Tools of the Trade

[amadi]

A comment axelrod made in an earlier post struck a note with me: rice cookers are awesome because you put ingredients in, can go back to bed and wake up to hot food waiting for you.

For the same reason, I love my slow cooker. I appreciate something that lets me make even complex meals with no tending, just prep and go.

I've also been recently reminded that a good knife makes prep work so much easier. (I now really grok why chefs will use anyone's pans, pots and appliances but carry their own knives with them.) With arthritic hands, I am far more capable of doing cutting/chopping prep work with a good knife that fits my hand and has a good sharp edge on it than I was with a drawer full of mediocre knives.

Our focus thus far has largely been on recipes, but I'm curious what tools, appliances and "hardware" are important parts of your kitchen arsenal?

Comments

[rydra_wong]

I don't think they're available in the US, but I love my Remoska. Cooks almost everything (at one temperature), requires no cognitive spoons, minimizes washing up, and I seem to be less likely to burn myself than I am with the oven.

[moizissimo]

That looks SO COOL! I'm understanding correctly that it plugs into the wall or something?

[rydra_wong]

Yup! There's a cord running from the handle of the lid (which contains the heating element) that you plug into the wall.

[moizissimo]

I want one! But I think it'd cost me a ridiculous amount, seeing as I'm in Canada. :) I'll keep watch for one, though!

[sapote]

Hey, I know this post was a long time ago, but I'm wondering if a Remoska is more or less analagous to a roasting oven? In which case, it could be yours for $30 US. I don't have one of these, but I know people who love theirs.

[vass]

Slow cooker, definitely. And one good knife, as you said. Also a microwave and a freezer and a blender. Those are the essentials.

A nice optional extra is a bread machine. The big thing for me with cooking is cognitive load: if I have to think hard about it, I'm much less likely to do it. Now that I have a simple bread recipe in my head, and all the ingredients at home, it is actually easier to make a load of bread in the bread machine than to go outside and face social anxiety and buy a loaf of bread. And the home-made bread is the same price or cheaper!

Like the slow cooker, the bread machine is set and forget. It will even keep the bread warm for a few hours and then turn itself off if I forget to come turn it off and take the bread out when it finishes.

The sad thing is that I've discovered that my insulin resistance is a larger factor than I had realised in my daytime fatigue, so I'm probably going to have to have a lot less bread from now on. Bother it.

[jumpuphigh]

I have a slow cooker as well and a set of awesome knives. (Seriously, I've had them for almost 20 years and they just don't quit. I've never even had them sharpened.) My slow cooker is large so I make big dishes and then ladle servings into ziploc bags for the freezer. A nice toaster oven is important for me as well. My coffee pot turns itself off after an hour which is great for someone with cognitive issues.

[axelrod]

What brand are your knives?

[jumpuphigh]

Cutco

[derryderrydown]

I bought a slow cooker a few months ago and I'm in love. I make meals when I have enough spoons, then freeze them as individual portions for the days when I can't do anything more complicated than throw something in the microwave.

[subluxate]

My jar opener is, by far, one of the most useful things in my kitchen. And fifthing-whatever the slow cooker. I love to make soups in it.

[inkmonkey]

[N]ing the slow cooker, but I also love my food processor. It kneads dough, it grates cheese, it grinds meat... seriously, best hand-me-down ever.

[pinesandmaples]

Yep, food processor is the thing I was going to recommend. Most people don't have a nice one or they claim that a food processor is a niche kitchen gadget, but I would beg to differ.

My mom saved her pennies as a newlywed and bought herself a really nice one, and it's still going strong 25 years later. She uses it in place of a blender (thus eliminating the blender), and she's turning to it more and more to do things that her arthritic hands can't do like dicing onions, chunking ice, and mixing ingredients. She also uses it for the obvious purposes like making baby food, making pureed anything, and grinding meat.

[msilverstar]

I think my rice cooker is broken: the rice always comes out sticky even if I only put in 1.5 cups water to 1 cup rice. It's not supposed to do that with nice long-grain rice, right?

[sporky_rat]

I've always gone with one cup of rice to 2 cups of water. I know the rice cooker says something else, but it's sticky unless I do it with the 1:2 ratio. Try that?

[kake]

Do you wash your rice before you put it in the cooker (as in, with several changes of water, preferably until the water runs clear, rather than just a quick rinse)? I realise this adds to the burden/difficulty of making the rice, but I find it makes a huge difference to the final result.

I use weight rather than volume measurements for my rice, but in case it helps, for jasmine rice I use 200g rice:275g water for two portions and 300g rice:400g water for three portions.

It's possible that your cooker's broken, though — perhaps there's a problem with the temperature sensor. How long does it usually cook the rice for before switching to "keep warm"?

[axelrod]

There will definitely be a slow cooker in my future : )

Also, my roommate got a knife for cheap with a light bamboo handle - I think having a knife that's both sharp and light can make a big difference for people with various spoon issues. When she's back, I'm gonna ask her where she got it (it is Japanese, though); I'm gonna want to get one for myself when I eventually move out. In any event, getting a knife that *doesn't* have a solid metal handle is one tip.

[axelrod]

Oh, and I think kitchen layout is important. Ideally, you want the sink, fridge, and work-space to form a triangle. This is helpful for anyone, but esp if you really need to minimize the amount of time you spend on your feet.

Of course, being able to do this depends on what sort of space you have to work with, and how much money, effort, etc. you can put into reorganizing your kitchen space.

Not having too many things in your kitchen is good, too - easier to put things away and gets things out without having to make sure other things fall out, that sort of thing. Generally, it's just less overwhelming to have fewer things.

[jumpuphigh]

Not having too many things in your kitchen is good, too

Definitely. I keep tossing stuff in my charity bags and it makes my life so much easier.

[axelrod]

I mean, good general rule, but this way ppl with various disabilities are less likely to have heavy piles of things to lift in order to get out the thing underneath and fewer things makes it all less cognitively overwhelming and when you move there's fewer things to move and so on.

Also, people with various disabilities tend to have lower incomes, so cultivating the skill to know what is essential and what isn't is also useful. I am, as we speak, beginning a process of sifting through my not-extensive possessions and part of that is so my ADD brain isn't overwhelmed by stuff - since I don't expect to live in anything besides small rented apartments for years to come.

[jadelennox]

is there a good source of recipes for very easy slow cooker recipes that can be made by people low on spoons? A favorite cookbook?

[jumpuphigh]

I use the following resources:

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/
crock_o_dial
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Italian-Slow-Cooker/Michele-Scicolone/e/9780547003030/?itm=1&USRI=the+italian+slow+cooker

[amadi]

I love Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker which fits my personal needs really well. YMMV, obviously. :)

[jumpuphigh]

Another thing I love love love are silicon spoons/spatulas.

[killing_rose]

I picked up a rice cooker this summer and I'm picking up a crockpot when I get back to campus (unless there is enough room in my suitcase to pack the parents'). I overextended myself trying to cook last year, even though a) I use a food processor which helps my joint pain and eliminates about twenty steps depending upon the recipe, and b) I have an electric kettle and boiling hot water can cook enough things that I don't always have to worry.

And I'm actually going to be buying another ulu today; I've always preferred the design and the way that it fits a person's hand to regular knives. I haven't had one in my kitchen since high school and I miss not having to switch out knives/cutting utensils for various tasks.

[amadi]

Two additions: my excellent new knife? From IKEA. It is probably stamped metal that will be useless in a year and won't hold an edge once I have to sharpen it. But it cost $4, and has a handle that works with my hand, so I'm okay with buying another a year from now if need be.

Also used regularly in my kitchen (enough so that I take mine on vacation) are Orka silicone steamers. I only use mine in the microwave, though they are oven proof up to a certain temp. Veggies in the microwave come out tender, perfect, never overcooked, dried out or mushy. It's another set it and forget it kind of thing. I've also seen that they actually enable the microwaving of fish and boneless chicken, without either being, well, microwaved looking. I don't know about taste, but I think it would depend a lot on what you add in terms of spices and flavorings.

[viklikesfic]

Slow cooker gimmmiiiieeeeeeee.

*cough*

So for me, the best short on time/energy appliance in my kitchen by far is the bread maker. Not that I eat a ton of bread, but when I want to, it is so easy, and there is hardly any cleanup. I toss some ingredients in, hit a button, walk away, come back and I have bread and an almost completely clean nonstick breadmaker pan. Wheee!

Also in terms of physical strength stuff, I have really weak hands, so my OXO one-size-fits-all jar/bottle opener is a LIFESAVER. It goes from soda bottle up to salsa jar size. It is amazingpants.

[somewhatbent]

+1 on electric kettle.

Several old mouse pads -- the sticky rubber ones. Useful for grabbing things, opening bottles and keeping things from sliding on the counters.

A kitchen scale. Relatively small, light, inexpensive. I can measure almost anything directly onto a piece of parchment paper.

A low impact (but non electric) can opener.

A really good single lever faucet with a pull out sprayer. Changing the fixtures may not be an option for everyone but it was the second thing (after the showerhead) I had done upon moving to the latest apartment.

ETA: Timers!!! Loud enough to hear and/or with a clip to attach to what I'm wearing.

[amadi]

All of these are excellent. I love my faucet, it's the single lever and the faucet itself pulls out and converts to a sprayer.

I use my cell phone as a timer, which is convenient because it stays within arm's reach 24/7.

[harpers_child]

i love my silicone spatulas. they don't melt if i leave them leaning against the rim of the pan! i can leave them in the middle of the stove with all four burners going and they're still there when i come back. if i drop one and it slides into the burner, it's salvageable.

caveat: the handles are not silicone and will melt if they touch very hot things.