What is the kitchen utensil/gadget you can't live without?

**papaver** · 11-10-2009, 02:37 PM

Most of them say what they are meant for...

http://www.surlatable.com/p2p/endeca...age=1&asc=true

But what I advise is, make sure the handle is not too heavy. I have two of which the handle is too heavy, they easily fall over when you not holding them.

**Trek420** · 11-10-2009, 02:52 PM

nice knives

good cutting board .... and I'm a happy happy prep chef

**hoffsquared** · 11-10-2009, 03:29 PM

Thank you all so much! I've got some ideas to follow-up on!

I used Dutch Ovens all the time when taking my Girl Scouts camping. There is nothing like camp-made Monkey Bread after a long day hiking.

Haven't really used them here at home.

**OakLeaf** · 11-10-2009, 03:42 PM

Originally Posted by papaver

Most of them say what they are meant for...

http://www.surlatable.com/p2p/endeca...age=1&asc=true

That told me that the "ordinary" shape is for eggs and the flat-bottomed one is for using in saucepans. Okay. But I don't think the "balloon whisk" is for whisking balloons...

Anyway, the one you pictured isn't even on that page, and neither are a lot of the ones they had in the store.

Ball whisks, flat whisks, tornado whisks, jet whisks, frog whisks.... I'm learning the names from my friend Google, but haven't found what they're for yet...

**shootingstar** · 11-10-2009, 06:03 PM

Originally Posted by papaver

I didn't get it either... till I got one for free... seriously... you never burn things, it's perfect for slow cooking...

Well Dutch oven cooking or slow cooking like that in the oven, isn't my natural instinctual style of cooking. We use our oven for: baking my homemade of focaccia/pizzas with multiple variant toppings; roasting certain root veggies, occasional quiche-like flans and stuffed phyllo roll. We don't roast meat because we prefer not eat/prepare such a large amount of meat...for only 2 people. Anyway we only eat certain meats.

There are some Asian dishes that use clay pot but I've never tried them yet and haven't figured out if stovetop or oven-based.

For the actual cooking process, I just prefer the speed of the stove top dishes that we do..except of course for soups. We seldom have stewed nor braised entree dishes nor do we ever make casseroles. Neither he nor I grew up on casserole dishes so we haven't moved forward in life.

So we have too many casserole ceramic dishes as gifts.

**krisl6** · 11-10-2009, 10:53 PM

Originally Posted by papaver

Krisl isn't Dutch... but her dutch writing is more than okay.

Thanks for the compliment!

or should I say:

Bedankt voor het compliment!

**Crankin** · 11-11-2009, 03:27 AM

My JA Henckels set of knives.
Other than that, I have a lot of cool little tools I like, but they are not expensive or special things. I have had a Kitchen Aid stand up mixer for about 15 years; I hardly use it anymore, since I rarely bake. I also have a bread machine that my exchange student gave us for a present that whenever we use it, we say, "Why don't we use that more often?"

**tulip** · 11-11-2009, 05:20 AM

To add to my favorites: it's really gotta be my Le Creuset dutch oven, now that Bleeker has hooked me on using it to bake bread. I never buy any sort of bread anymore. I've had my Le Creuset for nearly 20 years, and I always meant to build upon my collection other pots, but I haven't yet. I only have two other cooking pots--an old cheapola saucepan and a small cast iron skillet.

Oh and one more thing that I really like for cooking fish is my Romertopf for fish. I would like one for chicken someday, too.

**jobob** · 11-11-2009, 05:52 AM

There are a couple of excellent cooking shows on PBS, America's Test Kitchen and the related series Cooks Country.

One of the segments on (both?) of these shows are equipment tests -- they test everything from can openers to countertop appliances. They do pretty detailed tests, and cost is definitely a deciding factor. Ofter times they'll point out the "perfect" item, that is, the one that does the job perfectly but costs a bundle, and then they'll single out the item that tested very close to perfect but at a fraction of the cost.

Anyhow, a lot of their test reviews can be found here. Maybe you can find stuff for your wishlist.

http://www.americastestkitchen.com/ratedcookware.asp

Argh, some of the reviews are available only if you register for the website. Still, at least you can see what they like on the main page.

**skhill** · 11-11-2009, 07:37 AM

I cook and bake a lot, and I'd hate to be without my kitchenaid stand mixer (inherited from my parents) and my lucky pie plate (from grandma; the pie always turns out great). But the one thing I really, really, couldn't survive without is a decent coffeemaker....

**papaver** · 11-11-2009, 10:45 AM

Originally Posted by tulip

Oh and one more thing that I really like for cooking fish is my Romertopf for fish. I would like one for chicken someday, too.

I have a romertopf that someone gave me... but i don't know what to do with it...

**papaver** · 11-11-2009, 10:52 AM

Originally Posted by skhill

But the one thing I really, really, couldn't survive without is a decent coffeemaker....

How decent? this decent?

This baby will be MINE by the end of this month...

**tulip** · 11-11-2009, 01:21 PM

Originally Posted by papaver

I have a romertopf that someone gave me... but i don't know what to do with it...

Is it for chicken or fish? The fish ones are shaped like a fish (imagine that!) and the bottom half is glazed on the inside. The chicken ones are taller and are not glazed on the inside. Don't use fish in a chicken one, unless you want all your future chicken dishes to smell like fish.

Here's what you do, assuming you have one for chicken: Soak the Romertopf in a sinkful of water for at least 20 minutes, preferably an hour. After that, put in some potatoes (chunks), carrots, celery, garlic, onions, fresh herbs--whatever you like. And a bit of white wine or beer--like a cup. Then put the the chicken (whole) in. You can stuff the chicken with garlic and herbs if you want to.

Put it in the oven, but the oven must be COLD. Turn the oven up to 400F / 180C or so and cook for about an hour. I'm not sure about the time. Everything cooks perfectly--moist and delicious and healthy.

Google Romertopf recipes for more info. They are wonderful!

**papaver** · 11-11-2009, 01:38 PM

it's the chicken one...

**MommyBird** · 11-13-2009, 06:02 PM

We have a new toy that has quickly become a favorite.

My husband and two sons have gotten into the habit of making energy shakes after they ride (Dave) and row (Nick & Drew).
I got tired of having the big blender out and washing the pitcher all the time. It's big, heavy and awkward.

So, I gave my husband a Tribest Personal Blender for our anniversary just this month. The guys love it. I do not use it but I love it too. Multiple containers, lightweight, they put it away, much quieter than the big one, who wouldn't love it.

Here are pics of us using our Dutch Oven for the first time...Notice the bikes on the truck...and the big red gloves...

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