1) My electric steamer! I put spaghetti squash in it last night. NOM NOM!
2) Pyrex storage containers in various sizes and shapes. I dont use plastic for food.
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1) My electric steamer! I put spaghetti squash in it last night. NOM NOM!
2) Pyrex storage containers in various sizes and shapes. I dont use plastic for food.
I agree that a convection toaster oven is a must have. That, my blender (a good blender is awesome and will stand in for a mixer in many cases), my coffee maker (with thermal carafe), quality knives and my wine glasses are the essentials.
I do use the microwave a lot, but I could do without it. I also have a nice stainless kettle that boils water in no time flat, but again, it's a nice to have. Same for the slow cooker - I have one, use it occastionally...but most of my slow cooking items are easily made on the stove on the weekends.
I have never owned a rice cooker and I can't believe that others consider it an essential - very interesting!
Another item to consider - if you already have an ipod, get a docking station with speakers. It's wonderful to have music as background noise when cooking, cleaning or reading. :)
I will never buy another coffee pot without a thermal carafe! It is so nice to have hot, unburnt coffee for several hours, and to not have to worry about whether or not I left the coffee pot on.
I love my slow cooker too. Arriving home to a nearly-finished meal is so relaxing.
Personally I've always thought there should be college graduation showers. That's when I established a home on my own. It took years for me to obtain decent glasses, dishes, silverware, towels, sheets, etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by Trek420
I am in Scotland and Calgary (but not simultaneously, obviously)Quote:
Originally Posted by Wahine
I hope the bf found Scotland to his liking.
Oh, and I forgot to suggest Drambuie - but I'm sure you have that covered already.
Zen The uke is a skoosh to learn. Lots of resources on the interweb.
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Skoosh: Noun: (also scoosh, possibly even squouche, who knows?)
1. fizzy pop (see ginger), carbonated soft drink
2. something very easy, simple pimple.
Example: 1. Gies a slug ay yer skoosh, ya stingy aul bugger, ye!
2. At wis dead easy! A pure skoosh!
Yer a pi*ser, you are.;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruno28
I couldn't live with a good set of pots and pans, knives, and stirring utensils. And, I do use my microwave a lot. But, all of my houses have come with a built in one, except the first one. I have a toaster oven, but I hardly use it. DH does use it a lot. We have an Odea automatic espresso machine that is perfect for single serving Americanos. I never use my regular coffee pot; it's put away. If I was single, I would get one of those single serving coffee makers.
Good glasses, a must. I got reasonably priced ones at Crate and Barrel. Buy more than you need, because they always break right before you are having guests.
I bought a slow cooker about 2 months ago, mostly because of all of you guys raving about it. I have yet to use it. It seems like all of the recipes I find are for huge servings of food that are really fattening. My friend is bringing me one of her cookbooks to look at, since she uses hers a lot.
BRUNO!!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruno28
Let me know when you are in Calgary. It will give me a good excuse to drive down and visit (I used to be jocelynlf)
Yes, yes she is. :D:DQuote:
Originally Posted by Zen
Bruno - I forgot about the Drambuie. Good thing you reminded me.
OK - back to the business at hand... I definitely need some good wine glasses and pint glasses. Got it. Knives etc.
Music - I'm going to have to figure out a solution for that. I have a docking station with speakers but I think it may have just died.:(
Sign up for one or more of your local Freecycle groups; people get rid of alllll kinds of things, and some of them you might find useful. Some of the things given away are brand new; I have an Ikea something I'll put together this evening that I got from a fellow Freecycler, still in its unopened package.
College students get rid of a LOT of stuff at the end of a school year...
I use my toaster oven and my microwave a lot; wouldn't want to be without them.
When I first moved into my own place (by myself), I bought a bed, sofa, bookcases, rugs, and lamps. Oh, some kitchen things, too; I still have one of my first mugs, 34 years later!
I think a place to read that isn't the bed is essential, whether sofa or chair.
Something to put flowers in, whether vase or glass pitcher or something else.
Please post the recipe for this; thanks!!!Quote:
Tonight I'm making a Hot Fudge Spoon Cake in the crock pot, and that recipe alone is reason enough to buy both crock and cookbook.
BRUNO!!!! DARLING!!!! IT'S BEEN SO LONG!!!!!!
(I'm a little surprised how many of us don't have TVs. I thought TV had a larger hold on our culture. Hooray! It's not TV, it's bikes and toaster ovens!):D
I have a TV. It's high on my must-have list along with my DVR and DVD player. I didn't bother to say anything because I think I'm too many standard deviations away from the mean on this topic. I use my microwave all the time, I like Eggo waffles, I've never used my coffee maker and I wouldn't know what to do with a crock pot if I had one.
I bought myself a rice cooker for xmas. I gave it to my DIL after one use. Doesn't seem that critical.
I hardly ever use a paring knife, unless I'm eating an apple. But I do have an ulu knife that I use a lot, and a couple of Fury Santuko knives.
I've been playing ukulele for about 6 years now. Middle son is right now restringing one of my baritones for me. My original elcheapo soprano was autographed by Ed Robertson of the Barenaked Ladies. I don't play it anymore. :) I think everyone needs a ukulele. Like Kate Micucci NSFW!
Cast iron. Yes. Definitely. Get the old stuff.
I still don't get the appeal of the toaster oven. I'm going to to with the counter space counterargument. I get the appeal of the convection part, though.
ulu and uke are similar, strange words.
That is all.
Karen
I don't often use a paring knife for paring, but it's just much easier to manipulate than a larger knife for jobs like de-ribbing large greens, trimming the eyes from potatoes and sweet potatoes, etc. For actual paring, you want a ceramic peeler. Oh yeah, you need a ceramic peeler. While we're on ceramic, make sure the burr of your pepper grinder is ceramic, too. ;)
As for pot and pans - besides the pressure cooker, I'd go with one cast iron skillet and one enameled cast iron pot ("oven"). I'd say you want the big pot to be at least 3 quarts and probably larger. I'm all about one-pot meals and making enough for a few days. (I like leftovers for lunch more than I do for subsequent dinners.) You want to be able to simmer pasta sauces, soups, stews, etc., that would just turn into a few quarts of rust if you did it in bare cast iron.
But you can always use the "pot" part of a stainless steel pressure cooker as a regular pot - lots of them come with a non-locking lid for that purpose.
And silicone. As a substance, that's totally indispensable in the kitchen. A couple of silicone potholders (make sure they're easy to manipulate, I have a few that I don't use because they're just too stiff and large). A couple of silicone scraper/stirrers - the large ones that are sort of half shaped like a spoon are my favorites. If you bake at all, a cookie sheet for support, plus baking pans in silicone in whatever sizes you use, and/or a Sil-Pat mat or two.
I would like to have some silicone items, but it's not worth getting rid of the very fine other things I have collected which do the same things. So, I remain silicone free (in more ways than one!).
I shall check out the ceramic peeler.
Karen
When I moved into my first solo apartment, my mother and brother surprised me at my new place with their car stuffed with everything I needed, including pots and pans, dishes, and utensils. They also bought me a tv. My mom really thought of everything, including a tool kit with picture hanging accessories, and a sewing kit. Life is impossible without scissors.
That's a good point -- I have a small tool kit with different kinds of screwdrivers, a few wrenches and plyer (needle nose and regular). Plus a hammer, a box of nails in various sizes, stuff like that.Quote:
Originally Posted by redrhodie
I have a toaster oven but no toaster, so I'm not sacrificing any counter space.
This whole discussion has been really helpful for me. I didn't think of things like sil-mats, which I should definitely have, and scissors!!! Of course, who can live without scissors. And a sewing kit...
Oak - thanks a lot for the tip on ceramic parts. Maybe I need some ceramic parts for my bike too.
My Ultegra RD has a ceramic bushing in one jockey wheel (not both, for some reason). ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Wahine
I didn't read through all the replies...but number one for me has always been...
a really really good comfy bed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D:D:D When I bought my condo 8yrs ago, I told myself I'm going to get myself a really good bed... I always wanted a high bed... with two huge matresses... and that's exactly what I got... double stuffed pillow queen size bed.... it's lovely. I can live without alot of things, but I could never live without my bed:D
enjoy!, your time with you... :) I'm 47yo, lived alone for the last 27 years... only until recently did/do I have a roommate... my boyfriend, shame on me!!...but I wouldn't trade back my single days for anything. They were awesome... I loved living alone... I love living with my boyfriend. People used to say "how do you live alone, aren't you lonely?"... please... I was my own best friend... never had a lonely day in all my life:D