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

[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.