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11:05 am
December 14, 2010
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I have had a home repair business for more than 30 years and I always consider the value of a tool for the job against the cost of the tool. I have some tools that are/were quite expensive and I use them very rarely, but when I do use them they are absolutely essential.
In the kitchen there are also some tools that can fall into the same catagory. A large volume cherry pitter is an example if you have an orchard. There are other tools that are used nearly everyday in my case it is a kitchen scale. They can be purchased for less than 40 dollars and and can weight a teaspoon of sugar or a whole turkey. I never make yeast bread without weighing the flour. I find that I can get consistant results in this way and can also adjust the size of the batch.
A pressure canner is an expensive purchase but canning without one is limited to high acid foods.
Afte buying the basic pots and pans for my kitchen I bought my canner and my next large purchase was my kitchen scale.
3:13 pm
January 9, 2011
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Good knives. They can make work more efficient or, if dull, a mess. I bought the Ginsu about 2 years ago. I'm pretty happy with them.
I recently replaced my old wood chopping block with a square of granite. I'm pretty impressed with that too. It helps the knives make solid cuts and its easier to clean.
After that, maybe my stand mixer. Or my new aquisition : a Sunbeam food processer I bought for $5.00 at a garage sale. It's great. I used it to make relish last week and can't imagine why i didn't buy one sooner.
4:12 pm
December 14, 2010
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AprileJoi, Please tell me that you don't use a granite slab for a cutting board. No knife edge can stay sharp against that.
4:43 pm
December 14, 2010
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This is my most used kitchen knife kit. 
The black rectangle in the center is my sharpening stone and on the right is a diamond sharpening steel..
This picture shows a boneless turkey breast ready to be cut into strips for marinade and grilling along with the knife and cutting board. 
11:00 pm
October 31, 2010
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Ross -
I'm just about ready to buy a kitchen scale – can you tell me what kind you have and if you'd recommend it? I've looked at a lot of them and am having a hard time choosing! I like the idea of a digital scale – have even looked at the pocket size ones since most of what I weigh would be for cheesemaking like salt, etc.
8:49 am
December 14, 2010
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I use a Pitney-Bowle postage scale for most stuff, A laboratory balance for very small weights and a double beam baby scale for large stuff. If I had to replace them I would buy a small digital platform scale that could hold a bowl and still be readable.
10:40 am
November 11, 2010
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Without a doubt, my most cost effective kitchen tools are my good knives and my Kitchenaid stand mixer. Right behind them would be my Bosch immersion blender with attachments. I can do everything I want with those 3 things. Next on my list will be a pressure canner. I'm thinking this will end up paying for itself in no time. Probably will go for efficiency in work by adding a steam juicer and KA food mill with that. From what I read, those make much easier work of tomatoes, sauces, etc.
1:39 am
January 2, 2011
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My KitchenAid stand mixer! I do a lot of baking & I would be lost without it. It is worth every penny. The tool that is quickly climbing up the list of most valuable tools is our Excalibur dehydrator.
8:30 am
February 6, 2011
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I have a couple of essentials in my kitchen. First are my flexible cutting mats. They are only about a dollar a piece and last for a long time. I like that I can pick them up with the cut veggies, etc. on them and funnel them into a pot or bowl. I received one as a stocking stuffer years ago and have since purchased two more sets.
The next essential is my Bosch mixer and slicer/shredder attachment. I never have to worry that I will overload the 800 watt motor. It makes super quick work of slicing and shredding veggies. I also make 6 loaves of bread at a time with it (it can actually make 9!). It does all the kneading of the dough for me and I make my bread from start (grinding wheat) to finish (cooling on the counter) in less than 2 hours.
I couldn't do near what I do without these two kitchen essentials.
9:44 am
June 1, 2011
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Years ago, I bought a Bosch Universal mixer. I love it, I'm just sorry we didn't get more attachments before they stopped making it. Along that line, DH & I bought another slightly newer copy of what I had at a consignment store for $20. No other attachments, but it gives me a 2nd bowl, etc.
My knives, mostly Henkel. My paring knife and chef's knife I've had since college (30+ years).
Aside from that, I'd probably say our maple cutting board counter. We got our new sink on Craig's Li…a previous HD demo kitchen sink with a Corian counter. They'd bought it with the idea they were going to use it in their laundry, but it didn't fit. Our kitchen sink had been badly sealed– the tile was coming up– so we needed a sink!
There was an L in the old counter that of course it didn't replace. Our solution was for DH to make a maple cutting board. It sits next to the stove and I love it. Expensive? Yes, but we use it every day.
Judi
11:21 am
September 20, 2010
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I love my Kitchen Aid mixer and food processor, these make cooking fun!
7:08 pm
June 1, 2010
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I haven't tumbled to good knives yet…but my most cost effective "tool" has to be my revere copper-bottom/stainless double boiler. I used it as a child. I'm past retirement age!
2nd place: my leCreuset. Thankfully they were presents from employee at department store. 40+ years and still cooking…the one with a problem is covered by their life-time guarantee!
makes one kind of wistful for the good ol' days when things were built to last!
7:36 pm
December 14, 2010
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Knives are only as good as the person who keeps them sharp. If you have to draw a knife across the skin of a tomato more the an inch it needs to be sharpened.
8:55 pm
January 9, 2011
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I never mastered the art of sharpening knives. I just never get it right.
9:04 pm
December 14, 2010
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There are some very good diamond knife sharpening systems for less than 30 dollars. They will put a surgical edge on a knife in less than a minute.
9:34 pm
January 9, 2011
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Unless it comes with my American Indian father holding it I am not optimistic. ( He loved to sharpen things). ;^)
10:26 pm
March 22, 2010
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Good knives, definitely.
And at the other end of the cost scale:
Norpro cordless mini mixer. It's like a miniature immersion blender. I use it to whisk all kinds of things: eggs, vinaigrette, cocoa mix, anything where I have a small amount. Quick and easy. $6.
JarPop: the best jar opener I've found. It works kind of like a beer bottle opener; you just lift the edge of the jar a tiny bit until the vacuum releases, and then it's easy to open by hand. $6.
Revere stainless steel steamer. It's like a double boiler, only with holes in the top pop for steaming. I use it almost every night to steam veggies. Easier than the microwave and very easy to clean. $16.
Wooden spoons and spatulas of all shapes and sizes.
I guess I'd have to include my Pyrex pans, bowls and measuring cup, because they're still going strong after 40 years of use.
8:19 am
June 1, 2010
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my uncle taught my mom and me (I was @12) how to use a wet stone to sharpen knives. I even have his stone somewhere in the kitchen. My dad taught me how to use a steel to freshen the edge of a carving knife…yet still I resist putting out for nice knoves. Wonder what that's about. . . .
9:31 am
April 20, 2011
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My kitchen-Aid mixer, plus attachements. I use the grinder attachement a lot. My Cuisinart processor. Pressure canner for sure. Have several very large stainless steel bowls. They really come in handy during the canning season. I love my Wusthof french knife and I have a small hand-held Wusthof knife sharpener. My Dad could sharpen a knife with a stone, wish I had learned how. It took a while to save for and the latest item is an all-clad stock pot. No more scorching on the bottom when canning large quantities.
10:07 am
December 14, 2010
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Good knives can be expensive but they last for more than one liftetime. The only knife in the picture above that I bought new is a Case brand with a wooden handle directly above the sharpening stone about fifty years ago. the rest are yard sale knives that people got for wedding or house warming gifts and didn't appreciate.
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