Your Top 5 Favorite Kitchen Appliances and Why

[Kaido]

So I got my brother a Presto rotating pizza oven, kind of as a gag gift for Christmas, and it's turned out to be really useful. He goes through a lot of frozen pizza, plus you can do other stuff on it (a lot of frozen foods, some fresh ones, even cookies if you're daring). I've done a couple fresh doughs on it when I borrowed it & they didn't come out half bad, but it actually does a stellar job with frozen pies.

http://www.amazon.com/Presto-03430-Pizzazz-Plus-Rotating/dp/B00005IBXJ/

One of those things where "if it's stupid, but it works..."

 

[Artdeco]

Kaido, I think I love you...

LOL

While that's a lot of $ tied up in stuff, if you factor in the cost of what most people really do (eat out), you'll save $

 

[balloonshark]

Refrigerator
Stove
Oven
Microwave
Toaster

Because, reasons.

My list is the same but I say combine the stove/oven is one appliance which makes rooms for the all important coffee maker.

 

[Kaido]

Oh, and for outdoor stuff:

1. Charcoal grill: I just get a basic $80 model from Walmart every few years after the last one rusts out. Nothing fancy. At some point, I'd like to get a BGE or Kamado Joe, but not until I own a home with a legit patio.

2. Pellet grill: I have a basic Traeger, with the digital controller. It's awesome! Basically a convection oven with a smoker built-in. Pork top loin with a dry rub comes out like bacon steak. Traeger has been surpassed by Green Mountain Grills, which sport wifi now, which is pretty cool. If I were to invest in one, I'd get a large built-in Memphis model.

3. Gas grill: I had a basic Home Depot for awhile, then upgraded to a Charbroil SRG, which is basically an infrared turkey roaster with a grill. The grill portion is kind of meh. I want something that gets HOT. My dream grill is a FireMagic grill, crazy expensive, but those puppies go up to 1000F. Not a huge fan of propane, but I like the speed for searing stuff up real quick.

4. Bayou Burner: I have a Classic, which is just a squatty little outdoor burner. Use it for various stuff. I'll throw a cast-iron skillet on there for Smash Burgers so it doesn't smoke out my kitchen. Handy for camping too.

5. Pizza grill: I currently have a 12" PizzaQue gas pizza oven. Works awesome, but the pizza sizes are small. My buddy got a Blackstone pizza grill last year, which is absolutely fabulous & I would recommend it to anyone. Makes a 14" pizza in 3 minutes. My 12" model takes closer to 7 minutes and is a smaller size, so it's a LOT more time when cooking for a crowd. I just got the final piece for my custom-built hi-temp 16"-pizza gas-fired pizza oven, so if I'm ever successful with the design, I'll make a separate post about that.

6. Flat-top grill: I have a 36" Blackstone model. It's way cool, you can make like 20 pancakes or burgers at a time. If I were to do it again, however, I'd go with a hotter model from Tejas. I'd really love to get mine over 500F (takes awhile to get there, and sometimes has trouble breaking 450F depending on the temperature outside...I grill a lot during the winter, in the snow). But cooking a truckload of food is ridonculous, especially if you have a bunch of family or friends over. I can cook bacon, eggs, hash browns, French toast, and pancakes all at the same time. Also great for make-ahead food prep, especially if you freeze stuff for future use.

 

[CraKaJaX]

Kaido is in the building. I repeat, Kaido is in the building.

 

[Kaido]

Kaido, I think I love you...

LOL

While that's a lot of $ tied up in stuff, if you factor in the cost of what most people really do (eat out), you'll save $

Haha! Yeah, but like I said, it's spread out over time. I probably average one new appliance, gadget, or kitchen tool per month right now. Next one I'm looking at is a specialty roaster. Friend of mine got a 22-quart roaster a couple months ago, which has turned out to be super handy for doing stuff like roasting a whole bag of potatoes without having to use the oven (nice for when you need the oven for other stuff, or don't want to heat up the kitchen, because you can plug it in outside, or just want consistent results in batches). I looked into it & found this smaller 16-quart puppy, which oddly enough has a smoking system inside of it - and has great reviews!

http://www.amazon.com/Oster-CKSTROSMK18-Smoker-Roaster-16-Quart/dp/B00AZBKTS2/

That would also be handy for stuff like potlucks. I have a couple basic crockpots kicking around for social events like that, because I don't like taking my Instant Pot outside of the house (my precious...) & this would be a pretty good additional tool for offsite (and onsite!) cooking. Plus it doubles as a regular oven for cookies, muffins, dinner rolls, etc., so you can save some money by using this instead of the big oven & also save a bit of preheat time. I don't usually cook in large batches either...I usually cook the first batch & then freeze the rest, so that would be a handy little gizmo to have!

 

[Kaido]

Kaido is in the building. I repeat, Kaido is in the building.

Kaido is in the basement kitchen cooking in & for the building :thumbsup:

I would have gone into a chef job, but the pay was lousy & all of my cooking buddies became alcoholics, so...yeah

 

[Kaido]

One of these days, I will resurrect my Youtube cooking channel..."Results May Vary" :sneaky:

 

[CraKaJaX]

One of these days, I will resurrect my Youtube cooking channel..."Results May Vary" :sneaky:

Results led me here:

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

Is this you? :biggrin:

 

[Kaido]

Results led me here:

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

Is this you? :biggrin:

I'm going to have to one-up that with Cooking with Thor's Hammer

 

[CraKaJaX]

I'm going to have to one-up that with Cooking with Thor's Hammer

Description:

Published on Nov 19, 2015
Results may vary.
Today we're making a delicious and simple omelette full with minerals such as iron.

LOL.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I love how 5 isn't close to enough for Kaido!

5. Food processor:

Yeah I have a nice 14 cup Cuisinart model. I love the pulse mode or using it to slice thin fruit slices to dry.

I also have a mason jar attachment for it, which sucks the air out of jars. Excellent companion to the Anova!

Amazing concept, that would rock for green juice.

I have 3 waffle irons

Wow is all I can say. I have one and I don't use it even since my local store had a store brand of frozen buckwheat waffles.

7. Air Fryer: Recent acquisition. Basically a mini convection oven. Cooks stuff in half the time. Small batches only, works well for frozen foods like chicken nuggets & fish sticks. Still getting a handle on the learning curve. I have a Philips XL model; curious to compare against a halogen model.

I think this might be next on my list. I miss having a deep fryer but the wife won't let me have one.

I don't use it to the full extent of its capabilities at all, yet another thing in the que to explore more in the future.

Nutritional yeast kale chips (or bbq ones) are awesome at around mid heat. I like using purple kale.

5. Spiralizer: Primarily for making zucchini noodles (zoodles).

Yeah my wife eats that once a week at least. I really like a pineapple corer myself, which is kinda the same concept kinda. Makes making dehydrated pineapple chips easier, like banana chips easy.

8. Mason jars: I only use wide-mouth (clear Ball jars), pint & quart I think are the sizes I have. Plus plastic screw-on lids.

Glass lids are neat:

https://websecure.cnchost.com/weckjars.com/productsDetail.php?category=9

1. Charcoal grill: I just get a basic $80 model from Walmart every few years after the last one rusts out. Nothing fancy. At some point, I'd like to get a BGE or Kamado Joe, but not until I own a home with a legit patio.

I have to admit a ceramic grill seems to be the only piece of super equipment missing in your arsenal. I have a Primo and I love it, stuff that comes out of there tastes amazing from steaks to porkchops to fish to pizza. I can't describe how much better it is then a regular grill, but after a week of having it I threw away my gas grill and my old charcoal grill. I could never go back.

The only pain in the butt part is the temperature control on a ceramic grill takes a little bit of cooking zen (which you seem to have but I lack), which means I need to give grilling levels of attention I really only have on weekends. To compensate I am (slowly unfortunately) building a HeaterMeter device with the correct probes and a blower to basically turn the grill into something as easy to use as an oven or smoker. I have a friend who has one, and it's the perfect grill. Lite the charcoal, set a temp and timer, and check it on your phone. Then it becomes a daily device. I am about to break down and buy the kit:

http://heatermeter.myshopify.com/products/heatermeter-v4-2-kit

 

[RossMAN]

5. Food processor: I think mine is a 9-cup. I use this for PB chickpea cookies, pizza dough, hummus, all kinds of stuff. It's one of those weird appliances that I didn't use for years despite it supposedly being like a universal thing, but now I use it for specific recipes all the time.

I'm intrigued, recipe?

 

[BurnItDwn]

Mr Fridge
Mr Bunnomatic
Mr Grinder
Mr Stove
Mr Micro

 

[JimmiG]

I don't even think I have 5 kitchen appliances...
Stove of course
Microwave
Coffee machine (aka the Fountain of Life)
Fridge/Freezer

 

[Kaido]

I'm intrigued, recipe?

Imagine eating warm cookie dough, but it's actually good for you:

http://www.texanerin.com/grain-free-peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-bites/

Similar to eating dried fruit, try not to OD on these...PB is high-fat & your stomach will not like you if you eat a ton of them. Ask me how I know that

 

[Kaido]

Mr Fridge
Mr Bunnomatic
Mr Grinder
Mr Stove
Mr Micro

Mr Roboto?

 

[Kaido]

I love how 5 isn't close to enough for Kaido!

Yeah I have a nice 14 cup Cuisinart model. I love the pulse mode or using it to slice thin fruit slices to dry.

Amazing concept, that would rock for green juice.

Wow is all I can say. I have one and I don't use it even since my local store had a store brand of frozen buckwheat waffles.

I think this might be next on my list. I miss having a deep fryer but the wife won't let me have one.

Nutritional yeast kale chips (or bbq ones) are awesome at around mid heat. I like using purple kale.

Yeah my wife eats that once a week at least. I really like a pineapple corer myself, which is kinda the same concept kinda. Makes making dehydrated pineapple chips easier, like banana chips easy.

Glass lids are neat:

https://websecure.cnchost.com/weckjars.com/productsDetail.php?category=9

I have to admit a ceramic grill seems to be the only piece of super equipment missing in your arsenal. I have a Primo and I love it, stuff that comes out of there tastes amazing from steaks to porkchops to fish to pizza. I can't describe how much better it is then a regular grill, but after a week of having it I threw away my gas grill and my old charcoal grill. I could never go back.

The only pain in the butt part is the temperature control on a ceramic grill takes a little bit of cooking zen (which you seem to have but I lack), which means I need to give grilling levels of attention I really only have on weekends. To compensate I am (slowly unfortunately) building a HeaterMeter device with the correct probes and a blower to basically turn the grill into something as easy to use as an oven or smoker. I have a friend who has one, and it's the perfect grill. Lite the charcoal, set a temp and timer, and check it on your phone. Then it becomes a daily device. I am about to break down and buy the kit:

http://heatermeter.myshopify.com/products/heatermeter-v4-2-kit

Dang, 14 cups! Makes my 9-cup food processor sound small!

Yeah, the mason jar vacuum attachment is pretty handy. Works for everything...dried fruit, homemade sauces & jams, etc. It's a little tricky to use, but once you get the procedure down it's cake.

Waffles are fun. I like the Belgian flip model because it makes one that is nice & thick and fills up your whole plate - it's a meal by itself! The flip action ensures that it's cooked on both sides. The square model is thinner & works better for when you're using it as part of your meal rather than the whole meal, so if you're doing bacon, eggs, and waffles. Sometimes I do PB-cup waffles using the square ones, same as PB-cup pancakes:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=20852

The Air Fryer is an interesting beast. I wouldn't call it a fryer at all, personally. Toaster oven with a fan is a better description. Same boat on owning a real one - I don't want to get a deep fryer because I would absolutely die an early death I had a small Fry Daddy in the past, and it was awesome, but it died an untimely death & hasn't ever been replaced. If I do need to deep-fry anything, I'll usually just use my Wok because the curve is so wide that the oil bubbles do a good job of not overflowing, and it also reheats between batches incredibly fast. Anyway, I'm not ready to recommend the Philips XL quite yet; at some point I'd like to compare it to one of the halogen models (1/3 the price & excellent reviews as well). My brother is thinking about picking one up, so if he does, I'll have a shootout & post it over in the Air Fryer thread.

Yeah, Weck makes great stuff. Also check out Bormioli Rocco, they make neat hermetically-sealed glass jugs (twist-top with an o-ring to seal it up), which are useful for homemade juices & milks:

http://www.amazon.com/Bormioli-Rocco-Frigoverre-Hermetic-Liter/dp/B001JA5CSK

Nut milk bags run about ten bucks on Amazon, super easy to make rice/almond/etc. milks with them & a good blender (you usually soak the nuts or whatever you're using overnight first). You can also use your Instant Pot if you'd like:

http://www.hippressurecooking.com/got-soy-milk-make-it-in-the-pressure-cooker/

If you do a lot of it, they make specific appliances for doing stuff like soymilk - does the grinding & the heating automatically: (heat removes the bitter beany taste)

http://www.amazon.com/SoyaJoy-G4-Maker-Stainless-Inside/dp/B00ALM5ZFM

Yeah, ceramic grills are awesome, but I'm waiting to invest in the good stuff when I get a house at some point so I can make them all built into an island. And I have the same problem...takes awhile to get a good heat going, so I typically only do charcoal on weekends now. Gas is just easier...it took me a long time to accept that, but with my time & energy being more crunched lately, a lot of the times I'll just go outside, light up my Bayou Classic burner, and do a few smashburgers real quick. If you're interested in forced-air heating, check out this DIY foundry on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHD10DjxM1g

My buddy made one (he actually uses it as a foundry), but I thought it'd be a great grilling system too because it gets so dang hot. I was thinking that design would be pretty spiffy linked into the $20 DIY Cob Oven design here:

http://www.theyearofmud.com/2009/09/12/outdoor-cob-pizza-oven/

Right now, I'm working on a homemade 16" pizza oven using a pair of bayou burners. Just got my 18x24" baking stone in, so if the weather holds up, I'll be doing some design testing this weekend!

 

[vi edit]

- French Press - use it daily, and 2x daily on weekends. Me like coffee.

- 12" Cast iron skillet - it's 70+ years old and good as new. Make breakfast daily and a lot of dinners.

- Gas stove. Simply mention because electric cooktops suck ass.

- Pizza stone. So many uses. So little drama. Another heavily used thing in my kitchen.

- Food processor. Again, can be used for so many things. I use it for salsa, dips, pizza dough, meatloaf, making bread crumbs from croutons, slicing veggies and fruits, ect. I use it a lot more than my Vitamix or stand mixer.

 

[JM Aggie08]

Gas stove
Kitchen-Aid stand mixer
Cast iron cookware
Kitchen-Aid food processor
Vitamix (RIP)

 

[cliftonite]

Instant Pot
VitaMix
Shun Santoku knife
le creuset dutch oven
Zojirushi Fuzzy logic cooker

I am hoping a Sous Vide will be my next item.

 

[cliftonite]

Dang, 14 cups! Makes my 9-cup food processor sound small!

Yeah, the mason jar vacuum attachment is pretty handy. Works for everything...dried fruit, homemade sauces & jams, etc. It's a little tricky to use, but once you get the procedure down it's cake.

Waffles are fun. I like the Belgian flip model because it makes one that is nice & thick and fills up your whole plate - it's a meal by itself! The flip action ensures that it's cooked on both sides. The square model is thinner & works better for when you're using it as part of your meal rather than the whole meal, so if you're doing bacon, eggs, and waffles. Sometimes I do PB-cup waffles using the square ones, same as PB-cup pancakes:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=20852

The Air Fryer is an interesting beast. I wouldn't call it a fryer at all, personally. Toaster oven with a fan is a better description. Same boat on owning a real one - I don't want to get a deep fryer because I would absolutely die an early death I had a small Fry Daddy in the past, and it was awesome, but it died an untimely death & hasn't ever been replaced. If I do need to deep-fry anything, I'll usually just use my Wok because the curve is so wide that the oil bubbles do a good job of not overflowing, and it also reheats between batches incredibly fast. Anyway, I'm not ready to recommend the Philips XL quite yet; at some point I'd like to compare it to one of the halogen models (1/3 the price & excellent reviews as well). My brother is thinking about picking one up, so if he does, I'll have a shootout & post it over in the Air Fryer thread.

Yeah, Weck makes great stuff. Also check out Bormioli Rocco, they make neat hermetically-sealed glass jugs (twist-top with an o-ring to seal it up), which are useful for homemade juices & milks:

http://www.amazon.com/Bormioli-Rocco-Frigoverre-Hermetic-Liter/dp/B001JA5CSK

Nut milk bags run about ten bucks on Amazon, super easy to make rice/almond/etc. milks with them & a good blender (you usually soak the nuts or whatever you're using overnight first). You can also use your Instant Pot if you'd like:

http://www.hippressurecooking.com/got-soy-milk-make-it-in-the-pressure-cooker/

If you do a lot of it, they make specific appliances for doing stuff like soymilk - does the grinding & the heating automatically: (heat removes the bitter beany taste)

http://www.amazon.com/SoyaJoy-G4-Maker-Stainless-Inside/dp/B00ALM5ZFM

Yeah, ceramic grills are awesome, but I'm waiting to invest in the good stuff when I get a house at some point so I can make them all built into an island. And I have the same problem...takes awhile to get a good heat going, so I typically only do charcoal on weekends now. Gas is just easier...it took me a long time to accept that, but with my time & energy being more crunched lately, a lot of the times I'll just go outside, light up my Bayou Classic burner, and do a few smashburgers real quick. If you're interested in forced-air heating, check out this DIY foundry on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHD10DjxM1g

My buddy made one (he actually uses it as a foundry), but I thought it'd be a great grilling system too because it gets so dang hot. I was thinking that design would be pretty spiffy linked into the $20 DIY Cob Oven design here:

http://www.theyearofmud.com/2009/09/12/outdoor-cob-pizza-oven/

Right now, I'm working on a homemade 16" pizza oven using a pair of bayou burners. Just got my 18x24" baking stone in, so if the weather holds up, I'll be doing some design testing this weekend!

How good is a food processor for cutting things like veggies and onions? Which one would you reccomend?

 

[PenguinPower]

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.

 

[Vdubchaos]

If you guys are including none appliance items, then my list changes quickly.

#1 Weber Kettles (nothing fancy) I do most of my smoking on this as well....no need for overprices ceramic eggs.....
#2 Cast Iron Skillets/Dutch oven/griddle

Then the rest.....

 

[Kaido]

Pizza stone. So many uses. So little drama. Another heavily used thing in my kitchen.

What do you use your stone for, other than pizza?