Cookware - Your favourite kitchen tools

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Onions
Garlic
Fresh thyme
Italian sausage
Homemade vegetable broth
Boneless chicken thighs
Dry white and dry red wine
Fresh dill
Grated parmesan cheese
Gnocchi

O.K., soooo...I wasn't able to get ahold of one of my favorites:  bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs.  Purchased boneless and skinless chicken thighs.  So, since they are a favorite of yours:  favorite ways of using them please! 

[Brahmsian]

O.K., soooo...I wasn't able to get ahold of one of my favorites:  bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs.  Purchased boneless and skinless chicken thighs.  So, since they are a favorite of yours:  favorite ways of using them please! 

Well, I do enjoy the bone and skin on chicken thighs nearly equally. I could have just listed it as "chicken thighs" 

Anyway, I started to prefer them over chicken breasts because they generally stay a lot more moist and have more flavour than breasts.

I think you can, for the most part, generally use the boneless, skinless thighs exactly as you would with the bone in ones, but reduce your cooking time.

I like any kind of braised chicken and rice or orzo casseroles, combined with vegetables either on the side or as part of the casserole. I don't have a specific recipe list for these. I just end up Googling a recipe the day of. 

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Well, I do enjoy the bone and skin on chicken thighs nearly equally. I could have just listed it as "chicken thighs" 

Anyway, I started to prefer them over chicken breasts because they generally stay a lot more moist and have more flavour than breasts.

I think you can, for the most part, generally use the boneless, skinless thighs exactly as you would with the bone in ones, but reduce your cooking time.

I like any kind of braised chicken and rice or orzo casseroles, combined with vegetables either on the side or as part of the casserole. I don't have a specific recipe list for these. I just end up Googling a recipe the day of. 

Thanks, but some of the easy recipes that I use rely on cooking the veggies and chicken together--oftentimes the veggies underneath the chicken thighs, so this takes a while.  Will figure it out.   

Best wishes,

PD

[Brahmsian]

Https://www.smalltownwoman.com/one-skillet-savory-chicken-and-orzo/

Here is a good recipe. Substitute any vegetable you like and substitute rice for the orzo too.

I see my link doesn't work. I have the hardest time copying and pasting addresses with my phone. 

[Brahmsian]

O.K., soooo...I wasn't able to get ahold of one of my favorites:  bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs.  Purchased boneless and skinless chicken thighs.  So, since they are a favorite of yours:  favorite ways of using them please! 

PD,

A PM awaits you. 

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Looking to buy a rice cooker here and am wondering what brands and models you like the best.  I was thinking of getting one not larger than 5 1/2 cups.  Looking at the reviews in Amazon, it's quite a mixed bag as to reliability or how long you can keep it on warm without drying out the rice, etc.

For those of you who own one, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

PD

[DavidW]

Zojirushi makes perfect rice, even brown rice!

[Benji]

Looking to buy a rice cooker here and am wondering what brands and models you like the best.  I was thinking of getting one not larger than 5 1/2 cups.  Looking at the reviews in Amazon, it's quite a mixed bag as to reliability or how long you can keep it on warm without drying out the rice, etc.

For those of you who own one, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

PD

I use an instant pot, does a great job.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Zojirushi makes perfect rice, even brown rice!

And what model and how long have you had and used it for?  I saw some things in reviews of people having issues after X-amount of time and the company not being helpful so I'm trying to understanding your experience.

I use an instant pot, does a great job.

Do you cook a variety of grains and types of rices?   Same for DavidW.  And how long have you owned and also used one?

PD

[DavidW]

And what model and how long have you had and used it for?  I saw some things in reviews of people having issues after X-amount of time and the company not being helpful so I'm trying to understanding your experience. Do you cook a variety of grains and types of rices?   Same for DavidW.  And how long have you owned and also used one?

PD

A month or so.  It is the NHS-10.  You can't expect perfect five star ratings from everyone.  Still an average rating of 4.6 is pretty good. There are also reviews saying that they have owned their brand rice cooker for 15-20 years with no problem.  Not a great variety from me.  Just white and brown rice.  I've also used the steamer several times with kale.

[SonicMan46]

My chef's knife

 

Its a chinese chef's knife, not a meat cleaver.  Favorite knife for chopping vegetables, crushing garlic & ginger or cutting smaller sized meats

Thanks for the reminder - that type of knife has been on my 'want list' for a while - love knives and gadgets that do specific tasks - we have a nice collection of knives (inserted above); most are WÜSTHOF German brand, several of which I pulled out - the steak knives are great and the serrated bread knife superlative! Newest purchase is the flexible boning knife, great for carving whole bird carcasses.  Just getting into this thread, so may be posting later - Dave

[Benji]

And what model and how long have you had and used it for?  I saw some things in reviews of people having issues after X-amount of time and the company not being helpful so I'm trying to understanding your experience. Do you cook a variety of grains and types of rices?   Same for DavidW.  And how long have you owned and also used one?

PD

I've had the same instant pot for 4 years now and use it almost every day. It makes any kind of rice - it's really use to use, always 1:1.1 rice:water all that changes is the time (3 mins white basmati,   up to 22 mins for wholegrain). Ive made all kind of rice and grains in it... Basmati, sushi, red, black, brown, Korean 8-grain, barley, buckwheat. It's absorption method and a sealed unit so it won't go soggy or dry out.

Being a pressure cooker it's also a doddle to make beans/lentils and you don't have to soak them. Dried Chick peas take about 30 mins at high pressure. Puy lentils 20 mins or so.

[SonicMan46]

Interesting! At first, I thought it was a garlic press.

Cooking tip: If you need to peel a lot of garlic cloves, chop the ends off each clove, and plop all the cloves into a medium or large sized glass container (like an empty pickle jar), and shake for about 20 seconds. Voilà.

Well, there is an easier way by using 'garlic tubes' (below from Amazon - not the several that we own but same principle and cheap) - after getting down to the gloves, we also own a number of garlic presses which do a great job although I sometimes like to mince the gloves w/ a paring knife for the practice (OK at it, but in need of improvement) - Dave

[Benji]

Thanks for the reminder - that type of knife has been on my 'want list' for a while - love knives and gadgets that do specific tasks - we have a nice collection of knives (inserted above); most are WÜSTHOF German brand, several of which I pulled out - the steak knives are great and the serrated bread knife superlative! Newest purchase is the flexible boning knife, great for carving whole bird carcasses.  Just getting into this thread, so may be posting later - Dave

I love that relatively stubby looking bread knife - looks like it has good knuckle clearance. My current one is blunt and terrible, I need an upgrade.

I think this Japanese one is what I'll go for...

https://www.kitchenprovisions.co.uk/collections/knives/products/japanesebreadknife

[Benji]

Well, there is an easier way by using 'garlic tubes' (below from Amazon - not the several that we own but same principle and cheap) - after getting down to the gloves, we also own a number of garlic presses which do a great job although I sometimes like to mince the gloves w/ a paring knife for the practice (OK at it, but in need of improvement) - Dave

I stopped peeling garlic, life is too short. Now I just microplane it skin on - so you end up with a tiny bit of chaff but it's not noticeable in the food and it's extra fibre. 😄

[DavidW]

I've had the same instant pot for 4 years now and use it almost every day. It makes any kind of rice - it's really use to use, always 1:1.1 rice:water all that changes is the time (3 mins white basmati,   up to 22 mins for wholegrain). Ive made all kind of rice and grains in it... Basmati, sushi, red, black, brown, Korean 8-grain, barley, buckwheat. It's absorption method and a sealed unit so it won't go soggy or dry out.

Being a pressure cooker it's also a doddle to make beans/lentils and you don't have to soak them. Dried Chick peas take about 30 mins at high pressure. Puy lentils 20 mins or so.

That really sounds awesome.

[SonicMan46]

Thanks for the reminder - that type of knife has been on my 'want list' for a while - love knives and gadgets that do specific tasks - we have a nice collection of knives (inserted above); most are WÜSTHOF German brand, several of which I pulled out - the steak knives are great and the serrated bread knife superlative! Newest purchase is the flexible boning knife, great for carving whole bird carcasses.  Just getting into this thread, so may be posting later - Dave

Well, BWV 1080's mention of a 'Chinese Cleaver' (top pic below) jiggle my 'wish list' from the past - as mentioned we own a LOT of WÜSTHOF German knives, so I looked at their option of a 7" cleaver, but $200 on Amazon was too steep a price (in the past I got a number of discounts on this brand but none now) - looked on Amazon and dozens of cleavers at a wide price range were available - what to choose?  In the end and wanting to pay about a hundred bucks USAD, I picked the Nakiri 7" Japanese cleaver (lower pic) - liked the lesser height for our purposes - should enjoy. Dave
.

[Holden]

The big thing with knives is keeping them sharp so investing in a really good knife sharpener is a must if you are going to buy something like a set of Wusthof's. Personally, I'm Victorinox fan. If they are good enough for the majority of butchers here in Australia then they are good enough for me.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

A month or so.  It is the NHS-10.  You can't expect perfect five star ratings from everyone.  Still an average rating of 4.6 is pretty good. There are also reviews saying that they have owned their brand rice cooker for 15-20 years with no problem.  Not a great variety from me.  Just white and brown rice.  I've also used the steamer several times with kale.

True (re ratings).  I suspect that it can also be a case of 'the more buttons and whistles that come with it, the more chances are that something will break/go wrong'.

PD

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I've had the same instant pot for 4 years now and use it almost every day. It makes any kind of rice - it's really use to use, always 1:1.1 rice:water all that changes is the time (3 mins white basmati,   up to 22 mins for wholegrain). Ive made all kind of rice and grains in it... Basmati, sushi, red, black, brown, Korean 8-grain, barley, buckwheat. It's absorption method and a sealed unit so it won't go soggy or dry out.

Being a pressure cooker it's also a doddle to make beans/lentils and you don't have to soak them. Dried Chick peas take about 30 mins at high pressure. Puy lentils 20 mins or so.

Nice!  Thanks for the input! 

PD