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

[lindag]

I sort of can't wait for my Cuisinart immersion blender to die so I can replace it with a Bamix

You'll like your Bamix.  I've had mine for at least six years and it has done everything extremely well.  The first immersion blender I got was a rechargeable - I hope no one wastes their money on these anymore, they're just useless.

[Anna N]

I remember years ago there was a gorgeous Farberware electric skillet in gleaming stainless.  It really was too pretty for words.  I absolutely had to have it!  But I found I really didn't use it much and eventually gave it away.

Yep. Mine is gorgeous, gleaming stainless steel. To find one that was not a) aluminum or b) nonstick was challenging. Since posting about it I have noticed a number of recipes that could easily benefit from its huge cooking surface.

[Martin Fisher]

Moka pot.

Bought it several years ago.

Used it 2 or 3 months.

On the shelf it sits.

[Martin Fisher]

 

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

 

 

Same problem here.

I have 7 of them. 

Edited December 16, 2014 by DiggingDogFarm (log)

[Smithy]

Yep. Mine is gorgeous, gleaming stainless steel. To find one that was not a) aluminum or b) nonstick was challenging. Since posting about it I have noticed a number of recipes that could easily benefit from its huge cooking surface.

That sounds like the skillet my mother used as her principal cookware for decades. When she and Dad downsized she decided she could do without it. Sometimes I'm sorry I didn't take it, but I like to think it went to someone who really needed it.

[rotuts]

My mother also had one of these.  2d hand.  although she made a home cooked meal every night, she like to garden a lot more.

 

nothing fancy in the garden :  she like a rose, she cut off stems and plunked then in the ground.  some decided to join their friends,

 

some not.

 

I remember the 'Regualtor' thing-y on these :  had a 'thick probe' that went into the base, for heat etc.

 

I think my mother didnt use it much :  she like to have left-overs for at least 5 days.

 

have you had  'crunch SpagBol' reheated in the oven on day 4?

 

this was way pre MicoWave.

 

and crunchy SpagBol is not that bad.

 

the cheese came from Kraft, in the green glowing cylinder.   that says a lot.

[andiesenji]

Yep. Mine is gorgeous, gleaming stainless steel. To find one that was not a) aluminum or b) nonstick was challenging. Since posting about it I have noticed a number of recipes that could easily benefit from its huge cooking surface.

I had one of those - may still have it but haven't seen it for years. 

I also have a smaller, stainless one that I have used quite a bit because it also has 6 egg-poaching cups, was made by West Bend (USA) is heavy and had a high-domed lid which made it more versatile than many.  I've used it a lot but it shows no wear.  They don't make them like that any more...

It's quite heavy and was advertised as being useful for buffet service as the base was tall enough that it could safely be used on tables covered by cloths.

[Porthos]

RE: Electric Skillets. As a high-schooler I prepared many a fried chicken dinner in one of those. It was the only thing I had ever seen my mother cook in it and so it was the only thing I cooked in it. I have one shoved away in a hard-to-reach part of a cabinet. The only time I have ever used it was to cook dove for my hunting companions and myself on the dove opener. A table and an extension cord outside of a motel room made for my "kitchen" that day.

[Martin Fisher]

As a high-schooler I prepared many a fried chicken dinner in one of those. It was the only thing I had ever seen my mother cook in it and so it was the only thing I cooked in it. \

 

That's exactly why my maternal grandmother loved her electric skillet.

Her fried chicken was excellent.

[andiesenji]

This is my electric skillet - it's 9.5 inches in diameter so quite a bit smaller than the Farberware.

On low, at 175° F.  it works great for a keep warm buffet server.

 

Somewhere in storage I also have one of the square ones - with the vent in the lid - also made by West Bend but it is aluminum and as I recall it is "Harvest Gold"  and I have some canisters that match. 

 

 

so you can see how "tall" it is.

Edited December 16, 2014 by andiesenji (log)

[Lisa Shock]

Andie, I do know of one very specialized use for the electric wok: keeping boiled sugar warm so that you can use a pot of it in liquid form. -Like the caramel sugar needed for a croquembouche, gateau st honore, or the sugar for making a big batch of spun sugar, or maybe caramel sugar nut spikes. I actually picked one of these up cheap at a thrift shop when I was in culinary school just for sugar work. It works well and the shape is economical in that as you use the sugar up, the pool becomes smaller and less winds up wasted on the sides. That said, you need to make sugar showpieces, croquembouche, nut spikes, or spun sugar every once in a while to justify the owning the wok.

[Dave W]

I used to love my cuisinart mini food chopper grinder but since I got a decent mortar and pestle I rarely break it out anymore. If I'm going to grind or emulsify something bigger than the M&P can handle, I use the full size food processor.

[scubadoo97]

I used to love my cuisinart mini food chopper grinder but since I got a decent mortar and pestle I rarely break it out anymore.

Somewhere in the world there is someone using a mortar and pestle dreaming of a mini food chopper

[JohnT]

My "best buy" appliances:

Moulinex blender - great French product! First time I attempted to use it to blend pea soup (this was about 35 years ago), the lid broke and the green contents changed the colour of the kitchen. It ended up in the bin. Apparently I looked like a Martian but was not in a humorous mood to appreciate it at the time.

Braun electric carving knife - I found the twin blades at the back of a drawer the other day but have no idea what happened to the motorised handle. It was useless for carving meat but was really useful for cutting extra-thin slices of bread for making Melba toast.

Atlas hand crank pasta machine - it sits on top of a wall unit in the kitchen. It used to be used on a regular basis for pasta making after they stopped making commercial pasta with egg yolks. Then it got stored when the kitchen work table was changed to stainless steel and it could no longer clamp onto the counter top.

Kenward food processor - found out that it is only good for making fresh bread crumbs!

Bought a Braun stick blender about two years ago. The box said it was made in Germany. I am sure there must be a small town in China called "Germany" where they produce these crap quality Braun products as mine has none of that German engineering a person would expect. It now gets used for soups and sauces but overheats after a minute or so.

Have an electric frying pan somewhere in a cupboard that has not been used for about 20 years.

I also have a commercial deep fryer that only gets used about once every second blue moon - the next blue moon is July 31, 2015 and after that January 31, 2018.

My best small gadget is a simple corkscrew that gets used on a regular basis - we produce some good wines here!

[Lisa Shock]

JohnT, I have countertop issues myself. I got a small wooden base from Pampered Chef that works well, they sell it as an accessory for their apple peeler. It would probably be fairly easy for someone with woodworking tools to make, too.

[phatj]

I own an immersion blender, acquired as a work service anniversary gift where I got to choose from many cheapo items in a catalog. I have used it never, in probably close to five years. This thread makes me think I should give it a chance though.

 

My Vitamix, sadly, has been neglected for months now. 

[gulfporter]

Fry Daddy Deep Fryer

Bread Machine

Ice Cream Maker

 

All given away after we gained too much weight!!

[teapot]

Atlas hand crank pasta machine - it sits on top of a wall unit in the kitchen. It used to be used on a regular basis for pasta making after they stopped making commercial pasta with egg yolks. Then it got stored when the kitchen work table was changed to stainless steel and it could no longer clamp onto the counter top.

Several people have mentioned that they don't use their handcrank pasta makers. I strongly recommend purchasing a motor attachment that makes pasta making a breeze (it's tricky cranking and feeding pasta by yourself). It also eliminates the need for having to bolt the pasta maker onto the counter. Norpro makes one that costs 59 bucks...well worth it.

The item I never use use is my Zoku quick popsicle maker. What was I thinking?

[gulfporter]

Per the discussion of apple peelers, I can't resist posting this brilliant idea for using a power drill to zip through the apple peeling process. I have tried this and it works amazingly well. It's super fast and you're not stuck with some unipurpose item cluttering up you kitchen. Here's a link to a video demonstration:

http://www.wimp.com/peelingapples/

Love it!!!

[MSRadell]

Per the discussion of apple peelers, I can't resist posting this brilliant idea for using a power drill to zip through the apple peeling process. I have tried this and it works amazingly well. It's super fast and you're not stuck with some unipurpose item cluttering up you kitchen. Here's a link to a video demonstration:

http://www.wimp.com/peelingapples/

Just add a large drill bit and you can core at the same time!

[rotuts]

this would do it :

 

http://www.amazon.com/Vulcan-961641or-Metal-Hole-Saw/dp/B000X2ILXS/ref=lp_552402_1_19?s=power-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1419360987&sr=1-19

 

just get the right diameter, and the long long version.

[teapot]

When I did this, I used a long 1/4 pointy bit and then when the apples were peeled used one of those items that core and slice at the same time.  Quick!

[JoNorvelleWalker]

When I did this, I used a long 1/4 pointy bit and then when the apples were peeled used one of those items that core and slice at the same time.  Quick!

 

I simply use a device that cores and peels and slices, or just peels depending on what is wanted...

 

 

 

Possibly something I could live without but very useful when I need it.

[gfweb]

Could you make a curly french fry with this?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Possibly.  The instructions say it works for potatoes but I have never tried.