Appliance You've Purchased But You Use the Least (and probably don't need)

[Kim Shook]

1 hour ago, weinoo said:

So using a flimsy, oversized pan, on a hot burner with boiling liquids, that you would then pick up to pour into a small saucepan or gravy boat, is a smart thing to do in the kitchen?

Well, at least one then has a contribution for the "I will never again..." thread.

[Katie Meadow]

I can't imagine using a disposable pan for roasting a turkey. Making gravy after the bird gets to sit on a plate isn't a fast process, and involves, at least in my experience, a series of slow processes: deglazing with stock, cooking away excess liquid, adding some type of brown sauce or roux to taste depending on whether you like a thick or thin gravy. When my husband's family was all together, we cooked a turkey big enough to be in a pan that could be simmered on two burners at the same time to make the gravy. 

 

Also if you are going to baste the bird every so often, wouldn't that be a not fun chore to pull out a flimsy pan with a big heavy turkey? 

[heidih]

Well do not have to imagine judgement anymore, We do what we do as we can.

[FauxPas]

I'm not using my immersion circulators much at all lately. I donated the Anova and still have two Joules, but can't remember the last time I got them out of their drawer. Not entirely sure why, but the last couple of times I used them it was rather a pain - problems with passwords, app updates, connecting, etc and it took a lot more time than it should to get the water moving. If they weren't so small, I'd consider putting them in the storage room downstairs and then they would absolutely be used NEVER. 😃

 

Almost wished that I had kept the Anova, but I really did dislike its bulk. 

 

Is a non-electric spiralizer an appliance or just a gadget? I bought one back when it was a new craze and paid an awful lot for a hunk of plastic and a few blades. It wasn't a lot of money really, just a lot for what you get and they are half the price now. I think I used it two or three times then hated getting it out, assembling it and using it. Hated almost everything about it, really. I donated it and stick mostly to my Kuhn Rikon Julienne peeler these days. 

 

I had a basic blender once and almost never used it. I tend to use the immersion blender for many things though. 

Edited November 24, 2020 by FauxPas (log)

[Jacksoup]

The juicer I bought after a friend lost 30 lbs juicing.  Never used it. Still have the extra pounds.  The mini blender stick I bought when my cousin worked at Sur La Table. Definitely the spiralizer.  All collecting dust.

[ElsieD]

Does the once used and forever in it's box Brod and Taylor proofer count?

[weinoo]

1 minute ago, ElsieD said:

Does the once used and forever in it's box Brod and Taylor proofer count?

But of course!

[Kim Shook]

20 hours ago, Katie Meadow said:

I can't imagine using a disposable pan for roasting a turkey. Making gravy after the bird gets to sit on a plate isn't a fast process, and involves, at least in my experience, a series of slow processes: deglazing with stock, cooking away excess liquid, adding some type of brown sauce or roux to taste depending on whether you like a thick or thin gravy. When my husband's family was all together, we cooked a turkey big enough to be in a pan that could be simmered on two burners at the same time to make the gravy. 

 

Also if you are going to baste the bird every so often, wouldn't that be a not fun chore to pull out a flimsy pan with a big heavy turkey? 

Well, I put it on top of a baking sheet.  But, to be honest, I cannot remember the last time I roasted a whole turkey in the oven.  I've used my Nesco for at least the last 20 years.  Turkeys are good and all, but the real culinary point of the day to me are the side dishes and whole turkeys take up to much oven real estate!  😁

[Toliver]

3 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

Well, I put it on top of a baking sheet.  But, to be honest, I cannot remember the last time I roasted a whole turkey in the oven.  I've used my Nesco for at least the last 20 years.  Turkeys are good and all, but the real culinary point of the day to me are the side dishes and whole turkeys take up to much oven real estate!  😁

Sunny Anderson of the Food Network was a guest (via Zoom) on today's Rachael Ray show and she suggested if you are looking for a place to keep side dishes warm on Thanksgiving, use your BBQ. Turn the BBQ heat on only on one side and put cookie sheets on the not-heated side to hold your side dishes. Some BBQ's let you set a temp. I think she suggested 250°F.

[dtremit]

On 11/22/2020 at 12:55 PM, mgaretz said:

Hardly ever use my food processor, especially now that I have the slicer/shredder attachments for the KA.

 

OOC -- which KA slicer/shredder do you have? I have been wondering if those were worth investing in, but it seems like there have been a few of them.

[Anna N]

35 minutes ago, Toliver said:

Sunny Anderson of the Food Network was a guest (via Zoom) on today's Rachael Ray show and she suggested if you are looking for a place to keep side dishes warm on Thanksgiving, use your BBQ. Turn the BBQ heat on only on one side and put cookie sheets on the not-heated side to hold your side dishes. Some BBQ's let you set a temp. I think she suggested 250°F.

That would be after you dig the barbeque out from under the snow? And I wonder how well it would hold 250°F when the ambient temperature hovers around 0°.😂

[Toliver]

22 minutes ago, Anna N said:

That would be after you dig the barbeque out from under the snow? And I wonder how well it would hold 250°F when the ambient temperature hovers around 0°.😂

I live in California. What is this thing you call "snow"? 

[ElsieD]

31 minutes ago, Toliver said:

I live in California. What is this thing you call "snow"? 

 

Reminds me of this.....

John was directing an on-line duplicate bridge game a couple of weeks ago and got chatting to this person in Phoenix, Arizona.  She was complaining about how cold it was.  It was 13C there, and 15C here.  John said something along the lines of we think that is balmy this time of year.  She was on-line today and since the temps have dropped here, suggested that she had sent the colder temps our way.  He sent her a picture of the snow on the trees outside our windows.  These trees are evergreens.  Her response was "OMG you have Christmas trees outside your house"!

[mgaretz]

5 hours ago, dtremit said:

 

OOC -- which KA slicer/shredder do you have? I have been wondering if those were worth investing in, but it seems like there have been a few of them.

The original one was not worth buying but the new version is great. 

[dtremit]

2 hours ago, mgaretz said:

The original one was not worth buying but the new version is great. 

 

The ~$50 one that looks like a salad shooter or Mouli grater, though? (Not the ~$150 "food processor" attachment that looks like a tiny Cuisinart.)

[mgaretz]

11 hours ago, dtremit said:

 

The ~$50 one that looks like a salad shooter or Mouli grater, though? (Not the ~$150 "food processor" attachment that looks like a tiny Cuisinart.)

 

This one: https://www.kitchenaid.com/countertop-appliances/stand-mixers/attachments/p.fresh-prep-slicer-shredder-attachment.ksmvsa.html?

 

[Kerry Beal]

On 11/23/2020 at 1:52 PM, weinoo said:

So using a flimsy, oversized pan, on a hot burner with boiling liquids, that you would then pick up to pour into a small saucepan or gravy boat, is a smart thing to do in the kitchen?

Some of the best burns I've seen in the ER have involved these flimsy oversized pans. 

[heidih]

25 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

Some of the best burns I've seen in the ER have involved these flimsy oversized pans. 

Oh you have not seen me + sturdy sheet pan + blazing cheese pizza trip over dog >>> a missed pan landing inside forearms. Months. of pain. The head shaking in the ER was not comforting but we did manage to laugh a bit. They pretended to go order pizza. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

5 hours ago, mgaretz said:

 

This one: https://www.kitchenaid.com/countertop-appliances/stand-mixers/attachments/p.fresh-prep-slicer-shredder-attachment.ksmvsa.html?

 

 

On sale for $39.99.  I have an onion to grate but I don't think delivery would be in time.

 

[Katie Meadow]

On 11/24/2020 at 3:29 PM, Anna N said:

That would be after you dig the barbeque out from under the snow? And I wonder how well it would hold 250°F when the ambient temperature hovers around 0°.😂

You're such a killjoy.

[Anna N]

30 minutes ago, Katie Meadow said:

You're such a killjoy.

And proud of it. 

[SLB]

I can't quite believe I'm saying this, because I perseverated for a full decade before breaking down and purchasing one, but:  the stand mixer.  For a year -- maybe 18 months -- I used it to make a lot of bread, which benefits from a true, anchored dough hook.  

 

And then, life kicked me over to the low-carb lane, so . . .

 

Sigh.  I now make nothing that cannot be done just fine with a hand-held mixer.  Nothing whatsoever.  I make maybe two batches of cookies and not even two cakes a year.  

 

In fact, I think the thing is going on my 2021 ebay pile.  This little exercise was useful!

[JoNorvelleWalker]

@SLB  what about the attachments?

 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

On 11/23/2020 at 10:52 AM, weinoo said:

So using a flimsy, oversized pan, on a hot burner with boiling liquids, that you would then pick up to pour into a small saucepan or gravy boat, is a smart thing to do in the kitchen?

People DO THAT?    I always thought that you cooked your food in proper containers, then transported or sent home leftovers in those recyclable containers.   

[SLB]

1 hour ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

@SLB  what about the attachments?

 

Well.  That's an awfully good point.