Knives
Victorinox Fibrox Pro Review: A Long Stretch of Nightly Dinners
Eight months, roughly two hundred and forty dinners, one honing steel. What held up, what annoyed me, and who should actually buy it.
Eight months after retiring a twenty-year-old knife block, a retired chemistry teacher explains why one eight inch blade now does almost all the work in his kitchen.
Eight months, roughly two hundred and forty dinners, one honing steel. What held up, what annoyed me, and who should actually buy it.
One I have used almost every night for eight months. The other I have used at my son's house, where nobody owns a honing steel. Here is where each one earns its place.
Twenty years with eight slots on the counter and I used two of them. Eight months with one knife in a drawer and I have not once missed the block.
Eight months after retiring a twenty-year-old knife block, a retired chemistry teacher explains why one eight inch blade now does almost all the work in his kitchen.
Five steps, in the order that actually matters, plus the reason a sharp edge keeps your eyes drier and your onion sweeter.
Eight months, two hundred dinners, and an honest accounting of what a stamped blade does and does not do for a home cook.
Eight months, roughly ninety dinners, one chip I put there myself. Here is what a six quart enameled cast iron pot actually does in an ordinary kitchen.
One of these pots has been on my stove since March. The other I have only read. That turns out to be a fairer comparison than most, because it forces me to say exactly which differences are real and which are just marketing.
Eight months with the Lodge Essential Enamel 6 quart, told as ten plain reasons it stays on the burner instead of in a cabinet.
A retired chemistry teacher bought one enameled Dutch oven in March. Eight months and about ninety dinners later, here is what he actually thinks of it.
Five steps, the reason behind each one, and the two mistakes that turn a chuck roast into stringy beef in brown water.
What eight months of braises, bread and one chipped rim taught me about the pot everyone recommends.
Eight months, somewhere near sixty cooks, one ruined piece of salmon, and a verdict I did not expect to give.
One of these cookers lives in a drawer and holds a steak at 130 degrees all afternoon. The other lets you watch the bath from your office. A retired chemistry teacher who owns only one of them explains the trade.
A retired chemistry teacher with eight feet of laminate counter explains why the smallest appliance in his kitchen earns its drawer space once or twice a week.
I argued against sous vide for years without ever trying it. Then I bought one in March and cooked chicken, pork chops and eggs until I ran out of arguments.
Five steps, the two temperatures that actually matter, and the ninety seconds at the end that decide whether it looks like dinner or a lab sample.
Eight months, about forty cooks, one pork chop that made me a believer and one chicken breast that did not. Here is what this cooker actually does, and the two numbers in the spec sheet that decide everything.
Eight months, one drawer by the stove, and a lot fewer cuts into the middle of the roast.
One of these lives in my drawer and gets used almost every night. The other I have handled at my son's house and read the listing on. Here is the honest split, including the two things the other one does better.
Ten practical reasons a retired chemistry teacher stopped poking pork chops with his thumb and started reading a number instead.
A February pork loin, an old dial thermometer, and the small tool that finally made Sunday dinner predictable.
Five steps, the numbers behind each one, and the mistakes that cost me a few dry chickens along the way.
Eight months of nightly cooking with one AAA battery, one contradictory spec sheet, and a lot of pork loin. Here is the version I would tell a friend.
Eight months, two loaves a week and a great deal of cookie dough later: what the five quart tilt head mixer does well, and exactly where it stops.
Two mixers, one retired chemistry teacher's kitchen, and the question that actually settles it: do you knead bread, or do you cream butter?
A retired chemistry teacher on what actually changed in his kitchen after eight months with one machine on the counter.
A retired chemistry teacher on the machine that ended his wrist ache, and the three settings he had to learn the hard way.
A retired chemistry teacher's five-step sequence for machine kneading, including the two minutes where most batches actually go wrong.
Eight months of Sunday bread, pizza dough and whipped cream, plus the fine print on weight, warranty and bowl size that nobody reads in the store.
Eight months, roughly two hundred and forty dinners, one honing steel. What held up, what annoyed me, and who should actually buy it.
Eight months, two hundred dinners, and an honest accounting of what a stamped blade does and does not do for a home cook.
Eight months, roughly ninety dinners, one chip I put there myself. Here is what a six quart enameled cast iron pot actually does in an ordinary kitchen.
What eight months of braises, bread and one chipped rim taught me about the pot everyone recommends.
Eight months, somewhere near sixty cooks, one ruined piece of salmon, and a verdict I did not expect to give.
Eight months, about forty cooks, one pork chop that made me a believer and one chicken breast that did not. Here is what this cooker actually does, and the two numbers in the spec sheet that decide everything.
Eight months, one drawer by the stove, and a lot fewer cuts into the middle of the roast.
Eight months of nightly cooking with one AAA battery, one contradictory spec sheet, and a lot of pork loin. Here is the version I would tell a friend.
Eight months, two loaves a week and a great deal of cookie dough later: what the five quart tilt head mixer does well, and exactly where it stops.
Eight months of Sunday bread, pizza dough and whipped cream, plus the fine print on weight, warranty and bowl size that nobody reads in the store.