Kitchen . . . check!

Last April, I began looking for a new oven.  Little did I realize, I would be replacing almost all of my appliances.  The cooktop was unable to simmer well, and it only had three working burners.  The refrigerator could not handle sheet pans.  The oven, as mentioned before, needed to go.  Its thermostat was extremely off and had very uneven heating.  Moreover, the cycle between on and off to maintain the temperature was more than tolerable.

First, the refrigerator was replaced with a beautiful double-door, freezer on the bottom, refrigerator.  This baby can hold sheet pans with ease.  My only complaint would be the undersized ice maker.  I use large bowls of ice for ice baths and this refrigerator cannot keep up with my needs.  I have resorted to buying large bags of ice and storing it in my chest freezer.  Perhaps a small ice maker is in my future . . .

Next to go was the under-powered microwave that didn't even have a rotating tray.  We really didn't need to replace it, but found a nice deal on one.  It has a stainless steel face which matched our new refrigerator.

We then replaced our cooktop with a five burner.  We now have a very low simmer and a very hot burner, plus choices in between.  You guessed it, stainless as well.

I know I was starting to have my heart set on the DCS oven.  It is a beautiful system.  I decided to "settle" on a Wolf instead.  I'm not upset at all.  Weezie tested it out on some souffles which came out perfectly.

Our kitchen appliance needs are now complete.  Perhaps a minor change in the center island: a built in trash compactor or a built in induction burner.  In any case, we are good to cook.

On a side note:  Weezie's "Tonight's Dinner" blog which used to be a Facebook page, is moving over to Blogger. I encourage everyone to check it out.  It has dinner ideas and recipes. You can also take a look at my recipes at KeepRecipes.com.

Equipment Choices

I am of the opinion when it comes to buying something: if you have no idea if you will enjoy it, borrow or rent it.  If you know you will use it, buy the best.  There are some exceptions, but they are unusual.  I follow Alton Brown and have read some of his books.  He advocates the avoidance of "uni-taskers".  I'm not as extreme as that, but I certainly want to know how often I will use it and what will I do with it when I'm not using it.

For example, I have a nice chocolate tempering machine.  It's very nice, but it only tempers chocolate.  I tend to only use it in the winter and when I am not using it, I keep it boxed up in the garage.  It's a uni-tasker I am glad to have.  I hate pulling out the marble and tempering it the old fashion way.

On the other hand, suggested we make our own Greek yogurt.  It's a great idea, I thought.  It's cheaper and I can have exactly what I want (no sugar or chemicals).  So, what does it take to make yogurt?  A yogurt maker!  In my usual due diligence, I began the process of reviewing all the different types and brands as well as other people's reviews.  I wanted to know how they work and what makes a great one.  Moreover, are there any features that the high-end ones offer?  So what model did I end up with, you ask?  What gadget junkie decision did I make?  I ended up using an extremely expensive one, and I'm not simply talking about a hundred dollars or three.  When I bought it, it was several hundred dollars.  To make great Greek yogurt, you need to subject your milk to a controlled temperature (read: water bath) for extended periods of time.  I own a sous vide machine from Polyscience.  It is more precise than any yogurt maker and can make any quantity of yogurt I want, be it large containers or several individual-sized containers.  After one episode of yogurt making, Weezie decided she would just as soon buy the stuff.  I'm so glad I didn't buy a uni-tasking yogurt maker.

I haven't always been this smart.  I can't tell you how many thermometers I went through before finding one that makes me happy.  Actually, I have three . . . sort of.  My main go to thermometer for meat in the oven is the Thermoworks oven thermometer (looks just like a Polder).  For quick reads of things like bread, I reach for my Thermoworks Thermapen.  It can read an accurate temperature in just a few seconds.  However, when I have meat on the grill/pan, I turn to a hyper-sensitive, super-fine, extremely-fast, needle-sharp Thermoworks meat probe.  Otherwise, I turn to my IR sensor for surface checks.  I've thrown away all my old dial and "instant read" (well, if you call instant some period of time between 20 and 50 seconds.)

I'm needing a new oven.  I like electric ovens (but gas stove tops) and want one with better heat control.  I've just begun my research and my tentative choice will be the DCS WOSU30 30" Single Electric Wall Oven.  I like what I little I have read about it.  There's more research to be done, so stay tuned here for more on this and other ovens.