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Old 12-02-2012, 06:12 AM
 
Location: Western North Carolina
7,994 posts, read 10,559,191 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81 View Post
I keep on the counter the electric tea kettle, toaster-oven/broiler, the microwave and the food processor. Everything else lives in cupboards and pantries. The electric griddle slides very nicely under the china closet in the dining room.

There are a few appliances I don't need that I should get rid of: the iced tea maker (my late husband's; he loved it but I prefer to make sun tea), the rice cooker (a gift from my mother-in-law), the coffee grinder (the food processor is better at this, and is easier to clean), the Foreman grill (PITA to clean).

The bread maker I should get rid of because bread is sooooo addicting!
Don't feel bad, I also have extra baking pans and come dishes "tucked up" underneath some of the dining room furniture! Tells me I should have definitely gotten a house with more kitchen storage space!

Oh, and I agree with you about cleaning those Foremand grills!
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Old 12-02-2012, 07:42 AM
 
Location: Chapel Hill, N.C.
36,499 posts, read 53,827,193 times
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my foreman grill is the easiest thing to clean. I just use the little white doo dad which came with it to get between the ridges, wipe with paper towel and then with damp cloth when i get the counters. it would be more difficult without the doo dad.
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Old 12-02-2012, 07:55 AM
 
Location: In a house
13,250 posts, read 42,651,549 times
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I'm not understanding the salad spinner thing. When I make a salad, I chop the end of the head of romaine off, the leaves fall out very easily then. I run the whole thing under the tap, shake it out, and toss it in the salad bowl. Is there something about water on lettuce that's unhealthy? I grew up not having a salad spinner and when I first saw it on one of those "As Seen on TV" commercials I thought it was the dumbest idea around. I still don't get the attraction to them.

So what's the deal with so many people having such an aversion to water in their salad bowl?
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Old 12-02-2012, 08:26 AM
 
Location: Verde Valley AZ
8,775 posts, read 11,858,380 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by no kudzu View Post
I have a nice big kitchen but even with lots of space i need to think about everything I have or want to have. I have resisted a salad spinner all these years mainly because it seems it would take up so much room. After all how much trouble is it to wash lettuce, set it in the strainer and blot it with paper towels.

The other thing is a waffle iron. Never had one. I do make pancakes all the time and wonder if I would use a waffle iron. Isn't it the same batter--just thicker and bigger?

I do think my food saver and george forman grill are worth the space they take on the counter. Everything else is put away on shelves or drawers- food processor, blender, crock pot, stand mixer, small choper, griddle.
I have a fairly large kitchen but not a lot of actual counter space. I haven't had a kitchen stove for over three years and, so far, I haven't missed it. I DO have quite a few small appliances.

I have a large electric skillet that I use every single day. A toaster and coffee pot that are left out on the counter. Then there's the convection oven and microwave that both have their own cabinets and things are stored under those. The convection oven stand holds all my Corning Ware on two shelves and the bottom shelf has all my pastas, beans, etc. in large jars. The microwave cabinet holds all my cookbooks. There's room on top of cabinets to store 'extra' stuff like my travel coffee pot and bread machine. One cabinet holds my two crockpots...one large, one small...my Foreman grill and waffle iron. I also have a small electric chopper, coffee grinder and elec. can opener in a cabinet but don't use any of them all that often. Not much left out on the counters but there are two utensil holders and knife block.

I use all of these often enough that I wouldn't consider getting rid of them. I bought the waffle iron to make my own and freeze. I tried the store bought frozen waffles and didn't like them. Very handy!

People find it hard to believe that I can survive without a kitchen stove but so far, so good! Oh yeah, I also have a two burner hot plate but I never use it because I think it's more geared for keeping things warm than actual cooking. I can cook pasta in my electric skillet a LOT faster than I can on that thing.
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Old 12-02-2012, 09:37 AM
 
Location: Philaburbia
41,749 posts, read 74,749,634 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AZDesertBrat View Post
People find it hard to believe that I can survive without a kitchen stove but so far, so good!
I lived for a year without a stove, too, and manage to do everything short of roasting a whole turkey. We had a microwave, one-burner hot plate, and toaster-convection oven-broiler, and managed to cook full dinners every night.

You certainly learn to be creative in the kitchen!
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Old 12-02-2012, 09:44 AM
 
1,072 posts, read 2,962,795 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AnonChick View Post
I'm not understanding the salad spinner thing. When I make a salad, I chop the end of the head of romaine off, the leaves fall out very easily then. I run the whole thing under the tap, shake it out, and toss it in the salad bowl. Is there something about water on lettuce that's unhealthy? I grew up not having a salad spinner and when I first saw it on one of those "As Seen on TV" commercials I thought it was the dumbest idea around. I still don't get the attraction to them.

So what's the deal with so many people having such an aversion to water in their salad bowl?
If you cut up lettuce for more than one day it will wilt faster if you don't get all the water off. I typically cut and mix lettuce for a few days during the summer and the salad spinner is great for that. As for an aversion to water, if you are dressing a salad with an oil based salad dressing, the dressing won't coat properly with water on the leaves. It seems like a little thing but it makes a huge difference at least to me.
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Old 12-02-2012, 10:16 AM
 
16,368 posts, read 30,094,442 times
Reputation: 25415
Quote:
Originally Posted by montanamom View Post
I frequent second hand stores, and I think it is a good indicator of the things that people DON'T use in the kitchen much.
It sounds like a lot of people here make good use of their George Foreman grills, but apprarently a lot of people don't. I always see row upon row of those, in all shapes and sizes donated and selling for a dollar or two. I was able to score one with the rare but oh-so-popular "bun warmer" feature! We use it occasionally, when we are in one of our "healthy eating" phases, but it stays below the counter the rest of the time.

At those same second hand stores I also see many, many bread machines, some still in boxes having never seen the light of day even once. Other wastes-of-space items that people donate are LARGE size food processors with all those attachments (don't most of us just use the mini-chop 99% of the time?),

How people use kitchen appliances is a function of their age. My buddy, a single guy in his late 20s, and my 80 yo father use theirs several times a week. The George Foreman is also pretty good for those guys who could not cook. It is a life saver ... until they get married. As for me, I have a grill pan that can be used for anything.

I have both a mini-chopper and a fancy Cusinart food processor and have not used them more than five times in 30 years. Why? A good quality Henckel chops food quite well and is a whole lot easier to clean up.

A lot of the stuff that is available at thrift stores are gifts that people really never wanted. Fortunately, I have been able to thwart some friends and families before they bought me junk that I would never want. Some of the things that I no avoided was a George foreman, a salad spinner, and most recently, a Keurig machine. I cannot see spending $150 on a coffee machine when my $19 Black and Decker does a better job at a fraction of the cost.
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Old 12-02-2012, 04:08 PM
 
2,271 posts, read 2,637,144 times
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What a great topic!

Personally, I enjoy living very simply. I used to be suckered into all the kitchen toys until they overflowed into other rooms of the house! Then I wised-up and realized that so many of them do the same thing! I gave them all away and started over, keeping with the simple living theme of the rest of my life.

Knives do most everything and cut out the need for many gadgets. It's a matter of being willing to take the time to do it all by hand. And patience is not a popularly sought-after virtue these days. But, to each their own. Right now I have an incredibly small kitchen with not only limited, but very inconveniently placed, counter space. Most of that space is still open because I hate clutter. (And I've never owned a microwave.)

I have a mini-food chopper for those times when I DO have to hurry. I also have a hand mixer. (I will admit to missing my KitchenAid mixer though!) Other than that, I don't have much else. My one luxury item that was worth the money is a top of the line juicer! I. Love. My. Fresh. Juices!
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Old 12-04-2012, 08:38 AM
 
Location: Verde Valley AZ
8,775 posts, read 11,858,380 times
Reputation: 11485
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81 View Post
I lived for a year without a stove, too, and manage to do everything short of roasting a whole turkey. We had a microwave, one-burner hot plate, and toaster-convection oven-broiler, and managed to cook full dinners every night.

You certainly learn to be creative in the kitchen!
Yeah, can't do a whole turkey, BUT my mom lives about 100 ft. from my house so I can always use hers! My convection oven will hold a whole chicken or turkey breast just fine though.
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Old 12-05-2012, 04:18 AM
 
Location: Bella Vista, Ark
77,772 posts, read 104,226,927 times
Reputation: 49245
Quote:
Originally Posted by AZDesertBrat View Post
Yeah, can't do a whole turkey, BUT my mom lives about 100 ft. from my house so I can always use hers! My convection oven will hold a whole chicken or turkey breast just fine though.
you can also get a cheap turkey roaster. I did think a few years ago,I don't do the turkey in it, but I do the prime rib. It is one gadget I only use once or twice a year, but it was worth the $30 it cost...
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