$3-400 Kitchen gift? What would you want?

[bibiche]

1 hour ago, gardenmom5 said:

We're less about looks, and more about function.  The cooper is great for function -  you'd get higher egg whites than in a stainless bowl.  

Adding acid to the whites performs the same function as beating in a copper bowl, which is to stabilize the foam. Copper bowls are beautiful though. 🙂

[DawnM]

Our 10 year old Breville convection toaster oven died and I am looking at around $400 to replace it.   So, the decision would be easy.

[cintinative]

This might be already mentioned, but I have a LeCreuset Dutch Oven and use it all the time. I can see it lasting my whole life if I care for it well.

[cintinative]

On 10/22/2020 at 12:28 AM, Patty Joanna said:

Thermapen.  

This!! If she doesn't have one, this is small and I use it nearly every day!

[cintinative]

P.S. @Tap, you give awesome gifts!

[Farrar]

14 hours ago, Spy Car said:

I may have been among those advising you to look at the Tramontina ply.

I recall feeling sheepish recommending pots and pans I've never actually cooks with--and have admitted that freely--but I checked them out in person and (as a person who has a lot of All Clad) have long felt that if someone needed an starter set (or an upgrade from not so good cookware) and could not afford All Clad--that the Tramontina looks amazing (especially for the price).

I've never seen a single person report back that they didn't love the Tramontina ply. All Clad is expensive. Too expensive IMO.

You were! I've had them for ages now. I've also cooked on my mom's All Clad and I feel like the Tramontina are just as good. And I'm incredibly hard on my kitchenware and tools so I know they hold up. I got a good deal on a set on sale, but generally, they're still not "cheap." The tri-ply ones that have the same basic makeup as the All Clad still run about $300 for a basic set. But that's just over half the cost of the All Clad because the All Clad is just super expensive. I know some people like the name enough to buy the AC over Tramontina, but I've bought other pieces for my Tramontina rather than ever trying to "upgrade." I am a bit of a snob about Le Crueset over Lodge... so I guess I get it. But the Tramontina won me over.

[Hannah]

Another vote for Le Creuset cookware.  I got my first piece 15 years ago. We use it daily and its still looking great.

Does she have really good knives?  The top brands here are Wusthof or Zwilling - both German.

 

[gardenmom5]

Ok- what's your favorite thermopen, and why?

meat and candy? just meat?

[KungFuPanda]

When the world was open I often wandered into William Sonoma just to gaze upon their giant $600+ copper pots. 
 

Hey! I’ll bet she doesn’t own a couscoussier!
 

https://www.williams-sonoma.com/m/products/hand-hammered-copper-couscoussier/?cm_cat=Google&sku=2724359&region_id=477610&catalogId=61&cm_ite=2724359&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyp7F677L7AIVzuDICh0EhwCjEAQYBiABEgI8dPD_BwE&cm_ven=PLA&cm_pla=Cookware > Copper Cookware > Specialty Cookware

[Bootsie]

17 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

Ok- what's your favorite thermopen, and why?

meat and candy? just meat?

https://www.thermoworks.com/Thermapens

I have the Thermapent Mk4.  It gives an instant read.  The angled design can be used from the left or the right without hold you hand directly above something hot.  It can be used for meat and candy.  

[Spy Car]

1 hour ago, Dreamergal said:

In my personal experience, the single most important gadget that opened my cooking world up is the mortar and pestle. Personally I like a granite one. Sturdy and so much versatile. I use it from making salsa to pastes to crushing ginger, garlic to making spice powders. 

 

I was about to post on mortar and pestles. I have several.

I was delighted to see that the large classic English apothecary-style made from unglazed clay made by Milton Brook had made a come-back after disappearing from the market.  I've had mine forever. It is not optimal for grinding hard spices (like cumin seeds, etc) but great for "clean" purposes. Making salad dressings, pulverising garlic, etc. I'd wanted to give these as gifts in the past--but they were "gone." Now I see that they are made in Vietnam--not England. Are they as good? I dunno. The larde size if most useful IMO (2 pint) https://www.amazon.com/Milton-Unglazed-Mortar-Pestle-Diameter/dp/B00509XTQS?th=1

For hard spices I have two.

One is a classic Mexican Molcajete that looks almost exactly like this one. Optimal for hard spices. Your grandmother would approve. Not so  good for wet grinds (use above)

 https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/molcajete-lava-stone-mortar-and-pestle/?sku=3983806&cm_ven=PLA&cm_ite=3983806&cm_cat=Google&cm_pla=Local&gclid=CjwKCAjw_sn8BRBrEiwAnUGJDgaG0n8xTdIJ03uRnr75y8J-5_8sZ_podEPXhI-UAzKhGm620rN8NRoChdIQAvD_BwE

Third I have a big one from India made of stone. Is it volcanic? Not sure. Grey stone. Not as pitted as the Mexican Molcajete. Large. Smooth. Works for both wet and hard (buit I would not use it for salad dressings). Your grandmother would really (really) approve of this one. Can't find any pictures online that look similar. 

Bill

[StephanieZ]

Some ideas:

• High quality knives and a sharpener
• An ice cream maker (there's one that is an attachment to her KitchenAid). If you got that, you could continue the theme with a set of cute ice cream bowls and an ice cream scoop.
• A food processor with various attachments. 

 

[cintinative]

1 hour ago, Bootsie said:

https://www.thermoworks.com/Thermapens

I have the Thermapent Mk4.  It gives an instant read.  The angled design can be used from the left or the right without hold you hand directly above something hot.  It can be used for meat and candy.  

 And bread! 😃

[Bootsie]

2 minutes ago, cintinative said:

 And bread! 😃

Yes, it has made all of the difference in the world in baking breads--getting the internal temperature correct rather than relying on thumping and listening for a hollow sound.  It is also wonderful for cakes.   And I have always been so scared of undercooked fish that I had a tendency to overcook it, until I had my Thermapen.

I have even used mine to check pool and bathtub water temps.  

[cintinative]

55 minutes ago, Bootsie said:

 

I have even used mine to check pool and bathtub water temps.  

And to check the calibration on my thermometers for chemistry.  LOL! It has so many uses!

[Spy Car]

@Dreamergal  A photo of my mortar and pestle from India.

Bill

Edited October 24, 2020 by Spy Car

[Tap]

6 hours ago, Dreamergal said:

First of all, you are an awesome gift giver and have received so many great suggestions. 

I cook a lot and though I have a list of gadgets and machines, may I suggest a few workhorses of the kitchen as I call it. The boring every day gadgets that make cooking more a pleasure than a drudgery and also expand the culinary repertoire of cuisines.

In my personal experience, the single most important gadget that opened my cooking world up is the mortar and pestle. Personally I like a granite one. Sturdy and so much versatile. I use it from making salsa to pastes to crushing ginger, garlic to making spice powders. 

 Speaking of spices, I would recommend this book

https://www.amazon.com/Alchemy-Mortar-Pestle-Culinary-Library/dp/1451507119/ref=pd_bxgy_img_2/132-6886331-4303006?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1451507119&pd_rd_r=acde6599-67aa-447e-aeab-ff82f282e8cb&pd_rd_w=nGOhc&pd_rd_wg=bRpNZ&pf_rd_p=ce6c479b-ef53-49a6-845b-bbbf35c28dd3&pf_rd_r=SFTT20JZ6Q5QFGAXMJQF&psc=1&refRID=SFTT20JZ6Q5QFGAXMJQF

This again opened up my world so much more to a world of flavor and taste though I come from a culture heavy in spices.

If she likes to knead and bake, make flat breads, I would recommend a marble slab and a wooden rolling pin. I have used a variety of materials and found this a favorite. So much so, when we bought a house I splurged on a marble island because the surface is the best for it.

This is perfect! She has wanted a mortar and pestle for a while. Mine is marble, and I really love it. I think I may get her a set that book for both of us. LOL 

I gave her an extra wooden rolling pin I had, but would like to get her a good one at some point. What do you like about a wooden pin and marble board?

HMMM. Maybe I will try to theme her big gift around this as well. 

Edited October 24, 2020 by Tap

[BeachGal]

This thread is giving me some good Christmas ideas. I might have to gift myself something too.

If not this time, maybe later she might like a Travel Berkey, 1.5 gallons and takes both the carbon and fluoride filters. It’s smaller than the Big Berkey but big enough for 1-4 people provided it’s refilled as needed. We keep two glass IKEA pitchers on the counter so that there’s always extra. All my kids have a Berkey, too. Considering your daughter’s health issues, this could be a good present at some point.

Does she like sprouts? They’re incredibly high in sulforaphane which is good for ... everything, it seems. I like the Food to Live brand of seeds and use the round, plastic, green sprouters. Mason jars work, too. I plan to switch eventually. We eat big bunches with sprinkles of blue cheese.

[bibiche]

Does she have an Aerogarden or something similar to grow her own greens? 

[Tap]

Ok. So, I think I have a bit of a plan together.

1. marble rolling board . They live in a hot climate and they both love naan. It would be fun to get her a cook book around flat breads.

2. rolling pin. She has a very basic one, and I will need to research a better one. Any suggestions?

3. mortar and pestle. I will probably just get her one to start, but which way to go? Mine is marble with a slight texture etched into it. I works great for hard spices, which is what I wanted it for but that is about it. It is also small enough that it lives in my spice cupboard for easy use.  What style would you start with? Maybe I should theme it a bit with the gift overall? Her husband hates pasta but loves bread. So, I am thinking about one for hard spices to theme around different unique hand ground spices. But, they also eat salads daily and enjoy new salad dressings. One that can handle oils/vinegars would be very handy. Hmmmm. Hard decision. (maybe both? LOL) They both love pesto and guacamole, so that is a thought too.......

4. New spices, vinegars and oils to pair with what ever direction I go. Any suggestions in this area? Especially ones that go with dressings or flat breads? A tiny cast iron pan for spices would be great. I can put it in her stocking LOL Since we open those first, it will really confuse her. Haha

5. Cook book(s) for dressings and flat breads. I will send her the one linked on mortars and pestles, it looks great! Book on spices. I almost sent her one a while back, but didn't. Now, I am glad I didn't so I can pair it with this gift. Any suggestions? That set that was linked was very pretty and has good reviews. She loves real books vs. online. 

 

This will still leave me $100+. Maybe I will give them a bit of cash to buy fresh ingredients for a few nice dinners. 

Edited October 24, 2020 by Tap

[Tap]

dp

Edited October 24, 2020 by Tap

[Selkie]

2 hours ago, Tap said:

4. New spices, vinegars and oils to pair with what ever direction I go. Any suggestions in this area? Especially ones that go with dressings or flat breads? A tiny cast iron pan for spices would be great. I can put it in her stocking LOL Since we open those first, it will really confuse her. Haha

 

This will still leave me $100+. Maybe I will give them a bit of cash to buy fresh ingredients for a few nice dinners. 

For spices, the Spice House is my favorite. They have loads of spices and blends that would go well with dressings or flat breads.

https://www.thespicehouse.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIl_P8pYfO7AIVAq_ICh3zCwhxEAAYASAAEgKBr_D_BwE

Kouzini vinegars are my favorites for dressings. The jalapeño lime white balsamic is my favorite (it is delicious mixed with a bit of stoneground mustard), but all their flavors are great.

https://smile.amazon.com/stores/Kouzini/page/84104D72-B75E-459C-9C3E-754B86A4B9D0?ref_=ast_bln

Since you said they mainly eat plants, I would use the remaining $100 to send them a gorgeous produce box from The Chef's Garden. They supply high end restaurants with produce, and their home delivery boxes are amazing.

https://www.farmerjonesfarm.com

Edited October 24, 2020 by Selkie

[Spy Car]

@Dreamergal @Tap There is a reason I have several mortar and pestle sets.  Each has it's own advantages.

If I could only keep one, It would be the Milton Brook. But it takes more gentle rolling or soft pounding effort when initially grinding hard spices, where the molcajete chews them up easily. Once they are roughed up in the Milton Brook spices can then easy be reduced to a fine powder.

I use the Milton Brook to make fresh salad dressings many times a week. I would not use my molcajete for this purpose.

I'm also happy to grind turmeric, garlic, and/or ginger in the Milton Brook. I don't like using the molcajete for that purpose.

Dreamergal, can you tell what sort of stone my Indian mortar is made from? It is best when pounding a big batch of fresh Indian "curry" pastes. Spices, ginger, garlic, fresh turmeric (haldi), etc). Like "grandmother." LOL. 

I've never been drawn to marble mortars.

Bill

 

 

 

 

[Lori D.]

3 hours ago, Tap said:

...5. Cook book(s) for dressings and flat breads...

...This will still leave me $100+. Maybe I will give them a bit of cash to buy fresh ingredients for a few nice dinners. 

While it's not just flat breads, it has flat bread recipes from around the world, with "how to" photos, and a short section on different flours and grains: The Cook's Encyclopedia of Bread (Ingram & Shapter). While it's not a flat bread (it is yeasted), the Syrian Onion Bread recipe is delicious! 😄 

I know nothing about these:
- Flatbread: Toppings, Dips, and Drizzles (Daulter) -- includes recipes for flatbreads plus dips and drizzles (flavored oils)
- 123 Homemade Flatbread Recipes -- (Francis) flatbread recipes from around the world

We've really enjoyed being gifted with gourmet flavor-infused olive oils and balsamic vinegars for making dressings, and for dipping or drizzling on breads. So maybe that could be part of the $100 still to spend...?

[Spy Car]

3 minutes ago, Dreamergal said:

I am pretty sure unpolished granite hand chipped. 

Like this

What is being made is usually the one used to make masalas and it is a dying art now as pretty much every single person in my mother's generation gave up on it. Extremely tedious. The one that looks like a big mortar and pestle with the stainless steel rod poking out (recent invention we only had ones made entirely of stone) is used for making batter. 

Throwing in a grandmother using the grindstone to make coconut chutney.

 

Yes, looks like the same stone to me. Granite. I wasn't sure. 

I have a beautiful metate (flat grinding stone) that I dragged up from Mexico 40 years ago. But tragically the mano (the "pestle" equivalent) that was custom carved to fit the metate was broken. It still makes me cringe.

I wish someone in my village could carve a replacement. 

I love those "village grandmother" videos BTW.

Bill

 

[Dicentra]

21 hours ago, Spy Car said:

@Dreamergal  A photo of my mortar and pestle from India.

Bill

Bill - here's a grandmother using a mortar and pestle very similar to yours to grind black peppercorns:

Based on my geology lab courses, I'd say it's unpolished granite, as well.  I live in the Canadian Shield - I'm surrounded by ancient granite.  You get to know the look of it. 🙂

 

1 hour ago, Dreamergal said:

I am pretty sure unpolished granite hand chipped. 

Throwing in a grandmother using the grindstone to make coconut chutney.

I have been in love with these grandmother cooking videos ever since I found one months back when I was trying to find examples of someone cutting food against their thumb and found the video of the grandmother using a boti (which you kindly identified for me :)).  You also mentioned a version of a boti used for desiccating coconut and the video you shared above of the grandmother making coconut sambal has her using it at the beginning.

The videos are just so calming and the food looks amazing.  They make me want to get my ingredients as close to the source as I can. 🙂

[Spy Car]

3 minutes ago, Dicentra said:

Bill - here's a grandmother using a mortar and pestle very similar to yours to grind black peppercorns:

Based on my geology lab courses, I'd say it's unpolished granite, as well.  I live in the Canadian Shield - I'm surrounded by ancient granite.  You get to know the look of it. 🙂

 

I have been in love with these grandmother cooking videos ever since I found one months back when I was trying to find examples of someone cutting food against their thumb and found the video of the grandmother using a boti (which you kindly identified for me :)).  You also mentioned a version of a boti used for desiccating coconut and the video you shared above of the grandmother making coconut sambal has her using it at the beginning.

The videos are just so calming and the food looks amazing.  They make me want to get my ingredients as close to the source as I can. 🙂

Thanks for the link and the information on the stone. I figured it was probably granite--but was entirely uncertain about that.

Do you see how Village Grandmother has to slowly bang on the peppercorns to crack them at first? That's what I have to do with both my English clay mortar (even more so) and my Indian granite mortar (which has the advantage of a heavier pestle).

In contrast the Mexican molcajete, being made of volcanic stone (is it black basalt?), is rougher and naturally grabs onto peppercorns or hard seeds like cumin, so the gentle bashing stage is eliminated. One just grinds straight away.

There are tradeoffs.

Bill

 

 

[KungFuPanda]

5 hours ago, Tap said:

Ok. So, I think I have a bit of a plan together.

1. marble rolling board . They live in a hot climate and they both love naan. It would be fun to get her a cook book around flat breads.

2. rolling pin. She has a very basic one, and I will need to research a better one. Any suggestions?

3. mortar and pestle. I will probably just get her one to start, but which way to go? Mine is marble with a slight texture etched into it. I works great for hard spices, which is what I wanted it for but that is about it. It is also small enough that it lives in my spice cupboard for easy use.  What style would you start with? Maybe I should theme it a bit with the gift overall? Her husband hates pasta but loves bread. So, I am thinking about one for hard spices to theme around different unique hand ground spices. But, they also eat salads daily and enjoy new salad dressings. One that can handle oils/vinegars would be very handy. Hmmmm. Hard decision. (maybe both? LOL) They both love pesto and guacamole, so that is a thought too.......

4. New spices, vinegars and oils to pair with what ever direction I go. Any suggestions in this area? Especially ones that go with dressings or flat breads? A tiny cast iron pan for spices would be great. I can put it in her stocking LOL Since we open those first, it will really confuse her. Haha

5. Cook book(s) for dressings and flat breads. I will send her the one linked on mortars and pestles, it looks great! Book on spices. I almost sent her one a while back, but didn't. Now, I am glad I didn't so I can pair it with this gift. Any suggestions? That set that was linked was very pretty and has good reviews. She loves real books vs. online. 

 

This will still leave me $100+. Maybe I will give them a bit of cash to buy fresh ingredients for a few nice dinners. 

Ooooh, that long, tapered, wooden French one.  I don't know what it's called, but I want one.  It looks like this, but I don't know which brand/ source is good.  I'll be @Spy Carknows.  

Also, get her some smoked salt because that's my favorite thing. 😁

Edited October 24, 2020 by KungFuPanda

[Dicentra]

22 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

Thanks for the link and the information on the stone. I figured it was probably granite--but was entirely uncertain about that.

Do you see how Village Grandmother has to slowly bang on the peppercorns to crack them at first? That's what I have to do with both my English clay mortar (even more so) and my Indian granite mortar (which has the advantage of a heavier pestle).

In contrast the Mexican molcajete, being made of volcanic stone (is it black basalt?), is rougher and naturally grabs onto peppercorns or hard seeds like cumin, so the gentle bashing stage is eliminated. One just grinds straight away.

There are tradeoffs.

Bill

 

 

Yeah - the basalt is going to be better at "gripping" things.  (The molcajete should be made of basalt.  Some of the cheaper ones are pressed concrete with basalt chips embedded.)  If you look at basalt under a microscope:

https://www.earth.ox.ac.uk/~oesis/micro/Igneous/index.html#img=basalt1-ppl_pm15-17.jpg

And compare it to granite under a microscope:

https://www.earth.ox.ac.uk/~oesis/micro/Igneous/index.html#img=granite-ppl_pm18-22.jpg

The basalt has a much finer grain and so will give a grippy-er, rougher texture.

And definitely different mortar/pestles for different jobs.  Here the same grandmother is crushing garlic in what I think must be a fired clay set - it doesn't sound like rock when I hear the pestle hitting the mortar:

https://youtu.be/mXjp0-nos50?t=415

@Tap - you've had tons of great suggestions.  If you're going to get a mortar/pestle set, I'd go with the suggestion by @Dreamergal to also get a small cast iron skillet to toast spices.

 

Edited October 24, 2020 by Dicentra

[Spy Car]

11 minutes ago, Dicentra said:

Yeah - the basalt is going to be better at "gripping" things.  (The molcajete should be made of basalt.  Some of the cheaper ones are pressed concrete with basalt chips embedded.)  If you look at basalt under a microscope:

https://www.earth.ox.ac.uk/~oesis/micro/Igneous/index.html#img=basalt1-ppl_pm15-17.jpg

And compare it to granite under a microscope:

https://www.earth.ox.ac.uk/~oesis/micro/Igneous/index.html#img=granite-ppl_pm18-22.jpg

The basalt has a much finer grain and so will give a grippy-er, rougher texture.

And definitely different mortar/pestles for different jobs.  Here the same grandmother is crushing garlic in what I think must be a fired clay set - it doesn't sound like rock when I hear the pestle hitting the mortar:

https://youtu.be/mXjp0-nos50?t=415

@Tap - you've had tons of great suggestions.  If you're going to get a mortar/pestle set, I'd go with the suggestion by @Dreamergal to also get a small cast iron skillet to toast spices.

 

As a test just now, I went in and ground some cumin seed (unroasted, which is harder) in both my molcajete (which is real basalt) and my English clay mortar. 

I almost always go for the molcajete for this job. It just "grabs" well vs the smooth English clay. However, with a little soft "pounding" the results were as good in the English mortar as the molcajete (perhaps even a little smoother). Very close. By "feel" I like the molcajete for this job. But if I could only have one (perish the thought), being able to do clean foods (salad dressings and herbs) or pungent wet foods that I would not want to penetrate (garlic, turmeric, ginger) the English mortar wins. It won't react with anything and resists picking up odors.

I'm keeping them all.

Off to look at the video link.

Bill

 

[Dicentra]

@Tap - if you're going to buy a molcajete, here's a good guide to knowing if you've got a good, authentic one or a cheap cement one:

https://www.mexico1492.com/blogs/noticias/how-do-i-know-my-molcajete-is-a-real-deal

You can't always go by colour - "black is good, grey is bad" isn't always true as there are natural colour variations in the types of basalt.  The link there gives some good tips.

I think I love rocks more than cooking. 😉  But I do like chemistry best and since rocks and cooking are both highly related to chemistry, I'm fascinated by it all!

[Spy Car]

23 minutes ago, Dicentra said:

 

And definitely different mortar/pestles for different jobs.  Here the same grandmother is crushing garlic in what I think must be a fired clay set - it doesn't sound like rock when I hear the pestle hitting the mortar:

https://youtu.be/mXjp0-nos50?t=415

@Tap - you've had tons of great suggestions.  If you're going to get a mortar/pestle set, I'd go with the suggestion by @Dreamergal to also get a small cast iron skillet to toast spices.

 

My first thought was that this one might be made of wood. That may be incorrect, but I've seen wood ones from India. 

 

Bill

[Spy Car]

6 minutes ago, Dicentra said:

@Tap - if you're going to buy a molcajete, here's a good guide to knowing if you've got a good, authentic one or a cheap cement one:

https://www.mexico1492.com/blogs/noticias/how-do-i-know-my-molcajete-is-a-real-deal

You can't always go by colour - "black is good, grey is bad" isn't always true as there are natural colour variations in the types of basalt.  The link there gives some good tips.

I think I love rocks more than cooking. 😉  But I do like chemistry best and since rocks and cooking are both highly related to chemistry, I'm fascinated by it all!

Interesting link.

Someone considering a molcajete should also realize they generally need to be seasoned. Soaked in water, well-scrubbed with stiff brushed. Dried. And then be used to grind batches of white rice until you can grind rice and still have it look white instead of gray. It is a process.

All the excess stone has to be smoothed away prior to use.

Bill

[Dicentra]

8 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

My first thought was that this one might be made of wood. That may be incorrect, but I've seen wood ones from India. 

 

Bill

I think you might be right.  I listened to it again and it has a hollow-type of sound to it that really old, dry wood would give.  Fired clay wouldn't sound that hollow and would have a "clinky-er" sound to it, if that makes sense. 

https://youtu.be/ZuWKwWW9nbk?t=100

I don't speak/understand Spanish (I'm Canadian - we learn French in school :)) but you can see at the point in the video I linked just above that he's doing what you mentioned earlier - grinding without the gentle crushing first.  Even when he starts grinding the salt (which would normally sort of "shoot out" everywhere in a smoother-textured mortar), he can just start grinding.

1 minute ago, Spy Car said:

Interesting link.

Someone considering a molcajete should also realize they generally need to be seasoned. Soaked in water, well-scrubbed with stiff brushed. Dried. And then be used to grind batches of white rice until you can grind rice and still have it look white instead of gray. It is a process.

All the excess stone has to be smoothed away prior to use.

Bill

Yes!  This link talks about how to cure your molcajete:

https://www.rachellaudan.com/2013/07/using-and-choosing-a-mexican-mortar-and-pestle.html

[Spy Car]

1 hour ago, KungFuPanda said:

Ooooh, that long, tapered, wooden French one.  I don't know what it's called, but I want one.  It looks like this, but I don't know which brand/ source is good.  I'll be @Spy Carknows.  

Also, get her some smoked salt because that's my favorite thing. 😁

I'm not sure what those are called. For flatbreads I use a skinny one from India.

I have a large dowell-looking one for rolling pasta, but have had fantasies about getting a large Mattarello. But I've resisted by impulses (thus far )

Oh, and my boy and I smoked a bunch of course Korean sea salt using some seasoned (wee dried) oak wood from trees on our property. I designed some cool labels and gave them out as stocking stuffer gifts to family and neighbors last Christmas. It took about 18 hrs to get the smoke where I wanted. I would spray (mist) the salt from time to time as I understand moisture helps the salt crystals absorb the smoke flavor.

Bill

Edited October 25, 2020 by Spy Car

[Spy Car]

6 minutes ago, Dicentra said:

I think you might be right.  I listened to it again and it has a hollow-type of sound to it that really old, dry wood would give.  Fired clay wouldn't sound that hollow and would have a "clinky-er" sound to it, if that makes sense. 

https://youtu.be/ZuWKwWW9nbk?t=100

I don't speak/understand Spanish (I'm Canadian - we learn French in school :)) but you can see at the point in the video I linked just above that he's doing what you mentioned earlier - grinding without the gentle crushing first.  Even when he starts grinding the salt (which would normally sort of "shoot out" everywhere in a smoother-textured mortar), he can just start grinding.

Yes!  This link talks about how to cure your molcajete:

https://www.rachellaudan.com/2013/07/using-and-choosing-a-mexican-mortar-and-pestle.html

I understood the linked video perfectly, it was almost as if there were subtitles turned on  

The pounding vs grinding thing (to start) is the difference.

It may not be so easy to get a quality molcajete?

You should see my metate. A thing of beauty. I looked for years in Mexico before I found "the one." 

Bill

 

[Spy Car]

A "pro tip" if one uses a smooth (Milton Brook style) mortar and pestle to mash garlic (say as the base for a salad dressing).

The "trick" for success is to add a scant amount of rough salt into the mortar first, then add the garlic cloves.

The salt crystals will stabilize the garlic (holding it in place) so it doesn't go flying out of a smooth mortar.

Bill

[Spy Car]

34 minutes ago, Dreamergal said:

Yes, bamboo probably. Quite useless if you ask me and a recent invention probably as I did not see any of them growing up. Those are more for decoration and the wood absorbs the smell especially of garlic. I am going to be the mortar and pestle snob that I am and say I prefer stone to wood. I am basing it on my experience of seeing serious cooks who all abhor the old grindstone method to make masalas and batter and prefer machines will still use stone for a mortar and pestle for make spice powders. 

It looks calming. Extremely tedious though. I grew up like that even in a city, drawing water from the well with a pulley, taking the husk off the coconut from our tree, picking curry leaves from the garden, fresh food never frozen. It does taste amazing but it is not a sustainable way of life in a modern society and even my mother's generation gave up on it. Machines played a huge role in making masalas and batter when it would take an hour of brute strength to make the coconut smooth for curries which a machine can at the touch of a button. Grinding idli batter is a pain as you would have to either sit on your haunches for hours or stand to get the batter smooth with brute strength. 

I do a mix of both. I do soaking beans, pulses and make batter for idli and dosa, but in a stone grinder machine, masalas in a mixer. I still roast spices and make them fresh with a mortar and pestle and do as much as I can with it because it takes me back home. But I do it as much for the experience as for the memory of my grandmother. 

Yeah, I can't see using wood.

I did get into (mild) trouble last week with Mrs Spy Car--who said she was hankering for a good chili (with beans)--which I made to her delight. The issue was that I roasted some cumin in advance that I intended to grind in my molcajete. But I forgot about it.

I kept tasting the chili and thinking something was wrong. Like the cumin was missing. D'oh!

So with the dinner hour neigh and sides to deal with, I zapped the cumin in a Ninja bullet-style blender. It did a commendable job, but the "stink" remained. LOL. I was in trouble. Wife soaked it in a variety of things. Not happy. I finally used diluted bleach. But I got "the look."

I hate getting "the look."

No amount of convenience if worth that  

Bill

 

 

[Dicentra]

26 minutes ago, Dreamergal said:

It looks calming. Extremely tedious though. I grew up like that even in a city, drawing water from the well with a pulley, taking the husk off the coconut from our tree, picking curry leaves from the garden, fresh food never frozen. It does taste amazing but it is not a sustainable way of life in a modern society and even my mother's generation gave up on it. Machines played a huge role in making masalas and batter when it would take an hour of brute strength to make the coconut smooth for curries which a machine can at the touch of a button. Grinding idli batter is a pain as you would have to either sit on your haunches for hours or stand to get the batter smooth with brute strength. 

I do a mix of both. I do soaking beans, pulses and make batter for idli and dosa, but in a stone grinder machine, masalas in a mixer. I still roast spices and make them fresh with a mortar and pestle and do as much as I can with it because it takes me back home. But I do it as much for the experience as for the memory of my grandmother. 

That's so very true, isn't it?  Because lots of us grew up in places where we didn't have to do that kind of back-breaking work to get food on the table, we tend to romanticize it.  I'm guilty of that myself.  My father was born in Leignitz (now Legnica, Poland) and his family was expelled from the city by the Soviets at the end of WWII.  His mother was a young single mother with two young boys and they traveled with his grandfather to Minden, Germany.  It was an unpleasant journey and when they got to Minden, they lived for years in old army barracks that had no running water and shared outdoor sanitary facilities for the whole block.  After his family moved to Canada when he was 16, they struggled to make ends meet and he never understood the Canadian love/romanticization of camping.  He couldn't understand why anyone would think that sleeping "in the rough" outdoors and on the ground was fun.  To him, that was something you did out of absolute necessity because that's the only choice you had.  It's a very different way of looking at things. 🙂

Back to cooking...  I think toasting spices and toasting nuts before using them are two of the easiest and best ways to really elevate the taste of foods.  If anyone wants to try toasting shelled nuts, just put them on a cookie sheet (single layer) in the oven at 350F until they start to smell toasted - maybe 10 minutes or so?  You have to watch them carefully - they can go from not toasted to burnt very quickly.  Pecans and almonds are my favourite nuts to toast but you can toast any nut.  You can then use them in cooking and baking - or just eat them. 😉  I make a dill almond chicken salad with wild rice where I use toasted almonds - YUM. 🙂

[Spy Car]

4 minutes ago, Dreamergal said:

Dishwasher. I wash my mortar and pestle in the dishwasher. Horrifies DH but it gets the job done.

You may not believe it, but I've never live in a home with either a dishwasher or a microwave. 

It's true.

And the stink issue was not the mortar--Mrs Spy Car could care less about my mortar. It was the plastic blender parts that took on "the funk."

Bill

 

[Spy Car]

17 minutes ago, Dreamergal said:

God love you Bill. In my native country dish washer was not needed because the drudgery of dishes was done mostly by domestic help who came twice a day. But now with the pandemic guess which device has gotten uber popular, yep the dishwasher. When I first came to America and found a machine that actually washed dishes I was dazzled I tell ya, dazzled. Who needs diamonds, give this gal a dishwasher and I am happy. 🤣

That is why I put knives in the dishwasher. 

Mrs Spy Car finds doing dishes relaxing. Therapeutic. And I have learned to work neatly as I cook, cleaning my tools and cutting spaces as I go. And I dry and do the pots.

I think we are the only people left in my village who don't find the idea of getting a dishwasher appealing.

Bill

 

 

[prairiewindmomma]

I’d be willing to live without a dishwasher or microwave if I didn’t have 6 people at home. I will not go without air conditioning in a hot humid climate though.

[Spy Car]

3 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

I’d be willing to live without a dishwasher or microwave if I didn’t have 6 people at home. I will not go without air conditioning in a hot humid climate though.

Here in my village, El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles, it is usually not humid--but it gets very hot.

AC is a necessity--or one suffers.

Bill

 

 

[prairiewindmomma]

Yeah, I think I’d want ac there too—just for the air quality control—and because most construction doesn’t have the thick masonry walls, cool tile floors, cross ventilation + shade + pool to make  no-ac work. 

[Carol in Cal.]

Hey!  A new idea:

https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/all-clad-d5-stainless-steel-pouring-stockpot/?pkey=call-clad-special-values&isx=0.0.10213

I have not noticed this before, but wow...

7 quart stock pot so not overwhelmingly huge

High handle up top and a side handle to hold to pour from

Curved edge for easy and drip less pouring

Lid lock so the lid stays on without holding it on while pouring

And it’s All Clad so it must be easy to clean and have very even heating.

Dang, I am so tempted.  There are several All Clad pots that this would replace, but knowing me I would not want to just get rid of them; I’d want to ‘place’ them, and probably couldn’t.  This solves every issue I have ever had with making soup or noodles or stock, though.  For someone just starting out who doesn’t have a lot of big pots yet, it would be awesome.