I’m always the one telling all of you what you MUST have .. how about you telling me something I really need. I don’t expect you to know what I already have so don’t worry about whether I already have what you’re going to recommend.
The reason I’m asking is two-fold. First, I was so anti-electric pressure cooker for so many years, only because I thought the stove model was perfect and could not be improved upon. Now, I think both the electric and stove top models are perfect. The second part of the reason is this: Even though I’ve been anti-multi purpose pots, because of how much I love the pressure cooker, I’m thinking of ordering the Instant Pot. I could put the rice cooker and the slow cooker(s) in my storage area and then I would have the same number of pots in the kitchen. The current rice cooker and slow cooker could be for backup . . if I needed more or if the Instant Pot broke.
But first, I wanted to make sure there isn’t something I need more than I need a second pressure cooker. Honestly, there’s a roast in the pressure cooker now and if I had a second pot, I’d have another cheesecake cooking.
So . . let’s keep it kitchen related. What do I need?
Susan says
I’m really not the person to answer this, as I keep everything to a minimum. I have a waffle iron and both a slow cooker and a small crock pot and if it can’t be made in one of those, then there’s the 6 qt. cast aluminum pot, and after that … well, it doesn’t get cooked around here! My son bought a hot dog cooker and I thought he was crazy since we have both skillets and a microwave, but it does make a nice hot dog – just don’t cook the bun in there like you’re supposed to – bread sticks to the baking plate. I wouldn’t buy one myself, though. So I would say … you probably have everything you NEED, and now it’s just what else do you WANT or have room to store. =)
heather says
Hi Judy-
Not sure if you NEED it but I wonder what you think of the electronic canners? I’m prone to extreme forgetfullness/distraction and think this might be nice so I don’t have to be chained to the stove when canning. Seems like it might be nice for you during heavy garden season so you could be out collecting more while it is canning the last batch!
Barbara says
that’s what I want…then I don’t have to worry about my glass top stove.
every now and then I will google it, but have never found one??
heather says
I found them on the Ball (as in canning jars) website.
heather says
sorry should say the description I found on the ball canning website. If you google them they have them many places (amazon, bedbath and beyond, etc) they are 400 on amazon, 300 most other places
Barbara says
thanks, but the Ball electronic canner is a water bath canner….it cannot be used for vegetables and meat.
Denise Russart says
You need to send me some of your dinner – sounds delicious but I’d like the cheesecake too—oh wait – that’s what I need not what you need. 😉
Emma says
A pizza stone. I use mine for baking potatoes, sweet potatoes, cookies, broiling anything, and pizza of course!
Kate says
oh my goodness this site is BAAAAAD for me – who knew there were electronic CANNERS !!!! oh Santa……………………………………
Pdudgeon says
as young as you are i’m sure you don’t need this right now, but you might want to put this on your ‘someday’ list.
My suggestion would be a Black and Decker “Lids Off” machine.
I use mine for getting the narrow width commercial jar lids off of things like spaghetti and pizza sauce, opening up soda bottles, water bottles, etc.
both the base and the top of the machine are independently adjustable and have tackled many a jar or bottle in my kitchen. I keep it on my counter so it’s handy whenever i might need it.
Mary Jo says
At the rate you are going maybe what you will soon need will be more storage room!
I am at the point in my life that if I buy one thing at least one, if not two, things are given to charity or thrown away! My kids will thank me when I am gone if I don’t leave them a bunch of stuff to get rid of.
Judy H says
There are two kitchen appliances that I really enjoy, and both are Cuisinart….
My food processor and my ice cream maker.
We use both pretty regularly. There’s a coconut sorbet recipe that is just amazing.
The food processor has three bowls that stack inside each other. The ice cream maker can make ice cream/sorbet/slush in almost no time.
I’m trying to decide which pressure cooker to order…It sounds like the Insta-pot does more, but I’m pretty impressed with the Cuisinart name, and I’m just not sure which way to go yet.
IF you order the insta-pot, I know I can rely on you to post a review or two, so maybe I’ll wait and see if you get it! 🙂
Dana Pellerin says
oh well you convinced me to go to the store(Bed bath and Beyond) and I got my electric Cuisinart pressure cooker. I hope I love mine as you do yours. Thanks for your knowledge and sharing with all of us. Dana
Donna C says
I love my immersion blender. There is no cooking something, then transferring it to a blender, then back to the cooking pot. You just stick the blender stick right in the pot or bowl. It is great for bean soup, for example, where you want to thicken the soup by crushing some of the beans but leaving some whole. Works great for getting the right texture for salsa too. They are small and easy to store. Mine is over 10 years old, and gets plenty of use. It makes a great gift, too.
shirley says
I’d like to know which one you love. I looked and its confusing to many to choose from.
Sally H says
A kitchen scale. I got my first one about five years ago. It broke and I found out just how dependent on it I had become! I use it most often to measure ingredients for baking like butter, lard, and flour. Soooo much easier than using any cup-type measuring device.
I have a huge stock pot that I have found very handy. I got it at a restaurant supply store and use it to cook, well, large batches of everything. Right now it is cooking an entire cut-up 18 lb. turkey.
And I use my KitchenAid stand mixer almost every day.
I second the immersion blender (I have one for food and one for making soap,) and the pizza stone (nothing else cooks crust as well.) I still love my 30-year-old Cuisinart food processor.
Angie says
My Cusinart pressure cooker arrived yesterday. So, first thing I made was corn chowder for lunch, and pork chops last night from Bob Warden’s book, Great Food Fast. Really like his recipe book. Everything was good, and I love not having to oversee this pressure cooker like I do with my stove top pressure cooker.
My other favorite appliance is the Ninja Cooker! I’ve had if for over a year now, and use it for so many recipes. Stew is great in the Ninja!
Rebecca in SoCal says
I second the KitchenAid stand mixer, and check out the accessories, like a sausage maker.
How about a small oven? I feel so foolish when I heat my big one for something small (like when you take a dozen cookies out of the freezer to bake). I don’t think a toaster oven would be useful, but a small built-in type.
TerriS says
You might want to try out a Nu-Wave oven. It’s a countertop infrared conduction oven that we just love. It is one “As Seen on TV” product that is everything they say it is. We use it almost every day. You can cook multiple things on racks. In the last week, we’ve used it for individual meatloaves, baked potatoes and roasted asparagus (20 minutes), to heat up some leftover BBQ ribs I had in the freezer (10 minutes), oven baked chicken and honey mustard salmon. It’s great for cooking a few pizza rolls instead of heating up the whole oven. You can freeze cookie dough, slice off a few cookies and bake them in it and they come out great. With the dome extender, I’ve done a small turkey, roasted whole chickens, a whole leg of lamb, a standing rib roast and many, many pork roasts. You can cook meat from frozen, if like me, you are forever forgetting to take something out of the freezer. It stays on the countertop in my tiny kitchen because we use it more than we use the stove.
It’s really great for just the 2 of us, cooks in less time and uses less energy than the stove/oven and I highly recommend it.
Karen says
Forgive me if you have one…I don’t remember you mentioning it…but I miss a lot. Anyway, we love our Vitamix…makes fresh soups, ready to eat. Great smoothies, fresh applesauce, great ice cream (from spinach of all things..and it’s good!)
JudyL says
I do have a Vitamix and love it!