@spacemart With convection ability. A convection toaster oven is the greatest thing. It basically does what an air fryer does plus a dozen other things.
@goldnectar I always thought I would learn some ageless secret to cooking rice when I started dating my now-wife who is from Japan. The secret is a rice cooker.
@DrWorm If you cook rice a lot it is handy. Throw in water and rice, turn it on, good to go. It tells you when the rice is done. Then you can keep it on “warm” for however long until you put away leftovers. Doesn’t burn the rice. Rather like a coffee maker for rice.
@goldnectar Not being “white people,” my wife & I never imagine to use a rice cooker for our daily meals. She prefers the old-fashioned “pot on the stove” technique, but she taught me to do so via the microwave.
@Apostlii@ybmuG Zojirushi or Panasonic have been the go-to brands when it comes to hot water pots. I’ve purchased all of mine from thrift stores, though.
The knockoff brands have gone up in quality, though they’re still a hit-and-miss. Look for reviews before buying.
@ybmuG you may want a kettle instead of a pot. The difference being a pot is more for a gallon and isn’t meant to be poured but has a spout. While a kettle is more like a quart or two and more like a typical kettle. Tons of sellers in the US market. You can get them with all sorts of tempature level settings too. Glass/steel/plastic. Just an example below.
@Apostlii@callow@ybmuG also not bad. I have a rosewill with 100/150/200/boil settings but lots of US consumers freak out about warm plastic. But yeah they have been common in the US for decades
@Apostlii@tinamarie1974 wow, that’s aa very non-meh option. $179 for referb! I do like it, though. And it looks like they have simpler options. I’d be curious how the <$20 Ovente that jerk_nugget mentioned above would compare. I’d bet the build quality is better, but over 9:1 on price is huge. And I think I saw that the non-referb price is $280??!!
Electric griddle. My grandpa used to cook the best pancakes, eggs, bacon and sausage for all the visiting relatives at breakfast. Amazing how much food he could crank out on that thing.
@UncleVinny I think they mean the mixer, like the stand mixer. Like for mixing up dough and batter, and whipping cream and butter, and doing all sorts of things that make it really worth the chunk of counter space it takes. Especially when compared to the air fryer. I like the food from them, but jeez, are they huge machines for tiny cooking space.
@simplersimon@UncleVinny I would guess his point was, for giving up that counter space, there are a lot of things you can plug into the mixer via the accessory drive shaft. But I could be totally wrong. Could just be the one mentioned below
@UncleVinny no, a food processor and a [stand] mixer are not the same thing. i have a kitchenaid mini food processor and it’s tied with my immersion blender for most used “non essential” appliance for me tho, definitely.
Since I’m doing low-carb most days, I can’t share the community outrage over rice cooker being on the list, but my meh $19 KitchenAid 3.5 Cup Food Chopper & Processor from October 2018 is pretty nifty.
Does nobody here drink coffee? I could pour over or French press but I really prefer my coffee maker. It’s the Motif Technivorm knockoff one sold here a while back. Love it!
@tweezak Someday when I’m a gazillionaire and can remodel my kitchen, I want to put in a coffee bar with a plumbed espresso maker, room for my coffee mug collection, and a wine fridge that would exclusively be used to make cold brew since I don’t drink wine.
@show_the_maw@tweezak Can I come live with you when you’re a gazillionaire? That would be my dream kitchen too, and my growing collection of cappuccino cups needs more space.
@aetris I know I am drifting off-topic, but holy crap - I had totally forgotten about Pizzazz magazine - that really poked some long dormant cells in the memory banks.
@bgammill where did you get your cement mixer attachment? Is it at a right angle and does I reach from the counter to the floor? Or just pull it over the edge of the counter and a straight drop and hold on?
The deal I had with my kid was when you cook I’ll do the dishes. About once a week that is what would happen. Of course if I wanted to be able to eat anything she’d cook I’d need rules about dumping in a ton of jalapinos (she’d drink the juice in the can like it was water) or cayenne pepper. OMG that child could eat anything hot.
She’d also make pickle juice popsicles. As a joke one christmas I got her a huge container of pickles - one of those white plastic ones about 2’ high and maybe 1’ in diameter. Only took her about 2.5 months to eat them all (did not do a repeat as that was really unhealthy).
The rice cooker got used a lot. And the thing you’d put in the microwave to cook bacon (this is after she melted holes in some of my plates - “but mom it says microwave safe”). Yeah the microwave is pretty essential and the toaster oven. If I had to pick one - the microwave.
@Kidsandliz +1 on the microwave. I guess many people these days would not consider a microwave “non-essential”, but I never used/had one until my twenties. I survived my early years, albeit lacking the instant gratification of the Nuc-It-Now machine. I use it pretty much every day now.
@macromeh I took people camping for a living and cooked over fires (including in the pouring rain), propane, gasoline… if there had been a way to plug a microwave into a tree I would have hauled one with me when I took adjudicated youth canoeing across the state of Florida.
Non-essential: Pressure cooker
Essential: I am that one person that doesn’t like the Kitchenaid mixer. Got one as a gift and used it for 20 years, was never happy with it. The weight, I don’t have room for it in the kitchen and hauling that monster was a pain. Also that you can’t get involved in your creations. Found my favorite Sunbeam mixer at a flea market for $3, gave away the lead weight and have been happily baking away for about four years. It helps that I have a stack of bowls that fit it too.
How is a stand mixer non-essential? Everyone needs one of these it makes cooking so much better. The best non-essential item is a Thermomix if you don’t know what it is check it out it’s only $1500
Winner: KitchenAid stand mixer. Just for a fresh sourdough loaf every week (although we also use it for so many other things.)
Runner-up: Anova sous vide machine. Use it probably only once or twice a month, but dayum, it does wonders for even cheap cuts of meat, particularly beef.
damn, didn’t even think of the microwave but to me…that is essential. we tried living without one (when we moved in here 5+ yrs ago we had nothing and tried to get just the things we needed) and it was a pain. still haven’t gotten around to buying a toaster though.
another truly non-essential item i rely on is a leave in probe thermometer, but i guess maybe that’s more “gadget” than “appliance.”
INSTANT POT ALL THE WAY. I use it every time I cook… Makes things so easily and quickly, I love it. If you’re on the fence about getting one, it is seriously worth it. I bought two on black Friday to give to friends because once you have one, you’ll wonder why you didn’t get one sooner. The meats come out SO juicy and it locks in flavor so well. Soups are made with the snap of a finger. BBQ that usually takes hours is made in 1 hour. It’s crazy…
Also I got a veggie chopper on Amazon recently and WoW that has saved me SO much time while meal prepping… Why was I cutting everything by hand before?
Induction cooker. Use it all the time. Not essential, but it’s making a good case.
@katbyter do you mean just a standalone induction burner? Do you not have a normal range?
@unksol yes I do but the induction cooker is so much faster and easier to control.
Isn’t that kind of like saying what unnecessary thing can’t you live without?
@ybmuG it’s like saying what unnecessary thing did meh get you to buy
toaster oven… but i use it so much it’s kind of essential at this point
Essential for me.
@spacemart With convection ability. A convection toaster oven is the greatest thing. It basically does what an air fryer does plus a dozen other things.
Rice cooker is pretty essential.
Right?
@hammi99 Not if 1 can do just fine in the microwave
Belgian waffle iron
/image blueberry waffle
@2many2no Thankfully you put berry in that search.
Since when is a rice cooker a “non-essential” kitchen appliance? How else will one make their rice for 3 meals a day, in pot like some savage?
@goldnectar that’s what the electric pressure cooker is for!!
@goldnectar what is this “rice” you speak of?
@goldnectar Microwave
@TPS I’ve, literally, never done or heard of that. Is that a white people thing?
@goldnectar @TPS nope never heard of that either. Have heard of the finger rule
@goldnectar I always thought I would learn some ageless secret to cooking rice when I started dating my now-wife who is from Japan. The secret is a rice cooker.
@goldnectar This savage wasn’t even aware that there was such a thing as a “rice cooker”.
@DrWorm If you cook rice a lot it is handy. Throw in water and rice, turn it on, good to go. It tells you when the rice is done. Then you can keep it on “warm” for however long until you put away leftovers. Doesn’t burn the rice. Rather like a coffee maker for rice.
@goldnectar Not being “white people,” my wife & I never imagine to use a rice cooker for our daily meals. She prefers the old-fashioned “pot on the stove” technique, but she taught me to do so via the microwave.
/google microwaving rice
How to cook rice in the microwave, perfect every time | Steamy Kitchen
https://steamykitchen.com/22048-how-to-cook-rice-microwave.html
Me.
@shahnm I will also list myself as non-essential in the kitchen. Though I do spend a lot of time there.
Electric kettles. It’s the norm over the waters but it seems like few and far between in America.
@Apostlii can you recommend a good one? On this 110v side of the world, I mean.
@Apostlii @ybmuG Zojirushi or Panasonic have been the go-to brands when it comes to hot water pots. I’ve purchased all of mine from thrift stores, though.
The knockoff brands have gone up in quality, though they’re still a hit-and-miss. Look for reviews before buying.
/image hot water pots
@ybmuG you may want a kettle instead of a pot. The difference being a pot is more for a gallon and isn’t meant to be poured but has a spout. While a kettle is more like a quart or two and more like a typical kettle. Tons of sellers in the US market. You can get them with all sorts of tempature level settings too. Glass/steel/plastic. Just an example below.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Cuisinart-1-7-Liter-Electric-Cordless-Tea-Kettle-Stainless-Steel/47005004
@Apostlii @ybmuG
The cordless above is a great idea!
I chose this one mostly for it’s shape, takes less counter space. Works good, cheap. https://www.amazon.com/Proctor-Silex-Electric-Rapid-Boil-K2070Y/dp/B00023XCWS/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Proctor+Silex+Electric+Tea+Kettle&qid=1581076967&sr=8-1
@Apostlii @callow @ybmuG also not bad. I have a rosewill with 100/150/200/boil settings but lots of US consumers freak out about warm plastic. But yeah they have been common in the US for decades
@ybmuG i’ve had this one (in green) for the past five years or so, safe to say i like it.
https://www.amazon.com/Ovente-KG83B-BPA-Free-Protection-Indicator/dp/B00DEPGY7G
@ybmuG I’ve had the same Hamilton Beach one for years now and 20$ at Wal-Mart. Heats up very well and no leaks or anything.
@Apostlii @narfcake @unksol @callow @jerk_nugget Wow - thanks everyone! Lots to consider. And given the weather today, I wish I had one now!
@Apostlii @ybmuG I actually got the below Breville for Christmas and
it. Watch the video it is super fancy, but makes a mean cuppa!!
https://remanufactured.brevilleusa.com/collections/kettles-tea-makers/products/one-touch-tea-maker-rm-btm800xl?variant=615259629
@Apostlii @tinamarie1974 wow, that’s aa very non-meh option. $179 for referb! I do like it, though. And it looks like they have simpler options. I’d be curious how the <$20 Ovente that jerk_nugget mentioned above would compare. I’d bet the build quality is better, but over 9:1 on price is huge. And I think I saw that the non-referb price is $280??!!
@Apostlii @ybmuG it is pricey but it does an amazing job steeping the tea perfectly.
Since I don’t drink coffee I decided it was worth the extra cash to have a good teapot.
@Apostlii @tinamarie1974 that makes a lot of sense and it looks like it does a lot more than boil water which is my primary need.
@Apostlii @ybmuG oh if you only want it to boil water, then it is a bit high tech and pricey for your needs.
@Apostlii @tinamarie1974 true, though it doesn’t mean I don’t want it!
foreman grill and it’s not even close.
That Cuisinart griddler thing I got on this very internet web site years ago.
Electric griddle. My grandpa used to cook the best pancakes, eggs, bacon and sausage for all the visiting relatives at breakfast. Amazing how much food he could crank out on that thing.
@wonidejack So did my grandpa. You brought back a lot of good memories.
My counter top convection oven with air fryer abilities.
We’re talking about a KitchenAid food processor, right? I’d admit that I’m more dependent on my rice cooker, but the KAFP is a dream within a dream.
@UncleVinny I think they mean the mixer, like the stand mixer. Like for mixing up dough and batter, and whipping cream and butter, and doing all sorts of things that make it really worth the chunk of counter space it takes. Especially when compared to the air fryer. I like the food from them, but jeez, are they huge machines for tiny cooking space.
@simplersimon @UncleVinny I would guess his point was, for giving up that counter space, there are a lot of things you can plug into the mixer via the accessory drive shaft. But I could be totally wrong. Could just be the one mentioned below
@UncleVinny no, a food processor and a [stand] mixer are not the same thing. i have a kitchenaid mini food processor and it’s tied with my immersion blender for most used “non essential” appliance for me tho, definitely.
Since I’m doing low-carb most days, I can’t share the community outrage over rice cooker being on the list, but my meh $19 KitchenAid 3.5 Cup Food Chopper & Processor from October 2018 is pretty nifty.
The ice cream maker is NOT a non-essential appliance!
A KitchenAid stand mixer
More counter.
It has to be the KA stand mixer, only because I don’t bake much nowadays, but when I do, it’s a beast.
(At least mine was under $50. I
wastespendinvest more than that in catshirts.)Does nobody here drink coffee? I could pour over or French press but I really prefer my coffee maker. It’s the Motif Technivorm knockoff one sold here a while back. Love it!
@tweezak A coffee maker is not “non essential”
@tweezak Someday when I’m a gazillionaire and can remodel my kitchen, I want to put in a coffee bar with a plumbed espresso maker, room for my coffee mug collection, and a wine fridge that would exclusively be used to make cold brew since I don’t drink wine.
@show_the_maw @tweezak Can I come live with you when you’re a gazillionaire? That would be my dream kitchen too, and my growing collection of cappuccino cups needs more space.
How has nobody said Pizzazz yet??? I use mine more than anything else… but I guess I avoid the kitchen like the plague.
@tjwbiowa I think we’re supposed to know what it is before we can vote it the worst?
@unksol - There’s
but then there’s
@aetris I know I am drifting off-topic, but holy crap - I had totally forgotten about Pizzazz magazine - that really poked some long dormant cells in the memory banks.
@DrWorm
Kitchen Aid stand mixer… The attachments for that beast allow you to Grind meat, Juice oranges, lemons, etc., make pasta from scratch, mix cement
@bgammill where did you get your cement mixer attachment? Is it at a right angle and does I reach from the counter to the floor? Or just pull it over the edge of the counter and a straight drop and hold on?
Another human to do the cooking?
The deal I had with my kid was when you cook I’ll do the dishes. About once a week that is what would happen. Of course if I wanted to be able to eat anything she’d cook I’d need rules about dumping in a ton of jalapinos (she’d drink the juice in the can like it was water) or cayenne pepper. OMG that child could eat anything hot.
She’d also make pickle juice popsicles. As a joke one christmas I got her a huge container of pickles - one of those white plastic ones about 2’ high and maybe 1’ in diameter. Only took her about 2.5 months to eat them all (did not do a repeat as that was really unhealthy).
The rice cooker got used a lot. And the thing you’d put in the microwave to cook bacon (this is after she melted holes in some of my plates - “but mom it says microwave safe”). Yeah the microwave is pretty essential and the toaster oven. If I had to pick one - the microwave.
@Kidsandliz +1 on the microwave. I guess many people these days would not consider a microwave “non-essential”, but I never used/had one until my twenties. I survived my early years, albeit lacking the instant gratification of the Nuc-It-Now machine. I use it pretty much every day now.
@macromeh I took people camping for a living and cooked over fires (including in the pouring rain), propane, gasoline… if there had been a way to plug a microwave into a tree I would have hauled one with me when I took adjudicated youth canoeing across the state of Florida.
Seal-a-Meal.
Non-essential: Pressure cooker
Essential: I am that one person that doesn’t like the Kitchenaid mixer. Got one as a gift and used it for 20 years, was never happy with it. The weight, I don’t have room for it in the kitchen and hauling that monster was a pain. Also that you can’t get involved in your creations. Found my favorite Sunbeam mixer at a flea market for $3, gave away the lead weight and have been happily baking away for about four years. It helps that I have a stack of bowls that fit it too.
How is a stand mixer non-essential? Everyone needs one of these it makes cooking so much better. The best non-essential item is a Thermomix if you don’t know what it is check it out it’s only $1500
/giphy thermomix
There is nothing I can’t cook on the Pizzazz!
I clicked rice cooker, but my wife is from the Philippines, which means it is essential. It’s literally on all day except when we wash the bowl.
Winner: KitchenAid stand mixer. Just for a fresh sourdough loaf every week (although we also use it for so many other things.)
Runner-up: Anova sous vide machine. Use it probably only once or twice a month, but dayum, it does wonders for even cheap cuts of meat, particularly beef.
either my food processor or immersion blender.
damn, didn’t even think of the microwave but to me…that is essential. we tried living without one (when we moved in here 5+ yrs ago we had nothing and tried to get just the things we needed) and it was a pain. still haven’t gotten around to buying a toaster though.
another truly non-essential item i rely on is a leave in probe thermometer, but i guess maybe that’s more “gadget” than “appliance.”
INSTANT POT ALL THE WAY. I use it every time I cook… Makes things so easily and quickly, I love it. If you’re on the fence about getting one, it is seriously worth it. I bought two on black Friday to give to friends because once you have one, you’ll wonder why you didn’t get one sooner. The meats come out SO juicy and it locks in flavor so well. Soups are made with the snap of a finger. BBQ that usually takes hours is made in 1 hour. It’s crazy…
Also I got a veggie chopper on Amazon recently and WoW that has saved me SO much time while meal prepping… Why was I cutting everything by hand before?
Egg Cooker!
@benperry1 Man, how could I forget my egg cooker? PERFECT hard boiled eggs every time!
Sous vide. It is becoming more indispensable, but not quite necessity yet. (Until I start making Alton Brown inspired liquors!)
A convection toaster oven! Heats up far quicker than a regular oven and big enough to make most dinners for 2.
Range Mate Korean made microwavable cooker. I have 3.
Food generator as in the Orville series) Seriously - a personal chef, but seriously - I wouldn’t refuse ice-cream maker)