Kitchen Tools - Weighing In & Weeding The Clutter

Wow! Some of the articles I ran into these last few weeks. People love lists! Today I cover 3 different lists that will help you find your tools in the kitchen.

This first list "15 Awesome Kitchen Tools You Didn't Know You Needed" should change to "2 or 3...".
https://www.rentcafe.com/blog/apartmentliving/tips-tricks-renters/15-kitchen-tools-you-didnt-know-you-needed/

These are my top 3 picks out of that list:

1. FreshForce Orange Juicer - Not worth $45 but I like the concept. I use tongs to squeeze the fruit and my hand to catch the seeds. Cheaper products: https://amzn.to/3s8fyWA

2. Silicone Universal Lid - I can see the usefulness of this product. But again, not worth the estimated $54 for that particular lid. Cheaper glass see-through options are available. https://amzn.to/3LNHhE2

3. Cherry and Olive Pitter/Obsessive Chef Cutting Board - This is a tie. A cherry/olive pitter can be useful but I buy them pitted. But a good quick smash with the back of a knife and you can remove the pit. The cutting board may be useful for those still working on their knife skills. The pitter is OXO: https://amzn.to/3v6fCIG The Chef Board: https://amzn.to/3JLeDkS

Most of these items on the list are drawer stuffers. One-hit wonders. But if you're into having the newest gadgets, feel free to disagree.

The next list "9 Kitchen Tools For Clumsy People" I can get behind and endorse. Depends on your level of clumsy. Check it out: https://thepracticalkitchen.com/kitchen-tools-for-clumsy-people/

If you haven't figured it out by now, I am a bit of a minimalist in the home kitchen. This article "The Only Pieces of Kitchen Equipment You Actually Need" is a good start. https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2020-06-04/the-only-pieces-of-kitchen-equipment-you-actually-need

I wouldn't go so far to say it's the ONLY pieces you need. But it's a great understanding of getting started.

Is that a frywall on his head?

There is a method in this article. The way I presented the lists. Check out all the articles in order. You
start to see they start overlapping each other. I want you to pick up on what will actually help you. For example, the first article lists a "frywall". A funny heat-resistant "plastic" cone that looks like they put on animals so they don't scratch. In the second article, we find a splatter guard. In the third, we find a great non-stick pan that the splatter guard will work great on. You now have no need for that "one-hit-wonder flea cone". Either that or buy a wok or flat-bottom wok! Definitely more uses than a "frywall". https://amzn.to/3sW8mMB

Check out my kitchen lists of suggested equipment! You can save yourself some time on finding affordable high rated items to complete your kitchen! http://bit.ly/KitchenBestBuys

Mexican Chocolate Caramel Cookies!

 

These Mexican Chocolate Carmel Cookies are made with the caramel candy we made in our last video! Stephanie found an awesome "from scratch" cookie recipe that she modified to make it her own!

Here is the link to the cookie recipe we modified. 

https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/jumbo-chocolate-cookies/

Thank you! #TastesBetterFromScratch

The changes are simple. When you watch the video you will see HOW and then WHEN to add them in.

• Replace the chocolate chips with 2 discs of Mexican Chocolate chopped up. 
• Add a tablespoon of instant espresso powder to your cookie dough.
• Add your caramel candy into the middle of the cookie dough. Watch our caramel candy video. If you're still not convinced to try it yourself then those little square plastic-wrapped caramels from the store will do.

Two things you need to remember to have the most success with this recipe:

1. Chill your cookie dough 2 to 3 hours before using.
2. After rounding your caramel candy into balls, chill for at least an hour. You can do this anytime and then wait till your cookie dough is chilled.

This will also help your cookie have the best structure with no caramel "blow-outs". But even if you do have some, it still tastes great!

Products we use. Give them a try!

Do you need recommendations for your kitchen? Here are my top picks... Kitchen Best Buys http://bit.ly/KitchenBestBuys

Southern Greens in 10 Minutes

Greens are delicious! Collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, beet greens...And even swiss chard. In this video, I prepare Swiss chard like a southern green. How do you do that? With pork fat!

This is a quick technique I use to produce some delicious greens in a short amount of time. I use leftover grease from quality hickory smoked bacon, red pepper flake, and fresh garlic. That's about it except for seasoning with salt. Enjoy!

Check out my Kitchen Best Buys! I have been working a lot on this lately! These are some of my top picks of things I use in the kitchen. If you look closely enough in my videos you can see that I use the products I endorse. If you have some suggestions on things you would like to see or items I should review leave it in the comments. THANK YOU for visiting our website and watching our videos!

How to Make Guacamole

What is it about guacamole? When those avocados are ripe (and on sale) it brings out the need for guacamole. If the guacamole and salsa are great then I can build the rest of the food around it!

Tytus takes us through the steps of making Guacamole. I'm going to share a few tips for picking avocados, knives for aspiring young chefs, and recommend a cut-resistant glove for extra safety. You can find the recipe HERE.

You can watch our current video "How to Make Guacamole" and all our other past and future videos ON BOTH Facebook and YouTube!

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Waffles vs Pancakes

Why choose? Simple recipe and preparation of Waffles and Pancakes. 

This episode we let Tytus do some of the videoing and Tyrone (dad) tries to quit saying "alright" during filming. Ezra will again make his appearance as the official taste tester. This episode was brought to you by The Hot Mess Kitchen Crew! and Spices by Sarah!

**We aren't being sponsored by them, we just like their products. 

Simple Waffle and Pancake Recipe: 

1 cup all-purpose flour, 

2 tablespoons (or more) Honey 

2 teaspoons baking powder 

1 teaspoon salt 

1 cup milk (a little less for waffles) 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, or vegetable oil 

1 large egg 

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract (optional) 

Things we noticed to work on next time:
Lighting (we see some sunlight bleach out some parts of the video)
Sound (sound can range up and down as we try to film at different lengths)

Fix Exhaust Hood: $6

Recently I came in to work and realized my exhaust fan/hood was not properly working. There was no suction in order to ventilate the kitchen. Flipping the hood switch on and off I discovered there was a "power" sound and that the air induction part was still operating but not the exhaust fan.

I have run into this problem before in the past and sometimes its just as simple as replacing a belt. Now I understand larger kitchens, franchises, and corporate america usually call in maintenance or a company that comes in and fixes these kind of problems, BUT I run a small commercial kitchen. And yes, if I were to ask they would bring someone in right away to fix the problem...But come on, we know there is probably going to be at least a $200 service charge right? And that's before they even start to assess the situation or do any labor.  (Please do comment and let me know how much these things cost you! I would love to know how expensive its going to be in the future if its not an easy fix!).

Not being scared of heights I borrowed a ladder from maintenance and got up on the roof and removed 4 easy clips from the dome on top of my exhaust. Before climbing up I turned the master switch off in the kitchen. After turning off a secondary switch close to the actual motor I then turned the master switch back on. That way you can sit on top of the roof and use that switch to check and see what wrong or how things work when you get the exhaust fan back together.

As you can see from the pictures its a pretty small unit. It was indeed a worn out, broke belt that kept the exhaust fan from working. Here I already replaced the belt. The motor itself was attached to another metal plate that attached to the base unit. There were four bolts in the plate (you can see part of plate in picture) you can loosen and then slide the motor and plate back and forth in order to quickly and easily change the belt. The belt for this unit costs $6 at Grainger. 

While I was up there I decided to check the air intake system as well. Both the motor and belt on that unit looked great! It also had a separate switch close to the motor that makes it much easier to work on and check without running up and down the ladder. But while I was up there I removed the 2 filter plates and gave them a good cleaning before putting the top back on the unit. Which by the way, was 2 screws.

Problems like these can sometimes be diagnosed and fixed yourself for very little money. And EVERYONE is trying to save money (or at least keep what they have) these days! Oh yeah, while your at it BUY a few backup belts for the next time. (or just in case you tighten the belt up to much, or leave it to loose and it shreds off again!) And remember if its cold or hot outside so you can adjust the tension on the belt accordingly, it will affect the performance of the belt when the temperature changes.

If you have any Do It Yourself equipment tips, techniques, and/or fixes in the HOME or COMMERCIAL/PROFESSIONAL kitchen, I would love to hear them!

Evelyne and Ophelia - Liberia Cooks