 |
Heck's Kitchen |
Contents Search Feedback Blogs from Heck |
|
|
|
|
Here's where we talk about the toys in our kitchen. We also get to rant about what we chose and didn't choose, and the reasons. EssentialsGrindingOther than the standard oven, stove, knives, pots, and pans, a method of grinding spices and herbs is essential in a high-performance kitchen. I have a lot of different tools for this. I have four favourites, but you really only need one of these; although, if you have to pick one, the mortal and pestle is the one to choose:
Non-EssentialsStupid Stuff You Need But Don't WantStuff We TossedBuilding Stuff that Caused Pain<rant>Now, we're not going to get nasty here, but let me tell you there are some good power tools and some bad power tools, and some power tools are just not as heavy duty as they claim. If, however, you're going to try to do anything with Jatoba, go to a woodworking shop, not a big box store. Working with Jatoba is somewhat like working with cast iron. I've milled both, and there's heating, and sparking, and burning, and slivers the size of small cars. Two very common power planers have been exceeded their design capabilities in under three hours. Be wary of product endorsements. Get some real experience before you buy anything. It will save a lot of pain.</rant>
DisclaimerMany factors went into our decisions, some we're not prepared to discuss, and others we can and will. Some people will agree with us. Others won't. Well, we're just not going to get in the middle of that argument. Do not take anything we talk about as advice in any sense. When it comes to decisions, you're on your own. |
|
Copyright © 2006-2008
Heck's Kitchen
|
The
coffee grinder is a very good way of grinding dry ingredients, when
you're lazy. Just put the stuff in, count to a fixed number (11 is a good
number for filter coffee), which is completely based on how fine you want the
grind, and go. We have two. One for coffee and another for spices. Don't mix
these up, although cinnamon coffee is pretty good.
A
poppy seed grinder is probably the coolest tool for grinding, and
second most used in our kitchen. Put the ingredients in the top, grind, and
go. The trick is tightening the grinder to just the right level and keeping it
clean and oiled. Some things, like mustard seed, don't like an oiled grinder
so you can't use one of these.
A
mortar and pestle is absolutely essential in the kitchen. You can
control the grind far better than any other device, including the above two.
You also have immediate feedback on how coarse or fine a grind you're going to
get. Get one. Get two. You can't go wrong having these. Here's our marble
mortar and pestle, about $10 US. It works pretty well and actually goes in the
dish washer.
If
you want to really impress, an ancient spice grinder is pretty wild. It
takes practice, but also allows fine control of the grind. It'll take
on even hard to grind spices like cinnamon bark. Kris got me this one and I'm
seriously grateful. Thanks Kris. This is really awesome. Pictured here is a
reproduction of a wheel spice grinder. I'm not sure of its actual origins, but
respect the ingenuity of the people who came up with the idea. I can get
anything from coarse shards to a fine dust using it.