Random Food Questions Thread

[SField]

Originally Posted by foodguy

i spent more on my hood vent than i did on my stove. makes all the difference in teh world.

My first major purchase once I move to a loft will be the best hood vent I can afford. They mostly all come with a Wolf/Viking/Thermador range these days but the hood is inadequate. A real cook needs some pretty serious power.

 

[Manton]

Originally Posted by SField

My first major purchase once I move to a loft will be the best hood vent I can afford. They mostly all come with a Wolf/Viking/Thermador range these days but the hood is inadequate. A real cook needs some pretty serious power.

What? Not IME.

Anyway, avoid Broan. Vent-a-Hood is the shizzle, AFAIK. Like a jet engine.

 

[SField]

Originally Posted by otc

This is exactly why I want it although I hadn't quite formed it into such a succinct opinion.

Even pan frying a chicken breast has a pretty big effect in my apartment. It is not large and is basically an open plan. With no hood to vent outside, the smells make it throughout everything except the bathroom and bedroom (which have real doorways located far from the kitchen).

If it were an old-style chicago 2-3br apartment layout (with all rooms coming off one long hall and the kitchen at the far end), this wouldn't be an issue but depending what I cook...it sucks to not have exhaust (at least the layer of oil that coats the top of cupboards between cleanings seems to confine itself to the kitchen).

Yea, I find this can be a problem. Best thing you can do is sous vide then get a great torch to sear. You'll get some splatter but less if you're cooking with oil. Best thing for someone with an apartment is sous vide, bar none.

I also know someone who really upped their sashimi skills purely because of living in a tiny apartment with a building full of professionals that never cooked and would complain. The guy cuts extremely well now and eats mainly raw things.

 

[Rambo]

But even if you're sous viding (spelling?), don't you have to finish everything over high heat anyways? Or torch the crap out of it?

 

[SField]

Originally Posted by Manton

What? Not IME.

Anyway, avoid Broan. Vent-a-Hood is the shizzle, AFAIK. Like a jet engine.

Most of the lofts I've looked at in LA and Chicago in my price range come with high end appliances. And yes, I want a ******* jet engine.

 

[SField]

Originally Posted by Rambo

But even if you're sous viding (spelling?), don't you have to finish everything over high heat anyways? Or torch the crap out of it?

Torching is a bit less smelly because it's not sitting in a tiny bubbling oil bath.

 

[Manton]

Originally Posted by SField

Most of the lofts I've looked at in LA and Chicago in my price range come with high end appliances. And yes, I want a ******* jet engine.

Oh, I thought you meant that appliance stores sold ranges that came with hoods.

 

[foodguy]

i got a venezia zephyr that i like a lot. pulls a lot of air, but doesn't sound like a 747 in your kitchen. you can wash the screens in the dishwasher, too. first time i roasted a chicken after buying it ... woke up and our bedroom didn't smell like chicken grease ... so happy.

 

[gomestar]

Originally Posted by SField

Most of the lofts I've looked at in LA and Chicago in my price range come with high end appliances. And yes, I want a ******* jet engine.

we've thought about a fancy place, and it's damn tempting to have a nice kitchen. Must resist for the time being.

 

[mordecai]

I have 2 8-quart stock pots. One is a slightly heavy, old, dark (I believe aluminum) one with a bunch of little scratches in it. Newer one is a Le Creuset enameled steel that I bought at a sale. I started using the Creuset but I'm not crazy about it. Is there any benefit to the enameled steel? If not, I'm thinking I'll just give it to a friend and go back to my old one.


btw...I have no hood vent anymore. No vent whatsoever actually, besides the kitchen window.

 

[SField]

Originally Posted by mordecai

I have 2 8-quart stock pots. One is a slightly heavy, old, dark (I believe aluminum) one with a bunch of little scratches in it. Newer one is a Le Creuset enameled steel that I bought at a sale. I started using the Creuset but I'm not crazy about it. Is there any benefit to the enameled steel? If not, I'm thinking I'll just give it to a friend and go back to my old one.


btw...I have no hood vent. No vent whatsoever actually

I just a big cuisineart is fine.. to me it's not as big a deal since you're just cooking liquids.

To me it's best to always buy the best you can, or to trade up, then get rid of stuff. A minimalist compliment of tools is always preferable.

 

[Rambo]

^For stock? None that I can think of. I like the aluminum ones because they're light weight and cheap.

 

[foodguy]

Originally Posted by Rambo

^For stock? None that I can think of. I like the aluminum ones because they're light weight and cheap.

this is me. there should be no danger of scorching making stock (everything's floating), so i go with the lightest, cheapest material. i've got a big one and a little one (also comes with a steamer and pasta pentola). i've had the big one for about 20 years and the little one for at least 10. good as new.

 

[otc]

I've considered buying one of those "hoods" that pulls your air through a filter just to cut down on the grease flying around...but it seems like it would mostly just be a waste.

My landlord probably wouldn't like it if I cut a hole in the wall to run an exhaust fan...

 

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by Manton

What? Not IME.

Anyway, avoid Broan. Vent-a-Hood is the shizzle, AFAIK. Like a jet engine.

FWIW, I agree on the Vent-a-Hood. Back before RE went KA-BLAM, and I thought I was going to build my dream house, we had one of these spec'ed after considerable research and demonstrations.

Originally Posted by foodguy

this is me. there should be no danger of scorching making stock (everything's floating), so i go with the lightest, cheapest material. i've got a big one and a little one (also comes with a steamer and pasta pentola). i've had the big one for about 20 years and the little one for at least 10. good as new.

Was there some studies linking aluminum cookware and Altz. Dz years ago? I've always stayed away from it due to thinking this.