings like medium and hot.

I own at least 4 thermometers, two old alcohol filled and two digital. One of the digital is of the probe variety, with a heat proof cord that you can stick in a grill or oven. What I lack is a digital thermometer for candy making and frying. You can ask Andrea, the last time I made candy I attached the thermometer I have to the cabinet above her stove, and carefully dangled the probe into the caramel from three feet above the goo. Not dangerous at all right? I picked one that comes with a shield that protects the digital readout from oil and hot candy. That will certainly help make my candy making a smoother process.

Finally comes the electric kettle. Most people don't see all the great uses for this, which is sad, because it is a useful, safe device that makes all kinds of cooking easier. Auto shutoff, cool to touch plastic and a quick heating element make electric kettles the most efficient way to boil water for things like tea and coffee. It also can be used for things like stocks for soup making, have you ever tried adding cold stock to hot soup? What about replacing lost water while making stock or pot roast? It's a really good tool for adding hot water to pans for cheesecake baking or even poaching. In short, if you really like to cook, you should have one.

Look forward to part 3 coming soon.

Live and learn

So I attempted the make rice crispies today. It didn't go as well as I'd hoped. First problem is that I only have short grain japanese rice, I really should be using long grain, it cooks differently. I also don't own a real oven, and from my understanding of the industrial method for making this, you need a slow even heating to turn them from mushed rice to crispies like flakes. I'm not giving up though. I'm going to buy some long grain rice and try again. I'm going to try and find a non stick pan for the toaster oven and get two of them to cut back on the burning of the rice before it's even had a chance to pop. Maybe next time I write about this it will be a success, although, the ones that were golden (as opposed to black or not cooked at all) weren't too bad.

Sadly, I went to the store, and they didn't have long grain rice or non stick toaster oven pans. I may not attempt this again, I need at least the long grain rice to have the right consitancy. I'll keep looking, there are a few more stores I can check.

My Future Kitchen Part 1

I've been contemplating what I desire my kitchen to contain when I do return to my home country next year. To that end I began compiling a list of gadgets, pans and tools that I want, ranging from necessities to the obscure. So far I have a $1500 list, though only about $900 is necessary, things like basic pans, a mixer and some small tools are part of that amount. Many things like the pans and the mixer will last me until my kids are deciding what their kitchen will be supplied with. My goal for the necessary items is two years after I move back, 5 years for all of the "unnecessary" items.

I have settled on All-Clad stainless for my pans. Oh, I know, "How are you going to decide which pan is good without looking and feeling the pan?" Well, I'll be honest, every trip to Bed Bath and Beyond turned into an hour long excursion through the kitchen wares until I made it to the device I intended to buy. I've picked up every pan in that store at least 3 times. Except of course the all copper pans, no matter how good they are, I won't spend that much money on a pan. The line of pans that I like is aluminum sandwiched between steel(the aluminum helps regulate the heating and keep it even). I've picked out a 2 qt saucier, yes the name is a little fruity, but it is the perfect pan for things that need to be whisked when cooked (pudding, custard, gravy, sauces). I've settled on a 3 qt, 10 inch saute pan, as well as a 10 inch fry pan. All of these are completely stainless and can be cooked both on a stove, and in an oven.

I have picked one pan, or pot in this case, that is not stainless. I already have a small stainless pot, but for things like stock making, I need something larger. A LTD line 7 qt stock pot. Stainless on the inside, anodized aluminum on the outside, it is a good tall, narrow pot for making stocks, soups, chili's or whatever else I can come up with. This pot costs $300 and is not part of my "must haves." I do however, plan on getting it before too long, once we're settled somewhere.

I also need an iron skillet. This has become obsolete in a lot of modern cooking, but there is plenty of uses for it, and I am a history buff, as well as a foodie. This means that I want to use the historic recipes that have been edited for non stick or stainless steel pans, if only because I need to know where I came from, to know where it is I am going. Plus they're cheap, $20 will buy you a 10 inch model.

I have no need for more non-stick pans right now, I have several and I can do just about everything I want with those. I left my heart and my toffee making with a 2 qt saucepan in Wichita. Can't wait to make candy again. Have I ever mentioned the 80-90% humidity here in the summer?

The last pot I desire will be a pressure cooker. A small (relatively) 6 qt pot will be the one for me, big enough for making soups and grains for a whole family, not too big that I can't make just enough for 2 people. While cheaper than the stock pot on my list ($70 versus $300) this also is not a must have, but a long term item that you will see eventually.

Mastering the Craft III

I've been more experimental lately, trying to come up with new things to make, just to keep cooking exciting. First off, buffalo wings.

I found a "copy-cat" recipe for a restaurant boneless buffalo wing, and it was amazingly simple. Some seasoned flour, some eggs and a bunch of frying oil, and I was ready for some good American wings. I had to use some bottled buffalo sauce from an import store, and it was way too spicy for a standard buffalo wing. I liked it, it was just not a regular level of heat. I've never deep-fried chicken before, though this was a picture of simplicity. The crust stayed on the chicken (unlike another buffalo recipe that used a pan-frying method) and the chicken was perfectly cooked. I made some of them honey-bbq'd flavor, but I didn't take the time to make sure the sauce was right and there just wasn't enough honey. I'll try that another time perhaps.

Last week I made hummus. I managed to get my hands on both chickpeas and tahini, so everything else was just for fun. I decided to make it roasted red pepper flavored. I don't have a food processor, I have a mini chopper. This makes pureed things like hummus hard to concoct. I did manage to roast the pepper and get the beans ground up. It was more of a paste than a sauce like consistency, but that is the fault of the underpowered grinder, I won't ever be able to make perfect hummus without spending money on a device I will abandon next year. I don't like to waste money. I did however put way too much garlic in it, the first day it had a burn that has since subsided. Maybe just one or two cloves instead of four or five next time.

I might try and make rice crispies today or after Andrea leaves. Either way it will be done, hopefully with good results. I did manage to find jalapenos as a store last week as well, salsa is not far on the calendar either.

I cannot wait to try this

Secret That Kelloggs Doesn't Want You to Know - video powered by Metacafe

You can't get real rice krispies here, and I've been dying to try and figure out a way to make some gooey marshmallow treats. I'll probably experiment while andrea is at home.

I have a lot more stuff to post about, but I'll do that once andrea leaves, there's too much to do in between now and then.