I have cooked in so many private kitchens around Tampa Bay that I could probably walk into yours right now and find my way around in less time than it would take you to grab the phone and order a pizza.
From modest homes to mansions, I probably have seen all the residential equipment available and some nice heavy-duty pieces, which are always a pleasure to cook with.
Talking about serious equipment: Wouldn't it be cool to get restaurant-grade items for your kitchen?
Maybe you always wanted a thick, 6- by 2-foot butcher block, a meat slicer or a restaurant espresso machine. Or more modestly, you need cheap but robust saute pans and a commercial-grade mandoline (watch those fingers!). Or maybe you'd like to start a larger project such as putting a pizza oven in your back yard or getting a used, professional gas range and a stainless-steel working table for your remodeled kitchen.
Here are a couple of places I know, mostly wholesalers that welcome retail customers. GMS Marketplace, formerly Smart & Final, (1661 Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard, Clearwater; (727) 442-2622 and 3131 Fourth St. N, St. Petersburg; (727) 821-1902) has new utensils (whisks, pans, tongs, thermometers) and equipment such meat slicers, deep fryers, mixers, and is worth a visit.
Rest Equip (9190 Ulmerton Road, Largo; (727) 586-1579) has a large inventory of new and used items. You can wander around soda machines, double glass refrigerators, stocks of close-out restaurant chairs, dinning furniture, pots, pans and other catering equipment. Note that this is also the place for used plates, silverware and glassware, literally hundreds of pieces.
You may come across some really cool things there, kind of like antique shopping for your kitchen.
Beltram Supply (6800 N Florida Ave., Tampa; toll-free 1-800-940-1136 and 805 Live Oak St., Tarpon Springs; (727) 937-4231) and Louis Wohl (11101 N 46th St., Tampa; (813) 985-8870) are similar to Rest Equip.
Restaurant equipment, new or used, is expensive. But visiting these places may help you find something you want, and getting a good deal is always a possibility.
Next month, we will look into pots, pans and how to select the ones that are best for you. A lot of readers have asked me about Calphalon vs. All-Clad. Stay tuned.
An American pie
Question: Have you ever heard of Vinegar Pie? Jim Pogue
Answer: My European training may have omitted some old-time American recipes such as this one and that is a shame.
After research and experimentation in the kitchen, I discovered that vinegar pies are like Florida Key Lime Pie - without the key lime. They are part of classic old Georgia recipes, though I also found some recipes from northern Michigan. It seems to have its origins out of the logging camps, where fresh food was scarce, and the vinegar substitution would make the pie taste like it had fruit in it, at least to hungry lumberjacks.
Interestingly enough, included in this recipe are these cook's instructions, perhaps intended for the same hungry lumberjacks:
"If you wish to be fancy, just in case the girls are going to drop in, make the usual meringue (using some leftover egg whites)."
- Chef Gui Alinat welcomes questions about cooking and will respond to those of general interest in future columns. Sorry, he can't take phone calls or answer individual requests. Send questions to him in care of Taste, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731, or e-mail him at chefgui@chefgui.com Please include your name and city of residence.
Vinegar Pie
1 9-inch unbaked pie crust
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 cups water
3 eggs, well-beaten (if the eggs are small use 4)
1 tablespoon butter
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Combine sugar, flour and lemon zest in a saucepan and stir them together until thoroughly blended.
Add cider vinegar while stirring or whisking constantly, then add the water.
Place over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
Remove from heat and stir a little of the hot mixture into the eggs, then stir the warmed egg mixture into the remaining hot mixture. Stir in butter.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pie shell and bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees and then reduce heat to 350 and continue baking for 30 minutes more.
Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool completely before serving.
The filling will seem quite liquid, but will firm as the pie cools.
