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How do?

Yes, it's another thread for the Dakkadakka League of Fatties! Wooooo! FOOD!!!!

This time, I want to know about the toys you've got in your kitchen. From those that see nearly daily use, to those that typically languish under a pall of dust in the back of the cupboard.


Me? I've got a Waffle Iron (sees occasional use), a Breville Toasty (very regular use, weekend breakfast of choice), a meat slicer (for when I makes my Bacon), Steamer, Deep Fat Fryer, electronic scales. And of course oven/hob, fridge freezer and microwave. Because you won't get very far without.

I absolutely love my Breville. It's quick, it's easy, it's a doddle to clean. And if I buy pre-shredded cheese, no bother to whip something up. If I'm starving hungry, just cheese will do. If I'm taking my time, bit of onion, maybe some ham. Still experimenting with fillings.

Deep Fryer is superb. Whack in Oven chips, and you'll get the best damned chips you've ever had in your life. Fact.

The others are bit more situational. Steamer usually sees use in the summer months, when not only do I tend to eat lighter, but I don't much fancy sweating in the kitchen. Put your stuff in, switch it on, come back when it's done. It's akin to my slow cooker, just used she it's ded hot. Nice bit of steamed salmon and veg, decent dinner right there (though mine sucks at doing rice)

Waffles? Well, as I struggle to source premixed waffle batter, so I don't use it as often as I'd like, because making it from scratch is a bit of a faff. And when you live on your own, I find ingredients go off before I can use them all up.

But what about you?

One: The best damn chips are the ones you cut from the potato and then deep-fry yourself. Anything else is axiomatically wrong and punishable by firing squad.

2) As for the actual discussion:
*Best item in the kitchen: The potato knife that I got from my parents. Sharper than my razor. Cuts everything, peels everything. No meal is made without it.
*Percolator. At home, I only drink coffee made with this.
*Toaster. Because bread needs toasting. Used almost daily.
*Gas furnace. You plebs may cook with electricity, but the direct heat from a gas cooker cannot be beaten except by a coal BBQ.
*Combi-oven. Needs replacing. I had it before I moved into the house, and its age is showing. Still makes great meals though.
*Blender. I never use it much, but my wife adores it for making fruit drinks, and they're glorious.

I really, really want a proper oven. Not just for all the meals I make, but for all the stuff my better half wants to make, too.

Edit: spelling

Joule Sous vide cooker. Love it for perfectly cooked meats. Can take a tough cut of meat and really breaks down the connective tissue to make a great meal

And with a good cut? My son is always over the moon when he sees me take it out.

Other stuff?

Micro plane grater. Cast iron skillet (esp to sear sous vide steaks!). Electric griddle for Sunday pancakes.

Valete,

JohnS

I'm a very healthy eater, and a pretty simple cook, so virtually every meal revolves around a Shun Premier chef's knife and either a Le Creuset cast iron skillet and/or a Falk copper pan.

I do occassionally have notions for other cooking toys - rice cookers/clow cookers/dutch ovens etc but after that first exciting week I use them very, very little.

A wok. It was my best investment in trying to get healthy as I do a lot of chicken stir-fry.

Oh, and a proper pizza pan.

Get your dough right, and your dinner is costing you absolute pennies,

 Kanluwen wrote:
A wok. It was my best investment in trying to get healthy as I do a lot of chicken stir-fry.

Yeah there's tons to be said for a well seasoned carbon steel wok. Unlike copper and cast iron you don't need to spend a fortune - a £20 effort will last indefinitely so long as you never leave it wet and everything tastes better over time.

I couldn't live without a rice cooker. I think anyone who eats a lot of rice should have one (it's obviously very common in Asian households).
An immersion blender is also very handy. I don't have much kitchen space (especially not counter-top space), so I don't own a normal blender. Mostly useful if you have stainless steel pots though.
My pressure cooker (the kind that goes on the stove, and has electronics in the lid to tell you how to adjust the heat) also sees a lot of use. Invaluable for beans (I'm not a fan of canned beans, and not all varieties are easy to find here), it also very good for some quick one-pot recipes. And it's also the biggest pot I own, so I cook my pasta in it and use it as a general large-sized pot.
Finally, I'm in love with my iron pan (Mineral B from de Buyer, the version with the removable handle).

The most gimmicky gadget I have is an Instant Pot (combination rice cooker/pressure cooker/rice cooker).

Been knocking out a lot of good recipes with that thing.

Other than that a mandolin and a spiralizer, an immersion blender, and a Ninja slicer thingy that we got as a Christmas present that supplements our food processor for smaller volumes.

Bran Dawri wrote:
*Gas furnace. You plebs may cook with electricity, but the direct heat from a gas cooker cannot be beaten except by a coal BBQ.

Oh, I'd say a real wood stove beats gas, but you have to pay more attention because you can't control the temperature by turning a knob. As a bonus it also heats the kitchen and you can turn down the central heating. ;-)

A microwave oven doesn't count, does it? Then I don't really have any fancy cooking tools. Quality knives, pots and pans go a long way IMO. Steel stuff (maybe half non-stick) for everyday use and a few cast iron items for "proper" steaks or stews.

I have a commercial kitchen or two, and the most versatile gadget is our Panini Grill. That allows us to do all sorts of food items.

My kitchen is super basic. Gas stove, microwave, oven (too small for big pizzas , and a bunch of pans to make my soup, rice, pasta or pancakes in. It is not like I eat anything else.

Crock Pot
Waffle Iron
Assorted Pots and Pans
Drip coffee maker
Kettle
Mixer
Bender
Half dozen cocktail shakers
A lot of knives
One fork

I just need my knife a frying pan and some bacon grease.

I'm fairly straightforward. Particulars worth mention are my trusty cast iron (literally handed down for a couple generations), and a spatula I've had since I worked at a restaurant when I was 17, and my Shun chef's knife I acquired a few years ago. Coffee maker sees regular usage too.. I use it less nowadays, but I used to cook regularly with a crock pot too. Used less often are a couple of food processors, a deep fryer that gets used once every couple months, and a bunch of bread making devices. I bake the bread maybe once every 3-4 weeks. One of the neater gadgets is a danish dough whisk. Looks like this:


My girlfriend on the other hand uses literally every gadget under the sun. She has a waffle maker, an immersion blender, a vitamix (sort of a super powerful blender thing), one of those kitchenaid multipurpose mixer things, a tea kettle, and probably a bunch of stuff I'm not remembering.

Oooh, I've also got a cast iron griddle thing that sits on top of the gas hob.

It's great. Flat on one side, griddle bars on the other. Superb for Steak, not that I can afford that so often these days!

 d-usa wrote:
The most gimmicky gadget I have is an Instant Pot (combination rice cooker/pressure cooker/rice cooker).

That's my latest acquisition for the kitchen. Loving it so far. Admittedly, everything I've made in it I could probably have done in less time the old fashioned way on the stove, but the convenience of cooking it all in just one pot makes up for it.

It’s all the convenience of a crockpot, with none of the waiting!

We've got a panini maker, a Foreman Grill, a mixer, a waffle iron, a blender, a slow cooker/ crockpot and mini crockpot, toaster oven, microwave, stove and oven. We have a French Press, a drip coffee maker, a Keurig (for everyday use), a teapot, a loose-leaf teapot, a pitcher for making iced tea or coffee, an assortment of cocktail and wine glasses, etc.. We have a couple huge pots for soup, many pans, sauce pans and a wok, a turkey roaster, a stone pizza baking sheet thing, a wooden pizza baking paddle thing, various cake pans I am afraid to touch, brownie pans, cookie sheets, mixing bowls out the wazoo, salsa bowls, etc..

We mostly eat simple things all week, cook something nice on the weekend, and only get to use those special gadgets when entertaining guests.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 d-usa wrote:
It’s all the convenience of a crockpot, with none of the waiting!

Good. I hate long waits.

I'll need to check this out, because we love crockpot foods but not crockpot set-up, waiting, or coming home to a humid house on a hot day.

What I do need is some kind of heat diffuser.

I need it to heat the fat properly when making Toad in the Hole (sausages in batter, in case you were wondering). Trick to getting a good rise is for the fat in the bottom of the tin to be really hot, so the batter cooks as soon as if first hits.

Crispy sealed bottom. Luvverly.

And don't you dare use cheap sausages!

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
What I do need is some kind of heat diffuser.

I need it to heat the fat properly when making Toad in the Hole (sausages in batter, in case you were wondering). Trick to getting a good rise is for the fat in the bottom of the tin to be really hot, so the batter cooks as soon as if first hits.

Cast iron is the answer.

I've got a hefty cast iron griddle for the cooker top, but I tend to use my loaf tin for toad in the hole.

Crock pot, deep fryer, wok and a HUGE skillet from Macy’s that was on 75% clearance (don’t know why). Add in a teavana tea maker and a coffee pot, and my kitchen is a happy place.

Three crock pots, toaster, blender, mixer.

Stock pot, steamer, sauce pan, cast iron skillet, frying pan.

My wife just picked up a turkey fryer - but that is more for her mum than for me. (Though I will be the one using it.)

Of them the crock pots see daily use (and why there are three of them).

The Auld Grump

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Oh, and a proper pizza pan.

Get your dough right, and your dinner is costing you absolute pennies,

Not the way I make pizza it doesn't. I never could find a pizzaria that would put half a pound of fried bacon pieces (not strips, not bits) or an entire pepperoni onto a medium pizza.

Gadgets:

Digital meat thermometer
Micro plane rasp and box grater
Hand crank popcorn popper (Whirly-Pop, for heavens sake GET ONE NOW, use cocunut oil and flavored salts for movie theater popcorn on demand)
Mandolin
Toaster Oven - yes, toaster oven is useful even if you have an oven.

Hah. Reminds me that we have an air popper, because one should not grow too fond of popcorn.

Bakery quality mixer.

Bakery quality thermometer and baking tools.

Most important kitchen gadgets: wife who is descended from a long line of pie and dessert bakers and likes to bake!

I spent two and a half years cooking with nothing but a two ring petrol burner, so I don't really go in for kitchen gadgets, I don't even have a microwave. I do use an electric whisk for baking or making pancake batter and the toaster sees regular use although I use the oven grill more. I use an espresso maker to make coffee every day too.

 Gogsnik wrote:

Be Pure!
Be Vigilant!
BEHAVE!

Nemesis the Warlock?

fresus wrote:
I couldn't live without a rice cooker. I think anyone who eats a lot of rice should have one (it's obviously very common in Asian households).

I eat a lot of rice but I prefer it not to be cooked in a rice cooker.

My kitchen is pretty basic, pots, pans, oven, steamer, I've never really gotten in to kitchen gadgets. I managed to live for a year without a microwave, only reason I have one now is I moved in to a house that already had one.