topic Re: Cooking enthusiasts, which time-savers do you use? in Kitchen

Cooking enthusiasts, which time-savers do you use?

house_cat — Fri, 27 Nov 2015 16:02:23 GMT

I always wonder why there are so many cooking time-savers on the market. Personally, I enjoy chopping, dicing, stirring, and watching things cook. I own a pressure cooker and I've used it once. I know that many of us, especially as we get older, need assistance, but I'm more curious about those devices created to save time.

There are a couple of things I reach for often -

food processor for grating hard cheeses
food processor for making pastry dough and pizza dough
KA mixer for cake and cookie batter
food processor for shredding cabbage

Other than that, I do everything by hand.

Which time-savers do you use?

Re: Cooking enthusiasts, which time-savers do you use?

Poodlepet2 — Fri, 27 Nov 2015 16:47:32 GMT

I think about stuff like this all the time-especially during the past two days of cooking. THE one appliance I really couldn't live without is the food processor. My rheumatoid factor is elevated and that could herald all kinds of things, but something is going on with my hands. My KA processor with it's ability to slice thin or thick, large food items or small-and dice- is absolutely essential. I have used the dough blade, and I appreciate it. I love my KA stand mixer and it's various attachments: my new fave is the hospitalized. If push came to shove, I guess I could live without it....but that attachment and Ali Maffucci's book "Inspiralized" has opened up another world of ways to enjoy healthy, whole foods.

My Vitamix is essential and I could wax poetic for pages on end....I love my air Fryer: we have a couple of convection ovens including a Bosch, and it does not do the job that my little air fryer does. I love roasting vegetables is it: ten short minutes and it's ready to eat. I have a few more appliances such as a multi-cooker and pressure cooker: I love them as well. I would say all of these enhance life!

Poodlepet2

Re: Cooking enthusiasts, which time-savers do you use?

house_cat — Fri, 27 Nov 2015 16:53:14 GMT

@Poodlepet2 wrote:
I think about stuff like this all the time-especially during the past two days of cooking. THE one appliance I really couldn't live without is the food processor. My rheumatoid factor is elevated and that could herald all kinds of things, but something is going on with my hands. My KA processor with it's ability to slice thin or thick, large food items or small-and dice- is absolutely essential. I have used the dough blade, and I appreciate it. I love my KA stand mixer and it's various attachments: my new fave is the hospitalized. If push came to shove, I guess I could live without it....but that attachment and Ali Maffucci's book "Inspiralized" has opened up another world of ways to enjoy healthy, whole foods.

I'm thinking your spell check got the best of you.
Did you mean "spiralizer"? I've been intrigued by them, but I don't think I'd use it often enough to make it worth money. Can you give me an idea of how you most like to use it?

Re: Cooking enthusiasts, which time-savers do you use?

BaileyBop — Fri, 27 Nov 2015 16:56:29 GMT

If you spatchcock your turkey, or any bird, it will cut the cooking time way down. It also allows all the skin to be crispy. The only drawback is you can't stuff the bird. Brining the bird makes it even better.

Re: Cooking enthusiasts, which time-savers do you use?

Poodlepet2 — Fri, 27 Nov 2015 18:01:12 GMT

I love my Kindle, but it drives me crazy! I typed "spiralize" and it inserted the word it thought I should use....I just had to add that word to the dictionary, so it will now know....sigh....ok-the spiralizer....any dieter knows the value of "zoodles": low calorie, virtually no-carb zucchini. I really love the KA spiralizer attachment because it makes thicker noodles, and there is a real textural difference when cooking. I made a pot roast this past week, for my son and I made big spirals of potato which not only looked dazzling....but would you believe they tasted a little different??? DH can't eat red meat, so he had some leftover chicken. I jazzed things up by spiralizing a potato, misted it with EVOO, sprinkled it with some herbs and parmesan and popped it into the air fryer for about 10 minutes....there are all kinds of beautiful things you can do with fresh bets, carrots and fruit. Yesterday, I peeled, scored and thin sliced two apples in about thirty seconds. You could use them in pies, tarts or salads. I cut them done the middle so they were crescent shaped. I used them in a sweet potato casserole I made. I know somebody mentioned a blog about serializing a month or two ago: that captured my interest. I love the texture-I know it sounds crazy....

Poodlepet2

Re: Cooking enthusiasts, which time-savers do you use?

deepwaterdotter — Fri, 27 Nov 2015 18:46:14 GMT

A garlic press, citrus juicer, and mandoline.

Re: Cooking enthusiasts, which time-savers do you use?

chickenbutt — Fri, 27 Nov 2015 21:49:43 GMT

I think my biggest time saver is actually organization. Now that I forget a lot and get confused frequently, if I have a large task at hand, I make lists with not only 'what to do' but when to do what.

As for Thanksgiving cooking, which is pretty much a 4-day endeavor for me now, I think the only time-saving device I used was a small electric chopper for doing a bunch of asiago for my mashed potatoes.

The time that saved was significant, not to mention the fact that it saved my hands, arms, and shoulders.

Everything else that had to be chopped was done by me, by hand. I don't have to chop/slice/grate huge quantities of anything, so it's easier to just use a knife and not have a bunch of equipment to wash.

I swear, over the last 4 days, I must have washed dishes 20 times! It seemed like 50, but it was probably only 20.

Re: Cooking enthusiasts, which time-savers do you use?

IamMrsG — Fri, 27 Nov 2015 23:10:47 GMT

Chickenbutt nailed it. Forethought, planning and experience is key to saving time and energy in the kitchen. Like Chickenbutt, I am a list maker, and would be lost without my clipboard. I've already 'talked' about my saved shopping list categorized by menu dishes. That alone saved me an easy hour or more, and prevented last -minute trips to the grocery store.

Our family's Thanksgiving dinner will be tomorrow. After everybody goes home, and the kitchen is clean again (oh, happy thought!), I will sit here at the keyboard and make notes about what worked, what didn't work, what changes I made or will make and anything else I think might be helpful next time. I already have a Thanksgiving 2016 folder saved on my harddirve, just waiting for such a document.

Organization, it's a Good Thing.

Edited to add: I just came back from the kitchen to add one more necessity in time saving: sharp knives. I would be lost without mine.

Re: Cooking enthusiasts, which time-savers do you use?

Mz iMac — Sat, 28 Nov 2015 19:47:21 GMT

Electric spice grinder. Now my morter is a kitchen decoration/conversation piece sitting on top of my cabinets.

Re: Cooking enthusiasts, which time-savers do you use?

Mominohio — Sat, 28 Nov 2015 20:19:09 GMT

I don't cook for a large number of people very often, usually just three or four of us, so I don't find most 'gadgets', especially the big ones like a food processor worth the effort of storing, getting out, and cleaning. I have no dishwasher (except for me!) and by the time I clean all the pieces and parts, let them dry properly before storing etc. it is easier to use a knife and cutting board. I'm sure I'd feel different if I did have a dishwasher.

Most of what Q passes off as time savers (the slicer dicers, and choppers and such) would just involve more time and effort to clean and store, for the smaller batch cooking I do as well. And space is premium in my smallish kitchen, don't want to have to dig to get at things I wouldn't use much or enjoy using.

Re: Cooking enthusiasts, which time-savers do you use?

Fribwl — Sat, 28 Nov 2015 20:37:46 GMT

I also use my food processor, KA and Vitamix.

I am a list maker. So I have to agree with those that said being ORGANIZED is where it is at for me. I make two lists. Ingredients to buy and days to make or prepare or make and freeze. On a day like Thanksgiving, I also make a list of times to start the side dishes this is the only way I keep my sanity. LOL

Re: Cooking enthusiasts, which time-savers do you use?

Tigriss — Sat, 28 Nov 2015 22:55:47 GMT

Divide and Conquer...Our family decides who is going to be at Thanksgiving that year, and do a menu and assign various dishes. Granny had the turkey, which I suggested she smoke. (She always does the turkey in her Nesco roaster, but she cooks it till the little popper thing pops, which is too long, so a dry bird. One of my co-workers said he smokes his and you can't mess it up. Then I remembered granny has a smoker that she loves to use, so why not smoke the bird. It was AMAZING this year.) My aunt always does the dressing because her husband is picky about it, so she does that, mac and cheese, corn, and some other veggies. The rest of us do veggies and we each do a dessert or two. My nephew has a wheat allergy, so we do some desserts he can eat. There are about 20 of us on any given year, so we divide it up and cook enough for dinner and supper. We stay all day. This year we had great weather and we went on a four hour four wheeler ride through the woods and dirt roads, plus we let the kids put change on the railroad tracks to flatten it. They kids love watching what the train does the the change plus just finding it is like an egg hunt!

We are country, so we just cover dinner with the lids and an old, clean bed sheet and dinner is ready for supper when the time comes. Tonight we are cooking cane syrup and doing chili and soups with biscuits from the wood stove while the syrup cooks down. It is an all day process to grind the cane and cook the syrup. When it is done, we clean the boiler with water and steam oysters, plus whatever venison sausage (we hunt our own deer and make our own sausage/process the meat) or roast hog (again fresh killed) we have going in the smoker/grill.

We will do it all again at Christmas for the whole weekend and all.

Re: Cooking enthusiasts, which time-savers do you use?

Zhills — Sat, 28 Nov 2015 23:03:54 GMT

Oh, Tigress! How I wish I could buy a bottle of that syrup! I've done that and it is the best! Have a piece of sugar cane for me!

Re: Cooking enthusiasts, which time-savers do you use?

Zhills — Sat, 28 Nov 2015 23:07:23 GMT

I have a Ninja, but I also like to so my own chopping and prepping. I make cole slaw in the Ninja and sorbet! I like to chop because I like uniform pieces so my food looks good as well as tastes good.

My best time saver is a set of sharp knives.