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    1. Chef knife recommendations?

      Hi everyone! I'm looking for a nice chef knife (or small set of cooking knives) for Christmas. I'm looking around medium end so I'm wanting to spend 100-200 bucks, I'd prefer a small set of 2-4...

      Hi everyone! I'm looking for a nice chef knife (or small set of cooking knives) for Christmas.

      I'm looking around medium end so I'm wanting to spend 100-200 bucks, I'd prefer a small set of 2-4 knives, no large 12-16 sets as I don't believe those are good value.

      I've heard good things about Wusthof and Henckels from my friends but I wanted to get a wider net of recommendations just in case before I made a decision

      21 votes
    2. Travel kit

      I'm trying to put together a small amount of kitchen equipment that I can take with me when we travel. And I'm looking for suggestions. I've been stung by holiday let kitchens before missing...

      I'm trying to put together a small amount of kitchen equipment that I can take with me when we travel. And I'm looking for suggestions. I've been stung by holiday let kitchens before missing seemingly small but essential items.

      So far I've got:

      • Digital scales
      • Good sized chopping board
      • Sharp knife + sharpening stone
      • Peeler
      • Tongs
      • Measuring spoons
      • Small jars of salt, sugar, and oil
      • Coffee grinder (yes it is essential)

      Edit (community suggestions)

      • Swiss army knife
      • Probe thermometer

      Any recommendations on other things you've missed in holiday houses before?

      21 votes
    3. What is your least used piece of kitchen equipment / what do you "regret" buying?

      I've got a small collection of equipment. I've been really cautious about buying more. There are a few things I regret buying. A series of knives that were good enough, but actually garbage,...

      I've got a small collection of equipment. I've been really cautious about buying more. There are a few things I regret buying.

      1. A series of knives that were good enough, but actually garbage, rather than just spending £30 on a victorinox or similar.

      2. A garlic thing which looks cool but is hard to use. Garlic crusher by Royal VKB

      And I was wondering, are there any bits of kit that you thought were going to be great but which ended up in the back of a cupboard or drawer?

      76 votes
    4. Best grill brush?

      So I'm a new grill owner (gas) and don't yet have an actual brush to clean the grates off between use. So far I've just been scraping them clean with whatever I have nearby (foil has worked well...

      So I'm a new grill owner (gas) and don't yet have an actual brush to clean the grates off between use. So far I've just been scraping them clean with whatever I have nearby (foil has worked well enough) but I want to buy an actual brush.

      Thing is, I keep hearing all this horror talk about wire brushes getting lodged in your gut due to them shedding. Any recommendations for a good brush? Either a wire one that is known to be high quality, or a nylon one that is built well? Any other tools you use often on your grill that I should invest in?

      8 votes
    5. Cooking starter kits

      If you were to set up someone with a brand new kitchen, what are the components that you would suggest to them for getting that 80% of functionality for 20% of the investment (Pareto Principle)?...

      If you were to set up someone with a brand new kitchen, what are the components that you would suggest to them for getting that 80% of functionality for 20% of the investment (Pareto Principle)? These are especially things that I would consider to be worth a healthy investment as a buy-once-have-it-forever situation. Some things that come to mind:

      A cast-iron pan: high skillcap and can cook almost any type of food
      Stainless Steel Stock Pot: cooks most things stovetop that the pan can't handle
      Chef's Knife: A good quality, sharp knife makes all the difference in the kitchen
      Mason Jars: Preserve food, bring them to bulk stores, drink water out of them... top-tier utility

      Things that are on the fence in my mind:
      desktop blender/immersion blender/food processor: I love all of these appliances, but how important are they? A food processor is maybe the highest utility & makes meal prep way easier. Also unlocks recipes like hummus and salsa.
      a large cutting board: small cutting boards suck, but how high of a priority is upgrading it?

      Let's have a discussion where you state your case for an individual appliance/tool (or argue one of these suggestions) and see what other people have to say!

      Seeing that this is taking off a bit, I'm going to try compiling some of the response data here:

      Level 0 - Starter Kit

      • Stainless Steel Pan (+3)

      • Aluminum Stock Pot (+3)

      • Vegetable Peeler (+3)

      • Plastic Cutting Board (+3)

      • Spoons / Spatulas / Ladles (+3)

      • Chef's Knife (+2)

      • Paring Knife (+2)

      • Serrated Knife (+1)

      Level 1 - Booster Pack

      • Weighing Scale (+4)
      • Baking Trays (+2)
      Level 1a - Cooking I
      • Immersion Blender (+2)
      • Box Grater (+2)
      • Dutch Oven (+1)
      Level 1b - Baking I
      • 2L jug (+1)
      • Measuring Cup (+2)
      • Pain De Mie Tin (+2)
      • Wire Rack (+1)

      Level 2 - Intermediate

      • Instant Read Thermometer (+1)
      Level 2a - Cooking II
      • Food Processor (+1)
      Level 2b - Baking II
      • Immersion Whisk (+2)

      Level 3 - Advanced

      • Cast Iron Pan
      • Mason Jars
      • Air Fryer
      22 votes
    6. Quality German made knives

      Hello everyone, I'm currently living in Germany and in these few years I've discovered by chance a small but super sharp fruit knife from Solingen (I think the brand was from Rör). I was so amazed...

      Hello everyone,

      I'm currently living in Germany and in these few years I've discovered by chance a small but super sharp fruit knife from Solingen (I think the brand was from Rör). I was so amazed by the sharpness that now I want to buy a chef's knife for myself (budget: up to 60 or 70) and a knife for my dad (budget: up to 30 or 40) as a Christmas gift.

      I've already searched the web for great German knife brands, and it seems these are the ones:

      If someone is looking into this post looking for a budget (but still good) German knife brand, it seems that Rör is that brand.

      But since, I’m looking for advice with this post, I’m no expert on the topic, if there are bad knife makers on this list or great knife makers missing, please tell me, and I'll remove/add them from/to my post. :)

      The knives list below are all that fit the budget I've mentioned. Hohenmoorer and Windmühlen (and this brand only has wooden handles, which I don't like), are just too expensive, so only Friedr. Dick and Wüsthof are left inside my budget, but I could include two more expensive ones from Burgvogel and Friedr. Dick, if it is really, really worth it.


      For myself:


      For my Dad:


      Last questions:

      1. Would you recommend a 20, 21 or a 23 cm blade size? Some knives have different variations of these blade sizes.
      2. Should I care about the material of the knife? I saw someone saying that it should be made of carbon steel (I think?).
      3. Should I already buy a knife sharpener from one of the brands above?
      4. Should I buy one of those knife guard/protector/sleeve to store it on a drawer or something like that?

      That is all, and I want to say thank you in advance for all the replies 🙂

      EDIT: I already bought a knife! Thank you so much for all the help! I've bought the Burgvogel Comfort Line 21 cm, I got a nice discount and bought for €58! I don't know how did I miss it but, Burgvogel has the Comfort Line and Series 4000 which are cheaper and also nice quality, just in case, someone in the future wants more options when looking into a new knife. :) My Dad will have a ProDynamic after reading good things about the quality of the cheaper F. Dick knife series.

      17 votes
    7. How do you feel about safer kitchen knives?

      Kitchen knives are frequently used to stab people. This results in serious injury or often death. Most stabbing murders are perpetrated with kitchen knives, reflecting the huge numbers of knives...

      Kitchen knives are frequently used to stab people. This results in serious injury or often death. Most stabbing murders are perpetrated with kitchen knives, reflecting the huge numbers of knives available (most homes have one), and where most murders happen (in the home). (I'm talking about UK here).

      Kitchen knives have a cutting edge and usually a sharp piercing point. There's nothing that can be done to make the cutting edge safer. But we can look at the pointy tip.

      Pointy tips are useful, but we tend to find that only professional chefs or experienced home cooks use them. Most people cooking at home don't use or need such a pointy tip.

      There are some companies releasing knives without the pointy tip, and I'm interested to know what you think.

      https://twitter.com/JohnHMCrichton/status/1209095901102387200?s=20

      13 votes