Kitchen gadgets.. what are your favs?

[Munchkin]

My stepmother HAS an Aga...would not touch one with a 50 foot pole..
1) NO way to adjust temps on either the burners or the ovens
2) HOT as hell in the summer cause it is ALWAYS on.
3) NO way to tell if something is burning...can't smell it.
4) Part of #2, no way to turn it off, EVER. Unless an Aga certified repairperson does it for you.

Amen... In cold, damp climates they are wonderful. Not so much anywhere else. If I lived in a cold part of the UK would love to have a hob.

 

[Ricky136]

Mix n chop from pampered chef, rotary Parmesan shredder, and high quality knives.

 

[MsVee]

NA I am now suffering from serious kitchen envy! I love my cast iron skillet it has been passed down from my mother's grandmother and is now mine. I love my kitchen aid mixer. I love my blender and my magic bullet. I also have a steel roaster also from Mom that cooks meat like a dream. I have an ice cream maker,crockpot, immersion blender , and collection of bakeware but my kitchen just is not big enough for many gadgets.

MsVee

 

[FoodieMama]

Dutch ovens are easy to cook in. I use mine all the time. Basically anything you want to get a nice sear on, or especially braise things in, it works awesome for. I use mine for old fashioned pot roast, braised chicken dishes, soups and stews, you name it. They are so great at keeping the heat consistent for things, so they're great for anything that needs to cook a while. But I also use mine when I need to make something that won't quite fit in to a regular skillet because of volume. I use it when I'm making egg roll filling and taco meat, because I make a ton if it at once and the short sides of a regular skillet won't hold it all in.
Here's a recipe for regular old pot roast:

Beef Pot Roast
Ingredients:

4-6 lb. Boneless Chuck roast, cut into 4” pieces

Kosher Salt and fresh ground black pepper

3 Tbs. Bacon fat

6-8 c. Beef stock

1 lg. Onion, sliced

5 Garlic cloves, chopped

2 Bay leaves

4 lg. Potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

4-6 Carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks

2 stalks Celery, sliced

3-4 Tbs. Cornstarch, dissolved in cold water to make a thin paste

Directions:

1. Dry beef chunks by pressing with a paper towel and season on all sides with salt and pepper.
2. In a large Dutch oven, melt bacon fat over high heat and sear meat chunks in batches on all sides. This will take about 10-15 minutes per batch. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Sauté onions in fat until tender and browned. Stir in garlic and sauté another minute. Remove from pot and set aside. Sop up any remaining fat from the pan.
4. Deglaze the pan with 4 cups of beef stock, scraping well to get up the browned bits. Bring liquid to a boil. Turn the oven on to 350 degrees.
5. Return the meat chunks to the pot, and spread the onion mixture over the meat. Add enough stock to cover the meat. Cover and place the pot into the pre-heated oven. Bake for 3 ½ - 4 hours, or until meat pulls apart with two forks.
6. Add vegetables to the pot and return to the oven. Bake for an additional 1 ½ hours or until veggies are fork tender. Remove pot from oven and place meat and veggies in a serving dish. Cover with foil to keep warm.
7. Place pot over medium high heat and bring liquid to a boil. Stir in cornstarch mixture and allow to return to a boil to thicken. Cook and stir for another couple of minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
8. Serve meat and veggies with gravy poured over all.

Serves 8-10

 

[Cello]

OMG, so next to food porn, kitchen appliance porn is heaven. I'm envious and fascinated.

I was going to say I love my zoodler (thx PGB), which I do, but feel a little like Charlie Brown and his little Christmas tree in the company of such awesome appliances.

Here it is (on Amazon b/c I'm at work): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007Y9WHQ/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Happy DSr]

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Everything! These are pictures of my two pantries. One small and one large which used to be a formal dining room.

drool!

 

[newanatomy]

drool!

There are plusses and minuses to living in the sticks!

 

[SKMSU]

I have a toaster/convection oven, that I got at Costco, that I love! I seldom use my big oven since I bought it. And my Keurig. Oh and my Greenpan's. Regular non-stick pans are not allowed in my house. I have 2 cockatoos and a macaw.

 

[KathyF]

How well do the greenpans work?