Followers

Friday 12 October 2018

My favourite 5 kitchen gadgets?

5, only 5? I have more than 5 favourite knives!
I spotted a few vlogs/podcasts in this theme and being of a nosey  inquisitive nature felt compelled to have a look. Most of them were obvious time savers and I do have some of them in my kitchen.

There were some that I wouldn't ever consider buying, why a rice cooker? what is wrong with a saucepan? I do not have room for a single function bit of kit, everything that I have has to work to keep its place.
My maslin pan is not just for preserves and chutneys, it hold a large ham or, with a rack, a decent size whole fish. I can also cook a huge amount of soup/stew for freezing. 
I have a very heavy rolling pin, without those annoying round "handle things" on the ends, it bashes out steaks, pork and chicken for schnitzel and escallops. Breaks up biscuits for cheesecake bases and oven dried bread for crumbs. 

I LIED.

I do have an item that is single use.
Another lie, I have 2
Oh Lord, now that I think about it there are several.
1, My egg pan, omelettes and scrambled eggs only. I poach and fry in a multi use frypan.

2, This is a group of utensils, pots, pans and dishes that only get used for vegan recipes. 

3, Chopping boards, colour coded plus a round wood board for cooked meat and a square wood one for fruit. (who wants apple that has been chopped on the board after onion or garlic)

4, The kettle. Water only.

5, The toaster, bread and bagels.

Back to my favourites, I will have to group some things together.

1. My knives, and the steel to keep them razor sharp.
2. The chopping boards, used every day.
3. Stainless steel pots and pans, many but all used regularly.
4. My wok, a recent purchase but again used very frequently.
5. The contents of my "things" pot. wooden and silicon spoons, spatulas, lifters and turners. You know what I mean. I have to cheat and add my rolling pin to the group.

Yes I have, and use, slow cooker, air fryer, combi oven etc. 
All of these I could live without, although my combi oven is used more than the big one. I would miss my breadmaker but could make it all by hand, it would just mean freezing more and freezer space is precious.

I have not put the kettle on my list, if anyone tried to take it away they would end up in the compost bin!
As you may have gathered I am partial to a brew, on a regular basis.

What about you, any exotic bits of kit out there? 
Back in the day a Tagine and a Couscoussier had pride of place in my kitchen. Both were hauled back from a North African holiday, when it was safe to go there. I used them to death and after they had expired I never got round to replacing them. Now there is no room so I use what I have.

My "cheat" list is done, but I have been looking at Instant Pots. I saw one in use on a recent visit and am trying to decide whether it would be worth the space. would it replace my slow cooker? what about the air fryer? If I fork out for any bit of kit my 1 in and 2 out rule has to be viable.
Who out there has one? is it worth it? does it really replace up to 5 small kitchen gadgets? 
I don't have 5 to jettison, just the slow cooker and air fryer and I am thinking of getting rid of the latter as I do not use it a great deal.
Let me know what you have and use. I did see the Pressure King Pro being used, a cheaper option but does it do enough?

All that thinking has left me in need of a brew, using my well loved kettle.
(I have a spare, just in case)

                 TTFN                                               Pam

20 comments:

  1. We love our bread, soup makers and our air fryer, all three are in use every week, who could not want homemade veg soup with homemade bread for lunch, we eat it everyday throughout the cooler months, just different flavours each time. As for the best thing in the kitchen, well that's my hubby who does most of the cooking, which he loves.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You beat me to it, Marlene, as I was going to say that my DH is improving as a chef, he’s a great sous chef and of course he’s the only person allowed to touch the dishwasher-lol.

      Delete
    2. The SO is a dab hand in the kitchen as well, he has been far too busy of late though. I am not sure that counts as a gadget, atb the moment he is a "Bob the Builder"

      Delete
  2. I think mine's call an Instant Pot (too idle to go and check) - it's a slow cooker, electric pressure cooker, cooks rice, makes soup etc. The pressure cooker bit of it is amazing as it's so speedy. I use mine regularly.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yours was the one that I mentioned, I just have to decide if it replace 2 of my gadgets.

      Delete
  3. I bought an Instant Pot in the spring, and haven't used a single other cooking appliance for meals since. It is pressure cooking, and a completely different way to cook. I have a few tried and true recipes now, dump-and-press-the-button recipes that I love. I have had my failures, there is a learning curve, and a lot of recipes on the internet aren't all they are cracked up to be. But I love the thing. It cooks potatoes to perfection, for the plate or for potato salad. It cooks dried beans to perfection. It cooks rice to perfection. It cooks qunoa to perfection. It cooks a roast to perfection. The meals I cook are rice or pasta casseroles, saute, add remaining ingredients, press the button, wait. I haven't used the crockpot feature, and I haven't explored some of the other features either, just getting started with it really. But it means that I can decide what to cook for dinner after my significant other arrives home at the end of the day, and have it ready in an hour, a game changer.
    Summers are hot and humid here, so appliances that will sit on the covered back porch and cook in the great outdoors are coveted. The Instant Pot is easy to use on the covered porch. I also use a crockpot out there, but much less so now, and a Nesco roaster oven, in which I can prepare home made bread, biscuits, and pizza when it is too hot in the house to have a light bulb burning. I have a pressure canner and a steam canner, and treasure both. The canners allow me to can food that would otherwise be frozen, and freezer space is at a premium here too. That is all I can think of for the moment. Enjoyed this entry.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A pressure canner has been on my wish list for a while, I would have to get it imported from the US and import duty and VAT would double the price. It may have to be Birthday and Christmas gifts for the next few years.

      Delete
  4. I have an air fryer which is well used and I've just managed to pick one up at a bargain price for Eleanor for Christmas. My slow cooker only really gets used during the winter months, in fact, it's got its first outing today, there's a beef casserole cooking it in at the moment and the smells coming out of the kitchen are delicious.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do use my slow cooker all year round,I cook chilli and pasta sauces in it. I used to own a Prestige Hi Dome pressure cooker but once I got a slow cooker it did not get used much.

      Delete
  5. I have cupboards full of gadgets that I never use. Besides my knives and other utensils I think my most favourite is my food processor and my least favourite is the rice cooker....it makes dreadful rice.
    I did have a pressure cooker years ago but didn't like it much.
    Hugs-x-

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am ashamed to say that my food processor did not get a look in. Simply because I do not use it often. Perhaps it could be the second object to go if I do get an Instant Pot.

      Delete
  6. There is a lot that we have pared down in the kitchen as we found we could do without. We only own two saucepans plus a saute pan and a big stew pan as that is enough for us. Two sharp knives and a bread knife is plenty. I don't think I could do without the breadmaker and toaster as I just don't have time to hand bake at the moment and certainly can't be trusted to remember my toast under the grill!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have a collection of knives and use them all, it is a result of my training. Each one has a task. I use most of my pans on a regular basis but admit that I could part with a few. I took a saute pan to the charity shop a couple of weeks ago as it was just gathering dust. If I made toast under the grill it would be charcoal,no doubt about it.

      Delete
  7. Like you my favourite things are almost always things that have more than one purpose. They have to be multi functional to earn a space in my home.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Even if I had the space I would still be reluctant to buy many of the gadgets. I did look at the soup maker but could not see that it could replace my knife, pan and wand blender. I would still need them for other things and they are easier to wash up.

      Delete
  8. I've got 2 kettles as well, the electric one and a gas ring spare! No special gadgets here, just the old fashioned good quality stuff that lasts well and does what it needs to.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There are so many "must have" gadgets on the market now that you would need 2 kitchens to store them in. My tried and tested things are enough for me.

      Delete
  9. I use my airfryer every day, to cook or heat up food,it often saves me lighting up the big gas oven.
    There is a group on Facebook called Airfryers unite which has wonderful recipes, tips and info to help get the best use from your airfryer.
    I don't use a microwave, so many tasks are done in the airfryer instead.Quick, easy set and forget....great !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for that, I will have a look and hope to make my mind up.

      Delete
  10. I got rid of so much prior to our move. I use my bread maker regularly and like you have a spare kettle.

    ReplyDelete

I love to read comments so take the plunge and join the conversation.