Kitchen Gadgets.. The brilliant and the useless
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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.
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 -
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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 -
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(+): 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 -
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.
Come visit my house. I not only have a regular-sized 5qt (I think) KitchenAid mixer, I have a 7qt Bosch mixer as well. Regularly used to make cake, cookies, frosting, various bread doughs including pizza crust and pretzel dough amongst other things.
Oddly enough, I'm not obese and never have been. And no, I don't give most of it away.
I also have a vitamix. Hardly use it for anything. I did use it for palak paneer a couple of months ago.
ETA:
Favorite kitchen gadget - probably my microplane graters.
Worst - sodastream. Just does not get used and I can't imagine what I was thinking when I bought it..0 -
I adore the microplanes and forgot all about them. They're wonderful. I use them all the time. And Alton "The only unitasker in the kitchen should be the fire extinguisher" Brown would be proud, as I use them for many different things.
If cookware counts, I'd go with cast iron, too. I have a lot of other stuff, but if I had to pick one, it would be cast iron. I use it the most. I love onion and nothing does onion like cast iron. Plus, you can bake cornbread in it, move it from stove to oven, broil, stick it right into coals or a fire when camping...cast iron is cheap, versatile and relatively easy to clean.
I don't know why more people - especially people who select cheap pots and pans! - don't use cast iron.0 -
That and I think some people are put off by the idea that you don't use soap to clean it. I asked my mother in law for a Lodge skillet years ago and she refused to buy it for me because she heard that you don't clean cast iron skillets and she thought that was disgusting...
I bought it on my own. Made an awesome blueberry crumble a couple weeks ago, and cornbread last week!
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Best:
- Rice Maker. We're not low carb and this gives us an easy way to add a low-calorie complement to dinner. (Also steams veggies)
- Toaster Oven. Instead of using the big oven, we use the smaller version. Cooks just fine, it's easy to clean, and it serves our volume needs quite well.
Worst:
- Hand Blender. Doesn't get rid of the tiniest, softest lumps; makes a mess.
- Crock Pot. Did you know there exists an entire subset of people who won't eat two different kinds of food that have been cooked together? I live with one - rendering this purchase useless. ;_; (Yes, I realize for those who aren't weird, it's a perfectly good device, but it's still money wasted for me.)
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I adore the microplanes and forgot all about them. They're wonderful. I use them all the time. And Alton "The only unitasker in the kitchen should be the fire extinguisher" Brown would be proud, as I use them for many different things.
If cookware counts, I'd go with cast iron, too. I have a lot of other stuff, but if I had to pick one, it would be cast iron. I use it the most. I love onion and nothing does onion like cast iron. Plus, you can bake cornbread in it, move it from stove to oven, broil, stick it right into coals or a fire when camping...cast iron is cheap, versatile and relatively easy to clean.
I don't know why more people - especially people who select cheap pots and pans! - don't use cast iron.
I hate our cast iron pan. Pain to clean, and if you don't dry it right away, it starts to rust. Then you need gloves to handle it because it gets so hot... No thanks. I'd rather buy cheap pans and replace them every other year, lol.0 -
For those with lonely Kitchen aid mixers - try shredding a batch of cooked chicken in it - brilliant!0
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Four_Leaf_Clover wrote: »For those with lonely Kitchen aid mixers - try shredding a batch of cooked chicken in it - brilliant!
But then you have to clean it... LOL.
Seriously though, I need to figure out how to use mine, but it didn't come with a manual unfortunately, so I'm clueless.0 -
Love my apple core-er. So convenient. And my microwave and blender. Don't have much need for the 20 different types of knives I have- I only use the same 2-3.0
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The Best:
My kitchenaid mixer : I can make bread, muffins, pizza crust, homemade butter, cakes, ect. that are so much tastier and healthier than those that I can buy in the store! I've seriously lost 15 pounds since I bought this thing and feel so much better now!
Immersion blender : Soup without splashing hot liquid all over yourself? Yes, please!
Chef's Knife : You can cut anything with these...vegetables, meat, coconuts...you name it!
Toaster oven : Gotta love making baked potatoes without heating up the big oven!
Muffin pans : Instant portion control!
Yogurt Maker : homemade yogurt tastes so fresh and wonderful compared to store-bought, especially when make with milk fresh from the farm.
Wooden spoons : Indispensable when you're baking. You can also use them in nonstick pans!
Cast Iron Cookware : take care of this stuff and you can pass it on to your grand kids. It'll become nonstick if you take care of it, too. Plus, it will add iron to your food when you cook in it!
The Worst:
Sprulizer : I'm sorry, but I hate these things. Shredded veggies is not the same thing as pasta. Plus, they take up too much room.
Any cutting/dicing appliance that is not a knife : Your knives can do everything that these can, take up much less room, and are easier to clean.
Personal Blenders : They leak and break when you turn them upside down to blend. $100 wasted.
Bread Toaster : A toaster oven can do more. All this does is toast bread.
Crockpot : I don't like my meals swimming in sauce. I prefer everything separate, so these don't work for me. Yes, I know I'm fussy.
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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.
i got obese without one LOLOL
bad- hell, i have a ton of gadgets i bought and never use... the spiralizer among them.
good: good knives (and know how to hone and sharpen), pots and pans (incl cast iron), tongs, food scale
as much as i seem to BUY kitchen gadgets, im actually NOT a kitchen gadget person.0 -
I second (3rd?) cast iron. I have several skillets and a griddle. I use at least one piece of cast iron in every meal I cook.
Love my Kitchen Aid.
My mandolin only gets used occasionally, but when I need it, I'd hate to be without it. (potato chips, scalloped potatoes, dried apple slices) I need one of those gloves because I've cut myself pretty seriously twice now.
The rice cooker and microplane get used at least once a week.
My kids love to use the apple peeler, corer, slicer but other than that it's pretty useless.
I need to buy a new immersion blender. My old one broke and I make a lot of soups in the fall and winter. Using the regular blender with hot soup is such a pain.
I have kitchen scissors, fabric scissors, and just regular around the house scissors. My husband has his own pair, because he kept using my facric or kitchen scissors to open packages. Everyone knows to LEAVE MAMA'S SCISSORS ALONE!fatfrank44 wrote: »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
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I'm sure I have lots more, but these are the ones that come to mind...
The good (gadgets I use regularly):- Vitamix - Saved up for it and it's been worth the price. Best blender I've ever owned. I use it for smoothies, juices, soups, sauces, slushies, nut butters, nut milk, etc.
- Nutribullet - Great for single serve smoothies, slushies, nut milk, and sauces, flour, and super easy to clean. Not as powerful as the Vitamix, but very useful for a quick single serve.
- Veggeti - Hand held zoodle maker. Gets the job done, easy to clean, and doesn't take up counter space. I still eat pasta, but I also enjoy zoodles.
- Lemon Sprayer - Insert the sprayer into the lemon and its good for about 100 sprays of lemon juice.
- Kitchen scale - I keep one at home in the kitchen and one on my desk at work.
- Mandolin (as noted by PP, avoid the cheap ones) - Makes quick work of veggie and fruit slices
- Mason jar with draining lid - Don't know if this qualifies as a gadget, but I use it all the time to sprout seeds like alfalfa, broccoli, radish, and clover seeds.
- Fruit Infuser Water Bottles
The bad (what was I thinking?):- Juicer - Counter space hog, difficult to clean, and if I want juice, it's just easier to use the Vitamix and then strain it through a nut milk bag.
- Bread maker - It was used for a few months, but the novelty wore of quickly. It and the juicer have since been sold to friends.
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Best buys: Blendtec; slow cooker; food scale0
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I love my all in one cooker, it's a skillet, a slow cooker, a pressure cooker, and a steamer. I use it all the time.
I LOVE my 'Kitchenaid'. It's a knock-off but it's brilliant. Pretty sure it's not its fault I got fat. Maybe it's not the right brand - it makes sense that a device as spendy as a Kitchenaid would do everything including taking the blame for my weight.
I also adore my Chasseur pot and grill pan. Slow and pressure cookers are great but you can't osso bucco properly without a cast iron pan.
Useless = as someone said, the Slapchop. Got one as a gift. Ridiculous device. Then there was that bullet blender thing. Rotten sod blew up halfway through blending a banana daquiri and ruined it.0 -
trying to cut down on carbs; so i cut back on anything made with white flour. I was really missing my big plate of spaghetti and meatballs. I broke down and purchased a spiralizer. I made my first batch of zuccini spaghetti and all I can say is wow. My wife is irish and she never really liked pasta that much but she loved the zuccini spaghetti and my groud chicken breast meatballs. Love that little tool.0
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I love gadgets. Items I couldn't live without: apple slicer, waffle iron, griddle, cherry pitter, strawberry/etc. slicer and de-stemmer.0
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Useless gadget I've always wanted - one of those apple peeler things where you crank the handle. I don't even eat apples. I just want to use one.0
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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.
I love my mixer it is my favorite appliance.
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