The "From Scratch" thread got me thinking about a bread machine again, so I was wondering...What is your favorite Kitchen gadget/machine? What was your best Kitchen investment?
1. Crock Pot 2. Meat grinder- we make hamburger and sausage..yummy! 3. Mandolin- we make potato chip, fries, onion rings, etc 4. Soda Maker- it was a Christmas present 7 years ago and we use it every week.
A soda maker?! I may have to look into that! #1 Coffee maker #2 I love my crock pot! It has a gasket seal on the lid and latches that fasten down to prevent spills when you take it on the road. I've also found that it cooks faster than the crock pots without the seal. #3 Toaster oven I reheat in it as opposed to a microwave. Nothing gets soggy or tastes like leftovers when reheated.
By far the most used is the Crock Pot/ Slow Cooker. Second to that the coffee maker lol and tea pot. And then the smoothie blender. The rest of the stuff is hit or miss.
Glad to hear about the soda maker. We just ordered one. For me (current gadgets): 1. KA Mixer (best investment) 2. Vita Mix (amazing useful - so many applications) 3. Crock pot.
Oh, to have a Kitchen Aid Mixer....sigh.... Dh bought me a Kitchen Aid hand mixer one year for Christmas and I have to say it is the best one I have ever had. The dough hook works very well and the motor purrs like a kitten. Someday I'll graduate to the stand mixer. :lol:
Hands down, it's the DISHWASHER, I wouldn't want to be without one. Then it would be Kitchen Aid Mixer Crockpot Bread maker And my chopper!
I love my Deep Dish Baker. I use it almost every day. I just started selling Pampered Chef and there is so many of their gadgets, I find I use them everyday.
Mine would probably be - 1. My ulu & it's bowl. 2. Kenmore standmixer (It has out performed my kitchenaids by far). 2. Breadmachine. 2. Baking stones. 2. Kitchenaid scissors. I think that I could keep going and going. As you can tell I really couldn't make any of them as number 3, they are all great! But, overall I love my ulu the best!
you'd think I'd have a big list..... I LOVE my small little metal spatula (like for cookies) but I use it for everything ......... and pans hate me for it but it chops up hamburger when its still a little frozen, it flips little pancakes, it cuts brownies........ my son saw a soda maker at Bed, bath and Beyond the other day and wanted it, Crystal, how much is it to use? I mean what do you need?? (beside the maker its self) Lee-- I think I have a ula..... is that the chopper thing? my mom got one for me from alaska I think but I've never used it. I really never got used to using bread stones and I love my pizza pans with the holes in them. bread machine...... got one for chirstmas after some terrible luck with a few others, it seams to do well but I need to get into making bread more. I love my "zapper" my little chopper but I havn't used that lately either.....something seams to have happened to me... i just don't get into cooking as much as I used to...... I guess I don't bake personally because the kids all want to do it..... not to mention we don't bake as often...... but with my birthday gifts from my family all coming from Bed, bath and beyond I think I might have some new toys to play with in the kitchen, I was told to make some room on the counter.
Oh, Lee!!! I want a ulu! That's one of those Alaskan knives with the curved blade, right? (Not in order) 1) Crock pot 2) Electric griddle 3) Electric roasting pan (don't use it often, but I when I want it, I want it!) 4) Rice cooker...friend got me one, thought I wouldn't use it much, but I was WRONG!!! 5) I haven't had it long enough to really be on this list, BUT I got a waffle-maker for Christmas! The kind that you flip over, like they have at hotels!!! So far we LOVE it!!! I even found a great recipe that works well with it. NON-ELECTRIC stuff: 1) Caste-iron skillets (including a 13" one!!!) and Dutch Oven 2) Various stoneware I mostly use my bread pans and bar pan (I have two of each!), but I also have pizza stones, Deep Dish Baker w/lid, and some other stuff I would love a Kitchen Aide, but don't think that will happen for a LONG TIME. Two things I have that I haven't touched in 100 years: Wok and Bread Machine
Jackie - My mil got us the ulu on our first trip to AK. Yes, it is the Alaskan knife with the curved blade. At first I didn't think that I would use it but the more I used it the more I liked it. It is wonderful with the bowl. You may be able to order them from the Ulu Factory in Anchorage, AK if you wanted. I don't know what they cost.
All I remember is that you can't take it with you in your carry-on luggage on the plane, and that was BEFORE 9/11! They had signs all over the Anchorage airport to warn people buying them at the last minute.
The soda machine needs the 1 liter containers (usually comes with 1), the CO2 container (comes with 1) and the soda syrup. The syrup can be bought at Kohl's ( and other retail store but Kohl's is like 1 block from my house) for around $5 but that makes they say 33 -12 oz can servings - 12- 1 liter bottles/ 6- 2 liters of soda. So 6 standard soda bottles for $5.00 BUT there is less sugar , some have no sodium and no HFCS. We like the Cream soda, Root beer and Pete's Choice (like Mr. Pibb). We also flavor the carbonated water with friut juice (freshly made).
Thanks for the info, Crystal. My Dh gots ta have his diet soda. :roll: We pay around 80 cents for a 2 liter, so not sure if it would be so cost effective. Do they make sugar free syrups?
My favorite things in no particular order: Those little nylon scrapers to scrape stuff from baking stones (mine are from Pampered Chef and I use them on everything ~ stoneware, pots, plates, stuff stuck on the counters...) Silicone spatulas (only the good ones though...not the cheap ones) Good knives (Cutco is my brand of choice ~ especially for serrated ones that you can't sharpen at home. The cheese slicing knife will cut a tomato in the thinnest slice you'll ever see. Not all my knives are Cutco ~ I have one knife that I got for $1 on clearance years ago at Wal-Mart that I love...hubby keeps it super sharp for me.) Crockpot KA mixer (don't use a bread machine, but I make all our bread.) I just got a new Cuisinart Elite food processor...excited to see how I like that.
I sold Pampered Chef for years, so it's insanely difficult for me to narrow down to just a few! HA! If I had to, though, it would be Crock Pot Bread Machine (I use to mix the dough, then make my rolls, buns, bread) MicroPlane Adjustable Grater (I <3 cheese in a very unhuman way) Ultimate Mandolin Garlic Press (hey, I'm Italian... I love me some garlic) Knives (I have the Pampered Chef GOOD knives: Hand-forged, full-tang, German steel. Doesn't get better than that.)
Most of the syrups are made with Splenda. Their diet soda is OK but I was never a fan of diet soda anyway. If it wasn't given to us I don't know if I would pay the 4100 for it. We are not huge soda drinkers but we love it on the weekends.
The only things I even have that you all have are a coffee maker and crock pot. I love my crock pot... And my heat proof spatula.... I guess I really just have basics other than that.
