Kitchen Gadgets

I've never heard of instant pot but I do have 2 stove top pressure cookers(never use them). What I do love is my crock pot. I can put a meal in there go to my daughters volleyball or softball games (depending on season) and have dinner when we get home. Also great in summer when it's too hot to cook. Just throw something in it and it doesn't heat the kitchen the way my stove would.

I love my Instant Pot. Not used it quite as much in the hot weather, but it got a workout over the cooler months and will do so again. Sometimes I still use the slow cooker, I do have a Spiralizer but it doesn't get used much. Hmm maybe I'll pull it out today.

An Actifry too. Threw out my deep fryer. And none too soon.

My instant pot. I'm buying the vegan under pressure cookbook (I'm omni, husband is vegetarian) so I can use it more. It's amazing though! I don't know how I lived without it. Hard boiled eggs are amazing in the IP.

Four minutes on high pressure with a cup of water (use a steamer basket on top of the trivet that came with the pot), quick release. Remove with tongs, plunge in ice water. The shells just fall off. Some of the shells might crack a bit, but they are still fine to eat.

I'm thinking about getting an Instant Pot. It seems to do a lot of things well, and those of us with tiny kitchens need multi-taskers whenever we can get them.

I have lots of electrical gadgets, most of them bought in the 80's and still working after all these years, including a rice cooker, food processor and blender that I still use regularly

Of the more recent gadgets acquired, the most useful and regularly used are a coffee/spice grinder, vacuum sealer and air only popcorn popper.

In addition to these, I have more handheld gatgets than I can count and I'm always looking for more.

sgt1372 wrote: »

I have lots of electrical gadgets, most of them bought in the 80's and still working after all these years, including a rice cooker, food processor and blender that I still use regularly

Of the more recent gadgets acquired, the most useful and regularly used are a coffee/spice grinder, vacuum sealer and air only popcorn popper.

In addition to these, I have more handheld gatgets than I can count and I'm always looking for more.

I find I can pop corn with no fat on the newer generation non stick pans (ceramic or stone coated). You might be able to make more room in your kitchen cupboards.

acpgee wrote: »

I don't understand that someone disagrees with my appreciation of new rice cooker. Is it because the product is Chinese? I am not even American.

While I didn't click any buttons, I suspect the disagree is coming from the fact that you resurrected a thread that's over two years old.

My 1977 crock pot still works great! Also love my foreman grill, it’s perfect for 2 people and very fast dinner prep.

BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »

acpgee wrote: »

I don't understand that someone disagrees with my appreciation of new rice cooker. Is it because the product is Chinese? I am not even American.

I didn’t click any buttons either, but my guess on the disagree would be down to rice cookers in general! I have never understood why they exist! 😂

They take up so much space and do a job that can be done in a standard saucepan 🤷‍♀️

The actual reason I’ve posted, though, is to ask the significance of the last line ‘I am not even American.’

Is there some push back in America about products made in China or something? 🤔

Referring to the probable imminent trade war between the US and China.

ElizabethKalmbach wrote: »

BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »

I didn’t click any buttons either, but my guess on the disagree would be down to rice cookers in general! I have never understood why they exist! 😂

See, as a half Japanese kid, AND an American, I can tell you that I have a rice cooker and no crock pot, but I can do *any* crock pot recipe I want in my rice cooker.

... I've also made pancakes in it...

The rice cooker is the Asian crock pot. It's a food bucket over a timer driven heating element.

😂 Crock Pots which I think we call Slow Cookers(?) are another thing I don’t understand! I do own one because I bought a cheap one on sale when I had a lengthy kitchen refit a few years ago. But I can honestly say I used it twice only. None of us liked the stewed style texture of anything that came out of it. We’re not Stew or Casserole lovers anyway. The only thing I’ve used it for since is to make retried beans from a pack of dried pinto beans. It does that well, but it doesn’t earn a place in my small kitchen just for that!

acpgee wrote: »

I find I can pop corn with no fat on the newer generation non stick pans (ceramic or stone coated). You might be able to make more room in your kitchen cupboards.

I like my air popper because it's so convenient and takes all the Hassel out of making popcorn. Just pour in the corn, turn on the heater/blower and in a few mins you've got a 4qt bowl full of popcorn w/o the need to pay much attn to it.

I didn't really buy it to avoid using oil to make popcorn, which I always use to do in a wok on the stovetop but, in order to do that, I constantly had to stand by the stove shaking the wok to keep the popcorn from burning and, even when I did that, if I set the heat too high, the popcorn kernels would burn, not pop at all and I'd have to start all over again. A real PITA!

So, the air popper is much better IMO. It's also small and doesn't take up much room but I've got lots of cabinet/storage space, so that would not be an issue even if it were larger. On top of that it cost me less than $20.

A great device to own if you like to eat make & popcorn.

Devices that I own but seldom use are a electric deep fryer and eletric grill. I seldom fry or grill food any more but still sometimes do and find these devices useful when I do

Notable devices that I use to own and threw away are electric waffle makers and juicers. Never made enough waffles to justify keeping a waffle maker and the juicers were WAY too much trouble. Better to eat the veggies raw, microwaved or in soups IMO.

Devices that I own but never use but won't throw away are a slow cooker and various electric pots that I inherited from my mother. I have no need for them but keep them for all of the find memories that I associate with them.