Gravy's Cooking Thread

Lanx · May 10, 2019

jooka said:
Alrighty, I believe I am ready to add to my kitchen gadgets. I'm looking to add an air fryer, still not 100% on this so tell me why I shouldn't do it. The one I am looking at, if I go ahead with it, is:

It also has a dual layer version but I'm not sure if that is a good option.

imo you should get the philips air fryer typesPhilips Kitchen HD9641/96 Avance Digital Turbostar Airfryer (1.8lb/2.75qt), Black

not the philips one mind you, just the style

where it's an easy pullout tray/basket, not b/c it's easier to use, but b/c all the 3rd party accessories and pans are made for this dimension, your round one might be a problem down the line.

i got mine for 70bucks? it was a lighting deal, and it's non digital, it's just an old fashioned "ding!" when done, turn the dial.

the dual baskets just mean they throw in a tray separator, food doesn't fry "that" well if you stack too much food on top of it

doesn't look like its worth 20bucks

a_skeleton_01 · May 10, 2019

Lanx said:
imo you should get the philips air fryer typesPhilips Kitchen HD9641/96 Avance Digital Turbostar Airfryer (1.8lb/2.75qt), Black

not the philips one mind you, just the style

where it's an easy pullout tray/basket, not b/c it's easier to use, but b/c all the 3rd party accessories and pans are made for this dimension, your round one might be a problem down the line.

i got mine for 70bucks? it was a lighting deal, and it's non digital, it's just an old fashioned "ding!" when done, turn the dial.

the dual baskets just mean they throw in a tray separator, food doesn't fry "that" well if you stack too much food on top of it

doesn't look like its worth 20bucks

I don't have one but I've cooked with an air fryer my buddy has a few times. I like it best for vegetables, because you can toss up a mix of things like chopped brussel sprouts and broccoli in a bit of oil and seasoning and have it all cooked up with some nice caramelization more reliably than roasting in an oven and at a fraction of the time. It looks most air fryers have pretty small serving sizes, which makes sense if it's a tiny, high power convection oven. I don't know that I would use it regularly other than for 1-2 person meals.

I will also add that cooking basically any potato product in an air fryer has been outstanding. It's equivalent to the ease and quality of using a rice cooker to cook your rice. Very consistent output, for minimal effort and clean up.

jooka · May 10, 2019

Lanx Good call on the Phillips style for accessories. Now I want to spend $300 instead of $80 on the downside, lol.

BrutulTM · May 10, 2019

God damn kitchen gadgets. I am intrigued by air fryers but I already don't have a good place for my Instant Pot which I have used like 12 times total or my sous vide gizmo which I have used zero times.

Soygen · May 10, 2019

BrutulTM said:
God damn kitchen gadgets. I am intrigued by air fryers but I already don't have a good place for my Instant Pot which I have used like 12 times total or my sous vide gizmo which I have used zero times.

Yeah, room on my counters is my biggest kitchen challenge right now.

a_skeleton_01 · May 10, 2019

I feel strongly about how single use kitchen tools should be avoided like the plague. Space in the kitchen is at a premium already. I'm OK putting up my mixer in the cabinet because I don't use it as often as the kitchen-aid blender or the instant pot, but you'll see I don't have a pizza stone or paella pan anywhere in sight. I fucking love cooking paella but space in my already pretty generous kitchen is at a premium and any tool that gets used less times than there are months in the year probably doesn't have a place in my home.

Lanx · May 10, 2019

jooka said:
Lanx Good call on the Phillips style for accessories. Now I want to spend $300 instead of $80 on the downside, lol.

the one you linked also looked scary, cuz it was a lid that opened up, and thats where the god damn element is, w/ the regular philips style, the element is all inside, rare chance of getting synged.

imo, just buy the larger 5.8q version first, and then when you find a recipe that requires an accessory, then buy it.

theres two common sizes, 3.7 and 5.8q

i haven't used the 3.7, but that seems like a personal fryer, 5.8q is good for 2 or ppl, imo. Also if do want to try baking and all that stuff, you need the 5.8q

It's pretty big and cumbersome tho, it's bigger than my kitchen aid mixer, but thankfully it's just light plastic, so you can move it from storage easily.

maybe if someone wants to chime in on the smaller size? i can fit 10-12 wings flag on it, and then dump 3 potatoes worth of fries on top, the 5.8q

or i can do 30ish wings, i use some small rack to separate the stacked on chickens i really should buy better basket for it.

jooka · May 10, 2019

Ya, the more I look at it, getting the bigger size makes sense. Oddly, the biggest Philips is listed as 3lbs/4qt($250) and cheaper than the 3.5 qt($299) GoWise has a 5.8qt($75) that looks pretty good. Put a alert on the bigger Philips on slickdeals, if something comes through in a couple days might get it or just go with the GoWise if nothing pops up.

Fogel · May 10, 2019

jooka said:
Alrighty, I believe I am ready to add to my kitchen gadgets. I'm looking to add an air fryer, still not 100% on this so tell me why I shouldn't do it. The one I am looking at, if I go ahead with it, is:

It also has a dual layer version but I'm not sure if that is a good option.

Does this model also substitute as an imperial droid scout when not used for cooking?

Chanur · May 11, 2019

TJT · May 12, 2019

a_skeleton_01 said:
I feel strongly about how single use kitchen tools should be avoided like the plague. Space in the kitchen is at a premium already. I'm OK putting up my mixer in the cabinet because I don't use it as often as the kitchen-aid blender or the instant pot, but you'll see I don't have a pizza stone or paella pan anywhere in sight. I fucking love cooking paella but space in my already pretty generous kitchen is at a premium and any tool that gets used less times than there are months in the year probably doesn't have a place in my home.

This is 100% accurate. I started throwing shit out that didn't meet the whole, "do I use this more than twice a month?" criteria. Air fryer seems ok and all but I would most likely never use the dumb thing.

Njals · May 12, 2019

Did my first low and slow on the ceramic grill with a bone in leg of lamb. Grilled it on direct heat at around 250 for 7ish hours with a 30 minute rest at the end. Tossed the potatoes on about a half hour before pulling it off and they came out nice and crispy after the lamb had rested and been carved. Lamb came out really good, sliced it as thin as possible right off the bone and served it up with some tazeki, hummus, greek salad with nann and pita bread to either scoop up the stuff or make into gyro like sandwiches. Did a thin diamond style cut all over the fat that got an overnight marinade paste I made with olive oil, rosemary, garlic and anchovies rubbed into it along with a bunch of fresh pepper. Surprisingly it's as good the second day as the first, usually I hate lamb leftovers as it gets kind of gamey/musty but this still has the nice charcoal smoke to it and nothing else.

a_skeleton_01 · May 13, 2019

Gonna bitch about my utensils now.

I like steaming vegetables as an easy supplement to meals. I have done a lot less of it since I got rid of the rice cooker that had a steamer tray in favor of an instant pot. The one thing I'm missing is easy steamed vegetables. I go to the commercial kitchen supply store where I get my kitchen utensils, and I find the smallest steamer basket they have is about 3/4ths an inch larger than the big stock pot I bought from them last year. GOD DAMNIT.

I picked up a deep fry basket that fits the stock pot almost perfectly, so I'm going to try that today with the lid on the stock pot to see if I can steam broccoli well with my kludged together solution.

I did have one of the steamer inserts that folds together like a dome, and while it worked well it was super tiny. I'm trying to steam enough vegetables for two people at once at least, and that's half my meal when I have them available.

Lanx · May 13, 2019

a_skeleton_01 said:
Gonna bitch about my utensils now.

I like steaming vegetables as an easy supplement to meals. I have done a lot less of it since I got rid of the rice cooker that had a steamer tray in favor of an instant pot. The one thing I'm missing is easy steamed vegetables. I go to the commercial kitchen supply store where I get my kitchen utensils, and I find the smallest steamer basket they have is about 3/4ths an inch larger than the big stock pot I bought from them last year. GOD DAMNIT.

I picked up a deep fry basket that fits the stock pot almost perfectly, so I'm going to try that today with the lid on the stock pot to see if I can steam broccoli well with my kludged together solution.

I did have one of the steamer inserts that folds together like a dome, and while it worked well it was super tiny. I'm trying to steam enough vegetables for two people at once at least, and that's half my meal when I have them available.

so do you want ideas to steam vegetables beyond this?

use your bamboo steamer

ken-hom-bamboo-steamer-1-n85chbpvlqguwyhbkkil6i810fa6og4u677rc68mwc.jpg

or your could get a more purpose made stainless steamer

Cook N Home NC-00313 Double Boiler Steamer 4Qt silver

i use the bamboo steamer myself, since i have it around.

a_skeleton_01 · May 13, 2019

Lanx said:
so do you want ideas to steam vegetables beyond this?

use your bamboo steamer

or your could get a more purpose made stainless steamer

Cook N Home NC-00313 Double Boiler Steamer 4Qt silver

i use the bamboo steamer myself, since i have it around.

See the problem is not that I don't know how to steam, it's that I'm trying to figure out how to do a larger quantity than your figure 1 can do, WITHOUT getting a lot more specialty items to take up space in my kitchen. The rice cooker I had was great because it did rice (which I ate a lot of) perfect, and had a steamer basket that would do a shit ton of any vegetable I wanted. I dropped the rice cooker for the instant pot, but I really miss the steamer function. Most of what I find just doesn't do the volume I want it to.

I'm hesitant to get a double boiler because I just replaced a couple of shitty IKEA pots with two big quality stock pots a year ago. Problem is, they don't fit a commercial steamer basket because my cheap ass bought a stock pot 1" too small.

Based on the politics thread I assume you've got Asian family hand me downs or new purchases for steaming, which I do not. I'm sure those dim sum looking baskets would work perfectly, but I'm trying hard to maximize space in my kitchen and not get specialty shit. That said, I make steamed vegetables very, very often. If you can tell me how you use your bamboo steamers I'm happy to hear it. The worst food in a bamboo basket is still fun to open.

EDIT: to add on, I trust your judgment with cooking based on this thread, and my only real objection to a bamboo steamer is that I probably can't fit it into the stock pot I have right now like I can with the fry basket I'm half-assing it with. I'm really just trying to save space. What I really want is a stock pot that's an inch wider.

TJT · May 13, 2019

a_skeleton_01 said:
See the problem is not that I don't know how to steam, it's that I'm trying to figure out how to do a larger quantity than your figure 1 can do, WITHOUT getting a lot more specialty items to take up space in my kitchen. The rice cooker I had was great because it did rice (which I ate a lot of) perfect, and had a steamer basket that would do a shit ton of any vegetable I wanted. I dropped the rice cooker for the instant pot, but I really miss the steamer function. Most of what I find just doesn't do the volume I want it to.

I'm hesitant to get a double boiler because I just replaced a couple of shitty IKEA pots with two big quality stock pots a year ago. Problem is, they don't fit a commercial steamer basket because my cheap ass bought a stock pot 1" too small.

Based on the politics thread I assume you've got Asian family hand me downs or new purchases for steaming, which I do not. I'm sure those dim sum looking baskets would work perfectly, but I'm trying hard to maximize space in my kitchen and not get specialty shit. That said, I make steamed vegetables very, very often. If you can tell me how you use your bamboo steamers I'm happy to hear it. The worst food in a bamboo basket is still fun to open.

EDIT: to add on, I trust your judgment with cooking based on this thread, and my only real objection to a bamboo steamer is that I probably can't fit it into the stock pot I have right now like I can with the fry basket I'm half-assing it with. I'm really just trying to save space. What I really want is a stock pot that's an inch wider.

As someone who steams food at least 3x a week because not only do I cook constantly... I just love steaming as a form of cooking. This thing is small cheap and I've had it for years.

Even

Lanx will tell you, "fuck cleaning bamboo."

Lanx · May 13, 2019

a_skeleton_01 said:
See the problem is not that I don't know how to steam, it's that I'm trying to figure out how to do a larger quantity than your figure 1 can do, WITHOUT getting a lot more specialty items to take up space in my kitchen. The rice cooker I had was great because it did rice (which I ate a lot of) perfect, and had a steamer basket that would do a shit ton of any vegetable I wanted. I dropped the rice cooker for the instant pot, but I really miss the steamer function. Most of what I find just doesn't do the volume I want it to.

I'm hesitant to get a double boiler because I just replaced a couple of shitty IKEA pots with two big quality stock pots a year ago. Problem is, they don't fit a commercial steamer basket because my cheap ass bought a stock pot 1" too small.

Based on the politics thread I assume you've got Asian family hand me downs or new purchases for steaming, which I do not. I'm sure those dim sum looking baskets would work perfectly, but I'm trying hard to maximize space in my kitchen and not get specialty shit. That said, I make steamed vegetables very, very often. If you can tell me how you use your bamboo steamers I'm happy to hear it. The worst food in a bamboo basket is still fun to open.

EDIT: to add on, I trust your judgment with cooking based on this thread, and my only real objection to a bamboo steamer is that I probably can't fit it into the stock pot I have right now like I can with the fry basket I'm half-assing it with. I'm really just trying to save space. What I really want is a stock pot that's an inch wider.

i recommend the bamboo steamer cuz i figure most ppl have gotten it as a present, like that "asiany" thing to get.

The bamboo steamer is good b/c you place it on top of an existing skillet or pan, so you can use your good existing pans (instead of that other triple boiler i posted, which i'm sure is just a cheap 1 layer stainless bottom).

amazon has many bamboo steamers, i would advise not to get the ones with the reinforced metal ring, imo you'd probably burn yourself touching it. asian grocers will have these for 15ish bucks.

the bamboo slits are small enough that it's not annoying to clean and if you have the odd veg that falls in, just place leafed romaine over it.

i only use it for 4 ppl or more, just me and wife, i just cook a meal on a pan, place a few drops of water in it and lay vegs on top of the meal.

like for instance if someone were to follow a general tsao recipe they'd see that you would fry the chicken, then blanch some brocc in another pot and then combine it all in pan w/ sauce.

i would just sautee the chicken, throw sauce on make sure it's thicken enough, throw a bit of water on that pan and then throw in broc on top, cover, set to low and cook for 12 minutes, it's enough to steam the brocc to tender and i just use one pan.

TJT said:
As someone who steams food at least 3x a week because not only do I cook constantly... I just love steaming as a form of cooking. This thing is small cheap and I've had it for years.

Even Lanx will tell you, "fuck cleaning bamboo."

for veg it's ok, but if you put anything else in there (like dim sum stuff or fucking dough), yea that shit sticks like glue (cuz well it is gluten) and will smell'ish after a few uses, clean deeply.

TJT · May 13, 2019

Fucking up my flow here bro.

EDIT: I never have the dim sum/dough problem when I use the dish within it.

Lanx · May 13, 2019

TJT said:
Fucking up my flow here bro.

EDIT: I never have the dim sum/dough problem when I use the dish within it.

i either use parchment paper or leafs and it'll spill over with the juices.

a_skeleton_01 · May 13, 2019

Lanx said:
i recommend the bamboo steamer cuz i figure most ppl have gotten it as a present, like that "asiany" thing to get.

The bamboo steamer is good b/c you place it on top of an existing skillet or pan, so you can use your good existing pans (instead of that other triple boiler i posted, which i'm sure is just a cheap 1 layer stainless bottom).

amazon has many bamboo steamers, i would advise not to get the ones with the reinforced metal ring, imo you'd probably burn yourself touching it. asian grocers will have these for 15ish bucks.

the bamboo slits are small enough that it's not annoying to clean and if you have the odd veg that falls in, just place leafed romaine over it.

i only use it for 4 ppl or more, just me and wife, i just cook a meal on a pan, place a few drops of water in it and lay vegs on top of the meal.

like for instance if someone were to follow a general tsao recipe they'd see that you would fry the chicken, then blanch some brocc in another pot and then combine it all in pan w/ sauce.

i would just sautee the chicken, throw sauce on make sure it's thicken enough, throw a bit of water on that pan and then throw in broc on top, cover, set to low and cook for 12 minutes, it's enough to steam the brocc to tender and i just use one pan.

for veg it's ok, but if you put anything else in there (like dim sum stuff or fucking dough), yea that shit sticks like glue (cuz well it is gluten) and will smell'ish after a few uses, clean deeply.

I've never tried to steam vegetables by putting them over the top of a meal I'm already cooking in a pan. I'll have to try that.

I'll take a look at bamboo steamers at my local asian grocery next time I'm in for sauces. If they're small enough to fit inside my stock pot while it's in the cupboard, I'll probably pick one up.

TJT the Amazon recommendation looks great, I'm just trying hard not to expand my kitchen devices further, even with things I use regularly. I'll report back on how the fryer basket in the stock pot works for steaming in the next day or so; seems like something that'd be on Cutthroat Kitchen or the like.

Lanx My "Asiany" present was 12 sets of laminated, dishwasher safe chopsticks from my grandmother years ago because she was so impressed I could use chopsticks to eat rice in high school. TBH, I have used them more than at least 75% of christmas or birthday gifts I've received. I still have most of them after almost 20 years.

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Gravy's Cooking Thread

Lanx

a_skeleton_01

jooka

marco esquandolas

BrutulTM

Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun.

Soygen

The Dirty Dozen For the Price of One

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Lanx

jooka

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Mr. Poopybutthole

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Shit Posting Professional

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a_skeleton_01

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