Kitchen gadgets ...what is/is not essential

thriftmonster

Food processor - definitely no 1 item
Toastie maker - great for lunches
Hand mixer (I have a Kenwood but only use it occasionally)
Slow cooker ( recently revived)
Toaster
Stick blender

I'm lucky in 2 ways
1. My aunt often buys gadgets and then when she doesn't use them, gives them to me eg breadmaker, electric steamer, hostess trolley
2. I have a big garage where I can store stuff I don't use every day and just bring it in when I want it

recovering_spendaholic

I have a stick blender, electric steamer and electric chopper thingie which I use regularly, but I have cupboards full of other gadgets which I never use like: Turbo Cooker, slow cooker, breadmaker, ice cream maker, smoothie maker, George Foreman grill, sandwich toaster, juicer thingie (a nightmare to clean) and other stuff which is at the back of the cupboard and which I have forgotten. I have a big kitchen (22ft x 8ft) but my experience is that the bigger the kitchen the more junk you accumulate - I am a real sucker for adverts for any kind of kitchen gadget!! I am currently thinking of replacing my food processor as I am trying to cook more stuff from scratch and am torn between getting a Kitchenaid mixer or a Kitchenaid food processor - does anyone have any experience with either of these?

[Deleted User]

Used very often:

kenwood chef attachments
processor
mincer/sausagemaker
citrus sqeezer
blender

greenlife juicer

slow cooker

stick blender

magimix steamer

pressure cooker

freshlife sprouter

easy yo

Given away to family:

foreman grill

magic bullet food prep system

salad xpress

panasonic breadmaker

In a cupboard but used when appropriate:
expresso maker

small deep fat fryer

gaggia ice cream maker

Things I had in the past but wouldn`t buy again:
turbo cooker

waffle maker

popcorn maker

smoothie maker

sandwich maker (good result with toastie bags)

electric knife

I could easily do without the microwave but it is built in

System

I am ashamed to say, i dont use ANY kitchen gadgets (well apart from a microwave). I have had but have given them all away cause i didnt use them. My my most recent gadget was my george forman grill, but it was such a chore cleaning it, i gave up. In fairness i do have a steamer (which is buried in the depths of nowhere that i use when i go on holiday) but i never use it.

edited to say, i own an iron.

frugalfairy_3

I think my hob top steamer is my most used gadget (strange how we're all so different, isn't it? ). I use it every day for my veggies. I also like my food processor for chopping and grating (less painful for my fingers) and my slow cooker, although I only use that maybe once every two weeks.

I also have a George (barely used because I got fed up with the cleaning) a microwave, used quite a lot by OH for reheating his dinner when home late :rolleyes: and for defrosting bread etc when I've forgotten to take it out of the freezer; a blender for my soups and a breadmaker. I have given away my stick blender, unused and the coffee maker is languishing, unloved, at the back of another cupboard (I love my coffee but the cafetiere does a good job).

I'm toying with the idea of resurrecting my old pressure cooker but don't know if, after 27 years, it'll still be safe to use without blowing a hole in my ceiling

FF

thriftlady_2

Well,I've just retired my ice cream maker(the sort with bowls that you freeze)because I just wasn't using it,even in the summer.

Other gadgets I've had but got rid of are;
Deep fat fryer-too big,too unhealthy and used too much oil
Sandwich maker-the sort that seals the edges of the sandwich,I've got a panini style one which is brill.You don't need to butter the outside of the bread,you can fit any size bread in and it is a breeze to clean.
Bread machine!!!!-yes really! I make about 9 loaves a week,but by hand,quicker from start to finish and no hole!

Best gadgets

Stick blender
Food processor-don't use this that much but wouldn't be without
Yogurt maker-use every week
electric beater
salad spinner

Could manage without

microwave
toaster

seraphina

Things we use:

Kenwood Chef + blender - absolutely fabulous for everything - cake, bread, sauce, mashed veg etc.
Smallish Bosch food processor- great for dips, chilli paste, chopping lots of veg
Microwave - used all the time because of
Microwave steamer - we cook all our rice in this

We also have a Bosch electric handheld whisk which is great but probably won't see as much use now we have the Chef.

Things we don't use so often:
Coffee machines - filter and espresso - fiddly and I prefer cafetiere coffee.
Citrus press - freecycled this as it didn't get used.

We live in a small house so every so often we have to cull our kitchen contents - a toaster (we prefer the grill for toasting) being a recent casualty.

superscotsman

We have two blenders: the normal type and the Braun handblender. The former came with an electric coffee-grinder attachment; the latter we use to sieve soups without having to take them out of the slow cooker. The items used least are the juice extractor, the popcorn maker and the toasted sandwich maker.

I found it sobering to watch those Ken Hom programmes on the TV: the Chinese, chefs do everything with the bare minimum of tools. I laughed out loud when we in the west have whisks of various sizes, while a Chinese chef whisks with a pair of chop sticks. The only other tool used is the cleaver.

exlibris

frugalfairy wrote:

I
I'm toying with the idea of resurrecting my old pressure cooker but don't know if, after 27 years, it'll still be safe to use without blowing a hole in my ceiling

FF

My 30yr old pressure cooker is still in use. Check that the gasket and the release stopper in the top are OK. You can still get replacements for Prestiege (sp) cookers so it may be as well to replace them anyway.

Good luck

allIcouldwishfor

I love my Braun hand blender. It's the second one I've had (upgraded for the extra attachments) and I use it almost every day for soups, sauces, scrambled eggs, gravy, milkshakes, etc. I used to use it for mushing up food for the children when they were babies.

I bought a breville slow cooker from argos at the beginning of this year and it has revolutionised the way we cook and eat. I don't know how I managed before i had it.

My most recent acquisition has been a panasonic bread maker. I haven't bought a loaf of bread since I got it. I'm working my way through the recipe book that came with it.:T

Other than that, the yogurt maker has been retired, the sandwich maker gets occassional use and don't get me started on juicers!:rolleyes:

Would love a dehydrator but don't think the kitchen is big enough!!:rotfl: