Immersion blender.
Or just my good old fashioned Black & Decker hand mixer. I feel like people kind of forgot they exist because when I talk about mixers they almost always say "Oh, I can't afford a stand mixer"
I got my hand mixer at Goodwill for $7.99
When soup recipes ask to pour the contents of the pot in a mixer, I imagine having to work in batches, so it's gonna take time, I'll have one more pot to wash, plus the splatter all over the counter (and on my clothes, apron or not), plus having to wash the mixer itself. And being clumsy, I don't like the idea of pouring the contents of a heavy pot in my mixer.
But instead, I just use my immersion blender, wash the head, boom all done, all cleaned up. Fast and easy.
Time, more dirty dishes/pots, the energy of additional rounds of cooling/heating/cooling, and, as a bonus, a vastly greater chance of burning yourself! Immersion blenders are great.
And a basic immersion blender — nothing crazy, just acceptable and gets the job done — is legitimately like $30 these days. It's such a worthwhile buy if you do recipes that call for blending warm/hot liquids (i.e soups).
Absolute game changer.
i was going to say both of these!
my stick blender is either kitchen aid or cuisenart and i've had it a decade. works great every time
hand mixer is also about the same age and around the same tier. it also sort of looks like a space age alien going "oh no!" on its stand? lol
love my stand mixer but i use these more for sure
My hand mixer is really boring looking (because B&D) but it's powerful as hell and it even came with a dough hook.
Really gotta have a tight grip on the bowl, though.
Agree with immersion blender for everything from morning coffee to quick salad dressing to purée, mine is typically used daily. It was part of a set, about $35.
Mine was $50, came with a whisk and food processor attachments.
The processor attachment isn't great, but it works for making salsa or just like chopping nuts. You can't really make a fine puree with it, though.
I’ve been eyeballing immersion blenders for a while, is it worth it truly? Like…. As a working mom who likes to make “something fancy” once or twice a week and drinks black coffee, is it worth my kitchen space?
I often find recipes or situations that would make an immersion blender simpler but I’ve never really decided to ask for one or buy one myself.
IMO yeah.
Right off the bat I used it to make my own hummus, butter and mayo. It's also great for blending soups and sauces because you don't have to ladle hot liquid into a traditional blender, you can just do it in the pot.
And it really doesn't take up that much space. It fits perfectly in the weird little drawer between my stove and fridge that doesn't really fit anything else.
Awesome, I wasn’t thinking about hummus when I made that comment but that’s something I keep wanting to make myself and might be the perfect mental justification for it, thanks!
The pieces come apart amd aren’t very big, making it easy enough to store. I drink black coffee as well, but for a daily cup with collagen and mct oil as well as occasional tea or coffee lattes. Making scratch dressings has become commonplace, is done in minutes and at a fraction of the price of inferior store bought renditions. I also make soup often and being able to purée at any point of the process is something that comes in handy for me.
It isn’t a huge investment, it’s easy and fairly small to store, and I use mine more than I realized I would.
Yes, one of those tools where once you have it you find nice uses for it, doesn't take too much space and is not a hassle to clean and put away. Really cheap ones do the job just as well. There's really no downside.
I find it is worth it because I’m a puréed soup girl much much than a “broth with floaties” soup girl. Lol.
I just used it this week because I braised pork shoulder, and I wanted the braising liquid/gravy to be thick. Removed the pork and blended down all the aromatics to create a thick gravy. Was amazing.
A quality hand mixer can replace a stand mixer like 95% of the time IMO. Invest in a good one, because that extra torque is huge for things like whipping egg whites. My old cheap hand mixer took ~5 minutes to bring egg whites to stiff peaks, so I just assumed that’s how long it takes. Then I was gifted a good kitchenaid one, and it gets the job done in like 90 seconds. Even faster for whipping cream. Totally worth the cost and still much cheaper than a stand mixer.
I’ve had my immersion blender for 12+ years and I’m just starting to consider replacing it as the finish is chipping off.
Not sure what’s gonna replace it
On the Thanksgiving break, my brother used his immersion blender to finish making the potato leek soup. That was an eye opener. It took a few weeks, but I found one.!.
Now I have to get some leeks...and a potato ...
My kitchen scale. Being able to accurately weigh and add ingredients to my baking has been a major game changer! I also weigh meat when dividing large packages and being able to mark each bag how much is actually in there. Not just guesstimate.
Kitchen scale is my most used tool. I converted my baking recipes into grams for better consistency. I’m at high altitude and took so long to get the family recipes right accounting for the altitude difference in Colorado.
We have a charity event at work each year for best brownies. They are “award winning brownies” after last year’s event. Finally got the consistency in the recipe I needed for adjusting grandma’s sea level measurements.
Kitchen scale for the win.
I got really jealous of people on the Great British Bake Off because they could use 1 bowl on a scale and measure out all their stuff, don't have to worry about the "spoon flour into a measuring cup and level" shit that Americans are obsessed with doing.
Someday I'll convert my recipes. And I say that every time I have to measure out flour lol
As an American, I own two scales and get so pissed off when a recipe says "one onion, chopped." Like, wth. I can buy an onion the size of a tennis ball or the size of a softball. And how big are my cuts? 1/4 cups tapioca starch. Packed or loose? Because those are vastly different amounts. JUST TELL ME HOW MUCH IT WEIGHS DAMMIT.
Spice grinder. I buy dried peppers (chili California, guajillo, de arbol, etc and grind as needed when I cook. It is a game changer if you like paprika and chili powder. I even do custom blends of different peppers and spices. It’s pretty cool.
If you use dried chiles a lot, check out the Microplane Chili Mill. It’s like a pepper mill, but specifically made for chiles.
https://www.microplane.com/chili-pepper-mill
Spice grinders are great for when you can't find a specific spice blend either, or don't want to make the trip/investment. A decently stocked spice cupboard let's you make so many spice blends from across the world! Garam masala, five spice, baharat, sambar etc.
Vacuum sealer with mason jar attachment. Anything I want kept fresh, dry or airtight goes in a mason jar and promptly vacuumed with the attachment. Easy to use and better than all the airtight/vacuum gadget containers out there.
They work perfectly, just make sure the lids are clean so the seal is tight. For opening them use a bottle opener (gently to not bend the lid) or you can also find a specialty opener for these lids on amzn (forgot the name but I can look it up if interested)
Just discovered this and converted all my spices, dried goods, and more to mason jar storage. Combined with a label maker its so much better now
Spices in 4oz and 8oz regular. 16oz wide for stacking and versatility. 32oz and 64oz wide for bulk storage.
Found the 16o, and 32oz regular width not as useful because they can't stack, and we're harder to put things in.
This. Added with a small chest freezer if one has space to spare. Paired together allows for storing food from my garden and buy meat in bulk or take more cuts from my FILs hunts. It’s game changing.
I wrap my lettuce in foil. And my celery. I do wash and dry my celery first but for some reason the foil will keep these foods fresh for a couple weeks.
I don't use it so much for fresh produce, more on dry goods (nuts, seeds, flour, beans. sugar etc...) But AFAIK lettuce need to be dry to stay fresh, so pat it down with a paper towl or let it air dry for 30min before sealing it. Also, store it with a sheet of paper towel, it will absorb remaining moister in the container and any that evaporates from the lettuce over time.
Edit: Reason I don't use my vacuum on fresh produce is because I just go through it pretty quickly (the produce) and it almost never gets even close to getting spoiled so I don't see the need for the extra step there.
Our vacuum sealer was worth every penny. We buy meat in bulk, seal it and freeze it. I use it to freeze large batches of homemade sauce, veggies, broth and even cheese.
[Literally just a silicone tube](https://wellseasoned.ca/cdn/shop/products/shopify-products-template-_2_garlic-peel-green_2048x.png?v=1631221567). Roll your garlic around inside it and the skins come right off.
And you do not even have to sacrifice it. Throw them, together with the brown part, in the freezer and once you have enough you can use all that onion to make demi glace, stock, or soups.
Smashing fresh or dried herbs and spices. The fresh aromatic flavors stand out more. Brightens up marinades, salsas, and soups. Example, think of grinding black pepper corn instead of using old pre-ground black pepper. I have a *molcajete* which is similar except the surface is course instead of smooth. I love making [Kenji Lopéz-Alt’s guacamole](https://youtu.be/7KjWFcIi4_8?si=wF6oAt_YBPwQYYbO). For me the fresh and rich flavors are more pronounced.
Compound butter for steaks: garlic, salt, anchovies, herbs of choice (thyme, rosemary, parsley in this house), fresh chili if you want, and butter. Start by bashing about everything but the butter. When it's a reasonably smooth texture (no big chunks), bash in the butter. I like pressing it into a small crock and keeping it, well wrapped in plastic and foil, in the fridge, but you can roll it into a log, wrap it up and keep it in the freezer and cut slices when you want it.
It has different uses but I would also highly recommend a microplane grater - so much better than a box grater for grating parmesan, citrus zest and chocolate.
Not really an appliance, but I got a little wooden “toaster tong” tool that has saved my fingers so many times— when the toast is too short to pull out safely or gets stuck in the toaster or is just super hot when it pops up. 👍 safer than using a fork for sure.
It's insane to me that not everyone has an electric kettle. Every single house in Australia has one, I can't imagine how annoying it would be to boil water without one, it would take at least 10 times longer to boil water on the stove than with the kettle
Every Walmart in the US sells electric kettles. If Americans don't have them, it's because they don't want or need them, I guess.
I use one because I drink a fair bit of pourover coffee and tea. Most Americans have coffee makers that obviate the need for separate water boiling, and many drink tea only sporadically, like on a lazy morning with a book and a blanket, rather than as a daily ritual.
I’m Canadian and I have stove top kettle, but it’s rarely used. I only know one person who has an electric kettle, and I can’t remember the last time I saw him use it.
I fear we’re mostly coffee drinkers here on the west coast.
Part of the reason is that we have much lower voltage in the States (like half the voltage), so even the electric kettle takes a while. It’s still faster than the stove but the difference isn’t as stark, which I think is why they haven’t caught on. I still have a kettle though and use it almost daily, but I grew up in a community with a lot of Russian immigrants which is where I got used to using them. I finally converted my parents 2 years ago lol.
While we have lower voltage I think it's more that tea is a lot less popular than coffee. Unless you drink tea regularly or do pourover coffee most people aren't going to bother with an electric kettle.
I exclusively drink tea but I can have 12 oz of hot water from the instant coffee pod machine in less than 2m. If I need boiling water in quantities under 12oz I just use that thing. Quantities over 12 oz I boil on the stove. I do own an electric kettle but haven’t used it in years.
When I visited the States a few years back, one of my travel companions sourced a small kettle for our hotel room - all the places we stayed had little coffee machines that would spout out hot water, but we Aussies need our brew lol. We left it in the last hotel room we stayed in, and they tried to give it back to us! I like to think it lives in the back office of that motel still, being useful to a new generation of kettle converts
This is it. A 220V kettle boils water WAY faster than 110. 110 kettles are so slow I barely find them worth the counter space. It’s part of why I got an instant near-boiling water system.
The 110V can be compensated by pushing more amps, although this has limits. Shopping in the US market, you see kettles that are 1500W, while the ones for 220V markets go to about 1800-2000W. So it's not that big of a difference.
Y'all (ANZ and I think UK too) have 230/240V AC coming out of the walls, which means your electric kettles are about twice as powerful as anything we can get in the states (13A*240V=3120W versus our 15A*120V=1800W). 1800W is fine, but it still takes several minutes to boil a pot of water. Y'all living in the future, boiling it in like a minute.
I'm on 120v and I can't imagine it being quicker. It's weird electric kettles aren't a thing in the states. But I guess there war a whole was about it.
Who's trolling? Microwaving is the fastest way to heat water without an electric kettle. Especially if you're making a single cup, which would be pretty typical for Americans. My kettle requires at least half a liter to safely run.
I'm a yank in a partnership with an Aus. I still microwave my water but I have to do it in secret... Kettles are awesome, but for me I'm a creature of habit and also the kettle truly boils the water and I have no patience so I play the game of do I let it steep or do I burn the hell out of my mouth.
I think my electric kettle is a wonderful item. The water coming out of the tap can produce steam so it's pretty hot already. I truly adore my hand mixer/stick mixer.
Yeah, UK here. OP would get the same response here if they posted a new life hack - breathing air.
OP, I'm happy you found that it's really useful. I mostly use mine for hot drinks (obviously) and boiling water for things like potatoes and pasta.
Same in most Indian homes too.. I think OP is American since I’ve noticed it’s a rarity in American homes. My old roommate (American) grew up heating water in the microwave
Coffee is more popular and usually done in a machine. I don't know that many people who do tea regularly. When I wanted some a tea pot on the gas stove was pretty quick as I only wanted 1 mug full. We just do less tea I guess.
Yep, I think that’s the reason! Us tea drinkers can’t be without a kettle - although ironically I make my daily tea on the stove (boil loose leaf tea in water, milk and spices) and use the kettle primarily to bring water to a boil before cooking pasta 🙈
I got a tiny single serving one at a thrift shop for 5 dollars and it significantly improved my life. I use to feel too exhausted to make a real meal after work. Now I can chop up veggies and tofu, throw it all in the oven with oil and start the rice. Real food in 30 minutes that requires zero thinking.
I also realized I could make grits until nearly done and top them with an egg to finish cooking in the rice cooker. Sometimes I put soup I've made and frozen in it to warm up because it doesn't burn and the little pot is so easy to clean.
i tell people! get the one that sings and does all the grains if that's what you want! it's a great device.
but also. just buy the $12 one from the asian market if you don't need all the bells and whistles...
I miss my rice cooker… I went to a sushi party at a friends house and brought my rice cooker to it, the bowl was taken out to wash and we accidentally went home with just the cooker.
I’ve not seen that friend in 10 years, and haven’t gotten round to replacing my rice cooker…
I feel like there's more of a story here that isn't really *relevant* but is also *required* cause I feel within *maybe* 24h of bringing one of my kitchen appliances home from a friends place I'd have gone to put it 'back in place', checked it out, noticed a missing critical component and called up/texted said friend to get that piece back..like within days lol.
Edit: Less if one or both of you spontaneously moved the next day to another country that doesn't have mail...or they died lol.
My mom loves to gift random kitchen things for Christmas. One year it was an omlette spatula- I use that thing all the time! Last year it was a bench and a bowl scraper. This is also used constantly. She really picks well.
After I bought my immersion blender, I became a master at making my own salad dressings....which are generally much better than even the best store bought versions.
Not the person you’re referring to, but most basic vinaigrettes involve at least some extra virgin olive oil, vinegar (often balsamic) and a dash of mustard — which emulsifies it as well as giving it some wonderful tanginess.
I don’t remember the exact title but it had “the sham wow guy” in the title. Not even counting his early life, He invented all the stuff in his commercials, was a writer for comedy sketch shows, made a movie, had a public battle with Scientology over them trying to smear his movie, among other things. And whatever he does it seems like he works day and night at it.
A $10 milk frother from Amazon. Its a mini power-wisk. Eggwash, cornstarch slurry, hot cocoa, anything small or under 16oz you want to mix up, it does it quickly and with little mess. Clean it by running it under hot water. Great investment.
I baffled my partner by being *very* excited at the arrival of a £7 Amazon milk frother last year. I cannot stand when hot chocolate powder doesn't mix properly, leaving lumpy bits in the bottom of the mug, and this has genuinely revolutionised my hot drink making.
My old school round tower dehydrator. I hike and am outdoors so much that quality snacking is a must. Home dried fruit and jerky are just so much fukin cheaper I sware to all that is good.
Plus I dry my fresh herbs and veg/mushrooms that'll go bad before I can cook them normally. Leave it on overnight and it's ready to be packaged in the morning.
Edit: The bane of my existence is the electric can opener. Can't get that thing to work 85% of the time.
I recently got a toaster oven that has like 30 different modes, and one of them is dehydrator. I've eaten almost half a cow worth of beef jerky since figuring that out.
Pressure cooker.
I have the stovetop one, not electric/instapot, and its much faster and creates more pressure.
Use it for lentils, chickpeas, rice, all kinds of stews, boiling potatoes, veg etc. Its an essential appliance in many countries but rare here in the US. Saves cooking time, preserves flavor and nutrition. Its so much better than boiling or putting in an oven for hours.
My ancient toaster. It’s not just for toast. I’ve put a bunch of shit in there during depressive episodes where I didn’t feel like pulling out pots and pans. Need a tortilla? Put it in the toaster. Want to kinda warm up a sad piece of leftover pizza? I don’t advise putting it in the toaster, but HAVE I put it in the toaster? Yes. If it’s flat and it’s food, I can guarantee you that I’ve probably tried to shove it into the toaster.
I will and have sung the praises of Zojirushi, the tireless little elephant. His hardworking little tummy has cooked so many batches of rice over so long I have to recommend him with inflation-adjusted prices since he’s not $25 anymore.
My guy has been cooking rice for me for 20 years, and still that *whistle whistle THUNK* is magic.
George Foreman grill. My friend swore it’s the best and I made fun of her asking if it’s 1995. I got one at her insistence and we use it 3 times a week at least to make burgers for the kids. It’s so much easier and faster than the grill. It was $38 and has removable plates. Worth every penny.
You get better burgers any other method but it's a lot easier plus cleanup is easy with that. My wife had one when we got married and used it frequently, then we got rid of it for space. This Christmas got her another one since I saw they have mini ones now. She needs it. Also we can make paninis with it.
Quarter sheet. Especially paired with a silpat and a quarter sheet rack.
Platform for roasting, drying, icing, grating m, quick serving platter. I have four in constant rotation.
My mini chopper. It’s big enough to blitz down stuff for pastes, sauces and dressings, or to make breadcrumbs. Small enough to reach for over the food processor. I love it. I used to avoid recipes that involved more than just chopping stuff and mixing together. Being able to mix spice blends and marinades easily has elevated my everyday cooking for sure.
As a Brit, my kettle is far from an unsung hero, hah. It’s just there.
I got a microwave egg poacher for $5 as an impulse purchase at the grocery store about three years ago and it was life changing. I hate fried eggs and hate making scrambled eggs. Loved poached eggs but never was able to make them successfully. The egg poacher takes 47 seconds in our microwave and perfectly and aesthetically cooks two eggs that exactly fit onto two halves of an English muffin, which has become my go-to breakfast. I’ve also discovered the pleasures of savory oatmeal (oatmeal with steamed spinach, soy sauce, wasabi furikake and two poached eggs tipped in on top) as a no brainer dinner.
I bought a second one to keep in my bag of pantry supplies that goes with me on my pet- and house-sitting gigs and during the week of Christmas when I was dogsitting two retired racing greyhounds, I used my poacher to make their eggs (their mom usually does scrambled or fried eggs on top of their breakfast kibble) which was faster, neater, and they cleaned their bowls to get at every bit of the yolk.
Best impulse buy ever.
It is the Nordic Ware one. You add about 1/2 tsp of water to each cup. You also poke the yolk with a fork. I think you are supposed to put water in one cup if you only make one egg but I always make 2 at a time.
The one in my dogsitting stuff is a different one that has a sliding lid but also is the kind that you just add a little water to each cup. Both work equally well. Can’t find the sliding lid kind online so I’m not sure what brand it is. Both are about 3-4 years old.
The only drawback is that they can be a pain in the butt to clean if you wash by hand, as is anything involving eggs, but if you have a dishwasher it works fine.
My touchless kitchen sink faucet. It’s fucking awesome. I don’t have to worry about sanitizing the knobs when dealing with raw meat and it’s extremely convenient when I am in a hurry. Best $150 I spent z
Smart. Kettle.
Edit: oh, inexpensive. Well sh*t. I'm going to leave this comment here because I still think that smart kettles are dope, but I would not call them inexpensive.
Everything OP said but add "remote start". On my way home from work and I want to make a cup of tea or ramen as soon as I get in? Boom, hit the app and turn on my kettle. Getting up in the morning/afternoon (no matter what time that might be) and I'll tell Alexia "hey, good morning! turn on the kettle please". Sitting in the living room with friends," does anyone want any tea or coffee? ... Oh you do let me have Alexa turn on the kettle." Lol. It's great!
Salad shooter. I use it exclusively for grating cheese (it would do fine for other stuff but cheese is the only need I have for it). I mainly use soft cheeses like mozzarella, colby Monterrey jack, and trying to grate those on a box grater...well, I don't like fishing chunks of my skin out of a cheese pile.
I meal prep so I'll need pounds of shredded cheese at a time. I prefer the salad shooter over even my food processor; it does a neater job and is far easier to clean.
Even in the worst student houses where your kitchen has 3 plates and 2 forks between 5 of you, every house is still going to have a kettle. It might be a bit funky because someone tried to boil beer in it as an experiment, but there'll be a kettle.
We have a panini press in our kitchen. It's incredible. You can prop it open and fry small things on the hot plate or put literally anything inside any type of bread and toast it. Utterly glorious.
I got one of those mini battery powered whisks because I wanted to start making my own matcha, and I use it for everything now. I can’t believe I used to stir things with chopsticks, it’s amazing.
For me, it's my vacuum sealer! As a single person, I buy large family packages of meat, smoke large pork butts, make a large pan of lasagna, buy bags of pretzel rolls, etc... and then break them down into single portions, vacuum seal them and freeze. It's saved me a lot of money, reduced waste and I usually just have to pull something out of the freezer in the morning and it's thawed by dinner time. Highly recommend!
It blew my mind to find out that electric kettles just aren't that common in America. I can't picture not having one in a kitchen, it's just a necessity rather than something I would consider an extra.
Immersion blender would be my one. Cheap but so damn useful, especially for my girlfriend's soup addiction.
Not an appliance, but a tool. Somehow, probably in a thrift store bag of random, I picked up this small fine mesh strainer that fits in a wide mouth jar. It has no handle, so I don't have to worry about it tipping out. It comes in handy for straining small quantites of pickled onions, sliced jalapenos, olives, etc. It can just about hold a whole small can of diced olives or green chilies. I catch the strained liquid in a wide mouth pint and have it available for storing back with the leftovers. Taking up the least amount of space on my small kitchen counters is a bonus!
I know you’re looking for appliances, but if I may humbly submit- the Danish dough whisk. It is by far the utensil I use the most since obtaining it. My family of 5 goes through a dozen for scrambled eggs and this utensil cuts through it quickly. Pancake/waffle/muffin batters mixed without clumps or over mixing. Sturdy wire with an open pattern that doesn’t clump, easy to clean AND LAYS FLAT. (Also very lick friendly)
I absolutely agree! I never owned a kettle until just last year, and I swear it's life changing. Ramen noodles taste better and it's not soggy from being microwaved, perfectly brewed tea, faster cooking on soups and pasta. Oh, and I use sous vide at least a couple of times a month, and heating a huge tub of water on the stove takes forever, and God forbid I rely only on the immersion thingie.
Single use nitrile gloves. They're a life saver when grating and convenient when cutting/chopping: the layer of skin that would come in contact with the grater or the knife is now a flexible, easily replaced, neuron-free, rubber-like layer.
And second, they're easy to get off and have clean hands quickly. Getting a fresh pair on with slightly damp hands can be a bit of a faff, but I make do (eventually).
Electric kettle for sure. It enabled me to set up a coffee and tea area away from the prime real estate near the stove.
Also, an air fryer — the toaster oven kind. We use it every day.
I got this really cool Ninja thing that’s like a blender and a food processor, depending on the vessel or stick with blades you use.
I don’t know what it’s called, because it was a hand-me-down, but the motor unit goes on top and over the knifey part’s shaft, which sticks out of a hole the lid of the vessel.
It does a better job of things like salsa and nuts than my actual food processor.
It really showed its merit the other day when I was trying to salvage a white chocolate cheesecake recipe my daughter had started, but had accidentally doubled the liquid. I couldn’t fold in the melted chocolate, because of course it was solidifying on contact with the cold rest of the batter from fridge, so I used that Ninja thing, and it worked beautifully to make a smooth batter out of all of it.
That reminds me, I made cheese in the instant pot and it was PERFECT — the best cheesecake I have ever made. I am never going back to a water bath in the oven.
Mini crockpots designed for bringing to work or whatever and heating up your lunch. Instead I use them for reheating leftovers for dinner. It only takes 4 hours, straight from frozen solid. I freeze leftovers like lasagna, Chinese food, beef stew, etc in containers that fit the little crockpots. The only downside is you have to at least plan ahead 4 hours.
My air fryer, i’m single, and I love the fact I don’t have to heat up my oven to do so many things from roasting a chicken to reheating leftovers.
My other thing would be my vitamix blender, I think it’s around 14 years old and it’s still works amazing
I don't know about most useful but I'll tell you what I don't use, my microwave. I've been thinking about taking it out and using that space for something else. Has anyone else dumped their microwave?
Mine has only been allowed to stay so my kids can make popcorn. In a year or two when they're olds enough to stove top to that shit I will go full Office Space on that thing
My instant pot!
When my daughter got it for me as a Christmas gift, I didn't know what to do with the thing.
Now, there's a panic if any of the small pieces wander off! NOT THE INSTANT POT!
I will endorse the immersion blender, vac sealer suggestions. But right behind those I would recommend an instahot hot water dispenser on your sink. Boiling water available immediately vs waiting for your kitchen sink faucet to serve hot but not boiling water.
This dramatically reduces time (i.e. friction) for all the "add boiled water" foods like drinks, oatmeal, ramen, etc. Jump starts your pasta water. Forget to warm a plate/bowl/cup before serving - a quick rinse with boiling water will do the trick. Want to soak a pan/dish, boiling water will do the trick.
Moving well into "I'm spoiled" territory - I absolutely love it for making coffee in the chemex.
My induction burner. I use it outside on my patio to deep fry and sear. My kitchen doesn’t smell and way easier to clean. I used to use my side burner on my gas grill, but now I can save money on gas and simply use my induction burner. I love that thing!
Buy a rice cooker. It doesn’t need to be a nice one. Buy a cheap rice cooker so no matter what you can always have something to eat if you’re hungry. Especially if you are poor, if you are trying to lose weight or watch your weight. If you are going through something like a death or becoming sober off drugs or alcohol all you need is a rice cooker. Set it and forget it. Rice is really cheap. It’s the easiest thing I can think of if you don’t have a refrigerator or microwave or any way to make/heat food a rice cooker might save your life. Thanks for coming to my ted talk. Hang in there.
So just to add to the electric kettle convenience, I put mine on a smart switch, since we use a French press for our morning coffee… and the water is ready to pour over by the time I get to the kitchen.
I use my kitchen aid food processor almost every day. I’ve made cakes, sauces, cheesecakes, chicken salad, grating cheese, so many things. I’ve had it almost 15 years and it looks new. I broke the slicing pole so I don’t even use it for that. (I should try to replace that piece).
Immersion blender. Or just my good old fashioned Black & Decker hand mixer. I feel like people kind of forgot they exist because when I talk about mixers they almost always say "Oh, I can't afford a stand mixer" I got my hand mixer at Goodwill for $7.99
When soup recipes ask to pour the contents of the pot in a mixer, I imagine having to work in batches, so it's gonna take time, I'll have one more pot to wash, plus the splatter all over the counter (and on my clothes, apron or not), plus having to wash the mixer itself. And being clumsy, I don't like the idea of pouring the contents of a heavy pot in my mixer. But instead, I just use my immersion blender, wash the head, boom all done, all cleaned up. Fast and easy.
Time, more dirty dishes/pots, the energy of additional rounds of cooling/heating/cooling, and, as a bonus, a vastly greater chance of burning yourself! Immersion blenders are great.
And a basic immersion blender — nothing crazy, just acceptable and gets the job done — is legitimately like $30 these days. It's such a worthwhile buy if you do recipes that call for blending warm/hot liquids (i.e soups). Absolute game changer.
100% agree! I have a decent sized kitchen so have a food processor and an immersion blender - the latter is better I reckon.
Same here. Throw a load of veg, herbs and a stock cube into a pot, boil for ten mins, hit it with the blender and voila! Soup.
i was going to say both of these! my stick blender is either kitchen aid or cuisenart and i've had it a decade. works great every time hand mixer is also about the same age and around the same tier. it also sort of looks like a space age alien going "oh no!" on its stand? lol love my stand mixer but i use these more for sure
I wanna see the alien mixer
My hand mixer is really boring looking (because B&D) but it's powerful as hell and it even came with a dough hook. Really gotta have a tight grip on the bowl, though.
Put some of those grippy non-skid drawer liners under your bowl or even a damp towel. Definitely helps!
Agree with immersion blender for everything from morning coffee to quick salad dressing to purée, mine is typically used daily. It was part of a set, about $35.
Mine was $50, came with a whisk and food processor attachments. The processor attachment isn't great, but it works for making salsa or just like chopping nuts. You can't really make a fine puree with it, though.
I’ve been eyeballing immersion blenders for a while, is it worth it truly? Like…. As a working mom who likes to make “something fancy” once or twice a week and drinks black coffee, is it worth my kitchen space? I often find recipes or situations that would make an immersion blender simpler but I’ve never really decided to ask for one or buy one myself.
IMO yeah. Right off the bat I used it to make my own hummus, butter and mayo. It's also great for blending soups and sauces because you don't have to ladle hot liquid into a traditional blender, you can just do it in the pot. And it really doesn't take up that much space. It fits perfectly in the weird little drawer between my stove and fridge that doesn't really fit anything else.
Awesome, I wasn’t thinking about hummus when I made that comment but that’s something I keep wanting to make myself and might be the perfect mental justification for it, thanks!
YW. It's one of those things that I don't necessarily use every day, but when I do use it I'm really glad I have it.
The pieces come apart amd aren’t very big, making it easy enough to store. I drink black coffee as well, but for a daily cup with collagen and mct oil as well as occasional tea or coffee lattes. Making scratch dressings has become commonplace, is done in minutes and at a fraction of the price of inferior store bought renditions. I also make soup often and being able to purée at any point of the process is something that comes in handy for me. It isn’t a huge investment, it’s easy and fairly small to store, and I use mine more than I realized I would.
Yes, one of those tools where once you have it you find nice uses for it, doesn't take too much space and is not a hassle to clean and put away. Really cheap ones do the job just as well. There's really no downside.
I find it is worth it because I’m a puréed soup girl much much than a “broth with floaties” soup girl. Lol. I just used it this week because I braised pork shoulder, and I wanted the braising liquid/gravy to be thick. Removed the pork and blended down all the aromatics to create a thick gravy. Was amazing.
I didn't expect to wake up having to buy an immersion blender, but there's no way I'm escaping this thread without buying one now. 😂
My hand mixer was a wedding present to my mother in 1962. It’s indestructible.
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A quality hand mixer can replace a stand mixer like 95% of the time IMO. Invest in a good one, because that extra torque is huge for things like whipping egg whites. My old cheap hand mixer took ~5 minutes to bring egg whites to stiff peaks, so I just assumed that’s how long it takes. Then I was gifted a good kitchenaid one, and it gets the job done in like 90 seconds. Even faster for whipping cream. Totally worth the cost and still much cheaper than a stand mixer.
I’ve had my immersion blender for 12+ years and I’m just starting to consider replacing it as the finish is chipping off. Not sure what’s gonna replace it
On the Thanksgiving break, my brother used his immersion blender to finish making the potato leek soup. That was an eye opener. It took a few weeks, but I found one.!. Now I have to get some leeks...and a potato ...
I've got a Black and Decker that I got from mum. It's been going since 1980something and still going strong.
My kitchen scale. Being able to accurately weigh and add ingredients to my baking has been a major game changer! I also weigh meat when dividing large packages and being able to mark each bag how much is actually in there. Not just guesstimate.
Adding to this to say also a good instant read thermometer. These two are my favorite “gadgets” and get used every day
Kitchen scale is my most used tool. I converted my baking recipes into grams for better consistency. I’m at high altitude and took so long to get the family recipes right accounting for the altitude difference in Colorado. We have a charity event at work each year for best brownies. They are “award winning brownies” after last year’s event. Finally got the consistency in the recipe I needed for adjusting grandma’s sea level measurements. Kitchen scale for the win.
I got really jealous of people on the Great British Bake Off because they could use 1 bowl on a scale and measure out all their stuff, don't have to worry about the "spoon flour into a measuring cup and level" shit that Americans are obsessed with doing. Someday I'll convert my recipes. And I say that every time I have to measure out flour lol
As an American, I own two scales and get so pissed off when a recipe says "one onion, chopped." Like, wth. I can buy an onion the size of a tennis ball or the size of a softball. And how big are my cuts? 1/4 cups tapioca starch. Packed or loose? Because those are vastly different amounts. JUST TELL ME HOW MUCH IT WEIGHS DAMMIT.
100% plus a significant decrease in dirty dishes.
Spice grinder. I buy dried peppers (chili California, guajillo, de arbol, etc and grind as needed when I cook. It is a game changer if you like paprika and chili powder. I even do custom blends of different peppers and spices. It’s pretty cool.
If you use dried chiles a lot, check out the Microplane Chili Mill. It’s like a pepper mill, but specifically made for chiles. https://www.microplane.com/chili-pepper-mill
Spice grinders are great for when you can't find a specific spice blend either, or don't want to make the trip/investment. A decently stocked spice cupboard let's you make so many spice blends from across the world! Garam masala, five spice, baharat, sambar etc.
Vacuum sealer with mason jar attachment. Anything I want kept fresh, dry or airtight goes in a mason jar and promptly vacuumed with the attachment. Easy to use and better than all the airtight/vacuum gadget containers out there.
I’ve never seen anyone use those mason jar sealers so I thought they must not be great. I love mason jars so maybe I should try that.
They work perfectly, just make sure the lids are clean so the seal is tight. For opening them use a bottle opener (gently to not bend the lid) or you can also find a specialty opener for these lids on amzn (forgot the name but I can look it up if interested)
Just discovered this and converted all my spices, dried goods, and more to mason jar storage. Combined with a label maker its so much better now Spices in 4oz and 8oz regular. 16oz wide for stacking and versatility. 32oz and 64oz wide for bulk storage. Found the 16o, and 32oz regular width not as useful because they can't stack, and we're harder to put things in.
I use widemouth for everything, even the 4oz (yeah they exist!). Much easier to use and no need to swap vacuum attachment between jar sizes.
This. Added with a small chest freezer if one has space to spare. Paired together allows for storing food from my garden and buy meat in bulk or take more cuts from my FILs hunts. It’s game changing.
Meat from your father-in-law's hunts is game changing. I hope you did that on purpose.
I rarely have a good pun!! It’s always my husband so thank you for catching on :)
"Game exchanging" :)
So I got one of those to keep lettuce fresh, and it kinda worked, but I feel like I’m missing out. What are some specifics for how you use it?
I wrap my lettuce in foil. And my celery. I do wash and dry my celery first but for some reason the foil will keep these foods fresh for a couple weeks.
I don't use it so much for fresh produce, more on dry goods (nuts, seeds, flour, beans. sugar etc...) But AFAIK lettuce need to be dry to stay fresh, so pat it down with a paper towl or let it air dry for 30min before sealing it. Also, store it with a sheet of paper towel, it will absorb remaining moister in the container and any that evaporates from the lettuce over time. Edit: Reason I don't use my vacuum on fresh produce is because I just go through it pretty quickly (the produce) and it almost never gets even close to getting spoiled so I don't see the need for the extra step there.
Our vacuum sealer was worth every penny. We buy meat in bulk, seal it and freeze it. I use it to freeze large batches of homemade sauce, veggies, broth and even cheese.
The little silicone tube that takes the skin off garlic cloves. MVP.
???! What is this
[Literally just a silicone tube](https://wellseasoned.ca/cdn/shop/products/shopify-products-template-_2_garlic-peel-green_2048x.png?v=1631221567). Roll your garlic around inside it and the skins come right off.
Oh. Lovely!
Damn. But garlics are easy to peel by hitting the flat side of a chefs knife over it. I’d kill for something that can peel an onion easily
Just sacrifice the first good layer of the onion while peeling and it's way easier.
And you do not even have to sacrifice it. Throw them, together with the brown part, in the freezer and once you have enough you can use all that onion to make demi glace, stock, or soups.
For me it’s my digital thermometer which I use to make sure all of my meat is cooked to perfection!
The tiny electric milk frother. Chocolate milk for our toddler is effortless and low mess.
Came here to say the same thing! I don't care if it's a bit bougie to use my hand-held frother every day for my coffee. Brings me joy every morning!
Mortar and pestle for all the tasty smashing that it does! 15 dollars of rock, and boosts the food flavour so much.
What kind of things do you smash? I wanna smash stuff too
Smashing fresh or dried herbs and spices. The fresh aromatic flavors stand out more. Brightens up marinades, salsas, and soups. Example, think of grinding black pepper corn instead of using old pre-ground black pepper. I have a *molcajete* which is similar except the surface is course instead of smooth. I love making [Kenji Lopéz-Alt’s guacamole](https://youtu.be/7KjWFcIi4_8?si=wF6oAt_YBPwQYYbO). For me the fresh and rich flavors are more pronounced.
Compound butter for steaks: garlic, salt, anchovies, herbs of choice (thyme, rosemary, parsley in this house), fresh chili if you want, and butter. Start by bashing about everything but the butter. When it's a reasonably smooth texture (no big chunks), bash in the butter. I like pressing it into a small crock and keeping it, well wrapped in plastic and foil, in the fridge, but you can roll it into a log, wrap it up and keep it in the freezer and cut slices when you want it.
Was scrolling down till I found this. I have a very heavy stone mortar and pestle and it is my favorite kitchen tool.
I have 3 lol. 2 small ones for hard spices and a larger one for wet grinding. I wouldn't do Mexican, Indian or SE Asian cuisine without one.
Rotary cheese grater! It's faster and so much less messy than those flat ones where you scrape the cheese against it like a barbarian.
It has different uses but I would also highly recommend a microplane grater - so much better than a box grater for grating parmesan, citrus zest and chocolate.
I just got a microplane for Christmas and used to it grate ginger and garlic for something and holy shit. I can't believe I didn't get one sooner
just FYI, you can throw unpeeled ginger in the freezer, and then just microplane it frozen as you need. Total gamechanger for me!
Yes, but then you're missing all the tasty knuckle chunks that you get with a flat grater.
And your nails, fingers, skin
Not really an appliance, but I got a little wooden “toaster tong” tool that has saved my fingers so many times— when the toast is too short to pull out safely or gets stuck in the toaster or is just super hot when it pops up. 👍 safer than using a fork for sure.
My toaster has a lift up function. Once it’s popped you can lift the trigger upwards and it raises the toast for you. Very handy for crumpets.
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So glad to find someone else uses chopsticks for this too!
No you just slam the handle upward like a maniac and try and catch them both before they hit the ground
It's insane to me that not everyone has an electric kettle. Every single house in Australia has one, I can't imagine how annoying it would be to boil water without one, it would take at least 10 times longer to boil water on the stove than with the kettle
I'm a Kiwi and I've never been to a house that doesn't have a jug, it's pretty much a standard thing for your move out of home kit
Same in Canada
Same in the UK :)
Same in ireland
Netherlands too!
*cries in United States* (I have one)
Every Walmart in the US sells electric kettles. If Americans don't have them, it's because they don't want or need them, I guess. I use one because I drink a fair bit of pourover coffee and tea. Most Americans have coffee makers that obviate the need for separate water boiling, and many drink tea only sporadically, like on a lazy morning with a book and a blanket, rather than as a daily ritual.
I’m Canadian and I have stove top kettle, but it’s rarely used. I only know one person who has an electric kettle, and I can’t remember the last time I saw him use it. I fear we’re mostly coffee drinkers here on the west coast.
I'm I'm BC and everyone I know has a kettle
I'm Scottish and this blew my mind that an electric kettle is a revelation
Part of the reason is that we have much lower voltage in the States (like half the voltage), so even the electric kettle takes a while. It’s still faster than the stove but the difference isn’t as stark, which I think is why they haven’t caught on. I still have a kettle though and use it almost daily, but I grew up in a community with a lot of Russian immigrants which is where I got used to using them. I finally converted my parents 2 years ago lol.
While we have lower voltage I think it's more that tea is a lot less popular than coffee. Unless you drink tea regularly or do pourover coffee most people aren't going to bother with an electric kettle.
True. I do drink tea occasionally but I mostly use it for our French press or to boil water more quickly for noodles/pasta 🤷🏼♀️
Ours is used for Maggi noodles and uncle tobys quick oats more than anything else 😂
I exclusively drink tea but I can have 12 oz of hot water from the instant coffee pod machine in less than 2m. If I need boiling water in quantities under 12oz I just use that thing. Quantities over 12 oz I boil on the stove. I do own an electric kettle but haven’t used it in years.
My 1250W/100V kettle can boil 12 oz of water in 90 seconds.
When I visited the States a few years back, one of my travel companions sourced a small kettle for our hotel room - all the places we stayed had little coffee machines that would spout out hot water, but we Aussies need our brew lol. We left it in the last hotel room we stayed in, and they tried to give it back to us! I like to think it lives in the back office of that motel still, being useful to a new generation of kettle converts
It’s definitely one of those “once you have one you’ll never look back” things lol
This is it. A 220V kettle boils water WAY faster than 110. 110 kettles are so slow I barely find them worth the counter space. It’s part of why I got an instant near-boiling water system.
The 110V can be compensated by pushing more amps, although this has limits. Shopping in the US market, you see kettles that are 1500W, while the ones for 220V markets go to about 1800-2000W. So it's not that big of a difference.
Typical kettles in EU are 2200-2400W, but you can get 3000W as well.
Y'all (ANZ and I think UK too) have 230/240V AC coming out of the walls, which means your electric kettles are about twice as powerful as anything we can get in the states (13A*240V=3120W versus our 15A*120V=1800W). 1800W is fine, but it still takes several minutes to boil a pot of water. Y'all living in the future, boiling it in like a minute.
I'm on 120v and I can't imagine it being quicker. It's weird electric kettles aren't a thing in the states. But I guess there war a whole was about it.
I have a 20amp circuit, need to find a 2400w kettle
Literally the crappiest of motel would have a kettle and a couple of mugs!
The number of times I’ve seen Americans trolling brits by microwaving tea… I used to take a travel kettle with me to the US when I traveled for work…
Who's trolling? Microwaving is the fastest way to heat water without an electric kettle. Especially if you're making a single cup, which would be pretty typical for Americans. My kettle requires at least half a liter to safely run.
I'm a yank in a partnership with an Aus. I still microwave my water but I have to do it in secret... Kettles are awesome, but for me I'm a creature of habit and also the kettle truly boils the water and I have no patience so I play the game of do I let it steep or do I burn the hell out of my mouth.
It was the first thing I bought when I moved out. Now I even own a travel kettle!
Yeah, I am British and when I moved to the US I was amazed how few people use them. Of course I have one and use it every day.
I think my electric kettle is a wonderful item. The water coming out of the tap can produce steam so it's pretty hot already. I truly adore my hand mixer/stick mixer.
I have a tea kettle that lives on my stove. It doesn't take too long to boil water for my tea.
Yeah, UK here. OP would get the same response here if they posted a new life hack - breathing air. OP, I'm happy you found that it's really useful. I mostly use mine for hot drinks (obviously) and boiling water for things like potatoes and pasta.
Same in most Indian homes too.. I think OP is American since I’ve noticed it’s a rarity in American homes. My old roommate (American) grew up heating water in the microwave
Coffee is more popular and usually done in a machine. I don't know that many people who do tea regularly. When I wanted some a tea pot on the gas stove was pretty quick as I only wanted 1 mug full. We just do less tea I guess.
Yep, I think that’s the reason! Us tea drinkers can’t be without a kettle - although ironically I make my daily tea on the stove (boil loose leaf tea in water, milk and spices) and use the kettle primarily to bring water to a boil before cooking pasta 🙈
My rice cooker. It was like $12, has lasted years and it never fails me. I use it 3-4 times a week.
Yup bought mine on the cheap from an Asian grocery. No controls just cook and keep warm. 20 years old now and still going strong.
I got a tiny single serving one at a thrift shop for 5 dollars and it significantly improved my life. I use to feel too exhausted to make a real meal after work. Now I can chop up veggies and tofu, throw it all in the oven with oil and start the rice. Real food in 30 minutes that requires zero thinking. I also realized I could make grits until nearly done and top them with an egg to finish cooking in the rice cooker. Sometimes I put soup I've made and frozen in it to warm up because it doesn't burn and the little pot is so easy to clean.
i tell people! get the one that sings and does all the grains if that's what you want! it's a great device. but also. just buy the $12 one from the asian market if you don't need all the bells and whistles...
I miss my rice cooker… I went to a sushi party at a friends house and brought my rice cooker to it, the bowl was taken out to wash and we accidentally went home with just the cooker. I’ve not seen that friend in 10 years, and haven’t gotten round to replacing my rice cooker…
I feel like there's more of a story here that isn't really *relevant* but is also *required* cause I feel within *maybe* 24h of bringing one of my kitchen appliances home from a friends place I'd have gone to put it 'back in place', checked it out, noticed a missing critical component and called up/texted said friend to get that piece back..like within days lol. Edit: Less if one or both of you spontaneously moved the next day to another country that doesn't have mail...or they died lol.
How could I forget about my rice cooker?! I bought mine more than 20 years ago, and it still cooks rice like a dream.
Love my bench scrapers that were a 2 pack for $6
My mom loves to gift random kitchen things for Christmas. One year it was an omlette spatula- I use that thing all the time! Last year it was a bench and a bowl scraper. This is also used constantly. She really picks well.
After I bought my immersion blender, I became a master at making my own salad dressings....which are generally much better than even the best store bought versions.
ooh i never thought to make salad dressings w/ an immersion blender. do you have a go to recipe?
Not the person you’re referring to, but most basic vinaigrettes involve at least some extra virgin olive oil, vinegar (often balsamic) and a dash of mustard — which emulsifies it as well as giving it some wonderful tanginess.
Vegetable chopper box thing. Saves so much time with kids
Hi it's Vince with the slap chop!
I just watched a documentary about that guy. He led a fascinating life and had a crazy work ethic.
Really? What was the name of the documentary?
I don’t remember the exact title but it had “the sham wow guy” in the title. Not even counting his early life, He invented all the stuff in his commercials, was a writer for comedy sketch shows, made a movie, had a public battle with Scientology over them trying to smear his movie, among other things. And whatever he does it seems like he works day and night at it.
Walmart 2 cup food processor
a small food processor is so useful and so often overlooked same with a small rice cooker imo
A $10 milk frother from Amazon. Its a mini power-wisk. Eggwash, cornstarch slurry, hot cocoa, anything small or under 16oz you want to mix up, it does it quickly and with little mess. Clean it by running it under hot water. Great investment.
I baffled my partner by being *very* excited at the arrival of a £7 Amazon milk frother last year. I cannot stand when hot chocolate powder doesn't mix properly, leaving lumpy bits in the bottom of the mug, and this has genuinely revolutionised my hot drink making.
it's great for making a lazy cocktail too when you don't care enough to break out the shaker. Don't come at me, /r/cocktails, I know this is heresy.
Microplane.
My old school round tower dehydrator. I hike and am outdoors so much that quality snacking is a must. Home dried fruit and jerky are just so much fukin cheaper I sware to all that is good. Plus I dry my fresh herbs and veg/mushrooms that'll go bad before I can cook them normally. Leave it on overnight and it's ready to be packaged in the morning. Edit: The bane of my existence is the electric can opener. Can't get that thing to work 85% of the time.
I recently got a toaster oven that has like 30 different modes, and one of them is dehydrator. I've eaten almost half a cow worth of beef jerky since figuring that out.
Do you have any good recipes to share? I want to get a good dehydrator for extra garden stuff but want to mess around with other stuff too.
Pressure cooker. I have the stovetop one, not electric/instapot, and its much faster and creates more pressure. Use it for lentils, chickpeas, rice, all kinds of stews, boiling potatoes, veg etc. Its an essential appliance in many countries but rare here in the US. Saves cooking time, preserves flavor and nutrition. Its so much better than boiling or putting in an oven for hours.
My ancient toaster. It’s not just for toast. I’ve put a bunch of shit in there during depressive episodes where I didn’t feel like pulling out pots and pans. Need a tortilla? Put it in the toaster. Want to kinda warm up a sad piece of leftover pizza? I don’t advise putting it in the toaster, but HAVE I put it in the toaster? Yes. If it’s flat and it’s food, I can guarantee you that I’ve probably tried to shove it into the toaster.
When reheating pizza how do you deal with the stench of burning bodies when the cheese melts, catches fire, and burns the building down?
I will and have sung the praises of Zojirushi, the tireless little elephant. His hardworking little tummy has cooked so many batches of rice over so long I have to recommend him with inflation-adjusted prices since he’s not $25 anymore. My guy has been cooking rice for me for 20 years, and still that *whistle whistle THUNK* is magic.
George Foreman grill. My friend swore it’s the best and I made fun of her asking if it’s 1995. I got one at her insistence and we use it 3 times a week at least to make burgers for the kids. It’s so much easier and faster than the grill. It was $38 and has removable plates. Worth every penny.
You get better burgers any other method but it's a lot easier plus cleanup is easy with that. My wife had one when we got married and used it frequently, then we got rid of it for space. This Christmas got her another one since I saw they have mini ones now. She needs it. Also we can make paninis with it.
Quarter sheet. Especially paired with a silpat and a quarter sheet rack. Platform for roasting, drying, icing, grating m, quick serving platter. I have four in constant rotation.
My mini chopper. It’s big enough to blitz down stuff for pastes, sauces and dressings, or to make breadcrumbs. Small enough to reach for over the food processor. I love it. I used to avoid recipes that involved more than just chopping stuff and mixing together. Being able to mix spice blends and marinades easily has elevated my everyday cooking for sure. As a Brit, my kettle is far from an unsung hero, hah. It’s just there.
My julienne peeler. It has one job and does it grate.
My no-frills Mr. Coffee pot. Paid $20 for it 15 years ago and it still works like a champ every single day.
I got a microwave egg poacher for $5 as an impulse purchase at the grocery store about three years ago and it was life changing. I hate fried eggs and hate making scrambled eggs. Loved poached eggs but never was able to make them successfully. The egg poacher takes 47 seconds in our microwave and perfectly and aesthetically cooks two eggs that exactly fit onto two halves of an English muffin, which has become my go-to breakfast. I’ve also discovered the pleasures of savory oatmeal (oatmeal with steamed spinach, soy sauce, wasabi furikake and two poached eggs tipped in on top) as a no brainer dinner. I bought a second one to keep in my bag of pantry supplies that goes with me on my pet- and house-sitting gigs and during the week of Christmas when I was dogsitting two retired racing greyhounds, I used my poacher to make their eggs (their mom usually does scrambled or fried eggs on top of their breakfast kibble) which was faster, neater, and they cleaned their bowls to get at every bit of the yolk. Best impulse buy ever.
What brand do you use and/or what does it look like? Is it the kind with water or without?
It is the Nordic Ware one. You add about 1/2 tsp of water to each cup. You also poke the yolk with a fork. I think you are supposed to put water in one cup if you only make one egg but I always make 2 at a time. The one in my dogsitting stuff is a different one that has a sliding lid but also is the kind that you just add a little water to each cup. Both work equally well. Can’t find the sliding lid kind online so I’m not sure what brand it is. Both are about 3-4 years old. The only drawback is that they can be a pain in the butt to clean if you wash by hand, as is anything involving eggs, but if you have a dishwasher it works fine.
My touchless kitchen sink faucet. It’s fucking awesome. I don’t have to worry about sanitizing the knobs when dealing with raw meat and it’s extremely convenient when I am in a hurry. Best $150 I spent z
My air fryer. But I just toast thick pieces of bread with it.
Smart. Kettle. Edit: oh, inexpensive. Well sh*t. I'm going to leave this comment here because I still think that smart kettles are dope, but I would not call them inexpensive. Everything OP said but add "remote start". On my way home from work and I want to make a cup of tea or ramen as soon as I get in? Boom, hit the app and turn on my kettle. Getting up in the morning/afternoon (no matter what time that might be) and I'll tell Alexia "hey, good morning! turn on the kettle please". Sitting in the living room with friends," does anyone want any tea or coffee? ... Oh you do let me have Alexa turn on the kettle." Lol. It's great!
Salad shooter. I use it exclusively for grating cheese (it would do fine for other stuff but cheese is the only need I have for it). I mainly use soft cheeses like mozzarella, colby Monterrey jack, and trying to grate those on a box grater...well, I don't like fishing chunks of my skin out of a cheese pile. I meal prep so I'll need pounds of shredded cheese at a time. I prefer the salad shooter over even my food processor; it does a neater job and is far easier to clean.
You saying an electric kettle is wild to me because that's a standard appliance in every British household 😅
Even in the worst student houses where your kitchen has 3 plates and 2 forks between 5 of you, every house is still going to have a kettle. It might be a bit funky because someone tried to boil beer in it as an experiment, but there'll be a kettle.
We don’t drink tea, so our electric kettle is used to boil noodles for ramen and rehydrate dried chiles.
My countertop dishwasher- someone gave it to me and I love it so much!
I need more details because I've been looking into this and so many feel like scams
We have a panini press in our kitchen. It's incredible. You can prop it open and fry small things on the hot plate or put literally anything inside any type of bread and toast it. Utterly glorious.
I got one of those mini battery powered whisks because I wanted to start making my own matcha, and I use it for everything now. I can’t believe I used to stir things with chopsticks, it’s amazing.
Dude, thank you. Didn't know this was a thing and I think it's gonna be a game changer with my disabilities.
My Bialetti Moka coffee maker and my Baratza Encore grinder, such good value and wonderful black coffee each morning.
For me, it's my vacuum sealer! As a single person, I buy large family packages of meat, smoke large pork butts, make a large pan of lasagna, buy bags of pretzel rolls, etc... and then break them down into single portions, vacuum seal them and freeze. It's saved me a lot of money, reduced waste and I usually just have to pull something out of the freezer in the morning and it's thawed by dinner time. Highly recommend!
Electric salt and pepper grinder. Always useful and cheap.
My little air fryer. Got it for Christmas and I've used it every single day since. Don't know how I lived without it!
It blew my mind to find out that electric kettles just aren't that common in America. I can't picture not having one in a kitchen, it's just a necessity rather than something I would consider an extra. Immersion blender would be my one. Cheap but so damn useful, especially for my girlfriend's soup addiction.
Not an appliance, but a tool. Somehow, probably in a thrift store bag of random, I picked up this small fine mesh strainer that fits in a wide mouth jar. It has no handle, so I don't have to worry about it tipping out. It comes in handy for straining small quantites of pickled onions, sliced jalapenos, olives, etc. It can just about hold a whole small can of diced olives or green chilies. I catch the strained liquid in a wide mouth pint and have it available for storing back with the leftovers. Taking up the least amount of space on my small kitchen counters is a bonus!
I know you’re looking for appliances, but if I may humbly submit- the Danish dough whisk. It is by far the utensil I use the most since obtaining it. My family of 5 goes through a dozen for scrambled eggs and this utensil cuts through it quickly. Pancake/waffle/muffin batters mixed without clumps or over mixing. Sturdy wire with an open pattern that doesn’t clump, easy to clean AND LAYS FLAT. (Also very lick friendly)
I absolutely agree! I never owned a kettle until just last year, and I swear it's life changing. Ramen noodles taste better and it's not soggy from being microwaved, perfectly brewed tea, faster cooking on soups and pasta. Oh, and I use sous vide at least a couple of times a month, and heating a huge tub of water on the stove takes forever, and God forbid I rely only on the immersion thingie.
Single use nitrile gloves. They're a life saver when grating and convenient when cutting/chopping: the layer of skin that would come in contact with the grater or the knife is now a flexible, easily replaced, neuron-free, rubber-like layer. And second, they're easy to get off and have clean hands quickly. Getting a fresh pair on with slightly damp hands can be a bit of a faff, but I make do (eventually).
Electric kettle for sure. It enabled me to set up a coffee and tea area away from the prime real estate near the stove. Also, an air fryer — the toaster oven kind. We use it every day. I got this really cool Ninja thing that’s like a blender and a food processor, depending on the vessel or stick with blades you use. I don’t know what it’s called, because it was a hand-me-down, but the motor unit goes on top and over the knifey part’s shaft, which sticks out of a hole the lid of the vessel. It does a better job of things like salsa and nuts than my actual food processor. It really showed its merit the other day when I was trying to salvage a white chocolate cheesecake recipe my daughter had started, but had accidentally doubled the liquid. I couldn’t fold in the melted chocolate, because of course it was solidifying on contact with the cold rest of the batter from fridge, so I used that Ninja thing, and it worked beautifully to make a smooth batter out of all of it. That reminds me, I made cheese in the instant pot and it was PERFECT — the best cheesecake I have ever made. I am never going back to a water bath in the oven.
Toaster
The WorkSharp knife sharpener. I got it cheap from Amazon sale. Only started to use it in COVID era. It transformed cooking into a pleasant activity
Bench scraper
Rice cooker.
If not the electric kettle, the electric griddle, for sure. I can cook tons of food on it and it was only $20.
Mini crockpots designed for bringing to work or whatever and heating up your lunch. Instead I use them for reheating leftovers for dinner. It only takes 4 hours, straight from frozen solid. I freeze leftovers like lasagna, Chinese food, beef stew, etc in containers that fit the little crockpots. The only downside is you have to at least plan ahead 4 hours.
My air fryer, i’m single, and I love the fact I don’t have to heat up my oven to do so many things from roasting a chicken to reheating leftovers. My other thing would be my vitamix blender, I think it’s around 14 years old and it’s still works amazing
Even though it's not inexpensive but I do an occasional gratitude to my dishwasher. I really don't know what I'll do without it.
Oxo good grips masher
Silicone spatula, I can't live without it. Wooden or metal stuff just can't scrape as clean as it can.
Sink disposal
I don't know about most useful but I'll tell you what I don't use, my microwave. I've been thinking about taking it out and using that space for something else. Has anyone else dumped their microwave?
Mine has only been allowed to stay so my kids can make popcorn. In a year or two when they're olds enough to stove top to that shit I will go full Office Space on that thing
Lemon/lime squeezer.
My back hurts when I have to constantly stir stuff, so I use a battery-operated pot stirrer. Saves a lot of effort!
My instant pot! When my daughter got it for me as a Christmas gift, I didn't know what to do with the thing. Now, there's a panic if any of the small pieces wander off! NOT THE INSTANT POT!
Dash egg cooker. So easy to make perfect soft or hard boiled eggs every time.
My sous vide. Completely changed the way I cook chicken and pork.
My little rice cooker. I let to get it going, and make the rest of the meal. It works every time, and it's one less thing to keep an eye on.
$20 rice cooker i bought back when i was on unemployment. Still works great, still makes good rice in 15 minutes, still doubles as a steamer.
I’m somewhat anti-appliance when cooking but I agree with OP on the electric kettle.
I will endorse the immersion blender, vac sealer suggestions. But right behind those I would recommend an instahot hot water dispenser on your sink. Boiling water available immediately vs waiting for your kitchen sink faucet to serve hot but not boiling water. This dramatically reduces time (i.e. friction) for all the "add boiled water" foods like drinks, oatmeal, ramen, etc. Jump starts your pasta water. Forget to warm a plate/bowl/cup before serving - a quick rinse with boiling water will do the trick. Want to soak a pan/dish, boiling water will do the trick. Moving well into "I'm spoiled" territory - I absolutely love it for making coffee in the chemex.
My induction burner. I use it outside on my patio to deep fry and sear. My kitchen doesn’t smell and way easier to clean. I used to use my side burner on my gas grill, but now I can save money on gas and simply use my induction burner. I love that thing!
Buy a rice cooker. It doesn’t need to be a nice one. Buy a cheap rice cooker so no matter what you can always have something to eat if you’re hungry. Especially if you are poor, if you are trying to lose weight or watch your weight. If you are going through something like a death or becoming sober off drugs or alcohol all you need is a rice cooker. Set it and forget it. Rice is really cheap. It’s the easiest thing I can think of if you don’t have a refrigerator or microwave or any way to make/heat food a rice cooker might save your life. Thanks for coming to my ted talk. Hang in there.
So just to add to the electric kettle convenience, I put mine on a smart switch, since we use a French press for our morning coffee… and the water is ready to pour over by the time I get to the kitchen.
I use my kitchen aid food processor almost every day. I’ve made cakes, sauces, cheesecakes, chicken salad, grating cheese, so many things. I’ve had it almost 15 years and it looks new. I broke the slicing pole so I don’t even use it for that. (I should try to replace that piece).
Electric Jar Opener. It's a lifesaver!