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The Minimum Viable Kitchen

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Re: The Minimum Viable Kitchen

#171

Post by bambax »

tptacek wrote: post #157
bambax wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm French. I'm 44. I can make mayo with a fork. So can my son who's 7. My mom is 81. She can make oeufs en neige with a fork. That I can't. The difference is speed. Mayo doesn't need speed. It's just about fat molecules being elongated.

I think it's genetic. I can't make mayo with a fork, but I have heard of you mystical Gallic folk who can and I believe you.

> I can't make mayo with a fork

Yes you can. You just need to run the fork wide in the bowl (with firmness) and pour the oil VERY SLOW. It helps if someone else pours the oil so that you have one hand left to hold the bowl still.

Re: The Minimum Viable Kitchen

#172

Post by bhousel »

ubercore wrote: post #125
danthony wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unless you're talking about enameled cast iron (Le Creuset, Staub), then acidic ingredients like tomatoes will remove the seasoning from your pan. It shouldn't hurt your sauce, but re-seasoning your gear is a pain in the ass.

Not really, in my experience. I had a rusted pan I pulled out of the basement, spent 20 minutes scrubbing and rinsing, a couple of rounds in and out of the oven with vegetable shortening, and was non-stick enough already to easily cook eggs. Am I missing a step I should be doing?

Wow, you +1 for teaching me something new. I've been using stupid vegetable oil on a cloth all these years to season my cast iron, and it's the biggest pain in the ass. I never even thought to use shortening.

Re: The Minimum Viable Kitchen

#174

Post by mechanical_fish »

tptacek wrote: post #150
Mordibity wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm totally curious about what you mean about deli cups and their life-changing properties. Just because they are cheap and semi-disposable? Because they stack so compactly?

Think of them like rigid zip-locs that you can also use for mise en place, to store spices and grains in your cabinet, individual portions of leftovers for eating at the office, vinegar and vegetables for pickling, and perfect portions of stock for freezing. Along with anything else you'd use a zip-loc in the fridge for. The big thing about delis is that you'll simply save a lot more food, because they're so extremel…

What size of deli cups do I need mass quantities of?

Do you use the tiny ones that take-out dipping sauce might come in? Or the ones that an order of hot-and-sour soup might come in? Or the ones that an entire Chinese entree might come in? Or the ones that a half-gallon of soup might come in?

I'm guessing your answer is "all of the above" but I'm curious.

I know where you're coming from, though, because in the last couple of years, without even consciously trying, I've noticed myself getting more and more use out of our used take-out containers. Either we were clued out before, or there's been an evolutionary leap in the quality of deli cups, such that they're now better than disposable Gladlock-type plastic containers, which in turn are better than my aging collection of Rubbermaid and Tupperware containers. They're even arguably better than my snap-closed glass storage containers, which I've liked for years because they can be reliably cleaned.

Re: The Minimum Viable Kitchen

#175

Post by w1ntermute »

tptacek wrote: post #169
w1ntermute wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> YES. Recipes are a long-tail topic. There are many (non-tech) long-tail topics that I've successfully searched for using Google, so I don't think this is a generalizable statement. > The sites with the most recipes tend to either be overtly user-generated or slyly repackaged UGC. I can't speak as to the average user, but I am usually able to easily ignore/sift through such sites. They pop up frequently in all kinds…

I had a cold a few weeks back, and a coworker found me a search term that prominently featured cerebrospinal fluid leakage as a possible cause for runny nose. Just to establish how far apart you and I are on the usability of the Internet for this.

Oh, it's definitely possible to find all kinds of wacky and incorrect theories at the top of a SERP. Remember that PageRank depends on internet users being (mostly) correct. And oftentimes users are not. Take any political topic as an example. But this is generally solvable by phrasing your query correctly.

But you can still sometimes see this problem with medical topics because heavy-handed government regulation has largely stifled innovation in the medical industry. New technology adoption in the industry is extremely slow, and from my own professional experience, I can tell you that getting doctors to do something as simple as type their notes (so they're available to patients online) instead of handwriting them is akin to pulling teeth.

The protectionism that has resulted from constant lobbying by the AMA has resulted in lots of doctors being able to avoid the adoption of new technology, so discussion of medical topics online by knowledgeable individuals is rarer than in other fields. Perhaps this will change as baby boomers age and medical costs skyrocket, but I'm definitely not holding my breath.

Also, there is of course the issue of most people searching for this stuff not being very knowledgeable, so it creates some confusion on the part of the searcher, what with all the new vocabulary. As for your cerebrospinal fluid example, it's very possible that I see those sorts of results, but I just tune them out due to how absurd they are.

Edit: you were probably talking about CSF rhinorrhea[0]. As it says:

> Most cases of CSF rhinorrhea occur after major accidents where the bones of the face and skull experience significant trauma.

Ergo, if you haven't been in a major accident recently, disregard. Doesn't seem that complicated to me.

0: http://uvahealth.com/services/skull-base-program/conditions-...

Re: The Minimum Viable Kitchen

#176

Post by Shivetya »

tptacek wrote: post #87

Notes: * Strong recommend on the Fibrox knife. If you don't already have a serious knife, don't buy one; get the Fibrox and use it for awhile. You may never want another knife, and if you ever do, you'll have a very good idea what you're looking for. Beware of knives: they're Veblen goods. * Don't get the expensive butcher block board. Actively avoid it. If you feel like arguing about this, you're not the reader this…

Wal-Mart - Tramotina - if you need a multi piece set their 8 pc for 129 is a great deal with many good reviews... its so price good its ridiculous http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tramontina-8-Piece-Cookware-Set/57...

Re: The Minimum Viable Kitchen

#177

Post by bambax »

I don't know if HN is the proper place to exchange recipes but here's the most simple sauce for asparagus (or many other dishes).

What you need (for 4): one egg, some oil, salt, dijon.

With the yolk, oil, salt and dijon, make regular mayo. Make it strong (don't save on oil). You need to mix everything before adding oil, as salt doesn't dissolve in oil.

Whip stiff the egg whites.

Then mix the two (mayo and stiff whites) slowly. Use a spoon for this.

This produces a sauce that is delicious and extremely easy/fast to make.

Re: The Minimum Viable Kitchen

#178

Post by mattmaroon »

tptacek wrote: post #165
mattmaroon wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And use grapeseed oil! Expensive but amazing. I use my food processor occasionally. Pie crusts, etc. But most stuff I'd rather do in a Vitamix. I guess maybe I love my blender so much because I love soups and sorbets. And quiche. I use it probably at least twice weekly. And going through that cook book, there are a lot of things that call for it.

And holy shit we both forgot fish sauce. You can't call your kitchen viable without fish sauce!

I left out all consumables. It was 3500 words without going into the pantry.

Re: The Minimum Viable Kitchen

#179

Post by mechanical_fish »

tptacek wrote: post #87

Notes: * Strong recommend on the Fibrox knife. If you don't already have a serious knife, don't buy one; get the Fibrox and use it for awhile. You may never want another knife, and if you ever do, you'll have a very good idea what you're looking for. Beware of knives: they're Veblen goods. * Don't get the expensive butcher block board. Actively avoid it. If you feel like arguing about this, you're not the reader this…

Another +1 for the Fibrox; it's great.

I have that Accusharp sharpener. It might be worth the nine bucks. It has yet to convince me. I'm going to try taking my dull knives to the local pro shop and see how much better life can get.

The Thermapen is the greatest.

Put me on the team that wants a food processor, but then again I'm a baker who is fond of pie, which is the killer app for the food processor:

http://sweets.seriouseats.com/2011/07/the-food-lab-the-scien...

The processor's also good for pesto, though, and pesto is awesome.

There is no silicone spatula on this list! I guess it's true that I'm a baker and therefore use it more. But, still, I regard mine as an essential.

Re: The Minimum Viable Kitchen

#180

Post by mechanical_fish »

tptacek wrote: post #109
jerhinesmith wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. In this case, it's not actually 8 pans, since they're including the lids in the count. It's actually two sauce pans, two saute pans, and a dutch oven - which is perfect for me.

So here I'd just point out that if you're going to have a dutch oven, it should be enameled cast iron.

I have learned this the hard way. I have a non-enameled Lodge dutch oven. Its main role in my kitchen is: Demonstrating the terrible effect that years of neglect has on a well-seasoned iron surface.
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