Tramontina knives are high carbon drop forged chrome molybdenum stainless steel that is ice hardened to produce a long lasting sharp edge. The resulting quality is an acceptable product and they price range on these knives are reasonable. The Tramontina professional series knives are their best line of cutlery. Compare the prices to other high quality chef’s knives and it’s easy to make a decision about what knives suit your needs. If an inexpensive knife is required due to new chef’s, budget constraints, or other reasons, Tramontina is a good choice. They’re tangs, blades, and handles are forged together, so they won’t fall apart and they are constructed well enough for safe handling. The Tramontina Porterhouse steak knives are excellent for table settings.

The Tramontina trash can is a great product. It’s stainless steel construction makes an eye catching piece for any kitchen. It is so much better than an ugly and stained plastic can in the work area. A quick occasional cleaning on the stainless steel gives off a great shine. When guests and health inspectors visit and see this type of attention to detail instead of a nasty old plastic can, it’s impressive. Tramontina excels with cookware of all types. Their dutch oven is a serious competitor in comparison with any other brand, but they offer different lines for many other types of cookware.

• Stockpots
• Steamers
• Cast Iron Cookware
• Fondue Set
• Stainless Cookware Set
• Saute Pans
• Nonstick
• Roasting Pan
• Pressure Cooker
• Frying Pans
• Enameled Cast Iron
• Pasta Pot

Tramontina cookware may not be the best in quality, but chef’s do not always require the highest price to meet their needs. When you buy Tramontina, it’s value and budget concerns that would make you want to choose their offerings.

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These roaster pans are made of thick, hand-cast aluminum. The lids are vapor tight and they transfer heat from the sides of the pan to create an even heat from all around. They’re oven save to 350 degrees. Hand washing is recommended. The handles are a tough phenolic resin that make transporting to and from the oven save and easy.

15 Inch Magnalite Roaster

18 Inch Magnalite Roaster

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Technorati Tags: Cookware, Cookware and bakeware, Magnalite, roaster pans

Analon does have a strong competitor with Stellar saucepans though. I suggest comparing both before purchasing. Both are good quality with Analon winning out a bit with the ergonomic handles.

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Technorati Tags: aluminum, anodized, saucepans

There are different levels of Magnalite, Magpro professional cookware is for professional use and Magnalite for smaller operations and amateur chefs. Magpro is more durable, but Magnalite has the traditional design and appearance. It can be a tough choice for some operations because the Magnalite instantly reminds anyone, chefs or visitors, that the restaurant recognizes tradition and quality in their cooking style and equipment.

Magnalite pans are available in full cookware sets or individually. These include -

• Dutch Oven
• Roasting Pan
• Skillets
• Pots

The Magnalite roaster is one of the more popular pieces and the full cookware sets are great wedding gifts or Christmas presents for cooks that appreciate the old style and design.

If you wondering how to clean magnalite cookware, it’s just like any other aluminum cookware. One preferred method is to add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice per quart of water and bring the mixture to a simmer. After that, clean with a steel wool pad. Standard dishwashing with dish soap and hot water works well too, but leaving soak for long periods or using a dishwasher is not recommended.

Magnalite replacement parts are available through the WagnerWare company website. Use the contact information to find out more.

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Technorati Tags: Aluminium, aluminum cookware, Cookware, Cookware and bakeware

The prices for even the professional models for commercial use are very reasonable. Some added features are the ability to add a tariff weight if you need it for shipping and it converts liquid weights to a volume measurement. Most models run off of common AAA batteries, so they can be used or stored anywhere. Comparisons using lab scales are showing their accuracy to always be within a few grams which is excellent for a kitchen scale.

Technorati Tags: food scales, Scales and Weighing Equipment, Weighing scale

With the price of food going up, using your own slicer is an easy way to cut costs. More can be bought in bigger bulk when a slicer is available. It’s also an easy way for a restaurant to be sure that the cutting is done in a sanitary environment on clean equipment. Deni makes the possible for far less than it’s competitors.

Deni slicers are available in 3 different models.

• The Deni Professional Food Slicer - highest grade slicer
• The Deni Premium Food Slicer - medium grade slicer
• The Deni Electric Food Slicer  - home grade slicer

A good use for these inexpensive slicers is a situations where you need to transport it to location. Their lower price makes them less of a loss should something happen to them. Caterers and mobile vendors can appreciate this aspect.

Deni is a family owned company out of Buffalo, New York that prides itself on it’s products design. They started with 1 product, a vacuum sealer. After their success, they kept adding more products and now they offer over 100 well designed kitchen products.

I highly recommend the The Deni Professional Food Slicer for it’s design. Some of it’s highlights are -

• A large diameter, easy cleaning, stainless steel blade.
• Adjustable cutting thicknesses that go from very thin to 3/4 inch thick
• Adjustable speeds allow for cutting different food. Anything from bread to meat.
• Safety features
• Easy cleaning
• Aluminum construction for light weight
• Handles for easy carrying
• Powerful 130 watt motor

It’s true, there are much better slicers available, but none of them are affordable. If portable and inexpensive are to specifications for your next slicer, Deni is the best bargain slicer available.

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Image by Jeffery Simpson via Flickr

The aspects of the cookware make it well worth the price. These pieces highlight a kitchen with their beauty and style and they can be handed to future generations. It’s not uncommon to find old pieces of Le Crueset in use. They don’t become dust collecting antiques as cooks love to use them.

There are many good properties about an enamel coated cast iron cookware, but the downsides are -

• High Costs
• Weight
• Stainable

These problems lend this cookware more towards specific uses. A start-up kitchen should not make the considerable investment in this cookware unless it’s needed to add to the decor or there are plans for presenting a meal in the cookware. Chefs without considerable strength will not appreciate the weight. The stains are rare and can be avoided and cleaned, but an experienced staff that uses care is required. Any enamel can chip if staff abuses the pans, but Le Crueset’s warranty does cover this.

Le Crueset cookware can be used on the stovetop or in the oven. There are numerous specialty items from Le Crueset as well such as -

• Tea Kettles
• Heart shaped and other shapes of casserole dishe
• Fondue sets

These specialty pieces are destined to become heirlooms, but their commercial uses are limited.

There is a wide rage of colors available to match any kitchen’s decor. The burst pattern on many of the pieces make them easily recognized as La Crueset. Those who have experienced the use  of this cookware will instantly recognize them and note your choice of quality pieces.

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Technorati Tags: Cast iron, Cast-iron cookware, Cookware and bakeware, enamel, la crueset

Hobart 6 Speed Automatic Slicer With 12 Inch Blade

This Hobart Meat Slicer is one of the best commercial meat slicers available. Now, it’s available online too. There’s much to be said for a high quality slicer like this. Advanced safety, higher speed output, and easier cleaning than lesser slicing equipment are some of the good reasons to make the investment.

For safety,  the Hobart’s exclusive tilting, removable variable six-speed automatic carriage with front mounted controls and “Will Not Start Unless Fully Engaged” feature allows for nearly foolproof safety and excellent cutting. This machine is capable of cuts up to 1 inch thick, so safety measures are a very serious matter.

Food up to 7 1/2 inches in diameter and 12 inches wide can be sliced. There is a Top-mounted Borazon® Stone Sharpener with a lifetime warranty to maintain a sharp blade and there is a 1 year warranty on all other parts, including the knife.

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Commercial Grade Kitchen Mandolin

Kitchen mandolins are easy to find and some are very inexpensive. For commercial use, the Shun Pro Mandoline Food Slicer is the best food mandolin on the market. The best feature is the removable blade that can be resharpened many times. Combine that with safety guards that actually make it easier to use and it changes the way you think about slicing with a kitchen mandolin. Chefs uses these more simply because they’re less hassle. It’s not uncommon for restaurants to stop ordering many frozen pre-prepared sliced fruits and vegetables because they can be cut fresh at much less cost and they are noticeably  better tasting with a better texture.

Unlike many of the newer cheap food mandolins, this Shun Pro model has been in production for a long time. No corners are cut in it’s production. Japanese chefs have been depending on this model for a while. Many other brands are just cheap knock-offs that quickly turn into a utensil that is more hassle than it’s worth. The process for making the blade is the same process used for the past 700 years!

The Shun Pro is strong too! A chef can take a giant 2 pound potato and slice the entire potato with no prep work involved.

Technorati Tags: food mandolin, kitchen mandolin, slicer

Make Plank Fries With A Kitchen MandolinImage by fritish via Flickr

A kitchen mandolin, sometimes referred to as a food mandolin, is the perfect kitchen tool for slicing firm fruits and vegetables. Any commercial kitchen can find a huge value in a quality mandolin. Some new choices can be added to the menu as chefs gain experience with it too.

The most frequent use for the kitchen mandolin is for slicing produce, but it also is useful for making  julienne, French fry, and plank fry cuts. It does it so quickly that it can save money by allowing the chef to only slice what is needed quickly and many times restaurants who were using frozen alternatives can switch to much better tasting fresh cut ingredients.


The drawback of the mandolin is the difficult in cleaning and the possibility of injury. Chef’s can easily get severely cut if their not using it correct with safety as a priority. It’s worth the expense to buy better models that clean easy and have the necessary guards in place to make them safe.

The key to a mandolin is keeping the blade sharp. When the blade goes dull, it’s as useless as a paperweight. Do not buy cheap models that have a fixed blade! A higher quality model with a removable blade that’s made with quality steel will allow for the blade to be sharpened many times. Some even have a lifetime warranty. NSF certification is a good sign that the mandolin is a quality piece.

Here is a video of how a mandolin is used. I wouldn’t recommend the one in the video, but it’s close enough to show what types of things they’re capable of. Notice the, “Watch your hands.” warning. If she was using a quality mandolin, they provide better guards that reduce the temptation to work without a guard.

Technorati Tags: food mandolin, japanese cooking, kitchen, Mandolin