Reddit reviews Hiware Solid Stainless Steel Spider Strainer Skimmer Ladle for Cooking and Frying, 5.4 Inch

I always scoop the pasta out of the boiling water into whatever sauce I've prepared - that way, the pasta can't escape, you can't accidentally burn the shit out of your hands if you over-pour, and you get to keep the pasta water if you want to loosen your sauce.

One of these guys for long pasta: https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Grips-Nylon-Spaghetti-Server/dp/B003L0OOWQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1511551830&sr=8-3&keywords=pasta+scoop

One of these guys for short: https://www.amazon.com/Hiware-Stainless-Spider-Strainer-Skimmer/dp/B071D8R93Y/ref=sr_1_4?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1511551855&sr=1-4&keywords=spider+strainer

My Full Home Fryer kit


Container and strainer in one

​

Fryer - Easy to clean and use/cheap (Dishwasher safe)


Spider - Do not use the crappy basket that comes with the fryer, use this to remove things instead


Thermometer - Never trust the built in one.

I just made a huge batch of Spätzle. And I can only recommend getting one of these. All the other contraptions are far messier and bulkier and more expensive. I've tried them all and this simple thing works best.

As for Spätzle: Mix Eggs and Water in a bowl. You need as much water as you got eggs by volume. Add a pinch of salt. Add flour until you have the right texture. What you are looking for is a very wet dough which "climbs" up your dough hooks and yet still drips off. Since this is my grannies recipe this is all by gut feeling. Once you are reasonably comfortable with your dough let it rest for at least half an hour. then check the viscosity again. Add flour if needed.

Then you need to heat up water in a pot. It is absolutely important that the water is hot but you don't want hot steam. If you get hot steam you will steam the dough while you are making Spätzle.

Pass the dough through the contraption. Don't use too much dough at once because you want your Spätzle to cook evenly. Fish the Spätzle at the surface out of the water using something like this.

Drop the Spätzle into a pan with melted butter. You are not looking for a lot of heat. You only want to keep them warm. Ideally you will drop them into a pan of very dark roasted onions. That's how I prefer them. If you've got nutmeg, use some of that. If you feel like granulated garlic, use some of that.

As for cheese: use Emmental or similar cheeses. Do not use weird stuff like Cheddar. I made my last batch with equal amounts of Emmental and not-quite Parmigiano. If you feel your cheese isn't quite melting you can pop the whole thing into the oven at a not too hot temperature. Just enough to melt the cheese.

My girlfriend adds cream before the Spätzle go into the oven.

Be careful with the flour you use. None of the self-raising stuff.


There are variation of Spätzle without adding water to the dough. Those are very eggy indeed and I'm not too fond of those.

May I ask, is this what metal wire spider looks like?

Is it safe to use steel utensils on an aluminium (I mean steel) pots and pans?

Not sure if this is helpful or not, but you could buy something that isn't meant for only one purpose.

A dutch oven is great for deep frying, and obviously braising, simmering, roasting, and even baking bread.

If you go this route, you will also need a spider and a thermometer

Edit: I know you said you would rather see it in person, I'm just sharing the links so that you know what to look for. You can find these things in most "mega marts"

I started using a spider strainer utensil for this purpose. It works really well because you can lower like 4-5 eggs safely at a time!

Instant Pot Chipotle Black Beans (so easy!)

Canned beans, schmanned beans. Nothing is better than cooking your own DRIED beans from scratch! These Chipotle Black Beans are SO easy (and cheap!) to prepare in your Instant Pot and the flavors outperform any can of beans. It’s a win-win.

Full recipe (with notes) found at....https://veggiechick.com/instant-pot-chipotle-black-beans/

• 2 tablespoons water (or vegetable broth)
  
• 1/2 medium Spanish yellow onion, diced
  
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
  
• 3 cups water (or unsalted vegetable broth)
  
• 1 cup dried black beans, not soaked beforehand*
  
• 2 teaspoons cumin powder
  
• 1 teaspoon Spanish paprika
  
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon chipotle powder (adjust amount for desired spiciness)
  
• 1 tablespoon lime juice, optional
  
  

  INSTRUCTIONS
  

  
  

1. Set the Instant Pot to Sauté. Add the 2 tablespoons water (or vegetable broth), chopped onion and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the onions are soft and translucent
   
2. Next add the water (or 3 cups vegetable broth), dried black beans and all spices.
   
3. Press Stop to reset the Instant Pot and then press the Bean/Chili button (or Manual/Pressure Cook) and set the time to 35 minutes. The Instant Pot will start to build pressure and after pressurized, it will cook for 35 minutes. After cooking, it will need to sit for awhile to release pressure (about 15 minutes).
   
4. When the pressure is released, remove the lid. The beans will be sitting in some liquid; taste to make sure they are cooked through and to your desired spiciness.** If desired, add a little more chipotle powder and/or lime juice and stir. 
   
5. Use a handheld strainer to remove the beans. Save the liquid for adding to recipes if desired. Makes 3 cups.
   
6. Store these beans (with or without liquid) in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.