Share your cookware discoveries that you now can't live without

[whatevergirl]

Augusta Sans;6064562:

As silly as it sounds, the tool get sees the most action is my apple corer/divider.

I have one of these that I purchased at William Sonoma years ago and love it. Good for pears also. The slices are so nice and uniform and look nice on a fruit and cheese plate.

and for some reason, apples taste better sliced…ever notice that?

 

[whatevergirl]

Here is the portable grill/griddle I mentioned…it’s a Bella Cuccina…I bought ours at Target, it was only $45, as opposed to the price here at macys. No kidding, I use this a few times per week since buying it. You can pull the plates off too and put them in the dishwasher for really easy cleanup.

www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=243286&CategoryID=7569

 

[Brenda_V]

Yes, I like my cast iron but I also use my stainless steal when making stove top casseroles, that can be tossed in a sink of hot soapy water to be soaked.

It took me thirty years to convince my husband on how to take care of the cast iron though! Every time he would use one I would basically have to re-season the thing, then recently when he saw how easy my moms pans worked compared to his moms pans (she always washed hers in soap and water and let air dry ). Any way, he now finally is convinced that I knew what I was talking about.

I really don’t know if I could live without my KitchenAid mixer though, it was given to us by a friend who was moving and didn’t want to cook anymore! When that thing dies I will have to go buy a new one!

Brenda V.

 

[kage_ar]

*Food processor–my dh and I were talking about that, too…if the budget allows. lol What brand do you recommend? We have a very small one currently (very), and I don’t use it much, but my husband loves it. *

Mine is a Kitchen Aid, it gets quite a workout and we have never had a bit of problem with it.

 

[baltobetsy]

Here is the portable grill/griddle I mentioned…it’s a Bella Cuccina…I bought ours at Target, it was only $45, as opposed to the price here at macys. No kidding, I use this a few times per week since buying it. You can pull the plates off too and put them in the dishwasher for really easy cleanup.

www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=243286&CategoryID=7569

Mine looks exactly like that, but I think it’s a knockoff. I got it as a gift for Christmas last year. It’s called “The Grill Griddle.” I just love it, especially when I’ve been to the Italian store to get their panini bread, which is a lot like a ciabatta. It grills up really crunchy and delicious as part of a sandwich. Mmmm.

Betsy

 

[GratefulDad]

Well I have to agree with Puzzleannie and the others that cast iron, rules. It heats things evenly, you can clean it with anything from a non-scratch green scubby pad to a blow torch, it will survive a Thermal Nuclear Warhead, etc. Works well on gas range or electric coils and DW loved all her sizes, especially the 10" skillet to cook fried chicken, fried fish, French fries, fried hush puppies, fried green tomato’s, and fried oakra…Ok, we live in the South.

But last year our electric coil cooktop completely died and we could not even get parts for it even if we wanted to fix it. So we went radical in the kitchen. We got this model glass cooktop and all new Cuisinart Pots and pans, and all new bamboo and OXO utensils.

GE Profile™ 30" Built-In CleanDesign Electric Cooktop Model #: PP945BMBB

products.geappliances.com/ApplProducts/Dispatcher?REQUEST=SpecPage&Sku=PP945BMBB

For the cookware we went with Cuisinart, in fact for some reason, we are just about now, all things Cuisinart, in the kitchen. From pots & pans, toaster, blender/food processor combo, coffee pot, hand mixer, etc. We have found using the 20% Off coupons from Bed, Bath & Beyond is the cheapest place to shop in our area. They honor the 20% Off coupons no matter the expiration date. I used one from last year over the past weekend to buy a wedding gift. If you get on there mailing list they send you a 20% coupon once a month.

cuisinart.com/

cuisinart.com/products/cookware/chefs_classic_stainless/sets_ccs/77-14.html

As far as utensils Bamboo is working great for us. Easy to clean, doesn’t scratch the Stainless Steel cookware, etc. Go with a fairly high end Bamboo line like Joyce Chen or Pampered Chef. The cheaper bamboo is rougher and seems to splinter. The better brands must use a different type of bamboo, because if you get a rough edge all you do is sand it down and it’s smooth again. We never put the bamboo in the dishwasher, the detergent and heat seem to raise the grain of the wood. We had to get these from a Restaurant Supply Store.

joycechen.com/jc/common/index.php?lng=ENG&div=BB&nav=BB&page=B10

With the ceramic cooktops you have to have the perfectly flat bottom pans, so we had to give up aluminum and iron pots and pans for stainless steel. But this combination is fantastic and I love it. You can boil water on #2 in minutes. You simmer things on #1 or L. As long as you do not scorch anything in the pans and do not use metal utensils you can just clean up with soap and water using a non-scratch green scrubby pad. I am also a big fan of the electronic buttons and child lock.

This is the easiest stove I have ever clean up. Just soap and water does it, if you do get something burnt on the eye, you just scrape it off with a razor. I use baking soda or the store brand ceramic cleaner to really get it polished once a month.

 

[BBaller]

We have a large and small cast iron skillet, a cast iron griddle, and a cast iron Dutch oven. That stuff is awesome. My husband seasoned them when we bought them and by just being diligent about what we cook and how we clean, they are always at the ready. We make sauces, casseroles, corn bread, fajitas, eggs, you name it, we make it in the cast iron. I love love love it.

We recently bought a KitchenAid stand mixer. Wow! How did we ever live without it? I also got a little do-hicky hand machine thingy. I can’t remember the brand, maybe Cuisenart? It’s got a power wand and several attachments including a whisk, food processor (small, for making salsa or guacomole, etc), and this wonderful submergible that makes a mean smoothie. It also works for pureeing soups and the like. I love my garlic mincer too. Oh, and I have a couple sizes of ramekins that I use for creme brulee and bread pudding. I’m not too fond of Teflon coated cookware anymore.

I also have a glass baking dish that is approximately 11"x17". I use it to make monster lasagna. I’m talking 3-5 pounds of meat! I can’t wait until we get moved into our house so many of the above items will be in my kitchen rather than in storage! :extrahappy:

Edit: I forgot–we also use one of those rabbits mentioned earlier for re-corking wine. That thing is amazing! Oh, and a pasta machine. We make noodles for soup and for perogies. I can’t wait to get into the house!

 

[whatevergirl]

LOL@ Gratefuldad…it will survive a nuclear warhead!

 

[whatevergirl]

We have a large and small cast iron skillet, a cast iron griddle, and a cast iron Dutch oven. That stuff is awesome. My husband seasoned them when we bought them and by just being diligent about what we cook and how we clean, they are always at the ready. We make sauces, casseroles, corn bread, fajitas, eggs, you name it, we make it in the cast iron. I love love love it.

We recently bought a KitchenAid stand mixer. Wow! How did we ever live without it? I also got a little do-hicky hand machine thingy. I can’t remember the brand, maybe Cuisenart? It’s got a power wand and several attachments including a whisk, food processor (small, for making salsa or guacomole, etc), and this wonderful submergible that makes a mean smoothie. It also works for pureeing soups and the like. I love my garlic mincer too. Oh, and I have a couple sizes of ramekins that I use for creme brulee and bread pudding. I’m not too fond of Teflon coated cookware anymore.

I also have a glass baking dish that is approximately 11"x17". I use it to make monster lasagna. I’m talking 3-5 pounds of meat! I can’t wait until we get moved into our house so many of the above items will be in my kitchen rather than in storage! :extrahappy:

Edit: I forgot–we also use one of those rabbits mentioned earlier for re-corking wine. That thing is amazing! Oh, and a pasta machine. We make noodles for soup and for perogies. I can’t wait to get into the house!

*Hi there–thanks for chiming in…I would LOVE a pasta maker…is it really time consuming though to make say a pound of noodles or spaghetti? It looks like it, whenever I see cooking shows and they are demonstrating pasta machines I’m like… I’ll be here forever making this, BUT…the taste of homemade pasta, is like nothing else. So yummy…I just love homemade manicotti shells…mmmm

So, please let me know how long it takes, approx if you don’t mind? *

 

[whatevergirl]

I have another thing to recommend…well, I’d give it a B+…the “magic bullet.” It’s sold pretty much everywhere, not expensive…it is great for smoothies, salsas, chopping onions, etc. Oh, and it has a separate part for grinding coffee beans…I have liked it. The only thing I’ll say about it, that’s negative, is it doesn’t chop ice as quickly as the infomercial advertises. I also don’t think it chops fruit completely for smoothies, so you might have to keep it running for a little longer than normal to make smoothies, super smooth.

 

[kage_ar]

I have another thing to recommend…well, I’d give it a B+…the “magic bullet.” It’s sold pretty much everywhere, not expensive…it is great for smoothies, salsas, chopping onions, etc. Oh, and it has a separate part for grinding coffee beans…I have liked it. The only thing I’ll say about it, that’s negative, is it doesn’t chop ice as quickly as the infomercial advertises. I also don’t think it chops fruit completely for smoothies, so you might have to keep it running for a little longer than normal to make smoothies, super smooth.

You grade it higher than I would

I was visiting my mom and going to make my famous ham. The outside crust is made up of crushed gingersnap cookies.

Mom does not have a food processor, she handed me a magic bullet. It would not break up a cookie Ended up smashing them by hand.

 

[lizaanne]

Holy Cats woman - how did I miss this thread!!??

I bought this at an estate sale for $12 - the other women there laughed at me because it weighs 50lbs I’m sure.

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:...raphics/shops/teesantiqueorchard/13249.1F.jpg - it is about the size of a very large frying pan.

Then I found this one at HomeGoods for about $50 - http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:...nameled-cast-iron-dutch-oven_930065_175.jpgIt is a 5qt (mine is solid white)

I have no idea how I have cooked for 20+ years without these!!! We use them all the time - and they truly are the only way to braise. I use them on the stove top and in the oven.

You don’t have to have expensive fancy name enamel cast iron - these were not that expensive (although the vintage Descoware has sold for over $100 on eBay). Truly a must in any busy kitchen!!

~Liza

 

[lizaanne]

*Hi there–thanks for chiming in…I would LOVE a pasta maker…is it really time consuming though to make say a pound of noodles or spaghetti? I *

My suggestion is to get the most simple metal one you can find. It does not need to be anything complicated at all. My grandmother used one and it didn’t take long at all. You make the dough in a food processor and then flatten it out through the pasta maker. Easy peasy!!!

youtube.com/watch?v=srkCZ1weYII <— there are a series of these, look for the others on the right hand side of the page.

~Liza

 

[Augusta_Sans]

dachsiemom;6065303:

and for some reason, apples taste better sliced…ever notice that?

So true. And it’s easier to gob on the caramel.

 

[Kindness]

As a wedding present 13 years ago we received a Rosle stainless steel conical colander. It is a basic colander but so well designed I use it every day. It’s fantastic for draining everything including pasta but also sits on top of every pan so well I can use it for steaming. You can hang it up easily, it is just a fantastic kitchen basic.

 

[puzzleannie]

I just went out and got a black and decker food chopper, the small 1-2 cup size. I had a cuisinart that does not chop well at all, it mangles food esp. veggies. Left my old one when we sold the trailer, and now I am a happy camper again. It is getting very hard to chop with a knife because of arthritis, so I love it.

we do have a kitchen aid food processor the big monster jobbie DH bought from a TV ad why I don’t know, but I have tried it exactly 3 times and give up, I just don’t do big jobs like that, so he took it to the parish kitchen and they use it frequently

I am not big on appliances but I use the George Foreman mini-grill at least twice a week. We got a Vita-Mix blender about 20 years ago and literally have used it almost daily since then. I used grind grains and make bread when we had a bread machine, but we don’t eat grain based food much any more. We make fruit smoothies and veggie soups virtually every day. Also wet-chop large quantities of cabbage for slaw, potatoes for hash browns, made enough for the parish fish fry in about 20 minutes.
We have sent it back twice to the factory for sharpening, cleaning and reconditioning–at no charge, and they replace the containers when they get grungy.

DD uses the quesadilla maker daily, or at least her kids do.

I also use an old fashioned apple-corer daily.

 

[Rach620]

Whatevergirl, that was a great gift! I got my own enamel-coated cast iron dutch oven last Christmas. Did you know Food Network has a brand of kitchen things? I think Kohl’s carries the complete line.

Others have already suggested most of my kitchen favorites: KitchenAid stand mixer, Cuisinart food processor.

A couple more:

A toaster oven is an absolute MUST for anyone cooking for one or two. Ours is Krups brand and has separate toast, bake, convection bake, and broil settings. I can bake or roast enough veggies for the two of us for dinner, make 4 slices of toast for breakfast, reheat smaller servings of casseroles or pizza…all without turning on the “big” oven. Great especially in the summer when we don’t want to heat up the apartment!

A good set of kitchen knives. Did you know most kitchen ‘injuries’ due to knife use are because of dull knives? If you’re trying to work with a dull knife, you push harder and the food just doesn’t cooperate. A sharp knife cuts cleanly, quickly, with minimal effort and maximum control. We have a great Cuisinart set with a sharpener that we got on a good sale, with a coupon and gift cards, after Christmas last year. I can’t imagine life in the kitchen without my santoku knife.

Is anyone a fan of silicone bakeware? One of my former room mates/ one of thier significant others stole a pyrex bread pan I used to have. To replace it I bought a kitchenaid silicone bread pan, that thing is so nice! My next silicone purchase will be a muffin pan!

I just have to say that I HATE my silicone muffin pan. I actually have a metal muffin pan on my Christmas list…the silicone just is difficult to clean (it’s not nonstick…not mine, anyway) and Pam spray is permanently burned onto the surface of mine (and my mother’s). Silicone is great for spatulas and pot holders…but I’m convinced it’s not made for baking pans.

Also, I’ve only ever had luck with enameled cast iron…I bought a cast iron grill pan, seasoned it, and tried to use it to grill steaks for DH, and it started smoking uncontrollably when I put butter on it. Like…billowing smoke that smelled awful and caused me to carry the smoking pan out the back door. What’s the deal?

 

[BBaller]

*Hi there–thanks for chiming in…I would LOVE a pasta maker…is it really time consuming though to make say a pound of noodles or spaghetti? It looks like it, whenever I see cooking shows and they are demonstrating pasta machines I’m like… I’ll be here forever making this, BUT…the taste of homemade pasta, is like nothing else. So yummy…I just love homemade manicotti shells…mmmm

So, please let me know how long it takes, approx if you don’t mind? *

Ours is nothing fancy-it secures to the counter top with a vice-like device and has a hand crank. The dough takes a bit to mix and then we let it sit with a towel over it awhile. Then we pinch off about a tennis ball sized ball of dough, run it through to flatten it then back through to cut into noodles. If we are making soup right away we put them directly into the pot. If not, they lay flat to dry then we bag and freeze them. I’m going yo guess it takes less than hour from start to finish. We ran across a great breakfast recipe (Martha Stewart’s) that uses a 6" or 8" x 4" square of pasta. On that you place an egg yolk, a sauce (reminded me of Hollandaise) and some other concoction. You then place amother piece of pasta over the top and seal keeping each ingredient separated. It looks like a big ravioli with three lumps. Boil until done, drain, and enjoy! Homemade pasta works best for that recipe.

 

[lizaanne]

Also, I’ve only ever had luck with enameled cast iron…I bought a cast iron grill pan, seasoned it, and tried to use it to grill steaks for DH, and it started smoking uncontrollably when I put butter on it. Like…billowing smoke that smelled awful and caused me to carry the smoking pan out the back door. What’s the deal?

That wasn’t the pan, that’s only because butter has a very low burn point. Some fats can go to very high temps, but butter is not one of them. If you are doing a steak there is no reason you can’t just put it in a lightly oiled or even dry pan until if forms a crust and you can turn it over. I used to do blackened catfish in a black cast iron skillet - dredge the fish in melted butter, then in blackening seasoning. Drip off as much of the butter first before going in the seasoning. Then sear both sides in the pan, turning only once, until the fish is cooked through. It really is outstanding!!! But if you try to put butter directly into an extremely hot pan it will surely burn and smoke you out of the kitchen.

Try it again - just watch what you use in the hot pan. Cooking with non-coated cast iron is not an instant thing, it does take a little practice.

~Liza

 

[whatevergirl]

Ours is nothing fancy-it secures to the counter top with a vice-like device and has a hand crank. The dough takes a bit to mix and then we let it sit with a towel over it awhile. Then we pinch off about a tennis ball sized ball of dough, run it through to flatten it then back through to cut into noodles. If we are making soup right away we put them directly into the pot. If not, they lay flat to dry then we bag and freeze them. I’m going yo guess it takes less than hour from start to finish. We ran across a great breakfast recipe (Martha Stewart’s) that uses a 6" or 8" x 4" square of pasta. On that you place an egg yolk, a sauce (reminded me of Hollandaise) and some other concoction. You then place amother piece of pasta over the top and seal keeping each ingredient separated. It looks like a big ravioli with three lumps. Boil until done, drain, and enjoy! Homemade pasta works best for that recipe.

Wow, this sounds like something my old Italian aunts used to use! Right off the boat from Italy! I remember as a little girl, visiting with my dad’s sisters and brothers back when we lived in NJ, and they would have that crank type pasta ‘‘machine,’’ and a tomato presser to can tomato sauce! I imagine my dad’s family (including my dad) are rolling over in their graves knowing that I ‘‘sometimes’’ use jar pasta sauce! lol I think it’s so cool that you use this! I love homemade pasta so much…it would be a worthwhile venture.