There are lots of kitchen tools that are simply essential for cooking, such as knives, pots/pans, measuring cups/spoons, mixing bowls, etc. But there are a few tools that many folks might think are non-essential, but having them save you so much money over time.
I did a Google AI search for money-saving kitchen tools and it suggested Soda Stream, bread maker, citrus juicer or reamer, immersion blender/food processor, digital food scale, instant read thermometer, reusable silicone storage bags/bowl covers, and a quality chef's knife.
From its list, I wouldn't buy a Soda Stream because we don't drink soda or sparkling water enough to warrant spending the money. I would see it as a toy.
I do have an instant read thermometer that I use for making yogurt, heating liquids to a correct temperature for a recipe, making candy, caramel sauce, and preserves, and to test meat temperature. It is a convenience over old-fashioned methods, but I wouldn't consider it really money-saving for my uses. I would still make jam, jelly, candy, and cook meat, but would use methods like dropping a bit into cold water (for candy), or indications like sheeting off a spoon (for preserves), coating a spoon for a custard, or wiggling the leg of poultry to test for doneness. The only true money saver would be using it for making yogurt. I don't know any other way to tell when the milk is at the right temperature to have a successful batch.
We have a second hand glass citrus juicer that comes out of the cupboard a few times per year. I wouldn't make more dishes with citrus juice if I had an electric juicer or a reamer.
A digital food scale has been on my want list for a while. It would be nice to weigh meal portions, both raw and cooked meat, dough for baking, flour and other baking ingredients. But this is a want for now. Would it save me money? It might for creating specific sized portions (preventing overeating or under-eating of more expensive ingredients or meals). I might also be able to bake a better loaf of bread if I could be more precise, or 3 uniform loaves of bread when I do a larger baking, instead of 1 large loaf and 2 smaller ones, as often happens.
I have both an immersion blender and a food processor, and yes, I do think both of those are money savers. I cook and process whole pumpkins every fall to make my own pumpkin puree for baking and smoothies. An immersion blender can save a lumpy batch of gravy or puree microwaved vegetable mixtures with stock for quick soups. Both are handy and save us money.
There's an appliance that Google didn't suggest, but that I would put at the top of my list of money-savers, a stand mixer with a dough hook. We've had two stand mixers during our (long) marriage. The first was my parents and handed down to me when we were first married. When it failed, we bought another one. Even paying "new" prices, I still believe this has saved us a bundle of money. I've baked between 3 and 5 loaves of bread every week for 11 years with this mixer. That's 2288 loaves of high-quality whole grain bread. If I saved only $1 per loaf, I saved $2288 with that mixer. And I use the mixer for other recipes as well.
So, how about you? is there one kitchen tool that you feel has been the best money-saver compared to its original cost?
I love kitchen gadgets. Back in 1992 I had a miscarriage that I told myself I needed a breadmaker to keep my mind off my loss. It is a big glass domed one and I still use it today. I don't use it for every loaf but often just to mix the dough and then remove it to bake in a bread pan. I have a kitchen aid mixer that derserves a spot on my counter because I use it so much. I have two instant pots, one little and one big and find myself reaching for one or both often several times per week. The little gadgets are two food scales, an instant read thermometer, 4 various sized Dutch ovens (most were bought in the Netherlands but not used a lot except for one for no knead type bread), a food processor, a Ninja blender with two sizes of bowls and my regular blender received as a wedding gift. I have too many rubber spatulas, wooden spoons and other ladle type items that sit on the counter near the stove in a lazy susan type bin. Cookie sheets, 9 x 13 pans, and other cookware all used for different reasons. When we got married (almost 40 years ago), we bought the inside house contents of an elderly lady friend of my mother in law for $500. We got all the kitchen items, beds, refrigerator, washer/dryer and all kinds of things. I still use many of them today. I have a few favorites for sure. Other things I purchased at estate sales and only few things I purchased new. I even have purchased brand new instant pots for two of my kids as well as kitchen aid mixers for the same two kids. When MIL died, I got a lot of cookware saved away for my daughter if she ever ventures out on her own.
ReplyDeleteAlice
I'm not a huge gadget person. My house and kitchen are small, and I evaluate the amount of storage space used vs how much use I'll get out of it. I couldn't be without a crockpot, and I have 2 of them (one is my mom's old-style crockpot). I sometimes use both at once. I also have a countertop mixer, but I almost never use it, and am hoping that at some point one of my kids will take it off my hands. I have the same hand mixer that I bought over 30 years ago, and it is still going strong. My husband inherited a pressure cooker, which he occasionally uses, but since we have both a pressure cooker and a crockpot, I haven't been tempted to get an instant pot. I occasionally use a food processor and blender, but I don't consider them essential. My husband uses an immersion blender that we were gifted, but again, not essential. I love my instant-read thermometer for checking meat temps, and I like my food scale, but again, not an essential item. My MIL gave me her manual juicer, which is fine for all the more often I use it. It's so interesting to see how everyone cooks. When my son moved into an apartment alone for a summer job, I Googled things he would need at a bare minimum to survive, and went about making sure he had those things (it's easy to forget about items like can openers, but when you need them, you really need them!). As he has grown in his cooking skills, he seems to cook in a similar manner to me (crockpot to the rescue!), My daughter will be in an apartment at university in the fall, so I'm slowly gathering must-have items for her (she will inherit some of what my son has been using--he requested better kitchen tools for Christmas, and can pass the old ones on to her). She is very hesitant to cook. I got her a crockpot for Christmas and plan on giving her a binder with very simple dump-and-cook recipes.
ReplyDeleteSorry if I was too chatty. Kitchen essentials are on my brain lot lately, as you can tell.
For me, it's the Instant Pot, hands down. Mine is ten years old (seriously!) and I use it almost every day. I have used it to make hundreds of batches of chicken and beef broth. It's my favorite way to make stew and cook things like beef brisket and pulled pork. It's great for cooking rice and making homemade yogurt. I also prefer using it to reheat foods instead of the microwave. I even have a second Instant Pot in the cupboard, which my mother no longer needed after she moved into a retirement home. Honestly, that appliance changed my life and made cooking so much easier for me.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I also regularly use my hand blender and non-digital kitchen scale. I regularly see kitchen scales at thrift stores (digital and non-digital), so Lili, you might keep an eye out.
I recently had my mom's 1977 Kitchen Aid stand mixer serviced, so it is now usable again. I have been having fun making some family recipes with it.
I use my instant pot as a crockpot as well as the things already mentioned including yogurt. I also use my digital scale a lot. Yesterday I used it to increase the cake mix I bought (13 oz) to the previous sold weight of 15 oz. A family favorite is the old Ministers Cake. Many older recipes, like that one with a box of cake mix and a can of pie filling, won't come out correct with the shrinkflation size boxed cake mix. SO, I buy two cake mixes, and size one up to 15 oz. The other I keep on the shelf for the next time. Took me awhile to figure out why my old faithful recipe wasn't working. Sneaky devils reduced the ounces.
ReplyDeleteI'mDefinitely my bread machine. I have the beginning of I think arthritis in my wrists and that machine is a lifesaver. I have actually never baked anything in the bread machine. I just use it to knead the dough and then shape and bake in my oven. I get them at thrift stores or yard sales and have never paid more then a dollar or two for a bread machine. I make bread or a bread type item 6-7 days a week and with a family of seven we save a lot of money with me making it versus buying all those breads and baked goods.
ReplyDeleteSorry! I forgot to add my name. The above is from me, Amanda
DeleteI'm thinking probably the Instapot. Not only can you cook meats from frozen, but also dried beans cook up well in about 45 minutes to an hour (depending on type and age) without pre-soaking. While I prefer to thaw and soak foods in a timely manner, some days I just don't remember in time.
ReplyDeleteCat (b/c I can't choose google for some reason again)