Your Top 5 Favorite Kitchen Appliances and Why

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Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
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How good is a food processor for cutting things like veggies and onions? Which one would you reccomend?

I have an older metal 9-cup KitchenAid. I haven't used the slicing & dicing blades too much. I actually just picked up a Salad Shooter Pro ($50), which I would recommend if you want to do veggies & onions:

http://www.amazon.com/Presto-Professional-SaladShooter-Electric-Shredder/dp/B0000Z6JJG/

It basically uses different cone blades to do different types of shredding. The ring, cone, and shooter pieces can all go in the dishwasher, so cleanup is a snap. The motor is noisy, but you're only using it for a minute or two, so no biggie. You can slice (thick & thin), do ripple cuts, shred, etc. See here for some pictures:

http://www.saladshooter.com/things.html

So with something like potatoes, you can shred it into hash browns or slice it into scalloped potato casserole. Or shred veggies directly into a slow cooker for a soup. Quick video review here, fast forward to the hands-on part:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3v0061FU1A

However, you can get a basic food processor for the same price, which does more stuff (like PB chickpea cookies & NY-style pizza dough). The PowerPro has pretty good reviews:

http://www.amazon.com/Decker-FP2500B-PowerPro-Wide-Mouth-Processor/dp/B002LAREE2/

I'm not too sure on the quality vs. price scale of food processors these days, but it looks like decent ones are $50 and heavy-duty models are around $200. So think about which would be better for your needs (Salad Shooter or Food Processor), and then which model would fit you best (a cheaper one or a higher-quality one). Although the $50 PowerPro has pretty good reviews out of hundreds, so it seems like a safe bet!
 

Carson Dyle

Diamond Member
Jul 2, 2012
8,174
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I'd never even consider owning 90% of the craptastic gadgets above. I imagine most of it ends up in yard sales in just a couple of years.

One thing I have been considering, though, is either a mandoline or v-slicer. Anyone have a recommendation?
 

Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
48,394
5,258
136

Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
48,394
5,258
136
I'd never even consider owning 90% of the craptastic gadgets above. I imagine most of it ends up in yard sales in just a couple of years.

There are an awful lot of junk gadgets out there; I've been through more than my fair share. What it boils down to is:

1. Does the gadget actually do its job? (and not break?)
2. Is it something you'll actually use?

For example, I went through three blenders (all broke!) before I ponied up for a Blendtec. $400 at the time, absolutely insane, but I've been using it for 8 years now, so it was a very worthwhile investment. I also see a lot of really nice appliances at tag sales around here, especially food processors, because nobody seems to know what to do with them. Thanks to the Internet, if you're willing to search around Google, Pinterest, and Youtube, you can find all kinds of great recipes out there.

But you also have to be willing to actually use it. It's like an exercise machine...a lot of people buy treadmills, ellipticals, Bowflexes, etc. with good intentions & they end up becoming laundry hangers. If you're willing to adopt it as part of your life, then it can give you a lot of great benefits. My Instant Pot, for example, saves me a lot of time & money because it cooks fast & makes everything taste good. But it all depends on if you'll actually use it vs. if you just like the idea of having it :D
 

Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
48,394
5,258
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Damnit...you guys just made me pull the trigger on an Instant Pot and Anova...wife won't be too happy when I get home.

She will be when you start cooking :awe:

This is one of my favorite IP recipes - Kalua Pig:

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/111934821818/pressure-cooker-kalua-pig

Side note, here's an interesting article about pressure-cooking veggies straight-up rather than steaming them in the IP:

http://www.theveggiequeen.com/2015/10/14/to-steam-or-not-to-steam/

Did you get all of the accessories you need for your Anova? You don't need a bucket with a lid, just a food-safe water bin that is large enough for what you want to cook. Plus something to keep the food down in case it floats up. I use ziploc bags the most (should be using my vacuum sealer more often but ziplocs are so convenient haha).

Because they are both weird appliances, I would suggest making a list of things to try & master in each device. For the Anova, I recommend mastering steak & chicken first. For the Instant Pot, start out with the Kalua Pig recipe above to get a feel for it. I've had my IP for a year & two and I learn new things on it all the time, it's a really incredible device :thumbsup:
 

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
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My fairly new Panasonic NB-G110PW FlashXpress toaster oven (thanks to a thread I started here asking WTH you do with a TO!). Makes great toast, tostadas, biscuits, heated tortillas for burritos.

Microwave (yep, I use it a lot).

Blender (a 650 watt Oster with optional reversing) This is no "regular blender," although I got it cheap at Costco. You don't see this at Costco anymore. I grind my coffee in it, grind seeds, nut butters, it does it all. I even have an attachment that works on any Oster blender that I bought around 30 years ago, that allows me to grind meat. 95% of the time I grind my own.


Bread machine (I always make my own bread, and I can make pizza dough with it, too)

My gas stove, of course, and the refrigerator/freezer, with freezer section on the bottom. These go without saying, but had to anyway.

Honorable mention -- strap wrench (it makes a terrific jar opener)

Honorable mention -- Two Pioneer 301 disk CD changers and my Panasonic ministereo with large bookshelf speakers by Yamaha
 
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Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
48,394
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I am hoping a Sous Vide will be my next item.

The thing I like the most about sous vide is the chicken. It comes out crazy moist! Very bland (unless you add stuff before bagging), but perfectly ripe for loading up with flavors post-cook, especially with a good sauce. From there, you can do a ton of things with it - just eat it plain, or slice it up for a bunch of different stuff. Some recent experiences with sliced, super-moist chicken: (I use boneless skinless chicken breast aka BSCB, primarily)

1. Medallions with gravy - just slice the BSCB vertically & top with gravy. So good & tender!

2. Pizza topping - slice into rectangular strips, top on pizza, bake. This works well on specialty pizzas like white pizza (ex. ricotta) & Chinese Chicken Pizza (hoison sauce). It's similar to the "grilled" chicken they add at Pizza hut (which is like a combination of soft sous vide chicken with the outside throw on a grill to get char lines) - easy enough to bite through a piece of chicken in one bite.

3. Quiznos-style subs - same deal, slice into rectangular strips, load up a sub with the chicken & toppings, throw in a toaster oven, and then add sauce. The chicken is nice & soft and easy to bite into, not dry or stringy or hard to chew, which really makes a big difference in a homemade sandwich. Also similar to Subway's chicken if you've ever had that, really soft & juicy.

4. Chicken pot pies - I have a Sunbeam mini-pie appliance (goes on sale all the time for $15, great price!) that basically cooks the crust but not the ingredients. You can simply throw some sliced chicken in there, add some steamed carrots & peas, and mix all that up with cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup, voila - super easy homemade chicken pot pies!

5. Chicken strip salad - nice for cold salads. Slice them yet again into rectangle-ish shapes & throw on a salad with a bunch of veggies & a good dressing. Soft just like the rest of the salad, easy to eat :thumbsup:
 

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
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Whaaaaaaaaat the heck, that's awesome!
Yeah, got the idea of using strap wrench when researching bottle openers online, some one mentioned it. I picked up a nice one in hardware store, have yet to use it on plumbing.

Another honorable mention, for sure: My
~30 year old stainless steel stove top espresso maker, looks almost exactly like this except for the handle, which I figure I've used in the neighborhood of 40,000 times:

41tYvFK%2BamL.jpg


I blew out its pressure relief valve the other day, which I bought for it after the first one wasn't working OK. I swapped them yesterday, so am using the original now, but it's iffy at best (lets steam vent at too low an internal pressure). I did some internet searching but am not seeing pressure relief valves online. Surely, they are available, I think I got the one I blew out the other day in a coffee shop in downtown San Francisco some 20 years ago.
 
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Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
37,404
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4) Kitchen food scale - I'm glad I was talked into getting this li'l equipment. It's very handy whenever I'm dealing with any type of weight measurement.

Yeah, I've come to rely on scales in my kitchen. I bought one of these recently, the one I was using stopped working properly, but it's cheap enough. Small, I improvise when weighing something big, but the tradeoff in size (it's small, takes up less space above my stove) is worth it for me:

2000g digital scale, $5.55 shipped from Asia

It's so much easier to weigh ingredients than measure them by volume. Once you know the weight of what you want to add, your job is easy using a scale. Using measuring cups, etc. is relatively messy.

I have weighed volume measurements of various commonly used ingredients and printed out a report that I keep in my kitchen. Henceforth I measure by weight instead of, for example, adding a half cup of whatever. I use the linked scale several times daily.
 
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Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
37,404
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That is EXACTLY why I got the dehydrator. I hated how everything dehydrated at the store has sugar in it.
They add sugar to the fruit they dehydrate??? That's criminal!

Well, I never buy that stuff, but yeah, come to think of it the times I've eaten dehydrated bananas ("chips") they've tasted pretty darn sweet.

My sister gave me her dehydrator. I haven't used it yet, it's plug-in. I guess I'll try it, but may have to get a better one like yours, Poofyhairguy...
 

piasabird

Lifer
Feb 6, 2002
17,168
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That Reeses peanut butter cup cheese cake looks good, but I can imagine going into a diabetic shock.

Well these arent in order.
Toaster
can opener

Korean rice steamer pressure cooker. Not only does it cook brown rice flawlessly, and keep it warm, but it also has a cleaning cycle. It has a sexy Korean Lady Voice as well.
 

Demo24

Diamond Member
Aug 5, 2004
8,357
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What do you use your stone for, other than pizza?


Bake bread on it, helps the crust.

In no particular order:

- salad spinner
- crock pot (Hamilton Beach brand, works well with a timer, 3 modes, and a temp probe if desired)
-Coffee maker (Cuisinart one with a 12 cup hot water function on the side)
 
Oct 25, 2006
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They add sugar to the fruit they dehydrate??? That's criminal!

Well, I never buy that stuff, but yeah, come to think of it the times I've eaten dehydrated bananas ("chips") they've tasted pretty darn sweet.

My sister gave me her dehydrator. I haven't used it yet, it's plug-in. I guess I'll try it, but may have to get a better one like yours, Poofyhairguy...

That would be because bananas are extremely high in sugar naturally and 75% water.
 

DigDog

Lifer
Jun 3, 2011
13,444
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omg omg omg, my kind of thread.

1) stick blender

i should not now that i shop at Argos (a discount-appliances n-otherstuff store), my rule is "don't buy the cheapes, buy the second cheapest". Second cheapest generally works fine, you really don't need anything expensive unless it's really specific applications .

A good stick blender (the metal tube with deathblades on the end) to make soups and thicken sauces; now i have one which also has whipper and processor attachments, which are cool, but really i just need the blender.

I use it to make hummous, soups, more soups ..

2) stock pot

I'm such a kitchen nerd, that i make my own stocks. Although lately i've started using the Knorr stockpots (think stock cubes mk2, a gelatinous version of the same thing) because the taste has improved, and they were good to begin with, a big stock pot allows me to recycle flavour from roasts, to make the base for a risotto, and make boiled beef or chicken soup.
Or just A LOT of soup.

3) a BIG roasting tin.

because when i make roast chicken n' potatoes, the potatoes are what i'm really looking forward to; and you can't roast a whole saddle of lamb in tin foil.

4) gas oven

gets your pizza crust nice and crisp.

5) rice cooker

which also doubles as slow cooker, in a way. i love me some good rice and the cooker means i don't have to guess water or cooking time; also cooking rice in a pot has the issue with "when to reduce the flame" and "how much steam escapes" both of which can change the end result. cheapo rice cooker = perfect rice every time.

honourable mention: kettle

something only UK people have, it's a thing that boils water. surprisingly useful, for prepping pasta, adding liquid to a thickened sauce, and making tea.
 

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
37,404
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That would be because bananas are extremely high in sugar naturally and 75% water.
I love bananas. I have them on hand virtually always. I only like them just so, not so ripe as many folks. I have developed methods to ensure I enjoy my bananas. You may have noticed that they often (in some stores) come in bunches with tape wrapped around the stem end of the bunch. This is to prevent the gas from exiting which hastens the ripening process. Leaving that tape on can prolong the time before excessive ripeness occurs. At a certain point I will put bananas in the refrigerator, where the time span from usable to barely is greatly increased. Properly done, I can keep bananas in this condition for several days, perhaps up to 5 days. I may put a refrigerated banana in the microwave from 15-30 seconds, depending on its size, to make it more palatable at eating time.
 

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
37,404
8,039
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Yes! Thank you! That looks very like it: http://www.famasas.com/ricambi/15576-valvola-per-caffettiera-bialetti.html

valvola-per-caffettiera-bialetti.jpg


Figuring out how to order it looks not easy. I don't speak Italian! There's a phone number there, don't know if I can use that, being in the U.S.A.: Contattaci subito: +39 011 273 3524

Edit: I printed out a page and at the end it had an email address: info@famasas.com I sent an email there in English asking if they think it may work and asking how I can order one.
 
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vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,381
8,131
126
What do you use your stone for, other than pizza?

Garlic bread, naan, baguettes, egg rolls, tortillas, taco shells, chicken strips, reheating pizza, toasted sammiches... Whatev else sounds good. Just heat the oven and toss it on there. Only thing I don't put on there is fish.
 

SlitheryDee

Lifer
Feb 2, 2005
17,252
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Nuwave oven would be at the top of my list currently. I use it to cook essentially everything that will fit in it. In a way it's the the same vs. the regular oven as people in this thread claim the instant pot is vs. a regular pressure cooker. Everything cooks faster and comes out juicier and more tender.

Rice cooker. I don't have a fancy one, but it has made my life immensely easier. I mostly use it for sushi rice.

Electric ceramic griddle. I whip this baby out for breakfast pretty often. Sausage, bacon, eggs, pancakes, etc all get cooked on it regularly.

Food processor. I bought this to make jerk marinade, but it has seen tons of use outside that.

Food scale. This is a big one. It takes the guesswork out of so many things in the kitchen. Aside from helping with simple ingredient measurements, it is absolutely essential if you want to keep an accurate account of your diet. I actually bought one to keep at work too because I like to bring meats that I cooked in my nuwave to work to make sandwiches out of and I need some way to figure out my portion amounts.
 
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DigDog

Lifer
Jun 3, 2011
13,444
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Muse, have you thought of going to the hardware store with the image? I mean, those things are standardized, it's gotta exist in some other form in the US.
 

Xstatic1

Diamond Member
Sep 20, 2006
9,140
50
86

Xstatic1

Diamond Member
Sep 20, 2006
9,140
50
86
That Reeses peanut butter cup cheese cake looks good, but I can imagine going into a diabetic shock.

Well these arent in order.
Toaster
can opener

Korean rice steamer pressure cooker. Not only does it cook brown rice flawlessly, and keep it warm, but it also has a cleaning cycle. It has a sexy Korean Lady Voice as well.

Maybe if you ate the entire cheesecake. :p

Seriously though, because it's so rich (I use heavy cream and not sour cream), it takes me two sittings to finish one slice. ;)