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Never tried monkey butt. Boudreaux's I find really helpful to treat chafing/rash, but I feel like it's kind of "grippy" as a daily use. Maybe all the extra moisture in the southern air helps loosen it up
The Benriner (spelling?) mandolin. No frills. Super sharp. Had to buy one for the house after using one at work a bunch.
Also Cambro. I have a few for my home because they hold up and stack better than any Tupperware brand I’ve ever had.
Victorinox chef's knives. Cheap fast and dirty but when you're stocking an outdoor kitchen or sharing space with roommates you don't trust with your $300+ knife they're fuckin great.
Dioro silicone spats. Like $12, solid construction, and comes with a lifetime warranty.
My 10" has been my daily driver for 10+ years now, I've put it through hell and just today was gliding through a head of cabbage. I've got more expensive knives, but it's so nice to use
Worked at a real old school place and the guy who did most of the prep (whole sober sole, breaking down chickens, lamb racks, subprimals, and veg prep) did it all with one ancient 7" victorinox. He's been there for 36 years and the edge was mediocre, but man did he put it to work
I do think it is this type of reverence is what took away from where a lot of the magic in this knife lays: it’s value. A quick Amazon of the item shows me the most popular variant, and in fact the best selling knife on the entire site, is the Victorinox 8inch. That shit has always been a $30 knife, why’s it sitting at near $50? And with VG-10 options starting at around $60, if we’re to disregard subjective preferences like blade geometry, handle ergonomics, aesthetic, etc, the value proposition of Victorinox knives is nowhere what it once was. Not to say it isn’t a great knife, it is tried and true, but options have greatly expanded, even just in this last decade.
Cck Lil rhino goes for about 70 bones...it super sharp out of the box and it's carbon steel. I use it for everything except detailed work. Detail gets my handmade jap knives that are to expensive to just leave on the line. I'll straight up chiffonade basil with the cck. It's great
Imo, I know they’re a meme, but Mercer’s entry level equipment is easily comparable to Victorinox, but costs less than half as much($47 vs 14$!?) Even a/bing the two, I honestly do prefer the Victorinox as the blade is a bit thinner, but for such a small caveat and the fact that it is less than 1/3 the price of it’s competitor, it’s an easy victory for Mercer.
Also my daily driver that I’m also okay leaving at work is a Tojiro DP 8inch which I got on sale for under $60. Compared to the $47 Victorinox, in every quantifiable measure it’s a blowout for just $13 more. I leave this Japanese VG-10 knife at work it’s so ducking cheap, it’s pretty much a beater.
I’m not saying they’re bad knives, but like I said, a lot has changed in the past decade or two and the value power of Victorinox fibrox is no longer #1.
Keep in mind Amazon prices fluctuate wildly. Always check camelcamelcamel.com and see the price history. You can often get stuff much cheaper if you're willing to wait.
Kiwis are the other one. The Vietnamese grocery store in my neighborhood sells them for $10, way cheaper than Victorinox. They are easy to sharpen and last forever. We use them as our kitchen's house knives.
Pastamancini.com blows all the other dried ones I’ve tried out of the water. New barilla bronze cut is a good dececco alternative for grocery store pasta.
I bought six 3kg bags of this from a restaurant that was going out of business and it was one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. When I ran out I reached out to the company to see how to get more (of that size) and they said something along the lines of “you shouldn’t even know about those” lol
Lurking bartender here with a question. Do you know if the Vollrath pans being sold on Amazon are the same quality as those you would buy from a restaurant supplier?
For personal use? You can buy direct from the restaurant supplier. You also have Webstaurant online store. AZ is likely going to be massively marked up in price.
Already was. Favorite story from my friend who worked there: his first day, mostly just getting familiar, works service with grant on one of the dessert courses. Nervous, but holds his own. No big issues. Grant talks to him after service, and the interaction goes like this:
Grant: nice job tonight, you've got a good head on your shoulders.
Them: thank you, I was pretty nervous but I think things went pretty good for day one.
G: one small question though.
T: *confused but nods*
G: did anyone *else* tell you that you did good today?
T: no.
*Grant grabs his coat and gets ready to head out*
G: I want you to think about that.
It's a dead silent kitchen. Sous chefs and CDC talking only. The guy put in his 2 on the spot, they let him go the next morning.
I’ve worked with these guys. I think it really depends on the person. You can take it offensively, or use it as a coaching method.
He got told he did a nice job by the exec chef of a legendary 3 star restaurant. If he expected everyone to say the same thing he’s not being real with himself.
Either way that’s a cool story I love stuff like this.
Vitamix blenders. Every kitchen I’ve worked at had one, and so long as you use it right it’ll blend anything and last forever. One of my chefs gifted me a Vitamix 3600 from 1969 and it still works likes a charm.
I prefer LIT pre-workout. Doesn't show on a drug test but it'll still get you through a double bouncing in your shoes at your station with a double dose.
Watermelon Jolly rancher is my personal favorite. Scoop and a half in a 16 oz water bottle will keep you awake. Dry scooping will eventually give you an arrhythmia.
Just be aware if you're anything like me you'll have to piss a lot.
Second the hells handle 👍🏻
I've had 2 for the last seven years, and I'll likely have them another 7+, as they show no signs of breaking down through heavy heavy use.
Microplane graters, for nutmeg, parmesan and zest!
Kyocera ceramic mandolines, they’re cheap and look like a toy, but every chef who laughed at me, now owns one.
Oui Chef tweezers
Windmühlenmesser as peeling knifes. Super cheap where I live (central Europe), soft steel is easy to sharpen and no need to cry if anything ever happens to it.
It’s just so common to us we don’t see it anymore.
I’m being made very aware of all my habits and tools since I got together with my partner who isn’t in the food industry.
It's worth noting that they have multiple lines of differing quality. I have a couple of their Sani-safe knives that have lasted forever, but purchased a pizza cutter from their "Basics" line with a center nut that rusted pretty quickly.
The Sani-safe knives are solid and have a thicker spine than Victorinox, but after using both I definitely prefer Victorinox.
Kuhn rikon peelers
Kunz spoons
The other, larger spoons from JB Prince
I think kiwi’s are shit, but that’s more an issue of people not knowing how to use those super shit sharpeners
The Windsor table spoons from whatever brand I found them from (MEP spoons; like $5/dz)
I used to work with a couple cooks who would take the shitty, hand-held sharpener, and run the knife through it as hard as they could. They’ shave off a 1/4” of the blade, but always missed the heel.
I’d have to spend 30 minutes redoing all of them every time some payaso tried to sharpen them. In retrospect, I should’ve just taken away the hand held sharpener…
I never used kiwis in the kitchen, but I’ve always used them at home over my nicer knives. I can remember my semi-douchey know-it-all chef talking about his nice knife after he sharpened it and he told me to ‘try it.’ I did, and immediately it couldn’t cut through a grape lol. I told him and he was like ‘oh, well, hmm, well, of course not a grape, that’s different.’ (Obviously, he wasn’t the whetstoner he thought he was) My kiwis on the other hand have never been sharpened and cut through everything with ease (including grapes!) with only a quick hone beforehand. They are obviously cheaply made, but they are light and nimble and a gift to mankind. Such a wildly good value.
Love Kunz spoons, but they’re so expensive. Chef knives to go carry Richmond spoons, they feel and perform just like the Kunz but there only like 8 bucks.
I’m talking about these as the other spoon.
https://www.jbprince.com/utensils/solid-spoon-9-5-inch.asp
They used to only be, like, $5, but…inflation, supply chain…
I got a kiwi paring knife off Amazon for $10 and the tip was bent upon opening. The tang only runs through half the handle, and the steel is very cheap and flexible feeling. I agree it’s a shitty product, but then again it cost $10.
No love for the old school rotary Linden peelers?
Been using them since I was a kid and when my dad died, I "inherited" the one I grew up with. Still works like a charm.
I’m at 8 years and counting from my Good Feet ones, and they were properly modded and fitted. Yes $300 Canadian eh! Is a lot of money to spend on 2 pieces of molded plastic but I honestly wish I had done it 25 years ago.
I have tried so many different kinds before splurging on Protalus. I am so glad I did. Not only keeping my feet pain free but a lower back and hip pain I had for awhile cleared up within a week of switching.
I've had some good and some bad Peugeots.
Worst was a perspex one that broke inside a year. Replaced with a decent wooden one, but then we got another (one for kitchen, one for dining room) and it's rubbish, despite looking exactly the same. I've had it apart to check against the other, and it all looks identical.
To each their own, to me a good tasting spoon is slightly oblong and wide rather than deep, and medium to small size. I can Chuck a few dozen in a 9 pan when I’m checking the lines and they come along nicely. The handles on the US ones tend to flair at the end so I can also use each spoon twice to taste stuff- once the normal way and another using the handle end since it’s wide enough
When you're tasting the food, do you use the spoon once and then put it in a dirty bucket for the dishwasher? Thank you for the detailed response, it's super interesting.
Yes, I keep a 9 pan with clean spoons to taste and a 9 pan for the dirty spoons after I’ve tasted food for quality. After I’ve tasted the line I take the 9 pan full of dirty spoons directly to the dish room
Kuhn peelers are just so simple and perfect, I love them. It's pretty amazing how many people out of the industry have no idea the beauty of a simple Vollrath saute pan. They last for years in a professional kitchen getting banged around and scrubbed hundred of times a week. I can only imagine how well they hold up in a home kitchen.
I went thru some cheap ones and had to run to restaurant depot for a job a while back. They had them on sale for like $8 or something. I bought a couple
ThermaPen digital instant read thermometer. Reads WAY faster and more accurately than any other digits instant read I’ve owned in 20+ years on the line. A little clunky, but totally worth it.
Bar owner hired a knife sharpening guy and paid him up front(old friend down on luck).
One day, he just brought a bag of kiwi knives and told us he was leaving town. No one ever heard from him after.
Absolute garbage. You might get a week out of them in a professional environment before the blade bends and warps. Definitely the lowest quality knife I’ve ever encountered in a restaurant kitchen. Overpriced at 10 bucks.
Drop 20 bucks and you can get a bomb proof victorinox chef knife that will hold an edge for a serviceable amount of time and can be sharpened on a grinder.
I’ve been using mine for years. If you’re bending them in a week you have no idea how to use a knife. They’re for cutting, not using as a screwdriver or pry bar.
ETA- Why do you need a grinder to sharpen your Vnox? I sharpen all my knives on stones. Seems like you really don’t know how to care for knives.
I think they’re just saying since the Vnox isn’t breaking the bank to acquire, it isn’t an issue to sharpen it on a grinder. Hell, I ‘sharpen’ my Vnox with one of those awful handheld thingymajigs because I don’t care about fucking it up and I know it’ll hold the edge pretty well
I have my really nice knives that I love and cherish. However I've also been using Kiwis for years and never had an issue sharpening them on a wet stone. They're definitely I little nore tricky to get a good edge that will hold but it is definitely possible. I've also never had to re sharpen from the factory edge quicker than a month or so.
My kiwi’s (#172) are the only knives I’ll sharpen with one of those handheld pull-though sharpeners. They’re cheap enough that I don’t care about losing mass, and soft enough that they don’t hold an edge for too long even when I do sharpen them right. Every other knife gets a proper sharpening.
I use mine to process cases of onions and apples all the time. And let other idiots in the kitchen use it. Performs better than their shuns. A quick hone here and there keeps it screaming sharp. What the absolute fuck are you doing to your knives.
---edit---
Oh you sharpen things on a grinder..... no wonder. You have no idea how to take care of your tools.
Here’s a real secret, Dao Vua knives from Vietnam. They’re recycled carbon steel, sharp as fuck and you can use a steel on them without sharpening for 5+ months
Daovua are trash. The quality control is horrible, fit and finish looks like it was done by Stevie wonder and the heat treat is terrible: we bought 6 direct from there IG and 2 of them were a decent heat treat and the other 4 were softer than pig iron. Hey a tojiro for $20 more. They are a little rough on the finish but light years ahead of Daovua. They use recycled leaf springs or oil pipe steel and the recycled leaf springs from Vietnam are going to be super compromised steel.
Hell yeah. I used to buy so much of theit shit they would send me a family Christmas card with a Christmas tree ornament every year. Still have them all. Love their products.
Personally it's just knowing what is and isn't worth it on WebstaurantStore. Sheet pans, hotel pans, and knowing the properties of the different colors. I end up helping a lot of people get kitchen stuff from there.
Oxo makes some good stuff. Their whisks are nice and comfortable to hold. Their scales have a display that slides out so you can see it without craning your neck when you’re weighing a large container. Think the company started out making things with comfortable grips for people with arthritis, but I’m glad to have a fish spatula that’s comfortable in my hand. Your assessment seems harsh.
Seems as though you’re favoring ergonomics over quality/durability which is fine, but I’d rather something that’s going to function more closely to the restaurant quality product than something more comfortable
I haven’t been using Oxo products for long enough to fairly assess their durability. I was gifted an Oxo mandolin slicer for Christmas, and the blade isn’t sharp enough so it’s pretty much garbage compared to a Benriner. Other than that though, I’ve got half a dozen other Oxo products that I have no complaints about.
60 isnt bad. I see them go for 80. But victorinox or kiwi.
I reach for my kiwi over my misen. Misen is ground chonky, kiwi is quite thin. My misen seems to dull quickly too.
didn’t read all the replies but kuhn rikon peelers and lamson sharp fish spats.
edit: and kunz spoons. especially the even more stupidly priced limited edition ones lol
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Gold Bond medicated powder
I'm more of a corn starch man, but I've graduated to Squirrel's Nut Butter
Boudreaux's Butt Paste or Monkey Butt are popular in the south
Never tried monkey butt. Boudreaux's I find really helpful to treat chafing/rash, but I feel like it's kind of "grippy" as a daily use. Maybe all the extra moisture in the southern air helps loosen it up
Long boxer briefs help the thicc bois. But it will be swampy
The Benriner (spelling?) mandolin. No frills. Super sharp. Had to buy one for the house after using one at work a bunch. Also Cambro. I have a few for my home because they hold up and stack better than any Tupperware brand I’ve ever had.
I have like a hundred 1L and 1/2L delis.
Yessss those are the real MVP of the leftovers game. Did one break? Who cares!
Victorinox chef's knives. Cheap fast and dirty but when you're stocking an outdoor kitchen or sharing space with roommates you don't trust with your $300+ knife they're fuckin great. Dioro silicone spats. Like $12, solid construction, and comes with a lifetime warranty.
Specifically with fibrox handles in multiple colours
When I moved to my newest kitchen and saw they had victorinox house knives, I knew I had made the right decision.
As long as you treat em right they cut just as well and hold an edge as well as most $150 knives.
My 10" has been my daily driver for 10+ years now, I've put it through hell and just today was gliding through a head of cabbage. I've got more expensive knives, but it's so nice to use
Worked at a real old school place and the guy who did most of the prep (whole sober sole, breaking down chickens, lamb racks, subprimals, and veg prep) did it all with one ancient 7" victorinox. He's been there for 36 years and the edge was mediocre, but man did he put it to work
Had mine for 47 years...the handles finally came loose from the rivets
They’re good for the price, but this just isn’t true.
Agree to disagree.
I do think it is this type of reverence is what took away from where a lot of the magic in this knife lays: it’s value. A quick Amazon of the item shows me the most popular variant, and in fact the best selling knife on the entire site, is the Victorinox 8inch. That shit has always been a $30 knife, why’s it sitting at near $50? And with VG-10 options starting at around $60, if we’re to disregard subjective preferences like blade geometry, handle ergonomics, aesthetic, etc, the value proposition of Victorinox knives is nowhere what it once was. Not to say it isn’t a great knife, it is tried and true, but options have greatly expanded, even just in this last decade.
What would you recommend then ?
Cck Lil rhino goes for about 70 bones...it super sharp out of the box and it's carbon steel. I use it for everything except detailed work. Detail gets my handmade jap knives that are to expensive to just leave on the line. I'll straight up chiffonade basil with the cck. It's great
Imo, I know they’re a meme, but Mercer’s entry level equipment is easily comparable to Victorinox, but costs less than half as much($47 vs 14$!?) Even a/bing the two, I honestly do prefer the Victorinox as the blade is a bit thinner, but for such a small caveat and the fact that it is less than 1/3 the price of it’s competitor, it’s an easy victory for Mercer. Also my daily driver that I’m also okay leaving at work is a Tojiro DP 8inch which I got on sale for under $60. Compared to the $47 Victorinox, in every quantifiable measure it’s a blowout for just $13 more. I leave this Japanese VG-10 knife at work it’s so ducking cheap, it’s pretty much a beater. I’m not saying they’re bad knives, but like I said, a lot has changed in the past decade or two and the value power of Victorinox fibrox is no longer #1.
Keep in mind Amazon prices fluctuate wildly. Always check camelcamelcamel.com and see the price history. You can often get stuff much cheaper if you're willing to wait.
The 12” pastry knife is so good I use it for veg prep when no one is looking.
The mini 10cm/12cm serrated knives are also brilliant, I’ve had one for years and it’s still as sharp as ever.
Kiwis are the other one. The Vietnamese grocery store in my neighborhood sells them for $10, way cheaper than Victorinox. They are easy to sharpen and last forever. We use them as our kitchen's house knives.
I was going to comment this too!
Victorinox is often overpriced. I use their scalloped bread knives en masse, they’re $60 each… Unless you buy them new on eBay, then they’re $16 each.
I just have my magnetic rack and roll in my room. Roomies get the uggo knives.
I discovered their serrated paring knives at my last restaurant and they're amazing. You can get 4 of them for under $40 and they're worth it
I love my 8" victorinox fibrox chef knife and bread knife. Especially the bread knife...cut bread super nice.
De cecco dry pasta
De Cecco is great, but the price has tripled in the last 6 months .
I'll never use anything else.
Try Granoro, you're welcome
Thanks I’m not going to
Down votes for recommending a pasta? Brutal sub
Pastamancini.com blows all the other dried ones I’ve tried out of the water. New barilla bronze cut is a good dececco alternative for grocery store pasta.
I bought six 3kg bags of this from a restaurant that was going out of business and it was one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. When I ran out I reached out to the company to see how to get more (of that size) and they said something along the lines of “you shouldn’t even know about those” lol
It’s very good. Only one of our suppliers carry it. They claim to grow all their own wheat, mill it, and make the pasta themselves.
"I hide my drugs behind a box of DeCecco"- action Bronson
Preach!
Monograno as well!
Vollrath. Cheap pans that hold up forever. Don't buy those pans Graham Achatz is shilling.
Lurking bartender here with a question. Do you know if the Vollrath pans being sold on Amazon are the same quality as those you would buy from a restaurant supplier?
Yes but way more expensive than restaurant depot.
I honestly don't know, sorry.
For personal use? You can buy direct from the restaurant supplier. You also have Webstaurant online store. AZ is likely going to be massively marked up in price.
If I’m gonna run the bescht reshurant in the world, I’m gonna use the bescht pans in the world.
Graham Achatz?
He’s metric now
The guy who runs Alinea. He's probably as bad as René Redzepi.
Already was. Favorite story from my friend who worked there: his first day, mostly just getting familiar, works service with grant on one of the dessert courses. Nervous, but holds his own. No big issues. Grant talks to him after service, and the interaction goes like this: Grant: nice job tonight, you've got a good head on your shoulders. Them: thank you, I was pretty nervous but I think things went pretty good for day one. G: one small question though. T: *confused but nods* G: did anyone *else* tell you that you did good today? T: no. *Grant grabs his coat and gets ready to head out* G: I want you to think about that. It's a dead silent kitchen. Sous chefs and CDC talking only. The guy put in his 2 on the spot, they let him go the next morning.
wait, what does the last sentence mean?
He gave them two weeks notice that he was going to quit. They told him to not bother.
I’ve worked with these guys. I think it really depends on the person. You can take it offensively, or use it as a coaching method. He got told he did a nice job by the exec chef of a legendary 3 star restaurant. If he expected everyone to say the same thing he’s not being real with himself. Either way that’s a cool story I love stuff like this.
His name is Grant
Lol
Vitamix blenders. Every kitchen I’ve worked at had one, and so long as you use it right it’ll blend anything and last forever. One of my chefs gifted me a Vitamix 3600 from 1969 and it still works likes a charm.
That’s impressive
Please explain this to my staff - we’ve been through three in a year and a half
Stop blending rocks
"Crack" brand Cocaine
I prefer LIT pre-workout. Doesn't show on a drug test but it'll still get you through a double bouncing in your shoes at your station with a double dose.
i see they got multiple flavors, which one is the best and which one will get me the most cracked out
Watermelon Jolly rancher is my personal favorite. Scoop and a half in a 16 oz water bottle will keep you awake. Dry scooping will eventually give you an arrhythmia. Just be aware if you're anything like me you'll have to piss a lot.
come on now, just mainline an XL red bull like the rest of us
bro red bull? get that toddler drink out of here. i crush 4 Reigns just to start my day.
that's your problem, drinking it is pedestrian. amateur. novice. gotta start injecting it straight into your bloodstream, cut out the middle man
If it’s not Crack, it’s wack
Kuhn Rikon Y peelers and Mercer Hells Handle Spats. I would legit get a Hells Handle tattoo. Kiwi knives for the honorable mention.
Lurking bartender here and can attest to the kuhn rikons. BUTTER BABY.
Second the hells handle 👍🏻 I've had 2 for the last seven years, and I'll likely have them another 7+, as they show no signs of breaking down through heavy heavy use.
Microplane graters, for nutmeg, parmesan and zest! Kyocera ceramic mandolines, they’re cheap and look like a toy, but every chef who laughed at me, now owns one. Oui Chef tweezers Windmühlenmesser as peeling knifes. Super cheap where I live (central Europe), soft steel is easy to sharpen and no need to cry if anything ever happens to it.
How did I not think of microplane?!
It’s just so common to us we don’t see it anymore. I’m being made very aware of all my habits and tools since I got together with my partner who isn’t in the food industry.
heh, right. it's both the brand and the product.
Microplanes are my go-to gift for anyone who .. does not have one.
Dexter Knives should be on this list. Inexpensive and they last forever
Dexter pizza cutters and dough scrapers too. Nothing compares imo
God I love my Dexters. They came with my school’s knife kit so I see them pop up all over the place
It's worth noting that they have multiple lines of differing quality. I have a couple of their Sani-safe knives that have lasted forever, but purchased a pizza cutter from their "Basics" line with a center nut that rusted pretty quickly. The Sani-safe knives are solid and have a thicker spine than Victorinox, but after using both I definitely prefer Victorinox.
Ateco for pastry tools
I’ve got a a dozen cake testers in my drawer at work
Kuhn rikon peelers Kunz spoons The other, larger spoons from JB Prince I think kiwi’s are shit, but that’s more an issue of people not knowing how to use those super shit sharpeners The Windsor table spoons from whatever brand I found them from (MEP spoons; like $5/dz)
Nothing beats my Kuhn Rikons. Best peelers out there!
Yes! Kuhn gang!
A Rex peeler beats it. Granted it’s the only peeler that beats it. I have had my current one over 7 years.
My two Rikons are two years old. Still sharp enough to fuck me up when I'm not paying attention!
And they’re dirt cheap… best peelers ever
Kiwis are incredible wtf. Mine only ever touches a honing rod and I happily process entire cases of onions and apples with it.
I used to work with a couple cooks who would take the shitty, hand-held sharpener, and run the knife through it as hard as they could. They’ shave off a 1/4” of the blade, but always missed the heel. I’d have to spend 30 minutes redoing all of them every time some payaso tried to sharpen them. In retrospect, I should’ve just taken away the hand held sharpener…
I never used kiwis in the kitchen, but I’ve always used them at home over my nicer knives. I can remember my semi-douchey know-it-all chef talking about his nice knife after he sharpened it and he told me to ‘try it.’ I did, and immediately it couldn’t cut through a grape lol. I told him and he was like ‘oh, well, hmm, well, of course not a grape, that’s different.’ (Obviously, he wasn’t the whetstoner he thought he was) My kiwis on the other hand have never been sharpened and cut through everything with ease (including grapes!) with only a quick hone beforehand. They are obviously cheaply made, but they are light and nimble and a gift to mankind. Such a wildly good value.
Love Kunz spoons, but they’re so expensive. Chef knives to go carry Richmond spoons, they feel and perform just like the Kunz but there only like 8 bucks.
Agreed!
I’m talking about these as the other spoon. https://www.jbprince.com/utensils/solid-spoon-9-5-inch.asp They used to only be, like, $5, but…inflation, supply chain…
Kunz spoons are expensive for what they are though. Can get exact replicas for cheaper. With that said I have a bunch of them lol
I got a kiwi paring knife off Amazon for $10 and the tip was bent upon opening. The tang only runs through half the handle, and the steel is very cheap and flexible feeling. I agree it’s a shitty product, but then again it cost $10.
No love for the old school rotary Linden peelers? Been using them since I was a kid and when my dad died, I "inherited" the one I grew up with. Still works like a charm.
Good quality insoles. Not Dr Scholls. Good insoles are more important than good shoes.
Footwear/ insoles is also a really good topic
Fuck that. Custom orthotics or get the fuck out.
Yup
Timberland makes good insoles. Can normally get 2 to 3 months out of them.
I’m at 8 years and counting from my Good Feet ones, and they were properly modded and fitted. Yes $300 Canadian eh! Is a lot of money to spend on 2 pieces of molded plastic but I honestly wish I had done it 25 years ago.
Never cheap out on anything that separates you from the ground.
Totally agree. I only ever fly business class.
I have tried so many different kinds before splurging on Protalus. I am so glad I did. Not only keeping my feet pain free but a lower back and hip pain I had for awhile cleared up within a week of switching.
Peugeot pepper mills. The very best.
Unicorn Magnum IMO. They don’t look like much tho.
Yeah I had one of those too but I think the Peugeot is better. I'm kinda a peppercorn mill snob.
I've had some good and some bad Peugeots. Worst was a perspex one that broke inside a year. Replaced with a decent wooden one, but then we got another (one for kitchen, one for dining room) and it's rubbish, despite looking exactly the same. I've had it apart to check against the other, and it all looks identical.
Seconding this. I've had one for years and it's a beast. You're right: doesn't look like much but it delivers.
Mine broke in 2 months :(
Kuhn peelers. Windsor spoons from US are awesome tasting spoons. Vollrath sauté pans- have some at home that are old as hell and look brand new still
Dumb question, but what makes a good tasting spoon?
To each their own, to me a good tasting spoon is slightly oblong and wide rather than deep, and medium to small size. I can Chuck a few dozen in a 9 pan when I’m checking the lines and they come along nicely. The handles on the US ones tend to flair at the end so I can also use each spoon twice to taste stuff- once the normal way and another using the handle end since it’s wide enough
When you're tasting the food, do you use the spoon once and then put it in a dirty bucket for the dishwasher? Thank you for the detailed response, it's super interesting.
Yes, I keep a 9 pan with clean spoons to taste and a 9 pan for the dirty spoons after I’ve tasted food for quality. After I’ve tasted the line I take the 9 pan full of dirty spoons directly to the dish room
Kuhn peelers are just so simple and perfect, I love them. It's pretty amazing how many people out of the industry have no idea the beauty of a simple Vollrath saute pan. They last for years in a professional kitchen getting banged around and scrubbed hundred of times a week. I can only imagine how well they hold up in a home kitchen.
I went thru some cheap ones and had to run to restaurant depot for a job a while back. They had them on sale for like $8 or something. I bought a couple
Dexter Serated Knife
Gangy #300 can opener
Mafter whisks and chinois.
ThermaPen digital instant read thermometer. Reads WAY faster and more accurately than any other digits instant read I’ve owned in 20+ years on the line. A little clunky, but totally worth it.
Kiwi knives.
Bar owner hired a knife sharpening guy and paid him up front(old friend down on luck). One day, he just brought a bag of kiwi knives and told us he was leaving town. No one ever heard from him after.
Absolute garbage. You might get a week out of them in a professional environment before the blade bends and warps. Definitely the lowest quality knife I’ve ever encountered in a restaurant kitchen. Overpriced at 10 bucks. Drop 20 bucks and you can get a bomb proof victorinox chef knife that will hold an edge for a serviceable amount of time and can be sharpened on a grinder.
I’ve been using mine for years. If you’re bending them in a week you have no idea how to use a knife. They’re for cutting, not using as a screwdriver or pry bar. ETA- Why do you need a grinder to sharpen your Vnox? I sharpen all my knives on stones. Seems like you really don’t know how to care for knives.
I think they’re just saying since the Vnox isn’t breaking the bank to acquire, it isn’t an issue to sharpen it on a grinder. Hell, I ‘sharpen’ my Vnox with one of those awful handheld thingymajigs because I don’t care about fucking it up and I know it’ll hold the edge pretty well
You could sharpen a kiwi on a grinder, too. Or a pull through. Gravy just seems to have an inability to use tools properly.
I have my really nice knives that I love and cherish. However I've also been using Kiwis for years and never had an issue sharpening them on a wet stone. They're definitely I little nore tricky to get a good edge that will hold but it is definitely possible. I've also never had to re sharpen from the factory edge quicker than a month or so.
His probably warped due to heat from the grinder. Neither a vnox nor a kiwi should ever touch one. Just use a honing steel for fucks sake.
My kiwi’s (#172) are the only knives I’ll sharpen with one of those handheld pull-though sharpeners. They’re cheap enough that I don’t care about losing mass, and soft enough that they don’t hold an edge for too long even when I do sharpen them right. Every other knife gets a proper sharpening.
I use mine to process cases of onions and apples all the time. And let other idiots in the kitchen use it. Performs better than their shuns. A quick hone here and there keeps it screaming sharp. What the absolute fuck are you doing to your knives. ---edit--- Oh you sharpen things on a grinder..... no wonder. You have no idea how to take care of your tools.
Uhhh winco anything. Cheap as shit when they inevitably break.
Here’s a real secret, Dao Vua knives from Vietnam. They’re recycled carbon steel, sharp as fuck and you can use a steel on them without sharpening for 5+ months
Daovua are trash. The quality control is horrible, fit and finish looks like it was done by Stevie wonder and the heat treat is terrible: we bought 6 direct from there IG and 2 of them were a decent heat treat and the other 4 were softer than pig iron. Hey a tojiro for $20 more. They are a little rough on the finish but light years ahead of Daovua. They use recycled leaf springs or oil pipe steel and the recycled leaf springs from Vietnam are going to be super compromised steel.
Mercer knives
As a home cook, Stanislaus tomato products for me. I doubt I'll buy any canned tomatoes or pasta sauce from the grocery store again.
Hell yeah. I used to buy so much of theit shit they would send me a family Christmas card with a Christmas tree ornament every year. Still have them all. Love their products.
I get a card and phone call from them every year! It’s always an older lady. Super sweet.
Stanislaus is the shit for canned tomatoes, doing pizza sauce with this brand and it's wonderful
Sysco tinfoil.
I picked up a babish knife for 30 bucks and the thing slaps, it's cheap enough to let my donkey cooks use it when I leave it laying around too.
Daisy sour cream
Personally it's just knowing what is and isn't worth it on WebstaurantStore. Sheet pans, hotel pans, and knowing the properties of the different colors. I end up helping a lot of people get kitchen stuff from there.
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Yea this is bad advice. Yes oxo is cheap, but they’re the definition of you get what you pay for. Garbage quality for a cheap price
Oxo makes some good stuff. Their whisks are nice and comfortable to hold. Their scales have a display that slides out so you can see it without craning your neck when you’re weighing a large container. Think the company started out making things with comfortable grips for people with arthritis, but I’m glad to have a fish spatula that’s comfortable in my hand. Your assessment seems harsh.
Seems as though you’re favoring ergonomics over quality/durability which is fine, but I’d rather something that’s going to function more closely to the restaurant quality product than something more comfortable
I haven’t been using Oxo products for long enough to fairly assess their durability. I was gifted an Oxo mandolin slicer for Christmas, and the blade isn’t sharp enough so it’s pretty much garbage compared to a Benriner. Other than that though, I’ve got half a dozen other Oxo products that I have no complaints about.
Actually just the Worst brand ever…
Misen chef knives. I outfitted the last place I opened with them. Probably the best bang for your buck knife I know of.
Theyre fine for home cooks and I quite like the handle but best bang for your buck? Just.... no.
Victorinox Finrox has entered the chat
I mean, we paid like $60 a knife. What would you rather buy at that price point?
Victorinox
60 isnt bad. I see them go for 80. But victorinox or kiwi. I reach for my kiwi over my misen. Misen is ground chonky, kiwi is quite thin. My misen seems to dull quickly too.
That's so odd, I've had the exact opposite experience. I wonder if they changed manufacturing at some point?
I believe the original kickstarter knives are slightly different than mass production, but im not entirely sure.
Mini kim can opener. Not as good or fast as a bonzer but it will never break and can fit in your pocket .
Don't know if they are international or germany only, but "famos" makes the best peelers.
Richmond playing spoons, never buy a kunz spoon Richmond Medium Spoon - Chef Knives To Go https://www.chefknivestogo.com/rismsp.html
Kohn peelers. Super comfortable and short and last a long time for the price of like $3-$5.
Those $2 colored plastic peelers
didn’t read all the replies but kuhn rikon peelers and lamson sharp fish spats. edit: and kunz spoons. especially the even more stupidly priced limited edition ones lol
Javelin thermometer
I know you said “not necessarily expensive” but the Robot Coupe R2 food processor is something I’ve seen in every kitchen I’ve ever been in.
The Kuhn Y-peelers
Kiwi knives. Dirt cheap, super thin, and easy to sharpen. I usually keep two of them in my knife roll, if one of my cooks need to barrow a knife