Kitchen necessities

Eliza117

I was given a gift card to Lowe's for my birthday and was thinking of expanding my kitchen collection of small appliances. I'm stuck between a slow cooker or a George Foreman grill. Which do you think I would I use more? Any other suggestions? Or preferred (reliable) brands?

Thanks!

mammacoty

I think both are handy things to have. IMO, Slow cooker's are better for making a whole meal ahead of time and it's waiting for you at the end of the day. George Forman's is an easy way to cook meat with out having to pan fry. (I am sure there are more things you can do with it, but that's all I do.) It really depends on your lifestyle, eating habits, etc... If I had to choose one, I'd do a slow cooker

AnaVerasGettingFit

Crockpot! Whole meal, less work = more time for the gym and family!

1996gtstang

foreman grilles are awesome for chicken breast,turkey burgers and bacon

miss_missa07

We use our Foreman grill much more often than our slowcooker. You could always get a nice blender or juicer, too!

Sangriatic

I'm all for the Foreman grill, we use ours a lot more regularly than the slow cooker - not just for meat, we make kebabs/wraps on it, also if you like tortilla chips but don't want the oil. you just tear up a tortilla and pop the pieces on there, wait 2-3 minutes, turn them to toast up the other side and viola!
...But I love my slow cooker too, especially in winter!

PaleoPath4Lyfe

I was given a gift card to Lowe's for my birthday and was thinking of expanding my kitchen collection of small appliances. I'm stuck between a slow cooker or a George Foreman grill. Which do you think I would I use more? Any other suggestions? Or preferred (reliable) brands?

Thanks!

I have both. My next 2 purchases are going to be a pressure cooker and a dehydrator. I just bought porcelain cookware and a new professional knife set.

Eliza117

I'm all for the Foreman grill, we use ours a lot more regularly than the slow cooker - not just for meat, we make kebabs/wraps on it, also if you like tortilla chips but don't want the oil. you just tear up a tortilla and pop the pieces on there, wait 2-3 minutes, turn them to toast up the other side and viola!
...But I love my slow cooker too, especially in winter!

This sounds like a great idea! The toaster always eats my pita bread!

Southpaw3612

I definitely think the Foreman is money well spent. I use mine all the time. Between dieting and strength training, you are always going to need protein and Foreman for me is the easiest way to get it done.

Elizabeth_C34

GET THE CROCKPOT! You can do so much with it. Also, get a few crockpot recipe books.

I never use my george forman anymore. Anything you can do in the oven can be done in a crockpot, just FYI.

rbbrrmqn

DEF. the grill!! I have one and I LOVE it, tho I don't use my crockpot. Tha'ts me tho--you might be diff. Good luck. I make sure I have a good digital kitchen scale.

pixardad

WARNING!!!! I don't know about anyone else, but every type of "Foreman Grill" I've had, eventually starts to get "gummy" from the non-stick surface coming off. Don't know what we were doing wrong, if anything.

My vote, Crockpot. Good Luck!

Emily_Katherine

Have you investigated the Cuisinart Griddler? In my opinion it's like the Foreman on steroids. It can act as a press or a flat griddle, and has both grill and flat plates which can be removed for cleaning in the sink or dishwasher. You can get waffle plates for it too, if that floats your boat. It's a hard call, though, between the two. I guess it depends which you think you'll use more often

Eliza117

So many good points on both sides .. . I wonder ... I've been looking up prices online, and since I'm cooking for one, I think I can get a small(er) size, and, playing my cards right, be able to get both!! (Sales shopping diva, naturally).

Thinking Rivel for the crockpot, but not sure about the grill yet. I dig the idea of the "Griddler" though

I'm off store-to-store this weekend, to compare what each has in stock. I wish that I could be able to see all online availabilities in a physical sense -- even if I still had to order it online -- just to "see." You know? Sigh.
Wish me luck!

Thanks everyone!

mfp_1

Do you already have a food scale?

tlinval

Hmmm...tough question! I LOVE my crockpot, I use it at least once a week. We also use our Foreman, too. Makes great paninis! I hope you can get BOTH!! :laugh:

Eliza117

Do you already have a food scale?

No, I don't. I've looked at them a couple of times, though. Do you use them quite a bit?

michmill98

Crock-pot - make sure you get the version with the removable crock. You can use a grill pan instead of the george foreman and it's easier to clean. We just bought a non-stick caphalon grill pan that is dishwasher safe for the hubby's apartment (he's living in corporate housing while on a long term project across the state) at Bed Bath & Beyond. If I remember right it was $40 before the 20% coupon.

I've had two GF - the first one broke during a move and the second one quit heating up properly. I hated cleaning the GF since you can't put it in the sink because of the plug. The only reason why we ended up with the second one is because we got it as a christmas gift.

mfp_1

I wrote:
Do you already have a food scale?

Eliza117 wrote:
No, I don't. I've looked at them a couple of times, though. Do you use them quite a bit?

It's the kitchen gadget I use most often. I wouldn't be without one. See the thread:
Board: Food and nutrition
TOPIC: Food scale? Yes or No?