Tag: equipment
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ReuseRecover: Jam Jar Screw Containers
My father in law put me onto this great tip. Using jam jars and the like to store nuts, bolts etc etc in your shed this way has so many benefits.
Not only do you get to give a second life to a single life container (albeit a recyclable one) but you also make use of the underside of your shed shelves. Every shed owner wants more storage :).
Simply wash your jar, drill two holes through the lid and into the bottom of the shelf. Use short screws to attach the lid and hey presto you have a new storage container.
Tips:
- The holes in the lid should be spaced apart and not in the center so that the lid doesn’t spin when you try and twist the jar off to get to the contents.
- Leave enough room between jars to allow you to see the jars several rows behind. I even alternated the alignment of my rows to improve visibility.
- Put often used items in the first row and less used in the rear rows.
Enjoy,
PK
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Slow Cookers
A slow cooker is an essential piece of kitchen kit. It allows you to very slowly simmer the cuts of meat that do the most work in an animal, turning the meat tender and breaking down the connective tissue. An example is lamb shanks, one of my favourite meals (see my take on River Cottage’s Citrus Braised Lamb Shanks).
I got mine second hand from my sister in law (read free) and yours shouldn’t cost and arm and a leg if bought new either.
Most recipes can be adjusted to suit slow cooking by adding more liquid and significantly extending the cooking time. At the other end, it is so easy to clean up and sometimes it is the only dish used in the whole meal
Related Links:
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Equipment: Slow Cooker
A slow cooker is an essential piece of kitchen kit. It allows you to very slowly simmer the cuts of meat that do the most work in an animal, turning the meat tender and breaking down the connective tissue. An example is lamb shanks, one of my favourite meals (see my take on River Cottage’s Citrus Braised Lamb Shanks).
I got mine second hand from my sister in law (read free) and yours shouldn’t cost and arm and a leg if bought new either.
Most recipes can be adjusted to suit slow cooking by adding more liquid and significantly extending the cooking time. At the other end, it is so easy to clean up and sometimes it is the only dish used in the whole meal
Related Links:
- see more equipment posts here
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5L Demijohn
A demijohn is a large glass flagon that is stoppered with a rubber or plastic bung and an airlock. They are used in the alcoholic fermentation of fruit and the like. They are also called carboys and come in a range of sizes.
My one has an old school s-type air bubble lock that after inserting in the bung I simply fill with boiling water (you only have to do this once) to keep every hygienic and the bugs out 🙂 . As the fermentation process slows, the pressure on the airlock reduces and a nice layer of carbon dioxide forms, in the demijohn, to preserve the contents.
I use it to make my hard apple ciders and ginger beers in larger quantities.
Tip: Never fill a cold glass vessel with boiling water without warming it in a bath of hot water from the tap. It will crack otherwise.
Enjoy,
PK
Related Links:
- see PK’s Small Batch Hard Ginger Beer
- see more preserving posts here
- see more equipment posts here
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PK’s Essential Pantry Cupboard Contents
Welcome to the first in a series of posts dealing with lists of essential items for getting the most out of your growing, catching and cooking journey. This particular post is all about the kitchen pantry.
Whilst a work in progress I aim to present the bare minimum essential items that must be in my cupboard at all times. I have many others in my shed (there is a slight disagreement between my wife and I over who owns our very small kitchen) but the items below need to be in easy reach or I get grumpy 🙂 .
Herbs, Salts and Spices
- Cinnamon
- Cumin seeds
- Fennel seeds
- Mustard seeds (black and yellow)
- Peppercorns (whole black)
- Salt (table and crystals)
Sauces and Condiments
- Fish Sauce
- Mustard paste (dijon, hot english and wholegrain)
- Tomato Passata
- Sriracha Sauce
- Worcestershire Sauce
Vinegars
Fats and Oils
- Ghee (clarified butter)
- Olive oil
- Peanut (ground nut) oil
- Sesame oil
Confections and Flours:
- White flour
- Raw Sugar
Rubs and Coatings:
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Mortar And Pestle
The mortar (the bowl) and the pestle (the rounded club shaped part that you hold) have been used for ever and a day to crush and grind cooking ingredients.
It can be used to grind dry ingredients to a fine powder or equally to give them a coarser texture. I use it for wet ingredients when a wet power blender would make the paste too smooth.
To show you what I mean, this is the same very tasty sauce (first picture is blended, second is ground):
My two tips are:
- avoid the temptation to get a small one as spices like peppercorns and coriander seed will make a break for it as soon as you start grinding 🙂
- don’t spend too much on them, they all do the same thing regardless of the price tag
Dry
Wet
PK
Related Links:
- see recipes that use a mortar and pestle here
- see more kitchen kit here
- see more equipment posts here
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Cast Iron Skillet
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This is my first ever cast iron skillet and I am immediately a fan. I won’t lie to you, it was purchased without approval on a solo trip to Kitchen Warehouse and I am still begging for forgiveness :).
Before I used it for the first time I gave it a wash in hot water (no suds) and then gave it a light coating in olive oil. It then went into a fan-forced oven at 160C for about an hour.
I used it to make Shakshuka and it cleaned up so easily. Again, hot water and a slight coating of oil before being thrown into the cupboard. This thing is indestructible!
Enjoy,
PK
Related Links:
- see more equipment posts here
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PK Reviews: Nylex 5L Shoulder Sprayer
The Nylex 5L and 8L Shoulder Sprayers are perfect for people with kitchen gardens, even large ones. I am reviewing several of the Nylex Sprayer range and I started with their Nylex 1.5L 360° Sprayer. Please see the other Nylex reviews here.
In short I couldn’t be more pleased with my 5L Shoulder Sprayer and I bought it for next to nothing from my local Bunnings. At ~$22 AUD it is very good value for money and one of my units has been in use for 3 years now.
This pressure sprayer is perfect for spraying plants with dense hard to reach foliage (such as chili plants and tomato plants) with both targeted solutions such as pyrethrum or full plant coverage solutions such as bio-oil. You could even use it on trees such as large citrus plants.
My favourite bio-oil by the way is http://ecoorganicgarden.com.au/products/pest-disease/eco-oil/ and no they are not paying me to say that :).
A trigger spray (although Nylex makes good/affordable versions of these) is not going to suffice as they can’t spray upside down and don’t have the holding capacity. Turning the leaves is going to end up getting spray on you and also leaf/foliage damage.
Note: This is not a paid post.
Product Reviewed:
- Nylex 5L Shoulder Sprayer
Pros:
- Very good build quality for a very low price
- 2 year warranty on the UV resistant plastic bottle
- Fibre glass wand with fan and jet nozzles works well with the D shaped handle or supplied shoulder strap to allow you to spray where you want and only where you want
- D shaped handle also makes for easy pumping and even stores the wand when not in use
- Lockable trigger on the wand
- Safety pressure release valve that also makes for easy de-pressuring when you are finished
- Easy to read incremented 1.0L marks so you can accurately mix your concentrate solutions
- Plastic sleeve for holding labels to indicate what type of solution you are keeping the sprayer for e.g.. fungicides vs insecticides (this is one of my favourite features as I don’t like to use the same sprayer for different treatments)
- Filter mechanism avoids blockages
- Spare o-rings etc are available
Cons:
- None that I can tell, sorry 🙂
Availability:
- Available at your local Bunnings https://www.bunnings.com.au/nylex-5l-shoulder-garden-sprayer_p2962002
The Verdict:
Great product at a very reasonable price and easy to store when not in use. Build quality is very high and you should get many years out of it. Once I bought my first one I could not go back. You are going to use a lot less plastic packaging and save money by using such a sprayer.
If you have any questions about the product range I recommend contacting the Nylex team at http://www.nylexwatering.com/contact-us/
Hope this review helps and feel free to send me any comments or corrections.
Enjoy,
PK
Related Links:
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Nylex 5L Shoulder Sprayer: PK Reviews
The Nylex 5L and 8L Shoulder Sprayers are perfect for people with kitchen gardens, even large ones. I am reviewing several of the Nylex Sprayer range and I started with their Nylex 1.5L 360° Sprayer. Please see the other Nylex reviews here.
In short I couldn’t be more pleased with my 5L Shoulder Sprayer and I bought it for next to nothing from my local Bunnings. At ~$22 AUD it is very good value for money and one of my units has been in use for 3 years now.
This pressure sprayer is perfect for spraying plants with dense hard to reach foliage (such as chili plants and tomato plants) with both targeted solutions such as pyrethrum or full plant coverage solutions such as bio-oil. You could even use it on trees such as large citrus plants.
My favourite bio-oil by the way is http://ecoorganicgarden.com.au/products/pest-disease/eco-oil/ and no they are not paying me to say that :).
A trigger spray (although Nylex makes good/affordable versions of these) is not going to suffice as they can’t spray upside down and don’t have the holding capacity. Turning the leaves is going to end up getting spray on you and also leaf/foliage damage.
Note: This is not a paid post.
Product Reviewed:
- Nylex 5L Shoulder Sprayer
Pros:
- Very good build quality for a very low price
- 2 year warranty on the UV resistant plastic bottle
- Fibre glass wand with fan and jet nozzles works well with the D shaped handle or supplied shoulder strap to allow you to spray where you want and only where you want
- D shaped handle also makes for easy pumping and even stores the wand when not in use
- Lockable trigger on the wand
- Safety pressure release valve that also makes for easy de-pressuring when you are finished
- Easy to read incremented 1.0L marks so you can accurately mix your concentrate solutions
- Plastic sleeve for holding labels to indicate what type of solution you are keeping the sprayer for e.g.. fungicides vs insecticides (this is one of my favourite features as I don’t like to use the same sprayer for different treatments)
- Filter mechanism avoids blockages
- Spare o-rings etc are available
Cons:
- None that I can tell, sorry 🙂
Availability:
- Available at your local Bunnings https://www.bunnings.com.au/nylex-5l-shoulder-garden-sprayer_p2962002
The Verdict:
Great product at a very reasonable price and easy to store when not in use. Build quality is very high and you should get many years out of it. Once I bought my first one I could not go back. You are going to use a lot less plastic packaging and save money by using such a sprayer.
If you have any questions about the product range I recommend contacting the Nylex team at http://www.nylexwatering.com/contact-us/
Hope this review helps and feel free to send me any comments or corrections.
Enjoy,
PK
Hope this review helps,
PK
Related Links:
- See more Nylex posts here
- See our other product reviews here
- See more growing, catching and cooking equipment here
Please consider subscribing to get a weekly email summary of our posts.
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- see our other product reviews here
Please consider subscribing to get a weekly email summary of our posts.
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PK Reviews: Nylex 1.5L 360° Garden Sprayer
Product ranges get an automatic tick of approval from me if the bottom end of the range far exceeds expectations. The Nylex Garden Sprayer range is the perfect example of this. I am reviewing several of their models starting with the Nylex 1.5L 360° Sprayer which is my latest purchase. See the other reviews here.
I couldn’t be more pleased with it.
This pressure sprayer is perfect for spraying chili plants and tomato plants, for example, where you only want small quantities of solution but you need to get the underside of the leaves too. A trigger spray (although Nylex makes good/affordable versions of these) is not going to suffice as they can’t spray upside down. Turning the leaves is going to end up getting spray on you and also leaf/foliage damage.
Note: This is not a paid post.
Product Reviewed:
- Nylex 1.5L 360° Garden Sprayer
Pros:
- Very good build quality for a very low price
- 2 year warranty on the UV resistant plastic
- Feels balanced in the hands
- Adjustable nozzle from mist to stream
- Lockable trigger
- Easy to read 1.0L and 1.5L marks so you can easily mix your concentrate solutions
- Filter mechanism avoids blockages
- Spare o-rings etc are available
Cons:
- Not as versatile as a pressure sprayer with a wand for plants with dense foliage
- Lack of tag or other method to communicate purpose/type of the contents e.g. fungicide vs insecticide
Availability:
- Available at your local Bunnings https://www.bunnings.com.au/nylex-1-5l-360-garden-sprayer_p2961996
The Verdict:
Great product at a very reasonable price and small enough to store when not in use. Build quality is high and you should get many years out of it.
If you have any questions about the product range I recommend contacting the Nylex team at http://www.nylexwatering.com/contact-us/
Hope this review helps and feel free to send me any comments or corrections.
Enjoy,
PK
Hope this review helps,
PK
Related Links:
- See more Nylex posts here
- See our other product reviews here
- See more growing, catching and cooking equipment here
Please consider subscribing to get a weekly email summary of our posts.
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