Kitchen appliances: what do you have/what do you use?

TempeB
TempeB Posts: 43 Member
edited October 6 in Food and Nutrition
I live in an efficiency apartment, so space is at a premium. I've got a microwave with an induction/toaster oven on top, and I use those the most. My food processor? I use it for kneading bread, but haven't been doing that a lot lately. Could use the food processor more, but when I'm chopping/cutting something it's easier just to do it by hand. My crock pot gets fairly good use; once or twice a month I make a big soup or stew to freeze. I used to use my electric vegetable steamer when I made brown rice regularly, but I'm not eating that as often. Sold my blender at work since I wasn't using it, but now I occasionally wish I still had it (so many people here have great recipes for smoothies). I am sort of tempted to get one of the new electric pressure cookers, but they are quite pricey and also I don't have the room. Can't think of anything else that I really crave.
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Replies

  • Saruman_w
    Saruman_w Posts: 1,531 Member
    So far, just the microwave and a blender for my protein shakes. And occasionally the Foreman grill when I make streaks. Obviously, I can't cook.... :(
  • nickssweetheart
    nickssweetheart Posts: 874 Member
    Have: blender, 2 crockpots (different sizes), immersion blender, electric can opener, foreman grill, microwave.

    The immersion blender and the crockpot are my very favorites. The immersion blender is so good for pureed soups, which we eat a lot. I love my microwave now that I use it for my old fashioned oatmeal in the morning instead of messing up a pot to cook it on the stove. Before it was pretty much only used for reheating leftovers. The foreman grill we just don't use. I used it a lot when I lived alone, but now that we are two actually cooking is more fun.

    I had a toaster and a food processor, but I never used them. I don't really eat toast (except French) and it was more hassle to clean the food processor than it was to do the chopping myself. So I gave both of them to Goodwill.
  • IzzyandBri_mommy
    IzzyandBri_mommy Posts: 33
    I have ALOT of kitchen appliances. I have a keurig I used daily, Kitchenaid mixer which I use at least once a week, griddle which gets used every weekend morning, grill used at least once a week, slow cooker which I use at least once a week during the winter and food processor which I use alot.
    I cook alot.
  • fiberartist219
    fiberartist219 Posts: 1,865 Member
    My favorites are the rice cooker and the crock pot. The toaster oven is nice for baking smaller, individual portions.
  • LJGmom
    LJGmom Posts: 249 Member
    I use my food processor for smoothies, so you can try that.
  • cheshirechic
    cheshirechic Posts: 489 Member
    I have Le Creuset baking dishes that I use for EVERYTHING. Other than that, an immersion blender is my best friend. And I love my toaster oven, haha. ;D
  • punkin79314
    punkin79314 Posts: 38
    We have A LOT of appliances! My hubby LOVES to cook!
  • Bentley2718
    Bentley2718 Posts: 1,689 Member
    I have a microwave, blender, food processor, stand mixer, and toaster. The stand mixer and toaster are currently in storage :(. My stand mixer is my baby, it was my mother's but she gave it to me last Christmas (it's actually older than I am). I love to bake and do confectionery, even if I don't eat much of what I make, and the stand mixer is awesome for a lot of those things. The blender gets the most use, it's great for smoothies. I like the food processor especially for making homemade Lara Bars, they're cheaper and I add protein powder to them so they're not sure fat and sugar.

    I also have a set of All-Clad stainless steel. I got it cheap because the box and one of the lids was broken. It's great cookware.

    I'd love a better set of knives. I would also like a rice cooker, I can make rice on the stove top just fine, but rice from a good rice cooker is better. I'd especially like one if it doubles as a slow cooker. Pressure cookers are also on my radar, mostly because they make cooking dried beans relatively fast, but I'm not sure I could justify one just for that (both on cost, consumption, and space).
  • _Bro
    _Bro Posts: 437 Member
    Appliances?
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  • dcarreno
    dcarreno Posts: 83
    Appliances?
    index.jpg
    That is awesome..

    A good chef's knife Hankel makes a good one. A chef's knife connects you to your food.
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    I have a microwave that is only used to reheat tea, a blender and a magimix. And a kettle, of course.
  • shannon1120
    shannon1120 Posts: 28 Member
    I have pretty much any appliance you could imagine. But the best is definatly the Pressure Cooker!! You can cook all sorts of things REALLY fast!
  • cgrout78
    cgrout78 Posts: 1,628 Member
    I am an appliance FREAK. I can't live without my Keurig and my blender, but I got an immersion blender for christmas, but it doesn't chop ice, so I don't know if it will work for my smoothies or not. I will use it for non iced ones maybe or for eggs. Of course my microwave and stove. I have a panini maker, but since I'm trying to cut back on bread that doesn't get as much use. Forman grill that I use a LOT in the winter now since I wont' be able to grill outside. And my crockpots of course, 4 of them in different sizes. I also have a deep fat fryer and a breadmaker which I have hidden from myself at the moment. LOL
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 Member
    Instead of rice cooker and a crockpot or a rice cooker doubling as a slow cooker, reverse the train of thought.

    I use my crock pot AS a rice cooker all the time, have disposed (donated) the separate rice cooker to cut down on what is here to be used. But a good set of knives, slow cooker, and a decent toaster oven.... all that is missing then is the stand mixer and a dehydrator (my oven doesn't have settings low enough to actually dry jerky in it)
  • megansoriano
    megansoriano Posts: 158
    So far, just the microwave and a blender for my protein shakes. And occasionally the Foreman grill when I make streaks. Obviously, I can't cook.... :(



    aww you need a nice lady to cook for you!
  • AnarchoGen
    AnarchoGen Posts: 400 Member
    I could really use a food dehydrator... homemade sweet potato & banana chips :tongue:

    I have a mandolin blade I like to use to make zucchini pasta
  • megansoriano
    megansoriano Posts: 158
    Appliances?
    index.jpg
    That is awesome..

    A good chef's knife Hankel makes a good one. A chef's knife connects you to your food.


    I just laughed so hard!
  • Evita80
    Evita80 Posts: 12
    I have a VitaMix. I LOVE it.

    I also use my NuWave oven a lot, my crockpots, the microwave and my single serving coffee maker.

    My stand mixer, toaster oven and rice cooker and sitting saddly neglected in a box.
  • jskaggs1971
    jskaggs1971 Posts: 371 Member
    Here's the stuff that gets used daily, or nearly so:

    Waring bar blender
    Electric Kettle, teapot, and french press (tea for her, coffee for me)
    Gaggia espresso machine.
    Bodum burr grinder
    Whirlpool built-in microwave.
    Good knives (our are Henckel), whetstones, and a steel

    The stuff we have that gets used sometimes, but not daily:
    Panini press
    Dualit toaster
    2 sizes of crock-pots
    Zojirushi rice cooker (and if you eat rice at all, you want one of these. It's awesome)

    After 13 years of marriage, we've sorted out a lot of useless gadgets, and bought good ones for daily use. The toaster is a great example. yes, a Dualit toaster costs a couple of hundred bucks, but we were buying toasters at the rate of one a year or sooner. Our daughter will inherit the Dualit, and probably the KASM and the Waring blender, too.
  • unsuspectingfish
    unsuspectingfish Posts: 1,176 Member
    I have a hand mixer that I rarely use. I generally do everything by hand, and cook everything the old fashioned way.
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
    KitchenAid and Cuisinart are the only name-brands I will have in my kitchen...
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
    Appliances?
    index.jpg


    We created a drill-bit capable of holding/spinning a special scrubbing sander for kitchen-grade equipment... cleaning both of our grills with a power drill
  • auntie_missy
    auntie_missy Posts: 113 Member
    I have a ton but besides the microwave, the only appliance I really use is the George Foreman - I love how fast it is! I use my immersion blender when making soup too, and over the summer I was a huge smoothie kick and bought the single serve cup attachment for my blender. but my enthusiasm died down a little. We just got a cake pop maker that I'm excited about. As far as gadgets, my favorite is the microwave popcorn bowl. At some point I'd like a mandolin.
  • Moonbyebye
    Moonbyebye Posts: 180 Member
    Food scale, oven toaster, blender and microwave. (I live in a dorm, so I understand completely about the space situation!)
  • Athena413
    Athena413 Posts: 1,709 Member
    Appliances?
    index.jpg

    Epic! :laugh:
  • Itsallbs15
    Itsallbs15 Posts: 262 Member
    I LOVE my Ninja blender/food processor thing, my juicer, my crock pot and coffee maker. I just got a food steamer for Christmas which will most likely get just as much use. I use my appliance at least 6 days a week. I think I would be lost without them.
  • Curvy1taliana
    Curvy1taliana Posts: 371 Member
    I have a convection oven I just got - aka Nu-wave, etc. Mine's called Turbo Oven or something... it's AWESOME!
  • curbnoise
    curbnoise Posts: 37 Member
    Most used items are microwave, coffee maker, rice cooker, waffle iron and slow cooker. Next up is my food processor (I agree with some of the other posters--as I have gotten better at chopping by hand, its easier than cleaning that thing), hand mixer and occasionally my blender.

    Oh and I almost forgot the thing I use the most (at least 2 or 3 times a day)... My food scale!
  • purpadillo
    purpadillo Posts: 45 Member
    I have a lot of kitchen appliances, but I think the two things I'd never give up are my crock pot and my Oster Food steamer. The food steamer is awesome. I can't make rice to save my life, but it doubles as a rice cooker. I also use it to steam sweet potatoes.
  • Itsallbs15
    Itsallbs15 Posts: 262 Member
    I could really use a food dehydrator... homemade sweet potato & banana chips :tongue:

    I have a mandolin blade I like to use to make zucchini pasta


    I use the oven on a very low heat (approx. 200) and it works well.
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