Kitchen tool / appliance you love most, and any regret purchases?

B

Bearcat22

New Member
I invested in a carbon steel wok,, for I think thirty to forty dollars, and it is now a go to pan.

When Instant Pot first came out, I was hugely skeptical of the hype, but ended up loving mine, so versatile.
Not really a time savor as claimed, but so useful to make rice or dry beans, so simple once you get the hang of the buttons.

Immersion blender turned out to actually work and come in handy, I was so skeptical.

Food processor not really worth the hassle, poor results sometimes and a pain to clean.
Juicer a complete disaster, went right back in the box to rerturn. Noisy, low yield, high mess, didn't save money.
 
Best purchase was a set of top quality knives. We chose Henckles 4 star which are razor sharp and a joy to use. You just have to be careful! The worst purchase was a brand of frying pan that tended to warp when heated and would not sit flat on our ceramic hob.
 
Hexclad wok. Original Hexclad, not the many knockoffs that look the same but don’t perform well. We use it for so many other things than just stir fry.

This spatula scoop! Flexible like a spatula, curved sides like a scoop/spoon. It’s multifunctional, no switching from spoon to spatula and back again!
IMG_7573.jpeg

I bought a mini food processor, expecting I’d use it all the time because we cook everything from scratch, and we cook all the time. Nope. I’m still not sure why. 🤷‍♀️
 
Ronni said:
Hexclad wok. Original Hexclad, not the many knockoffs that look the same but don’t perform well. We use it for so many other things than just stir fry.

This spatula scoop! Flexible like a spatula, curved sides like a scoop/spoon. It’s multifunctional, no switching from spoon to spatula and back again!
View attachment 495184
Click to expand...
I have that Staub spatula in my Amazon account. Just need to check that I’m buying the correct length. It’s on sale for one more day. ~ $18

I’ve considered a Hexclad frypan. Maybe next time.

Nice to read reviews from someone I know. A review for a spatula with a nub was positive because it didn’t get as much tomato sauce on the counter when resting it. Well, duh. Put it on a spoon rest and you won’t have any sauce on the counter. 🙃
 
Ronni said:
Hexclad wok. Original Hexclad, not the many knockoffs that look the same but don’t perform well. We use it for so many other things than just stir fry.

This spatula scoop! Flexible like a spatula, curved sides like a scoop/spoon. It’s multifunctional, no switching from spoon to spatula and back again!
View attachment 495184

I bought a mini food processor, expecting I’d use it all the time because we cook everything from scratch, and we cook all the time. Nope. I’m still not sure why. 🤷‍♀️
Click to expand...
I mostly use my mini processor for chopping nuts. It's very handy for holiday baking.
 
Jules said:
Nice to read reviews from someone I know. A review for a spatula with a nub was positive because it didn’t get as much tomato sauce on the counter when resting it. Well, duh. Put it on a spoon rest and you won’t have any sauce on the counter.
Click to expand...
Long ago, I started keeping a medium or large plate handy to hold the messy stuff: tools, egg shells, measuring spoons, etc.

Oftentimes there are more more (or larger) gloppy tools in use than a spoon rest accommodates.
 
I love my air fryer. Hands down. I don't use it every day by any means but when making something that works well in it, I love the thing.

I love cooking and threads like this, even threads if there are any like kitchen or cooking tips or household tips. Big interest of mine.

I'm fairly new though and haven't found all threads yet, still learning my way around.

I read the posts here. There is a spatula one year I gave my mom and each sister for Christmas. Not long ago she told me how much she loves that thing. I regret i never kept one for myself.

I LOVE my mini utensils. Someone should have come up with that idea long before I ever saw such a thing. Mini tongs, mini spatula, etc. I use them ALL of the time. More than any full sized utensil I own.

I have no desire for an Insta pot or Instant pot or whatever they call them. Mostly because I have time when I cook or i don't and I enjoy simmering and all on the stove top.

I have a mini chopper and years ago used such a lot but nowadays again, I have more time and I like chopping things myself...

Cooking, chopping, etc. calms me and I enjoy it as well. I didn't for a lot of years after having to do it all of the time when raising kids, etc. You work and have to put meals on the table too, it's harder then so after they were grown and gone, I enjoyed not cooking for some years. But now I am cooking and enjoying it very much.

Not such a major appliance but I have to say I love the toasters these days. Cool to the touch on the sides and options to cook just one side or both, etc.

If I stick around, you'll see me a lot in the food threads and this type of thread if I can learn to find them.

I do want to get a new set of pans and I agree that good knives make a huge difference as well. So I'm going to look for more input from others on those things another day.
 
I read the posts that went up while I was typing.

Get yourself a cool touch stainless toaster. You will never burn your hand if you only touch the sides of it. They're great and if you hit cancel I think it is, the bread will pop up immediately just by hitting a button. Like if you smell toast burning, etc. They are great.

I chop nuts, especially around Christmas, a lot. I used to use a mini chopper but I actually like doing them on the cutting board with a Chef's knife if not in a hurry. I use them mostly to garnish sweets at Christmas.

I think a lot depends on the time a person has. At different points in my life, I needed things to help make things a bit quicker, like a chopper. Now I have time and enjoy cooking, chopping, etc.

A crock pot is one I don't think is mentioned. I have one but I don't use it much at this point in life. I'm fine with simmering something on the stovetop all day or doing something in the oven, especially when winter. they are good for certain things or bringing something to a get together or some such.
 
I love my instant pot for cooking dry beans, rice, barley and other grains. I tend to do a bunch of different ones on the same day. Might do rice first, give the pot a quick rinse, them move onto barley, then quinoa. Chick peas are always last because they're the messiest. I only have to do a full washup of the IP at the end. (I freeze almost all of the above in 1.5 cup portions.)

Haven't done any actual meal cooking in it though. Didn't buy it - it was a gift from my DDIL who herself was gifted it but had no use for it.

I've had a toaster oven for many years but rarely used it until the kids moved out. It's become my go-to bake-type heating appliance for almost everything except baking a cake, cookies or pizza.

Agree the immersion blender is a handy gadget. I don't use it often - perhaps once a month, but when I need it nothing else will do.

Re knives, @AutumnGal: my nephew is a professional chef. When I asked about knives (it's a jungle out there) he recommended Mercer brand, specifically the Genesis 20608, as the best choice among reasonably priced knives. I bought one in 2013 (just checked Amazon) and in 2016 I bought their 5" utility knife M20405. Both are still in regular use. The big one is $40 and the small one $24.

He said we might have to replace them every ten years or so, but they're a great option for non-professionals. I agree.
 
What a fun topic, I see a number of people enjoying it. My kitchen has a few items that I use all the time; toaster, toaster oven, even the microwave. I had to replace my ancient microwave recently and decided to get a smaller one with a smaller footprint on my small crowded countertops. I hate it! Food doesn't tay warm and taller containers don't even fit.

Daughter gave me a smaller air fryer but it barely holds much. Do likenit though.

Other things like crock pots, soup pots, electric fry pan won't be used much now that I'm cooking for one now. 😢
 
My De’Longhi La Specialista Espresso machine. Gets used twice a day using local coffee beans from Farrer's in Kendal. Deeeeeeeliscios!

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