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colander, dishes, wok for the egg?

WileECoyote
WileECoyote Posts: 516
edited November -0001 in EggHead Forum
I am still learning how to cook on the egg but many pics I have seen include some type of colander or small dishes to cook vegetables in. Most of these seemed to be made of metal and a few were ceramic. I like the idea of using a colander to let the smoke surround the food better and juices drain off, and I like the idea of using small solid dishes for simmering something like shrimp or scallops in butter. The wife is also very interested in using a wok to stir fry some veggies.

I have been looking around on ebay and at local stores but most dishes like this go for $20 or more each plus shipping and I prefer to get something cheap while I am still learning and experimenting. I found a stainless steel colander for $3.00 on clearance at Walgreens of all places. It is actually made pretty well with a flat base and two handles but the metal is a little thin and I assume it won't spread the heat as well as cast iron. I also saw some older enamel coated metal dishes at a local flea market but most of them had chips in the enamel and some rust spots. Would a new enamel dish be better than stainless steel?

So what types of dishes are best for this type of cooking? Pics would be great if you have any to share.

Comments

  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
    Also check Kohls. They have some smoken deals on kitchen stuff.

    Rachael Ray plates, salad plates, cast iron serving plates a lot of different things that might be useful for eggers. Most of these items are under $10 & $6 per set (excelent discounts)

    SS stock pot set - very inexpensive. If I recall corectly $30 to $45 (4 or 6 pan set w/lids etc).

    These offerings have been going on for a week or so. Sometimes they show out of stock then when looking again they are back in stock.

    There is also free shipping discount codes and an additional 20% off if you are able to use a Kohls card.

    Warning, be careful with Kohls, they often mark things way up before a sale so they can offer a huge discounts.

    For the next few months there will be a lot of kitchen/bbq'ing stuff being offerd (tis the season).

    GG
  • Check to see if you have a "Tuesday Morning" in your hood. I picked up 4 dishes there the other day. A couple Le Creuset and a couple Emile Henry dishes (pie dish, lasagna dish, and two others) for less than half of normal retail.
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 34,594
    if you live near a major city look for a kitchen suppy store in the asian area if they have one, they sell stuff cheap, i bought these in chinatown in boston, 8 dollars for the one with the handle and 13 for the hand hammered one. both work in the egg, i stirfry with the dome open and prefer the handled one for stirfrys, but if your going to be cooking with the dome shut the other is a better choice, i believe they are 14 inch diameter. been using a wok for years and just started to use it in the egg, nice not to smoke the house out

    100_1744.jpg

    100_1764.jpg

    100_1733.jpg
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
    I got this one for $6 at Bed Bath & Beyond. The handle folds up so it fits inside the egg (medium and large). It is non-stick and cleans in an instant.

    DSC_0004.jpg

    DSC_0003.jpg
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 26,455
    I purchased this wok shaped piece at Lowe's for like $7 and it works well with or without a "spider" ring available from tjv.
    IMG_0605.jpg
    Re-gasketing the USA one yard at a time 
  • Jeffersonian
    Jeffersonian Posts: 4,244
    This one was a bit more expensive than the others, but I love it. It has a detachable handle. Got it on Amazon:

    DSC00204.jpg
  • DynaGreaseball
    DynaGreaseball Posts: 1,409
    Wish I had known they come with a detachable handle!

    DSCN3077.jpg

    Don't remember how much this was, but it wasn't in his desired price range.

    Easy clean up though.
  • Krusty
    Krusty Posts: 77
    WileECoyote wrote:
    ...... and I like the idea of using small solid dishes for simmering something like shrimp or scallops in butter.

    I am also looking for dishes like this. I would like to have single serving dishes for side vegetables and maybe some shrimp scampi. I have been browsing Au Gratin dishes on Amazon, but I am not sure if they will hold up in the Egg. I am staying away from thin porcelain ones and looking more at the thicker stoneware type. Will any dish that says it is "oven safe" be okay in the Egg if it is used indirect only?
  • DynaGreaseball
    DynaGreaseball Posts: 1,409
    GUILTY! Thought I had re-sized them all. Sorry.

    DSCN3077.jpg

    Wow, Photobucket has a great new photo editor.
  • The item you are looking for is not a collander but is a Grill wok. Some are round and some are square with raised sides. You can find them many places- Home Depot, BJs, Lowes, etc. I don't think a collander would hold up well enough to cook in as it is not made for that.

    To use a real wok on the Egg, you should get a spider ( www.eggaccessories.com).
    When you put the Wok on, you can close the bottom vent completely and leave the dome of the Egg open while you cook. Make sure you have a place to put your wok when you take it off the fire. I find it's best to remove the wok from the Egg before removing the food. When I removed the food while it was still on the Egg, it seemed like only seconds before the wok was a smoking mess!

    The grill woks can go right on the grill. You use these for cooking veggies or small stuff that could otherwise fall through the grate.
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 34,594
    when you first told me about closing the lower vent completely, i didnt think the heat would stay high enough, but it worked great. the fire completely died down and i was even able to do a small deep fry in the wok with that setup that looked safer than what i do over an open flame on the wok burner indoors. thanks for the help with that, there will be lots of woking this year on the egg.
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • I have one of the holey things similar to those in the pics above. If you only use it once to make fajitas, it will be worth the price.
  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,137
    Did you custom cut the notches in your wok rings? Cool...
    Darian
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 34,594
    the ring came with the stove, the burner in the center is a high btu wok burner.
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,137
    Very nice...
    Darian
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,137
    Very nice...
    Darian
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
  • Fishless-
    I thought you were the one that told me about it!

    Either way, it does work great!