I use our toaster oven a ton. It’s great at not heating up the entire house to let us make food. I use it a lot more than the full-size oven.
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A couple birthdays ago, I gifted myself an electric kettle, probably based on a post I had seen in some thread here. Best “single-use” appliance I’ve gotten. Previously I would microwave water in a Pyrex for my pour-over coffee, and H would heat water in a teakettle on the stove for his tea. This is much faster than either of those. It’s glass, so you can see how much water is in it, and it has multiple temperature options (although really we mostly use it to boil). I also use it to pre-boil water for pasta, and even for a few drops to mix into my cats’ canned food that had been in the refrigerator so it’s closer to room temperature.
Similar to (or maybe the same as) this:
https://www.amazon.com/Temperature-Brightown-Programmable-Automatic-Protection/dp/B07X5J7NRM/ref=sr_1_5?crid=4GCG3TTQYREH&keywords=electric+kettle+brightown&qid=1666216158&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjk4IiwicXNhIjoiMC42NCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=Electric+Kettle+bright%2Caps%2C89&sr=8-5
Editing to add: this is weird. I pulled it up in Amazon where I was signed on, then went to a different browser where I wasn’t signed in, to make sure I got a link that wasn’t connect to my account. The price when I wasn’t signed in was $2.00 lower than signed in. Probably a subject for a different thread!
We use our electric kettle many times a day. Sometimes I fill it to get a head start on dinner if I need boiling water for something. We are tea drinkers and drink many cups a day.
Also use our toaster oven with the air fry setting most days.
H has an egg cooker he likes. I don’t use it much.
That’s about it for the main small appliances.
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I don’t use Kitchen Aid mixer a lot, I prefer hand mixer. I think clean up is a problem. But that’s another tool that’s taken up space in my kitchen.
That’s Cuisinat’s version of a Thermamix that I think someone mentioned above.
Yup, but I think Thermamix is only sold in Europe.
That brings another question. I don’t have a food processor. Are they as good as folks claim they are?
I don’t have space or need for a big food processor, but I love this for grinding my own meat (turkey), grinding nuts, chopping onions, and processing smaller amounts of foods (like hummus or chicken salad). Easy to clean and easy to store. https://www.amazon.com/Homeasy-Grinder-Stainless-Processor-Vegetables/dp/B07Q87WR7C/ref=sr_1_18?crid=XMO2MZA7XO2&keywords=meat+grinder&qid=1666227452&qu=eyJxc2MiOiI2LjIyIiwicXNhIjoiNi4yNyIsInFzcCI6IjYuMDYifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=meat+grinder%2Caps%2C123&sr=8-18
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My mom started with the Dash and it was just too small for her to get the full benefit.
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If you have an instant pot you can use it as a rice cooker. I actually like it better and got rid of my rice cooker.
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Steel-cut oatmeal in the Instantpot comes out great. I’m literally making it right now. I cook up a pot for the week and pack it up to eat at work. 1 cup oats to 2 1/2 cups water. High pressure for 5 minutes. I usually let mine naturally release. Spraying the pot with some oil spray and adding a pinch of salt makes a big difference.
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I need to try this! But our rice cooker is…ready? 40 years old. It was a Christmas present the first year we were married!
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Things I use at least 3 times a week:
French press coffee maker/ tea pot to heat the water (Husband drinks coffee and I drink Choffy)
Airfryer (our’s is the Ninga grill/airfryer) - I have celiac and use the air fryer multiple times a day. We use it for everything from meat to veggies to frozen foods to toast. I was able to get rid of our multiple (1 gluten free/ 1 for things with gluten) pop-up toasters. Previously, I had just an air fryer and when that went I needed to replace it immediately. We no longer have an outside grill, so this 2 in 1 works well for us. I’d say I use our airfryer to cook dinner at LEAST 3 times a week.
Instantpots (multiple). I use my Instantpot so often that I bought a secondary one as I often have a main dish going in one and a side going in the other. Or something I am batch cooking to pack up for work. I’ve been able to get rid of multiple gadgets as I use my smaller one for cooking rice, quinoa, oatmeal, eggs, potatoes and artichokes. I’d say I use my Instantpot at LEAST 3 times a week for sides and maybe 1-2 times a week for a main dish.
We make almost all of our own food due to allergies and I prepack breakfast and lunch for work. It’s not uncommon for me to have some combo of Instantpot/Airfryer or multiple Instapots going for dinner/meal prep (which I do while dinner is cooking). I find I rarely use my ovens (I have a double oven and a speed oven/microwave built in). I tend to be more of a stovetop cooker and I don’t really bake.
I’m not one for any chopping or slicing gadgets. I have very good knife skills.
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Microwaved tea tastes, if not bad, funky. If you don’t want an electric kettle just boil some water in a small pot on the stove. The tea is so much more flavorful with proper boiled water rather than microwaved water. We are all tea drinkers, and we have a ceramic electric kettle (we call microwaved tea, boat tea because it reminds us of tea bought in ferry boats in Europe). It’s great and we use it for tea, French press coffee, and for the teenagers, ramen.
As for small appliances, we love our small panini press. I don’t remember the brand but it makes the triangular paninis that have the sealed goodness inside. Best quick lunch ever!
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MW heats water unevenly. This article explains the difference:
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