Keith Sinclair
Senior Member
You nailed it is unpopular opinion. We eat salads almost everyday. Salad spinner in constant use. doesn't even get put away.
Unpopular opinions
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spaceconvoy
Senior Member
I eat salads everyday. And yeah a salad spinner is a waste of space. Only cause lettuce is a waste of salad. Spinach too, they both get soggy, gross, and wilted. Green pepper, tomato, cucumber, carrot, etc. these are proper salad vegetables. Lettuce is a garnish
Green pepper, tomato, cucumber, carrot makes a completely different salad than a leaf-based salad. They belong in the same hemisphere as grain bowls, pasta salads and potato salads. None of these replace arugula, little gem, frisee, escarole, kale, red leaf, or endive. You're better off making a parsley salad.
Now, if we're talking about romaine, I only use them if they're amazing, I'm desperate (and then only with some sort of caesar), or as a substitute for the top bread in a sandwich. Iceburg is great for adding a nice crunch to my compost. Even raw cabbage or raw brussel sprouts makes better salad than iceburg.
Not OP, but I have this one: https://www.webstaurantstore.com/2-5-gallon-plastic-salad-spinner-dryer-with-brake/599SD6.html
It hasn't broken, and when it does, the gears are replacable. I've burned through 2 or 3 salad spinners before I got pissed and bought this one. It takes a little more muscle to use, but it gets lettuce dry. I heard you can also dry clothes in it, but the 5 gal would probably be more appropriate for that.
I also got pissed at dirt finding its way into salad, so I fill a 12 or 22qt cambro with water and dunk by greens it. I used to fill my sink, but the extra height is a big plus for getting the dirt to separate. Also, I can carry it outside to water plants during droughts.
bahamaroot
Idiot Savant
I've never owned a salad spinner and never even thought I needed one.
Keith Sinclair
Senior Member
Wash all lettuce. Grow different types of lettuce in raised Styrofoam fish boxes.
Arugula grows like a weed up here in the valley. Use it in salads, on sandwich, Salmon burgers.
After working banquets for years finished my career as Head Gardemanger in charge of cold kitchens in Hotel. Made all the cold stuff salads for buffets line & sit down dinners, dressings, sushi Maki rolls & nigiri.
Sashimi platters the list goes on worked harder union hotel so skeleton crew to get job done. Hot side banquets was easier, but cold side was cooler Also all the ice carvings at Kahala Hilton & bunch of other Waikiki Hotels, Country Clubs, Restaurants.
Grew word of mouth kept me super busy esp. certain times of the year. We used 5 gallon spinner at work .
Senior citizen had to eat more healthy lost weight eat more fresh organic food. Of coarse make own salad dressing not most of the processed crap sold in stores. People that don't like lettuce are idiots.
Arugula grows like a weed up here in the valley. Use it in salads, on sandwich, Salmon burgers.
After working banquets for years finished my career as Head Gardemanger in charge of cold kitchens in Hotel. Made all the cold stuff salads for buffets line & sit down dinners, dressings, sushi Maki rolls & nigiri.
Sashimi platters the list goes on worked harder union hotel so skeleton crew to get job done. Hot side banquets was easier, but cold side was cooler
Also all the ice carvings at Kahala Hilton & bunch of other Waikiki Hotels, Country Clubs, Restaurants. Grew word of mouth kept me super busy esp. certain times of the year. We used 5 gallon spinner at work .
Senior citizen had to eat more healthy lost weight eat more fresh organic food. Of coarse make own salad dressing not most of the processed crap sold in stores. People that don't like lettuce are idiots.
I have 2 of the 5 gallon model at work. We wash a couple of bushels of collard greens each week. Can't imagine doing it without one of these.
This place is a money pit, now I'm looking at commercial salad spinners for the house. Oxo's are a PITA
Here are my babies. Someone broke the crank on one so I bought another unit and now I have a backup pail and colander. And it is one of the first things I reserve a nice safe space for. Can't run my operation without it.
Got 6
FWIW I’m pretty sure what I use at home is an OXO and for 2-4 people several times a week it’s plenty good enough
I’m on my third one, they work but if you drop the lid they break, ask my wife.
Just picked up one of these
1 1/2 gallon should be perfect.
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The OXO also does not drain, so I always found myself doing multiple rounds of emptying the water pool still wetting the bottom leaves, and spinning again.
It's a two shot machine.
Chef's Toys carries replacement tops and gears.
I did look into getting just a top. But restaurant Depot had the whole thing on sale for less than I could find a replacement for.
DitmasPork
Senior Member
Unpopular opinion?
I hope they're successful in banning gas stoves in new residential buildings. [Full disclosure, I currently have a gas stove.]
https://nypost.com/2023/01/11/hochuls-plan-to-ban-sale-of-gas-stoves-fuels-outrage/
I hope they're successful in banning gas stoves in new residential buildings. [Full disclosure, I currently have a gas stove.]
https://nypost.com/2023/01/11/hochuls-plan-to-ban-sale-of-gas-stoves-fuels-outrage/
sumis
Senior Member
Unpopular indeed - I've been a slave to an electric ranges in apartments (non-induction) for the past 7 years and HATE EVERY SECOND OF IT.
Especially for my WOK!
When I go anywhere else and cook... I tend to catch myself drooling and super excited over the gas range like its the Pot 'o Gold at the Rainbow!
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I hate electric but I feel like I would hate induction less. I'd probably opt for induction if I buy a house.
My (Chinese) family + extended family always did wok cooking outdoors with a portable propane burner and I'd probably do that when I'm not in an apartment.
My (Chinese) family + extended family always did wok cooking outdoors with a portable propane burner and I'd probably do that when I'm not in an apartment.
DitmasPork
Senior Member
I've been cooking on gas ranges for decades—ready for induction (or electric) TBH. I prefer gas, but I just adjust to whatever heat source.Unpopular indeed - I've been a slave to an electric range for the past 7 years and HATE EVERY SECOND OF IT.
Especially for my WOK!
When I go anywhere else and cook... I tend to catch myself drooling over the gas range like its the Pot 'o Gold at the End of the Wee Rainbow!
I'm not sure how I feel about banning gas stoves. A subsidy on good induction stoves would probably sway my opinion instantly though.
KnightKnightForever
Banned
You just fill up a sink with ice water and clean them, and dry with some paper towels..
I'll take that bet. Personally I wash about 100 pounds / 3-4 bushels of collards per week.
You can send that bad boy to RVA!
Oh man, I'm so down for banning gas stoves. I cooked on electric (normal for 3+ years, then induction for 7+) for the last decade and now have a gas stove. While gas is more even, I've already invested in tri-ply goodness and learned how not to suck with stainless steel. Now, I can smell the gas and fumes from the stove. I can't keep a pot of water boiling without a lid. Its not like I can stir fry on this gas stove better than electric. The gas would be better for a wok, but there's less total power output on this craptastic gas stove than either coil electric or induction I previously used. I can heat the pan up exactly once before I have to wait like, 5 minutes to get back to stir fry temp, which means multi-stage stir frys are a pain in the ass. I end up just sautee'ing everything and tossing them at the end. At least in electric, I can crank the temperature to max and lift the pan to cool it.
And don't get me started with the oven. I HATE HATE HATE HATE gas ovens. It can't hold steam to save its life. I have to bake bread in a hotel pan. A gas oven is more even for broiling, but if I'm broiling I'm already committed to turning and checking and flipping.
But, I would trade this all for mandating vents to the outside. Cooking with these dumb ass recirculating fans built into a microwave is idiotic. How can a microwave be more important than ventilation.
And don't get me started with the oven. I HATE HATE HATE HATE gas ovens. It can't hold steam to save its life. I have to bake bread in a hotel pan. A gas oven is more even for broiling, but if I'm broiling I'm already committed to turning and checking and flipping.
But, I would trade this all for mandating vents to the outside. Cooking with these dumb ass recirculating fans built into a microwave is idiotic. How can a microwave be more important than ventilation.
Thankfully the knife is a safe, pretty easily do 5-6 cases of kale per week personally haha. Most ever was 65 in a week.I'll take that bet. Personally I wash about 100 pounds / 3-4 bushels of collards per week.
You can send that bad boy to RVA!
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Speaking of woks: "Woks for a home cook without a wok burner is cosplay."
You will get a better effect with a flat bottom pan. You can't toss as well, but there's not enough heat output on a home stove to make tossing necessary to prevent burning. If you're tossing noodles, you don't need that much heat. If you're trying to crisp noodles like I do for pad thai, you don't have enough heat anyways. Wok Hei is just burned oil... you can burn oil on a flat bottom carbon steel pan too. You need to pool oil to brown aromatics? Tip your pan. Worried about wanting to have hot and cold spots in your wok? Move your pan half off the burner.
If you have a wok burner or enough power to ignite the oil in your pan in seconds, there's probably a good reason for a wok. However, I've never had enough power indoors to do either.
You will get a better effect with a flat bottom pan. You can't toss as well, but there's not enough heat output on a home stove to make tossing necessary to prevent burning. If you're tossing noodles, you don't need that much heat. If you're trying to crisp noodles like I do for pad thai, you don't have enough heat anyways. Wok Hei is just burned oil... you can burn oil on a flat bottom carbon steel pan too. You need to pool oil to brown aromatics? Tip your pan. Worried about wanting to have hot and cold spots in your wok? Move your pan half off the burner.
If you have a wok burner or enough power to ignite the oil in your pan in seconds, there's probably a good reason for a wok. However, I've never had enough power indoors to do either.
I don't think these sort of broad statements are ever accurate.
There are serious usability issues with using a wok on electric. A deep skillet is not a good replacement either. I eventually found something that works okay for larger quantities but it was really by chance because it's the sort of thing most people who cook poo-poo (Hexclad knockoff). A lot of Chinese people actually use these at home now, and it works well enough.
I thought the consensus was that wok hei is from the flame igniting the oil spray? Which cannot really be done on electric without a torch (but is best not done at home indoors anyway)
Jovidah
I'll make you a sponsor offer you can't refuse...
I can understand that it's a bit controversial (especially since it also deals with existing construction), but a lot of the argumentation in that article is just crap. 'You can't do fine dining on electric'. Err what? Plenty of Michelin star restaurants are all induction. Don't get me wrong I prefer gas too... but the idea that good cooking on induction is impossible is just nonsense.
'Imagine a guest ordering a 2-to 3-pound whole fish'. That's not fine dining. That's a feeding station.
It's like all the people commenting in the article only know the old-school electric stoves and never used induction.
All I can say is go induction. I've had the old-school electric and I'm fully with you: it's so bad it's basically a human rights violation. But induction is alright. I still prefer gas but I could live with induction...whereas the old electric stuff is worse than simply having a wood-burning campfire.Unpopular indeed - I've been a slave to an electric range for the past 7 years and HATE EVERY SECOND OF IT.
Especially for my WOK!
When I go anywhere else and cook... I tend to catch myself drooling and super excited over the gas range like its the Pot 'o Gold at the Rainbow!
View attachment 220553
For any kind of stirfrying - and this goes for induction too - just use a normal flatbottom frying pan. Yes it's not a wok, but it's the best you'll get.
