We all know men have their big boy toys - well so do some of us gals!! LOL
I have some kitchen gadgets that I have gotten cheaply over the years that really help me in my work. I know there are other ways to do things (I have done those too), but over the years I got some deals.
Yep, more stuff to store most of the time - as not all big girl toys are used everyday!
Of course there is my canner! I use my water bath canner every year. This year it is getting used more than it has in the past couple years. I used my Mommas canner for years and years and it finally developed a small hole. I do have 2 - so I always have a spare.
I have a pressure canner - but have never used it! (I was gifted that by an Aunt) . Yep, I am a chicken!!!!!!! I have pressure cookers too - but don't use those either. Glen was the one who would cook in the pressure cooker - not me. They just scare the beejeebus out of me!
I have been using my dehydrator too. Tomato skins dried to grind for powder. I got my dehydrator for around $30 at Rural King several years ago. It is real basic and I got extra racks - so I can do a lot at a time. I usually dry my herbs in the air. Just hang and let them dry.
You don't have to have a dehydrator - you can also use the lowest setting of oven (around 200*-220*). I have done that in the past as well. Heck you can even use your vehicle. It gets very hot on a sunny day in your closed car - I have even heard of people who have cooked in the car in an emergency!
I really like my spiral cutter. I got mine for $8 at a yard sale and it was brand new - never used. The same thing at Kroger is about $30. I noticed a small hand version at Kroger the other day for $11.99! It was kind of scary - looked like you could get cut pretty easy and it didn't make as many different cuts.
The spiralizer really make great use of squash - making 'zoodles'. I use those raw and do slightly cook at times. You can make ribbon cuts and you can thin cut or regular cut pasta like veggies. This great to make spiral fries.
Would I have purchased it at regular price? NOPE. **I did find a deal one year on line and got 3 for gifts for half price.
I would never have thought I would like an air fryer. Never did I think I would buy one. As I told you earlier in the summer - I saw a new one for $10 at a yard sale - so I thought "why not"? I figured I would give it a try and if I didn't like it, I would give it away to someone who might use it.
Guess what? I kind of like it!!!
Now I have never been a fan of the dark meat of chicken. I have lots of it still in the freezer - vacuumed sealed - from when Glen was here. He loved dark meat. Well I figured I needed to use some of it - so a while back I fried up a bunch of chicken on the stove. Of course I ate the white meat right away!! I then froe the fried dark meat. Well, I got out some (on 2 different occasions) and stuck it in the air fryer. I was sooooo good!
I guess my thing with dark meat is that it never tasted DONE to me. This made it perfectly for my taste. I really have enjoyed eating the legs, thighs and wings! Go figure!
It makes great fries as well. No heating up the oven or the big old stove. I love it - and it is pretty quick.
It is kind of cumbersome - but I do like it and use it far more than I figured I would.
I use my Ninja every morning to make my cold morning drink. It is great for making smoothies, ice milk, milk shakes, etc. I can add the bigger blender section and it is great for chopping veggies for about anything. I use it for making slaw, or chopping veggies for making relish or salsa. Just pulse till I get the appropriate size pieces - super easy. Beats chopping it all by hand! (I did that for years)
I have also been using my stick blender again as well. It works great for pulsing my tomatoes when making salsa. I used my gloved hands to squish the tomatoes from large pieces - then I use the stick blender a bit to break down tomatoes into smaller pieces for my salsa. Perfect.
It works great if you want to just juice your tomatoes - blends everything up perfectly.
I also use the stick blender when making 'cream of' veggie soups - gives a great consistency!
Yep, this girl has a few toys for the kitchen that I have come to enjoy!
I would not have paid full price for the air fryer or the spiralizer - EVER! Deals were had. I was gifted my Ninja. I probably wouldn't have spent that kind of money either.
The stick blender - I have 2 - crazily I got both at different times years ago at the flea market. They were a big thing and were advertised on TV back in the day - so everyone was buying them! That always means you can eventually find them second hand!!!
That is kind of how it is with many small appliances. The next BIG thing - will soon show up at the flea market, yard sale or thrift store!!
(I have a bread maker as well -- paid $5 for it at thrift store years ago. (I have for in case!! - it works great for the rising and mixing - I bake in oven)
As I get older I guess I think more of the philosophy of "work smarter - not harder"!!!!!!!!!! LOL The gadgets help!
What kitchen gadgets do you have that help you a lot?
Have you gotten any great deals of your kitchen helpers?
There are kitchen appliances I stopped using, mostly due to a smaller kitchen and having to store them in the garage. Like a bread machine I'd picked up at a thrift shop years ago. I still use the blender we got as a wedding gift 36+ years ago, a full size food processor bought at a thrift store 20+ years ago, and I'm on my 4th Crock Pot. Also my coffee maker, which I couldn't live without, but have lost count on number of replacements. I sold the Kitchen Aid mixer (inherited from my mom) at a yard sale, and just beat by hand again now or use a hand held mixer. Once upon a time I canned and dehydrated, but loss of a garden via move meant I sold those things, too. And the Food Saver sealer thinggie, because the bags got too expensive to make sense. As I've gotten older, I suppose I've pared down and gone more basic.
ReplyDeleteI forgot about crock pot - I do have a couple - but don't use often. I do love the vacuum sealer - I am still finding bags pretty reasonable.
DeleteNever been a coffee person - but Glen was. I kept a pot for him - but no longer have it. I keep much of my stuff in the 2nd bedroom (used to be in the basement). Basement got to be too much work.
Sounds like you have gotten many deals over the years as well.
Got to love a bargain!
Well, for many years while my sons were growing up, I was a paid writer. Mostly food writing and recipe development. Cooking for my family and our elderly neighbors during those years, too. 5 hours on my feet in the kitchen was "normal". Then my sons grew up, the neighbors passed away, arthritis twisted my feet and we downsized. And I retired, no longer spending as much time in the kitchen. Sounds as though you still keep busy in yours!
DeleteWOW that sounds like an interesting career. I bet it was fun.
DeleteOld Arthur can take its toll for sure. My poor Mom dealt with a lot of pain in her hands. I have a little - but nothing too bad (so far).
I, too am terrified of a pressure canner. My husband bought a insta pot and uses it all the time. The older we get the more appliances we seem to accumulate. Used to do everything by hand but arthritis has made it very difficult to do things like knead bread dough, open cans with manual opener. We have all the things for canning but soon will be getting rid of those. Hubby has given up on garden this year already. We are both 68 and he is in very poor health. We do try to keep busy but our bodies keep betraying us and telling us we can't do many of the things we used to do so we do what we can.
ReplyDeleteI hear that! The older we get the smarter we like to work - not work harder! I sure can't do all the things I did back in the day (my head says yes - body no).
DeleteI am sorry your hubby is in poor health. Prayers that things improve for him.
Take care
My question is what is behind your stove with all the coke bottles on it?
ReplyDeleteThat is wallpaper border. My kitchen has a lot of Coke stuff (ceiling light and decorations). I found that paper at an outlet years ago. It worked right into the theme! Then you see the bottom of the cabinets above that.
DeleteI bet you couldn't buy that today - at least not as cheap as I got it!
I'm limited on small appliances because my kitchen is small. My mother's Warring blender I inherited lives in a cabinet, it works but is just too much trouble to bother getting out to use! I am not a smoothie fan. I do love my Cuisinart food processor, it's over 20 years old, a smaller 2 cup version of a full size with all the same blades and attachments. I treat it very carefully, no one makes these small ones like this anymore. I also like the stick blender and coffee pot. That's about it! Celie
ReplyDeleteMy kitchen is small as well - I have to store small appliances else where!
DeleteCool on the food processor - I bet it will last another 20.
Stick blenders sure are useful.
You could almost be my twin! Water bath canner, check. Pressure canner that I've never used (but keep because maybe someday I'll get the nerve to can green beans), check. Dehydrator, on my counter now. Immersion blender, yep, great for making spaghetti sauce. But no air fryer.
ReplyDeleteA couple of other "toys" I have that save so much time (and are safer on the fingers) -- Vidalia Chop Wizard for dicing onions, peppers, celery, and even meats -- use it several times a week. And I love my DASH Safe Slice Mandoline. While it can't do whole large items, it is great for slicing cucumbers for pickles, smaller onions, carrots, and smaller potatoes. It has a plunger-type handle to operate the finger-protected guillotine-like slicer -- safer on the fingers than a regular mandoline. It does have functionality for dicing, julienne, and matchsticks, but I've only used the slicer so far. Last year I found a Gia's Kitchen Veggie Wedgie Slicer on clearance, marked down to $2. Used it this year for making pickle spears, quickly cuts a cuc into 6 wedges. It's small and was cheap, well worth the $2. Lastly, I pulled out my trusty 1980's Salad Shooter this past week. Grated my zucchini in minutes, straight into the mixing bowl. Going to get some more zucs when I'm at the farm stand and will shred and bag some for the freezer. I do have a Ninja and used to use it all the time to make smoothies for my commute. Since I retired, I've gotten away from making smoothies and haven't used it in awhile. Maybe I need to reintroduce those into my diet???? Come Fall, my crock pot will come back out for regular usage for chili, soups, stews, and braising. But I can't think about that when it's 90+ and humid.
My canning and "seasonal" toys go on a shelf in the garage in the off-season. Others are under cabinet or on the shelf in my coat closet. For me, it's safety and ease of use. If I like it, it will get used; if not, it gets sold online or donated to the charitable resale shop.
It's a hot one here today, and I suspect where you are, too. Stay cool and hydrated!
I never got a salad shooter - glad to hear they work! I have a Mandoline as well - I have used it many times. I use mine to thinly slice things to dehydrate. Or it is great for making sliced potatoes all uniform size.
DeleteThat little wedge thing sounds kind of cool.
I am with you on not even thinking about slow cooked foods right now. It has been so hot. We got a huge downpour today - wasn't expected and so far it didn't get as hot today as predicted!!!! YAY
Stay cool
My stomach can't handle soy, and soy free mayonaise is hugely expensive in the stores, so I make our own, using a stick blender! It is also so handy for making pureed soups (in a big stove top dutch oven). I have a Ninja too, but it's a small food processor. I use it for chopping nuts, grinding up rolled oats to make oat bread and cake. Several years ago, gave up my 25 year old stand mixer that was vomiting oil for a spiffy handheld mixer and have never looked back! I don't do a ton of baking, and what I do (has to be gluten free) is easily handled mixing by hand or with the handheld.
ReplyDeleteHow neat that you make your own mayo. I have never tried that.
DeleteYep, those stick blenders are great for creamed soups.
I can do about anything with a hand mixer. I only bake around the holidays for the most part.
Sounds like you have it handled!
I never used the pressure canner Mama got me at a yard sale until 18 yr old showed me how to use it as I hid around a corner. I use wbc, dehydrator, ninja for smoothies. I used the air fryer twice and now the drawer will not go all the way back into the fryer part. I have always wanted a stand mixer!
ReplyDeleteI agree on dark meat. The breast is all I eat. Tommy takes care of the dark meat. Chicken and dumplings is the only way I eat dark meat. I like dry meat and everything else on a chicken does not seem done to me either.
My brother uses a pressure canner and has offered to show me. It just scares me!
DeleteBummer on the air fryer.
Trust me - the air fryer with a second heating really helped the dark meat!!!!
Yep - usually I use the dark meat IN other dishes too. I am just a white meat person.
I got rid of a lot of my small kitchen appliances because I thought I'd be downsizing. I haven't replaced them so I'm guessing I didn't need them.
ReplyDeleteI do have a stick blender - used mostly for smoothies or making cream soups. My crockpot I couldn't live without. Even though I'm at home, it's nice to start something in the morning, leave it all day and be able to enjoy dinner. It also doesn't heat up the kitchen. I have an old (45 years I think) small hand mixer that I bought when I left home. The cord has a habit of falling out of it, but I use it anyway.
My last purchase was a toaster oven. I love it, my son hates it. Oh, and I think there is a blender in the cupboard still. Or maybe I gave it to my daughter.
I got rid of a lot of small appliances last year that I didn't use nor would I use any more. I had things that could be replaced by more useful ones.
DeleteI finally had to replace my 35+ year old hand mixer last year.
I never had a toaster oven - but my MIL did and she used it a lot. I am glad you like yours!
My kitchen has very little cupboard space and only 36" of countertop, so I have to be very selective about what I keep. I have to store all of it elsewhere. (of course, I'm the person with food in my closet and under both beds) My crock pot is a necessity and gets lots of use, especially this time of year when it is too hot to use the oven. My toaster oven has been sitting on top of the cupboard for years barely used. I don't even remember why I bought it. Husband has his 1-cup Black & Decker coffeemaker and a simple toaster. We keep spares of each because he is a very grumpy man without his coffee and toast every morning. I bought a blender when he had oral surgery, but haven't used it much since then.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite gadgets are my electric can opener, an orange peeler, and my hand mixer. The mixer is a Black & Decker Spatula Smart from the 1990s. I bought a very similar one, new in box, on Ebay as a backup after reading all the poor reviews for the new mixers.
Sounds like many of us have small kitchens. I leave my toaster and my Ninja out - but everything else is stored out of sight. I had an electric can opener years ago and when it pooped out - I just went back to my trusty hand crank one.
DeleteCrock pot sure are nice - I used it a lot when I worked and now I like it for winter meals and company.
I love my toys! I usually buy them with Amazon gift cards earned through Swagbucks so they are free to me. I have a smart pressure canner and it takes all the guesswork out of how and when and just does it's job and then beeps to tell you it is done. I love it but Hubby loves it more and cans anything around just so he can use it! We do bake in the bread machine and make all our bread that way so it has saved us tons of money over the years. I got a Zojirushi for only $159 about 8 years ago and it is still going strong. Other machines were only lasting us about a year. I also love my Cuisinart Multicooker. It browns and steams and slow cooks and it is really big so I can cook a lot at once. Yes, I could do that in an instapot but it never appealed to me. And of course I don't know how we could cook without the Kitchen Aid mixer.
ReplyDeleteThat is a great way to get items and for FREE none the less!
DeleteI have thought about getting a Carey pressure canner (electric) but have never done so.
I never heard of that brand before.
I don't have an Instapot either. I know some folks who have 2 or 3!
I guess maybe I need to venture into the unknown!
Yes, I have the Carey canner.
DeleteI may have to get one - I don't think I would be as afraid!!!!
DeleteWhen I first learned to make bread, about six years ago, at age 60, I read about like-new machines at thrift stores. So for the first four years, I would go to goodwill or something similar and get a like new (sometimes brand new with shrink wrap) for $8…but I make enough bread they only lasted a year. So two years ago we went and bought a good high end machine, and I will say that it does a far better job than the $8 ones and lasts! ;). But for beginners or if you don’t use it much, the cheaper ones are perfect and if you buy one and don’t use it, you can give it back to goodwill ;)
ReplyDeleteSounds like there is a couple of you speaking up for the higher end bread machines. I never have used mine much - and then it was for kneading and rising. (I baked in the oven).
DeleteI guess if I used it a lot - I would want a better one.
These things are good to know!
Thanks
You have lots of useful goodies! I do miss my bread maker as I used it to make dough only and then put it into a pan or formed Challah bread. If we had more storage space I would probably get another one. We used the spriralizer quite a bit at first but didn't use it this year. The Farmer is not as crazy about the zoodles as I am. The air fryer is a different story. We have a Breville convection oven with air fryer feature. So much better than heating up the big oven and it's big enough to hold a decent size casserole dish or baking pan. We do have one of the conventional air fryers (the Urban Farmer loves his gadgets) but I find it hard to use. I used to can a lot with a pressure canner but haven't for the last few years. We watched a lady on YouTube can cooked hamburger. That is something we may pull out the canner for and do some pints up. They have come out with several reincarnations of the Ninja since we bought ours but it is still going strong. I do have a Salad Shooter and use it for specific tasks. I would rather shred veg with it and save my knuckles and fingernails. It stores away easily. We are on Keurig #? as they don't seem to last as long as we would like and had a Cuisinart for quite a while before it went belly up. It is used twice a day at least. I'm sure our very hard Indianapolis water doesn't help, even tho we descale according to the manual.
ReplyDeleteDid you get that storm this afternoon? It's supposed to rain tomorrow and Friday and of course those are the days I want to hang laundry on the line. We'll see if the rain actually happens.
Sounds like you have had and still have a good number of 'girl' gadgets!! Kitchen aids sure can be fun.
DeleteYES - we got tons of rain! Came out of no where and quickly. Thankful that it kept the temps down.
Hope you get to hang laundry!
I love my stick blender and use it more than I do my regular blender. I also love my airfryer and use it quite a bit too.
ReplyDeleteIt is neat how something so small and simple as the stick blender does so much good! I amazed how much I like the air fryer.
DeleteI've been de-cluttering my closets, drawers, cupboards etc. so when it was time to de-clutter my hutch there was a brand new still in the box steamer my brother gave me about 20 years ago for Christmas. I knew it was there but never opened it. Well we decided to open it and it is wonderful. We've been steaming all kinds of veggies with our meals. They taste so much better steamed than eating them raw. I haven't told him I finally opened it up and started using it. He probably thought I opened it 20 years ago, but nope just this past summer. LOL! So a steamer is my newest toy.
ReplyDeleteI had a steamer for years and did use it once in a while. I do love the taste of steamed veggies. I had to keep it on an upper shelf and it was just easier for me to use a pan of water and a metal strainer pan. So that is what I do. I donated the steamer.
DeleteThat is funny that it took you so long to try it. Glad you like it!
My mom never used a pressure canner and I won't either. I am afraid it will blow up. My daughter bought me an Insta-pot for Christmas 2 years ago. I wouldn't use it either. When her daughter went back to college she wanted one and I was glad to give it to her. I do use crock pots, but not anything that builds up pressure.
ReplyDeleteOh Flora you sound like me. I think that is the thing that scares me - the pressure. My hubby used a pressure cooker often - but not me.
DeleteMy Mom never had one either. She water bathed everything she canned.
I do crock pots too - I love mine. I MAY venture into the Insta-pot thing - the verdict is still out on that one!!!! LOL
My favorite things are my stand mixer(not a kitchen aid but a Hamilton Beach). I got it a couple of years ago as a Christmas present to myself and I am so glad I did. I use it for mixing and kneading my bread or dinner rolls, pizza dough and cookies. The most important thing is my Grandson loves to help to make the things he loves to eat! Second thing is my dutch oven for soups, stews and braising. I am big on comfort food and large batch cooking that I freeze. Makes everything easier! I am so happy for the fall and winter. It sounds crazy but nothing better than a hot cup of tea or soup and a good book with my pups curled up around me.
ReplyDeleteSometimes we just have to buy ourselves a present!! Sweet memories being made with you and grandson.
DeleteI don't want to wish life away and I hate winter, but I do like fall. I like more comfort food, soups, chili, hot chocolate and sweatshirts!!! Cooler days are lovely.
I have quite a few small appliances, but only what I use.
ReplyDeleteStarting with most used: Senseo Coffee Maker (used flat disk-pods instead of plastic cups), Magic Bullet for smoothies, toaster, handheld blender for mayo and smoothing out lots of things; Instant Pot (LOVE IT for yogurt, eggs, mashed potatoes, pasta one-dish, applesauce, etc...) Air Fryer (sweet potato fries, all the frozen things, oven things, smaller casseroles, brownies, etc.), bread machine, grain mill (for flour), Kitchen Aid Mixer. Not used as much but still have: Crock pot, small & large roasters, ice cream maker; 1 cup chopper, hand mixer, vacuum sealer, dehydrator, electric knife.
I use a water bath canner but am looking for a pressure canner. Sold out around here.
I also have a tomato puree machine that removes skins and seeds. Love it! Apple corer-peeler (just used it this weekend for applesauce). Juicer (will use more this winter).
I gave away 2 food processers, my mandoline (scared to use it), electric knife sharpener (never used it as I have a manual one.) And I have a blender around here somewhere I need to get rid of. We used it weekly for shakes when the boys were young.
I don't like clutter but I do like my kitchen gadgets.