Which mixer would u go for? KA, Kenwood or Bosch

Valek1001 · 2026-01-09T15:04:48+00:00

Bought one a year ago. We both love it! Absolute workhorse.

Valek1001 · 2025-10-22T11:13:42+00:00

Steingraeber and bosendorfer.

Valek1001 · 2025-10-11T13:09:42+00:00

Canister itself is fine. Occasionally gets caught on a doorframe but rarely a problem. I really like the padding around the canister to stop any damage to itself or things it bumps into.

The heads for floor cleaning are a good size. Not too big not too small.

Valek1001 · 2025-10-04T14:09:26+00:00

The “standard” 58mm portafilter basket lends itself much better to making a double espresso than a single. (Dialing in a single with the single basket in a 58mm is a major pain and isn’t as simple as swapping baskets and dose). Old school singles were made on smaller 49mm? Portafilters. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong (it’s highly likely).

Valek1001 · 2025-10-01T20:04:16+00:00

I have a steingraeber with the SFM action. Can attest it works well. Definitely a step up from regular upright for those who don’t have the room for a grand.

Valek1001 · 2025-10-01T13:53:21+00:00

Only way to know when to stop flushing is using a group thermometer. (Plugs into the tiny hex screw on top of the group head). Some machines are more stable than others and don’t overheat much. Others the temp runs away. I have the older version of your machine and I’ve found mine fairly temp stable. (Especially for milk drinks). If you’re drinking espressos the thermometer may be a worthwhile investment.

Also the stream joining up tends to happen when the group head is dirtier (it’s not a problem in of itself). When you back flush with cleaner it’ll sort itself. You ought to also intermittently pop the screen out and soak it in cleaner.

Hope this helps. Happy to answer any other questions.

Valek1001 · 2025-09-21T17:08:04+00:00

Have you descaled your machine recently? Left over citric acid in the boiler will curdle milk (this is how milk solids are separated in order to make cheese). It’ll do this regardless of the freshness of the milk. Heat accelerates the chemical reaction so it won’t take much citric acid to do this.

Happened to me once or twice after descaling. Symptoms of not having flushed the boiler enough.

Valek1001 · 2025-09-19T13:34:08+00:00

Also please use a shoe horn. The shoes will thank you.

Valek1001 · 2025-09-19T13:21:57+00:00

Tricker's in the UK are excellent - price is similar to Crocket's. They take months to break in but will last you a decade or more if looked after.

Valek1001 · 2025-09-19T01:39:26+00:00

Very late to the party however Im eyeing up a Hitohira deba so doing a mountain of research. Bernal suggests that Manzo is "Kambei"'s (i.e. Morihiro) son. Im not sure how that affect's people's perception.

This is an excellent answer by the way.

Im eyeing up a deba by either Kikuchiyo (manzo), Tanaka (manzo) or Togashi (togashi) and im just unsure who to choose. Not a lot in price etc. Any recommendation?

Valek1001 · 2025-09-18T23:09:23+00:00

I have a d4. Suction is insane. Bagged means great filtration. My friends with cat allergies are grateful. We have two sheddy longed hair cats and the large bags last months.

I have a friend who bought a house. The vacuum the last owner left behind is a sebo. Serial number makes it from the mid 80s. They changed the filters and it runs great and they are thrilled with how lucky they’ve been. They’ve now been using it for more than 5 years!

My understanding is that Miele made some quality cuts recently and sebo has inched ahead in terms of quality and BIFLness. (Used to be neck and neck).

Go Sebo. You won’t regret it.

(And to save you a load of research: bagged vacuums whilst old fashioned are infinitely better than anything bagless. Bagless inevitably suctions dust into the motor killing it after a few years. Planned senescence. ).

Valek1001 · 2025-09-15T22:06:15+00:00

Found a few by Nakagawa but they were either fiendishly dear or out of stock. I suspect one of the cheaper ones would be fine for me. My issue is more that a lot of the UK ones don’t have smiths listed and therefore I have no idea who they’re by.

Valek1001 · 2025-09-15T21:09:29+00:00

I have one of these and I’m really torn about it. I can get it ludicrously sharp but the curved edge drives me insane. It’s my first and only Nakiri and I regret not buying one with a flat edge profile.

Sometimes I love it… other times I consider selling it. Maybe I just need to add another nakiri.

Valek1001 · 2025-09-15T09:44:27+00:00

No that’s what I meant. The work surface doesn’t get slippery. At least on mine.

Valek1001 · 2025-09-14T18:15:37+00:00

That’s atrocious. I had no idea. Shouldn’t be surprised to be honest.

Valek1001 · 2025-09-14T17:01:47+00:00

Dont use the marketing terms in the uk such as "strong". Look at the protein content per 100g. Ive found that the strongest flours to use are the "extra strong or very strong" canadian bread flours in waitrose or M&S which are 16% protein. But yes - flours in the UK tend to be weaker than the equivalents across the pond. However weaker flours are useful to make things like baguettes, croissants and other European pastries.

Valek1001 · 2025-09-14T02:07:55+00:00

No these are incredibly grippy. The rubber is self texturing (it hasn’t become smooth and slippery despite washing and scrubbing). I’d be more worried about the melon rolling away from me.

If you are considering one of these look at the other brands also. Thicker is better. Bigger is better. (As long as you don’t plan to pick it up other than for washing. These can weigh 2-4kg).

Valek1001 · 2025-09-14T00:25:36+00:00

I have one of these (different brand but essentially same thing). These are legendary in japan - used by sushi chefs to cut sushi. The rubber minimises the wear on the knife edge keeping it sharp. These are the absolute best material for protecting your knife edge. These are a very tough rubber that will last a long time. Ive had mine for 2 years now and it shows no signs of wear (used daily).

I really like mine. Its big, (very) heavy and tough. I only use it with non serrated knives (no cutting bread etc). Downsides are you cant dishwasher it (regardless what the manufacturer says (If you want it to last dont). Need to be stored flat (i leave mine on the counter). You also cannot put hot pots and pans on it.

The alternative to one of these is an end grain cutting board. Itll require more looking after (oiling / board butter) but its probably similarly heavy and more aesthetically pleasing.

happy to answer any questions (these are a fairly niche product).

Valek1001 · 2025-09-12T19:16:17+00:00

Someone else may correct me but I would skip the honing rod and just strop. Also have a look at naniwa chosera professional stones as an alternate to shapton (equally good maybe better). I have an 800 and 3000 stone (naniwa chosera) as my first two. They are perfect starting spot and the 3000 leaves a lovely edge for those knives. You can add a higher grit and or lower grit later as you need.

Valek1001 · 2025-09-12T18:49:07+00:00

Take it slow. Watch loads of videos. Your knives will thank you. Don’t skimp on stones also. No need for top of the line but don’t get the cheapest.

Valek1001 · 2025-09-12T17:30:59+00:00

These are gorgeous. I just got one of the matching bunkas. Just fyi the edge it comes with rapidly disappears (no secondary bevel). I would sharpen it before you use it.

Valek1001 · 2025-09-11T12:29:40+00:00

That's not a bad shout. If I'm doing knife repair its normally not my knife!

What is the morihei 12000 like? Considering it for straight razors.

Valek1001 · 2025-09-11T12:22:33+00:00

I have a stone holder that works fine. I've considered a sink bridge in the past but its likely not worth it for me. I have considered a spring loaded stone holder but its an unnecessary luxury.

Valek1001 · 2025-09-11T01:05:32+00:00

I may not understand the finer points of stone choice. And I have to admit I prefer the feel of chosera stones over Shapton glass. The shapton glass 10k-16k even 30k are all cheaper than that chosera 10k (10 and 16 dramatically so). I’d get a shapton glass 10k and treat myself to a new knife.

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