Best corkscrews?

Typically, I'm not a fan of the Wings because the worms are too small and they feel flimsy in the hand. However, about 10 years ago I found a heavy duty one with an extra long worm and am still using and loving it.
Unfortunately, they are diffcult to find. I just bougt one for a friend (who loves it too) at the beveragefactory.com and with shipping and tax was $25.00.

Here's the description: Deluxe Wing Corkscrew - Auger Worm, Chrome Plated.

(Don't like the pulltaps. Maybe if I spent some time learning how to use them they would work, but inevitably I end up breaking out in a nervous sweat while I shred the cork.)

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Oyster Glove

I was visiting friends who are obsessed with seafood. They routinely serve oysters when I visit and they hinted that they need an oyster glove. A search on Amazon shows what looks like an Ove Glove, but some are selling for $250!
Will an Ove Glove work as an oyster glove or do I have to buy some special high end glove?

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Two New Yorkers Can't Wait to Eat in S.F!

Beretta. It's in a hip neighborhood, the cocktails (oh, the cocktails) are amazing, and the food is so yummy. The food is mostly shared, you get a few sides, and then a pizza. It's not a "pizza place" though. They have a sister restaurant in the Castro called Starbelly. Very similar, but they only serve beer & wine.
Go early, like around 6, as the place fills up very fast even on weekdays.

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Kitchen Gadgets You've Come Around to Liking

I have a crescent shaped pasta strainer. Frankly, it seems totally trashy. But a friend of mine, who is a better cook than I will ever be, said she got one as a gift and thought "I will never use this." Then she used it and was won over. I've been using mine for over five years. Figured on occasion it would slip and all my pasta would fall into the sink, but believe it or not, that's never happened.
Of course, the beauty of the device is that it's so small relative to a colander.

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~Vanilla extract~

Cook's Illustrated has a recipe for this. Google " Cook's Illustrated homemade extract ". Said that they used Smirnoff and that a high quality vodka is not necessary.

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Getting My First Apartment, Total Foodie--What Is Absolutely Necessary to Buy?

This is a great list for the basics ( mortar & pestle and a fish turner...basic? Who are these people?)
I disagree with the coffee press only because my husband has every coffee gadget imagineable and, yes, you do need to make coffee, but the method, I have found, is extremely to personal taste.
I have a rice cooker and I bought one for a friend both at yard sales. Total cost for 2: $15. Mine makes 3 cups and I've never needed a bigger one. Who eats that much rice? So buy small and used.
Cooks Illustrated consistently and routinely discourages the use of a wok. Western stoves aren't designed to heat the tall sides of the pan. A good nonstick frying pan is more appropriate.

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Best Food Processor

Ok, so I've officially put my foot in my mouth. When I said price was no object I meant I didn't want a $30 Hamilton Beach product. Also, still, I *would* buy a RoboCoupe *if* there was a reason for it. As someone mentioned, I don't need to mix concrete, or do I? And like I said, my old Braun had trouble grating cheese for chrissake. I'm looking for the basics unless someone can convince me that I could be doing oh so much more.

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As a cook, what do you love or hate about your kitchen?

Well, as you can imagine this is one reason I was so mad at my husband. He waited one month after a complete down to the studs kitchen remodel to mention that he was going to buy what amounts to a major kitchen appliance. Oh, well. What could have been...

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As a cook, what do you love or hate about your kitchen?

I remodeled my kitchen.
The Good:
1)The counter space between the stove and the sink is 4 ft. The counter is completely empty. All the appliances are on other counters. The dishwasher and a pull out trash can are in this space as well. When it's time to cook I can bring any appliances I need (blender, mixer, etc) and ingredients, then I NEVER HAVE TO MOVE. I've been in extremely large kitchens that actually aren't conducive to cooking.
2)I love my bottom freezer refrigerator. However a friend loved hers then moved and grumbled about her new one. Discovered that she now has a Cabinet Depth fridge. I had my cabinets built out to accommodate a large deep fridge. You won't be happy with a shallow fridge.
The bad:
1)I hate my fan. The day he installed it the contractor informed me that legally it had to be a certain height above the stove. But the manual said it would only work within a certain range and the legal limit was out of that range. So now I have this powerful fan that is simply too high to be effective.
2)Immediately after the remodel my husband bought a $2000 espresso maker. After my heart attack, he informed me (he swears he was joking) that the best place for it was in my 4 ft. cooking area. I spent 20 years in prison for murder...kidding kidding. He put the espresso maker on the other side of the sink because you really need a sink for high end coffee making. If I remodeled again I actually would have a coffee and/or bar area with its own dedicated sink.

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Best Food Processor

I'm looking for a new food processor and I'm not sure which one to buy. I currently own a discontinued Braun model. I use it mainly for salsa, hummus, and I have a juicer attachment that I use a lot for lemons and limes.
I've had the Braun for 15 years. It's the first one I've owned and I thought it was great, but now that it's broken I have to admit it's not the best device. Anything put in the food tube ends up underneath the lid spinning around, so I never used it for grating cheese or slicing carrots or what not. Basically, except for the juicer, the attachments suck.
Price is not a concern. I cook a lot and I want the best.
Also, I have a Kitchen Aid standing mixer that I use constantly for baking, so I'm not looking to knead dough, if that helps.
Thanks.

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ISO Source for Bulk Unsweetened Valrhona or Callebaut Cocoa Powder

Rainbow does indeed sell Valrhona. However, I kept trying to make the "perfect" cup of hot chocolate and it just wasn't working. Now I know why-I just stumbled on a Cook's Illustrated taste test from January 2005: "Valrhona has flavors of hot dog as well as burnt, woody, & smoky."
Yep, that about covers it.

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Bush-tei in Japantown

Brunch at Bush-tei is served from 11-2 on Sunday. Top and bottom of menu have five items and you pick one item from each. Between the two of us we had: haricot verts salad with Serrano ham, crab cakes with poached eggs, frittata with boar sausage, and brioche with berries. Table is also served a plate of tiny pastries such as cinnamon rolls and croissants. Cost is a flat fee of $25. I also ordered a mimosa and the total cost with tip was $70. All the food was good to excellent and we did not leave hungry. Important things to know: 1) I’m not a lover of crowds, but we were the only people in the restaurant. 2) Definitely more lunch than breakfast. Other menu choices were: Atlantic Char, green salad, and soup of the day. If you are looking for bacon and eggs this is not the place for you. 3) Already noted here, but $70 for two for brunch???? I haven’t had dinner here, but I would have preferred to spend this money exploring the evening menu. However, if I had money to burn and I was in the neighborhood, I wouldn’t hesitate to eat here again.

blackpippi in San Francisco Bay Area