The essential kitchen or YOUR must haves

[tzolkin]

I know everyone is supposed to have a cast iron skillet, but I find them hard to keep seasoned and free of rust. So, that is a no for me.

Yes, I have seen minimalist recommendations to just have one large cast iron skillet since it can be used for multiple purposes. I do have one, but we hardly ever use it. My counters are recycled glass, and while I do love the look of them they do chip, so I have to be careful when washing my cast iron pan and don't trust the kids to use it or clean it. Maybe in the future if I had a gas stove and different countertops I could downsize to just using one or two cast iron pans.

 

[Imzadi]

esp. if it's an older model b/c while you might think you could just go out and replace it-you might find as i did that the newer are inferior to the older (message boards are filled with people lamenting donating their old crocpots after they've tried new ones).

This is very true. I'm still using my 20+ year old slow cooker with great success. I got a newer one in 2020 but I don't like it as much.

Yes, I read the new slow cookers have actually lowered the temperature, which is what makes them inferior. Some of them are barely at the required temperature to make them safe for cooking or especially to keep warm for hours. Considering not all thermostats are calibrated correctly, one may be taking their health in their hands when getting a new one, and one isn't manually checking the actual temperatures reached for the foods with a separate thermometer.

 

[disney4us2002]

Good luck. My favorite stores are Crate & Barrel and Williams Sonoma and I'm constantly buying new kitchen gadgets. This would be absolute torture for me. I "need" all of my stuff. Of course, I know I don't. I literally have 4 different waffle irons!

 

[Imzadi]

I literally have 4 different waffle irons!

I have two waffle irons right now.

I got rid of a really old one where the waffle plate wasn't even stuck down to the sides. I was always afraid that when I washed it that water would leak into the inside wires and if I used it again before all the water inside dried out that I'd electrocute myself.

Then I was gifted a wonder, professional quality waffle iron. One that you usually see at a breakfast buffet in your hotel where you can make your own waffles. It's raised up on a stand and flips over so someone can make one on the bottom side too, while the top one is baking. I love it. It's has a temperature control so I can make my waffles extra crispy. However, the whole thing is dang BIG. And when waffle batter spills, I have to clean the whole assembly, stand and all.

Then I was gifted a mini waffle maker. It's so cute and tiny, and makes great waffles really quickly. I usually make 3 in a row and that's plenty. It's even easy to clean it's so small. I've been thinking of getting two more the same size, so I can lay them out next to each other and make 3 waffles at the same time instead of doing one after another on the one maker.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I have a small waffle maker (it makes two square waffles) and I do use it occasionally. But I hate cleaning it. My next one will have removable plates!

 

[mousefan73]

I have never owned a cast iron pan, nor really know of anyone who uses one?
I could not live out my WMF pressure cooker.. that is how we cook much of our roasts, potatoes and my soups