Your 5 favourite kitchen gadgets

[phenomshel]

Does anyone have any knife brand suggestions? What I have now is a no name block that was given to me five or so years ago as "get it out of my kitchen, I have better knives". Well, since I had practically none at the time, it was better than nothing, and besides, it was free! So fast forward five years. The only knife in the set that works the way it should is the bread saw. The rest are just junk. Chris and I went shopping for new ones - found a set of Chicago Cutlery (the Forum set) for $109 (this includes steak knives). I want the Fiesta ones to match everything else (the actual knives are made by Cambridge Silversmiths). I can't find a bad review on the Fiesta knives, but I can't find ANY reviews on any other knives by Cambridge. The reviews for Chicago Cutlery are all over the place.
Need suggestions, please? But try to keep it under a hundred bucks or so... I can't afford to spend three or four hundred on knives, though I know it's easy to do.

[bjones6416]

My most used gadgets right now (although it changes every few years) are my small Lodge Logic cast iron frying pan and a very small plastic cutting board I bought in a 2-pack at Ikea. The cutting board stays in that little bit of space in front of my coffeemaker so when I just need to do a little bit of chopping or whack the top off a carrot I don't have to drag out a big board. (All that lovely counter space in my pictures of weekly vegetables? That's my mother's kitchen, not mine. My kitchen is much smaller. ) The frying pan stays on the stovetop, all the time.

I'm in the market for a small cast iron dutch oven, enamelled or not, and One Good Knife. I'm with you, Shel, my knives are junk and I don't have the money to invest a lot in knives. Since I've been getting these vegetables, though, I realize how much I NEED a good all-purpose knife.

Edit: My Keurig coffeemaker!! How could I forget? It tops the list.

[phenomshel]

Update on the knives: I posted on my Facebook wanting knife advice too, and my mother in law chimed in (yes, she's on Facebook, LOL). She says they bought a set of Chicago Cutlery 30 years ago that she still has. (She doesn't say she still *uses* them, though). Chris says he remembers when they got those.
I just got a check from some editing I did, so I may just go get those.

[brdwygurl]

Originally Posted by phenomshel

Update on the knives: I posted on my Facebook wanting knife advice too, and my mother in law chimed in (yes, she's on Facebook, LOL). She says they bought a set of Chicago Cutlery 30 years ago that she still has. (She doesn't say she still *uses* them, though). Chris says he remembers when they got those.
I just got a check from some editing I did, so I may just go get those.

You may want to look at the Victorinox 40520 Fibrox 8-Inch Chef's Knife (amazon sells it). I purchased it based on recommendations from America's Test Kitchen and the positive reviews on amazon....it's a GREAt knife for a reasonable price. Victorinox also sells other knives as well, depending on what you are looking for.

In my experience the block knife sets aren't worth it. I really only use a couple of the knives (chef's, paring) and the rest are a waste.

[phenomshel]

Originally Posted by brdwygurl

You may want to look at the Victorinox 40520 Fibrox 8-Inch Chef's Knife (amazon sells it). I purchased it based on recommendations from America's Test Kitchen and the positive reviews on amazon....it's a GREAt knife for a reasonable price. Victorinox also sells other knives as well, depending on what you are looking for.

In my experience the block knife sets aren't worth it. I really only use a couple of the knives (chef's, paring) and the rest are a waste.

We did look at just getting individual knives, and just the ones I actually use. But the Chicago set had a 5 " Santoku (which I've always wanted), and a fruit/utility knife (in my house it's known as a tomato knife), that I desperately need a replacement for. Prices for them separately, plus the others that I actually use would run me double the price of the set.

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by brdwygurl

You may want to look at the Victorinox 40520 Fibrox 8-Inch Chef's Knife (amazon sells it). I purchased it based on recommendations from America's Test Kitchen and the positive reviews on amazon....it's a GREAt knife for a reasonable price. Victorinox also sells other knives as well, depending on what you are looking for.

In my experience the block knife sets aren't worth it. I really only use a couple of the knives (chef's, paring) and the rest are a waste.

My brother-out-law is/was a French chef. Actually, a pretty damn good one...bringing a couple of restaurants here up in stars/chefs hats and helping score one as best regional in one of our biggest wine-growing regions. He's my cooking hero, and sometimes mentor (mostly on food perspective, making me a culinary Francophile ). His knives, taken everywhere (incl. restaurant to restaurant), are Victorinox. He doesn't like my Furi knives because of the all-metal handles - they get slippery when the going gets messy - and he's not fond of the lighter weight of them.

The Victorinox...quite exy, aren't they?

[bjones6416]

Originally Posted by brdwygurl

You may want to look at the Victorinox 40520 Fibrox 8-Inch Chef's Knife (amazon sells it). I purchased it based on recommendations from America's Test Kitchen and the positive reviews on amazon....it's a GREAt knife for a reasonable price. Victorinox also sells other knives as well, depending on what you are looking for.

In my experience the block knife sets aren't worth it. I really only use a couple of the knives (chef's, paring) and the rest are a waste.

Hmmm, I've got some Amazon credit and that looks promising. Thanks for mentioning it!

[theducks]

1) Krups coffee chopper (used daily)
2) Basic frying pan
3) Kitchenaid 55 Mixer (a work horse of a mixer)
4) Cuisinart DLCX food processor. Cawwot sawlad anyone
5) Simac Pasta maker 700 (full kit of nozzles)

[captkjaneway]

Nespresso coffee machine
Toaster

Don't use anything else

[brdwygurl]

Originally Posted by bjones6416

Hmmm, I've got some Amazon credit and that looks promising. Thanks for mentioning it!

No problem! It's a great all around knife

Originally Posted by montsnmags

My brother-out-law is/was a French chef. Actually, a pretty damn good one...bringing a couple of restaurants here up in stars/chefs hats and helping score one as best regional in one of our biggest wine-growing regions. He's my cooking hero, and sometimes mentor (mostly on food perspective, making me a culinary Francophile ). His knives, taken everywhere (incl. restaurant to restaurant), are Victorinox. He doesn't like my Furi knives because of the all-metal handles - they get slippery when the going gets messy - and he's not fond of the lighter weight of them.

The Victorinox...quite exy, aren't they?

Yes they are. Does it make me sound like a serial killer to say that I think good quality knives are sexy?

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by brdwygurl

...
Yes they are. Does it make me sound like a serial killer to say that I think good quality knives are sexy?

Why, yes. Yes, it does.

Cheers,
Marc

[kacir]

Originally Posted by phenomshel

Does anyone have any knife brand suggestions?

I went to one of stores here that provide *professional* equipment for hotels and restaurants.

You will recognize *professional* equipment by being ugly (because true professionals (I do not mean celebrity chefs here) do not buy pretty things, they buy things that can survive heavy use 14 hours a day, 7 days a week), highly functional, sturdy, with thick handles.

The knife is manufactured by Hendi and it is ordinary 12 inch knife with ugly, coarse, plastic handle, that doesn't slip even if your hands are wet or covered in grease. Blade is from a good steel that holds edge well. Price under 10 Euro.
I have also purchased generic diamond coated sharpener, that works like magic. (2.99 Euro for set of three)

[Angst]

The only unusual gadget in my kitchen is an aerogarden for fresh herbs.

[Ea]

Originally Posted by Angst

The only unusual gadget in my kitchen is an aerogarden for fresh herbs.

That is unusual. So much that I'm not quite sure what it is? Except it's for keeping fresh herb, but how does it work?

[phenomshel]

Originally Posted by Ea

That is unusual. So much that I'm not quite sure what it is? Except it's for keeping fresh herb, but how does it work?

LOL it's not just keeping the herbs, it's growing them.
http://www.aerogarden.com/?cid=ppc_g...FQLrKgod6WDo1w

I want one, but don't have the space for one.