# Kitchen Essentials



## jbmcb (Sep 7, 2005)

A bit of a continuation of the Bachelor Cooking thread, what kitchen gadgets do you find most useful? Mine are:

Kitchen-Aid Stand Mixer - My wife's prized possession. Does almost everything.

Lodge Iron Skillet - Useful for baking in, too

Thin plastic cutting sheets - What it says, semi-disposable, very thin plastic sheets to cut on. Cut some chicken on one, throw it in the dishwasher, use another for the vegetables.

Novelty giant-sized ice cube trays from Ikea - For freezing broth in, or cranberry relish, or individual servings of homemade marinara, or any liquid that needs to be frozen into medium-sized servings. The ice cubes work great in cocktail shakers, too.


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## Spence (Feb 28, 2006)

jbmcb said:


> Kitchen-Aid Stand Mixer - My wife's prized possession. Does almost everything.


We've got the big one, and rarely use it. Too much to haul out of the closet and I can do most things by hand. Granted, when it's needed it's great.


> Lodge Iron Skillet - Useful for baking in, too


Some cast iron is a must. I'd say every kitchen shouldn't be without a large iron dutch oven or other similar lidded vessel.

The Le Creuset wide dutch oven (sometimes labeled a risotto pot) is very versatile.



> Thin plastic cutting sheets - What it says, semi-disposable, very thin plastic sheets to cut on. Cut some chicken on one, throw it in the dishwasher, use another for the vegetables.


Nice until the heat from the washer permanently warps them!

I've found the 8x11'ish plastic cutting boards to be very handy. Have a stack of them next to the sink for quick jobs, then into the washer.

If you like to cook, I'd add to the list...

- A good quality chinois
- A knife sharpener that's actually used
- A lot of small lidded containers for prep work
- A giant and heavy stock pot (and along with the will to make stock frequently and the freezer space to store it)

I could go on for a while 

-spence


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## Armchair (Nov 12, 2006)

jbmcb said:


> Thin plastic cutting sheets - What it says, semi-disposable, very thin plastic sheets to cut on. Cut some chicken on one, throw it in the dishwasher, use another for the vegetables.


I just use a chopping board.

My Le Creuset square grill is great for steaks and chops although my number one kitchen item is a cheese slicer.


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## agnash (Jul 24, 2006)

I definitely concur on the cast iron skillet. To that I add a coffe pot, a food processor and a wine fridge.


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## KenR (Jun 22, 2005)

I tend to stay away from cast iron skillets. They do not cook food evenly


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## jbmcb (Sep 7, 2005)

Spence said:


> Nice until the heat from the washer permanently warps them!


They are dishwasher safe, they warp just a bit at the edges but it's not a big deal. They were so cheap (I think 4 for $4 at Target) that they are practically disposable, anyway. We also have a nice Corian cooking board made from a countertop sample we got at a home supply store that was closing, for cutting up larger or heavier things.


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## Spence (Feb 28, 2006)

Perhaps mine just warp more than average 

But I've used them a lot as well. I agree they are great for say quickly working on some raw chicken or fish and dropping in the washer.

I've got a large John Boos rock maple block for most prepwork, and a big NSF white platic board I use for large jobs, like taking chickens apart when making stock.

-spence


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## Wayfarer (Mar 19, 2006)

Kitchen Aid stand mixer.

I love to cook. I use it for everything from making incredible bagel dough, to pasta, to sausage. We just love ours.

Bread Machine.

Great for mixing dough for pizza if you do not feel like breaking out the Kitchen Aid above, great for making fresh bread in an easy fashion.

Ice Cream maker. Ours is Cuisinart.

My wife has this recipe for butter rum-raisin that is incredible. She has another one where she drizzles in melted chocolate...yum.

Baporama steaming system. 

This thing is great, I have two. It will proof French bread or bagels perfectly, does nice game hens...great little device.

Cuisinart Toaster oven.

It has two shelf positions, and will fit a small (very small) chicken. I love it as I can bake everything from a half dozen frozen cookie balls to a meat loaf. I toast english muffins, bread, etc. perfectly, as well as pine nuts on the flat baking sheet. It does not heat up the kitchen, comes to temp fast, and has built in timer. A perfect thing when firing up the oven is not really needed.

Cheers


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## SGladwell (Dec 22, 2005)

I know I'm going to seem like a rube for writing what will follow, but regardless. Keep in mind that I'm (barely) still in my 20s...

I think that I might just be able to get by with only six things in my kitchen:

1) George Foreman grill. I'm almost ashamed how dependent I've become on this little red gizmo. I bought mine at an Aldi supermarket for $50 (everywhere else they're $100+) and I've literally used it every day I've been home since I bought it. On it I grill chicken breasts, kabobs, burgers of salmon or buffalo, and even this week a deboned, pre-seasoned leg of lamb from Trader Joe's. I use it as a panini press. I've used the waffle plates far more than I thought I would, and find myself inviting people over for weekend brunch to give me an excuse to make more of them. (Odd, because I can't recall even once having a craving to order waffles out, or otherwise being interested in them.) On the griddle plate, it's a convenient way to make omelettes. I use it just about once a day and I don't think I've touched my cast iron skillet or used my oven since I bought it.

2) French press. I buy my coffee pre-ground (usually the Präsident blend from venerable Viennese coffee roaster Julius Meinl, which their Chicago outlet sells mail order by the half-kilo) so I've no need for a good grinder. (I should still buy one anyway at some point, I guess.) Mine's a Bodum but I don't know if there's a functional difference between any of them. It will go only when I can get a good superautomatic coffeemaker for under $500. I looked at one that was a total man-toy at Williams Sonoma today, and it made a wonderful espresso that sat perfectly on the back of my tongue. But for $1500 I'll keep French-pressing.

3) Going with #2 above, an electric water heater. I don't know if it is more efficient, but it seems more efficient to use it than to heat a kettle on the stove. Mine's a brushed stainless and black affair allegedly designed by one of the Porsche clan. It looks a whole lot better than that repugnant Cayenne monstrosity, at any rate.

4) Moka Express. I prefer the espresso from this old-fashioned gizmo to most other methods. I also like to look at it, which frankly I do more than using it as I prefer a good Viennese-style melange to an Italian-style latte or cappucino.

5) A steamer pot. I do lots of steamed veggies, and though my steamer pot is an IKEA cheapie it's worked well enough for years. And without the steamer bit, it works well for cooking rice or pasta.

6) My MacBook Pro's Apple Remote, which is mounted to a cabinet door. (In my living room, Front Row can be controlled via my Logitech Harmony universal.) I keep it in the kitchen with an RF repeater affixed to it so that I can change the song on iTunes without having to interrupt my workflow by going to the office upstairs. (The kitchen has its own extension speakers.)


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## Hedonist (Nov 5, 2006)

KenR said:


> I tend to stay away from cast iron skillets. They do not cook food evenly


Try Lodge, Le Creuset, Staub

Cast iron as a material offers the most even cooking results. Ditto for slow cooking as well.


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## Hedonist (Nov 5, 2006)

I prefer Hobart mixer over Kitchen Aid, although I am splitting hairs here.

Olive wooden spoons.

Bourgeat copper pots and pans.


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## Gurdon (Feb 7, 2005)

When we re-did the kitchen I indulged in a salamander (commercial gas broiler). It cooks steaks or lamb chops in a couple of minutes, and is generally wonderful for anything you want to cook under flame.

I kept the very old Garland commercial range I got used 15 years ago.

I also have some of the usual stuff:
Coffee squasher,
Cast iron skillet,
Kitchen Aid stand mixer,
Food processer (slicing large quantities of anything. I mostly use it for apples or mushrooms.),
Hand cranked apple peeling gadget,
Good pie pans,
Marble rolling pin.
Marble slab for rolling out dough,
We do not have a microwave.

Regards,
Gurdon


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

Kitchen Aid stand mixer
Kitchen Aid food processor
and Calphalon, professional series, Tri-ply Stainless Cookware...throw in a great set of knives (currently using Faberwares Pro-series stainless...not great!), and we can rule the world!


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## Spence (Feb 28, 2006)

Hedonist said:


> Bourgeat copper pots and pans.


Certainly for the glam factor but I'll admit I rarely use mine...just too heavy for everyday use.

-spence


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## Laxplayer (Apr 26, 2006)

Cast iron ebelskiver pan. We fill our ebelskivers with apples or lingonberries and sprinkle with powdered sugar.


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