That small appliance you thought you could not live without ... where is it now?

[Anna N]

Today I pulled my Cuisinart Griddler out of the cupboard reminded of its existence by a recipe that called for grilling something. It did a bang up job and I wondered how it was that it had spent months, perhaps years hidden away in the cupboard.

I recall seeing it advertised when I used to watch Food TV. It was a little outside of my price range even then but it seemed the perfect appliance for a small household. Somehow one came into my possession. I no longer recall how. For weeks and weeks I put it through its paces. I made eggs and bacon, French toast, Panini. I grilled steak and chops and vegetables. I sang its praises to anyone who would listen. Then it moved from the center of the kitchen to the periphery and then behind closed doors.

I do not recall that it deserved such a fate. It worked as well as it always did but in a tiny kitchen I suspect another small appliance pushed it aside.

It is back out and visible now and I expect it to get a good workout. But it means that my food processor will be moved to a cupboard. I doubt that it will fall out of favour but if it becomes too awkward to retrieve when I need it then the Griddler may have to go back in the cupboard.

So what small appliance could you not live without, loved to death for a while and then abandoned? Did it stop working? Did it no longer meet the needs of your cooking style? Did you give it away or keep it around? Have you found any need to bring it back into your life? Do you regret buying it? Do you regret giving it away?

[Honkman]

Rice Cooker

[Deryn]

Rice cooker here as well. I still have one but haven't used it in so long now that I should just throw it or give it away. I 'think' it probably still works.

But, like you, Anna, my electric grill/press, has been put away for ages too. My electric wok has been out in its place for a while now.

I really need to get my island expanded/reconfigured - and extra counter space added along the wall. I also have a plan for a way to line up all my favorite electric appliances on the new counter and build a shelf over top (well above the tallest appliance) with some kind of door(s) to hide them all along that extra wall where the new counter will be (like one ~12" long giant appliance 'garage' with electrical outlets near each one so I don't have to actually move the appliances to use them). Of course, even with those changes, due primarily to size constraints, the new freeze-drier and my large chamber vac machine will stay on utility carts.

My Vita-mix is a real nuisance to use right now - so I don't for the most part. It is on the counter in full sight but is too tall to use in its place and I have to remove the jar part to get it out far enough to use.

Edited December 5, 2014 by Deryn (log)

[Honkman]

More recently also the pressure cooker - The pork belly adobo from Modernist Cuisine (at Home) is nearly reason enough to buy one

Edited December 5, 2014 by Honkman (log)

[scubadoo97]

George Forman grill. Not that we could not live without it. It was the rave at the time. Used it a few times and was not impressed. Stored in an upper cabinet. May pull it out to press a Cuban Sandwich on a very rare occasion

[mgaretz]

I don't know about "live without" but the ones I use the most often are my Breville Smart Oven and my vacuum sealer.

[Anna N]

Apparently I have lost the ability to express myself well. We had a topic not long ago about our most prized small appliances. What I was hoping for here was stories of those appliances which you thought you couldn't live without but which you soon tired of. I am interested to learn what became of those ones.

[mgaretz]

Food processor.

[Anna N]

Food processor.

Did you tire of it? Did you give it away or are you hanging onto it just in case? Mine is still used quite often but not nearly as much as I imagined before I owned it.

[andiesenji]

With me it is the "seasonal" thing - some appliances get a workout during part of the year and then get shuffled into an out of the way spot for the remainder.  Recently I shunted my ice cream machine (self-contained) away from the area of immediate use because I will not be needing it for some time. 

Meanwhile the cocoa machine was retrieved from a back shelf, dusted and readied for making cocoa and other hot milky beverages that are desirable at this time of the year.  (West Bend Cocoa Grande) 

 

I have a griddler too and it sees use only sporadically, mostly for grilled cheese - I have another panini press that gets much hotter that I prefer for that type of thicker sandwich on artisan bread or rolls - and for a griddle I prefer my ancient stove top cast iron piece that has developed a perfect non-stick surface over the nearly 100 years it has been in constant use. 

 

There are a few appliance I bought on a whim, used several times a week for a while and then retired permanently for one reason or another.  One is a pressure skillet which was quite expensive but simply didn't work the way I wanted - I was disappointed in the results.  I actually gave that one away.

The soft-serve ice cream machine was another bust.  I don't know how many batches I tried and could never get the right texture/consistency.  It finally went back in the box and is on a top shelf out of the way.

[liuzhou]

For some reason lost in the depths of time, I have two hand-cranked mincers. Somewhere. The first one I used once. The second I never used 

 

I found the first one worked just fine, but was a pain to dismantle, clean and re-mantle, No idea why I bought the second one. In fact, I can't remember doing so, but I know it's in one of the cupboards. 

 

Instead, I use the ancient Chinese method of chopping with two cleavers if I need to mince anything. The French haché is probably more accurate than minced, but I defy anyone to detect the difference in the final dish. 

[Porthos]

George Forman grill. Not that we could not live without it. It was the rave at the time. Used it a few times and was not impressed. Stored in an upper cabinet. May pull it out to press a Cuban Sandwich on a very rare occasion

 

It was a pain in the a$$ to clean. Went to a thrift store.

[weinoo]

My Sous Vide Supreme?  Since I've received the Anova circulator, I doubt it'll be coming down off the shelf...anyone want a nice SVS, practically new, cheap?

 

My Omega juicer - this has been sitting on a shelf for years, but now I make all juices in my Blendtec.

[Anna N]

My Sous Vide Supreme?  Since I've received the Anova circulator, I doubt it'll be coming down off the shelf...anyone want a nice SVS, practically new, cheap?

 

My Omega juicer - this has been sitting on a shelf for years, but now I make all juices in my Blendtec.

Yep. My SVS went to a good home where I know it is being loved. I have never owned a juicer, however, there is one in my house that appears to be on permanent loan to me. Its owner seems quite reluctant to take it back!

[Maison Rustique]

I have very limited counter space in this kitchen, so all mine are in places that aren't easy to get to them--out of sight, out of mind. It's more trouble than it's worth to get them out. Yet, I'm considering adding an Instant Pot to my wish list. LOL!

[lindag]

My goodness!  I am a gadget junkie so I buy all sorts of things (like small appliances) because they look so clever,)

Such as:

 

Jumbo citrus press - it works great but it's so big and how often do I juice that many limes at a time?

Coffee grinder - Again, it works really well but it's too big and heavy and I don't want to leave it on the counter all the time.

Pressure cookers - I have too many because I was looking for just the right size.

Electric knife sharpener - I've had this for more than two years and still haven't used it - it's so much easier to use the hand-held type.

Electrolux mixer - Used it for a couple of years and then stopped making bread in quantity.  It's in the closet where it will stay.

Vitamix - For the number of times I've used it, it probably cost $100 each time.  It's a great appliance, don't get me wrong, it just doesn't get used.

Sodastream - It's on its way out the door.  Don't use it because I don't like their syrups.  I was looking for a good tonic mix but theirs isn't it.

Keurig - I don't like the coffee for every day.  I do use the iced tea pods in summer, the coffee pods for occasional iced coffee, and the spiced cider pods once in a while.  I keep moving it back and forth from the pantry to the counter.

I know there are more...

[rotuts]

the baby Cuisinart Mini-prep

 

i had high hopes for this when it came out.  all sorts of mincing, dice-ing, etc.  at that time I used the larger 11 cup a lot

 

the Mini just danced too much all over the counter and then had to be cleaned.

 

went back to Knife Work for small jobs

[Anna N]

My goodness!  I am a gadget junkie so I buy all sorts of things (like small appliances) because they look so clever,)

Such as:

 

Jumbo citrus press - it works great but it's so big and how often do I juice that many limes at a time?

Coffee grinder - Again, it works really well but it's too big and heavy and I don't want to leave it on the counter all the time.

Pressure cookers - I have too many because I was looking for just the right size.

Electric knife sharpener - I've had this for more than two years and still haven't used it - it's so much easier to use the hand-held type.

Electrolux mixer - Used it for a couple of years and then stopped making bread in quantity.  It's in the closet where it will stay.

Vitamix - For the number of times I've used it, it probably cost $100 each time.  It's a great appliance, don't get me wrong, it just doesn't get used.

Sodastream - It's on its way out the door.  Don't use it because I don't like their syrups.  I was looking for a good tonic mix but theirs isn't it.

Keurig - I don't like the coffee for every day.  I do use the iced tea pods in summer, the coffee pods for occasional iced coffee, and the spiced cider pods once in a while.  I keep moving it back and forth from the pantry to the counter.

I know there are more...

I know you didn't ask for advice so forgive me for this one. But before you toss your soda stream consider making your own tonic water. There is a recipe in the book Bitter by Mclagan which I am going to try making very soon. You put a tablespoon or two of this into a glass then top with carbonated water.

I am dying without my Keurig which bought the farm in the last couple of weeks!

[Arey]

An electric carving knife.  This year it went to a thrift shop.  I also had two coffee grinders, which were gifts, which I never used. One seems to have disappeared, and the other is up in the attic. It will have to be dusted off, and the dead silverfish shook out before it will even be fit for the thrift shop.

Edited to add that I have such limited space that before I buy anything I have to figure out what I'm going to get rid of, otherwise I would have bought a blender this year, and maybe even a pressure cooker.  My kitchen cabinets have more unusable space than usable space.

Edited December 6, 2014 by Arey (log)

[Deryn]

Anna - Perhaps we need another thread about appliances we bought because we thought we could not live without them for whatever reason but actually never used them or used them minimally. My list there would look a lot like Lindag's - and include, in particular, a SodaStream and Keurig bought for a ONE night visit by my daughter (she never used them at all. I don't drink pop or even soda water. I tried the Keurig a couple of times and now need to think of someone to give it to) - and then there was a breadmaker someone gave me - never used - bread was always the ONE thing that I think should always be made by hand - literally (with the exception of the cinnamon rolls I make in the Thermomix) - it was given away pronto.

(PS .. Anna - you posted about your Keurig while I was still writing this .. edited to say - PM me your address and when I get home I will be thrilled to mail you mine!)

However, I did use the rice cooker for years and loved it - and it still works, I think .. I am just not sure where it is any more and I am not sure why I don't use it any more either - other than 'out of sight, out of mind' perhaps, or maybe that I am not cooking for a family either any more. But, the Breville grill/press machine IS currently used extensively for weeks at a time I find but due to size and space constraints, it trades places with the electric wok according to my whims. While it is in storage, I use my Staub grillpan on the stove. If I had a Jenn-air grill in NS (as I do in NC), I may never have even bought or used either the Breville or the grillpan - but I love them all. I also have had several food processors. The first was a Cuisinart DLC-7 Pro given to me by my brother in the early 1980s I think - it was in every day use for at least 25 years, and the motor still works and I still have it but the bowl cracked and needs to be replaced so I stupidly bought a newer version which was garbage and was used about 3 or 4 times - I won't bother to move it up north - it will be junked or given away because I have now gone without a food processor for several years and found I really don't need it any more. Oh and then there is the espresso machine I used to use every day and now it too is stored away - for special occasions that rarely seem to arise.

Times change, needs and interests change. I don't regret most of my 'gadget' purchases over the years. Had fun with (most of) them for a while.

What is still out on my counter and still very much in use? My Thermomix.

What is out on my counter or within easy reach and is used very rarely? My Vitamix, my two Kitchen Aid stand mixers (one is on the floor because I can't figure out where to store it), and a couple of crockpots (heaven knows why I don't use them - just never occurs to me and they are in plain sight).

What is in easy reach in a drawer and still gets used a fair bit? My old hand mixer.

What now sees occasional use, is still loved, and has been used extensively in the past, but, is now in the closet? My Excalibur dehydrator - which may find itself rather lonely when I get the new FD set up. It still works and will not be given away in my lifetime though.

The thing is .. I don't NEED any of the electrical kitchen gadgets I have (they are really mere 'toys' for grownups). I used to make everything by hand/the old fashioned way - and still can/do if I am too lazy to haul the modern, heavy 'time and step saving' equipment out of its hiding place, set it up, plug it in, remember how to use it, and wash it all afterward.

Edited December 6, 2014 by Deryn (log)

[ElainaA]

Not my story but my daughter's:  She LOVES coffee. She NEEDED an espresso machine. She would use it daily! So we got her a very nice one for Christmas 3 or 4 years ago. This summer helping her move to a new job, the espresso machine was nowhere to be found. She thought it was probably in some corner of the cellar. Maybe if she dug around she could find it but really she didn't care. It took up a lot of counter space. There was a good coffee shop just down the street and that was so much easier. I've since seen a number of espresso machines in garage sales.

Elaina

[mgaretz]

Did you tire of it? Did you give it away or are you hanging onto it just in case? Mine is still used quite often but not nearly as much as I imagined before I owned it.

No, just that I end up hand slicing most things I'd use it for. It still has some specific uses, but it doesn't get used that much.

[GlorifiedRice]

Tassimo, I will forever believe it to be SUPERIOR to Keurig but I never drink fresh coffee cause it aggravates my system (Instant does not)

I have a Williams Sonoma Ice Cream maker (that freezes by electricity not a sleeve) and I NEVER use it.

And finally my George Foreman DEEP FRYER, that spins the excess fat off, but the spinner died the first use

 

I dont have a George Foreman Grill...I have a TOASTMASTER GRILLERIE, which was made prior to George Foremans grill, and it has grill, cake, griddle, waffle and pizelle plates.

I use it 2 xs a week and when it dies Ill scour eBay for another

[Deryn]

Ah, Elaina .. your (daughter's) story brings to mind another one for me .. 1 chocolate fountain going cheap (as in 'free'), bought for my daughter because she couldn't live without one. Cleaning out my father's house (where she lived briefly) a few years ago I found it. Asked her if she wanted me to ship it to her. Nope, used it twice, no need for it now.

And I have 2 old Tassimo machines. My husband used those more than I did, but he is gone now so they sit sadly gathering dust on the counter down south. I agree though that Tassimo coffee was much better than Keurig. I embarrassingly now tend to use Starbucks 'instant'/microground packages because I travel a lot and can make them in the car if need be - or my non-electric french press. I do use the coffee grinder when I use the French press.

I could probably go on for a while recalling stuff I would rather forget but I promise I will quit now. I both love this thread - and hate it - because it reminds me of all the stuff I no longer use - and what a hoarder I may have become! Thanks, Anna!

Edited December 6, 2014 by Deryn (log)

[GlorifiedRice]

Ah, Elaina .. your (daughter's) story brings to mind another one for me .. 1 chocolate fountain going cheap (as in 'free'), bought for my daughter because she couldn't live without one. Cleaning out my father's house (where she lived briefly) a few years ago I found it. Asked her if she wanted me to ship it to her. Nope, used it twice, no need for it now.