"OmManiPadmeOmelet" > wrote in message
...

>
>>
>> Gloves are another thing. Rubber gloves, latex gloves; whatever. I don't
>> think food is "icky" and I never saw the sense in using rubber gloves for
>> washing dishes or handling food, but lately I've been battling a little
>> rash
>> on my hands, and I've taken to wearing gloves when I'm working in the
>> kitchen. Seems to be helping while I narrow down the exact cause. Using
>> gloves while handling dough is kind of weird, so I just bought some
>> fabric
>> "dough gloves" which I never would have bought otherwise. They work. I
>> don't
>> know if I'll continue using them forever, but for now, they're a keeper.
>
> I _hate_ mixing ground meat with my hands but it's really the only way.
> Latex gloves that I purchase by the box are a godsend for that chore,
> and indespensible when working with hot peppers. ;-)

Last time I ordered goves, I bought a box each of latex, vinyl, and nitrile.
I've got to say that I'm leaning toward the nitrile ones. they're a little
more expensive, but I've found that I can take them off and put them on
again pretty easily.

And now that I've gotten used to using them, I'm finding all sorts of
additional benefits. Like if you've got that little cut and you're peeling
tomatoes or squeezing lemons, you aren't putting acid in the wound. And you
don't have to worry about handling peppers or getting that opnion or garlic
smell out of your hands.


>>
>> Electric meat slicer. Yeah, who needs a meat slicer if you have a sharp
>> knife? This isn't something I use every day, but when I have a beef roast
>> and I want thin slices for sandwiches or Italian beef this thing is
>> great.
>> Or for nice even slices of anything. Bread, cheese....Yes, I still slice
>> things by hand a lot of the time, especially when it's small quantities,
>> but
>> this is a nice thing to have on hand when I need it.
>
> After a very, very serious cut to my fingers, I now use a cheese board
> for slicing cheese. It's just a wire and gives you ultimate "thin"
> control. I use a knife for everything else. Electric slicers are still
> not something I use.

I'd never use this thing without the guard, but it's great when I'm doing
quanities of something. One or two sandwiches, I'd slice by hand. But I just
sliced most of a beef roast into thin, even slices, and it was a breeze.

>
> My very sharp cleaver can slice meat paper thin with care.

I can do thin slices with a knife, but then I have to be neat and careful
and it takes a lot more time. The slicer really speeds things up a lot.

>
>>
>> On the other hand, I've gone though so many cheese grating devices in my
>> time...this must be my major impulse-buy weakness. I was cleaning out
>> kitchen gadgets a while back, and I got rid of quite a few grating
>> devices
>> that just didn't do the job. I had rotary graters and box graters, and
>> all
>> sorts of stupid gadgets. For big jobs, my kitchenaid has a grater device
>> which does a good job, but I went through a lot of hand graters before I
>> figured out what I liked for the small jobs.
>
> <lol> I have a nice tower grater that works for various things, I mostly
> use it for fresh ginger. I have a rotary grater for carrots etc. If I
> need grated cheese, I buy it PRE-GRATED! It's the same price as block
> cheese so why not? It freezes well and I mostly use it for cooking so
> texture is not an issue.

There's a cheese import warehouse in town and they've got a huge variety of
interesting cheeses. The only way to buy is in chunks. No slices, no
pre-grated.


>
>>
>> So...what things to you have that you found out were really wonderful
>> and/or
>> terrible?
>
> I used to hate garlic presses until I found the right one. :-)
> Now I swear by it.
>

I've never found one that I like. I usually just bash and chop by hand. So,
which one works for you?

Donna