I have one of these (though they sell cheaper versions):
A list of useful kitchen gadgets
Roberta_Worley
(Roberta Worley)
#45
#3 Cast iron has been known to add iron into food or so Iāve heard.
#7 Wide variety of measuring spoons also come in handy. I have three sets.
#8 Electronic with ounce and gram options is quite nice.
#9 If porcelain, the salt in butter will, over time, eat away at the porcelain.
#10 My favorite is the AllSpice spice rack. When I bought mine, it came with empty bottles and lids along with a selection of different pouring attachments. It also came with plenty of labels. My go to for spices is Penzeys. We have one north of us and when they didnāt have something, I was able to go to another spice store called Savory Spice.
#21 Kitchenaid tilt stand mixer is my preferred weapon of choice. I had almost every gadget for it and found it to be a hassle so much so I gifted them to my nieceās daughter. If you want to get āfancy dancyā, my recommendation is the Cuisart Food Processor. Theyāve really upped the ante. I had one for years until things started really wearing out. I replace some things but just recently got one from Costco. It came with a cuber, a dough blade, a chopping blade for the big bowl and a smaller blade for the smaller bowl, a reversible grater and an adjustable slicer. A spiralizer is available but I can buy spiralized veggies at the stores in my area so I really donāt see the need.
#16 Instant Pot - great for making hardboiled eggs. I keep several extra rubber rings and have found that the silicone red rubber trivet also works well for making hardboiled eggs and is more of a breeze to clean than the metal ones. I prefer the red one to the bright green one. I also have a set of PIP (pot in pot stainless steel set) for reheating foods. And a Instant Pot glass lid is good for keeping things warm while being able to see whatās in it when itās not pressure cooking.
#22 great for making ketchup as the tomato puree gets very jumpy when it simmers!
My additions include:
griddle - great for frying up breakfast meats, eggs, etc all at once.
cloche - very useful for the griddle as well as for a pan to melt cheese or to help steam something.
marble cheese slicer for slicing block cheese
Pyrex 4 cup measuring bowl to use when you need to mix something small and quickly.
Wire whisk
OXO egg beater - Iāve used this to mix many things other than eggs!
a good set of oven mitts
a large cooling rack, if you have the room or two smaller ones also do the trick
a good pair of kitchen shears - Lamson Sharp (breakaway for ease in cleaning)
glass measuring cups because liquid and solids measure differently particularly in baking (exact science) than cooking (more forgiving)
8 x 8 or 9 x 9 baking dish, 9 x 13 baking dish - Pyrex is a good option
rimmed baking sheets - best ones donāt warp in the oven
nested bowls, set of four - melamine, glass or metal
food storage covers for the nested bowls - mine look like flowers with a raised center
food storage containers with matching lids
bento boxes - try Daiso or HMart
variety of cookie scoops (or rounded measuring spoons)
salt and pepper mills
sauce pans, small, medium and large with lids
steamer to over sauce pan
serving spoons, slotted and solid
serving fork
dough blade
cutting boards (small, medium and large)
spatulas (both for frying and removing extra foods from bowls when mixing/baking)
kitchen timer
FROG tape (not masking tape) and a black sharpie for marking food as to when it was prepared
lisamarie0777
(Lisa)
#48
This list is great. Iām a sucker for kitchen gadgets/appliances. Thank you for posting.
collaroygal
(KCKO, KCFO)
#49
I am posting to say I LOVE my air fryer and can not remember life without it now. I still love IP as well. Between them the stove is rarely used these days.
robintemplin
(Robin)
#50
@collaroygal I feel that way about my air fryer too. Itās my go to for almost everything. Iāve never had an instapot, but I had one of the old pressure cookers that I adored.
ctviggen
(Bob M)
#51
Saw that the company that makes Instant Pot has declared bankruptcy:
They should be back though.
ffskier
#52
Sorry about this one. I just do not have the patients to wait 1-2 hours and then reverse sear my steak. I gave my equipment away.
I love my Nordic Ware baking sheets. Regular and half-size. Very basic, but last forever. Most commercial kitchens or restaurants use them as well.
And of course a sharp knife, Heimo Roselli carbon/Wootz steel knife.
velvet
#53
I have had a cheap knock-off for years and love it. It does everything Instapot does. Pyrex is harder to swallow though, I love glass bowls and containers and plates and, andā¦ and Pyrex made quality products.
velvet
#54
I canāt be bothered with sous vide - I donāt trust heated plastic for one, and also, slow roasting in the oven produces the same texture and it has that wonderful roast flavor added. Plus, no searing needed. I mostly slow roast inferior cuts of meat, as well as bulky ones. I use my indoor grill with the plate reversed to griddle most of all. I line it with aluminum foil and fold the edges up - no mess, no fuss, all juices saved. Bacon and eggs, steak or chops and veggies, and so forth, it all goes on the griddle. Leftovers in broth go in the micro for soup. I like to keep the clean-up at a minimum, and flavor at the max. So these, and the instapot, are my go-tos. Oh, and I have one of those hand held blending sticks, that thing is very cool. I have whipped cream in seconds flat.
ctviggen
(Bob M)
#55
Ok, if thereās one thing I still love, itās the sous vide. I can take frozen pork chops from the bag in which they came from the farmer, stick them in the sous vide and have them for dinner. Take the fresh ham, also from the farm, put it in the sous vide, have it for dinner. Cook steaks there, which I can have for dinner or lunch.
Take brisket or pork butt, put them in the sous vide for 24-36 hours, cool them down, smoke them, the best BBQ youāve ever had.
Go on vacation, decide to eat at home, sous vide some steaks, let them cook while youāre out at the beach with the dog. Come back, sear on grill, dinner.
Take a small pork butt, sous vide for 24 hours, take out, slice, sear, dinner.
Helps too if I buy meat thatās on sale and freeze it. I just toss it in the sous vide for a while, and have a weekās worth of lunches.
I use the sous vide all the time, usually at least once a week or more.
And say youāre an hour late from the beach. It doesnāt matter. The meat is fine.
velvet
#56
Yabbut, low temp roasting is exactly the same. Itās the same principle, cook at very low temp. It doesnāt matter if you forget you have it in the oven, or are late, or whatever. It can stay in there all day. Itās the exact same principle and the same result, except that slow roasting is done when you take it out. Take out and eat. The flavor and color are there.
collaroygal
(KCKO, KCFO)
#57
I love Pyrex products as well.
I am a big fan of instantpot pressure cookers, didnāt like the air fryer they had.
anon38787346
#58
I like an air fryer for easy cooking and I add fat afterwards. Currently carnivore and not much variety in my cooking!
robintemplin
(Robin)
#59
Hereās a little air fryer hack for youā¦ I buy the aluminum baking pans like this. (8x8, I think). I put this in the air fryer then add the meat or whatever. The juices stay in the panā¦ and I am almost always down for that.
collaroygal
(KCKO, KCFO)
#61
I use a silicone round basket that fits in my air fryer and I recently found round parchment liners on Amazon, so I use those now if I want something to stay in the cooking juices.