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A Home Cook's wet dream
  • BellaBefanaBellaBefana
    Posts: 8,166Member
    What's your kitchen utensil you can't do without and would recommend without reservation?

    Everybody knows how important good knives are to a chef.  Everybody also know how bloody expensive they can be...

    Anyone ever tried a Kyocera ceramic knife?  I've got a good set of Wustoff-Trident, but I love, love, love my ceramic knives!  They are SO sharp, you don't even know you've cut yourself until it starts to bleed, so be careful.  Best thing?  They are MUCH, MUCH less expensive than Wustoff or Henkels or any of the others that are even more ridiculously priced like Shun.  Now they even have a sharpener for them, though I've never had one get really dull.

    The other thing I love, especially now around the holidays, is my monster professional Kitchen Aid mixer, what a time saver that is when mixing up multiple batches of stuff!
    Bite me, cupcake!
  • mommydeliriousmommydelirious
    Posts: 3,203Member
    Crock pot! I use mine quiet a bit. Love me some tend'a meat.
    Photobucket
  • SassySassy
    Posts: 2,396Member
    My SO got me a two knife set of Kyocera knives for our anniversary last year!
  • organicbabyorganicbaby
    Posts: 1,457Member
    My clay pots from Spain. Everything out of them is always delicious.
    DH loves his Shun, he got them on a Black Friday sale :)
  • gramalibbygramalibby
    Posts: 2,617Member
    We live in se Ohio but as a treat my DS will take me on a day trip to Greenville Oh for a drool at the Kitchenaid Store . Right now it maybe a small thing downstairs in the discontinued section BUT someday a mixer I will have. They do have some great refurbished ones downstairs , I have my eye on a candy apple red w a glass mix bowl.....
  • FoulMouthedSailorFoulMouthedSailor
    Posts: 1,888Member
    Gas stoves an cast iron cookware, cast iron is my favorite thing to cook on, and gas just cooks so much faster. Shitty thing is the house we are looking at tomorrow has a glass top, but it also has a wood cook stove
    You show the lights that stop me turn to stone, You shine it when I'm alone. And so I tell myself that I'll be strong
    And dreaming when they're gone.
  • shouldcleanshouldclean
    Posts: 2,356Member
    My stand mixer.  Cooking GF just isn't the same without it.
  • KacerpieKacerpie
    Posts: 883Member
    I would have to say either my Kitchenaid standing mixer (Its going to die soon i think, I have had it for 12 years) or my Le Creuset set my DH got me when we first started dating.
    "Please don't talk mom... It makes my brain work..."
  • GingersnapGingersnap
    Posts: 7,292Member
    My grandmother's cast iron pan, but I don't have a recommendation for a brand name...

    Regarding knives, there's an excellent episode of "America's Test Kitchen" (Feb 18, 2012). The podcast's title? "In Search of the Best Chef's Knife". I recommend that podcast.
    image
  • CrashCrash
    Posts: 8,186Member
    Professional Kitchen Aid Mixer: Check. Lol.

    Bread machine, although I only use it for mixing and the first proof.

    Heat proof spatulas.
    Tongs.
    Hand blender as well a hand mixer.
    Whisks of varying size.

    I should stop because when you cook for a living, you tend to collect a *lot* of kitchen stuff....ALL of it indispensable to life as we know it.
    See ya in another life, sister!
  • VegantasticVegantastic
    Posts: 3,404Member
    I am currently in need of new knives. I looked at the Kyocera website and they look good. I will definitely check out that podcast @Gingersnap.

    While I'm a huge fan of my kitchenaid stand mixer, especially when I'm baking or decorating cakes, I couldn't go 2 days without my FOOD PROCESSOR!!! It's a cuisineart and I love love love it!
    "Be the change you wish to see in the world"
    "Don't Panic"
  • BeachChairMama
    Posts: 60Member
    My 14 y/o is my indespensible kitchen utensil - especially this time of year. She's been cooking for a few years now and is really getting good. She plans the menu, helps with the shopping, and does almost all the cooking. I am the sous chef in charge of prep assistance and putting stuff in and out of the oven; I was bounced from my position as Head Potato Peeler this Thanksgiving when she learned of her boyfriends hidden potato peeling and rough chopping skills. She got a Kitchenaid stand mixer for her middle school graduation last year from her grandfather (it's her mixer - not mine - and she was beyond thrilled) which she uses to make her buttercreme frosting - AMAZING. She also got a bread oven one year, a Cuisinart fondue pot another year, and a Calphalon pan for making Yorkshire puddings (again SO GOOD). She gets overly excited in stores like Chef Central and wants to buy everything; I no longer allow her in there because I cant afford it. I got her a Braun stick mixer for Christmas - she's been wanting one after seeing her aunt's. This year she is attempting Creme Brulee for dessert - I'm thinking it's partly because she loves it and partly so she can use the kitchen torch.

    When I am allowed to cook I have an enameled cast iron stock pot, a slightly smaller enameled iron pot and deep sided casserole type pan that I got from a charity donation and I use constantly. I also love my cast iron frying pan and my roasting rack.
  • GingersnapGingersnap
    Posts: 7,292Member
    I guess the cast iron pan is always in the forefront of my mind because I couldn't replace it. Other than how smooth and well-seasoned it is, it was my grandma's. I'm using it in the same kitchen she taught me how to bake in. Yes. I am sentimental.
    image
  • RuralRebellionRuralRebellion
    Posts: 1,821Member
    I can't live without my 8quart crock pot, but my KitchenAid Mixer is still the best ever Xmas present DH has gotten me.  It's heavy as fuck and takes up more counter space than we have, but I'll be damned if I hide the thing away in a cupboard between uses.  It's the prettiest and most expensive kitchen appliance/utensil we own.
    Image and video hosting by TinyPic Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker.
  • BellaBefanaBellaBefana
    Posts: 8,166Member
    SAHM1020 said:

    I am currently in need of new knives. I looked at the Kyocera website and they look good. I will definitely check out that podcast @Gingersnap.

    While I'm a huge fan of my kitchenaid stand mixer, especially when I'm baking or decorating cakes, I couldn't go 2 days without my FOOD PROCESSOR!!! It's a cuisineart and I love love love it!



    Get them from Amazon...they're MUCH cheaper!
    Bite me, cupcake!
  • BellaBefanaBellaBefana
    Posts: 8,166Member
    o.k., don't know why that posted twice...

    Bite me, cupcake!
  • BellaBefanaBellaBefana
    Posts: 8,166Member
    never mind...it would appear that my computer has a poltergeist...I, too, love my cast iron, but I need to re-season them.  My mom had a cast iron dutch oven, but no one know what happened to it that I want.  But I may go with an enamel Le Crueset when I replace mine...if I can ever afford anything for me again.

    @FoulMouthedSailor:  gotta agree wholeheartedly about the gas stove.  Again, if I ever have the money, when I re-do my kitchen I'll be getting a gas stove, though here I'll have to use propane.
    Bite me, cupcake!
  • 123123
    Posts: 1,062Member
    um.. my dollar store spatula and tinfoilesque cookie sheet for cooking chicken nuggets. yes I know I am a culinary genius
    dont mistake my kindness for weakness
  • OUCHOUCH
    Posts: 1,826Member
    BellaBefana said:

    o.k., don't know why that posted twice...




    I think that with the way threads are updating as they get new comments it just looks like things are double posting until you refresh!

    "Promote what you love instead of bashing what you hate." - UNK
    "The amazing thing about life is that you choose what you allow into it, you choose how things affect you, you choose how you react. Happiness is a choice. Make it." - UNK
    "Tattoos don't define the person, the person defines the tattoos." - Me
  • GoddessGoddess
    Posts: 1,089Member
    Curious said:

    Professional Kitchen Aid Mixer: Check. Lol.


    Bread machine, although I only use it for mixing and the first proof.

    Heat proof spatulas.
    Tongs.
    Hand blender as well a hand mixer.
    Whisks of varying size.

    I should stop because when you cook for a living, you tend to collect a *lot* of kitchen stuff....ALL of it indispensable to life as we know it.


    I totally read that as WHISKEYS of getting size. I was all, he'll yeah, I'm movin in w @curious!!!! :p
  • pennypenny
    Posts: 796Member
    DISH. WASHER.

    KitchenAid mixer is a very close second.

    Love my Global knives, too. I considered ceramic, but I drop shit all the time and would almost certainly shatter them. Plus, I can use a magnet bar to hang the metal ones out of reach of little hands.


  • CrashCrash
    Posts: 8,186Member
    Oddly enough for a cook, I really don't get hung up on knives. I have a basic Walmart Henckel, and I sharpen it every so often, and it's perfect fine for any cutting/chopping/chiffonading that I do.

    Although if you want to know something neat, there's a couple of items I really adore, and although I suppose I could do without 'em, they have a special place in my heart for their efficiency:

    A palm peeler:
    image

    And...a palm zester:

    image


    I love love love the palm zester. It gathers all the zest up in its little container all nice and neat.

    See ya in another life, sister!
  • GritsGrits
    Posts: 3,749Member
    Oooh, @curious LOVE that palm peeler!!

    @Gingersnap, I heart my cast iron, too. I inherited it from my Nana, though she's still with us, she no longer lives in her own home, so she handed it down early. I was elated. Although I was really bummed when she sold her house. I loved it there and I cringe every time I think of someone else living there. Sappy sentimental here, too.

    My electric skillet and crockpot are my two staples though. I use the shit out of them. As a matter of fact, I'll probably need a new electric skillet, soon. I've worn it out.

    And I loove my Calphalon pots and pans. I have NEVER in the 12 years I've owned them, had to scrub one. Truly a non-stick dish. Love it.
    "I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day, and I believe in miracles." ~Audrey Hepburn
  • fatchickonabikefatchickonabike
    Posts: 5,508Member

    I am currently having an affair with my CrockPot, but DH knows and is fine with it.


    Love my chef's knife. I often have pain in my wrists and fingers and I have trouble with heavy implements, and my knife is just perfect. I think it's a Henkels but I don't remember.


    Paderno cookware. Love!


    Huge stainless steel skillet by Calphalon. The interior is so smooth it's almost like Teflon, but it can go in the oven and dishwasher.


    Creuset. Awesome stuff.


    I wish I had a KitchenAid mixer, but I don't have the counter space for it. Plus I don't really bake often enough to justify the cost. Sigh.


    When we redid the kitchen last year, we sprang for a Bosch dishwasher. OMG. The thing is so quiet it comes with a red light that shines on the floor to let you know it's working, and if you load it properly you will never have gunky residue on your dishes. Seriously, if there was a fire and I knew DD, DH and the dog were safe, I'd go back in for the dishwasher.

    "The most essential gift for a good writer is a built-in, shock-proof bullshit detector.” - Ernest Hemingway
  • KacerpieKacerpie
    Posts: 883Member
    When ever its time too move, we don't go anywhere with out a dishwasher and gas stove. Ill be damned if I wash anything by hand.
    "Please don't talk mom... It makes my brain work..."
  • undercoverbanana
    Posts: 7,721Member
    ninja food processor. i hate having to chop all that shit by hand.
    i'm nekkid.
  • MarySunshineMarySunshine
    Posts: 5,421Member
    My Reef Blue KitchenAid stand mixer, our crock pot and once upon a time my hand mixer....but I think someone left 3 of the 4 beaters back in NJ when we moved....or threw them out by mistake. I'll have to get a new one some day.
    I'm as sexy as a burp mid-kiss. Watch out!

  • Marionettevie
    Posts: 2,216Member
    I HAVE GOT TO AGREE WITH THE CERAMIC KNIVES! and the ceramic peelers..... insanely sharp!! my food processor is something i just couldnt do without! i LOVE IT!! and i also love the silicone spatulas because they bend and get every little bit out of bowls
  • VegantasticVegantastic
    Posts: 3,404Member
    @BellaBefana thanks for the Amazon tip!!! I'm a bargain/coupon junkie so it's VERY much appreciated!!! Although if these knives are as sharp as you all claim, my clumsy ass may be in trouble lol I guess I'll have to stock up on bandaids!
    "Be the change you wish to see in the world"
    "Don't Panic"
  • meandmy243meandmy243
    Posts: 6,292Member
    Casti irons my griddle my wooden spoons my stock pot and my crock pot.. and my silicone spatula... its small enough to fit in soup cans... lol
    mom of wild children
    going to the chapel 7/5/2014
  • BellaBefanaBellaBefana
    Posts: 8,166Member
    @BellaBefana thanks for the Amazon tip!!! I'm a bargain/coupon junkie so it's VERY much appreciated!!! Although if these knives are as sharp as you all claim, my clumsy ass may be in trouble lol I guess I'll have to stock up on bandaids!


    You're more likely to cut yourself with a dull knife than a sharp one!  @Marionettevie I love the ceramic peeler too.  I have the one that you can twist the blade from vertical to horizontal and I love it.  Not so keen on the palm peeler, I've tried them, but I'm gonna have to look for the zesters!

    And ladies, the dishwasher goes w/o saying for me!  I hate doing dishes even with a dishwasher!
    Bite me, cupcake!
  • KrabbyKay
    Posts: 2,410Member
    I heart my cast iron. I'm currently after my Gram's copper pans and the BIG Dutch oven, I already have the little one. I *know* she had a big one. I saw her use it many a time!
    I also love my "crack" pot.
    Things to get I guess!! Ceramic knives (wow...just...wow) and a FOOOOOD PROCESSOR!!!!!!! Maybe a mixer after that! 
  • just_kimjust_kim
    Posts: 385Member
    My new coffee maker. Ok. It's just a cheap Mr Coffee one, but it's new & doesn't leak like the old one.
    And I love my Corning ware set. I cringe when my kids touch my 9" casserole pan. I just know it's gonna break!
  • Marionettevie
    Posts: 2,216Member
    ooh thats cool! i didnt know they made ones that switched from vertical to horizontal. i need a new peeler because i dropped the one i had and it broke... i guess i can go look for one like that now ;)
  • TruthandjusticeTruthandjustice
    Posts: 68Member
    I love...LOVE my bread machine. We use it constantly and haven't purchased store-bought bread in a couple of years, I kid you not. If that thing ever died, I would HAVE to get another one immediately!!

    And I have always wanted a stand mixer, but I still don't have one.
  • beachmommybeachmommy
    Posts: 2,477Member

    Definitely agree with the Kitchen Aid mixer.

    My cast iron deep pan for frying chicken.

    Variety of wooden spoons.

    And my big 'ol wine glass - don't think I could make a great meal without it!

    My beach is still Sandy....
  • babablacksheepbabablacksheep
    Posts: 128Member
    Professional Kitchen Aid mixer, Pampered chef stoneware, ceramic pans, and my pineapple cutter. I love my kitchen all my kitchen stuff!
  • BellaBefanaBellaBefana
    Posts: 8,166Member
    Marionettevie said:

    ooh thats cool! i didnt know they made ones that switched from vertical to horizontal. i need a new peeler because i dropped the one i had and it broke... i guess i can go look for one like that now ;)



    Amazon!

    Bite me, cupcake!
  • annieru
    Posts: 19Member
    My Kitchenaid mixer!! I also really like our pampred chef pizza stone.  I have a really nice, big, bamboo cutting board my sister gave me last year for my bday.  someday I'll spring for some really nice knives.
  • katz_meowkatz_meow
    Posts: 4,241Member
    Ok dh is a chef. He can't live without a large wood cuwtting board, decent knives, quarter sheet pans, an oven proof sautee pan, and a paring knife. He says " everything else. Improvise." Lol
    Judgement comes in many forms but never scarce or shy
  • katz_meowkatz_meow
    Posts: 4,241Member
    Oops. Forgot. Large stainless bowl. A must have
    Judgement comes in many forms but never scarce or shy
  • ukitty
    Posts: 5Member
    Have a few....my big wooden cutting board, my marble rolling pin (love it!), my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer and my crock pot...that thing is a LIFESAVER!  Throw together ingredients for dinner the night before or right before work and let cook all day...I LOVE not having to cook a big meal when I get home from work!
  • TranquilTranquil
    Posts: 450Member
    My kitchen aid mixer
    Block set of Henkel knives & sharpener
    Henkels garlic press
  • CrashCrash
    Posts: 8,186Member
    Garlic press....tch tch, @Tranquil. Anthony Bourdain says garlic presses were made by the devil.

    Lol.
    See ya in another life, sister!
  • TranquilTranquil
    Posts: 450Member
    Ha @curious then I guess pre-diced garlic in a jar is also a massive no-no lol!
  • BellaBefanaBellaBefana
    Posts: 8,166Member
    Curious said:

    Garlic press....tch tch, @Tranquil. Anthony Bourdain says garlic presses were made by the devil.


    Lol.


    Anthony Bourdain must not have little ones screaming for their dinner!  A garlic press is a lifesaver-time saver!
    Bite me, cupcake!
  • CrashCrash
    Posts: 8,186Member
    I don't find that mincing garlic with a knife is any slower than a garlic press. I mean, smoosh it good and hard with the flat of the knife, a couple of slices the long way, then a half a dozen the other....

    No?

    Ok then. :)
    See ya in another life, sister!
  • GoddessGoddess
    Posts: 1,089Member
    I'm really having a hard time w the name of this thread. I read home cock every. Time. :((
  • TranquilTranquil
    Posts: 450Member
    @Curious I don't know this Henkels garlic press is pretty damn good! I just throw it in the dishwasher when I'm done.

    @bellabefana right? Hence my need for garlic in a jar, in the fridge, when I'm really in a pinch.
  • BellaBefanaBellaBefana
    Posts: 8,166Member
    Goddess said:I'm really having a hard time w the name of this thread. I read home cock every. Time. :((

    Woman you     really, really need to find a man!  Or a kitchen instrument that vibrates?
    Bite me, cupcake!
  • GoddessGoddess
    Posts: 1,089Member
    @bellabefana, I'm having a hormonal swing. I swear to got they're all over. Cry. Get mad. Get horny. Hurt. Today a guy called in and I answered, giving my eyes a break from the spreadsheets I'd been staring at all day. I completely was all, I can help you... You sure dam DNA is all you need to submit? Come to tx and I'll help collect a sample.
    No really I didn't say that but I sure was thinkin it!
    Sorry! Didn't mean to hijack ur thread!
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