Wet or dirty towel. My GF got my oven mittens dirty in something, not sure what it was but it wouldn't leave on it's own like water (probably something with oil). I was getting burned all the time until the washing day.
Here in Europe (Austria) its the most common thing to use a cotton towel and its a bit strange for me to hear, that its in some countries normal to use a paper towel for everything😅
Definitely a person/family by person/family thing. For me, growing up, paper towels were just used as napkins. We always used dish cloths and towels. This was just reaffirmed with my many years in the restaurant industry.
We switched to dish towels and cloth napkins two years ago and it’s been amazing! We have a small laundry basket at the end of the counter and we just wash them regularly, it’s awesome
Though "whetstone" is often mistaken as a reference to the water sometimes used to lubricate such stones, the term is based on the word "whet", which means to sharpen a blade
I had to look this up, because you had me questioning myself 😊. It’s actually called a whetstone. “Whet” refers to the sharpening of a blade. My dad was a master at this. I never learned and ,yes, it is intimidating for me.
I had a vacuum sealer but used it for a month before realizing I didn't really need it, and the bags were expensive, so definitely consider if that's something you really need. The dish towels are a GREAT tip though, i use those and flour sack towels all the time!
You can also remove almost all the air from bags by simply submerging them in water. You don't have to waste a lot of water either, just enough to submerge them while flat will do the trick.
I used to go through paper towel rolls like my life depended on it. 8 months ago I switched to the 90/10 ratio you talked about and one paper towel lasts like 3-6 months. For big spills on the ground I use my dirty towels to take care of it. It’s AMAZING
I have my own towel rotation system, about 4 of them, for many years. As they get dirtier, they go to the end of the line. Fresh new (clean) ones are for polishing glass, my glasses, silverware, water spills, and such. the last ones are used for cleaning up grease, spills on the floor, wiping down my granite counter tops etc. Then into the clothes bin for washing. And then they re appear as the "clean " towels in the rotation.
My trick for ziplocks and "vacuum" sealing when I freeze, particularly, is to keep a small plastic tub aside, deep enough to accommodate the whole bag. I put in the amount I want to store, settle it grab, grab both ends of the zip lock edge, slowly immerse the bag into water in the tub squeezing out the air by side pressure from the water, and zip shut.
Regarding whetstones; make sure you get a good quality one; I had a cheap one from Amazon that felt the same on both the rough and smooth sides and it took 30 mins to get a half decent edge. I recently switched to a King double sided stone and I can immediately feel the difference in rough/smoothness between each side. Took only 5 mins before I had a razor sharp edge
Or invest in a diamond stone like the Sharpal 162N and a leather strop with green compound. I like this one because of the thick metal core. I prefer diamond because it does not need soaking nor flattening... You can also sharpen pretty hard steel with it.
Dishtowels (or teatowels as we call them) are super common for us in the UK, was genuinely shocked when you said you could use 1 or 2 ENTIRE ROLLS of paper towels (kitchen roll to us UK peeps) in a single day, mental!
Absolutely I watched the 1st part in disbelief, we dry kitchenware with them, use them to wipe surfaced (though usually more a dishcloth) mop spills and heat protection. Sucess in your 90% achieved in Britian and Ireland.
Even as an American, I was not raised to use THAT MANY paper towels. I was shocked to hear that too, we might’ve gone through a couple rolls a month. Even still though, I’ve been able to curb my usage of them quite s bit by using dedicated towels to clean the stove and counters
Same from Australia! I wondered what used he was using the paper towels for. Drying as well? We use a cloth or sponge for washing up in the sink, and use that to wipe down benches ect. Then a tea towel to dry and all then reasons he mentioned. Paper towel is for bad messes or soak up fat from bacon.
As a Dutch cook, one of my favorites is the "flessenlikker" (bottle licker). It's a tiny rubber spatula with a straight and a curved edge, mounted perpendicular on a very long, thin handle. It's great for making sure you keep "transfer losses" of viscous ingredients & preparations to a minimum when emptying bottles, pots and bowls.
For people who like Shark Tank, there's a company that made something called the Spatty Daddy just like this hahaha I'm surprised it's not a much more common tool?
Oh maaan, I couldn't imagine cooking half of the meals I cook without my silicone spatula! This one is a must! I think I'll buy one just for the road, airbnbs and all. Great remark
I bought 8 ikea dish towels 2 years ago for like 1-2 dollars a piece, all 8 are still going strong. I went from buying several 12 packs of paper towels a month to only buying a 12 pack ONCE A YEAR. Best switch in the kitchen I ever made
@@BlueGorillaInTheMist the ones I got are dish towels. They aren’t thick like oven towels, but they have a more rough touch to them which is good because they are more durable and last longer. By the end of the week I used 3-4 of these towels and just wash them with my everyday clothes. Making the switch really makes the difference
Love your addition of the kitchen towels! We always have 2 in the kitchen - 1 microfiber one for cleaning up spills (the "dirty" one) and one regular kitchen towel for drying hands, handling hot stuff, etc... (the "clean" one). We go through a roll of paper towels every 2-3 days, mostly because the kids default to just using paper towels and we use them to oil our cast-iron skillets. I can't imagine using 2 per day!
I'm not a professional chef, but worked in gourmet kitchens as a teenager. The chefs all had towels over the shoulder, towels to handle pans, towels everywhere. Yeah - I use a lot of towels when I'm cooking =)
Very good, straightforward session with the knife shapening. At the burr I got alert!! Around sewing machines all my life. Burrs happen on machine needles the same way as knives. People hear the clunk clunking, the struggle, the snags and some of them - get rid of the machine! Sewing machine needles fail at being ground down to sharpness; it's only a needle, throw it away and put in a new one. I have known people to toss perfectly good knives, though; not the $$$ ones, but, still. It''s a miracle, the sewing machine is all right. The knives cut again. There are so many parallels in life. Thank you, my knives are sharper now and I'm happy. I have old cotton houshold linens that I edgestitch after cutting to size. I buy good cotton towels too, when they're on sale. Frugal with paper towels my whole life - rags!. Taught by nuns and my mother.
Another great knife accessory is a leather strop. On a high quality knife used carefully, a leather strop straightens up the edge every time you use it without any any harsh treatment of the edge.
Thank you for this video! When I moved out, my father showed me, how to sharpen a knife. And he did always do a circular movement with the blade. This gives the knife a beautiful, shining edge, even though the burr builds up much slower because much of it is taken away immediately. I tried many different sharpening techniques and found that this keeps stone and knife in better condition than many other techniques, because there is less repetition of the same grain digging a tiny hole in the same part of the blade.
One note on using dishtowels: when using them extensivly, you will want one that is" wet" ie soaked in soap/ bleach water, for general cleaning, and another that is dry, for handling hot items. Wet towels will conduct heat thru them and you can still burn yourself!
Yep, indeed. This is often what the pros do, they keep a bucket of bleach water, or if not bleach, ammonia and water with a towel or two to wipe things down with. Bleach is usually used as it can disinfect as well as clean, but you get bleach hands is the issue. Kenji Lopez-Alt keeps a stack by his side and gets one to wipe down the stove, and to grab pots and pans off the stove, and if he needs to wipe something up, often a sponge is utilized, this being at home mind you.
@@misstweetypie1 For merely wiping down, a dry bar mop is fine for the task, and the wider size is great for folding for protection when getting your hot cast iron skillet out of the oven as the multiple layers help with heat insulation (as long as it's dry). For washing up of hand washables etc, a sponge is what I prefer, dislike wash cloths immensely for washing dishes as I have 2-3 of these, and again, don't get used. I keep 2 sponges, one for wiping counters, the other for dishes
@@johnhpalmer6098 there is this new style of dishcloths that are a spongy cellulose material, they are compostable and last up to a year, I really like them. I think they are called Swedish dish cloths. They combine the best of the sponge and dishcloth IMO and they are washable.
I just subscribed to your channel, after watching your Air fryer episode ( am buying the Cosori 4.0 Le )but this episode was right on as i have found out over the years i have been cooking for myself and use 4 out of the 5 items you discuss, except the the vaccum packages and machine. I feel i'm on the right path. And you are a very good talker and entertainer and your production values are top notch. thanks.
I want to add a trick about storage, been doing this for years. Get a very fine hand sprayer; a former spritzer or similar. Fill it with white vinegar. Open your zip bag, spray liberally into the bag. Put item in, squeeze all the air out and zip. I've kept veggies, everything/anything for a long time fresh as a daisy! AND, if put chunk cheese into it, the longer you have it in your refrig, the more it ages and gets BETTER! hth
@@bowwow7505 I've turned all my friends on to this trick (the the disposable food industry don't want you to hear) and they swear by it. Especially the cheese; it's so expensive to throw what would be perfectly good cheese away.
Starting to build up my collection for my new kitchen. All of your videos have been extremely helpful so thank you!! You’ve inspired me and many others to be creative in the kitchen😌
My dude, put links to the products in the comments! I would totally buy three of those things (I have dish towels). Also, thanks for demystifying the whetstone! I've watched several "knife sharpening 101" TH-cams and they scared me more than helped. Professional knife sharpening is expensive, but dull knives are dangerous. I'm getting that whetstone (if I can find it, hint hint) and trying it out!
Pro tip for a Pro Home Cooks. In regards to using your Microplane with garlic, don't peel it first. The peel will stay on the grating side. It's not a huge thing, but it's a little time saver for the busy home cooking.
I love my microplane and still use my box grater for some tasks. However my favorite grater tool is my Giedel rotary grater that has suction to the countertop. Works wonderfully and quickly for frozen butter for biscuits and pie crusts, potatoes for hash browns, and realllly great for blocks of cheese! Easily cleaned too. My favorite tool.
A professional protective cut-proof glove is a very good if not mandatory investment for me, not only for knifework but also for grating/microplanning. A strop complements the whetstone and steel, along with a honing compound. . .
I have several kitchen pieces of my mother's, box grater, potato peeler, melon ball maker, several spoons. I still use them. Love that feeling of using her tools.
Personally I love a vacuum sealer. It does so much more than just sealing your food for storage. You can packae meat with a marinade, place in freezer, take out and thaw, then you are ready to cook. You can also cook food in the bag in a pot of boiling water. It's so versatile. So many others in the comments need to learn how to use their vaccine sealer.
Hey, I just discovered your channel a few days ago and I've been absolutely loving every single video! I was wondering if you are planning to do a guide on pans/skillets/pots, which materials or coatings to use for which dish. Thanks a lot!
I do all this stuff since i started cooking at home... i never had one of these "normal" sharpeners, or a boxgrater... My dad showed me how to sharpen a knive when i was 8 & the spider is also one of my most used tools - next to my long stainless steel chopsticks (hell i love them) & my kitchen tongs.
The wooden handle spider strainer has one major problem, and it's nothing to do with the wooden handle, but rather it's made completely out of twisted wire. I have one and it's virtually impossible to clean out all the little nooks and crannies. Unless you have a specific use case where they might excel in (they pair well with woks imo), I'd suggest sticking to the other version.
It works well with only boiling or steaming stuff but shouldn't be placed in oil or sauses. It's how they use it in Asia. That stainless steel one is an all-rounder
Thanks, great advice. I use a kitchen rag and kitchen sponge as well in conjunction with a spray bottle with biodegradable washing up liquid diluted to just a bit more concentrated than washing up water. So use it to spray a spill or after cutting meat and wipe down. Also super when washing one or two dishes. Spray and rinse and presto and it is clean. Best labour and water saving when single.
Love linen-towels in the kitchen. Lasts forever. Was bought in the 60s.. and mom used them all the time... And I have used the same towels for almost 20 years... ... Saw that it was much denser voven compared to linen towels from ikea. Great material.
We used to go through a lot of sponges for mopping up spills. I went out to a store and bought a six pack of essentially small dish towels and a six pack of some that have a grittier surface, Now I use both (along with dish towels). The first are for mopping up spills and the ones with a little grit are great for cleaning surfaces. Good video.
Try a "Swedish Dish Towel". They are like highly re-usable paper towels. Compostable. Just the right level of abrasive. They are amazing. Between them and dish towels we go through a roll of regular paper towels about once every 2-3 months
Pour les français, la "poudre" noire qui s'échappe du couteau s'appelle le morfil. C'est en ayant du morfil qu'on sait si on aiguise bien son couteau. Ensuite c'est en n'ayant plus de morfil qu'on sait qu'on a fini d'affûter sa lame. La pierre à eau c'est génial, il faut juste bien comprendre sous quel angle passer sa lame.
Sharpening with a whetstone (wet, soaked or even dry) is very satisfying even if, like me, you aren't really good at it. Even if you accidentally make it blunt, you can always make it right. I always end up with some dull sections, so I'll keep practicing 🤣.
Awesome video Mike! I have an idea for another video you could do: Properly seasoning cast iron/carbon steel skillets/pans as well as how to take care of them (cleaning, storing etc.) Can't be a pro home cook without this knowledge!
I agree with most of what you said, just have a few comments. Microfiber is a great substitute for paper towels for picking up spills. Sturdy linen is a great dishcloth and lasts forever. Loopy ones harbor bacteria. Paper towels are for drying hands. I personally use a whetstone, but keep a sharpener around for houseguests who open boxes with my knives. Box graters are wonderful for getting the kids to help! Vacuum sealing is great, but I’m never using anything but a disposable bag. I gift everyone a spider, I own strainers for sauces, but no colander.
I used to use the microplane for grating hard cheeses... until the SOB's handle broke off in my hand and gouged me pretty bad, even scraping up a bit of my palm holding the cheese. Worst of all, it got blood in some really nice fresh parmesan. Ever since then, I switched to rotary graters when I need a big hunk of cheese grated. Started with one of those little gadgets I saw on Epicurius, but that thing's crank broke after like 10 uses. Finally, switched to the rotary grater attachment for a kitchen aid, and it works perfectly. Just a word to the wise, buying something expensive once is better than buying something cheap several times.
As a woodworker that has done multiple versions of sharpening. I would have avoid wet stones and go diamond (including replacing the standard steel with with a trend diamond sharpening steel). The reasons: Diamonds work better when cutting stainless steel, a ton quicker, a ton cleaner to use.
My favorite part of the video is where he explains how I need to spend $80 dollars on a vacuum sealer so that I don't waste half of a 53 cent cucumber. Did I mention that the specialized bags for the vacuum sealer he recommends cost like $30 dollars per box of 20?
They're much more useful/worth it for large in bulk purchases of meat that have to be broken up before freezing. Or bulk freezing vegetables you grow yourself. The bags can sorta be reused, but it's dubious at best and I wouldn't recommend it for ones that have had meat in them.
Then don't buy it? If you're not going to do large portioning or bulk freezing, then don't get it. If you are though, and want to focus on quality of saving food, then it be worth it. If a 1 time $80 purchase is a lot to you then you should be focusing on other things anyways.
I've been using vacuum sealers for a few years, but am now looking for more environmentally friendly alternatives to the huge amount of plastics they generate. Have you managed to find any?
Wide mouth mason jars can be vacuum sealed if your existing vacuum sealer can use the mason jar attachment or if you have a chamber vacuum sealer depending how deep the chamber is…
Regular (not wide mouth) mason jars, too, actually… I’ve seen attachments for those, too. Or better yet, if you have one of those special vacuum sealable canisters, and if the mason jar fits inside of it either upright or on its side, you can just vacuum seal the canister with the jar inside of it. It will pull the air out of the jar, too, and seal it. Just be sure not to screw the band/ring on the mason jar too tightly so the air can escape-finger-tighten only just like you would if you were using mason jars in a sous vide or for water bath canning. Prying the lids off of the vacuum sealed jars can be difficult. I use something called a Jar Key (looks like am oversized beer bottle opener), which works great for breaking the seal without damaging the lids.
Since I moved into my current apartment, I've just.. not bought paper towels. I keep two waffle-woven cotton rags for cleaning and a stack of super cheap mini washcloths for everything else, and launder them each time I'm doing laundry. At this point, it's not even something I think about. The vacuum sealing for storage bothers me because it's such an insane use of massive amounts of plastic, but if you're throwing away food each week (and you recycle your plastics!!) it might be something to look into.
food storage: I use a vac sealer for bulk freezing of meats bulk refrigeration of vegetables. Not sure about the small rig shown here but looks interesting (preserves half an onion, avocado, etc. We also have gone to deli containers for food storage of leftovers (also works as a "to go" solution for our guests if we have a lot of extra meal leftover. The deli container is perfect. No need for anyone to return it. Reusable. We label with painters tape and marker. Easily stacks in fridge. Saw this on a food channel a while back and will never go back to rubbermaid, etc.
When we play the "what kitchen tool can't you live without" game, it's my Microplane. The one he's using is the Gourmet Series. I have the set which is currently on sale on the Microplane website for a little over $50.00. I can't say enough great things about them. On a side note, I have a very inexpensive tabletop cheese grater that I use when I need a lot of cheese for mac & cheese, nachos, etc. The tabletop unit also grates potatoes and carrots quickly and easily. It saves a lot of time and it cleans easily. The easiest knife sharpener I've ever used is the Sharp Shark. You can get the one that sharpens scissors, too, which is the one I have. It's a simple little device that suctions to your counter. Yes to the towels. I have a bunch and keep a small bucket under my sink to put them in as I use them so they're together in the same spot and easy to throw in the wash once a week. If one gets wet I just lie it on top of the bucket so it dries so the wet towel doesn't just sit in the pile. By the time I have to throw another towel in the bucket the next day the previous dirty towel is dry and I can just throw it inside the bucket and lie the next wet one on top. This prevents mildew from building up if you just throw wet towels on top of each other in the bucket. Once a week I wash them, fold them, and keep them together in a kitchen draw. As far as cleaning goes, I use the towel, sometimes 2 per cooking a meal, to wipe off stuff, dry my hands, etc. But when it comes to actual cleaning, I use paper towels. I saw a special on PBS on cleaning and it showed how when you clean with a rag and use it in different areas how the germs can spread easily. It said the best way to clean is to use paper towels and dispose of them per section of cleaning to prevent spreading germs from area/section to area/section. It completely changed how I clean, especially in the bathroom. I love this channel. I cook a lot. I use a lot of America's Test Kitchen recipes (sausage ragu, chicken piccata, tiramisu, hot fudge sauce, easy strawberry jam, quick biscuits to name a few of my favorite recipes) but I love this channel and use a lot of his tips and I recommend this channel to a lot of people. Thanks for the great content.
@@CassieDavis613 Yes, I did. I bought a 3-pack and gave the other 2 away as Secret Santa gifts. I love it. I have several knives that are my go-tos and just a few swipes on the Sharp Shark once a month or so keeps them sharp.
Wasn't there a Mythbusters where they tested the study showing that a "clean" kitchen that was used everyday but cleaned to be visually clean, not sanitary, was nastier than a grotty "bachelor" kitchen which was only used for microwaving and takeout? I use paper towels whenever I've cooked with raw meat and often with other foodstuffs. I do use towels for everything else. I've discovered the Swedish dishcloths, which are kind of a in-between of paper and cloth. they are made of celluose and cotton and are biodegradible. They come stiff and loosen up when you get them wet, with one side made for scrubbing. They are great for wiping down counters and washing glass. They can also be washed in the top rack of your dishwasher, which saves on having to do laundry. I'm in an apartment and have to pay by the load. Running a load of just my kitchen dishcloths weekly would be $13 a month! I do have some microfiber cloths. I like how they suck up water, but not how they pick up dirt and get stained. The main thing I use my microfiber for is I keep it tucked under the microwave and wipe down the inside if moisture has built up during cooking. That really cuts down on having to clean the microwave. Paper towels for if there are splatters that need to be mopped up and thrown away.
@Blue Gorilla The company is called Microplane. I have several but they have a newer one that's a paddle size that has 2 different size holes on the one paddle. I think it's a great all-around grater if someone were to only get one grater. I just looked it up. It's called the Microplane gourmet series dual grater fine/course. Otherwise, just look thru the Microplane website and see the other graters and items they have.
There are compromises between using a garbage level knife sharpener and a pro-level whetstone. For example, at home I have the Lansky Deluxe Diamond sharpener and a honing steel. The Lansky is basically a jig that maintains the correct angle consistently (multiple angles supported), and has a set of abrasive stones with different grit, from extra coarse (like maybe 60 or 80) to ultra-fine (6000). If you don't want to invest time in practicing with a whetstone free-hand, it's a great option - I've had it for about 10 years and it's a great little tool for all kinds of knives, from kitchen to hunting and pocket knives. P.S. Good vid, I think I need to shift more from paper to cloth towels as well!
I really miss when you and your brother would make stuff on BGE. I know it's pretty far flung, but any ideas in a Christmas where y'all come together no matter how weird things get?
Really well done! I seldom agree with everything a TH-cam chef says but you are spot on my friend. I've been a cutler for over 20 years and I am sure I'm going to learn a lot from watching your videos. I subscribed.
For sharpening, I've found the Spyderco Sharpmaker to be the easiest thing. I've always sucked at sharpening knives before that. With the Sharpmaker, especially once I understood 'back bevels', I could make knives sharp enough to shave with. Setting the geometry to the 30/40 degree angles initially takes a bit. but after that, maintaining the edge is pretty effortless.
My husband was so good at our whetstone. He also used the honing steel and was amazing. I have had a microplane for years. I was glad you used yours for nutmeg. Using a metal strainer makes me shudder. I love my spider. It seems everyone I know has one, and it was only used for Asian food. And no one knows what it is called.
I used to hate microfiber with a passion, and I still agree that you need to have a COTTON dish towel handy as you work, especially if you are using it as heat protection. You can melt microfiber. But - microfiber is fabulous for the kind of clean up where you need to wet down a surface and then wipe it dry. Microfiber absorbs quickly, but best of all, it WRINGS OUT like no natural fiber can. So, I keep a microfiber cloth on hand for washing and wiping my counter tops and other surfaces.
I'm not buying anything microfiber anymore since I heard they shed micro plastic when used & when washed. I've switched to Swedish cleaning cloths, which also replace my sponges. They last well & are easy to disinfect.
the 90% paper towel really suprised me. My parents and grandparents ALWAYS used dish towels. We bought 1 pack of paper towel and used that for multiple years. Basicly only for soda/sauce spills that would instantly ruin a dish towel.
Thank you for the discussion of kitchen tools. My Grandmother was an excellent cook. She believed in pristine linen dish clothes and the use of a wet stone. I bake my own bread so I need the dish cloth for rising and keeping my flat bread moist. I have knives I’d never exposed to a machine sharpener like a pencil sharpener😢. These things are essential kitchen management. I replacing my vacuum sealer and please to look at the mini vacuum sealer you used in the demonstration. I’ve been looking at a spider strainer. It will be very useful. Thanks.
I would love a good recommendation for dish towels! Right now we have more decorative ones, but we need some good quality ones for cooking and cleaning purposes instead- requested by husband who can cook infinitely better than I! Thanks!
Look for Bar Mops. They are high quality dishtowels made specifically for cooking and cleaning. They are made to last, and can be easily cleaned and bleached.
I like and use "salon towels" from Amazon. They are the same size as "dishtowels", but all the same color and texture - usually from Pakistan or India. BE sure to get the "colorfast" ones so they don't fade with washing. I use two or three a day, and keep a stack of a dozen on the counter.
I like to keep linen towels for hand drying and cotton ones for all purposes in the kitchen. I also have a bunch of fine lintless cotton towels that I use for drying glassware and sterling silver cutlery and hollow are.
I'm almost there! Do the towel thing. But I have a set of 30 workhorse "dishcloths" one side is ribbed with extra thick thread that I use for cleaning, to save my towels, and use very little paper toweling, maybe one roll a month. Have a plane grater, love. Have a maintenance and whetstone, but no beautiful Japanese clever, yet lol. Was just looking at those handheld scoop/ mini strainer. Tired of washing the big one. Are the seal bags reusable? I have eliminated all plastic from my kitchen, All Stainless, glass, silicone, or wood/bamboo. But I will check it out, been losing food to freezer burn. Thanks love your channel!
One thing I really dislike about ziplock bags and even more about vacuum sealing: the copious amounts of plastic trash one is producing… I’d rather prepare stuff in a way where I’d store it in a Tupperware container or something similar… Also - Never ever used a box grater and I’m no fan of the microplane thing either. I fell in love with the cheap ikea grater which is a plastic box with a grating lid on it. No spills while grating and everything’s immediately in a box.
I use dishcloths for cleaning, and I wash them every day in this manner: 1) rinse and ring out 2) lay flat in sink and spray on bleach water 3) Pour boiling water over. Now nice and clean and not stinky!
When my parents were trying to do up their kitchen on the cheap they bought a bulk order of 30 tea-towels (we’re British) from a catering supplies firm that was closing down. The firm ended up sending two lots by mistake and we still have over fifty cloths in the house. We run a supper club and so these things get used and abused and I don’t know how anyone survived with just 2-3, let alone just paper towels. That seems insane to me.
Great ideas. I've had a vacuum sealer for the past 2 years. I use it for freezing food thats intended for a while in the freezer, for items that I use on a regular basis that I use quickly, I use ziploc bags as they work out much cheaper. Thanks for sharing, I'm going to invest in a spider now.
For the dish towels, I have installed an Ikea Variera Trash Can behind one of my kitchen door where I throw all my towels, dish cloths etc. Not the best looking, but definitely a cheap solution for 5$
I have a vac sealer that gets minimal usage. It is great however for bulk meat purchases. Every once in a while when the grocery stores have a really good sale on steak, you can rack up and seal them individually, in pairs, or however desired. Also works great to seal up cooked bbq meat. When I fire up the smoker, I like to make it worth my while and cook enough to freeze. Smoked chicken, tri tip, etc do quite well being frozen and reheated when you don't feel like cooking. I have also seen vacuum sealed cooked meal preps where the protein, starch, and vegetable are cooked, sealed, and then frozen.
I've been sharpening the same kitchen knife for 15 years using a pull-through sharpener and it's still razor sharp like it was on day 1. Why would I ever screw around with whet stones when I can get it done this way in seconds? Don't make your life more complicates than it needs to be.
Indeed, I tried the stone thing for some time, yes, it is slightly sharper for a short while, but it doesn't matter that much and it is so much more effort..
@@frydac The betteer ones are stupidly expensive, and they all develop a "dish" (concavity) over time which needs to be flattened with a flattening tool. That's why I love my DMT diamond stones!
Good video - thank you. I’d suggest, though, that a good diamond ‘stone’ is a much easier start for a beginner, as well as a permanent sharpening solution. Done with whetstones, I am. $70 for a heavy diamond steel plate, 600 and 1200 grit, lasts a lifetime - one of my kids will get it. No soaking, no truing; you don’t even need a lubricant, but I do use a little honing oil.
Spider is a very common in every Hong Kong household kitchen, I thought it would be the same in other part of the world until I live in the UK now. The steel spaghettis strainer commonly be found here is way less efficient.
one more thing: get a food processor. it allows you to make chimichurries and bumbu's in a matter of minutes, can't imagine making falafel batter without it. there's so many applications that remove the threshold for lifting up your cooking from mid to pro
I use the little hand towel for cleaning and drying the wet spot around sink and use couple or more a day ! So I pick them up at goodwills and have 30 of it to use ! Dish towels are too big 🤷🏼♀️
I guess you haven't heard of the rolling knife sharpener. I just got the cheaper brand "tumbler" and it works, but there are more options on the original German brand "Horl". So I will be upgrading.
I actually bought a spider a year ago for making pretzels and bagels and didn't think of using it for straining pasta. probably will do that in the future though.
I hate oven mitts and have always used dishcloths. Picked it up from my mum but then I worked in a small restaurant in France (front of house but sometimes helped with prep) and that’s where I really learned that torchons (as they’re called in French) are what the pros use. My husband always says “we have oven mitts you know” but I find them so unwieldy and actually more dangerous for me because I’m not used to them so I can’t get a proper grip on stuff. I also use dishcloths to store fresh herbs in the fridge (moisten them and wrap the herbs up), wrap bread for freezing, and a bunch of other stuff. It’s kind of a cross between the French chef use of torchons and the Japanese furoshiki. They’re so good. I just moved to the US and need to stock up some cloths - all the ones I had in the UK were just my mums grubby old ones but they were too bulky to bring, so it’ll feel like a treat to actually buy some new ones!
My old scratchy washcloths became kitchen rags (not used in bathroom anymore) They get stained drying cast iron pans, bleached when sanitizing counters, generally abused. And when I wash my hands, a dry towel is hanging nearby, not contaminated with raw meat juices.
Also, for those of us without heavy cutting boards, take a towel, wet it, ring it out and lay it flat or folded once under your cutting board. It will hold your board to the counter like glue. And he's right, get a microplane. They're amazing.
Love this!!! HOWEVER, you do NOT want to use a wet towel when handling hot pans. A wet towel conducts heat much better than a dry one!!!
Wet or dirty towel. My GF got my oven mittens dirty in something, not sure what it was but it wouldn't leave on it's own like water (probably something with oil). I was getting burned all the time until the washing day.
yep, experienced that once, won't do it again
heat turns water to steam = burn
Here in Europe (Austria) its the most common thing to use a cotton towel and its a bit strange for me to hear, that its in some countries normal to use a paper towel for everything😅
I go through a large roll every ...4-6 weeks. I think most folks choose towels at some point.
I'm in the USA, and it takes me months to use up a paper towel roll. It is not a country specific thing. more like an individual thing.
Definitely a person/family by person/family thing. For me, growing up, paper towels were just used as napkins. We always used dish cloths and towels. This was just reaffirmed with my many years in the restaurant industry.
So much waste in the US! Landfills full & forests empty. All for feigned convenience.
My partner drives me crazy with using paper towels to dry his hands! I just use them for, like he mentioned, super yucky stuff and dog accidents
We switched to dish towels and cloth napkins two years ago and it’s been amazing! We have a small laundry basket at the end of the counter and we just wash them regularly, it’s awesome
Though "whetstone" is often mistaken as a reference to the water sometimes used to lubricate such stones, the term is based on the word "whet", which means to sharpen a blade
Yes: "Old English hwettan "to whet, sharpen," figuratively "incite, encourage," from Proto-Germanic *hwatjan (source also of Old Norse hvetja "to sharpen, encourage," Middle Low German, Middle Dutch." Let's encourage our knives!
Exactly! Makes me cringe when people imply it means to "wet" with water.🤦🏻♂
Almost. It means to make acute or more keen. You’d think a cook would understand the phrase “whet your appetite” for example.
Thank you that made me wince!
Ive always used a little dishwashing liquid
Thermometer is definitely up there for me along with a bench scraper.
Agreed, bench scraper comes out every single day. Same with the infrared thermometer. It's so nice not to have to guess when things are "hot enough".
One underrated is a pair of long 30cm tweezers for handling meats, pasta, veggies toasting bread. It's a 10/10 cheap tool for everyday use
How is a bench scraper useful when you can use the reverse edge of the knife? I do not understand.
You can put more on it. It's been a total game changer for me
I had to look this up, because you had me questioning myself 😊. It’s actually called a whetstone. “Whet” refers to the sharpening of a blade. My dad was a master at this. I never learned and ,yes, it is intimidating for me.
That is exactly right. Whet not wet.
"To whet (sharpen) one's appetite"
I had a vacuum sealer but used it for a month before realizing I didn't really need it, and the bags were expensive, so definitely consider if that's something you really need. The dish towels are a GREAT tip though, i use those and flour sack towels all the time!
You can also remove almost all the air from bags by simply submerging them in water. You don't have to waste a lot of water either, just enough to submerge them while flat will do the trick.
I buy supermarket (Lidl) cotton bags and find them great for any type of cleaning. They are cheap, sturdy, wash well and are a bag too!
I used to go through paper towel rolls like my life depended on it. 8 months ago I switched to the 90/10 ratio you talked about and one paper towel lasts like 3-6 months.
For big spills on the ground I use my dirty towels to take care of it. It’s AMAZING
I have my own towel rotation system, about 4 of them, for many years. As they get dirtier, they go to the end of the line. Fresh new (clean) ones are for polishing glass, my glasses, silverware, water spills, and such. the last ones are used for cleaning up grease, spills on the floor, wiping down my granite counter tops etc. Then into the clothes bin for washing. And then they re appear as the "clean " towels in the rotation.
@@motomike3475 🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮
When you're not using the grater for cheeses, you can use it to grate the rough skin off your heels in the winter. Grate!
My trick for ziplocks and "vacuum" sealing when I freeze, particularly, is to keep a small plastic tub aside, deep enough to accommodate the whole bag. I put in the amount I want to store, settle it grab, grab both ends of the zip lock edge, slowly immerse the bag into water in the tub squeezing out the air by side pressure from the water, and zip shut.
Use a straw and suck the air out. Zip it almost completely closed with room for the straw to insert. Works great!!
Regarding whetstones; make sure you get a good quality one; I had a cheap one from Amazon that felt the same on both the rough and smooth sides and it took 30 mins to get a half decent edge.
I recently switched to a King double sided stone and I can immediately feel the difference in rough/smoothness between each side.
Took only 5 mins before I had a razor sharp edge
Or invest in a diamond stone like the Sharpal 162N and a leather strop with green compound. I like this one because of the thick metal core. I prefer diamond because it does not need soaking nor flattening... You can also sharpen pretty hard steel with it.
What grit were they? Sounds like it was too high.
@@DoctorMandible it was the same grit as the king one, just made really poorly
Dishtowels (or teatowels as we call them) are super common for us in the UK, was genuinely shocked when you said you could use 1 or 2 ENTIRE ROLLS of paper towels (kitchen roll to us UK peeps) in a single day, mental!
Absolutely I watched the 1st part in disbelief, we dry kitchenware with them, use them to wipe surfaced (though usually more a dishcloth) mop spills and heat protection. Sucess in your 90% achieved in Britian and Ireland.
Yeah, ditto in Canada. I’ve never understood how anyone could use so many paper towels in a day. It’s so wasteful.
Even as an American, I was not raised to use THAT MANY paper towels. I was shocked to hear that too, we might’ve gone through a couple rolls a month. Even still though, I’ve been able to curb my usage of them quite s bit by using dedicated towels to clean the stove and counters
Same from Australia! I wondered what used he was using the paper towels for. Drying as well? We use a cloth or sponge for washing up in the sink, and use that to wipe down benches ect. Then a tea towel to dry and all then reasons he mentioned. Paper towel is for bad messes or soak up fat from bacon.
Same for Germany 😄
As a Dutch cook, one of my favorites is the "flessenlikker" (bottle licker). It's a tiny rubber spatula with a straight and a curved edge, mounted perpendicular on a very long, thin handle.
It's great for making sure you keep "transfer losses" of viscous ingredients & preparations to a minimum when emptying bottles, pots and bowls.
For people who like Shark Tank, there's a company that made something called the Spatty Daddy just like this hahaha
I'm surprised it's not a much more common tool?
I have some silicon spatula’s that I use for the same purpose.
Oh maaan, I couldn't imagine cooking half of the meals I cook without my silicone spatula! This one is a must!
I think I'll buy one just for the road, airbnbs and all. Great remark
It' s called a maryse.
I bought 8 ikea dish towels 2 years ago for like 1-2 dollars a piece, all 8 are still going strong. I went from buying several 12 packs of paper towels a month to only buying a 12 pack ONCE A YEAR. Best switch in the kitchen I ever made
Did you get the super thin white ones with red stripes, or thicker ones like he shows in this video?
@@BlueGorillaInTheMist the ones I got are dish towels. They aren’t thick like oven towels, but they have a more rough touch to them which is good because they are more durable and last longer. By the end of the week I used 3-4 of these towels and just wash them with my everyday clothes. Making the switch really makes the difference
@@Cobey23 🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮
Cool video. The term is based on the word "whet", which means to sharpen a blade, not on the word "wet."
Love your addition of the kitchen towels! We always have 2 in the kitchen - 1 microfiber one for cleaning up spills (the "dirty" one) and one regular kitchen towel for drying hands, handling hot stuff, etc... (the "clean" one). We go through a roll of paper towels every 2-3 days, mostly because the kids default to just using paper towels and we use them to oil our cast-iron skillets. I can't imagine using 2 per day!
I'm not a professional chef, but worked in gourmet kitchens as a teenager. The chefs all had towels over the shoulder, towels to handle pans, towels everywhere. Yeah - I use a lot of towels when I'm cooking =)
Very good, straightforward session with the knife shapening. At the burr I got alert!! Around sewing machines all my life. Burrs happen on machine needles the same way as knives. People hear the clunk clunking, the struggle, the snags and some of them - get rid of the machine! Sewing machine needles fail at being ground down to sharpness; it's only a needle, throw it away and put in a new one. I have known people to toss perfectly good knives, though; not the $$$ ones, but, still. It''s a miracle, the sewing machine is all right. The knives cut again. There are so many parallels in life. Thank you, my knives are sharper now and I'm happy. I have old cotton houshold linens that I edgestitch after cutting to size. I buy good cotton towels too, when they're on sale. Frugal with paper towels my whole life - rags!. Taught by nuns and my mother.
Another great knife accessory is a leather strop. On a high quality knife used carefully, a leather strop straightens up the edge every time you use it without any any harsh treatment of the edge.
Thank you for this video!
When I moved out, my father showed me, how to sharpen a knife. And he did always do a circular movement with the blade. This gives the knife a beautiful, shining edge, even though the burr builds up much slower because much of it is taken away immediately. I tried many different sharpening techniques and found that this keeps stone and knife in better condition than many other techniques, because there is less repetition of the same grain digging a tiny hole in the same part of the blade.
One note on using dishtowels: when using them extensivly, you will want one that is" wet" ie soaked in soap/ bleach water, for general cleaning, and another that is dry, for handling hot items. Wet towels will conduct heat thru them and you can still burn yourself!
Yep, indeed. This is often what the pros do, they keep a bucket of bleach water, or if not bleach, ammonia and water with a towel or two to wipe things down with. Bleach is usually used as it can disinfect as well as clean, but you get bleach hands is the issue. Kenji Lopez-Alt keeps a stack by his side and gets one to wipe down the stove, and to grab pots and pans off the stove, and if he needs to wipe something up, often a sponge is utilized, this being at home mind you.
And they will instantly evaporate, with the steam burning more than just the parts touching the towel!
I usually use a dish cloth (square, a better shape for washing stuff) for wet tasks, and then a dish towel to dry and use as heat protection.
@@misstweetypie1 For merely wiping down, a dry bar mop is fine for the task, and the wider size is great for folding for protection when getting your hot cast iron skillet out of the oven as the multiple layers help with heat insulation (as long as it's dry).
For washing up of hand washables etc, a sponge is what I prefer, dislike wash cloths immensely for washing dishes as I have 2-3 of these, and again, don't get used. I keep 2 sponges, one for wiping counters, the other for dishes
@@johnhpalmer6098 there is this new style of dishcloths that are a spongy cellulose material, they are compostable and last up to a year, I really like them. I think they are called Swedish dish cloths. They combine the best of the sponge and dishcloth IMO and they are washable.
I just subscribed to your channel, after watching your Air fryer episode ( am buying the Cosori 4.0 Le )but this episode was right on as i have found out over the years i have been cooking for myself and use 4 out of the 5 items you discuss, except the the vaccum packages and machine. I feel i'm on the right path. And you are a very good talker and entertainer and your production values are top notch.
thanks.
I want to add a trick about storage, been doing this for years. Get a very fine hand sprayer; a former spritzer or similar. Fill it with white vinegar. Open your zip bag, spray liberally into the bag. Put item in, squeeze all the air out and zip.
I've kept veggies, everything/anything for a long time fresh as a daisy!
AND, if put chunk cheese into it, the longer you have it in your refrig, the more it ages and gets BETTER! hth
Hmmm, interesting
@@bowwow7505 I've turned all my friends on to this trick (the the disposable food industry don't want you to hear) and they swear by it. Especially the cheese; it's so expensive to throw what would be perfectly good cheese away.
Discovered your channel on the weekend,and now binge watching, loving all your work🙋♀️your amazing
👋 From Australia 😁
Omg me too! I discovered this channel last night and have binge watched nonstop 🍻
@@notrn.l8r94 it's just so addictive 😁
Starting to build up my collection for my new kitchen. All of your videos have been extremely helpful so thank you!! You’ve inspired me and many others to be creative in the kitchen😌
My dude, put links to the products in the comments! I would totally buy three of those things (I have dish towels). Also, thanks for demystifying the whetstone! I've watched several "knife sharpening 101" TH-cams and they scared me more than helped. Professional knife sharpening is expensive, but dull knives are dangerous. I'm getting that whetstone (if I can find it, hint hint) and trying it out!
I know right, I tried to find the link to the spider skimmer, was clicking around all his general links in the description, couldn't find it
Pro tip for a Pro Home Cooks. In regards to using your Microplane with garlic, don't peel it first. The peel will stay on the grating side. It's not a huge thing, but it's a little time saver for the busy home cooking.
I love my microplane and still use my box grater for some tasks. However my favorite grater tool is my Giedel rotary grater that has suction to the countertop. Works wonderfully and quickly for frozen butter for biscuits and pie crusts, potatoes for hash browns, and realllly great for blocks of cheese! Easily cleaned too. My favorite tool.
A professional protective cut-proof glove is a very good if not mandatory investment for me, not only for knifework but also for grating/microplanning. A strop complements the whetstone and steel, along with a honing compound.
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Have you tried Swedish dish cloths? They are awesome, I use much less paper towels now
We don't use dish towels as they harbour germs so washing them daily uses so much water!
I have several kitchen pieces of my mother's, box grater, potato peeler, melon ball maker, several spoons. I still use them. Love that feeling of using her tools.
Personally I love a vacuum sealer. It does so much more than just sealing your food for storage. You can packae meat with a marinade, place in freezer, take out and thaw, then you are ready to cook. You can also cook food in the bag in a pot of boiling water. It's so versatile. So many others in the comments need to learn how to use their vaccine sealer.
Hey,
I just discovered your channel a few days ago and I've been absolutely loving every single video!
I was wondering if you are planning to do a guide on pans/skillets/pots, which materials or coatings to use for which dish.
Thanks a lot!
Whet stone doesn’t mean ‘wet’ - to ‘whet’ is to sharpen, as in knife also as in appetite, nothing to do with water, cheers, love your channel.
you can vacuum seal glass jars as well with an adapter for those who dislike plastic bag overuse
I do all this stuff since i started cooking at home... i never had one of these "normal" sharpeners, or a boxgrater... My dad showed me how to sharpen a knive when i was 8 & the spider is also one of my most used tools - next to my long stainless steel chopsticks (hell i love them) & my kitchen tongs.
Slow clap.
The wooden handle spider strainer has one major problem, and it's nothing to do with the wooden handle, but rather it's made completely out of twisted wire. I have one and it's virtually impossible to clean out all the little nooks and crannies. Unless you have a specific use case where they might excel in (they pair well with woks imo), I'd suggest sticking to the other version.
It works well with only boiling or steaming stuff but shouldn't be placed in oil or sauses. It's how they use it in Asia. That stainless steel one is an all-rounder
Thanks, great advice. I use a kitchen rag and kitchen sponge as well in conjunction with a spray bottle with biodegradable washing up liquid diluted to just a bit more concentrated than washing up water. So use it to spray a spill or after cutting meat and wipe down. Also super when washing one or two dishes. Spray and rinse and presto and it is clean. Best labour and water saving when single.
Hydrogen peroxide to disinfect just about anything - cutting boards, sponges, etc.
Love linen-towels in the kitchen. Lasts forever. Was bought in the 60s.. and mom used them all the time... And I have used the same towels for almost 20 years... ... Saw that it was much denser voven compared to linen towels from ikea. Great material.
We used to go through a lot of sponges for mopping up spills. I went out to a store and bought a six pack of essentially small dish towels and a six pack of some that have a grittier surface, Now I use both (along with dish towels). The first are for mopping up spills and the ones with a little grit are great for cleaning surfaces. Good video.
Just want ya to know you're a fabulous teacher and I learn so much by watching you ... thank you!
Try a "Swedish Dish Towel". They are like highly re-usable paper towels. Compostable. Just the right level of abrasive. They are amazing. Between them and dish towels we go through a roll of regular paper towels about once every 2-3 months
Pour les français, la "poudre" noire qui s'échappe du couteau s'appelle le morfil. C'est en ayant du morfil qu'on sait si on aiguise bien son couteau. Ensuite c'est en n'ayant plus de morfil qu'on sait qu'on a fini d'affûter sa lame.
La pierre à eau c'est génial, il faut juste bien comprendre sous quel angle passer sa lame.
Dieu te bénisse, Jésus est mort pour nos péchés
I was expecting an advertising and you praise the humble towel. You Saint
Sharpening with a whetstone (wet, soaked or even dry) is very satisfying even if, like me, you aren't really good at it. Even if you accidentally make it blunt, you can always make it right.
I always end up with some dull sections, so I'll keep practicing 🤣.
Awesome video Mike! I have an idea for another video you could do: Properly seasoning cast iron/carbon steel skillets/pans as well as how to take care of them (cleaning, storing etc.) Can't be a pro home cook without this knowledge!
Yess! I just got a stainless steel work but I’m worried about seasoning it and taking good care of it
I upgraded my grater last year. Soooo pleased I did! Might have to buy one of those micro dealies
I agree with most of what you said, just have a few comments. Microfiber is a great substitute for paper towels for picking up spills. Sturdy linen is a great dishcloth and lasts forever. Loopy ones harbor bacteria. Paper towels are for drying hands. I personally use a whetstone, but keep a sharpener around for houseguests who open boxes with my knives. Box graters are wonderful for getting the kids to help! Vacuum sealing is great, but I’m never using anything but a disposable bag. I gift everyone a spider, I own strainers for sauces, but no colander.
I used to use the microplane for grating hard cheeses... until the SOB's handle broke off in my hand and gouged me pretty bad, even scraping up a bit of my palm holding the cheese. Worst of all, it got blood in some really nice fresh parmesan. Ever since then, I switched to rotary graters when I need a big hunk of cheese grated. Started with one of those little gadgets I saw on Epicurius, but that thing's crank broke after like 10 uses. Finally, switched to the rotary grater attachment for a kitchen aid, and it works perfectly. Just a word to the wise, buying something expensive once is better than buying something cheap several times.
I thought I was the only one that hated the texture of a microfiber towel.
Great video. Thank you.
I didn’t expect to find so many great tips in this video, cause It played randomly. Very helpful and practical.
Thank you for sharing!
As a woodworker that has done multiple versions of sharpening. I would have avoid wet stones and go diamond (including replacing the standard steel with with a trend diamond sharpening steel). The reasons: Diamonds work better when cutting stainless steel, a ton quicker, a ton cleaner to use.
My favorite part of the video is where he explains how I need to spend $80 dollars on a vacuum sealer so that I don't waste half of a 53 cent cucumber. Did I mention that the specialized bags for the vacuum sealer he recommends cost like $30 dollars per box of 20?
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
They're much more useful/worth it for large in bulk purchases of meat that have to be broken up before freezing. Or bulk freezing vegetables you grow yourself. The bags can sorta be reused, but it's dubious at best and I wouldn't recommend it for ones that have had meat in them.
Then don't buy it? If you're not going to do large portioning or bulk freezing, then don't get it. If you are though, and want to focus on quality of saving food, then it be worth it. If a 1 time $80 purchase is a lot to you then you should be focusing on other things anyways.
You can put something in a zip lock and lower it in water to push the air out and seal it if you want a cheaper method
@@p00ki62 I saw one person do another hack where you get a plastic bag setup that allows you to simply use your vacuum cleaner for it too!
You're such a great genuine person, so knowledgeable and helpful! Thanks for all the tips and blessings on you and your family 🤗✨️
I've been using vacuum sealers for a few years, but am now looking for more environmentally friendly alternatives to the huge amount of plastics they generate. Have you managed to find any?
Wide mouth mason jars can be vacuum sealed if your existing vacuum sealer can use the mason jar attachment or if you have a chamber vacuum sealer depending how deep the chamber is…
Regular (not wide mouth) mason jars, too, actually… I’ve seen attachments for those, too. Or better yet, if you have one of those special vacuum sealable canisters, and if the mason jar fits inside of it either upright or on its side, you can just vacuum seal the canister with the jar inside of it. It will pull the air out of the jar, too, and seal it. Just be sure not to screw the band/ring on the mason jar too tightly so the air can escape-finger-tighten only just like you would if you were using mason jars in a sous vide or for water bath canning. Prying the lids off of the vacuum sealed jars can be difficult. I use something called a Jar Key (looks like am oversized beer bottle opener), which works great for breaking the seal without damaging the lids.
Your fast-paced, enthusiastic presentation makes your content interesting and enjoyable. Many other great cooks are a bit boring! ❤️
Since I moved into my current apartment, I've just.. not bought paper towels. I keep two waffle-woven cotton rags for cleaning and a stack of super cheap mini washcloths for everything else, and launder them each time I'm doing laundry. At this point, it's not even something I think about.
The vacuum sealing for storage bothers me because it's such an insane use of massive amounts of plastic, but if you're throwing away food each week (and you recycle your plastics!!) it might be something to look into.
food storage: I use a vac sealer for bulk freezing of meats bulk refrigeration of vegetables. Not sure about the small rig shown here but looks interesting (preserves half an onion, avocado, etc. We also have gone to deli containers for food storage of leftovers (also works as a "to go" solution for our guests if we have a lot of extra meal leftover. The deli container is perfect. No need for anyone to return it. Reusable. We label with painters tape and marker. Easily stacks in fridge. Saw this on a food channel a while back and will never go back to rubbermaid, etc.
When we play the "what kitchen tool can't you live without" game, it's my Microplane. The one he's using is the Gourmet Series. I have the set which is currently on sale on the Microplane website for a little over $50.00. I can't say enough great things about them. On a side note, I have a very inexpensive tabletop cheese grater that I use when I need a lot of cheese for mac & cheese, nachos, etc. The tabletop unit also grates potatoes and carrots quickly and easily. It saves a lot of time and it cleans easily.
The easiest knife sharpener I've ever used is the Sharp Shark. You can get the one that sharpens scissors, too, which is the one I have. It's a simple little device that suctions to your counter.
Yes to the towels. I have a bunch and keep a small bucket under my sink to put them in as I use them so they're together in the same spot and easy to throw in the wash once a week. If one gets wet I just lie it on top of the bucket so it dries so the wet towel doesn't just sit in the pile. By the time I have to throw another towel in the bucket the next day the previous dirty towel is dry and I can just throw it inside the bucket and lie the next wet one on top. This prevents mildew from building up if you just throw wet towels on top of each other in the bucket. Once a week I wash them, fold them, and keep them together in a kitchen draw.
As far as cleaning goes, I use the towel, sometimes 2 per cooking a meal, to wipe off stuff, dry my hands, etc. But when it comes to actual cleaning, I use paper towels. I saw a special on PBS on cleaning and it showed how when you clean with a rag and use it in different areas how the germs can spread easily. It said the best way to clean is to use paper towels and dispose of them per section of cleaning to prevent spreading germs from area/section to area/section. It completely changed how I clean, especially in the bathroom.
I love this channel. I cook a lot. I use a lot of America's Test Kitchen recipes (sausage ragu, chicken piccata, tiramisu, hot fudge sauce, easy strawberry jam, quick biscuits to name a few of my favorite recipes) but I love this channel and use a lot of his tips and I recommend this channel to a lot of people.
Thanks for the great content.
Did you get your sharp shark from QVC? I enjoyed your comment
@@CassieDavis613 Yes, I did. I bought a 3-pack and gave the other 2 away as Secret Santa gifts. I love it. I have several knives that are my go-tos and just a few swipes on the Sharp Shark once a month or so keeps them sharp.
Wasn't there a Mythbusters where they tested the study showing that a "clean" kitchen that was used everyday but cleaned to be visually clean, not sanitary, was nastier than a grotty "bachelor" kitchen which was only used for microwaving and takeout?
I use paper towels whenever I've cooked with raw meat and often with other foodstuffs. I do use towels for everything else.
I've discovered the Swedish dishcloths, which are kind of a in-between of paper and cloth. they are made of celluose and cotton and are biodegradible. They come stiff and loosen up when you get them wet, with one side made for scrubbing. They are great for wiping down counters and washing glass. They can also be washed in the top rack of your dishwasher, which saves on having to do laundry. I'm in an apartment and have to pay by the load. Running a load of just my kitchen dishcloths weekly would be $13 a month!
I do have some microfiber cloths. I like how they suck up water, but not how they pick up dirt and get stained. The main thing I use my microfiber for is I keep it tucked under the microwave and wipe down the inside if moisture has built up during cooking. That really cuts down on having to clean the microwave. Paper towels for if there are splatters that need to be mopped up and thrown away.
What type of cheese grater is it exactly? If you know the brand and model name, do tell.
@Blue Gorilla The company is called Microplane. I have several but they have a newer one that's a paddle size that has 2 different size holes on the one paddle. I think it's a great all-around grater if someone were to only get one grater. I just looked it up. It's called the Microplane gourmet series dual grater fine/course. Otherwise, just look thru the Microplane website and see the other graters and items they have.
I love the pocket tuck of the dish towel! Yes, thanks for this message.
There are compromises between using a garbage level knife sharpener and a pro-level whetstone. For example, at home I have the Lansky Deluxe Diamond sharpener and a honing steel. The Lansky is basically a jig that maintains the correct angle consistently (multiple angles supported), and has a set of abrasive stones with different grit, from extra coarse (like maybe 60 or 80) to ultra-fine (6000). If you don't want to invest time in practicing with a whetstone free-hand, it's a great option - I've had it for about 10 years and it's a great little tool for all kinds of knives, from kitchen to hunting and pocket knives.
P.S. Good vid, I think I need to shift more from paper to cloth towels as well!
I really miss when you and your brother would make stuff on BGE. I know it's pretty far flung, but any ideas in a Christmas where y'all come together no matter how weird things get?
Bro, you telling don't waste to much papertowels and then you vacuum seal a quarter cucumber... 😂
Top video, even though!
Really well done! I seldom agree with everything a TH-cam chef says but you are spot on my friend. I've been a cutler for over 20 years and I am sure I'm going to learn a lot from watching your videos. I subscribed.
Nice! I already use 3 of 5 when I cook, but will adopt at least the knife sharpening thing as well! 👌
For sharpening, I've found the Spyderco Sharpmaker to be the easiest thing. I've always sucked at sharpening knives before that. With the Sharpmaker, especially once I understood 'back bevels', I could make knives sharp enough to shave with. Setting the geometry to the 30/40 degree angles initially takes a bit. but after that, maintaining the edge is pretty effortless.
My husband was so good at our whetstone. He also used the honing steel and was amazing.
I have had a microplane for years. I was glad you used yours for nutmeg.
Using a metal strainer makes me shudder. I love my spider. It seems everyone I know has one, and it was only used for Asian food. And no one knows what it is called.
Excellent video clip. I'll be watching this one again for all the ideas you presented. Thanks.
I used to hate microfiber with a passion, and I still agree that you need to have a COTTON dish towel handy as you work, especially if you are using it as heat protection. You can melt microfiber. But - microfiber is fabulous for the kind of clean up where you need to wet down a surface and then wipe it dry. Microfiber absorbs quickly, but best of all, it WRINGS OUT like no natural fiber can. So, I keep a microfiber cloth on hand for washing and wiping my counter tops and other surfaces.
I'm not buying anything microfiber anymore since I heard they shed micro plastic when used & when washed.
I've switched to Swedish cleaning cloths, which also replace my sponges. They last well & are easy to disinfect.
the 90% paper towel really suprised me. My parents and grandparents ALWAYS used dish towels. We bought 1 pack of paper towel and used that for multiple years. Basicly only for soda/sauce spills that would instantly ruin a dish towel.
Thank you for the discussion of kitchen tools. My Grandmother was an excellent cook. She believed in pristine linen dish clothes and the use of a wet stone. I bake my own bread so I need the dish cloth for rising and keeping my flat bread moist. I have knives I’d never exposed to a machine sharpener like a pencil sharpener😢. These things are essential kitchen management. I replacing my vacuum sealer and please to look at the mini vacuum sealer you used in the demonstration. I’ve been looking at a spider strainer. It will be very useful. Thanks.
Thank you!
Thank you for this video it's very helpful.
I would love a good recommendation for dish towels! Right now we have more decorative ones, but we need some good quality ones for cooking and cleaning purposes instead- requested by husband who can cook infinitely better than I! Thanks!
Look for Bar Mops. They are high quality dishtowels made specifically for cooking and cleaning. They are made to last, and can be easily cleaned and bleached.
I like and use "salon towels" from Amazon. They are the same size as "dishtowels", but all the same color and texture - usually from Pakistan or India. BE sure to get the "colorfast" ones so they don't fade with washing. I use two or three a day, and keep a stack of a dozen on the counter.
I like to keep linen towels for hand drying and cotton ones for all purposes in the kitchen. I also have a bunch of fine lintless cotton towels that I use for drying glassware and sterling silver cutlery and hollow are.
My go to is the flour sack towel
I'm almost there! Do the towel thing. But I have a set of 30 workhorse "dishcloths" one side is ribbed with extra thick thread that I use for cleaning, to save my towels, and use very little paper toweling, maybe one roll a month. Have a plane grater, love. Have a maintenance and whetstone, but no beautiful Japanese clever, yet lol. Was just looking at those handheld scoop/ mini strainer. Tired of washing the big one. Are the seal bags reusable? I have eliminated all plastic from my kitchen, All Stainless, glass, silicone, or wood/bamboo. But I will check it out, been losing food to freezer burn. Thanks love your channel!
One thing I really dislike about ziplock bags and even more about vacuum sealing: the copious amounts of plastic trash one is producing… I’d rather prepare stuff in a way where I’d store it in a Tupperware container or something similar…
Also - Never ever used a box grater and I’m no fan of the microplane thing either. I fell in love with the cheap ikea grater which is a plastic box with a grating lid on it. No spills while grating and everything’s immediately in a box.
I use dishcloths for cleaning, and I wash them every day in this manner: 1) rinse and ring out 2) lay flat in sink and spray on bleach water 3) Pour boiling water over. Now nice and clean and not stinky!
When my parents were trying to do up their kitchen on the cheap they bought a bulk order of 30 tea-towels (we’re British) from a catering supplies firm that was closing down. The firm ended up sending two lots by mistake and we still have over fifty cloths in the house. We run a supper club and so these things get used and abused and I don’t know how anyone survived with just 2-3, let alone just paper towels. That seems insane to me.
heads up with the whetstones, get a couple sacrificial knives while you're learning, so you can wear down the knife while you're praciticing
For sharpening, a leather strop is cheap and gives excellent results after stone sharpening. You can even make your own with decent leather.
Great ideas. I've had a vacuum sealer for the past 2 years. I use it for freezing food thats intended for a while in the freezer, for items that I use on a regular basis that I use quickly, I use ziploc bags as they work out much cheaper. Thanks for sharing, I'm going to invest in a spider now.
For the dish towels, I have installed an Ikea Variera Trash Can behind one of my kitchen door where I throw all my towels, dish cloths etc. Not the best looking, but definitely a cheap solution for 5$
really smart. i like your points.
Another lesser known added versatility perk for the microplane is it can also be used as a foot file
I have a vac sealer that gets minimal usage. It is great however for bulk meat purchases. Every once in a while when the grocery stores have a really good sale on steak, you can rack up and seal them individually, in pairs, or however desired. Also works great to seal up cooked bbq meat. When I fire up the smoker, I like to make it worth my while and cook enough to freeze. Smoked chicken, tri tip, etc do quite well being frozen and reheated when you don't feel like cooking.
I have also seen vacuum sealed cooked meal preps where the protein, starch, and vegetable are cooked, sealed, and then frozen.
I like your practicality...really useful...thanks. I actually need these kind of 'simple' yet really useful things
I've been sharpening the same kitchen knife for 15 years using a pull-through sharpener and it's still razor sharp like it was on day 1. Why would I ever screw around with whet stones when I can get it done this way in seconds? Don't make your life more complicates than it needs to be.
Indeed, I tried the stone thing for some time, yes, it is slightly sharper for a short while, but it doesn't matter that much and it is so much more effort..
@@frydac The betteer ones are stupidly expensive, and they all develop a "dish" (concavity) over time which needs to be flattened with a flattening tool. That's why I love my DMT diamond stones!
Good video - thank you. I’d suggest, though, that a good diamond ‘stone’ is a much easier start for a beginner, as well as a permanent sharpening solution. Done with whetstones, I am. $70 for a heavy diamond steel plate, 600 and 1200 grit, lasts a lifetime - one of my kids will get it. No soaking, no truing; you don’t even need a lubricant, but I do use a little honing oil.
Spider is a very common in every Hong Kong household kitchen, I thought it would be the same in other part of the world until I live in the UK now. The steel spaghettis strainer commonly be found here is way less efficient.
#1 must be an American thing. Here in AU "dish towels" or tea towels as we refer to them are pretty common in most houses.
Absolutely adore those blue tiles mate
one more thing: get a food processor. it allows you to make chimichurries and bumbu's in a matter of minutes, can't imagine making falafel batter without it. there's so many applications that remove the threshold for lifting up your cooking from mid to pro
I use the little hand towel for cleaning and drying the wet spot around sink and use couple or more a day ! So I pick them up at goodwills and have 30 of it to use ! Dish towels are too big 🤷🏼♀️
I guess you haven't heard of the rolling knife sharpener. I just got the cheaper brand "tumbler" and it works, but there are more options on the original German brand "Horl". So I will be upgrading.
I actually bought a spider a year ago for making pretzels and bagels and didn't think of using it for straining pasta. probably will do that in the future though.
I hate oven mitts and have always used dishcloths. Picked it up from my mum but then I worked in a small restaurant in France (front of house but sometimes helped with prep) and that’s where I really learned that torchons (as they’re called in French) are what the pros use. My husband always says “we have oven mitts you know” but I find them so unwieldy and actually more dangerous for me because I’m not used to them so I can’t get a proper grip on stuff. I also use dishcloths to store fresh herbs in the fridge (moisten them and wrap the herbs up), wrap bread for freezing, and a bunch of other stuff. It’s kind of a cross between the French chef use of torchons and the Japanese furoshiki. They’re so good. I just moved to the US and need to stock up some cloths - all the ones I had in the UK were just my mums grubby old ones but they were too bulky to bring, so it’ll feel like a treat to actually buy some new ones!
My old scratchy washcloths became kitchen rags (not used in bathroom anymore) They get stained drying cast iron pans, bleached when sanitizing counters, generally abused. And when I wash my hands, a dry towel is hanging nearby, not contaminated with raw meat juices.
Great video, I concur 5 of 5 ✌
Also, for those of us without heavy cutting boards, take a towel, wet it, ring it out and lay it flat or folded once under your cutting board. It will hold your board to the counter like glue. And he's right, get a microplane. They're amazing.