Kitchen Gadgets.. The brilliant and the useless
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Got rid of the crock pot, bought a ninja food system which bakes, crock pots and stove tops. Three appliances in one. Can take it with me in the RV or use on the patio in summer so I don't heat up the house.
Food scale, stainless steel measuring spoons and cups in all sizes, good knives, silicone whisks, spatulas, pot holders, a meat thermometer and a good cutting board.
A Ninja Blender.
Electric Instant Pot Pressure cooker. Use for rice maker, grains, beans and quick meals. Again many appliances in one.0 -
Badger_Girl99 wrote: »Herb scissors - you'll thank me in the summer.
Oh yeah. Scissors. A good pair of kitchen scissors is probably the best thing a kitchen can have next to a good sharp knife.0 -
catscats222 wrote: »the worst = kitchen aid mixer
things to make in it include white flour, sugar, butter, etc, etc
every house that I walk into and they have this, the person is obese.
the good - a mixer like vitamix to make healthy soups and green drinks.
Lololol, yup, this almost always gets used for foods that aren't doing me any favors.
I asked to have my fiance's mother's Sunbeam Mixmaster as I now cook for her. My mother has a Sunbeam as well. Hers was a wedding present, so is over 50 years old.
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I've never had a Kitchenaid mixer but found my way to obesity anyway by eating too many calories just the same. A lot of obese people live in houses and have refrigerators.
I didn't really buy a bunch of gadgets or supplements for weight loss or health.
Best gadgets/tools-
The internet has been a great tool. MFP wins, You Tube for lots of great workouts comes in second, Pinterest or food blogs for recipes comes in third.
My Kindle Fire. I can check my food diary, read a book, play music, etc while moving around more. Moving around is healthier.
Good-
Spiralizer. It is a fun way to eat vegetables but I don't use it a ton.
Food processor
Food scale
Good shoes
yoga mats
Regular food- not shakes, bars, packaged meals
Bad-
stretchy elastic resistance bands that I never use
Broken treadmill that takes up space
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catscats222 wrote: »the worst = kitchen aid mixer
things to make in it include white flour, sugar, butter, etc, etc
every house that I walk into and they have this, the person is obese.
the good - a mixer like vitamix to make healthy soups and green drinks.
Yeap... thats the mixer's problem for sure lol hahahaha
I know, right? I didn't realize that hunk of metal on my shelf was making me gain weight. (I should probably keep an eye on those mischievous muffin tins and springform pans I've got.)
In all fairness, I will acknowledge that people who will make such an investment tend to like food and to be relatively adventurous (in that they make it themselves, instead of relying on buying it), and that can put them at a risk of eating more than they should. Although the same can be said for just about anything else in the kitchen.
Good:
Knife Sharpener: Mine isn't electric or anything automatic, but it's something people don't always think about. As you might expect, knives work a lot better when they've got a good edge.
Food Scale: Pretty self-explanatory. But it also helps for things like making shakes because, if you can convert all the ingredients to the same unit of measure, you're not worried about dealing with ounces, grams, scoops, etc. at the same time.
"Perfect Drink" app and scale: I know there are those who avoid alcohol, altogether, and that's fine, but it's not for me. Similar to a food scale, this lets me prepare a drink and have a more accurate picture of what's in it, making it easier for me to incorporate into my daily calories. Because it includes recipes for the drinks, it also lets me pre-plan instead of having to log it after the fact.
Cast Iron Skillet: Completely unexciting, but it works on the stovetop, in the oven, and even over campfires. Plus, no worries about non-stick coatings coming loose.
Silicone baking mat: Not only makes cleanup easier, but it makes baking go faster because I can just swap out the mats and get the baking sheet back into the oven without having to wait for the items on a given sheet to cool enough for removal before getting the sheet back into circulation.
Not-so-good:
Kitchen Basics Fruit and Vegetable chopper: It's not bad, and it may be safer if you're letting your kids help you, but by the time you've pre-cut the vegetable down to a size where you can press it down through the chopper's blades, then made another approach with whatever didn't go into the container, etc., you could have simply done it with a knife.
Mandolin: This isn't to say mandolins, in general, aren't good, but mine was the cheap kind you get in the grocery store. You definitely get what you pay for. If you're going to be slicing lots of fruits and vegetables, don't be cheap like me. Get a good one.
I haven't come across much that I find to be outright "bad".
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I use my Cuisinart food processor several times per day. It's easier to clean than my blender, so I use it for smoothies as well as normal stuff.
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Badger_Girl99 wrote: »Herb scissors - you'll thank me in the summer.
I bought poultry sheers and only used them for this once so they are now for cutting herbs and flowers.
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catscats222 wrote: »the worst = kitchen aid mixer
things to make in it include white flour, sugar, butter, etc, etc
every house that I walk into and they have this, the person is obese.
the good - a mixer like vitamix to make healthy soups and green drinks.
Yeap... thats the mixer's problem for sure lol hahahaha
I know, right? I didn't realize that hunk of metal on my shelf was making me gain weight. (I should probably keep an eye on those mischievous muffin tins and springform pans I've got.)
In all fairness, I will acknowledge that people who will make such an investment tend to like food and to be relatively adventurous (in that they make it themselves, instead of relying on buying it), and that can put them at a risk of eating more than they should. Although the same can be said for just about anything else in the kitchen.
Good:
Knife Sharpener: Mine isn't electric or anything automatic, but it's something people don't always think about. As you might expect, knives work a lot better when they've got a good edge.
Food Scale: Pretty self-explanatory. But it also helps for things like making shakes because, if you can convert all the ingredients to the same unit of measure, you're not worried about dealing with ounces, grams, scoops, etc. at the same time.
"Perfect Drink" app and scale: I know there are those who avoid alcohol, altogether, and that's fine, but it's not for me. Similar to a food scale, this lets me prepare a drink and have a more accurate picture of what's in it, making it easier for me to incorporate into my daily calories. Because it includes recipes for the drinks, it also lets me pre-plan instead of having to log it after the fact.
Cast Iron Skillet: Completely unexciting, but it works on the stovetop, in the oven, and even over campfires. Plus, no worries about non-stick coatings coming loose.
Silicone baking mat: Not only makes cleanup easier, but it makes baking go faster because I can just swap out the mats and get the baking sheet back into the oven without having to wait for the items on a given sheet to cool enough for removal before getting the sheet back into circulation.
Not-so-good:
Kitchen Basics Fruit and Vegetable chopper: It's not bad, and it may be safer if you're letting your kids help you, but by the time you've pre-cut the vegetable down to a size where you can press it down through the chopper's blades, then made another approach with whatever didn't go into the container, etc., you could have simply done it with a knife.
Mandolin: This isn't to say mandolins, in general, aren't good, but mine was the cheap kind you get in the grocery store. You definitely get what you pay for. If you're going to be slicing lots of fruits and vegetables, don't be cheap like me. Get a good one.
I haven't come across much that I find to be outright "bad".
Yes! Cast iron skillet and grill pan. Great list!0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Badger_Girl99 wrote: »Herb scissors - you'll thank me in the summer.
Oh yeah. Scissors. A good pair of kitchen scissors is probably the best thing a kitchen can have next to a good sharp knife.
And WHY do they always go walks??
Loving this thread guys 0 -
catscats222 wrote: »the worst = kitchen aid mixer
things to make in it include white flour, sugar, butter, etc, etc
every house that I walk into and they have this, the person is obese.
the good - a mixer like vitamix to make healthy soups and green drinks.
Nearly every house I walk into has a kitchen aid. Very few of my friends are obese, few are even overweight.
Maybe you need new friends.
Btw, my house has one as well as a vitamix. Did you know that you can strain seeds out of tomatoes and berries with the right attachments on a kitchen aid? Or make your own pasta, or your own sausage and control the ingredients? You can even get a couple different attachments for grinding grains and other things into flours. So much more control over your food!
But nope. In your world it's just a sign of poor eating. Grow up and stop painting the world black and white.0 -
TinyTexn59 wrote: »
Electric Instant Pot Pressure cooker. Use for rice maker, grains, beans and quick meals. Again many appliances in one.
I love my instant pot. It's very useful. I also love my vitamix. My kitchen aid is handy, and so is my bread machine. The George foreman is great in the winter.
I also have a cuisinart and an all American pressure canner, I don't use them as much, but when I do I love them.0 -
Good:
- Vitamix - smoothies and ice-cream and soups, oh my!
- Andrew James food vacuum and sealer
- Bigger fridge/freezer - mainly due to the food vacuum and sealer!
- Kilner jars - salad stuff keeps much fresher in these
- Sistema microwave steamers - great for veggies, and I love the rice steamer
- Non-stick aluminium foil - makes baked fish much easier to get out of the pan
- Digital scales - I already had these because I weigh my dog's food. Now I've just got to convince her that if she hears a plate going on them it's not her food!
Bad:- George Foreman Grill - I had an old-style one, which was messy and impossible to clean properly as it didn't have removable plates. I don't miss it at all.
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Most used: cast iron skillet, waffle maker, crockpot, espresso machine.
Least used: Nutribullet, mini food processor, blender.0 -
(+): frying pan with cover/sauté pan, Wok, graduated measuring cup (thank you Alton Brown for being a kitchen gadget minimalist)
(-): Juicer...just too much maintenance/cleaning for frequency of use & microwaves because they don't truly cook food despite convenience0 -
+ Good sharp knife, sharp peeler, cast iron skillet, blender and food scale
- Deep fryer - hasn't been used in 4 years. Oil container with incorporated brush gadget - keeps getting my oil dirty. tassimo coffee machine (replaced by italian stovetop coffeemaker)0 -
fav : my food scale, stone pan and my oven
hated: potato peeler, I cannot use it0
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