/ck/ - Food & Cooking

>>6167077
For me is was a microwave. I've owned two, and gave both away.

Also a mandoline, for me at least. After years working with a Chinese cleaver there isn't anything I need a mandoline for, and it doesn't save me any time, because by the time I get the thing out, use it and clean it up I could have gotten the same result with the cleaver with time to spare.

housemates went to ikea and came back with these stupid fucking glasses all excited

luckily almost all have been lost or broken by now

>>6167077

I still ask myself why i bought this

>>6167093
How does the cleaver help with thin slices? I kinda want to get one because I feel like I should as a Chinese person, but I have plenty of knives already, so I've never felt like I really needed it.

I have that herb chopper and it is useful

Most unused thing is my garlic press because I prefer it sliced and possibly crushed with a fork

>>6167118
Wow, I've seen some dumb glasses in my time, but those are some stupid fucking glasses.

This shit.

>>6167126
does it work?

I would think that theyre not nearly juicy enough for that to give a decent spray of lemon juice.

>>6167126
What is it?

>>6167126
I have a thing like that but it's a tap not a spray top.

It kinda works, but I generally find it wastes juice compared with just using a real citrus juicer.

>>6167136
With proper technique you can cut extremely thin and precise slices using a cleaver. Here's a post with a video a kind Anon embedded in the knife thread:
>>6160042

All of them.

I use one pan, and only a few knives. Sometimes a strainer. Isn't due to lack of efficient use and understanding of the tools at hand, it's more that I don't cook much of anything involved or special.

PROBABLY THIS FUCKING THING

My housemates tiny fucking box grater.

"why did you bring this?"
"you know when you just need a LITTLE cheese"

I think it's been used once over the last year.

>>6167182
besides the idiotic movement it could be useful

>>6167197
I know someone who has one of those, he likes it though since he's usually cooking for one.

Seems like the little ones could also come in handy if you use citrus zest a lot.

Salad spinner. Because I don't eat salad.

>>6167253

The point is that the size of the grater is irrelevant to the number of people you're cooking for. You can just as easily prepare a single serving with a large grater than you can a small one. Yet a small one limits how large a food you can grate on it. It's just plain inferior.

>>6167197
are you sure he isn't using a nutmeg grater?

>>6167253
Funnily enough, the grates are too large for citrus zest.

>>6167258
Yes, because I have a nutmeg grater for nutmeg.

Pic related it's his stupid little grater.

>>6167282
Haha, I have that too. It was on an end cap at Walmart. I think I paid like 1 dollar for it. I used it last Christmas when I made a fuckton of bread. Worked out great for the orange/cranberry bread. The one I have has small enough grates to get the orange zest where I need it to be.

>>6167282
>1000 pickles on longest side
>shallow as fuck DoF
>centered subject

confirmed /p/fag

>>6167182
That's like a serial killer weapon man.

A flatmate bought one, its the most pointless piece of shit ever, it takes like 30 seconds to open a tin when doing it manually only takes like 5 seconds.

>>6167077

I don't own one, but this gets my vote for the most useless.

These. Complete waste of space ever since I got a ulu.

>>6167118
>TRENDIG 2013

WTF is wrong with people?

>>6167427
This, I bought one when I was first starting to cook, sadly. So fucking pointless.

>>6167118
Those are the dumbest glasses I've seen.

>>6167156
I never got the point of that. All three of those functions could be easily done with any knife.

>>6167457

It's no different than an egg/tomato slicer or a garlic press: they're gimmicky products for people with poor knife skills.

This cake slicer thing. I got it as a present.

>>6167197
I almost bought one as a novelty in the souvenir shop at a cheese factory. It was four dollars, though, so fuck that noise.

>>6167427
I use mine all the time. I can extrude several bulbs of garlic really quickly with it. No need for peeling them.

>>6167478

I just crush the garlic with the side of my knife and you can pull the skin right off in one go.

>>6167478

Why not just crush the garlic with the side of your knife? You can just pull the entire skin off in one go then.

>>6167466
Yeah, but at least with tomato slicers, you'd need at least some level of knife skill to chop/slice/dice a tomato. With an avocado, you can do all of that with a butter knife; I was able to cut an avocado in half, remove the pit, and cut it into slices with a butter knife when I was five.

>>6167480
But then you have to chop it and mince it.

Ever since I lost the tip of my thumb slicing garlic while someone was talking to me I've been using my zyliss press.

>>6167480
I don't even need to do that though. Just press, open, reload, repeat. It shoots it right into the pot, no need for a clean surface.

>>6167480
>>6167483
>using your tools improperly

faggots

This shizzle.
Made gnocchi once. And once was enough.

>>6167513
Wait, there's an actual device that makes gnocchi that isn't the backside of a fork?

>>6167489

No, you don't have to chop/mince anything. Just smack it harder. You crush the garlic into pieces and separate the skin all at the same time. It takes literally less than a second. Want big chunks? Smash it lightly. Want it fine? Smash it hard.

>>6167490
You have to peel the garlic first, which is extra effort. Then you have to clean the press when you are done, which is also extra effort.

I already have my knife and cutting board out for whatever it is I'm cooking, so I don't have any extra things to clean. The smash method is so fast that I'm done with the garlic before I'd even have found the garlic press in the kitchen junk drawer.

>>6167505
I've never heard of this happening when peeling garlic

>>6167517
This shizzle.
Made gnocchi once. And once was enough.

>>6167505
>Buying shit knives

>>6167523
Oh, the potato ricer. Yeah, that is needed to a certain point, but I've found I can make gnocchi without using it.

>>6167522
Of course not, pressing garlic with the flat of the knife is an old skool troll to ruin newbs' knives since forever.

>>6167505

More like using the wrong tool for the job. Those are flimsy fucking knives.

I've been using a $11 chinese cleaver for more than 15 years now.

my boyfriend

>>6167523

I actually get a reasonable about of use out of that. I have the exact one in your photo. I use it for mashed potatoes, gnocchi, and also for squeezing the excess water out of grated potatoes to make hash browns. Granted that the last application could be done with a kitchen towel, but hey, if I have the darn thing, why not use it? My biggest complaint with it is that you need to either hand-wash it, or put it in the dishwasher "unfolded", which takes up a lot of space.

>>6167533
do you know why those knives are flimsy? Because knives are supposed to be flimsy. They don't need to be thick, unless a retard starts abusing them. The same thing has been happening with outdoor knives. They were all once relatively flimsy until for some fucking reason people started using them to baton firewood. Now, knife companies have been making thicker and thicker knives to compensate for people abusing the tools.

Thinner knives cut food far easier. But, they also feel "flimsy" in comparison to the much thicker knives that are made to take abuse.

I made a knife sometime ago using stock removal. It was made from a super thin antique crosscut saw. It is one of the best knives I have now. It is much thinner than everything else and cuts better than all of them. I use it all the time and the steel used in it doesn't need sharpened nearly as often as the rest of my knives. I can't imagine abusing it or the thicker knives by pressing garlic.

>>6167296
>detecting a /p/hag

Confirmed for /p/hag (yes, I know that by my own logic, this confirms me as a /p/hag, too)

>>6167550
people thinking they are on lost

>>6167557
>lost

Wait! Did someone actually baton shit on that show?

>mfw this thread

>>6167156
I wonder how many tomatos you have to slice each hour, for such a thing to even be a investment.

>>6167550
Pressing garlic with the side of your knife is a longstanding and extremely common kitchen technique.

>>6167550
>do you know why those knives are flimsy?

Yeah, because they're shit quality brands. Probably the stuff that sells for $9.99 in the gadget isle of the supermarket.

I work in catering. My go-to knife is a sugimoto #6 chinese cleaver. For the uniitiated, this is a very thin blade, not thick like a bone-cutting cleaver. In fact the blade is thinner than most Western kitchen knives. It's thinner than either my Wusthof or my beater Forschner. Yet I've smashed countless amounts of garlic over the years--as well as ginger, which is a lot harder than garlic is and takes a lot more force to crush. It is not broken or bent. I've worked with many cooks who do the same thing (that's how I learned) and never seen or heard anything about someone breaking a knife while doing it.

Is it possible? Sure. But it's hardly anything to worry.

>>6167568
>tomatos

It is for souping out avocado. you have to actually eat avocados on a regular basis to consider owning one of those.

>>6167564
lol no i dont think so, what i meant was all these people play stranded on an island and do stupid shit like that thinking that thats how they would survive but in reality theyve never left their backyard

>>6167575
>do you know why those knives are flimsy?
>Yeah, because they're shit quality brands.

Does that mean your knife that is really thin is also a shit quality brand?

>Is it possible? Sure. But it's hardly anything to worry.

I think I''l not do it and continue to use my garlic press. I mean, it is super easy to use, I'd be a full on ass pounding faggot not to use it when faced with a box of garlic bulbs.

>>6167467

lmao jesus christ

>>6167585
>Does that mean your knife that is really thin is also a shit quality brand?

No, it's actually quite costly. And the steel is harder (and therefore more brittle) than most knives. Therefore, if a very thin and brittle kjnife can be used to smash garlic reliably for over a decade with no damage, the obvious conclusion is that those broken knives posted above were either shit quality or whomever tried to smash garlic with them did something incorrect with their technique.

Thinness clearly doesn't matter because if that thin and relatively brittle cleaver can do it, then so can just about any knife. Assuming it's not garbage.

>>I think I''l not do it and continue to use my garlic press.

to each his own, I suppose.

>>6167576
>it have an implement for removing the seed
WHAT. WHY.

>>6167523

I have one, too. Big plastic contraption.

I get the feeling, though, that there's probably some other things you can do with it....

>>6167540
That's a good tip re: hash browns. I can't get the stains out of a kitchen towel after using it to squeeze out potatoes.

>>6167523

these things are great, making mash is like zero effort

>>6167594
Sounds like you are using it on industrialized monocrop soft-neck garlic and not superior organic hard-neck garlic. Try that shit with some hard neck Russian garlic and you will come away bloody.

>>6167576

shit i just realised my family has one of these and i used to use it when i was a teenager

>>6167539
lolol 10/10, same thing with my girlfreind.

>>6167617
did you use it to wank?

>>6167644
>>6167539

you two should meet up and fug

>>6167600
use bleach or color safe bleach. I don't know how people live with autism.

A coffee maker has been sitting on my counter, untouched, for 8 years. I guess it's that.

>>6167688

Tried that. Several times.Stains stayed in.

>>6167383
What would you do with it, whisk someone's guts?

>>6167296
j'accuse!

Definitely this.

They keep getting passed around during x-mases.

>>6167393
Aren't those for old people though?

>>6167427
these keep the garlic liquid from wasting on a chopping board tho.

I currently don't have one, and i find it a pain to remove the skin from my garlic, but usually even if i do use a crusher, ill remove the skin before using it anyway.

Does anyone here use salt to mash garlic?

>>6167840
I do the salt / edge of a knife thing if I'm making aioli, because I find I need to get the garlic pretty much liquid to be able to emulsify the oil.

>>6167840

you don't really need salt but i use it sometimes. pretty bad for your knives to do that tho

>>6167810
This, this, a thousand times this.

Fuck everyone complaining about garlic presses and knives, have you seen one of these? They need to be charged before you use them, don't hold one for shit, and takes more than 60 seconds to uncork your wine.

My wife, the dumb cunt.

>>6167478
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc7w_PGSt9Y

You're welcome. And as for slicing so you don't slice more of your thumb off. Be more careful.

you anti garlic crusher autists are too much. you take a clove of garlic, put it in the crusher and squeeze it directly over the food. doesn't stain a board, doesn't take a knife, doesn't require pulling the papery skin apart from what may be a sticky mess of battered garlic. it might be a 'unitasker' but if you wanna use it your uses will be so frequent i don't see what the problem is, especially seeing as it takes up little space.

the only major con i see is cleaning it if you don't have a dishwasher.

>>6167958

the thing is that the knife and cutting board are already going to be out (and in need of washing) for the rest of the preparation. So what's the point in using another utensil when it's faster and easier to just crush it on the board? The board is already dirty from cutting up the other ingredients in the meal. So is the knife. Why bother peeling the garlic and having another tool to use when you can just crush it and be done with it, without having to bother peeling, finding the press, and then washing it when you're done? When you crush garlic on the board the skin just falls off. It is no effort to remove it at all. You're done in less time than it takes to peel the clove before putting it in the press.

>>6167810
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hf_2E-J44bY

>>6167986

>the thing is that the knife and cutting board are already going to be out (and in need of washing) for the rest of the preparation.

not necessarily

>So what's the point in using another utensil when it's faster and easier to just crush it on the board?

it isn't.

i agree that in your specific scenario, i personally would choose to use a knife, in fact i don't use a garlic crusher most of the time, but there are many contexts in which you might just want to crush garlic - your other ingredients might go in whole or be from a can or whatever. and it really isn't faster to use a knife and board. a garlic crusher can do a few cloves in as many seconds.

>>6167077
fuck you I love my ulu. great for choppin up veggies and pills

>>6167998
>not necessarily

Really? Why would you need fresh garlic but not any other prep?

Now I agree if I wanted just garlic and nothing else the press could make sense, but how on earth would you be using fresh garlic but nothing else that requires prep?

>>6167448
I also did this, and after 2 tries with garlic spilling out the sides and almost nothing coming out the bottom I stopped using it. It was relatively expensive too, what a waste.

I have one of these cheese boards/sets that my employer gave out to a bunch of us at work a couple years ago. It's only like 6"x6", and holds 4 cheese blades inside. I've never used it... these things have become a recurring gag gift among my co-workers because they're engraved with the corporate logo.

>>6168089
Don't buy shitty ones.

I forgot why we even had this and it's at least 10 years old. Not sure it's safe to use anymore...

too much work over smash and chop.

>>6168185
>Not sure it's safe to use anymore...

Why wouldn't it be?

Don't get me wrong--those things are silly. But why would it be unsafe just from sitting there?

>>6168185
My Uncle bought me one of these and I only used it once or twice before throwing it in the garbage. I have no idea how these things got so popular. The only appeal is it cooks both sides of your food reducing the time to cook by half (in theory). But in the process it overcooks everything. It was filthy and disgusting to clean. I would wipe it down repeatedly and I never felt like I was getting everything.

I have a proper grill, and I would never use anything else.

>>6168006
>but how on earth would you be using fresh garlic but nothing else that requires prep?

I do that all the time. It is called "Ragu" and all I do is add sugar, salt, and garlic to it for mt spaghetti.

>>6168213
I don't remember the last time I cleaned it before putting it in the cabinet or how well. I don't consider myself retarded or unable to wash my own stuff but 10 years dude.

also this

>>6168225

>>6168244
>but 10 years dude.

So what? Time does not magically contaminate things out of nowhere. Even if you were a retard and didn't clean it at all, leaving it for a long time would make it SAFER as eventually all of the crud left there would be eaten by various things from bugs to bacteria, and there would be nothing left over.

Not to mention you could...you know...wash it after it's been sitting.

Or...don't worry about it at all since it's going to be HOT before you put any food in it, and you know what heat does to germs, right?

>>6168236

Sad. Make that from scratch.

>>6167182
I laughed really hard at your webm
I just thought you should know.

Reminder that this is a real thing

>>6168310
I'd totally use that though.

>>6168236
>Ragu
gross dude.

>>6168225
they were made for people who live in apartments or other homes where they can't possibly have a grill, everyone knows it isn't as good as a real grill. of course today we have far better "indoor" grills that people can buy
it also came out when people were going crazy with anti-fat

>>6168006
Making garlic bread, I guess? When I was a teenager first learning how to cook, I'd make garlic bread using a press and just use jarred pasta sauce, so the only knife I had out was a butter knife.

>>6168280
He is so much of a retard I don't think explaining it to him will do much. Just remember him when you see more retarded posts on /ck/ because it is people just like him posting.

>>6168310
Just because something is very niche doesn't make it useless.

>>6168006
It's spelled ratgout.

>>6167169
The way those pumps work you'd probably get a good spray but a very slow return stroke.

>>6167550

This. I got my chef's knife from a dollar store and its still going strong after several years.

>>6168948
The people who complain about knives are the ones who don't take care of them.
>hurr durr I'll just put this in the dishwasher over and over and over again and expect it to be sharp.

>>6167282
that's for hard cheeses

>>6168205
>>6168089
>>6168006
>>6167998
>>6167958

I used not to have a garlic crusher, but it does have its uses. It does what it says on the tin, and it is faster than crushing garlic down to a similar paste-like consistency with a knife. That gives you a decent head start on things like aioli, or if you want to use the garlic in something like a marinade where diced garlic won't do you any good. Crushed garlic cooks very differently from diced, and can have a different effect on flavour. They can be an absolute bitch to clean, as the garlic remnants will swiftly set into a cement-like consistency in all the holes, and a dishwasher normally can't shift that. Mine came with a handy little bit that fits into the holes and clears them out.

>>6168185
hey, i use that to make grilled cheese sandwiches. its a bit dangerous, i mean it turns on when you plug it in and theres no switch.

I know I'm probably late for this thread, but I just had to post this. This is my housemate's egg boiler. Not an egg poacher, which is fairly tricky and might justify having a gadget to do it, but a machine for boiling eggs. He's always surprised when people think it's weird that he he has one of these .

>>6169050
I saw a commercial a couple of hours ago for a boiled egg peeler. Pic related. The end of the commercial also showed a gadget similar looking to yours but it was for making boiled eggs in the microwave.

And here's a look inside. Oh look, there's an egg he's done that's been in there for god knows how long, the filthy scrote

>>6167599
people are remarkably stupid.

>>6169063
They should have bought this picture just for their commercial

>>6169063
>I FUCKING LOVE THIS AVACADO I JUST WANTED TO BE ONE WITH IT

>>6167427
fuck garlic presses. i don't care if i can crush 10 cloves in a minute with it, it takes about an hour to clean all the bits of garlic out of the tiny holes afterwards. the dishwasher does nothing.

>>6169107
just run it under a high pressure water stream for a few seconds?

>>6169114
YOU ARE THE SMARTEST MAN ALIVE!

>>6169114
doesn't work

>>6169055

i had one. it won't work on eggs that have clingly shells. it'll only work on eggs that are already easy to peel.

>>6169050
I have one of these, I eat a lot of eggs so it comes on handy, easy to clean and I feel that eggs peel easier

>>6167480
>>6167483
I used a ginger grater with a sheet of cling wrap over it. Works very well and creates a nice fine garlic paste.

>>6167550
This, and Kiwi brand knives from Thailand. I buy them in the asian market for 3 bucks each and they'll last until I give them away as a thanks to one of my kitchen guys.

Pic related is a biscuit cutter, used once as a joke way to cut ravioli.

>>6169144
I was just surprised people had enough trouble peeling eggs that someone thought to put together a gadget for it. I haven't haven't had trouble peeling eggs since I was a kid but maybe I just get lucky with easy ones.

>>6167077
myself ;_;

>>6167077

garlic press

>>6167393

my flatmate has one too, his mum bought it for him in case he cut his fingers on the edge of the tin lid

>>6169203

>>6167600
God tier guacamole with the ricer.

my mom owns an egg-piercer and an egg-cracker

>>6167182
thats actually kinda cool, you dont need to plug it in and it looks fun to use. And just imagine the potential for dirty jokes...

Does it work though? If i need to mix pancake dough i just stir it with a fork, but can this thing handle eggwhites or cream?

>>6167077
Was given pic related for my sister on my last birthday. I appreciate the gesture, but a sharp knife is far more useful than it.

>>6167182
I'm in tears, 10/10, saved, upboated, submitted to 9gag :))

>>6167182
thanks for the laugh anon

>>6168225

It actually makes great grilled cheese sandwiches and hot dogs.

For everything else it's total shit. I tried cooking a chicken breast on it when I first got it. Now damn, that was awful.

How on earth does one break a knife by smashing garlic? You put the blade over the clove and press down the blade with the heel of your hand right on top of the spot the clove is lying under. the knife does not bend at all if you do it like that.

>>6169063
Why was he applying that much force?
He must have stabbed that pit as hard as he could.

>>6169050

http://www.lakeland.co.uk/12922/Lakeland%20Egg%20Boiler/all-reviews/12/20.2

That's from Lakeland. I bought that exact model for my mum. It was never used.

Lakeland is a paradise for cooking gadgets. Some are actually useful. The rest belong in this thread.

>>6168185
My Dad uses it to make burgers when the winter makes using the grill miserable. Could double a pannini maker...which my mom had. So I guess that point is moot.

Toaster.
It toasts bread and bread-like foods. That's it.
Can't even use it for anything else. I've seen other supposed unitaskers (fuck you, /ck/, for this word) used for a plethora of other things but never have I ever seen a toaster be useful for anything other than browning sliced bread.

>>6169467

so? it saves a huge amount of time and effort on a a very much quotidian food.

>>6169483

a toaster oven is only slightly slower but is far more useful.

>>6169510

no one uses them in the UK. i don't see the point if you have an oven.

>>6169551
They are very handy. I use mine more often than the main oven.

They heat up faster and use a lot less energy than a full-size oven, so that is nice if you don't need the full volume inside your main oven. If you're only cooking a small amount of food it's faster and cheaper. They're also handy when you need ovens going at different temperatures. For example, if I'm cooking roast beef and roasted potatoes: the beef needs a lot lower temperature than the potatoes do, so I'll roast the spuds in the toaster oven while the roast is going in the main oven. They're also handy for misc. heating tasks in the kitchen: warming up plates prior to serving, keeping dishes you've already cooked warm while you have the main oven doing something else, and so on.

>>6167576
This is retarded. Just use a knife and slam it into the seed. Twist the knife and it'll come loose... Provided it's ripe enough.

>>6169467
Ah! So you're waffle man!

>>6170306
>Just use a knife and slam it into the seed.

See >>6169063

>>6170326

That person made the mistake of using a "stabbing" motion rather than the edge of the blade. They also did it much too hard.

Just because some people fuck up doesn't mean that the technique is bad. For example: just because motor vehicle accidents exist do you refuse to ride in a car, bus or train?

>>6167505
> Get Gud

>all these plebs dissing the garlic press
It's fast and more importantly makes the same amount of garlic taste stronger because it crushes it and doesn't waste the juice, just rinse it under water after you're done, not the next week you filthy animals.

My grandmother got me one of these two Christmases ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY3QygknqNU

Garlic Press / Crusher

Wastes half the garlic, is an absolute bitch to use and an absolute bitch to clean.
Much easier to flatten it with a knife and then dice it.

this gizmo

says 300 shots from 1 potato but it's more like 230

tougher to clean than a garlic press

>>6171933
Maybe you shouldn't have gotten a plebeian brand made of cheap shitty plastic

>>6171822
It actually "extrudes" which destroys more cells in the garlic to make it far stronger in dishes requiring you to use far less. And, hell yeah, it is 100 times faster than crushing with a knife. I find it is easier to run it under water before you use it and once every bulb of garlic pressed. That prevents the juices from drying at any one time and making it stick.

I have a Pampered Chef garlic press and it is miles better from the generic cheaper ones. I'm talking a night and day difference in easy of use, cleaning, and performance. So, I'm betting that 90% of the people that complain about them have been using a shitty one. They may as well say all knives are shitty because they keep using plastic flatware knives.

Mine will do 3 normal-size cloves at once. I can crush 2 bags of garlic bulbs (like 20ish bulbs) in about 5 minutes, probably less if I hustle. I'd like to have a table mounted garlic press that can do an entire garlic bulb in one press.

>>6172011
>And, hell yeah, it is 100 times faster than crushing with a knife.

Lol, no. I'm done crushing garlic with the knife before you've even FOUND the garlic press, let alone had the time to peel the garlic before putting it in the press.

>> I'm betting that 90% of the people that complain about them have been using a shitty one

Nah, they just have good knife skills.

got this for xmas.

still don't understand why i should use it over a souppot/holedpot combo?

>>6172011
>It actually "extrudes" which destroys more cells in the garlic to make it far stronge
Right. It practically juices the garlic, which changes the flavor, and not for the better. It makes your garlic harsh tasting and overly aggressive. I am not a fan.

>>6172014

>>6172011
my mummy has the same one in a drawer

ive never felt the need to use a press but i always admired how well built that press is. like really fucking well built

>>6172014
>peel the garlic before putting it in the press.

Um....you don't even peel the garlic when using a garlic press. It does that for you.

>>6172045
>It makes your garlic harsh tasting and overly aggressive

You are using too much. Or, you are selecting garlic that has started to sprout. The problem here is you, not the tool. Please, until you learn to cook, stop posting.

>I use my mezzaluna to crush garlic. Nothing else works right.

>>6172461
>The problem here is you, not the tool.
You are wrong. Would you juice an onion before sauteing it in oil? No, because it wouldn't develop the rich, mellow flavors once it's cell structure has been destroyed. You'll get more of a boiled onion flavor. Same goes for garlic. Destroy the cell structure and it does not get mellow when sauteed.

As Tony Bourdain put it: "Smash it, with the flat of your knife blade if you like, but don’t put it through a press. I don’t know what that junk is that squeezes out the end of those things, but it ain’t garlic."

>>6167077
Probably this dumb thing that came with my range. I don't think I've ever used it.

>>6172483
Bourdain is a sell-out.

But you are right

>>6172483
>"Smash it, with the flat of your knife blade if you like, but don’t put it through a press. I don’t know what that junk is that squeezes out the end of those things, but it ain’t garlic."

lol that's retarded. of course it is garlic. doesn't he know anything?

>taking refuge in a quote from a man that doesn't know shit about kitchen tools, garlic, or physics.

>>6172564
>Bourdain is a sell-out.
Good for him. Mediocre chef becomes junkie, sobers up, becomes writer, has a bestseller right about the age he's too old to be on the line, then becomes television personality, traveling the world, getting drunk and eating all kinds of delicious things. Now he's opening a massive food hall in NYC with various street food stalls from all over the world.

Where the fuck can I sign up for this?

>>6172576
>quote from a man that doesn't know shit about kitchen tools
He was chef at a successful French restaurant in New York. I would give his opinion on kitchen tools some weight.

>>6169286
Kek

>>6172576
I'd rather believe a man, who's worked as a cook for most of his life ,know more about garlic and kitchen tools than Anon.

>>6172661
thats retarded though
it doesnt stop being garlic just because you force it through a sieve
like "i dont know what that junk that squeezes out of a meat grinder is, but its not pork", just completely retarded

>>6172672
>>6172576

>>6172576
>autism

>>6172661
>>6172615
If you are willing to believe that then I have a bridge I'd like to sell you.

>>6169395
Thats a she, you can even see sideboob.

>>6167427
i love it,

chopping garlic is the biggest pain in the kitchen

>>6171937
>>6171937
>>6171937
whoa

>>6172917
I live in NYC and have friends in the restaurant business. I know one of his former bosses, and have met another on a few occasions. Bourdain was definitely the chef at Les Halles. You could split hairs and say the place is a brasserie, and not a high end restaurant. But it sure as fuck is a successful French restaurant in NYC. Even if a large chunk of the business is steak frites you can't have someone who doesn't know his shit for a chef and survive.

>>6172977
This reminds me of the chef version of the Navy Seal copypasta for some reason.

>>6173239
These are awesome, but I can see why kids and Americans wouldn't use them since it is a vegetable steamer.

>>6173268
I do agree that they're awesome, but mainly to look at and play with at your local thrift store
boiling veggies basically accomplishes the same thing

Can anyone recommend a good Chinese cleaver? Is there anything specific I should get, or just grab the cheapest shit from my local asian market?

>>6173365
>just grab the cheapest shit from my local asian market?
Do that. Make sure it's size #1. And buy a stone to sharpen it with. Stone and cleaver shouldn't set you back much more than $15-$20 in a Chinese store.

>>6167077
It was a bad decision to buy these, they're terrible.

>>6173239
Why would you hate these? They're really useful.

>>6173274
>boiling veggies basically accomplishes the same thing

No, not at all actually.

>>6172457


wait, serious? you can put an unpeeled garlic clove into a garlic press?

>>6173445
yes, garlic peel stays together so you can lift it off easily. i crush my garlic with my hand to make it easier to chop.

>>6167568
i got one of those fucking 'biscuit pocket' mugs for christmas... the christmas i got 8 mugs from different people.
the pocket is too small for a biscuit and is hard to clean and the cup is smaller than normal

>>6167118
Not really 'useless' though are they; they serve their purpose well.

>>6168185
Just put a wet paper towel on it when its on full heat and unplug, then wipe off. I had mine for years and its easy as fuck.

>>6172017
We used ours a lot when we had very limited cooktop space, but is still handy with our new cooktop.

>>6169107
mine came with a cleaning tool

>>6167810
From the thumbnail I thought you were making a funny and posted a bong.
>They keep getting passed around

a cast iron frying pan. Fuckin' hell, there isnt' a single thing it does that my stainless doesn't do just as well or better. I ground down the interior with a flap wheel until cooking surface was smooth as glass. I seasoned it and all the "foodies" who would come over would marvel at the condition of my pan.

I admit, I bought into the hype.
>it was good enough for grandma
>it's natural non-stick
>muh heat retention

>>6174473
gr8 b8 m8

>>6174513
not even b8. Cast iron today is as pointless as churning your own butter.

>>6174519
You're fishing in empty waters, boyo

>>6167174
What's a good way to learn proper technique? Any good English language books on the subject?

>>6173445
Of course, that's the whole point. Just break up the bulb into cloves or clove bunches, whatever size your press can handle and chuck it in. Press the garlic, remove the skin from the press, repeat. If the press is well designed the entire process is extremely fast. Crappy presses can't hold that much, have crappy flimsy handles, the lever-ratio is wrong, the press plate can't do its job, etc. A good press is a breeze to use. I prefer the jump sized presses.

>>6169107
Use the cleaning tool. It slips into all holes and cleans the unit instantly. Just run a little water over the press once in a while when using it. That prevents the juices from drying out and making things stick as you work.

>>6174594
>stock photo shows user holding cleaning tool upside down
Fucking kek

>>6167467
I think I've seen that on theworstthingsforsale at some point.

>>6174605
You can use it either way, but it isn't even in the holes there. Not that it matters.

>>6174651
not from k. whats wrong with gun?

>>6174657
Overpriced mall ninja crap. Muh moist nugget, the knockout game

No but seriously the clip didn't have the bullets put in correctly. Your suppose to load it the other way around.

>>6174668
>the clip

>>6174668
>clip

>buying HK
>ever

>>6167505

I bet this guy was positioning the garlic close to the handle of the blade, and then literally punching the tip of his knife down instead of gently pressing on the blade exactly above where the clove is.

>>6174668
you sure? it looks right to me, from the detail in the picture the mag is curved towards the viewer, making it appear to be loaded correctly. I havne't looked at a real one in forever though. I'm probably wrong.

>>6170417
this

>>6173239
not completely useless, but a metal colander works way better.

>>6169107

Mine has a cleaning end on the back end so when you flip the handle around the opposite direction it pushes the cleaning end to empty all the holes. Easy as fuck and then run under some water and it's usually fully cleaned. Pic related.

>>6173239

My dad had this. He used it to turn broccoli into a tasteless mush. They're a pain in the ass to wash and pretty much useless. The gimmick is you can use it with any size pot.

I have a metal bowl collander, which I occasionally dump boiled beans into.

>>6173239
perfect for making clams

>>6173239
I use this all the time for steaming eggs.

>>6174691

It's not right, that picture has been circulating on /k/ and elsewhere for years. Thing is, someone HAD to do that on purpose. Mags are made to where it's pretty much impossible to load them like that.

>>6174729
I like that.

>>6174697
You can't change the size of a metal colander to have it fit perfectly in almost any sized pot.

Personally, I use my bamboo steamers over my stock pot. They make the house smell nice too.

>>6174758
>He used it to turn broccoli into a tasteless mush.

That is like the complete opposite of what steaming is supposed to do. You are only supposed to steam broccoli until it gets brighter green. Never cook it longer than that because it will start to make bitter compounds and ruin the flavor.

>>6174878

You don't need it to fit the pot perfectly. As long as the steam is going into it you're done.

I love bamboo steamers for presentation but they are more difficult to clean than a metal one.

>>6174758
>This tool is useless because dad overcooked things in it

May as well just stop cooking altogether then.

And those metal steamer baskets clean up just fine by just tossing them in a dishwasher.

>>6174758

you are high. those things are fucking awesome and they are very easy to clean.

>>6175038
>And those metal steamer baskets clean up just fine by just tossing them in a dishwasher.

Pretty sure I'd be arrested for murder if I tried to insert a kitchen utensil into my wife. Unless you meant a MACHINE dishwasher, which (SHOCK AND AWE) not everyone has; many apartments require the use of a sink and elbow grease to clean dishes.

>>6173239
These are great. You are stupid.

>>6174758
And so is your dad.

Fuck it, you are too.

>not understanding that overcooking steamed veggies is easily fixed by decreasing the cook time.

>>6176019
Not exactly m8
It's just something I own which I get the least use out of in my kitchen due to personal and dietary preferences
I'll stick to my tendies, thanks.

>>6175989
>Pretty sure I'd be arrested for murder if I tried to insert a kitchen utensil into my wife.
lol

but seriously, you've never given your wife's ass a lube job using a turkey baster? It's the best way to deliver lube where it is needed.

>>6175989
I literally just watched a very entertaining video where a woman inserted various kitchen utensils into herself and expressed her enjoyment very vocally.

>>6167568
Oh gosh what a horrible invention.
>put coffee in mug
>have to have it tilted to keep sweets from falling out
>less room for beverage, limited space for sweets

>>6167282
that is the cutest cheesegrater I have ever seen

>>6169114
Amazingly enough, I have tried that. It doesn't work. I always end up using a pair of tweezers to get the last bits off.

>>6177314

Actually, "the other three sides of a box grater" might be the most useless tool I own. I don't think I've ever used them. I can't even remember what the other sides are apart from the spiky one.

>>6179316
>not using your fine grate

Philistine.

>>6168185
i like this, i use it

>>6179316
I have an old antique one that is older than anyone on this board. It is pretty awesome and I use it any time I need to grate things. My mom has one of those kind you put over a bowl and another that has a bowl built into it. Both broke a few months after buying them. Mine's been used for nearly a century and is still good to go.

Oh and it also makes a good holder for long spoons.

>>6178879
Use this for cheese all the time, yes a tiny one just like that. Also garlic.

I actually own this.

>>6167182

>>6178879
These and other miniature kitchen supplies make great Christmas ornaments.

>>6179733

Thanks for the tip Martha Stewart.

>>6179701

obliterate a penis in one smash

>>6167118
>>6167126
>>6167156
>>6167182
>>6167427
>>6167467
>>6167576
>>6169057
>>6171933

Thank you guys for making my day! Keks were had.

>>6173268
+1 epic anti-american banter m8

>>6169467
swap your toaster for a toaster oven

>>6174668
>clip

well played

>>6168310

HOLY SHIT

HOW DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS
http://youtu.be/1XILbEZlS0U

MY SIDES LITERALLY HURT

"Too incompetant to fry an egg? It's ok! just buy this $30 repurposed hair-curler and enjoy delicious egg-tubes....with NO BUTTER!"

>>6167118
We've had tinted glasses like these for years and have only ever used them once. Though we might use them more if more people in my house drank mixed drinks.

Let's reverse the topic of this thread, what is the most unexpectedly useful tool you have?
I recently bought a cheap electric coffee grinder but I soon found out I can use it for about anything that needs blending, including for "grating" cheese in seconds.
It's easily washable.

>>6182284
>what is the most unexpectedly useful tool you have?

Garlic press.

>>6182322

sweet lord let it end

>>6182152
it looks like she is pulling out tampons...

>>6182152
Holy crap, this is amazing.

>Perfect for the office!
>Hey Bob, wanna come out to lunch with us?
>NAH JIM, I'MA HAVE MY FLESHLIGHT OVEN SLOWLY POOP AN EGG TUBE OUT FOR ME AGAIN.

>>6182284
Pressure cooker. Thought it would be an occasional thing, I use it at least twice a month.

>>6173239
I used to steal that thing from the cabinet and play with it like it was a flying saucer when I was a kid.

>>6171923
kek

>make sushi like a professional

I can feel /jp/'s rage from afar. Also, when they push the sushi out of the tube, it reminds me of that picture of the furries shitting a huge cylinder of fecal matter onto a footlong subway loaf.

Y'all know what I'm talkin about?

>>6172465
It's called an "alaskan ulu" not a mezzaluna.

>>6183027
DO NOT SUMMON HIM

>>6183041
Summon whom?

>>6172926
I swear... every time that picture is posted, someone points out the sideboob.

>>6183027
>furries shitting a huge cylinder of fecal matter onto a footlong subway loaf.
a sign that you've been on 4chan far too long.

>>6183160

Don't remind me.

You do know what pic I'm talking about though right?

>>6183031
That's definitely a mezzaluna, ulus vary a lot from example to example but they are universally single handled.

>>6167182
It's the shake-weight of kitchen tools

>>6183164
YES! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD WE ALL KNOW!

>>6182152
>not having one in your office for the gainz

I just wanted to post these. they're actually kinda neat.

>>6183164
I don't. Google has no results for various combinations of furries and shitting on bread.

>>6183876
are those little poaching pods for incompetent chefs?

>>6183882

ask this guy then. I'll bet he can locate and imgur it for your virgin eyes.

>>6183743

>>6167467
most inferior product of all time

>>6174613
thank you for reminding me i haven't checked that site in a few months

>>6183888
>>6183743
Any word if you can link to the image?

>>6169063
>look mom i posted it again

>>6172011
found the shill

>>6183901
I'd do it but I'm missing some of the images to do it properly.

This fucking useless piece of shit. My mom bought it for me and I used it once. It does almost nothing and makes an infernal noise. It is louder than any other kitchen appliance I've ever used, electrical or not. I don't know why because a thing this simple shouldn't do that.

>>6169004
>Mine came with a handy little bit that fits into the holes and clears them out.
Mine just let you detatch the bit with the holes. At that point it's not any harder to clean than a grater.

>>6167393
mom got one roughly dour times bigger, stationary, running on AC power. You'll get your can sprayed everywhere as it smashes the lid in in the process.

But it's not entirely useless, it has a (standard, not electric) knife sharpener built in and the knife sharpener actually works. Not that I need it often, keeping the knives honed.

>>6167427
>>6168205
>>6169204
>>6172011
>>6174594
>>6174729

I found the right way to use the garlic press.

Buy a pound of garlic. Peel it all. Press it fucking all through the press. Add plenty of salt and some oil, pack in small jars, pickle.

Add a teaspoon of the mashed garlic instead of mashing a clove.

The problem with the garlic press is that it wastes roughly half a clove no matter how many you press, and it takes good five minutes of cleaning no matter how many you press, so if you press a year's worth of it in one go, it's as much maintenance work as two cloves, and same amount wasted.

>>6167935
doesn´t really work and i tried to make it work because garlic prep in the kitchen ( for sauces and stuff) always costs so much time.
Only goes in small quantities on large and really dried/old bulbs of garlic.
Just peeling it by hand is fstaer and the individual garlic pieces don´t get pressure marks from heavy shaking.
And it´s annoyingly loud. kitchens are loud enough as it is.

>>6184153.
Made some top tier Salsa and Guacamole with my buddy with that thing.
It's pretty cool. even tho there are better tools (electrical) than this

>>6183277
>ulus vary a lot from example to example but they are universally single handled.

And single bladed.

>>6184153
Seems like it has a two stroke engine in it. Those are pretty loud.

>>6168205

>go to store
>buy jar of this
>throw garlic press at hipster neighbor's head
>have nice meal made with minced garlic

>>6184214
>I found the right way to use the garlic press.
>Peel it all.

You had one job and you completely fucked it up.

>it wastes roughly half a clove

And, you are a complete retard.

>takes good five minutes of cleaning

A retard that obviously doesn't know how to use a garlic press.

>>6167077

My Mom and Dad went to England this summer and since they know I like to cook they bought me a fork-knife. They said it's a common utensil in Britain.

Fork-knife?
What the hell do I do with it?

>>6184321
That shit literally tastes more of the preservative they use than actual garlic. If you use this shit, you're fucking disgusting.

>>6184341

Son, you got your head so far up your ass it's a wonder you can smell or taste anything.

So what does the preservative taste like?

Please kill your hipster self.
Your Mom would actually be happy.

>>6184320
Nah man, it's just hand powered.

A freaking diesel powered salad spanner would be hilarious though.

>>6184360
It wouldn't also be as loud.

>>6184341

I've never been able to taste the preservative, but the garlic flavor is certainly a lot weaker, which makes sense given that it was cooked in the jar as part of the "canning" process.

>>6184384
>makes sense given that it was cooked in the jar as part of the "canning" process.

yea just something makes it true

here's my gun
please kill yourself

>>6184392

Are you trying to say that canned minced garlic isn't cooked? That's clearly not the case. You know how the lid has that "Safety button" that pops when you open it? That works because of the cooking process when it was processed in the factory.

Or perhaps you were implying that cooking doesn't change the taste of garlic? That's crazy talk.

>>6184417

You obviously own one of these and are too ashamed to admit that it's pretty much useless.

I'd bet my first born you couldn't tell the difference in a simple spaghetti sauce.

>>6184428

Uhm, no, those things are fucking silly. How on earth did you make the leap from me talking down about jarred garlic to me using a garlic press? Or are you just shitposting? I bet it's the latter.

>>6184431
>How on earth did you make the leap from me talking down about jarred garlic to me using a garlic press?

it was pretty easy Fredo
but you're smart
you'll figure it out

also, did your Mother give you your garlic press for a gift?

How the hell did it happen that 90% of this fucking thread is just garlic discussion?

>>6167523
How is this useless? Its a Spätzlespresse. It presses Spätzle. How can you even call your kitchen a kitchen without having one of those? (That is, assuming you have not mastered the art of Spätzleschaben, then you are excused).

currently, I dont have anything useless in my kitchen (though I have to admit, that there are times where I can go months, without using my fucking heavy granite mortar), but my parents once used to have a "rotary cheesegrinder".
Essentially it was the cheesegrater part of a boxgrinder, but in a round form. This was put on an axle with a handle, to turn it, and inserted into some kind of squeezeable box with an open top.
You inserted some cheese into one side of the box, and squeezed it, while turning the handle, producing grated cheese.
However the handle was way too small to produce enough torque to grate more than a finger sized amount of cheese. Also, it was a bitch to clean.
does that description even make sense?

>>6172483
who the fuck cares what that faggot said?

>>6183901
>>6183942
>>6183888
>>6183882
>>6183164

just google "spyro characters shitting into a subway sandwich"

>>6184392
>>6184384
>>6184341
>>6184321

kek non chemists are pathetic.

It is plain old garlic with water and sodium phosphate. kill yourselves.

>>6184538
>Spätzleschaben
Keep your ishlibidish language for yourself.
I made perfect spätzles on the first try (it took me about 4 more to get back to beginner-luck level.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toUfE5qT4HI&t=2m50s was my tutorial.