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Honored Contributor
Posts: 14,886
Registered: ‎03-19-2010

Re: ARE THESE KITCHEN APPLIANCES NECESSARY?


@PA Mom-mom wrote:

@Tinkrbl44  I have several crock pots (slow cookers) for a very specific reason - HOLIDAYS! I have a small kitchen, one stove/oven and one microwave. When I'm cooking for 18 to 22 people, I can make the mashed potatoes a good two hours in advance. They will keep perfectly fluffy on warm the whole time. I can use the small one to keep the turkey gravy warm. I use the medium one to keep my corn warm. It clears up my stove for last minute vegetables, like the Brussels sprouts and green beans. Now, my DIL and DD have crazy busy families, and they use their slow cookers on a weekly basis. They throw in some chicken or beef/deer meat and throw in cream of something soup or tomatoes and end up with something edible. Not my taste, but hey! 

 

We were given an air fryer a few years ago, but we ended up giving it away. My DD loves hers for deer steaks, because she can do bacon wrapped deer meat without breaking out the grill. I had an Instant Pot for a while, but I broke it. It was great for making hard cooked eggs. But, I thought it made everything I made in it taste homogenized. But, my DIL loves hers. She mostly uses it as a slow cooker, but she also does soups.


Funny, that's the way I feel about slow cookers.  Since it's just the 2 of us now, I only drag the slow cooker out mostly for group functions and they always want my chili.  I also have a good slow cooker mac & cheese recipe, but man, it makes a lot.  I have a mini CE pressure cooker, and I wouldn't be without it for easy-to-peel hard boiled eggs.  Other than that, I really don't use it.  I use my Convection countertop oven most of the time and the Ninja Foodi Grill for steaks/burgers/etc. although I could easily go back to using my Jenn-Aire for that.  I got the Ninja for less smoke when I had an asthmatic cat.  I guess the one thing I wouldn't want to be without is my air fryer.  The Ninja can do that too, but I already had an air fryer when I got it and sometimes you may want to air fry at the same time you're using the Ninja.  

Honored Contributor
Posts: 20,648
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: ARE THESE KITCHEN APPLIANCES NECESSARY?

I don't use any of those.  I do have a Crockpot, but haven't used it in ages.  The others never interested me.

 

Fortunately, I've known how to cook since I was a small child, so pots and pans work very well for me.

 

I suppose there will always be 'gadgets' that salespersons can make sound very attractive for some, so more power to 'em I guess.  

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,875
Registered: ‎04-11-2010

Re: ARE THESE KITCHEN APPLIANCES NECESSARY?

Don't use my oven very much. I have a small rice cooker/hot pot from Wolfgang Puck that I use a lot to warm up soup or beans and franks.

 

My favorite appliance is my Dash egg cooker. I use it mostly for hard boiled egss. Love it!

 

As you can see I don't cook much and do salads, sandwiches, cheese and crackers and rotisserie chicken a lot. Take out a couple of times a week - Panera, subway, chinese etc.

 

 

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,035
Registered: ‎02-01-2015

Re: ARE THESE KITCHEN APPLIANCES NECESSARY?

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~~today may be my last.....i choose JOY!~~
Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 6,791
Registered: ‎06-19-2010

Re: ARE THESE KITCHEN APPLIANCES NECESSARY?

[ Edited ]

I only use my oven a couple of times a year. I do use the toaster oven a lot more. I also use the Ninja Grill/air fryer a lot because it's to hot to grill outside (at least until November). Other than that I have a microwave, toaster, blender, crockpot and I use them regularly.

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 7,238
Registered: ‎09-08-2010

Re: ARE THESE KITCHEN APPLIANCES NECESSARY?

People's tastes vary widely. Many people love an air fryer, I couldn't stand mine and returned it a week later. It was awful! I don't have an Insta pot, a pressure cooker, a fancy coffee maker, or any of those gadgets they take up a lot of room on the counter.  I know that I just wouldn't use them.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 10,681
Registered: ‎07-29-2014

Re: ARE THESE KITCHEN APPLIANCES NECESSARY?

My apartment - and my budget - is small and my kitchen in tiny so I only have a

toaster-convection oven, microwave, electric kettle, and a toaster (for when it's hot).

Honored Contributor
Posts: 36,947
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: ARE THESE KITCHEN APPLIANCES NECESSARY?

[ Edited ]

We use our rice cooker a lot with mediterranean, middle eastern and Asian food,for oats and some grains.

 

We use instant pots (mainly a 3 qt one) for side dishes of vegetables mostly sweet potatoes, rarely for meat, and it gets used often.  

 

We have a small and a large bread machine used weekly for bread, pizza dough and other  doughs.

 

We use a small crock pot mostly for making chicken breast meat for other dishes like tacos and enchiladas or dried beans.

 

We use our Vitamix, a water boiler, and a tea maker that are in the laundry room.  We also have a yogurt maker, cheap little egg boiler (but we mostly use a steam rack in a pot on the stove), waffle maker. 

 

We got used to these things the 45 years we worked and still use them--even more now! Especially the small bread machine, yogurt maker, Vitamix and rice cooker.

 

We haven't had a toaster oven in probably 20 years or more, we just use the oven when we need to.

 

ETA: Husband bought an air fryer, never use it; Nespresso Coffee maker used daily for espresso for me, coffee for him.  Cuisinarat food processor old but used often.

 

 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 11,009
Registered: ‎06-10-2015

Re: ARE THESE KITCHEN APPLIANCES NECESSARY?

[ Edited ]

My cockpot went belly up a couple of years ago.  I did a lot of research and bought a slow cooker.  I use it some times daily or at least 2 to 3 times a week.

 

Also, my George Foreman, I have perfected cooking bacon in it and dont use any other way of cooking bacon.

 

I bought a small inexpensive air fryer just to see if I liked it and what all it would cook.  I really like it.  Its a little small and can only cook one thing at a time in it.

 

If I HAD to chose only one it would be my slow cooker.

 

 

 

 

LIFE IS TO SHORT TOO FOLD FITTED SHEETS
Honored Contributor
Posts: 47,133
Registered: ‎08-23-2010

Re: ARE THESE KITCHEN APPLIANCES NECESSARY?

Lol ...  I must be the ONLY person in the western hemisphere that never owned or used a George Foreman grill.  

 

I've always wondered how much $$$ George has made from that appliance with his name on it.  He must be set for this life ... and the next one, too.    Woman LOL