Must have kitchen gadgets

scotrae

For MSE novices or anyone resolving to convert to OS ways for 2009, what do you recommend should we be looking out for in the sales or - heaven forbid - invest in at full price to equip ourselves for OS success in 2009?

Tupperware or tin foil dishes?
etc etc?

tessie_bear

a stock cupboard of basic foods..flour herbs sugar pasta rice tuna things u could make a meal out of or use to enhance whoopsies

thriftlady_2

The biggest freezer you can afford and have room for.

Plum_Pie

Anything you can use in more than one way - e.g. a plastic tub which you can use in the microwave, in the freezer, as a lunchbox etc.

scotrae

thriftlady wrote: »

The biggest freezer you can afford and have room for.

Very excited to have a speedy response from a fellow Worcester-one!

Plum_Pie

Ooooh, I would also say be realistic about what you're actually going to do in the kitchen and what you actually like to eat!

Try the old fashioned way first - .e.g. Baking bread without a bread maker, making stew without a slow cooker. If you find it easy, you probably don't need the equipment.

Also, look for gadgets on Freecycle - I see so many 'unwanted wedding presents' on there!

csarina

If you can afford it buy a Remoska......you can use it as an oven saving a tremendous amount on your fuel bill. Its one of the bst things I have ever bought. If you want to bake your own bread, get a bread maker, a panny is best..........if you have a largish kitchen a kenwood chef is a must, you can cross the panny off your list if you have a kenwood, it makes superb bread, you can mix the dough, shove it in the airing cupboard to rise, knock it back and rise again then bake in your remoska. Whilst the dough is rising you can nip off and do various other jobs, like load the dish washer or washer etc....there are various attachments you can get to do various things like stuffing sausage skins........... you can even get an attachment that peels spuds!!!

A decent set of pans and baking tins...they may cost a bit but will last for years. A good set of scales that weigh in both imperial and metric.......there are plenty of plastic containers around without going down the tupperware route......using kilner jars to store things like dried beans, pasta etc, you can see instantly if you need to buy more and they look good on open shelves.

thriftlady_2

Plum_Pie wrote: »

Try the old fashioned way first - .e.g. Baking bread without a bread maker, making stew without a slow cooker. If you find it easy, you probably don't need the equipment.

Absolutely -the best thing for baking bread is an oven and the best thing for making a stew is an oven or hob. I'd love to know how much fuel you really save using such things as Remoskas, bread machines and slow cookers. When using a conventional oven you can cut fuel costs by using it to the full -bake 4 loaves at once, make a huge vat of stew, bake several batches of cakes and so on. Use your freezer to store the extras and enjoy the fact that your worktop isn't cluttered up with gadgets:)

angelavdavis

Time - invest some in the garden setting out a veg plot. Then practice the art of preserving using the freezer, jam making, pickling, drying, etc.

Oh, and a big stock pot to never have the excuse that you don't have a pot big enough to boil up those chicken carcasses and leftovers to make some great stock.

seraphina

A good set of tupperware/containers for leftovers, easy bagging of freeze-ahead meals - check out qvc who have a lock'n'lock set for £12 or thereabouts which would have everything you need

A good, reliable cookbook suitable to your level of expertise - for absolute beginners I can reccommend Jamie's Ministry of Food, otherwise maybe Nigella's How to Eat or Leith's Cookery Bible

Something to check your oven is at the temperature it says it is at.

Good baking kit and saucepans - a 2lb loaf tin, a springform cake pan, a baking sheet and maybe muffin/bun trays - Asda have silicone cups for 12 for £2, much cheaper than good quality trays. Saucepans - everyone has their own favourites but good heavy saucepans would be the first thing I would spend money on.

A good large freezer is fab, but most other gadgets I would stay away from for the first few months. Then run out and buy a Kenwood Chef:D