Which kitchen appliances do you choose to own?

[TopHatFox]

So far the appliances I find useful or not are:

Most useful:

Stove: way to heat food, could be energy efficient, mine isn't
Fridge/freezer: way to extend food life, could be energy efficient, mine isn't

Useful enough to own:

Bread machine: cheaper bread & jams with minimal clean up or preparation; minimal electricity use too with low-use versions
Blender: healthful smoothies, sauces, and smoother puree's with some cleanup and minimal electricity with low-use version

Possibly useful enough to own:

Toaster: stove top works just fine for one side of bread, using stove takes longer & requires flipping though
Electric water kettle: only takes 30 seconds to get boiling water, more convenient than stove

Not useful enough to own:

Electric Pancake Maker: use a skillet instead
Electric Coffee Maker: tea ball filled with coffee in pot
Electric Rice cooker: pot + batch cooking
Electric Slow cooker: pot
Electric Pressure Cooker: pressure cooker pot
Microwave: eh, my roommates like it, but it's big and re-heating food doesn't take too long--cold food is okay too!

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Which kitchen appliances do you consider from most useful to not useful enough to own?

[George the original one]

I think you're too harsh on the electric slow cooker (crockpot). Used about every other week by us to batch-cook stews/soups which are reheated in a microwave oven. If we didn't need an oven to bake salmon/trout/steelhead, we could just about get away without a stove/oven. Crockpot gets more use in warmer months than cast iron pot on woodstove.

Luxury item that we enjoy is an electric waffle iron as I prefer waffles to pancakes. The big square kind used for production waffle making rather than one of those "single-serve" boutique pivoting waffle irons. We make double batches of blueberry waffles, typically on Sunday, and use the excess throughout the week. The blueberries come from our blueberry bushes.

We also have an electric hand mixer/blender that gets used primarily for whipping egg whites or whip cream. Used less often is the big bench mixer; often I'm not sure why we own both, but there are times we prefer that big piece of machinery over the handheld & vice versa. We do NOT have one of those silly little blenders that you mix drinks in glasses or soups in pots.

For us, the large bench blender (milk shakes, purees) is not used enough to justify its existence in the cupboard. Except when we want it, LOL.

[GandK]

In order of use:

Fridge/freezer
Microwave
Toaster
Dishwasher
Oven
Crock pot

Blenders only produced smoothies in our house, and when I have smoothies, I consume way too many calories. So I tossed it. I chop and mix foods by hand, so I have no need for appliances there.

I've considered removing the dishwasher, but I think I'd have a revolt on my hands. Besides, if G and I couldn't argue about the right way to load it, we might move on to something else, and I'm afraid of what that might be, LOL.

[bradley]

Like GandK, I think part of "useful" has to do with how much it's actually used, regardless of perceived convenience. But then again, just because you use something a lot doesn't mean it's useful or even more useful than its non-electric counterpart. I also don't own many of my appliances... they came with the apartment.

So sorted by use:

Daily
Fridge/freezer [came with apartment]
Stove/oven (this is gas, but I guess we can call it an appliance) [came with apartment]
Microwave [came with apartment]

Weekly
Toaster [own]

Have but don't use (i.e. need to sell or give away)
Two (!!) blenders (gifts)
Two (!!) electric rice cookers (gifts)
Food processor (a leftover from my less enlightened days)

[TopHatFox]

I've been looking for a blender, any chance you'd like to gift/ship one of the two to....me?

[Chad]

In order of use:
Fridge/freezer
stove (I don't need an oven.)
Blender
Microwave
Toaster oven

[steveo73]

Interesting thread. I was thinking about this recently.

Fridge - used all the time.
Coffee Machine - used all the time.
Blender - used a lot. Not daily but regularly.
Juicer - used a lot. Not daily but regularly.
-> The blender or Juicer would be used daily.
Oven - used but not all the time.
Stove-Top - used a lot.
Sandwich toaster - used a lot.
Toaster - used a lot.
Microwave - used a lot.
Rice Cooker - user a couple of times per week.

I live with my wife and 3 kids. I have a cheap juicer and I think I would be better off upgrading to a better quality one but I don't want to spend the money.

I think ideally I would get rid of the Toaster and the microwave but the rest of the family use them regularly. I wonder if I could replace the rice cooker, stove top and oven with a crock pot.

[IlliniDave]

I have a fridge/freezer, stove/oven, slow cooker, coffee maker, coffee grinder, and microwave. The slow cooker gets used somewhat less often, but to me it's still worth owning. I also have a "food processor" which I use only very occasionally (I didn't buy it, but I haven't got rid of it either). Only the fridge/freezer and stove/oven I would call essential.

[henrik]

Fridge with a small freezer
Stove+oven (electric, I'd prefer gas)
A high quality electric kettle -was a gift to me, have used every day for 10 years, but could do without

Edit: I also have a Trangia alcohol stove that use when I have to take the kitchen outside with me:)

[J_]

We have:
fridge with no freezer (shops on walking distance)
electric kettle (could do without, but is more energy efficient imo)
coffee filter electric (could do without but is more energy efficient imo)
hand blender
stove+ oven electric

like henrik: a Trangia alcohol stove as back up for cooking

[henrik]

electric kettle (could do without, but is more energy efficient imo)

I've been wondering about the efficiency of the electric kettle vs a sauce pan on the stove. I found this:
http://www.treehugger.com/clean-technol ... -oven.html

Or if you prefer less conclusive answers:)
http://www.theguardian.com/notesandquer ... 52,00.html

[OTCW]

I have a stove/oven, refrigerator/freezer, a toaster, a microwave, and a coffee maker. I use them all extensively except for the oven. I could make do without it, but would lose the stove in the process. I went for a long time without the microwave, toaster, and coffee maker, but I like them all and am glad I have them now.

[jacob]

http://earlyretirementextreme.com/the-m ... tchen.html + a counter top range/burner, fridge optional.

DW, OTOH, chooses to own as much as possible. Our compromise is that she does the cooking and I shut up. I can live with that.

The only things that I've added to the above and which are still under my nominal control is a coffee grinder (thanks freecycle) and this http://www.amazon.com/Frieling-Coffee-K ... 005Z48XZ0/

[KevinW]

Used roughly daily:
stove top
coffee grinder, kettle, French press
refrigerator and freezer
good chef's knife and cutting boards
oil cruet

Roughly weekly:
oven
pressure cooker
slow cooker
stand mixer
salad spinner

Roughly monthly, barely enough to earn their keep:
microwave
food processor
pizza stone

Eliminated or slated for elimination:
drip coffee machine
K-cup machine (gift)
hot cocoa machine
blender
bread machine
toaster

~~~

Lately I've been thinking that, if one is willing to embrace a diet based on staples that is mostly vegetarian and soup/stew/curry based, the only appliances they'd really need are

(2) electric multi-cookers, like the "Secura 6-in-one" or equivalent:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008A8 ... _i=desktop
The 6 functions are: pressure cooker, slow cooker, steamer, rice cooker, skillet, soup maker.
I'd get two so it's possible to have an entree and side, e.g. a curry and rice, come up at the same time.

And,
(1) "microfridge" microwave and mini-refrigerator combo.
This is mostly for keeping leftovers so batch cooking is viable.

Once you forego meat and sugary baked goods, there aren't many use cases for an oven left. It's possible to make quick breads and yeast breads in a slow cooker.

[Stahlmann]

Has anyone tried sillicone baking mold?

I also need to reduce using aluminium/paper foil during my baking. Yep, they aren't appliances, but one needs to buy them constantly -.-" I don't like it!

[jacob]

Yeah and I find that silicone stuff highly suspicious. I'm probably just averse to petroleum products, but I prefer metal molds. You can line with paper if you have to. Otherwise, buttering it up or using some oil on some paper towel should work fine. Aluminium? No!

Alternatively, don't use mold, accept flat breads and figure out a away around the flatness such as holding the bread in one hand and a piece of cheese in the other while taking turns.

[BWND]

Rice cooker. I own a rice cooker and it's usually used several times a week. I got turned on to them when I was living in Asia where almost everyone I came across had one. I never managed to nail cooking rice manually so this is a huge time saver (and aborted rice saver). Perfect rice every time. It cost about €25, about 2 years old so far. The one before that was about €18 I think and lasted about 2 years before it was chucked as the pot was all scratched. I don't know if there would be much difference between a €25 one and a €50 one other than size and a load of superfluous functions. There was a good step up in quality from 18 to 25. The one I have at the minute doesn't look like it's dying anytime soon!

There is a rubber garlic 'peeler' thing in the kitchen that I bought one time. That's an absolute travesty.

[prognastat]

We own a lot, too much really.

Stuff that we actually use:
Stove/Oven Combo
Instant Pot(8 quart version to make meals in bulk)
Microwave
Fridge/Freezer Combo
Electric Kettle
Dishwasher

Stuff we rarely/never use:
Toaster
Blender
Waffle Maker
Shaved Ice/Snowcone machine
Rice Cooker
Crock Pot
George Foreman Grill
Coffee Maker
Keurig Machine

We had a hand mixer that we used sometimes, but it broke and putting the attachments in my cordless drill has done the job so far.

[BWND]

We had a hand mixer that we used sometimes, but it broke and putting the attachments in my cordless drill has done the job so far.

Brilliant. I had never thought of that before

[prognastat]

We had a hand mixer that we used sometimes, but it broke and putting the attachments in my cordless drill has done the job so far.

Brilliant. I had never thought of that before

Thanks, desperate times and all XD. It wouldn't work for any of the things that you would need 2 whisks/beaters going at the same time, but that's not something I've needed in my cooking.