What's the most useful item in your kitchen

trixx

Mon, Jan 06 2020, 12:40 pm

ewa-jo wrote:

Mandolin slicer. I don’t have the brainpower to have a food processor around (too many parts to keep clean and keep track of) and the mandolin does most of what a food processor does.

Can you tell me more? Which one do you have. I have tons of food prep and I was considering a food processor - I would need to chop things like potatoes and grate.

FranticFrummie

Mon, Jan 06 2020, 2:22 pm

I have a floor to ceiling shelving unit that was made to hold CDs. It's about 3 feet wide, and almost 6 feet tall.

I call it "The International Wall of Spices". I have everything organized by country and cuisine.

You could take just about everything else out of my kitchen, and I'd manage to survive, but don't mess with my spices!

My mandolin runs a close second. It has a julienne attachment that I'm crazy about. If I had that blade for my food processor I'd be happy, but my food processor is fleishig, so I'm keeping the mandolin parve.

I just found out that julienne raw sweet potatoes are WAY more delicious than carrots, in salads, stir fries, and pretty much anything else. I had no idea that raw sweet potato was yummy, but I tried a piece out of curiosity, and now I'm hooked. I may never buy carrots again.

Jewishfoodie and I were separated at birth. Very Happy

33055

Mon, Jan 06 2020, 2:58 pm

FranticFrummie wrote:

It would be interesting to compare spices. In addition to my 2 pull out spice cabinets, I have one cabinet just for salts and peppers. I have spices in 2 more pantries and then some in my freezer. I have a pullout draw for some more.

I have them roughly organized internationally also.

I have 4 drawers of baking supplies. Then I have spillover in my garage.

FranticFrummie

Mon, Jan 06 2020, 3:34 pm

Squishy wrote:

I spend most of my free time watching cooking shows on Netflix. Wink

If you like Indian food, the Rani brand spices have a KSA heksher. I sort of miss MagentaYenta. She was the only other person on the board who knew what asafetida is.

I've been having a hard time coming up with good Thai spices, because so many of the recipes call for shrimp paste and fish sauce. I also am having a heck of a time finding lemongrass in Israel, not to mention kaffir lime leaves and galangal. I can still make a decent yom tom gai though.

I've started playing around with Korean food lately, and really loving it. The marinades are to die for.

I am very sad that I can't afford saffron right now. It's about as practical and realistic as me buying a fur coat. A girl can dream, though.

I'm also working on making sourdough breads. My first attempt was 100% whole wheat, and while tasty, was a bit dense. It toasts up well though. I turned one of the loaves into croutons with olive oil and Italian spices, and they are delicious.

I've decided that I'm only going to eat bread that I make myself. It's a great way to control carbs, and I can sneak in things like flax meal and protein powder.

There are only two reasons that I eat outside my home.

1. my blood sugar has just crashed, and I need to shove something in my mouth, usually falafel with all the fixings - easy to get, and they're so cheap.

2. it's way too much of a fuss for me to make it myself. Sushi, or a perfectly cooked steak are good examples. A rare treat once in a blue moon, like my birthday.