Immersion (stick) blenders

i'm with you CCCate - i have both, and use both.
i used to buy from costco but have been disappointed their quality too often: are you sure it's the EXACT same blender as on amazon? i just read how costco does some cost cutting on some of their products (like taking off the reset button on some things) just to cut corners. I'd say buy it from where ever you feel you will get the best customer service if you have to return it.
PS i was looking at this stick blender myself and it was one of my top choices, but i found another one at the thrift store the other day - a NIB braun! the thing must be 20 years old, but it's pristine, so i got that for cheap instead of a new one.

rmarisco in Cookware

Pointless or Silly Kitchen Gadgets - and the Ones That Worked for You. [Moved from General Topics]

I could probably find a lot in my kitchen but today i am nominating my herb snipping scissors - they are a pair of scissors with about 4 blades. they are supposed to "chop" herbs so you can just snip a bit of parsley over a dish and be done. They are quite useless - a regular pair of scissors works just as well. yet another $10 stocking stuffer that didn't work...

rmarisco in Cookware

Pointless or Silly Kitchen Gadgets - and the Ones That Worked for You. [Moved from General Topics]

One year we got a beehive... that year i got 3 honey dippers! i've never used even one of them..

rmarisco in Cookware

Homemade/DIY Cherry Pitter

that looks like it does a BETTER job than the standard pitter!

rmarisco in Cookware

update on the college kitchen

i posted a couple of months ago, asking other hounds for their recommendations for my college daughter's SECOND apartment. Not the first apartment, with unknown roommates and a new stove.. the second apartment, where everything is getting a little more familiar and the roommates are hand picked (for quality??). I thought i had it covered, thanks to so many wonderful suggestions: i was going with an immersion blender with a chopping attachment (like a mini food processor so she could make pesto, which she loves) and a cast iron skillet. these were to add to her motley crew of cookware.

when i got there, to HELP she accepted only one new item... a tea kettle. THAT'S IT!!! i demanded it have a whistle so she wouldn't boil it dry, other than that she didn't really care what it looked like. She just knew that her other (electric) tea kettle had broken so she wanted a new one for the stove.

I was in shock! this kid eats well and enjoys some novice level of cooking... and she said she'd get by on what she has. I had to throw out one small non-stick skillet, which had been thoroughly trashed and was so crusted i couldn't even see the bottom, and she didn't even want me to replace that! (Her reasoning being it obviously didn't function well the first go-round, so why replace it with another!)

so much for my being helpful: I guess you really can get by on a can opener and a pot...

rmarisco in Cookware

What kitchen equipment do you never use but is always in your kitchen?

i have a wok i've never used.. not just any wok, mind you: it's a serrafino zani italian wok. it is so beautiful.. but it's HUGE! darn thing won't fit on my cooktop!!! it's on top of the fridge, holding junk. i take it down and polish it every so often. it cost so much, i'll probably never get rid of it. it would be nice to cook in it once though - guess i'll just have to move ;)

rmarisco in Cookware

First apartment - best cookware to purchase

yes, a juicer is high on her list: the breville is out just because we can't get it in the states - always out of stock! i'm trying to decide about the juicer: i could get her a nice one, or one the roommates could trash... $70 is right about the cutoff point: for $30 more i could get her a lequip juicer which would last for years, but it might be too much for her. she claims she will not juice, but will make smoothies so she might just need the immersion blender first.

i think the set you sent is nicely organized - someone obviously thought about what you REALLY need in a kitchen, not just 5 pans that look pretty together. she actually has one or two of those already.

rmarisco in Cookware

First apartment - best cookware to purchase

she's got the 9x13 but she doesn't have the 8x8.. of course she needs THAT!! EVERYONE needs to make brownies, right?!
not going to worry about the loaf pan - she hates quickbreads and meatloaf.. go figure. it would definitely be on the top of MY list (i've got at least 4)

rmarisco in Cookware

First apartment - best cookware to purchase

excellent choices! i am now checking out immersion blenders on amazon....
and i TOTALLY FORGOT HOW IMPORTANT an ovan thermometer is! so simple!
thanks for the input!!

rmarisco in Cookware

First apartment - best cookware to purchase

funny - a debuyer pan is next on MY list: i was thinking of giving her my ceramic surface skillet and replacing with the debuyer! i wonder if she could manage a debuyer... might be worth the investment...hmmm.....
(i think it might hinge on roommates at this point!)

rmarisco in Cookware

First apartment - best cookware to purchase

she has the cutting boards: but, even she knows those are crappy.. she doesn't want to get any pretty (bamboo) boards with roommates! an easy place to substitute cheap stuff for a while!

rmarisco in Cookware

First apartment - best cookware to purchase

hey that 's a nice looking set! and you are happy with the quality? it's heavy enough?? that would definitely go on my short list..

rmarisco in Cookware

First apartment - best cookware to purchase

all great choices - thanks for the ideas! i love my one MAC knife! i use it daily...
and, here's the thing with the cast iron: i was thinking of enameled cast iron because i thought it would be easier for her to deal with in the long run. My 12" cast iron skillet IS a work horse, but it does need to be seasoned now and again. i know to an experienced cook that is no big deal BUT... i was thinking she might get frustrated with it and choose to use her crappy non-stick pan over a nice cast iron, just because it is lighter and easier to clean (and maybe prettier!) i thought enameled cast iron comes in pretty colors and is easier to clean..

rmarisco in Cookware

First apartment - best cookware to purchase

Having survived most of the first year in a half-furnished off campus apartment, living with little more than a can opener and a pot, It's time to get the oldest child some more *advanced* tools for the kitchen. We are a foodie family, and cook and eat well, and from all over the globe. She has missed some kitchen groceries - excellent soy sauce, salami, brie - that aren't so easily available at the corner store. But, that's not a worry because she knows what she wants and, eventually, as she branches out, she will find the foods she's been missing.

However, her tools are another story.. she was gifted with many cast-off pots and pans, most of which are of little value. Some are falling apart. No tea kettle (that's a pot of water on the stove), no dutch oven (too big.. she would be overwhelmed by the cook-now-eat-later concept), no coffee press (she doesn't drink coffee)... much of what is standard in my tool-heavy kitchen is still somewhat useless to her.

I'd like to do some investment shopping for her - stuff I know she could use. What I am thinking of getting: an enamel cast iron skillet (probably no bigger than 10"), a juicer (she loves fresh juices and frequently eats raw for days at a time... until she gets hungry for a tuna sandwich!), a blender to make smoothies, a small food processor. Also, there is always the threat that a roommate might explode or destroy a piece of equipment: I'd like to buy mid level equipment that she can use for several years until she can afford to upgrade if needed.

So, I'd like suggestions for first time cooks. She is serious about her food, so i know that eventually she will be a good cook, but right now is not the time for the perfect pizza set, the special espresso machine that wakes you up in the morning.. In other words solid, serviceable kitchen workhorses. I would appreciate any and all suggestions for the first apartment for a new cook, especially tools that do double duty - such as a blender/processor combo with one base. (I know space will be at a premium in her kitchen!) I've already got great cookbooks put aside for her, so I've got at least one base covered..

thanks for your suggestions!

rmarisco in Cookware

HELP! Small Apt. Need Blender and Food Processor Combo (or other suggestions)

mjoyous - just curious: how's the ninja doing after a couple of years? is it still alive? I'm trying to get an option for my college kid who drinks frozen fruit smoothies, and makes pesto sauce and hummus.. or rather, would like to! please let us know how well your ninja is doing after all this time..

rmarisco in Cookware

Char Siu (Chinese bbq pork) recipes?

well, it might be an old thread.. but i needed it~ i appreciate the link. it looks like it's going to be the winner of all the recipes posted. thanks

rmarisco in Home Cooking

Cookbooks

5 cookbooks i would save when the house falls down (assuming i'm running through the kitchen on the way out the door..)
Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon. Took me years to open this book - now i can't stop reading it (and cooking from it!)
King Arthur 200th Anniversary Cookbook. excellent information and recipes
Victory Garden Cookbook by Marion Morash. more recipes for more vegetables than I've ever seen, cultivated, or eaten
Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper. recipes just like my family traditions
Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking by Yamuna Devi. just plain great food..
and, of course, I'd grab all my own recipes from over the years!

rmarisco in Home Cooking

Favorite comfort food

in winter, comfort food = soup. butternut squash, beef barley, chicken noodle.. almost any kind. or polenta. nothing beats polenta with homemade sauce.

in summer, a rib eye steak with a ceasar salad and wine.

spring and fall need their own meals i suppose.. i guess i'll have to work on my menus!

rmarisco in Home Cooking

Dr. Atkins snacks

i like to make fried cheese for a crunchy snack. i get the "quattro formaggio" blend from trader joe's which is asiago, parm., fontina, and provolone already shredded. put 2 tsp. or so in mounds in a non-stick pan. they melt and brown, then you flip them over and do the same on the other side. drain on paper towels. you can add garlic salt or other spices, or use other cheeses. my kids eat these like crazy - i don't actually get much for me!

rmarisco in General Chowhounding Topics

How do you deal with allergies at a restaurant?

my mom also has this type of seafood allergy. she has been in hospital several times. she has stopped eating in asian restaurants all together - she is always afraid of fish sauce or stock, even if it's not listed as a fish item
my children have allergies as well, though not to this level, and not to fish. we are lucky to carry around their medicine with us and take it before we step into ANY restaurant. our safest place to eat is a japanese restaurant - they have the fewest number of allergic ingredients for my kids (obviously, my mom doesn't go with us!). It's so difficult for little children to cope with this sometimes - to not have what they want. that's the point of eating out - to have something special you wouldn't normally partake in.
We have tried to find a cuisine we are fairly safe with, and look for that type of restaurant. Indian food is often safe - it is frequently vegetarian, and wheat free (if you stay away from the naan)

rmarisco in General Chowhounding Topics

black beans

you can get dried epazote from penzey's spices online. www.penzeys.com

rmarisco in Home Cooking

Do you have any Cooking projects currently underway?

this summer i built a solar oven. WOW! what fun! and the kitchen was cool all summer. it is now sort of falling apart, but i am going to save it and patch it for next year. i asked for a deluxe model for christmas, but i might just go dumpster diving again, and make another one (it takes a morning, some cardboard, tinfoil and tape, along with good measuring.) researching these things was a wonderful homeschooling project - they have great economic/social impact around the world in developing countries - plus the cooking was great.
right now i'm trying to work with my 10 yr. old kitchen aide stand mixer that i under-utilize in the kitchen. i'm trying to get rid of the bread machine (ugly, almost dead, too big, but i use it every day). I just got an excalibur food dehydrator at a thrift shop for $12.00! i had to get it, but i need to USE it now..
www.solarcooking.org
www.solarovens.org

rmarisco in Home Cooking

Unique food gift recipes 2006 - what have you got?

hey i think you ought to give a box of thank you notes INSTEAD of the grapefruits!

rmarisco in Home Cooking