What is your favorite kitchen gadget?
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My Benriner mandoline slice. Given how much I use it, and sometimes isn’t careful enough, it’s a surprise I still have all of my fingertips
I don’t own a mandoline for this reason. The finger tips are he arguably the worst cut to have.
Finger webbing is the worst IMO
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Highly underrated, but a good thermometer can help a lot with cooking meats. Getting the right temp is much more accurate than cooking by sight or feel, and having one that reads in under a second is super convenient.Typhur makes some quality ones that I like to use
My mother in-law insists on cooking for a time vs to temp. Dried pork and chicken don’t taste great
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Immersion blender is great functionality for a small size / cost. But for a more gadgety choice, I’d go for my sous-vide / immersion heater. Got gifted it a few years back, but didn’t get round to using it for ages, partly cause I suspected that it was too much of a hassle and wouldn’t make a huge difference to quality.
In reality, it’s really not a lot of trouble, especially if you vacuum pack meat and stuff for storage anyway. And I’ve made all sorts of different meats and marinade and they’ve been reliably great. For something like a pork chop, that can risk be a little dry, but you don’t want undercooked, being able to precisely control the temperature has given me the best, most tender and flavourful pork chop/monkfish/venison I’ve ever eaten.
Similarly, stuff for the bbq, deepfried chicken or even chunky côte du bœuf, where I really want a crispy sear but still need the middle to hit the right temp have all been made so much easier. Really surprised how much use I’ve got out it!
I have a sous vide. Its a great kitchen gadget to have. Favorite use is vacuum sealing sausages like brats, and steaks. Cooking the protein perfectly and then finishing it when needed is reduces food waste and perfectly cooks it.
Bonus, sanitizing eggs so the kiddos can eat the batter or drink the egg nog
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Ninja Foodi combination pressure cooker and convection oven. It also incubates yogurt. Fucking love that thing
Wait, they have a combo device doing both convection and pressure cooker? What black magic is this??
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My favorite is an immersion blender. I have a cord free model. I like to use it making sauces and eggs.
Sauces to hide veggies from my toddler who doesn’t realize the veggies are there for fortification and health.
Eggs I like to blend/whip air into the scramble. Cheese is an easy add too. They are super fluffy and delicious.
As far as cleaning it, I wipe any missed chunks off, put warm water plus soap in a cup, and blend til stiff peaks, JK.
What is your favorite kitchen gadget?
My vacuum sealer, for sure. It’s not only great for prepping to sous vide, it gives me extra room in my tiny freezer if I seal stuff instead of putting it in a container or even a plastic bag. And bonus, I haven’t had a single case of freezer burned meat since I started using it.
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Wait, they have a combo device doing both convection and pressure cooker? What black magic is this??
not at the same time (that would fucking rule though)! basically it has 2 lids, a pressure cooking one, and one with a heating element and fan in the top for convection. between those two lids it also has fermentation incubation, broiling, dehydrating, slow cooking, steaming, air frying (convection baking but it runs the fan fastest), and sear/sautéing (no lid) functions
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I just can’t get with bread machines. The loaves are shaped weird and too wide. And honestly just using a pan hasn’t been bad for me. Though I do have a beefy stand mixer that does the kneading for me.
I found a really nice horizontal loaf style machine at my local thrift store and the loaves come out just like regular store bought loaves. We also use it to knead and proof dough if we’re doing something that needs a different shape. It’s been a game changer for sure.
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I’d say it’s a toss up between my rice cooker and air fryer/toaster/convection oven.
I have a toaster oven. I use it daily, great for holding temp on a lot of foods an rehearsing
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My vacuum sealer, for sure. It’s not only great for prepping to sous vide, it gives me extra room in my tiny freezer if I seal stuff instead of putting it in a container or even a plastic bag. And bonus, I haven’t had a single case of freezer burned meat since I started using it.
This was one of the first things I bought as a single person. Buying meet in bulk was economical. I use to make salsa an freeze it in “pages”. I still use it for all sorts of food
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My favorite is an immersion blender. I have a cord free model. I like to use it making sauces and eggs.
Sauces to hide veggies from my toddler who doesn’t realize the veggies are there for fortification and health.
Eggs I like to blend/whip air into the scramble. Cheese is an easy add too. They are super fluffy and delicious.
As far as cleaning it, I wipe any missed chunks off, put warm water plus soap in a cup, and blend til stiff peaks, JK.
What is your favorite kitchen gadget?
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Big cast iron pan & small cast iron pan. They get the most use.
Actual gadgets - 3-stage knife sharpener.
I have a 12×12 square lodge that sits on my stove. I cook most things on it. Eggs, pancakes, burgers, half-assed hibachi. Its my go too for many things
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Not a gadget exactly, but I love my chef knife! It’s a Kan core chef knife. I have had it for several years now and enjoy using it every time. It is very sharp and is easy to keep sharp. It was not cheap, but not terribly expensive when compared to other professional quality knives. I use it almost every day and it has never disappointed me.
For actual devices in the kitchen, I would say my Kitchenaid stand mixer is my favorite.
A good sharp knife is the best
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I have a toaster oven. I use it daily, great for holding temp on a lot of foods an rehearsing
I swore by my toaster over for over 20 years. Loved it so much is buy the same one from places like Goodwill just to have a spare.
Then Ninja came along with their convection ovens that actually work… Game over.
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My Benriner mandoline slice. Given how much I use it, and sometimes isn’t careful enough, it’s a surprise I still have all of my fingertips
We got a Kevlar glove for just that reason. Still has most of its fingertips
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It gets most use out of making pico de gallo dicing up the onions, the tomatoes, and chopping the cilantro. Anything that can fit and needs to be finely cut, I just use the processor.
Yeah, we just throw our salsa ingredients in and let the processor chop them too
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I have a cheap rice cooker. Works great for steam veggies and cooking rice. Something i learned was rinsing the rice 3+ times. Really helps make the rice not gloopy.
What makes the Zojirushi a stand out?
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Not sure what counts as a “gadget”. If it can be any cooking implement, then my Dutch oven. If it has to be something more “gadget-y” then my rice cooker.
I consider anything that is often used or a favorite item that you use. Downtown have to be daily use item. Just has to bring you happiness. I agree about the CI. I use a 12x12 skillet daily for breakfast and cook most things on it
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Highly underrated, but a good thermometer can help a lot with cooking meats. Getting the right temp is much more accurate than cooking by sight or feel, and having one that reads in under a second is super convenient.Typhur makes some quality ones that I like to use
Seconding, I use my instant read thermometer alot. Whether it something from the oven, airfryer, or stove, especially for fish and chicken, it keeps me from over cooking the meat
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Awesome, these are some serious gadgets, love the concept of that bakers oven.
Yeah, it was a apparently a $50k+ investment. Went great with the blast chiller. This was working for a country club in Aspen.
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Excellent pick. We have a zojirushi as well and that thing is a workhorse in our house.
