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Farm Kitchen:  Kitchen tools/gadgets/machines  |
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HiDez Gal
True Blue Farmgirl
122 Posts
Roberta
Joshua Tree,
CA
USA
122 Posts |
 Posted - May 19 2004 : 7:23:03 PM
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What tools do you find most helpful in the kitchen? I have certain favorites that i use constantly to help me turn out healthful food even though my kitchen time is sometimes limited. I really enjoy cooking and trying new recipes so when i'm on a roll my husband never knows what will be on the table <g>. I'd like to hear from some of you what you find useful, time saving or just a joy to use.
I have a couple of Kuhn Rikon pressure cookers that i really enjoy using, there is something about the way they heat and cook that makes them a pleasure to use. I don't just use them for pressure cooking since i have a glass lid that fits both so these pots work hard around here. Pressure cooking makes it possible for me to get grains or beans or brown rice prepared in no time - often makes the difference between whether or not we are going to add these great items to our diet. Speaking of diets (not), did you know it is possible to make a great cheese cake in a pressure cooker???
From my favorite coffee cup:
"A gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do." Minnie Cody, 1901 |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - May 19 2004 : 9:12:09 PM
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I have an old knife that is from my grandma...ugliest thing you ever saw, but I couldn't live without it. I love my cast iron skillets too..and the little non stick one I ordered to make bakeovers in! I really really use the heck out of my kitchen aid mixer too. I have had it for about 15 years now and it is the greatest. I use it for something every single day. I got the meat grinder attachment and have used that alot too.
Okay...HOW do you make a cheesecake in the pressure cooker???????
Jenny in Utah
Bloom where you are planted! |
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HiDez Gal
True Blue Farmgirl
122 Posts
Roberta
Joshua Tree,
CA
USA
122 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2004 : 07:30:22 AM
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Okay...HOW do you make a cheesecake in the pressure cooker???????
Jenny in Utah
Hi Jenny,
It is actually pretty simple, all that is needed is a 6 quart or larger pressure cooker, a 7" springform pan and a trivel for the bottom of the pressure cooker to keep the cheese cake out of the water. The recipe i have been using for a lemon cheesecake only takes 15 minutes to cook and can be served warm. Have another recipe that uses part ricotta rather than all cream cheese but it does have to set up and then be chilled for about 4 hours before serving. I am particularly fond of the eat it now version though 
It is so neat to have tools from parents and grandparents. I have some great stuff from mine (mixing bowls, blue canning jars, reamers, etc.) but i tend not to use them because they are on a high shelf on display in my kitchen area and are glued down with that earthquake puddy stuff so they don't come flying off in a "shaker". It is a bit of a hassle taking them down and putting them back up so i admire them from afar. There is a certain beauty to old objects even the "ugly" ones, isn't there?
From my favorite coffee cup:
"A gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do." Minnie Cody, 1901 |
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Clare
True Blue Farmgirl
2173 Posts
NC WA State
USA
2173 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2004 : 08:25:30 AM
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I too have a favorite old kitchen items from my elders. In particular is an old paring knife with a narrow blade that is just butt-ugly but boy does it cut better than the new wider blades... and it has to be polished up regularly because it rusts, but it's worth it. I also use an old bakelite mixing bowl on occassion, when I actually bake. My other items are displayed above my kitchen cabinets too. I don't have to worry too much about 'shakers', but it's not convenient to get them down regularly and wash and use them. So I admire them from afar. I just acquired our childhood kitchen table and chairs, which are the yellow cracked ice finish. The chairs need to be recovered to match again and I have found a place online that I can order the vinyl, but it's not cheap so I need to really plan ahead on that one! The table feels at home in my place already. It's so bright and cheerful. I also collect old crochet potholders in the fancy designs to decorate in my kitchen. Now that was a work of art to accomplish, in my opinion, what with my limited crocheting skills. Here's to the long life of kitchen items! Clare
Gardener, Stitcher, Spiritual Explorer and Appreciator of all Things Natural |
Edited by - Clare on May 20 2004 5:57:53 PM |
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Juliekay
True Blue Farmgirl
237 Posts
237 Posts |
Posted - May 21 2004 : 07:57:16 AM
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My mom had an old cast iron food grinder which you can make ground sausage etc. I don't know where it is now, but I will look for it when I go visit her. 'She certainly doesn't use it.
Julie |
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Paula J.
True Blue Farmgirl
68 Posts
Paula
OK
USA
68 Posts |
Posted - May 21 2004 : 09:26:16 AM
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I love my old things (inherited from relatives), but also adore my new tools.
My coffee maker is a must, although I'm trying to cut back on coffee this summer (I write, as I sit here drinking a frosty glass of iced coffee with cream). It's a Cuisanart, and grinds the beans just before brewing.
I love my juicer. However, I would buy a different one if I could choose again. Mine uses a centrifuge, so all the juice isn't extracted quite as efficiently. Next time, I'll go for a Champion or one of the others that extracts the pulp. But, I love fresh veggie juices. And my kids would kill for fresh pineapple juice (Elizabeth, when you move to Hawaii I'll have to get set up on auto-ship for pineapple!).
My food processor was a wedding gift, nearly 22 years ago. I still use it weekly.
My angel food cake pan belonged to my grandmother. It has *never* had a mix in it.
My mortar and pestle belonged to my other grandmother; she brought it with her from Lebanon.
But, the one thing I absolutely cannot live without -- my slow cooker!
Off to put in more laundry,
pj
Paula J.
Collinsville, OK
dragonflybodywork@earthlink.net |
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ElizArtist
True Blue Farmgirl
113 Posts
Elizabeth
Newbury Park
California
USA
113 Posts |
Posted - May 21 2004 : 3:50:44 PM
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Maybe I could move to Hawaii sooner if I was to start a mail order organic fruit business!
Elizabeth
joyously dancing through life |
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patzee
Farmgirl at Heart
6 Posts
Patricia
Halifax
N.S.
Canada
6 Posts |
Posted - May 22 2004 : 10:21:24 AM
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| My favorite kitchen tool at the moment is my Osterizer (who dreams up these names?) blender made by Sunbeam. It has lasted through the years nicely and it gives me hints when I'm pushing it a bit too hard. The food processor attachment works like a dream for making fruit sorbet. I bought two tiny plastic jars (designed specifically for the blender) to use for small jobs but discovered that those small mason jars that are sold containing pesto work too! Got a picky toddler who won't eat veggies? Try draining your home-made soup leaving just a bit of broth and wizzing it up. I had good luck getting a tot to eat soup by putting a spoon of alphabet pasta in it and then playing word games. Hey, maybe we should start a new forum: how about "Odds and Sods" with tips on what works and what doesn't. -Patzee. |
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Kathy A.
True Blue Farmgirl
116 Posts
Kathy
Utah
USA
116 Posts |
Posted - May 24 2004 : 7:16:31 PM
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Please help, and give me your opinions, tips and advise about Pesto and what kitchen machine to buy to make it. My experimental garlic garden is starting to set scapes and I can't wait to try Mary Janes recipe. (Thank You Mary Jane!) I plan on trying a number of other ingredients and combinations- Basil of course but also pine nuts and pistachios. so what is going to do the best Job?
My favorite tool in the kitchen has to be my cast iron skillets I have one in every size and use them for everything the bake over works really well in them. I saute, bake cakes, and once in awhile par boil veggies in them. |
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HiDez Gal
True Blue Farmgirl
122 Posts
Roberta
Joshua Tree,
CA
USA
122 Posts |
Posted - May 24 2004 : 9:40:05 PM
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Hi Kathy,
I have used the blender to make pesto but i think i prefer the food processor because i feel i can watch and control the chopping action a bit better. I have never made garlic pesto just basil pesto. Have you ever eaten the garlic pesto before growing the scapes? Hope to hear how yours turns out. I don't do too well at growing garlic - perhaps it is the varieties i have tried or it could be the area. We have to grow short day or day length neutral onions here, wonder if garlic is day length sensitive? Can't recall ever reading anything about that. Anyhoo, garlic scape pesto report please!
From my favorite coffee cup:
"A gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do." Minnie Cody, 1901 |
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Paula J.
True Blue Farmgirl
68 Posts
Paula
OK
USA
68 Posts |
Posted - May 25 2004 : 10:44:25 AM
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I use the food processor, as well. I really don't think you need a "special" piece of equipment for pesto.
Let us know how it works and if you come up with a killer recipe you really should share with us!
pj
Paula J.
Collinsville, OK
dragonflybodywork@earthlink.net |
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cecelia
True Blue Farmgirl
497 Posts
cecelia
new york
USA
497 Posts |
Posted - May 25 2004 : 6:07:27 PM
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Okay, now I know I'm out-of-touch. I have been trying to simplify things, and even though I have a blender, slow cooker, and portable mixer/processer, I actually try to not use them.
It becomes a game - see what you can do without turning on a switch. I make pesto in an old mortar & pestle that was my fathers (walnuts, garlic, ), chop the basil by hand, add olive oil and parmesan cheese. Presto, pesto. I use my father's hand coffee grinder, it's
probably 30 years old - I bought it for him and he's been deceased 10 years; whenever I grind coffee I think of him. I have my grandmother's trunk in which she brought all her belongings from Poland, but it's in bad shape. I didn't want to discard it so I use it to keep kindling dry; I have some of her dishes, prayer books in Polish, etc. My mother's cedar chest, my great Aunt's crocheted dresser scarves, etc. I feel very connected to a past which I have not experienced, and feel their presence in their things. Life goes on,
and I think connection is missing in a lot of lives today.
Cecelia
ce's farm |
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Paula J.
True Blue Farmgirl
68 Posts
Paula
OK
USA
68 Posts |
Posted - May 26 2004 : 08:54:32 AM
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I think you're right, Cecelia, but I find I must balance the sort of peace that comes with simplifying with the need to take care of everything and still get kids to their activities, get me to work, deal with dog training, etc. I'm probably just not as organized as I should be; I keep fighting that! But, perhaps, if I simplified in the ways you do, I would find the time coming more easily.
Hmmm,
pj
Paula J.
Collinsville, OK
dragonflybodywork@earthlink.net |
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HiDez Gal
True Blue Farmgirl
122 Posts
Roberta
Joshua Tree,
CA
USA
122 Posts |
Posted - May 26 2004 : 09:22:32 AM
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Hi Cecelia,
I agree connection is missing for many people, also i think it is very important for families - particularly with children - to have little rituals or celebrations to help add connection for their kids. It doesn't necessarily have to revolve around the big commercialized holidays either. My extended family when i was a child had regular get togethers and celebrations - my cousins and i live far apart, we are spread all over the country, but we have a strong connection based on those family get togethers when we were young. Wonderful memories... we visit via email often and those times are something we discuss and relive during our email visits - we have strong ties to one another because of those memories.
As far as using hand tools vs. motorized. I can't deny that i am very fond of some of my gadgets, use them regularly and enjoy using them. That said, i can also admire that someone has the time and inclination to do it by hand. I guess i am a lazy cook and don't enjoy chopping, hand mixing, etc. perhaps if i had the time to get into some sort of meditative rhythm with chopping or slicing i wouldn't mind it. Usually when i am cooking it never fails that i receive a call from work and before i know it i have to leave to head to the office. My husband is retired so he usually is willing to take over and finish things for that meal or if i am making bread, keep an eye on the rising and then pop it in the oven for me. I feel that using some of my electric tools can make the difference between eating freshly prepared foods rather than already prepared or ugh a frozen dinner. I have not been able to get my husband turned on to the Bake Over as a dinner...he feels that something like that should have gravy to pour over it. I have been able to get him to eat more and different kinds of veggies over the years but basically he's a meat, potatoes, gravy and bread kind of guy so i have to be a bit creative in how i present good nutrition and cut the fats in his diet . Some people have been raised with the idea that ketchup is a vegetable <g>.
Anyway, i am enjoying hearing about how each of you do things in your kitchen and how much you treasure the family hand-me-down type tools and other things passed down to you and the memories that using them invoke.
From my favorite coffee cup:
"A gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do." Minnie Cody, 1901 |
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Kathy A.
True Blue Farmgirl
116 Posts
Kathy
Utah
USA
116 Posts |
Posted - May 26 2004 : 2:45:05 PM
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Thanks. Everyone, I have decided to purchase a food processor even though I didn't really want another kitchen appliance this will be worth it and I don't think my blender will do the trick. I was wondering about the Mortar and pestle and will try that as well Thanks cecelia for the presto pesto tip. I also liked reading your list of treasures that are lovingly connected to the past and HiDezGal I need to practise your example of connecting better to family through e-mail a good way to make the most of our techno world. My garlic scapes and basils are not ready yet but when they are I'll post a pesto update.
Farmgirl/gardener-Potter/Poet |
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cecelia
True Blue Farmgirl
497 Posts
cecelia
new york
USA
497 Posts |
Posted - May 26 2004 : 7:56:25 PM
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Hey, Hey, Paula J.!!! I'm not THAT organized!!! If I were, how the heck did my typing get so off??? 
Yes, I do use my motorized tools, I just prefer to do it as little as possible. I have a 15 yo son to chauffer, and my husband, the non-cook, is retired, so I have THAT to deal with. I think that's a topic we could get going on to save our sanity: retired husbands
Anyone willing to start???
ce's farm |
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HiDez Gal
True Blue Farmgirl
122 Posts
Roberta
Joshua Tree,
CA
USA
122 Posts |
Posted - Jun 15 2004 : 11:58:56 AM
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Ha-Ha Cecelia we'd better not get started on the retired husband topic. Fortunately after a year i still have my sense of humor <VBG>. I just wonder how i managed for all of these years but retired teachers need to go on teaching i guess :-)
New Kitchen Toys
Have to share my latest gadgets i really like these. The Microplane Grater: it looks like a woodworking file and works wonderfully. It made short work of a hunk of parmesan cheese when making a big batch of pesto yesterday. It can be used for any fine grating job.
The other item is the Moja chopper which is a swiss made chopper for small jobs when i don't want to use the processor. All i have to do is place the item to be chopped on the base and press on the top when i release my hand the blade swivels and is ready to chop again. Some of the little hand choppers don't work well and this is the first one i found that is worth giving counter or cabinet space to!
From my favorite coffee cup:
"A gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do." Minnie Cody, 1901 |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Jun 28 2004 : 06:14:30 AM
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One of my favorite cooking tools is my steamer. Water goes in the bottom, spices go in the next layer in a little screened container, and then there is a large round clear container for the veggies. It even comes with a little partition when you want to cook two veggies separately. There is nothing better than steamed snap peas or carrots or broccoli or cauliflower. Just a little bit of seasoning and 20 minutes in this steamer, and yum, yum. Steaming veggies is the healthiest way to eat them outside of raw from the garden.
My daughter makes all her baby's food by steaming the veggies or fruit and then putting them in a small food grinder....all natural and organic baby food at very little cost.
I am not a cook who likes to have all the latest gadgets....in fact, I use wooden spoons and a hand-operated can-opener and do not rely on a microwave but maybe once a week. But this steamer has become a good friend!
I do like Maryjane's bakeover skillet, too. I have made veggie bakeovers a lot, but I am about to try a recipe with blueberries in it. We picked several pounds of berries this week-end. They are one of the great anti-oxidant food sources and very good for your body.
Jeannie |
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sugar1
Farmgirl in Training
19 Posts
Diane
Fostoria
MI
USA
19 Posts |
Posted - Jul 02 2004 : 04:57:26 AM
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I agree about the microplane grater--I use mine for many things but especially garlic and fresh ginger. Also--lemon, lime and orange zest, nutmeg, etc...
My favorite kitchen tools are not really tools at all--I have a dish fetish. I love old mixing bowls, the bigger the better. I have a cream-colored large bowl that I rescued from someone's trash pile. It was filthy but there wasn't a scratch or chip anywhere. I like serving dishes, somehow food tastes better on a pretty dish, most of mine are garage-sale finds.
I can still remember the white bowl with red roses on it that my great-grandmother served gravy in for breakfast. I always knew when that bowl came out, biscuts and gravy were not far behind! |
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sleepless reader
True Blue Farmgirl
1022 Posts
CA
USA
1022 Posts |
Posted - Jul 09 2004 : 07:09:02 AM
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My favorite kitchen tools have to be my cast iron skillets. All sizes get used, and they are so seasoned, it's like cooking on non-stick cookware. I love my cast iron dutch oven too, and even took it last year when we were evacuated during the fires! Guess I was thinking if we ended up living in a tent, I could still cook dinner!
I also have many little gadgets that I've "inherited" over the years. I find it so funny to see many of them in antique shops (or museums) and think "I use that every day"!!! |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Jul 09 2004 : 12:12:57 PM
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Dear Sleepless -
I saw my glass mixing bowls (in shades of orange and burnt sienna) in an antique store and I got them as a gift new! Also my cheese grater (metal), my ice cream scoop (nickel with a wood handle)and my hot water kettle all are now considered quaint and collectible.
The mixing bowls were for sale for $50.00! Isn't that a riot?
Jpbluesky
Love those big blue skies and wide open spaces. |
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sleepless reader
True Blue Farmgirl
1022 Posts
CA
USA
1022 Posts |
Posted - Jul 09 2004 : 7:24:48 PM
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| I have an OLD wooden ironing board that I bought at a yard sale about 25 years ago. I'm always seeing ones like it (and in worse condition) at antique places all the time for more than I could afford! With my board and your bowls we could be rich! LOL :) |
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Clare
True Blue Farmgirl
2173 Posts
NC WA State
USA
2173 Posts |
Posted - Jul 10 2004 : 04:28:57 AM
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I have an old wooden ironing board too, which I use all the time! I like that it isn't as big or as heavy or as awkward as the modern ones. I inherited mine in the early 70's from a great aunt's estate. Some of my best loved kitchen items came from her, just by default. It does make ya feel kinda "old" when your best loved items that you use daily are considered "vintage"..... I just prefer being "a woman of a certain age" ! haha
Gardener, Stitcher, Spiritual Explorer and Appreciator of all Things Natural |
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cecelia
True Blue Farmgirl
497 Posts
cecelia
new york
USA
497 Posts |
Posted - Jul 10 2004 : 07:47:45 AM
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I wish I had my Mom's old wooden ironing board, which was made by my Father - very sturdy it was. I haven't seen any at garage sales, estate sales or antique stores around here. Though I have a few electric "modern" kitchen appliances, I prefer my egg beater with wooden handle & wide beaters (garage sale), hand coffee grinder and mortar & pestle! I have the world's ugliest serving dish, from my godmother: made in Italy, leaf-shaped china with an olive & vine pattern on it. I know of only one other, which her daughter has. I've never seen anything like it, but I love it because of the kinship I feel whenever I use it.
Cecelia
ce's farm |
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sleepless reader
True Blue Farmgirl
1022 Posts
CA
USA
1022 Posts |
Posted - Jul 10 2004 : 08:55:49 AM
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I think it's important for us to remain "attached" to our pasts.Doesn't it make you feel so connected to other women, known or not? Here, or gone? Celia, I loved your use of the word "kinship". That's truly what it is.
I've also found that these "old-fashioned" tools are often easier, especially in clean-up and space, to deal with than are their modern counterparts.:)
Sharon |
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cecelia
True Blue Farmgirl
497 Posts
cecelia
new york
USA
497 Posts |
Posted - Jul 10 2004 : 11:47:10 AM
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Sharon, you are so right about clean-up. If I use my electric hand blender, all I have to clean is the removable blades, but with the blender I have to take it apart, wash about 5 parts, and put the thing back together after it's been dried. With the mortar it's much simpler. Same with a hand potato masher, 1 piece! And definitely, I do feel connected to the other women, known or unknown, who have used my tools. Sometimes I get "fed-up" being in the kitchen, no matter how much I enjoy cooking, but then I get to thinking of all the other women (probably not men) who have used these tools, and I get to thinking of how their kitchens looked, without a dishwasher, running water perhaps, electric or gas stove, etc. and I wonder how they did it. Yes, kinship is a good word to make us think of others.
Cecelia
ce's farm |
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Farm Kitchen: Kitchen tools/gadgets/machines |
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Kitchen tools/gadgets/machines
