November 26, 2006
From the desk of Jane Galt:Shameless commercial shilling: Special Kitchen Edition
As long time readers know, now is the time of year when I engage in an absolutely shameless attempt to encourage you to earn me money from my Amazon.com associates account, under the thin pretense of suggesting things you can buy your loved ones for Christmas. I am poor, and my student loan officer is hungry, and the people at the workhouse will only give me one serving of gruel a day. . . this brazen commercialization of The Birth of Our Lord is the only way that I can afford to buy myself the books with which I enrich my mind so that I can offer you keen insight and witty commentary on a quasi-daily basis.
If you're going to do your Christmas shopping on Amazon this year, just click the handy links provided by me or another of your favourite bloggers (mine's over there at the right, if you scroll down a little!), and at absolutely not cost to yourself, you can send a little commission our way. We get the commission even if you buy something other than the product we linked
However, even if you don't order through Amazon, all the stuff I'll suggest here is stuff that I genuinely love, so do consider purchasing for yourself or your loved ones at the local outlet mall or discount centre. And if you do buy something I recommend, please, please, please email me to let me know how it went over.
And if you don't like anything you see here, please feel free to peruse last year's selections, though there is some overlap. And if you want to browse all the items in once place, try my AStore.
- Kitchenaid 6-Quart Mixer Ah, yes, the old hands here are sighing. Another year, another ridiculous exhortation to buy a $300 stand mixer. Are you mad, woman?
No, I am not mad. The Kitchenaid mixer is worth every penny, which is why I keep telling you to buy one. It's not the nine fashion colours, or the sleek retro styling; I wouldn't urge you to spend $3 on such frivolities, much less $300. The reason you ought to buy a Kitchenaid mixer is that it has the power to turn you into the cook you never knew you could be. You can make acres of cookies, three layer cakes, or fresh homemade bread with practically no effort. Just throw the ingredients in and come back ten minutes later to find them perfectly mixed, no bowl scraping or supervision required. That's right, you--all thumbs, "never baked a thing in my life" you--can have fresh homemade bread with only the effort it takes to stuff the dough into a loaf pan. Just turn on the mixer and add the ingredients--the dough hook (which comes standard with every mixer) does all the mixing and kneading for you. Let it rise in the same bowl, then pull it out and put it in the oven when it's finished rising. Then there's the ice cream making attachment (better than an ice cream machine), the meat grinder, a grain mill for the vegans . . . and if you're actually a good cook already (or related to one), this mixer will carry you to previously undreamt of heights. Its' the one piece of kitchen equiptment I should refuse to do without, if I had to choose. I recommend the professional level, and the 6-quart, because I've never seen anyone sigh and say "I really wish my mixer were less powerful". If you're cooking for a small number, you might want to get the five quart pro, since some readers report difficulties with very small batches in the six quart. And if that's too pricey, even the cheaper models, such as the 4.5-quart Artisan model, are far superior to anything but industrial models; however, I don't recommend getting them just because you like a tilt-head. The reason the more powerful Kitchenaid mixers are bowl-lift is that the motor is very strong and heavy, which would be major drawbacks in a tilt-head . . . IMHO, taking off the paddle before you remove the bowl is a pretty small price to pay for mixer power. And the attachments fit every mixer, including ones made in the 1920s.
- Cuisinart Griddler It's an industrial-strength panini press that converts into a flat griddle. Why get this model, instead of a cheaper George Foreman grill? Well, it's hard to deny that this is rather more attractive than a George Foreman . . . but the reason I got it is so that you can regulate the temperature. If you want the very perfectest pancakes in the entire world, you will use this recipe, and your Cuisinart Griddler (or other electric griddle/skillet) with the temperature set to 350. Perfect pancakes every single time. Obviously, steaks, chicken breasts, and grilled cheese sandwiches also benefit considerably from the ability to control the temperature precisely.
- Panasonic 1350 watt microwave I used to think I didn't want a microwave. Then I moved to London, where I had one, and I realised that I couldn't live without my radioactive friend. This model, which I picked up from Costco for $99, is outstanding. It's got a sensor cook/reheat feature that figures out how much cooking things need by the steam they're releasing, a terrific defroster, and a keep warm feature. If you're dieting, try throwing a bag of mixed raw vegetables into the microwave for using the sensor cook setting for raw vegetables, then tossing the perfectly steamed veggies with a little butter, some lemon juice, and a little crushed garlic. Mmmmm. If you're not, six minutes on high will produce the best bacon you ever ate.
- Simac pasta machine If you thought pasta was cheap before, wait until you try it from this machine; a pound of flour and a few (or water, if you're cheap) produces perfect fresh pasta in about 10-15 minutes. All you have to do is slap the plate on for the kind of pasta you want (it comes with six plates, and you can order more, like lasagna or gnocchi, from Simac). Then cut the noodles as they're extruded and throw them into boiling water (salted, please!) for a few minutes. If you've been spending money on the "fresh" pasta in the supermarket, this will pay for itself within a few months. Obviously, if you don't eat a lot of pasta, or are perfectly content with dry pasta, I wouldn't recommend this; it will just take up space. Probably the single best feature of the machine is the ability to make ravioli; if you order the lasagna plate from Simac, you can turn out noodles of perfectly even length, so that making ravioli is a comparitively trivial matter of dabbing on filling at regular intervals and sealing the edges, rather than the coolie labour it currently involves.
Cleanup looks hard, but is actually easy; everything goes in the dishwasher except the plates, and those you clean just by letting the stuff dry in the plate (perfect for those of us who tend to get vegetative after dinner) and poking it out with a fork or skewer. Super impressive for guests; if you hide the machine before they get there, you can pretend you've been slaving for hours. Not that I'm encouraging you to lie to your guests, or anything.
- Kitchenaid hand mixer Is excellent for little jobs, secondary jobs (excellent for mixing up the pancake batter in the recipe above while the big machine takes on the egg whites), or those who haven't the money or room for a stand mixer. Mine is cobalt blue.
- Cuisinart 12-cup carafeless coffeemaker If I had to compose a poem to one of my appliances, this would be the one. I just got it this year, and I'm afraid I didn't realize just how great it was until I travelled to visit relatives who don't have one. The coffee brews inside the machine, and you press to get a cup; the tray pulls out to accomodate travel mugs. The coffee is perfect, every time; there's a special setting for 1-4 cups so that it doesn't come out too weak or too strong (as it otherwise does in 12-cup machines); it has a programmable timer so you can use it as an alarm; and because there's no carafe, the coffee stays lovely and hot for hours without getting that horrible burned taste. Just how good is this coffee machine? Every person who has visited my house and had coffee there now owns one. Use the gold filter that comes with it for the best results
- Calphalon One frying pans The find of the year, so far as I'm concerned. The problem with nonstick is that you can't use metal utensils, and if anything does stick, you can't get it off; eventually, the nonstick coating gets damaged, and you have to throw it away. The problem with non-nonstick pans is that, well, stuff sticks. Hello, brillo-hands. Calphalon has solved the problem by infusing the nonstick directly into the anodized aluminum, giving you a nonstick pan that you can scour and ding to your heart's content. It's not quite as non-stick as an old style teflon pan, but on the other hand, you're not going to be throwing it out in a few years either. Best damn pan I ever bought. And I haven't even gotten into the lovely, heavy anodized aluminum, which conducts heat evenly and holds it only exactly as long as you want it to. People who haven't had decent pans don't realise how much of a different it makes; it's a lot easier to be a good cook when you don't have things burning over the hot spots, congealing over the cold spots, and tilting every which way. Over the long run, you'll spend a lot less investing in a pan like this, that could last twenty years, then buying and throwing away a series of crap. If you really want to make a splash--for yourself or someone you know who's setting up house--then you simply can't do better than this set, which should outlast most marriages, and provide more joy. But at the very least, please please please consider taking a flyer on the frying pans, where it makes the most difference. They can be had cheaply at outlet malls if you know where to look.
- Oxo travel mug See, I'm not trying to get you to spend a zillion dollars; I'm trying to get you to buy really, really awesome stuff. Like this travel mug, which is simply the best travel mug ever. The top screws on so that you can't spill; the insulation keeps coffee hot for hours (I drove from DC to Syracuse with two of 'em last weekend); and there's an ingenious button which closes and opens the hole you drink through. It's easy to operate with one hand, so when you're not drinking, you can close it up again, keeping your coffee hot and spillproof.
Plus, it holds a lot of coffee. And if you're like me, you need a lot of coffee.
- Silicone rolling pin Wow. I got mine for Christmas last year, and . . . quel awesome. You barely need to flour it, which keeps your cakes, cookies and pie crust from getting dry. Plus, they come in fun colours, unlike wooden or marble ones. Silicone cookware is distinctly hit or miss . . . it's floppy, which makes it easy to burn yourself, though it does peel nicely off sticky baked goods. But the rolling pins are a treat--terrific gift for any baker, especially combined with a silicone mat. The long oven mitts are also terrific, and available very cheaply from Costco or Target; you can stick your hands directly in boiling water and feel no pain.
- Ceramic knives from Kyocera are absolutely amazing; the paring knives are thoughtful and very inexpensive. These stay sharp much, much longer than similar steel knives, which is a big plus if you don't know a good knife sharpener. The downside is that they shatter when dropped from high places . . . but most of us can manage not to throw our knives around. Their rotating peeler, which works left-handed, right-handed, and straight on, is also brilliant. And their ceramic slicer is indispensible for turning out quick, even slices of everything from carrot to cucumber to cheese.
- The best chef's knife ever is ridiculously expensive, and utterly worth it. My mother splashed out on this item; now I spend my holidays pining hopelessly for one. The weight and handling are simply perfect.
Incidentally, when knife shopping, the temptation is to buy one of those big, cheap sets. This is all wrong. You really need only three knives: a chef's knife, a serrated knife, and a paring knife. It is better to get three good knives then ten bad ones that will lose their edge ten minutes after you get them home. That doesn't mean you have to get this knife; there are cheaper, very good knives out there. But don't waste money on the pretty, colour coordinated sets--unless you're trying to decorate the kitchen with knives you'll never use.
- Microplane graters are inexpensive and indispensable. Orange and lemon zest dress up any dish, especially vegetables, and anyone who bakes will need them from time to time. This does the job perfectly, leaving all the bitter white rind on the fruit where it belongs, while getting all the tasty zest. For singles or couples, it's also a perfect way to grate just as much cheese as you need; just put cheese and grater on the table and serve yourself.
- By request: my Automeasure spice carousel I've been surprised, actually at how many people have asked where I got this . . . even before I showed them how twisting the bottom of the spice canister automatically measures out 1/4 teaspoon of spice. They are set up so that you can stack them into one tall carousel . . . the arrangement that has attracted all my guests has four of them stacked on atop the other. It can also be mounted under your cupboard, which I would do if I had more cupboards. The only downside--a very modest one--is that very grainy spices such as salts and baking soda do not measure well with the twist mechanism, though you can still store them in the carousel and measure it out the top in the normal way. (An added bonus is that the mouths of the bottles are wider than those of normal spice jars for easy measuring). But everything else works beautifully. My sister has this model, which isn't as good looking (IMHO), but has twelve spices per-carousel instead of eight, and a little shaker lid for each spice, if you're into that sort of thing.
- Assorted very cheap items You probably wouldn't give one of these as a gift, but they might make nice stocking stuffers: Baker's Joy, a cooking spray for bakers that replaces buttering and flouring your pans (especially useful on bundt pans); chocolate extract--a tablespoon in any cake or brownie recipe really brings out the deep chocolate flavour; silicone ice cube trays, which make it easy to peel out an individual cube; ice cube mugs so you can cool your drink without diluting it.
Where to buy You can buy on Amazon, obviously; it's convenient, and you'll get a good price. That's where I shop when I know exactly what I want, and will accept no substitute. Costco has a limited selection, but it's generally good stuff; you can get a decent set of entry level cookware, some very okay Henckels knives, and all the mixing bowls and tupperware you'll ever need. Silicone oven mitts are dirt cheap, as are sundries like corkscrews. The appliances are very good, though you don't get much choice. I also highly recommend checking out QVC from time to time; they often have great prices on select brands like Kitchenaid, and every day they have a loss leader called their "Today's Special Value" that is sold well below market price. Of course, your local outlet mall will probably be cheapest of all; who cares if your pan is "slightly irregular", so long as the irregularity is cosmetic? (They almost always are). I got my Calphalon One ten-inch skillet for $20 at a place in upstate New York, courtesy of a microscopic dent in the rim. The problem with all of these, of course, is that you get whatever they have, not exactly what you want. But if you're a woman, you've probably got more than a little of that gathering instinct in the blood. And if you're a man . . . try to think of kitchen gear as a sort of shinier, more portable woolly mammoth. Avoid Wal-Mart and Target; the former gets low prices by cutting out the better models, and the latter favours style over substance. Beyond that, it doesn't really matter where you shop; Kitchenaid, Cuisinart, Panasonic and so forth are excercising increasing price discipline over their categories, so if you're looking for the latest model, you're unlikely to see much difference in prices between, say, Macy's, Nordstrom's, and Bed, Bath & Beyond.
Posted by Jane Galt at November 26, 2006 11:03 AM | TrackBack | Technorati inbound links"); ?>Didn't we establish earlier this year that we're all supposed to be spending the money on travel instead?
Posted by: Paul Zrimsek on November 26, 2006 5:33 PMI've got to ask something odd...
What coffee do you use in that fabulous appliance?
Personally, I get a dark roast Tarrazu Select Estate from a local roaster, but I'm always looking to expand my caffeinated enjoyment. (And yes, I would give a minority interest in my soul for 5 pounds of Blue Mountain to show up at my door.)
Posted by: Off Colfax on November 26, 2006 7:37 PMJG,
That an enterprising merchant of kitchen warez hasn't yet hired you to write product descriptions, is the definitive evidence, enough, that stands "Efficient Market Theory" on its head.
Posted by: Mark E Hoffer on November 26, 2006 8:23 PMHey Jane,
Can you include a link to those fabulous spice rack things you have? I want to ask for them for Xmas but can't remember what they were called. Thanks.
Posted by: Kate on November 26, 2006 8:24 PMI dunno. After letting it sit unused for nearly a year, I tried using that Kitchenaid mixer to make cookies and wound up back with my $20 handheld. It was great for pumpkin bread, however. And it's pretty.
Posted by: Virginia Postrel on November 26, 2006 9:08 PMKate: done
Colfax: I usually use one of three things. 1) House blend from the weird Puerto Rican roaster downtown, when I can get there 2) Green Mountain Coffee's Mocha Java blend (IMHO, the rest of their coffee is terrible, but the Mocha Java's great) and 3) Kona blend from some place near my sister in DC.
Virginia: I am genuinely, truly shocked. What didn't you like about it? Using a handheld feels like bloody torture to me for anything thicker than pancake batter.
Posted by: Jane Galt on November 26, 2006 9:12 PMJane: First of all, you have to understand that before a friend forced her extra handheld mixer on me, I used to make cookies with an antique potato masher. (That was 20 years ago, and I only replaced her mixer a few months back.) So I could just be weird. But I don't use a very runny cookie batter, and it didn't mix together very well.
Posted by: Virginia Postrel on November 26, 2006 9:19 PMGotta put in a plug for the $25 Forschner Victorinox Fibrox Chef's Knife. Easily the quality of many $100 knives. Tried to post a link to my review in an earlier comment, but it appears to have gotten caught in the filter.
Posted by: Frugal Foodie on November 26, 2006 9:27 PMA kitchen is incomplete without a heavy-duty blender that will blend almost anything you would care to eat.
Posted by: CharlesWT on November 26, 2006 9:44 PMI can well understand people who dislike the KitchenAids; several years ago I waxed poetic on the topic over at Epinions.
Now, however, I use the thing at least twice a week, it seems -- for making pizza crust or rolls or bread, or whipped cream or cheesecake or something. The difference is that my family is bigger now, and my kids eat just about everything I put in front of them, which makes cooking more worthwhile. When I wrote that review I didn't think we'd ever "grow into" the Professional, I was wrong. But I believed then and still believe now that the Classic Series would handle everything just as well. For a lot of people, a KitchenAid Professional stand mixer is just going to be over-kill.
PS
I can't recall ever using a mixer to make cookies. For shortbreads and the like I use my food processor, and it's great. For everything else, I mix by hand. I figured out how to soften butter and cream cheese in the microwave without liquefying them, and hand mixing is a snap even if I start out with frozen butter.
Personally, I get a dark roast Tarrazu Select Estate from a local roaster, but I'm always looking to expand my caffeinated enjoyment. (And yes, I would give a minority interest in my soul for 5 pounds of Blue Mountain to show up at my door.)
Depending on what kind of flavor intensity you like, Longbottom's "Black Gold" blend is excellent. It is not widely distributed outside of the Pacific Northwest AFAIK, but Longbottom Coffee & Tea can be purchased online direct.
Somewhat more widely distributed to grocers is the Pete's Coffee brand (Kroger & subsidiaries carry it). Try "Major Dickason's Blend".
Within the state of Colorado, there is the local "Boulder Canyon Coffee" brand, and the Deep Snow blend is among my favorites.
Posted by: anony-mouse on November 26, 2006 10:07 PMI love my Kitchenaid mixer-- I've got a "Professional HD" series mixer, whihc is 5 quarts, but at 475W, is much more powerful than the typical Artisan series. I love it, especially for making bread... but alas, I'm not good at bread, and I love to have fresh bread. Care to link to a good bread machine?
Posted by: LAN3 on November 27, 2006 12:55 AMHere's my review of the Forschner chef's knife, we'll see if it gets through the spam filter this time.
Posted by: Frugal Foodie on November 27, 2006 1:42 AMKnife sharpener: Get the Sharpening Shark. I whisk my knives through it a couple times after every time I wash them and they stay super sharp. The Shark is a small stick jobbie, not an appliance, so I keep it out to remind me to do it.
I have discovered the joys of making homemade yogurt. The Salton 1 qt yogurt maker is on Amazon, as is The Wave yogurt strainer to drain off the whey to make it into mayo, cheese, etc; Yogourmet freeze dried yogurt starter from the Baker's Catalog; and a yogurt cookbook by Uvezian and a Yo-Chee cookbook to help me learn the many ways to use yogurt. It really is good for your whole GI tract. Homemade yogurt is so far superior to readymade at the grocery. I keep gifting this set of stuff to other people to get them hooked, too.
I have a West Bend Traditional Style bread and dough maker (bread machine) that will not die (so I can get the top of the line Zojirushi bread machine); but it does a very good job and I am satisfied. Unfortunately, it's not made any more. If you are setting a timer to start it very early in the morning, you'll want to choose one that is vewwy vewwy qwiet (which mine isn't...it wakes me up). The siblings have the Panasonic bread machine which is silent. What I like about my machine: can select crust color, has a dough cycle, has different bread cycles: basic, whole wheat, sweet, quick bread (no yeast rising but chemical leavening on the last one). It had a really good instructional manual and recipe book which I can't find! Aaargh. Also, 1 1/2 lb or 2 lb setting and SHAPED LIKE A REAL LOAF OF BREAD. Not some little strange cube. There's a great bread machine cookbook by Beth Hensperger that I highly recommend.
Re Kitchen Aid stand mixers, the entry level one at the WalMart will be most suitable for most users. If you do lots of breadmaking or doubled recipes, a larger one would be more suitable. (Note, the citrus juicer attachment is worthless.) Get a higher level hand mixer though, for sure, especially with the soft start feature that won't make the flour fly.
General cookbook recommendation: America's Test Kitchen Cookbook...and their related publishing house products. Cook's Illustrated mag, Cook's Country mag, America's Test Kitchen show on PBS, their website. This is the benchmark! Great equipment, method, recipe, and ingredient/grocery testing. I keep trying recipes that they publish and I am delighted. I absolutely killed and thrilled with their pecan pie recipe at Thanksgiving.
Eating Well magazine is also good.
I like Cook's Essentials cookware for nonstick, from QVC. It has made me a better cook, seriously, and I enjoy cooking a lot more because the pots and pans aren't hell to clean.
OXO Good Grips veggie peeler.
Oven thermometer--makes a huge difference in results.
Double-walled, insulated "air" cookie sheets. No burning.
Kaiser perforated crisping pan for doing frozen french fries, chicken nuggets, etc in the oven and they get super crispy, not sitting in their own grease. Raised ridges and perforations...brilliant design.
Good Wusthof knives--just a few like you say--kept sharp.
Those are the things that have made my cooking life more enjoyable and successful. You can tell I'm a bit of a kitchen freak.
JG,
Some of the Amazon reviews of that pasta maker say you need to cook the pasta as soon as it is made. Can this really be true? Can't you have it hanging around for a while?
I can't imagine this would be a problem for, say, Tortellini in Brodo but I dobn't necessarily want to have to wait until the last minute to make pasta when I have other things to be doing in the kitchen etc etc.
What's your experience been?
Thanks!
Posted by: Alex on November 27, 2006 8:20 AMI've left it sitting out for up to an hour with no apparent loss of consistency; beyond that, I refrigerate it or freeze it. It does tend to clump after sitting out, however, so you have to thoroughly stir when you put it in the boiling water. (Thorough stirring takes care of the problem for me). You can also get one of those dorky looking drying racks.
Posted by: Jane Galt on November 27, 2006 8:59 AMKnives: A paring knife, bread knife, and chef's knife aren't a bad start, but they aren't enough. You also need a good thin carving knive (Hello? Remember Thanksgiving turkey?). Also, I've gotten by for a long time without a boning knife, but I find it annoying at times.
A quality knife set will cost $3-400 but it's nice to have some choices.
I agree that cheap knives are worse than useless: they're annoying as #(%$&* to try to cut anything but boneless ham.
On pans, deglazing will solve your brillo problem and give you a nice sauce, too. No substitute for "stick" pans when it comes to browning stuff for flavor. I wouldn't try french onion soup in a nonstick.
Posted by: Rob Lyman on November 27, 2006 9:23 AMI'm with Paul Zrimsek on this one. I would hope this post forever and ever shuts down that "spend your money on travel instead of flat screen TVs" kick that you occasionally get on.
Posted by: DRB on November 27, 2006 10:36 AMI'm with Paul Zrimsek on this one. I would hope this post forever and ever shuts down that "spend your money on travel instead of flat screen TVs" kick that you occasionally get on.
Posted by: DRB on November 27, 2006 10:40 AMFor good, cheap SMALL knives, you can't beat RADA knives. A paring knife costs less than $5, and they sharpen well, are easy to clean, and last for years.
And for sharpening knives, you can't beat Japanese water stones. The Woodstock 1000-6000 grit double-sided one would be great for household use.
Posted by: SamChevre on November 27, 2006 11:55 AMI would hope this post forever and ever shuts down that "spend your money on travel instead of flat screen TVs" kick that you occasionally get on.
I'd have thought that the similar post Megan did around this time last year would have had the same effect. But the difference between her life-enhancing consumer spending and our empty status-seeking consumer spending is just too great.
FYI, if you try this amazing recipe for bread, you don't even need to knead the bread dough.
Posted by: Stuart Buck on November 27, 2006 12:06 PMStrongest possible agreement on the Kitchenaids and the Kyocera knife. I like the Shun Ken Onion, but I have to say I like my Henkels Professional-S Santoku more. All of these go into the category of "wizard ware", offering capacities unimaginable to our grandparents with no flaws or fuss.
On the fry pan, I will respectfully disagree. The Calphalon One is stick-resistant, not non-stick, and the difference shows. For a truly wizard-ware fry-pan, try one of these http://www.amazon.com/Swiss-Diamond-6428-Nonstick-Cast-Aluminum/dp/B0006DWIEM/sr=1-1/qid=1164646808/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-7386398-7611300?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden . A non-stick pan pressure-infused with industrial diamonds, the surface is vastly harder than normal non-sticks and with astonishing heat conduction capacity (diamond heat conduction is better than silver, let alone copper or aluminum). The only downside is that the handle is screwed on, rather than riveted. If you have the means...
Posted by: Dave on November 27, 2006 12:09 PMFor anyone wondering what DRB and I are on about, a good entry point to the earlier argument is here. How Will Wilkinson's Galt-endorsed claim about "market egalitarianism" fits with the $300 mixer is anyone's guess.
Posted by: Paul Zrimsek on November 27, 2006 12:32 PMThey're not particularly inconsistent. First of all, a Kitchenaid mixer is a lot cheaper than a flat-screen television; second of all, it lasts a lot longer (the one I'm using is almost 20 years old and works as well as the day I bought it; my mother's is 40+ years old, and also works perfectly.) The relative cost of a top line Kitchenaid is probably about $10 or less per year of use; the cost of a flat screen television probably averages out to $300-500 per year of service as the main television in your house. Unlike flat-screen televisions, Kitchenaids last longer than the cheaper models they replace, which makes the TCO lower than it looks; given the need for accessory hardware to go with a good HDTV, that runs the other way with high-end televisions.
Third of all, I'm not claiming it will make you happy; apologies to anyone who thought I was. I am claiming only that it will make you a better, or at least faster, cook, and give you more time to do the things that make you happy, like spending time with your family and friends. Cooking with a Kitchenaid is easier and faster than cooking with lesser equipment, and my post is obviously aimed at people who spend a lot of time cooking; if the last gourmet meal you prepared consisted of a frozen pizza, then obviously you should not waste money on a shiny piece of kitchen decoration. (Lots of people do; please avoid the temptation. Dedicated cooks shown your unused Viking range and top-of-the-line mixer are not oohing and ahing as they leave your house; they are making brutal fun of you. On a more general note, I'd advise against splashing out on the cute coloured models; your Kitchenaid will long outlast your current decor.)
What research we have shows that, on average, new experiences make you happier than the latest technology. I'm sorry that upsets you, or that you have chosen to interpret this as a Blue Stater imposing her latte-loving preferences on The Real America, but I say this as someone who buys high-end computers, wizard electronic foofooraws, and so forth, and is well familiar with the dopamine rush that comes as you survey your cutting edge new equipment. Research (and personal experience) indicates that gadgets increase your net happiness only to the extent that they enable experiences; otherwise, you will quickly acclimate and begin longing for the next toy. I have nothing against flat screen televisions (I've supervised the purchase of four this year for family members), or huge home entertainment systems, or whatever. I just don't think they make you a happier human being. Nor will owning a Kitchenaid, unless it enables you to save time, or enjoy the rewards of preparing gourmet meals.
Posted by: Jane Galt on November 27, 2006 1:11 PMWilkinson: "Qualitative differences between cheap and expensive consumer goods is almost nil." That's between cheap and expensive versions of the same product; if you buy his "98% as good" argument, it doesn't matter that the Kitchenaid is cheaper than a flat-screen, only that it's expensive for a mixer. The best you can say is that you're not wasting as much money. What's frustrating at least two of your readers is not that you're trying to "impose your preferences" but that you keep hewing to arguments like this in the face of personal experience that proves they're rubbish.
You're so close, too! You realize that there are people who get nothing more than that initial dopamine rush out of the same sort of consumer items that bring you lasting enjoyment; it seems such a tiny, tiny step to turn that around and consider the possibility of still other people getting lasting enjoyment out of things that give you only the dopamine rush. But you can't seem to make it!
Posted by: Paul Zrimsek on November 27, 2006 3:24 PMIf click on the link for, say, the mixer and buy something else instead, will you earn something with which to hold off your student loan officer?
Posted by: Roberto Rivera on November 27, 2006 6:18 PMJG,
Seeing that you have a Dell Axim PDA, and you travel, and, obviously, compose text for e-distro---do you have one of these?:
http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-Holographic-Keyboard-20314.shtml
Might want to put one on your list.
Posted by: Mark E Hoffer on November 27, 2006 8:20 PMPaul,
For the sake of argument, a Kitchen Aid is not expensive for a mixer. There truly is no substitute, not a hand-held mixer, not a food processor, nothing. The comparison between the professional $300-350 model (the "HDTV" of appliances) and the basic $200-250 model (the 98% as good).
A question for Jane:
If you only had the 4.5 quart Artisan with the weaker motor, would you be less happy? Do you think you'd look in your kitchen and say to yourself, "Man, I really wish I had the bigger one, that would be so awesome."?
Field evidence: I was given the 7-cup Cuisinart as a gift last year, but will be registering for the 14-cup model when I get married next fall. Do I need it? No, I hardly ever make double pie crusts or huge batches of bean dip. Is the 7-cup 98% as good? Absolutely. But the dopamine shot I'll get every day from looking at the 14-cup model in my nearly professional kitchen is going to be sweet.
Posted by: Frugal Foodie on November 27, 2006 8:37 PMMy third sentence makes more sense corrected:
The comparison should be between the professional $300-350 model (the "HDTV" of appliances) and the basic $200-250 model (the 98% as good).
Posted by: Frugal Foodie on November 27, 2006 8:39 PMI quoted one sentence from Wilkinson before. Here's the one that followed it: "If Deadwood is good on a $2000 plasma screen on HBO, it’s 98% as good on your sister’s giveaway used 19″, a $35 DVD player, and Netflix." If the "basic" Kitchenaid is the mixer equivalent of your sister's giveaway 19" TV, then what's the $40 Hamilton Beach stand mixer? I can well believe that it's not really 98% as good if you're into that sort of thing, but then I'm not the one citing the Wilkinson argument as evidence that other people are wasting their money.
Posted by: Paul Zrimsek on November 27, 2006 9:32 PMSlightly OT: Does anyone know why the KitchenAid mixers are so much more expensive in markets with 220V power? I was looking at buying one here in Australia, and the 4.5 quart model is around A$650, while the 6 quart model is over A$1000; checking on the Amazon UK website, I can see that the smaller model costs approximately twice as much as in North America. Any thoughts?
Posted by: The Blue-Eyed Sheikh on November 28, 2006 6:33 AMFirst guess would that KitchenAid, being primarily an American co., still targets the 110V market. I would think that the 220V units, thereby, are considered 'specialty' items and their resultant production runs are fairly small, leading to higher per-unit costs.
Though, I'd bet if you asked them, they'd give you an answer :)
Posted by: Mark E Hoffer on November 28, 2006 8:03 AMTaking my own advice, I called the KitchenAid Custeromer Experience Center. The 220V units are actually manufactured by a contractor that swaps out the electrical/electronic controls from 110V units. Even more of a headache, at least from a cost point of view, than I suspected. Though, it does confirm that the 220V market is, at this time, considered 'non-core' by KitchenAid.
Posted by: Mark E Hoffer on November 28, 2006 8:21 AMBlue-eyed:
1) Volume. If they sell twice as many mixers in America, the overseas models will cost more due to shorter production runs.
2) Higher voltage motors of the same power take better insulation and more winding turns of thinner wire. If the motors are small enough, and I think reasonable home kitchen appliances would be in this class, that's an intrinsically higher cost, both for the insulation and for the longer time to wind the coils. OTOH, when you get up to several horsepower, 240VAC motors are lighter and cheaper because 120VAC requires excessively thick wires.
3) There may also be differences in regulatory requirements and sales/distribution chains. That is, in some cases Euro or Aussie officials may require safety features such as a blade stop where an American model simply expects you to keep your fingers out (or insane American lawsuits may drive a difference the other way), your country may not have the equivalent of Walmart (it not only sells cheap, but it puts pressure on other American retailers to keep prices down), or you might get hit for the cost of currency conversion, overseas shipping, and customs documentation.
Posted by: markm on November 28, 2006 8:45 AMKitchenAid Update: I gave the KitchenAid a second chance on cookies, with better luck. I did, however, still have to shove the margarine out of the beater a few times before it became blended enough not to stick.
Posted by: Virginia Postrel on November 30, 2006 3:06 PMThis may be worth reading for those who choose to use margarine: http://www.nexusmagazine.com/articles/margarine.html
JG,
Are you fixin' to do a kitchen ingredient compendium as a follow on to this "Special Kitchen Edition" ?
Posted by: Mark E Hoffer on November 30, 2006 8:02 PMI’d like to second Virginia Postrel’s dislike of the kitchenaid.
I bought the 6-quart stainless steel version last December (Sale at Bed, Bath, and Beyond + 20% off coupon + $50 KitchenAid rebate = $250 for a $500 mixer).
The bowl is so large that the mixer does a poor job mixing small quantities of ingredients. I have to constantly scrape the sides of the bowl. I also wish that I had chosen a tilt-head style, as I can’t remove the bowl without spilling batter unless I detach the beater.
I continue to use my handheld kitchenaid mixer for most things because it’s so much easier to throw two small beaters into the dishwasher basket than to wash the stand mixer’s bowl, pouring shield, and beater by hand, then wipe down the mixer base (the “brushed aluminum” accessories on the 6-quart are not dishwasher safe). The stand mixer’s silver finish was damaged when I banged the bowl off of the top of the mixer, and it looks terrible. I do like using my mixer for bread dough and cookie-baking marathons, but most people would be better off with the Artisan 5-quart.
Virginia, everyone knows you should use unsalted butter for baking. Soften a bit before creaming. You want just the right creamed consistency so your cookies don't end up tough.
Yes, for anyone who needs a mixer regularly enough, the basic entry level KA mixer (about $175 at Megalo Mart) is SIGINIFICANTLY better than a $40 Hamilton Beach jobbie. Mum had a Sunbeam MixMaster. Sis gave me her MixMaster when she finally took the plunge and got a KA. I thought the MixMaster was fine until I was at sis' house and used the KA for the first time ever. Then I said I didn't think I could afford one. She pointed out the number of cheaper mixers that don't work as well that we've had to buy over the years cf. the lifetime KA that you designate a recipient for in your will. True dat.
The entry level 4.5 quart KA is fine for most folks. The ginormous ones are impractical unless you do bulk baking/multibatches as pointed out by Mrs. Ewer's frustrations. Industrial KAs are way cool too if you've ever done industrial baking...which I've done a bit of.
I get satisfaction every time I use a well functioning KA and recall my many years of suffering with an inferior mixer.
If you buy preformed refrigerated cookie dough and bake it in the toaster oven, you don't need a mixer anyway at this point in your life (if ever).
On a new note...I don't really like cooking done in a CrockPot, it's too mushy--prechewed texture for the toothless senior citizen crowd. However, I like the CrockPot as a party tool to keep hot food hot when taking party food somewhere. I took a vat of hot buttered corn to a party...and others had theirs in dishes that didn't stay hot in the buffet line. (Big party.) I hate cold hot food. The insulated CrockPot Traveler bag makes sense if you have to heat things up in one location then transport to another location for a soiree.
about.com has some good recipes for making small cheesecakes in a 7" springform pan in the crockpot. It's super-easy and great for a small household, because regular cheesecakes are just too large. Bread and cakes can also be done in the Crock Pot Bread and Cake Pan, if that's something you want to explore, and it works just fine. It may not provide enough marginal utility over standard baking methods to justify its adoption and use.
I didn't mean to sound like one should only have and use nonstick pans. When you desire fond for reductions, of course use a non-nonstick pan. A stick pan? Whatever. But for other cooking without fond, I like the Cooks Essentials nonstick.
Here's an All Clad outlet.
http://www.cookwarenmore.com/
For a Dutch oven (I have and am pleased with 5 quart), enameled cast iron rules. Le Creuset if you're flush with cash, or its Martha Stewart or Staub Basix knockoffs if you're not flush with cash.
Posted by: kentuckyliz on December 2, 2006 11:53 AM"Le Creuset"-- keep an peeled with these guys, many of their items are no longer "Made in France". The sales/personage/ mat exclaim that: "there's no difference", but, other experience indicates the contrary. These guys might be another, formerly great, Brand to cross off the list.
Posted by: Mark E Hoffer on December 2, 2006 12:50 PMI have bad news about the Oxo travel mug. It's great for a while after you first buy it, but then you start to notice the off taste and the horrible chunks of old coffee sludge that slither from the lid when you're washing it. That's when you realize that the nifty push-button lid has a sort of pre-sip antechamber that is completely inaccessible. You can make do for a bit by cramming a cotton swab in there and twisting for awhile. (And the mug is nice enough that I put up with this for several weeks.) But eventually you come to realize that there is a little microcosmic swamp in there of that is impossible to scrub and you will never really rinse away with anything short of a powerwasher. If you keep using it, you're stuck with slurping each day's java through a patina of yesterday's... last week's... that day back in June when you forgot the mug in your hot car all afternoon...
Posted by: Ted Whileman on December 3, 2006 1:15 PMMrs Ewer: the reason it has a bowl-lift is that the motor is very heavy, which would make it hard to lift a tilt-head model--and also would tend to knock a bowl off the mixer, unless it were fastened tight. That's why industrial models tend to be bowl-lift. You get used pretty fast to taking off the paddle before you remove the bowl; indeed, before you said so, I'd never even considered it a chore.
The wide-mouthed bowls are easier to add ingredients too, but make it a little harder to mix small batches; it's a tradeoff. (I have a narrow bowl, and sometimes eye the wide-mouths enviously). However, I am informed that Kitchenaid will be coming out with a smaller 3 quart bowl for little jobs, which should solve your problem.
Posted by: Jane Galt on December 3, 2006 1:27 PMTed . . . I wash mine when I get to work, before the stuff dries on it. You're probably right that if you don't run water through the lid within a few hours, this is not the mug for you.
Posted by: Jane Galt on December 3, 2006 1:48 PMAnd the attachments fit every mixer, including ones made in the 1920s.
Unfortunatly only true for the first-order attachments like the meat grinder, juicer, etc. Sadly, the "second-order" attachments (for instance the vegetable grinder/strainer that attaches to the meat grinder) got changed up a bit during the changeover from cast aluminum to ABS plastic, and you can't (for instance) use the plastic vegetable strainer with one of the old metal meatgrinder. (You can potentially repurpose the aluminum meat grinder as a ray-gun prop the next time you go to a halloween party dressed as a 1950s scifi movie monster.)
Obviously not a huge issue, but if you're jealously eyeing some of the more dust-covered kitchenaid accessories in your (grand)parents' kitchen, just be aware that 100% compatibility is not guaranteed.
Posted by: Doctor Memory on December 3, 2006 6:36 PMSounds like a neat coffeemaker, but my favorite (and of course the best ;) drip machine is this one:
http://www.capresso.com/prod_makers_team.html
I had the prior model (sans thermos carafe) and it lasted about 6 years without fail, burr-grinding and brewing great drip coffee. I now have the new one which is even better: it brews into a thermal carafe, so no burner cooking of coffee or risk of fire from the heating element if the coffee cooks completely out.
As far as the ease-of-use to quality ratio goes, I don't think you'll get a better machine for the money. And I make mine Contra Cafe medium roast.
Posted by: otis wildflower on December 4, 2006 10:35 AMI got a heavy duty baking sheet (one that doesn't bend when you put it in a hot oven) and a silicon mat last Christmas, and I LOVE them. Biscuits, cinammon rolls, french fries, chicken nuggets, etc. bake without sticking to the tray or burning on the bottom. The silicone mat is easy to wash, and the baking sheet stays clean. I'm not a gourmet cook- just a busy mom, but this is a real help in the kitchen.
I also like the Baker's Secret pans for muffins, cakes, etc. They are inexpensive, and the muffins really do just slide right out of the pan. You can get them from Amazon.
Posted by: JeanE on December 4, 2006 10:39 AMComments are Closed.