Favourite Kitchen Gadgets! ... registry help for the brides

[Ellen]

Date: 11/26/2007 2:48:42 PM
Author: Blenheim

Ellen, it was a gift from my mom and I no longer have it, so I''m not really sure what version it was. If I remember correctly, the bowl part was made up of two pieces that snapped together, and whenever I pressed the knob thing down with practically any force, they''d come apart. I had hubby look at it and he said that I was putting it together correctly (and he''s an engineer, so he''s usually good at figuring that kind of stuff out), so it wasn''t just that I wasn''t attaching them correctly. Also, there was a rubber plate thing that formed the bottom of the bowl, and the seal was bad enough that if I picked it up without very carefully making sure that the bottom was fully supported, it would fall off, spilling onion (or whatever I was chopping). Maybe mine was just defective, but I''m happy enough doing it by hand or using a food processor that I don''t feel the need to get another one to find out.

Sounds like a later/different version than mine. No wonder you gave it away! lol


A meat mallet is another nice thing to have.

 

[Elmorton]

My registry faves:

Avacado slicer
Flippable egg cups (look like round cookie cutters with a handle -KILLER for making breakfast sandwiches)
Lettuce knife
Orange peeler
Pour bottles for olive oil and vinegar
Bamboo anything (salad tongs, cutting boards)
Rotary cheese grater
Olive oil misto sprayer
Spice Rack - I heart heart heart the spice rack
We chose non-stick pans, so now we have all nylon and wooden cooking utencils - no metal in our kitchen!
Cake carrier, casserole carrier, crock-pot carrier (although I have no idea where that is....)
Salt and pepper grinders (ours you squeeze and they grind, lots of fun and you just need one hand!)
Matching measuring cups and spoons - DH had REINDEER ones that I bought from Target a few Xmases ago. Not sad to see those go.
Santoku knife
Kitchen shears

Small appliances, so far unmentioned:
Crock pot
Little dipper
Rice cooker (also a veggie steamer)

I also vote for the KitchenAid as being the greatest appliance on earth. My MIL gave me ours - I once told her that I only wanted to get married someday so someone would buy me a KitchenAid, so of course she showed up with the heaviest gift at my shower! The best thing I make is the simplest: home-made whipped cream and summer strawberries.

 

[mercoledi]

I love my immersion blender. We have a tiny tiny kitchen so I only get to have the most efficient toys.

I have the Kitchen Aid one. It''s pretty cheap and wayy more powerful than you''d think. A few years ago either Gourmet or Cooking Light did a immersion blender round-up and this came in just short of the industrial ones. You can buy attachments for it that make it a chopper or a mixer. linky.

I second the nesting mixing bowls, those are awesome and we recently picked up some flexible cutting boards from the WS outlet that are non-skid on one side and so far are very useful.

My wishlist for christmas includes this collander we don''t own one now, but this looks versitle enough to make the cut!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

I just have to say that I LOVE Whustoff! Santa-FI gifted me with the larger (7-8''?) Santoku knife last Christmas and it''s really fun to use. I''m going to register for a complete set. I also love panini presses, they''re great for everything, including quesadillas. I like them for grilled cheese sandwiches though I don''t use my immersion blender an awful lot, but it''s a heck of a lot easier to use and smaller (easier to store) than a standard blender. When I do want/need to use it I love it. I''ve used it for mashed potatoes (in days prior to my kitchen aid), soup, dips, drinks/shakes, etc. I also think you should go with the 11 cup food processor.

 

[appletini]

Ditto on the Wustoff!!!

 

[zoebartlett]

I can''t remember if I commented on the immersion blender earlier, but I''ll think about registering for one. I did change our registry from the 7 cup food processor to the 11 cup. Thanks for the recommendations!

 

[CrownJewel]

What about a knife sharpener for the Wusthoff knives? I don''t have Wustoff knives but I use my knife sharpener a lot (it''s just a knife sharpening rod).

Good kitchen shears are a must!

A food scale! I just bought one myself.

 

[Octavia]

I have an 8-piece set of Wusthof knives, as well as the 2-piece santoku set (I used to moonlight at a store with a terrific discount

). Honestly, I probably don''t need this many knives, but I do love them. The set came with two paring knives, a bread knife, a sandwich knife, a chef''s knife, sharpening steel, and shears. I gave the chef''s knife to my dad because it was 8" and just too big, but the 6" santoku works fine for me. Maybe one day I''ll get the regular 6" chef''s knife. I''d also like a teeny-tiny paring knife and the 5" serrated utility knife, but I think more would be overkill.

I use a Chef''s Choice manual sharpener on my knives, but only when necessary. I think it works great, but I''ve only had to use it two or three times over the past two years. Wusthof is great quality, so the blade''s sharpness lasts a long time if you take care of them properly. I''m still scared of the steel, though -- I''m always sure I''m about to slice something that shouldn''t be sliced whenever I try using it. Eventually, I''ll learn...

Does anyone have the Wusthof steak knives? I really want some to round out my collection, but while I don''t mind paying Wusthof prices for my cooking knives, the steak knives just seem really really pricey. Worth it or no? Of course, I don''t need to worry about this for a loooong time, but maybe some of the current brides-to-be are thinking about them too?

 

[Gypsy]

Trying to think of really affordable items we have that we use a lot:
Onion/garlic chopper, ours is swiss made by some company that starts with a Z it kicks serious bottom and has for the last eight years.
John swears by a salad spinner (I've never used it).
A silicone coated whisk. And silcone head spring load tongs.
A digital meat thermometer
A ricer
A nice set of BBQ tools.
Cheese Board and cheese knives
Corningware set including corningware casserole dishes.
Trivets
Spoon holder
Coasters
Napkin rings
not really affordable unless you do open stock but KNIVES, really nice knives.
A nice bundt pan
A nice loaf pan
A nice pie dish-- deep one
Hand/Immersion Blender has saved my life many a time.
Also not cheap but a dutch oven. America's test kitchen reviewed some alternatives to the $200 plus le cruset and some of the affordable ones (30 bucks or so) scored well, surprisingly.
A cast iron pan.


I can go on and on. And yes, I really have all this stuff in my kitchen. And more. Much more.

 

[jcrow]

Date: 11/28/2007 1:53:16 PM
Author: Octavia
I have an 8-piece set of Wusthof knives, as well as the 2-piece santoku set (I used to moonlight at a store with a terrific discount

). Honestly, I probably don''t need this many knives, but I do love them. The set came with two paring knives, a bread knife, a sandwich knife, a chef''s knife, sharpening steel, and shears. I gave the chef''s knife to my dad because it was 8'' and just too big, but the 6'' santoku works fine for me. Maybe one day I''ll get the regular 6'' chef''s knife. I''d also like a teeny-tiny paring knife and the 5'' serrated utility knife, but I think more would be overkill.

I use a Chef''s Choice manual sharpener on my knives, but only when necessary. I think it works great, but I''ve only had to use it two or three times over the past two years. Wusthof is great quality, so the blade''s sharpness lasts a long time if you take care of them properly. I''m still scared of the steel, though -- I''m always sure I''m about to slice something that shouldn''t be sliced whenever I try using it. Eventually, I''ll learn...

Does anyone have the Wusthof steak knives? I really want some to round out my collection, but while I don''t mind paying Wusthof prices for my cooking knives, the steak knives just seem really really pricey. Worth it or no? Of course, I don''t need to worry about this for a loooong time, but maybe some of the current brides-to-be are thinking about them too?

yes i have the wustof steak knives. they weren''t that expensive either. these are the ones i have.

 

[CrownJewel]

I must be a total dummy. What is an immersion blender? What do you use it for? I have a blender and a handheld mixer. Is the IB supposed to replace those? It seems like lots of people in this thread use one! Do I need one too?!!

 

[sumbride]

I second the Dutch Oven. Mine definitely wasn''t cheap... it''s the $200 enamel cast iron Calphalon one, but it was a wedding gift and we LOVE it! I''ve used it probably 6 times this month... that''s a LOT really... My hubby loves it when I serve something bubbly out of it.... the last was beer braised lamb and cabbage. It''s heavy, but it''s pretty so I just leave it on the stove rather than trying to store it somewhere.

I think another gadget I love is the lid rack we got from Ikea. It was maybe $3 and attaches to the wall (or a cabinet door) with 2 screws, but it almost looks like modern art as it floats my glass lids to my pots. They are accessible and organized.

Good cutting boards are a must and I have a neat one that has a pop out collapsible colander in it. It fits over the sink so you can wash your produce in the colander and then chop on the board... then pull up the colander and you have easy access to the sink. It''s a bit long though and kind of hard to store in the cabinet.

If you drink red wine, register for a decanter. We have a $25 glass decanter from C&B and we use it pretty often. It''s amazing how much better a cheap bottle of wine tastes after a swirl in the decanter. Don''t get a fancy crystal one though... alcohol absorbs lead from crystal! My mom has about 10 crystal decanters (the kind you are supposed to store liquor in) but she can''t use them lest she drink too much lead. Plus the glass decanter we have is dishwasher safe! We''re also really digging the stemless wine tumblers we got. They fit in the dishwasher so much easier and I don''t knock them over!

 

[pennquaker09]

Date: 11/26/2007 8:08:39 PM
Author: SanDiegoLady

Date: 11/25/2007 8:34:41 PM

Author: pennquaker09

The first thing I registered for was a Kitchen Aid. And then I also registered for some great cookware. Also, a set of knives. Skippy is right, Wusthof makes the best.

I''m going to buy my son a set of these when he graduates Chef school..

Where does he go? I''ve heard that some of the schools give these to students as part of the "kit." I have a friend who attends the CIA. She loves it. And I suppose she better since her parents are paying out of the whazoo for it.

 

[DiamanteBlu]

Here are a few. Pardon the repeats:
pizza stone
coffee grinder
hand citrus juicer
garlic press
bamboo cutting board
mini food processor
grease spatter screen
bacon [or grill] press
poached egg pan
wooden spoons
spaghetti strainer or colander
waffle maker [electric or on the stove]
decorative tea balls
stove top espresso maker [cafetiera]
wine rack
silicone baking mats
silicone spatulas
pastry brushes
marble rolling pin and marble slab
mandoline
grooved wooden board to cut and serve roasts
smooth edge can opener
mortar and pestle

 

[DiamanteBlu]

Sur la Table has some neat stuff.
http://www.surlatable.com

 

[Sparkster]

These types of cheese graters are fantastic. FI and I would eat either a pasta or risotto dish once a week and there's nothing like fresh parmesan cheese. Grating a small block of cheese is very quick and you don't have to worry about grating the ends of your fingers!

 

[DiamanteBlu]

Date: 11/28/2007 9:46:52 PM
Author: Sparkster
These types of cheese graters are fantastic. FI and I would eat either a pasta or risotto dish once a week and there''s nothing like fresh parmesan cheese. Grating a small block of cheese is very quick and you don''t have to worry about grating the ends of your fingers!

Those are great. I have one that I use exclusively to grate nutmeg! And, they come with multiple grating cylinders.