fernWhat are your favourite and/or most used kitchen items?
sudoMy electric kettle is almost always on. One with stay warm function and temperature control is great to accommodate the different temps I may want for various teas or coffee. It's also useful for speeding up cooking when I need to get a pot of water boiling.
I can't necessarily recommend one though, my old gooseneck spout kettle was great for pouring but the screws holding the handle in place rusted out and the plastic clips broke. My current one is insolated to help stay warm longer which is nice but the plastic lid has begun deteriorating. The only advice I could really offer is find something with as little plastic as possible in it's construction, especially where it may touch water or steam.
SwigglesProbably just my chef knife. But that's an obvious and boring answer.
My choice would be my hand blender. I use it for making any dips, many sauces (it is made out of metal) and it also got a blender attachment for shredding vegetables. One of the best investments I made for my kitchen.
loopsI've been using a Lido 2 hand grinder to grind coffee every morning for almost 12 years now. More recently (~7 years) I've settled on using a Chemex to actually make my coffee. I'll likely keep using this setup for the rest of my life.
I also have a cast iron and I struggle with seasoning because all the burners I've ever used are just a bit too small for it (common electric ones). Soon I'll buy a torch (like for making Crème Brûlée) and maybe some sunflower oil to experiment on getting a reaallly nice coating on it. Sunflower oil has I higher burn temperature, so I'm thinking it will improve the longevity of the coating, but we'll see.
Probably just my chef knife. But that's an obvious and boring answer.
My choice would be my hand blender. I use it for making any dips, many sauces (it is made out of metal) and it also got a blender attachment for shredding vegetables. One of the best investments I made for my kitchen.
Yeah, I love my chef's knife too. I recently received a hand blender secondhand but I am yet to use it!
OminousOrangeI second the hand blender. It's just so versatile. I'll add soups and mayo to your list too.
Chef's knife is definitely not boring and may not be as obvious as you think. I come from a family that has only ever used cheap paring knives for everything that have never even been in the same room as a sharpener. Meanwhile, I haven't made a single dish without my Henckels since I bought it 5 years ago. My GIR silicone turner is a close second
ffmikeI've got Zojirushi instant hot-water maker and their bread machine that both get a lot of use. And I recently picked up some random brand one-top induction cooktop that has taken most of the action away from our older electric stove. But the one thing you would have to pry from my cold dead hands would be the rack of cast iron cookware. At least one or two of the pans there get used every day.
ArtemisiaProbably my gas (well we have LPG here) hob because I suffered with an electric hob for so long in my last place.
Or possibly my stainless steel copper bottom sautée pan but my husband just scoured that with steel wool (you can probably imagine the stunned look on my face). I want to get some cast iron cookware but stainless steel is so versatile for sauces and risotto.
In your opinion what are the benefits of gas over electric?
I grew up with gas stoves, I remember my first apartment had an electric where it was just solid glass, and my parents would complain about it when they came over. I was like 19 I don't remember one way or the other. But the next place was back to gas. Now the place im in came with an old electric stove, with the coils on top instead of the glass, and I'm really trying to figure out why people like gas more? I cook a lot, this stove boils water faster than gas. The temperature settings seem more accurate than gas where the first 3/4 of the know was basically full flame and the last 1/4 was for adjusting the heat. The only difference I've noticed is that the coil stays hot a bit longer after cutting the power but it's literally as easy as moving the pan to a cold burner.
I just don't personally see enough of a difference to have a preference, other than 'gas is what I grew up with so gas it shall be'
Coil-top stoves are definitely better than gas IMO.
Now, I'm hooked on induction.
I got a good single-burner induction hob to test it out (was like $120, bought online) and immediately fell in love with it. I only revert back to my current gas stove if I absolutely have to (some of my cheaper pans are sadly just aluminum base and dont work on induction) or if I need multiple things going at once.
I'm really getting a lot of mileage out of my cast iron on the induction hob too, I think this is the most I've used it in years and thus the pans are getting quite well seasoned.
I'm hooked on induction all the way. It's such a pleasant cooking experience. Precise heat control all the way from just a little warm to basically melting the pan. Boil water in a couple minutes. No indoor air pollution like with gas.
I have always found it far easier to control the heat on a gas burner, either by getting low and setting it by eye for simmering or by lifting and varying the height of the pan over a high heat for stir frying. For slow cooking I can stick a metal thing with holes in it (forget the name of it) between the pot and the flame to dial down the heat even more.
Maybe induction would be more flexible but I have always found electric to be fully on or no heat whatsoever, and when turning the heat up or down I always ended up with too much or too little. I can literally see what I'm doing with gas.
GoopadrewI started with cast iron before getting a nice stainless pan, and I had every intention of using both equally, but I rarely reach for the cast iron now. Really only use it when I need very high heat (like for cast iron pizza) or with things that would stick a ton and make a mess (like burgers)
If I had my pick I would have a cast iron wok, a cast iron skillet for steak / browning meat, and a stainless steel pan for sautéing.
If husband dearest hadn't attacked my beloved stainless steel pan I would be eyeing up a cast iron prospector pan right now.
MapleEngineerI own very expensive knives. I bought them when I was single and had a good income. I have taken very good care of them and they are great knives to this day.
The first knife I always reach for is my $15 Chinese cleaver.
I don't have super expensive knives, but I have a couple decent steel ones and a couple good ceramics, and I still go for my caidao first for almost everything.
It's so funny how we have a preference. I've always thought that I would like to own a Japanese Nakiri because it's similar to the Chinese cleaver.
I have three of them and they are almost always my first choice for everything prep. I use a boning/filet knife when I'm prepping meat and a carving knife then I'm carving but that Chinese cleaver comes out for almost everything else.
I like the higher weight and the forward balance. Not sure why, but it feels like I have more control than with my western chef's knives. Also definitely nice to have the wider blade to rest the fingers of my other hand against for safety.
spicy_biscuitsOur Instapots are lifesavers, love them so much
My 10 inch cast iron pan
In order: Drip coffee pot so old the label is gone and I have no clue what brand it is but the little champ keeps going, the flexible cutting board my brother in law got us, and the kitchen knife with a bent tip that somehow cuts better than all the other knives even when the other knives are freshly sharpened and it isn't.
RoquetteQueenI have become an air fryer believer. Yes, it's basically a convection toaster oven, but SOMEHOW it works 100x better. That, my instant pot, and my stand mixer are my life. Air fryer to quickly make chicken nuggets for my picky children, instant pot for rice and beans, and my stand mixer for bread. We love carbs.
picklesI'm embarrassed, but...my microwave gets a lot of use. I meal prep and reheat a lot, though sometimes I get fancy and finish in the toaster oven. I also bake all my bread, and the kitchenaid is invaluable for kneading all that dough.
The most esoteric tool I use on the reg is probably the whirley pop, it makes the best stovetop popcorn, which I snack on at least a couple times a week.
SnowboardBumNothing wrong with microwave cooking. You'd be surprised how many things you can cook with one. Old school microwave cookbooks from the 70s are awesome.
I love my microwave too. Had to get a new one recently as our old one bit the dust. It meant a whole week without microwave lentils or precooked meals that I'd frozen. I was so lost! I'm not a huge fan of cooking so the micro is my friend.
Oh same on the whirley pop. It took a lot of deliberation before I bought it, because it's such a single use thing for my small kitchen. But it is so much better than microwave popcorn and so much easier than shaking a pot/bowl on the stove. Definitely worth it!
I concur!! I used to burn so much popcorn lol. The company is also amazing, the first one I got looked slightly wonky, but after a phone call and a few photos they were able to figure out it was damaged in transit and sent me a new lid within a week!
marin♡ My husband was gifted a powerful Ninja blender and I constantly use it for some vegan cooking. I made plant-based cheese sauce, hamburgers, and deli slices with it yesterday. Also very handy for quick smoothies!
iNeedScissors67Kitchen Aid mixer. Versatile as hell, we use it for so many things. Making pulled meat is a LOT easier to toss into the bowl and flip a switch than it is to do by hand.
Huh - I made a pork roast last night and shredded by hand. It never occurred to me to put it in the mixer.
Every morning, we rotate between a Bialetti moka pot + an Espro P3 french press for coffee depending on what level of expression/mouthfeel we're craving out of our beans that day.
For cooking uses, my most used gadgets are:
- a Ninja digital air fryer to toast/crisp things on the fly.
- a Instant Pot to pressure cook beans or meat when meal prepping.
- a Zojirushi for plain or zhushed up rices for meal prep also.
- a FoodSaver sealer is also used on the reg every time we restock on meat in the freezer or need to store leftovers.
SaturdaycatMy rice cooker! It takes the guesswork out of making brown / mixed grain rice and the cleanup is 123!
I love my Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker ❤️
m0nt1c3ll0My Vitamix blender. (Same one Starbucks uses)
I use it for so many different things but the most popular item is my homemade milkshakes. Kids love them and it’s perfect for them.
1993_toyota_camryI'll go with: High quality burr coffee grinder.
I bought it in 2004 or so, it gets used daily, and still works like new.
Only thing I've ever done is replace the burrs a few weeks ago cause they were getting dull. Was an easy job and the burrs were pretty inexpensive.
Just going to save some people some research and say: just get a Baratza Encore. Good enough at it's price point to make great filter, cold brew, or aeropress coffee, and every part that could possibly break can be ordered directly from the company and repaired yourself (although a lot of people go 5-10 years with their machine in perfect condition). If you're doing espresso, there's the encore ESP, and if you really want the highest quality burrs for the price, you can go for a hand grinder from any number of companies, such as 1zpresso
Baratza Encore
Sounds like a great deal. Mine's a Rancilio Rocky, but I didn't specifically suggest it as I knew the market would have changed in the past 20 years.
Yessss, grinding your own beans is the single best thing you can do to make better coffee.
marshadowMy favorite is the rice maker. I’ve had only perfect rice since I got it. But the most used are the gooseneck kettle and the hand grinder for coffee.
What hand grinder do you have? I’m looking for a decent one, hopefully simple and sturdy like my grandma had and used for decades.
It's the Hario Skeleton Pro. Not exactly grandma-tier -- it's got plastic parts on it, including the little dial for setting how coarse/fine -- but gets the job done. Hario also makes some wood/ceramic/steel ones that would probably be more durable (and definitely have that grandma's kitchen look).
Thanks! I’ll look into that. I did find a similar one to hers, made in Germany. It was an oval wooden box that you held between your knees. Cast iron crank and feeder cone. It had a little wooden drawer that you pulled out to get the coffee grounds. Magic!
An unexpected one for me was my air fryer. I thought it would be very situational and gimmicky, but I use it all the time. It's basically a small second oven that cooks food faster, uses less energy, and doesn't take forever to preheat
And things come out more crispy due to the increased air circulation. I wouldn't have guessed i would use it so often too.
My carbon steel pans are used almost every day. I've got a 32 cm wok for stir frying, deep frying and blanching big portions. And i got a 28 cm debuyer mineral b for searing meat and fish.
I got a really simple one, but it's been incredibly helpful. Get the biggest damn bowl you can find, like unreasonably large, that is your new mixing bowl. I always find myself half way through a recipe with no bowl space left, therefore more dishes. My bowl looks like it could be an outside dogs water bowl it's so big. Now with big bowl, I grab it every time and never have to switch, the only downside is finding somewhere to hide it.
Oh yes! I love my giant bowls for washing voluminous leafy greens and fermenting fruit vinegars.
Anyone here that hasn't said silicone spatula better get online shopping right freaking now. SILICONE SPATULA SUPREMACY 🙏🙏🙏🙏
Good call! Most grocery stores carry them too, that's where I got mine. I picked up two, one with a scoopy end and another with a regular spatula end. They're so nice!
Wasn't my first thought but I'm with you on that! I'm personally a huge fan of dioro
After years of thinking about getting one, I got a cheap ($12) japanese rice washer. It's amazing! I make a lot more rice than I used to and the washer is so simple and just works so well. It also doubles as a regular colander whenever needed.
Me too! I've also used it as a colander, and I used it to catch a small lizard that found its way into my house a couple weeks ago.
If only it didn't come with a sticker on the bottom that resists removal...
skip0110Appliance: Electric kettle. (they are uncommon in the US) It's well worth the counter space and easier to get boiling water than a pot on the stove, or to pre-heat water I add to a pan.
Non-appliance: Cheapo but sharp chef's knife, spatula, and kitchen tongs (great for grabbing hot lids too!).
inspectorstAs a Briton, the lack of electric kettles in US kitchens astonishes me - I can't imagine getting by without one. But I remember hearing somewhere that it was related to the lower mains voltage in the US, meaning that they take longer to boil in the US?
I've heard that too...of course, I can't compare to 240V but it takes me probably 2-3 minutes to boil about 2 cups of water and probably 5-6 for a full kettle at a rolling boil (rough estimate from memory). It's not much faster than the stove but theres no wasted heat, and no hot pan sitting on a burner after I'm done. Another theory I've heard is that in the US people opt for a drip coffee maker instead of a kettle (for their one spot on the counter? Why not both?), since we don't drink tea that often.
Only slightly longer than a 240v kettle, but still much faster than a kettle over a gas range.
Real reason is that most people in the US don't drink tea and don't have a need for quick hot water on demand.
I don't think they're that uncommon in the US. They're not ubiquitous like they are in Europe but I feel like the majority of people have them. As mentioned, it's probably more to do with whether you drink tea than anything else, and not as many people drink tea all the time here. Come to think of it, I've never seen anyone boil water for tea on the stove in the last decade. They either use a kettle or they don't drink tea at all.
I didn't realize this was a thing many American homes lack or are perceived by other countries to lack? I'm in the US and have one, my teenage stepson loves it for getting water up to temp faster for his cooking. I don't use it that often but I think it's worth having anyway.