A question for culinary experts!!!

[eric5148]

Hehe, yeah I've got one of those, but it's not exactly good for peeling apples.

[GrunchCan]

I don't like Calphalon anymore, becasue of the anodization. Calphalon is anodized aluminum, and the anodization is only on the surface. Its not like a non-stick coating, it is actually part of the metal. But it's only a few molecules deep.

As a result, after many years of hard use (I was a professional chef for 11 years in a previous life), my Calphalon cookware all began to lose its anodization. I used to like Calpholon the best, but now, I won't touch it. It just doesn't stand up to the heat.

Now my favorite is straight stainless steel, the heavier, the better. My recommendation is AllClad, any of the pure stainless varieties. AllClad makes several flavors of cookware, and many are very similar to each other in all respects aside from finish. My personal choice is MasterChef 2 (or MC2), which has a brushed metal exterior that can never end up looking scratched and beat up becasue, well I guess it starts out that way.

Now here's a surprise. The very first pan I recommend anyone getting is a 12" cast iron skillet. If it is well cared for, I promise it will be the most often used pan in your kitchen. It literally does it all, and it's cheaper than dirt. Get one, season it well, and take care of it. It will treat you well for a lifetime.

As far as knives go, henkles "Professional S" is my choice for home use. Its a good balance between high quality and affordibility. But really, when talking about knives, the most important consideration in a kitchen knive is how sharp it is. When I was a chef, we never used fancy knives like Henkles or Wusthoff or anything like that. We always used cheapo knives similar to chicago cutlery with simple wooden or molded plastic handles and full-tang blades. We sharpened those knives ourselves, and they were super sharp. They worked out just fine, and if we broke or dinged one, it was no big deal. If I broke or dinged my fancy $150 12" henkles chef blade now, I'd be flipping out for sure.

While your'e thinking about new cutlery, here's something else to think about: cutting boards. If you are going to get a fancy blade, you really should get a good cutting board with it in order to protect the blade. My choice is wood, but I'm a traditionalist. Wood is high-maintennance, and you have to be especially careful with meats and foods that might stain. For most people, I'd recommend a good polycarbonate board. Its easer to sanitize and doesn't absorb stains and odors very well. If you choose to go with wood, Boos Blocks is the best.

[Allan]

Check out Global knives as well. I, too, worked as a line cook for some time and it was always much easier for me to keep a good edge on a Global than it ever was for me on a Wustof or Forschner. Also I never liked the "butt" of the blade on the Wustof, I just like the edge to start and not have that little mound of steel in the way. Plus the globals look cool.

I have both Anodized Calphalon and All Clad. (It's definatlly overkill, but the All-Clad was a gift). I find it easier to cook with the All Clad simply cause you can see the color of the food or sauce against the steal. It's harder to see the color of fluids in the Claphalon.


Allan

[vulturesrow]

Grunch,

Awesome post. I like your suggestion about the cast iron skillet. The main reason to have one is to make cornbread properly [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Someone made a good suggestion earlier about must have knives. If you want to get serious about cooking, a good chef's knife, a paring knife, and a serrated knife should be more than sufficient. I agree with this. What other sorts of kitchen items are "must haves" for the serious amateur cook?

[Allan]

I've had stuff from restaurant supply places as well. It's affordable and cooks just as well as calphalon or all-clad IMO. The only problems I've had with it is that it hasn't held up as well as the brand name stuff. The sautee pans have tacoed. All of my stock pots are from supply houses. I wouldn't pay brand name prices for stock pots.

Allan

[Allan]

They're extremely fragil. I've seen them chip cutting carrots before. Ceramic peelers are great. I always use it then wash and dry it directly after using and place it back in the plastic sleeve it came in to store it. Really don't want the edge knocking around with whatever else is in the drawer .

Allan

[dogsballs]

I have a set of Whusthof Grand Prix knives and love em. Similar to teh Wusthof Classic; different handle. They're great; weight/balance/ergo handle. Also have a heavy thick bamboo chopping board...get a good solid board. I have 3 boards - the big one for 'clean' veggies etc, smaller one for stinky onions/garlic etc and a polycarbonate one for meat products.

Le creuset pots and pans are great - plus you get a good workout hefting them around. Cast iron

There's lots of choices for good pots/knives.

If you look at Henckels knives, be aware that two kinds of Henckels knoives are sold. The good quality ones and also cheaper versions made in china or someplace like that.

[benfranklin]

[ QUOTE ]


Now here's a surprise. The very first pan I recommend anyone getting is a 12" cast iron skillet. ...... Get one, season it well, and take care of it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Lodge is one of the big names in cast iron skillets. They now have a line called Lodge Logic, which is preseasoned. I have a couple, and really like them. They save a lot of hassle involved with the original seasoning. The correct pronunctiation, by the way, is "cast arn".

Cast Arn

[GrunchCan]

Hm, the serious amatuer cook? I suppose we're talking beyond the measuring spoons and spatulas we get for a kid's first apartment.

This list could become unending. A quick scan of my kitchen reveals a massive pile of kitchen toys. And I'm still getting.

Here's a start tho:

- oven safe ramekins, very useful for mise en place
- honing steel to care for your fancy knives
- if your really serious, get a set of waterstones and sharpen your own knives.
- 12" cast iron skillet
- 3 qt. saucepan with lid
- 12 qt. stock pot/sop pot with lid
- lots of mixing bowls; no matter how many you have, you need more
- a serious KitchenAid stand mixer.
- good selection of casseroles, bakers, etc
- kitchen scale. in baking, it is better to measure by weight than by volume.

Probably more than anything else, you need excellent cookbooks. There's 2 kinds of cookbooks; home and professional. Some home cookbooks you just have to have, like the Joy or the New Basics. But you really need to invest in the big professional cookbooks if you want to learn culinary arts.

Most professional cookbooks are topical, but here is a good general techniques book

This is the bible of pastries and deserts
An excellent book about sauces

[MortalNuts]

Hi vulturesrow --

GrunchCan's post is a good one. I also agree with what people have told you, generally, about knives and pans: fwiw, I use Wusthof classic knives, and a mix of allclad (great, but good god the cost) and Calphalon pans. I strongly prefer the 10-inch chef's knife to the 8-inch, but some people don't; in any case, that plus a paring knife plus a serrated knife will do you just fine for a long time.

A few of my own personal favorites for the serious amateur kitchen, in addition:

A good blender. You want one that has like two settings: low and hi. Waring, etc.

For desserts: get an ice cream maker. Seriously, I use this all the time, you can get an okay one (i.e. not self-refrigerating) for like $50, and making your own ice cream for some reason impresses the hell out of people. Which is weird, because it's really really easy.

If you like Italian food, it's worth getting a "food mill," basically a handheld thingy with serrated disks you can pass stuff through. It's like a low-tech food processor, very handy for making fresh tomato-based sauces and lots of other stuff.

Again if you like Italian stuff, get a pasta maker. With practice, you can make handmade pasta (for you and a guest) in no longer than it takes a decent-sized pot of water to boil. And it really is totally different from factory-made stuff -- more absorbent, different texture, etc.

You didn't ask, but while I'm at it: if you have any kind of serious bar and throw even mildly serious parties, you will thank yourself if you get a) pourers (go to a restaurant supply store and buy the metal ones in a 20-pack), b) "Pourmaster"-style jugs+pourer, for when you have like 100 people over drinking margaritas and want to pre-mix them, and c) a bar spoon with a twisty handle and a flat top (for layering drinks and muddling). Trust me.

Other misc. kitchen stuff I use semi-frequently: mortar & pestle. tortilla press. crepe pan. couple types of instant-read thermometer.

And re: cookbooks, I like the Sauces book GC mentioned. Amateur-level stuff I like: "Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking," by Marcella Hazan. The Chez Panisse dessert book. If you're not a terribly experienced chef, you might like "How to Cook Without a Book," by someone I don't remember. Also, every cook who's scientifically literate should read "The Curious Cook," by harold mcgee (?), at some point.

have fun. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

later,

mn