Over the last couple of weeks we have acquired a couple more kitchen gadgets. Now my challenge is to learn how to use them.
I will freely admit that it takes me a long time to come around to a trend. Do you remember the days before ballet flats first became a thing? Yeah, it took me about five years to start wearing them. And now, I don't wear anything but ballet flats. Well, not at the moment because I only wear ugg boots most days. That's me with most trends. This means that in five years time I will finally think about starting to make sourdough bread. It also means that we just got a pasta maker! So I am about 10 years too late on that one?
We've used it a couple of times now. Once for fettucine and once for spaghetti and oh my goodness the pasta was good! We are planning to try make ravioli soon as we got a mould to use for that, and now we get to play around with a few sauces.
The other gadget that we got is a combined slow cooker/pressure cooker/steamer thingy. Well, I guess what it is is a Crockpot combo. We have only made a chicken curry so far, but I think that the plan is to try to do pork belly this week of some description.
We have had a slow cooker for a long time, so it will be a case of just using this one rather than the other. I do love that this one has a time delay function which we will be taking advantage of when things get back to normal.
So, do you have a favourite new kitchen gadget in your life? Or a favourite recipe for either of these new gadgets in my life?
By way of explanation for the title of this post, I have been writing a weekly series of posts each starting with a different letter of the alphabet. This week, we are up to K and K is for Kitchen Gadgets.
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I was a little late to the InstantPot trend, but now I love my InstantPot! I've experimented a bit to find recipes we really love. Now, I have a repertoire of easy IP recipes that my family loves. I'm always on the look out for more because the IP is such an easy, convenient way to cook for my family.
ReplyDeleteI bought a cookbook today which give you both the slow cook and pressure cook versions of the same recipe. I can see us making a lot of the recipes in that book Susan.
DeleteKitchen gadget fads come and go the way skirt lengths used to go up & down. Pasta machines were hot in the 1980s as well as maybe 10 years ago. Slow cookers also come and go — now they are being criticized, but I still love my very old one. I recommend Julia Child’s recipe for Carbonnade à la Flamande done in the slow cooker. Enjoy yours!
ReplyDeletebe well... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
We are enjoying it so far Mae!
DeleteAs you know, I've been a pressure cooker fan since long before they had electric ones! Beans, soups, stews ... I hope you love it.
ReplyDeleteOne unexpected thing to make in your pasta roller: crackers! As long as your cracker dough doesn't have seeds, it's a quick and easy way to roll the dough out thin enough.
Oh, handy tip BFR! Someone at work this week was talking about using it for fondant icing and pastry.
DeleteI am also late to the party with new gadgets. I don't have apasta maker but we have the ability to get an attachment for my KitchenAid mixer. My husband loves his IP and if you wnat some good recipes, I have a tab at the top of my Squirrel Head Manor site labeled Instant Pot. I ecommend the pork and apples as well as the chicken and mushrooms in cream.
ReplyDeleteNow I want more ballet flats.
I will definitely check out your Instant Pot suggestions. I do like the sound of pork and apples.
DeleteMarg, could you recommend a brand of ballet flats you like? I am in analysis-paralysis right now. If you'd like please email me at tmculbertson AT gmail DOT com. Thanks!!
DeleteI would have many more gadgets but I have never had sufficient counter or storage space. I think kitchens are often designed by non-cooks!
ReplyDeleteI try not to succumb to too many gadgets but some times you just can't help yourself right.
DeleteI bought an Instant Pot 2 years ago, it took me 6 months to take it out of the box and try it. Once I learned to use it, I use it almost every day. In fact, I can't imagine actually the mess of making soup in a regular pot.
ReplyDeleteI love that you can brown in the same pot as you then slow cook or pressure cook in. I think we will use it a fair amount Judee!
DeleteI've bought a lot of kitchen gadgets lately too! A tortilla press, a new, better food processor, new knives, replaced breadmaker.
ReplyDeleteHaven't thought of a pressure cooker as yet or a pasta maker. We have to be a gluten free house so some things are a challenge.
If I was totally honest Jackie I wouldn't mind a new mixer, but the one I have now is sufficient. One day!
DeleteA gadget that I use a lot...wonderful. A gadget that sits in the cabinet...annoying. And yet how do you tell the difference without actually purchasing the gadget and trying it out? It's the only way.
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly right Deb! You have to buy it to see if you are actually going to use it a lot!
DeleteToo funny! I purchased a pasta machine several years ago and finally got around to using it two years later. My newest gadget is the sous vide, which has the added benefit of being relatively narrow, and was able to be squeezed into the remaining space in my appliance cupboard. Not used that much.
ReplyDeleteI am impressed that you have a sous vide Claudia! I am not sure I would use it if I had one though.
DeleteMy kitchen is too tiny for many gadgets & I haven't jumped on the Instapot wagon yet but I did replace my old food processor finally! ;-)
ReplyDeleteI wasn't intending to get one, but it was a birthday present so I will use it. I do intend to do something with the slow cooker though. No point in having both.
DeleteHomemade pasta sounds divine! I use my slow cooker fairly often but I've been wary of the pressure cookers (InstaPots). They make me nervous (the whole releasing the pressure aspect) but probably because I remember the ones from the 70's that blew up when used wrong. LOL
ReplyDeleteI wasn't in a rush due to the same reason Tanya, but so far I am enjoying it!
DeleteI envy you your well-designed kitchen! Ours is in desperate need of renovation, but has been for over 20 years, so nothing new there! We're gadget averse after having too many taking up space but also getting used just often enough to keep for another year! (Or else we're still in the denial phase of I'll use that more when I have time.) I'm always behind the curve on trends, too, and was doing Mason jar salads and grain bowls all fall and winter last year, long after those trends had peaked! ;)
ReplyDeleteI have never made either of those things Laurie! Give me another couple of years! lol
DeleteKitchen gadgets are my downfall! I could never have a kitchen large enough to have them all!
ReplyDeleteI am trying very hard not to succumb to them all Melynda but what can you do when you are given them as gifts! lol
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