having complained above, I must admit there are 4 or 5 places other than my home where I know I can find what I need to cook as I like: my sis, a buddy from high school who lives in south central VA, a buddy from college who lives in Balt. MD, a professor from college, a colleague I work with at school, yup that's about it.
Cooking in Friends' Kitchens
- Thread starter Claire
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
RajunCajun
Assistant Cook
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2005
- Messages
- 30
I'll second using the Knife Safe. I've been using them since I bought my "good knives" and I frequently take them to places where I'm not sure the cutlery will be sharp.
Paul
Paul
Poppinfresh
Senior Cook
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2006
- Messages
- 496
I generally refuse to do it. Since most of my cooking is on the grill or in a smoker...well, let's just say that I've invested *considerably* more into my grills and my smoker than my friends have and the end result is a get what you pay for sort of deal with regards to the hardware ( My best friend's only grill.... My primary grill--or at least it would look that way if it were clean right now..'nuff said). On those rare occasions it can't be avoided (travel, cooking at their place since they have a broken leg or the like, etc.) I've found that it's just best to travel with my own utensils.Roy said:
Macy's has a great grill tool kit that comes in a stainless steel case so I don't have to deal with lousy grill utensils. I've got a full set of ceramic knives I had someone make a travel pouch for me to hold, so I bring those with me (nothing worse than a dull knife), and if the other person's house is local as opposed to halfway across the country, I'll usually bring a couple of signature items from my own shelves instead of using what they have or hoping they have it (aged balsamic, my homemade spice infused olive oils, etc.). It's all the little things people just don't think of. I give them the same recipe I use and they wonder why it doesn't taste as good when they make it--ya try to tell them the 3 dollar bottle of olive oil they got doesn't cut it, nor do their dry herbs and that there are other forms of salt in the world besides Morton's iodized...and they give ya a blank look like you're mad for suggesting they spend an extra few bucks :P.
I'm just too picky and too much of a perfectionist to rely on inferior equipment...it drives me mad.
*Edit: Oh, and a probe thermometer. How people get by without one...I'll never know.
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Claire
Master Chef
Oh, I really feel sorry for you. If you can only cook under perfect conditions, perfect utensils, and perfect ingredients, you are missing some of the most fun, spontaneous food in the world.
Even with my pet peeve, truly bad knives!
Even with my pet peeve, truly bad knives!
Poppinfresh
Senior Cook
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2006
- Messages
- 496
Oh, I *can* cook without perfect conditions...but I don't really enjoy it. I like the science of food; it's fun to me. Years ago, I was pleased when I would make something and it'd just...yanno, turn out. I (and my pallate) have really gotten to the point where the subtle differences really make all the difference in the world to me with regards to taste, now. Nowadays, someone can list a food item and I can conjure up a basic recipe in my head for how to make almost anything mentioned as opposed to my youth when I knew how to make mac and cheese, and everything else required a cookbook--doesn't do it for me. It's having the perfect, the ultimate, dish that really gets me going. I've at some point moved beyond just cooking and into ornate and premium style masterpieces
fireweaver
Senior Cook
Roy, omg, do i have a story for you, re: horrible knives.
a friend once invited me over to dinner, as her daughter was auditioning for a special cooking/restaurant-ing high school program, which required her to prep a meal for 4 & photograph all the steps for a presentation. i'm in the living room chatting with my friend, when i hear this loud clacking noise... sure enough, the kiddo is hacking away at an asian pear, which was supposed to be thinly sliced & fanned out as garnish at the side of a salad, using a crappy ol steak knife. i almost passed out. at this point, we embarked on basic knife safety skills & selection 101, switching the steak knife out for the chefs knife, and the hacking for smooth even slices. the only things available were horrible cheap dull-as-fillibustering SERRATED knives (as in, yes, everything from the chefs to the utility was serrated) in a cheapo set.
after this example of my apparent knowledge, the kiddo asks me if her mom's insistance that (sit down here, people) plain canola-blend cooking oil would sub fine for extra-virgin olive oil in 2 different recipies she was using was a good idea.
my look of horror must have been eloquent enough, because after that, we got to bust out the tiny bottle of evoo that got sent with a gift basket that xmas.
needless to say, my friend doesn't care much for cooking. i offered to take the kiddo for boot camp cooking at my house whenever she wanted.
a friend once invited me over to dinner, as her daughter was auditioning for a special cooking/restaurant-ing high school program, which required her to prep a meal for 4 & photograph all the steps for a presentation. i'm in the living room chatting with my friend, when i hear this loud clacking noise... sure enough, the kiddo is hacking away at an asian pear, which was supposed to be thinly sliced & fanned out as garnish at the side of a salad, using a crappy ol steak knife. i almost passed out. at this point, we embarked on basic knife safety skills & selection 101, switching the steak knife out for the chefs knife, and the hacking for smooth even slices. the only things available were horrible cheap dull-as-fillibustering SERRATED knives (as in, yes, everything from the chefs to the utility was serrated) in a cheapo set.
after this example of my apparent knowledge, the kiddo asks me if her mom's insistance that (sit down here, people) plain canola-blend cooking oil would sub fine for extra-virgin olive oil in 2 different recipies she was using was a good idea.
my look of horror must have been eloquent enough, because after that, we got to bust out the tiny bottle of evoo that got sent with a gift basket that xmas.needless to say, my friend doesn't care much for cooking. i offered to take the kiddo for boot camp cooking at my house whenever she wanted.
Claire
Master Chef
I love cooking stories, and that's a good one! I'm always flattered when people ask me to cook, and helping out in the kitchen is always my first choice of "chores" that need to be done when visiting others' homes. Certain niece & nephews always want to "help" Auntie Claire and there's always something they can do. But I must say, I'm thinking of bringing my own knives on my next trip south!
" give them the same recipe I use and they wonder why it doesn't taste as good when they make it--ya try to tell them the 3 dollar bottle of olive oil they got doesn't cut it, nor do their dry herbs and that there are other forms of salt in the world besides Morton's iodized...and they give ya a blank look like you're mad for suggesting they spend an extra few bucks :P."
yo popinfresh...the case for me was not a cheap bottle of olive oil, but a rancid one...left on the window sill and years old!!! and not dry herbs, but bottles of herbs a decade or more old...no flavor left...just dust. I'm sure you've come across that scene, and yes, things just don't work.
Because I do private chef work I often get, "make that dish we had..." and I look through the kitchen and try to recommend something far simpler based on what I see in the kitchen or pantry.
yo popinfresh...the case for me was not a cheap bottle of olive oil, but a rancid one...left on the window sill and years old!!! and not dry herbs, but bottles of herbs a decade or more old...no flavor left...just dust. I'm sure you've come across that scene, and yes, things just don't work.
Because I do private chef work I often get, "make that dish we had..." and I look through the kitchen and try to recommend something far simpler based on what I see in the kitchen or pantry.
Poppinfresh
Senior Cook
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2006
- Messages
- 496
Urgh, nothing worse than rancid oil.
I'm in the same boat with regards to people "wanting" one thing...and getting something else due to what they have (or don't have, as is more often the case). People have "expectations" of my dishes at this point...and while I can at least make dry herbs that have been kept in decent climate and lack of light work "well enough" by just rubbing them before putting them in the bowl/pot/whatever to get what few essential oils are still in them going, it's amazing how many people have herbs that are just too far gone to be anything but confetti and then wonder why their food doesn't have any herb flavor :P.
People are good learners, though. I have a friend I see once a year in Hawaii that usually ropes me into creating at least one dinner while I'm visiting. Anytime I go down there now, he's always got a crisper full of fresh herbs waiting for me so he doesn't have to hear my grumbling in the kitchen about his stocks :P. Changing the world one eater at a time..
I'm in the same boat with regards to people "wanting" one thing...and getting something else due to what they have (or don't have, as is more often the case). People have "expectations" of my dishes at this point...and while I can at least make dry herbs that have been kept in decent climate and lack of light work "well enough" by just rubbing them before putting them in the bowl/pot/whatever to get what few essential oils are still in them going, it's amazing how many people have herbs that are just too far gone to be anything but confetti and then wonder why their food doesn't have any herb flavor :P.
People are good learners, though
. I have a friend I see once a year in Hawaii that usually ropes me into creating at least one dinner while I'm visiting. Anytime I go down there now, he's always got a crisper full of fresh herbs waiting for me so he doesn't have to hear my grumbling in the kitchen about his stocks :P. Changing the world one eater at a time..
kingfisherfd2
Cook
I have some friends that I will cook at and not bother bringing anything. Kitchenelf and I get to cook together on a regular basis, and I know that I don't need to bring anything with me when I go there, unless I feel like my knives might need retouching.
On the other hand I have friends who's houses are a nightmare to cook at. When that is the case, I bring my sontoku with me, I'm comfortable enough with it to prep anything.
Another one of my friends has a decent kitchen and I'm sure that it will continue to get better.
Overall I think that everyone likes good food, somepeople just don't think that they would be capable of making it. Sometimes I think that it is the tools that they work with that makes it. You can saw wood witha ginszoo knife, but I don't know if you would like the results.
On the other hand I have friends who's houses are a nightmare to cook at. When that is the case, I bring my sontoku with me, I'm comfortable enough with it to prep anything.
Another one of my friends has a decent kitchen and I'm sure that it will continue to get better.
Overall I think that everyone likes good food, somepeople just don't think that they would be capable of making it. Sometimes I think that it is the tools that they work with that makes it. You can saw wood witha ginszoo knife, but I don't know if you would like the results.
urmaniac13
Executive Chef
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2005
- Messages
- 4,764
I would really honestly hate to say things about Cristiano's ex Silvia, l am simply stating a fact here... her kitchen is nothing short of a disaster...
Yes, her knives seem to have been of good qualities but not taken care of for ages, probably since Cristiano left the household some years ago... She owns neither proper cutting board, anything to measure ingredients, rolling pin (she claims she makes her own pasta and do baking... ), potato peeler or garlic crusher, her hand mixer hasn't been functioning for god knows how long, other things she has, she can't find where she has stashed or not in a usable condition... I really don't know how she feeds her children every day... okay, enough of that, by the way...
I disagree with the general notion about sharp knives being dangerous... I find the dull knives much, much more lethal than the sharp ones. While with a sharp knife that functions well, you wouldn't have to force anything and you are pretty much in control, with a dull knife that doesn't cut well you have to PUSH, instead of cut, and indeed sometimes you have to push hard, at times on something slippery, slimy or unyielding. This is a big risk of the knife slipping out of control and just end up in some unexpected destination, which could be a part of your anatomy. For this reason, keeping your knives sharp and well functional is essential to your safety.
Yes, her knives seem to have been of good qualities but not taken care of for ages, probably since Cristiano left the household some years ago... She owns neither proper cutting board, anything to measure ingredients, rolling pin (she claims she makes her own pasta and do baking... ), potato peeler or garlic crusher, her hand mixer hasn't been functioning for god knows how long, other things she has, she can't find where she has stashed or not in a usable condition... I really don't know how she feeds her children every day... okay, enough of that, by the way...
I disagree with the general notion about sharp knives being dangerous... I find the dull knives much, much more lethal than the sharp ones. While with a sharp knife that functions well, you wouldn't have to force anything and you are pretty much in control, with a dull knife that doesn't cut well you have to PUSH, instead of cut, and indeed sometimes you have to push hard, at times on something slippery, slimy or unyielding. This is a big risk of the knife slipping out of control and just end up in some unexpected destination, which could be a part of your anatomy. For this reason, keeping your knives sharp and well functional is essential to your safety.
Claire
Master Chef
I agree that dull knives are much more dangerous than sharp. Once when I was young, Mom came close to cutting off a finger. Her doctor told her to sharpen her knives; the cut would have been easier to fix had the knife been sharper. As it was, her finger got mangled rather than sliced. Also, you're less likely to cut yourself with a sharp knife. A dull one sort of skids off the surface of some foods and creates accidents.
biev
Senior Cook
I said knives earlier, I take that back... Actually now that I think about it, what is missing in most people's kitchen around here seems to be counter space. We're all crammed in a tiny place trying to get everything to fit between the oven and the sink.
I have space... what my kitchen is missing the most is a DISHWASHER! I want to bang my head on the wall when I think of how much dishes I'll have to wash after any meal of the day. And it seems like when I cook I always need the one thing that I didn't bother to wash.
I have space... what my kitchen is missing the most is a DISHWASHER! I want to bang my head on the wall when I think of how much dishes I'll have to wash after any meal of the day. And it seems like when I cook I always need the one thing that I didn't bother to wash.
Claire
Master Chef
I do have to confess that one friend has only about a foot or two of counter space (this same friend doesn't own a decent knife -- but get this, she loves to cook). She's into victoriana, and every square inch of space in her house has something on it. I don't have anything on my kitchen counters except what I need to cook the meal I'm working on. Hubby sets up a bar in one corner that is all but unusable. But no cutesy anything on my kitchen counters, I need it all. When I lived in very limited space (on the road in a travel trailer for three years), I only had a couple of feet of counter space, and you'd better believe there was nothing cluttering it!
Jikoni
Sous Chef
I try not to cook in anyone's house except my ma's or my ma-in -law or the friends I made before I got married with friends as they know me well and won't be offended if I brought nearly all my kitchenware with me. Here, I cook at home and carry the food to be re-heated wherever I am going. Or I don't cook at all. OPKs(other people's kitchens) are just so OPKs I don't fit in no matter how big.
sometimes I am surprized by what I find...my first time cooking at my inlaws...a perfect 50s California kitchen...a full set of Magnalite cookware!!!wow, but not a knife worth a dime, or a usable herb or condiment!!! maybe I'll inherit the Magnalite!!??
fireweaver
Senior Cook
biev, that's totally my life. i live in an itty-bitty-kitchened 50's baltimore row home, no dishwasher, no counter space. it literally has the entire top of the cabinet unit molded as a single piece of metal: sink in the center, drainboard on either side, total maybe 6'. one side is obviously needed as the drainboard (no dishwasher and all), the other is permanently topped with this fantastic chopping board i got at ikea for $10. i generally use a smaller cutting board instead of directly using this one, or i'd be washing it all the time.
oh, and speaking of "opk" ingredients...the same aforementioned cooking class project where i had to convince someone that canola and extra virgin olive oil not the same...the girl's recipe called for proscuitto, and she said she had to argue with mom for 10 min in the store to not just buy regular bacon.
i *love* cooking, my kitchen, theirs, whatever. i just find that i reeeeeely need my gas stove, my herbs, and my pots to make it work out like it does at my kitchen.
oh, and speaking of "opk" ingredients...the same aforementioned cooking class project where i had to convince someone that canola and extra virgin olive oil not the same...the girl's recipe called for proscuitto, and she said she had to argue with mom for 10 min in the store to not just buy regular bacon.
i *love* cooking, my kitchen, theirs, whatever. i just find that i reeeeeely need my gas stove, my herbs, and my pots to make it work out like it does at my kitchen.
Claire
Master Chef
I like to have several small-ish cutting boards so I can just use and toss into a sink of soapy water for hubby to scrub (when we moved in together 25 years ago, we came to an agreement that the person who cooks doesn't have to wash dishes).
I'm about to head for Florida for a visit to my parents. I'll be staying with a freind who is quite a gourmet (gourmand? I can never remember the definitions). I will definitely cook at least one meal in each house. Mom, in particular, immediately said, "what are you cooking" when I started planning the trip! Mom was a great cook in her time, actually she was very much ahead of her time in the area of nutrition. But in recent years she doesn't cook so much. The friend we're actually staying with was a big one for haute cuisine, but as you get older so many of your freinds and family can't eat a lot of what you fix, so he, too, has given up on cooking great stuff. They obviously still like to eat it, because Claire coming to town means good food. Hubby and I decided to hit all the local gourmet places and bring food as hostess gifts.
I'm about to head for Florida for a visit to my parents. I'll be staying with a freind who is quite a gourmet (gourmand? I can never remember the definitions). I will definitely cook at least one meal in each house. Mom, in particular, immediately said, "what are you cooking" when I started planning the trip! Mom was a great cook in her time, actually she was very much ahead of her time in the area of nutrition. But in recent years she doesn't cook so much. The friend we're actually staying with was a big one for haute cuisine, but as you get older so many of your freinds and family can't eat a lot of what you fix, so he, too, has given up on cooking great stuff. They obviously still like to eat it, because Claire coming to town means good food. Hubby and I decided to hit all the local gourmet places and bring food as hostess gifts.
BreezyCooking
Washing Up
When I've cooked/catered in friends' kitchens, I always bring my own knives. And quite frequently my own pots, pans, & sometimes serving pieces as well.
Constance
Master Chef
I don't have a lot of counter space, but I do most of my work sitting at the lunch counter. I used to have a cutting board that fit over one side of my sink, until it finally rotted and fell apart. It came with my sink from Sears, but I'm sure if you check around, you can find something similar. It really adds to your counter space.
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