A list of useful kitchen gadgets

(Crippie) #1

I have been looking for a post with a list of all the must have kitchen gadgets to look at what I may be missing. But I have not found one. I vaguely remember in an old podcast @carl giving a listing of gadgets, but I can’t for the life of me remember which it was.

So I will start! Here is a list of gadgets I find myself using ALL the time! In no particular order except the order I thought of them in! Most of these are Items I got after starting keto because it brought back my love for cooking.

Nothing here I would say is required, but all I have found useful in someway and worth getting.

  1. Immersion blender (Stick blender) - great for bullet proof coffee
  2. Food Processor - great for mixing and chopping and blending
  3. Cast Iron Skillets - Great for steaks!
  4. Chain mail cloth - makes maintenance of cast iron much easier
  5. A good sharp knife! Great for everything!
  6. A knife sharpener - Knife needs to stay sharp now
  7. Wide variety of measuring cups - I now have 3 sets to make it easy to just grab another tbs measurement without having to stop and wash up previously used one. I get in the zone!
  8. Food scale - so much easier to weigh some things
  9. Butter Dish - To have soft butter outside the fridge
  10. "Deluxe" Spice rack and spices - make everything taste good!
  11. Mandolin Slicer - makes some slicing so much easier
  12. Avocado Knife - don’t fall prey to avocado hand
  13. Sous Vide - great way to cook a variety of things where precision is desired
  14. Vacuum sealer - great for sous vide cooking (but not required) and storing leftovers
  15. Crock Pot - great way to cook low and slow and make the house smell amazing
  16. Instant Pot (pressure cooker) - uh oh forgot to start the crock pot, throw it in pressure cooker for fast cooking, makes great bone broth too
  17. Freezer! - A place to store leftovers!
  18. Waffle Maker - @Brenda’s pork rind waffles…need I say more?
  19. Good Oven with broiler - Broiler is a great way to cook a variety of things for the crispiness a lot of keto food lacks
  20. Spiralizer - Great way to make zoodles!
  21. Stand Mixer - Great for those recipes that need to whip up egg whites and other such things. Don’t need to stand there forever and can move on to other prep as they mix. Also some have tons of attachments that can be useful
  22. Splatter guard - Great for cooking bacon without splashing the delicious grease everywhere
  23. Deep fryer - embrace the fat!
  24. Ice cream maker - Make your own keto ice cream to curb that sweet tooth some cant get rid of (like my wife) tip: add a little vodka to prevent it from freezing rock hard, without sugar to act as anti-freeze it’ll become a brick
  25. Smoker - I don’t have one myself, but its next on my list. Make things smokey and delicious

Anything anyone have stuff to add? I’m always on the hunt for my next kitchen gadget, I mean piece of medical equipment…

(VLC.MD) #2

Amazing list.
And I am missing most of those items.

(Jo O) #3

Here are the small things:

Collapsible Steamer
Salad spinner
Mason jars in 1 cup and 1 pint size for ghee, bacon fat, dressings & bone broth. (I just started giving frozen bone broth as hostess gifts, works even for non-ketonians. Told them to use the fat on top for sautéing.)
Freezer ziploc bags for pulled meats.
Ice cube trays (the skinny ones for water bottles) for herb butters.
Candy molds for fat bombs and freezing herbs/grated ginger.

(KCKO, KCFO) #4

I bought a milk frother, great for making lattes at home. Also small serves of whipped cream to put on berries etc. it is easier to clean than the immersion blender.
I love my mini food processor, it easily handles processing of lots of veggies I had to my salads.
Did you mean to skip measuring spoons, just as important as the cups.
Sous Vide is SOOOOOOO over rated and not necessary. I prefer not cooking my foods in plastics. Had to be said.
I’m still on the fence with Instant Pots. I prefer meals that are roasted in the oven or slow cooker cooked. At least they are finally coming down in price.
My hand mixer or immersion blender takes care of anything I would use a stand mixer for, so I don’t have one nor do I plan to.
I use my salad spinner everyday.
Mason jars for homemade mayo, icebox pickles, kraut, etc.
Molds for candy and or herb butters
Did you forget the outdoor grill?

(Roxanne) #5

Here are some I would add:

Gas BBQ
Cheese grater
Garlic press
Extra large commercial baking sheet for making oven bacon
Wire mesh strainer for straining bacon fat into jar
Fermentation lids for mason jars to make sauerkraut

I don’t use my crock pot any more since I got my instant pot and have never felt the need for a stand mixer - my little hand beater is good enough.

#6
#7

I use this daily and much prefer it to a press. https://www.amazon.com/Fivebop-Stainless-Chopper-Perfect-Essential/dp/B012AGCESC/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1507269738&sr=8-9&keywords=garlic+rocker+stainless+steel

(Roxanne) #8

Interesting, I’ve never seen one like that before!

#9

Faster, easier to use, easier to clean, and it holds the garlic for you until you’re ready to use it. I haven’t touched my garlic press since I got it.

(VLC.MD) #10

image

I take it you need to peel off the garlic skin first.
which usually makes my fingers stinky.

REMOVES ANY GARLIC ODOR FROM YOUR HANDS - By rubbing the stainless steel press while washing, gentle on your hands.

Cool !

(Crippie) #11

I must acquire this…

#12

There are some on Amazon that come with a little rubber thing, you put the garlic clove in, rub it around for a sec, and it separates the skin from the garlic.

My only other advice is to be sure to get one that is all stainless. My first one was plastic and stainless and I broke it.

(Roxanne) #13

GRRRR…$6.95 US on amazon.com, $17.95 CDN on amazon.ca!

https://www.amazon.ca/Fivebop-Stainless-Garlic-Crusher-Chopper/dp/B012AGCESC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1507320708&sr=8-1&keywords=Fivebop+Solid+Stainless+Steel+Garlic+Rocker

(KCKO, KCFO) #14

I have this silicone garlic peeler

It works very well and no garlic smell on your hands. Even has a carry case so I can take it traveling, I have foodie friends and we get together and cook.

(Archer Richard) #15

Here is a list of useful kitchen gadgets:-

  • Hand blender
  • Mini rice cooker
  • Stainless steel lemon squeezer
  • Salad dressing shaker
  • Silicon Steamer

All these gadgets are basic & useful. All these appliances are easily available on Amazon at an affordable price. Recently I have also purchased stainless steel lemon squeezer which is very hard & long-lasting product.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #16

My two favorite gadgets are the patty mold for ground beef, and kitchen shears for cutting the bacon to fit the pan.

I have trouble getting the collapsible steamer out of the pan when it’s hot, so I prefer to steam vegetables in my double-boiler, which came with both a steamer level and a solid level. It may be a bit awkward to store, but boy, does it come in handy!

The electric kettle is also one of the most genius products ever invented. Can’t believe we Yanks let the Brits think of it first!

I inherited Mom’s pressure cooker, and I have to say I don’t find it particularly useful, except in emergencies. The one dish I really do like to cook in it, however, is goulash, which comes out great.

(Sophie) #17

I always thought this was soooo frivolous until I bought one, and now I totally love it and use it all the time!

https://www.amazon.com/Chefman-Electric-Countertop-Capacity-Removable/dp/B01N7Z9U12/ref=sr_1_9?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1529406937&sr=1-9&keywords=egg+cooker

#18

What do you put into your goulash? I love Hungarian goulash!

(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman ) #19

None of this is remotely MUST have. Arguably, an immersion blender is not a must have, either, as BPC is not a keto necessity.

You really need three knives. A chef’s knife, a paring knife and a boning/filet knife. Get a sharpening steel to keep them in true.
You need some cookware. I’d recommend an 8" nonstick skillet, a 10-12" saute pan or skillet, a 3 qt pot, and maybe a 4-7 qt dutch oven.
You need a cutting board,
You need an oven and a couple burners.
You need a fridge and a freezer for food storage.
Some deli containers or tupperware for leftovers.
A whisk, a spoon, a spatula.
Spices and some way to organize them.
measuring cups and a food scale.

That is sufficient to have a basic kitchen.

All the rest of that is nice to have stuff. I wouldn’t own anything that is as large as a waffle iron that makes one thing.

(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman ) #20

https://www.amazon.com/Premium-Silicone-Trivet-Holders-Coasters/dp/B00W4C23PM

These work perfectly well to peel a large number of garlic cloves, as well as do 1000 other kitchen tasks.

A garlic press and a can opener are the only two unitaskers I really feel are worth owning.