Kitchen gadgets/essential gadgets...

I am about to order some Oxo products.

A potato ricer, new vegetable peeler, maybe a mandolin.

What are some of your favorites?

You can do better if u shop around: agrisupply for a USA made tater peeler, wally world actually has some really nice teflon US made frying pans.

Garlic press. No excuse to not have one.

A decent set of measuring spoons.

Basting brushes.

Meat Thermometer (if you don't own one already. No !@#$!@#$@ excuse for overcooked pork and dry chicken or turkey. NONE!)

I used to use a whisk and potato masher. If you even think you will buy an immersion mixer, don't bother. For the price of 2 nice versions of those, you are halfway to the kitchen aid mixer and it will last longer than you.

Pizza Cutter.

Optional would be cheese cloths, zester, hand grater, big ass can opener... I'm sure I'm forgetting plenty.

I'm a fan of the Food Network magnetic measuring cups/spoon sets we got from Kohl's. I always lose the rings keeping my other sets together, and they are just plain handy.

Get some good cutting boards. I prefer wood myself, and get the biggest you can fit in your storage IMHO.

Get a good set of kitchen scissors - we have gone through two pairs in the last two years after the handles break or something else happens to them.

A good mixer will help you more than almost any other kitchen tool. We were fortunate enough to get a hand-down Kitchenaid. We use it constantly, and we don't even have any of the neat attachments that you can purchase.

Get a good set of stainless steel mixing bowls, with good covers. We love our bowls, but the covers are not the greatest.

A good wine bottle opener. We have one of the rabbit style openers, and it makes things effortless.

Vegetable/rice steamer.

Wok.

Welding Gloves for grilling and smoking..

Bear Claws for pulling pork and a Thermo pen.

A mandolin is good. Just don't fu and cut a finger tip off. I know someone who did.

My "essentials" for a kitchen are a very sharp kitchen knife and a good skillet, preferably cast iron and a cutting board. And of course a gas range.

My "better have": wok, mortar and pestle, well stocked spice cabinet (spice drawers are for punks). A moderate investment in a good spice collection will go a very long way for your cooking. I like to buy in bulk at Indian/Asian markets and use a small tight-closing container for the spices I'm using and vacuum seal the rest of it up. Oh yeah, a vacuum sealer

My "nice to have": Food processor, stick blinder, ricer. A stand mixer is great if you do a lot of baking. The PTO (or whatever they call it in the kitchen world) is really nice if you make your own sausages or pasta.

Plus a good boombox or iPod with headphones. Cooking without listening to metal is like drinking.. without listening to metal.

I did!

Actually, just half and they sewed it back on.

Not very exciting, but it works *extremely* well:

Rada tomato knife

No more smashed tomatoes.

Tongs man! I use them almost everyday.

Purchases so far...

Mandolin


potato masher


fat separater


Wife picked these up today at Bed Bath and Beyond with a 20% off coupon.

I will get the ricer and peeler online.

Any other must haves?

The fat separator is good - I have the same one. The mandoline you bought looks kind of cheesy. To be honest: I have only used mine twice in the last two years when I needed to slice a ton of onions for onion soup.

When it comes to gadgets I recommend: Garlic press - a GOOD one. One that can take unpeeled cloves and mince them. Mine is a Zyliss (the large one), but if I were to do it again I'd buy the Kuhn-Rikon which I think has a basket that lifts out for easier cleaning. I love my Zyliss, but the Kuhn would be a little easier to clean. We eat garlic all the time.

I use my stick blender thing all the time. One with a few other attachments, like the whisk, is very handy.

I have no gadgets

just good quality knives and pans.


I do think I need a garlic press. I just never remember to buy one.

Just ran into this last night:
When you buy a cheese grater, grab one that is either flat, or folds flat. We have a standard box type, which is fine, but takes up extra room in the cupboards.
We have one of these:

And I'd suggest getting one of these:

this:

Thanks for costing me more money!


Just arrived...

Potato ricer



Measuring cup



Peeler

Smooth edge can opener.... Don't dick around with the others. There is no substitute for this thing. First time I used it, I didn't even know that I had cut the top of the can off it was so smooth. I had to have my youngest daughter show me how the thing worked at first though.

We have a powered version of the same thing: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Hamilton-Beach-Smooth-Touch-Can-Opener/5924593

That and the box grater are what started my interest in OXO products.

Copyright © 1996 - 2013 :: AR15.Com LLC :: All Rights Reserved.
Any use of this content without express written consent is prohibited.