# "Supplemental" Appliances. How Much Do You Really Use Them?



## HumbleHomeCook (Oct 10, 2021)

So, obviously, by "supplemental" appliances I'm talking about those beyond the stove and fridge.

I'm excluding your chosen coffee production method here and am more cooking focused. So I guess that can include a simple bread toaster. 

I'm thinking blender, microwave, sous vide, crock pot, rice cooker, immersion blender, stand mixer, sausage grinder (included for our friend @Michi), etc.

The truth is, I don't even use my food processor that much. We bought an Instant Pot and it sits at the back of a shelf. The wife likes her slow cooker but I never use it. I don't even use the microwave that often.

Sometimes I wonder if I should be considering these things more, as in if I made more use of them I'd be happier but I just generally find myself not reaching for them.

How often do you find yourself really using these kinds of appliances and what are your most used?


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## Rangen (Oct 10, 2021)

Food processor: if nothing else, make your own peanut butter in it. But when you need 2C of grated cheddar, what, you break out that flat thing? Also, it's great for kneading small quantities of dough, such as for Florence Lin's chicken curry buns.

Meat grinder: After I killed my KitchenAid trying to grind 12 lbs of my favorite burger mixture through it, I got a real one. It is absolutely indispensable.

I'll give you InstantPot, CrockPot, and other appliances that let non-cooks pretend that they are cooking. Except for the rice cooker. Not only does it suit my laziness, it makes better rice than I can. The one I have acts as a pressure cooker for part of the cycle, which is a technique approved by Japanese rice scientists.

You were wise to exclude coffee, or I would have typed many more words.

Oh, and I occasionally use my Ananova sous vide thingy. Not my style; I like to have my hands on things when I cook, but I admit it is better than simmering in water for corned beef.


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## Chips (Oct 10, 2021)

I use my Anova sous vide cooker a lot. I have way too many cooking tools/gadgets in a very small apartment kitchen, yet still add more and more as the years go by, so this whole thread is very relevant to me. Especially since I'm now starting to side eye the new Anova combo oven thing. It really sounds tempting.


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## Chips (Oct 10, 2021)

And it's funny, my reply overlapped with @Rangen. I thought my comment was the first reply. But it's interesting that we both commented on the Anova (or any sous vide cooker) at the same time, but with different perspectives on it.


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## WildBoar (Oct 10, 2021)

My wife works from home, so she does the majority of the cooking, and she also like baking. So she largely drives this usage list. I mainly cook on weekends these days.

Food processor -- regularly. Makes a few dozen batches of pesto each year, salsas and a lot of other stuff.
Mini food processor -- maybe once/ month; used to get a lot more duty.
Blender -- almost daily. Mostly for smoothies, but gets occasional food use
Hand mixer -- couple times per month.
Stand mixer -- anywhere from a couple times/ week to once a month depending on if the wife is in bread baker mode.
Meat grinder -- dozen or so times per year. Have both a hand-powered and a Kitchen-Aid attachment
Tomato processor -- Only 3 times since picking it up 3 years ago. But it's used when processing a bunch or tomatoes in order to can.
Juicer -- Used to get daily use years back, now largely forgotten.
InstaPot -- this is pretty new. gets used a couple times/ month.
Pressure cooker -- weekly; my wife is big on stocks for soups, as well as beets.
Toaster and toaster oven -- daily use for both
Sous vide machine -- once/ month
Vacuum sealer -- several times/ week, with some sessions for packing bulk items like coffee beans, cases of chicken, etc. into small portions.
Immersion blender -- couple times/ month, mainly for soups


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## HumbleHomeCook (Oct 10, 2021)

Rangen said:


> Food processor: if nothing else, make your own peanut butter in it. But when you need 2C of grated cheddar, what, you break out that flat thing? Also, it's great for kneading small quantities of dough, such as for Florence Lin's chicken curry buns.
> 
> Meat grinder: After I killed my KitchenAid trying to grind 12 lbs of my favorite burger mixture through it, I got a real one. It is absolutely indispensable.
> 
> ...



A rice cooker is the one appliance I'm really thinking about getting.


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## Rangen (Oct 10, 2021)

Oh, yes, I forgot the vacuum sealer. Absolutely indispensable in my kitchen. 

I mean, if you're grinding 12 lbs of meat to make burgers for your future, what else is there to do but press them into shape and vacuum seal them for the freezer?


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## tcmx3 (Oct 10, 2021)

stand mixer gets a ton of use. IMO it's an indispensable tool.
microwave sometimes to melt butter 
the toaster is useful for bagels sometimes
next would be food processor and blender, both of which get sparing use.


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## ian (Oct 10, 2021)

Toaster oven gets used multiple times daily for toast and reheating.

Same for microwave: reheating, mostly, sometimes melting something.

My wife uses the stand mixer a fair amount for cookies and cakes and such. I mainly use the pasta attachment and the meat grinder. Probably a couple times a month for each?

SV stick doesn’t see much use anymore.

Rice cooker we use at least weekly.

Instant Pot I use almost exclusively for chicken stock nowadays, although today for instance I made non-pressure cooked chicken stock on the stove. Yea, it doesn’t get a ton of use anymore.

Vitamix gets used a couple times a week.

Basically only use my food processor for pie crust, although my wife uses it for shredding stuff, and other stuff.


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## McMan (Oct 10, 2021)

I've noticed things go in cycles--some stuff gets used more or less depending on the season or how much free time there is, etc. etc.

I bonded with the instantpot. It's not good at everything--and is very bad at some things you'd think it'd be good at (like stews)--but it's a convenience. I was _reeeeeeeally_ reluctant to get one.

I also bonded with toast a few years ago. Regular old school sliced bread toast+butter+jam and a coffee. I use a regular toastmaster toaster.

Blender daily.
Stickblender for soups in the cold weather. 
Sous-vide--don't have one, won't get one.
Cuisinart broke a few years ago and can't say I miss it (though grating massive amounts of cheese was fun).
Chef Mike gets use daily.
Good fancypants toaster oven thingy. Wish I had one--I'd use it a ton (toasted cheese!) if I had the counter space.
Dishwasher--wish I had two.


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## Michi (Oct 10, 2021)

Going through the list of things that are electric…

In regular use:

Dishwasher
Microwave
Coffee machine
Electric kettle
Toaster
Stick blender (has a small, 0.5 l food processor attachment)
Spice mill (one of those cheap coffee "smashers" with two blades)
Stand mixer (with meat grinder and food processor attachments)
Rice cooker
Kitchen scales
Precision scales to weigh spices for sausage making
Instant-read thermometer
Dual-probe thermometer
Industrial-strength food processor (6 l) for making emulsified sausage
Sous vide stick (Anova precision cooker)
Pasta machine
Vacuum sealer
Used never:

NutriBullet blender (My wife insisted that she had to have one, but it's now collecting dust, by and large.)
Electric hand mixer (Gets used maybe twice a year.)
Bread maker (Used that for a while, then it sat in the cupboard unused for a number of years, then we gave it away.)
Then there are a lot of non-electric gadgets that also see regular use. The full list would be too long; here are a few I can think of:

Pasta extruder
Sausage stuffer
Medium and large Chef'n citrus press
Pressure cooker
Fat separator
Four different sizes of MicroPlane
MicroPlane box grater
Too many knives
Egg slicer
Olive pitter
Nut cracker
Ice cream scoop
Egg pricker
There are a number of other things along those lines that get used rarely. Among them a garlic press, cheese plane, citrus zester, poultry shears, cake turntable, chocolate fondue set, etc. Every few years, I go through stuff during a clean-up and throw out or give away anything that hasn't been used over the past few years.


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## spaceconvoy (Oct 11, 2021)

My oven works well enough for toasting and reheating things. Cooking rice on the stove is pretty trivial. I don't bake and wouldn't know what to do with a stand mixer. And I drink tea, so the few appliances I use are:
- Digital scale, indispensable
- All five grater styles of the fully stainless Microplane professional series, almost didn't include them since they've become like knives to me
- Small Kitchenaid food chopper, for hummus and salsa
- Manual food mill, for grinding canned tomatoes into passata
- Manual spice grinder, mainly for peppercorns, but occasionally some more exotic things
- Electric spice grinder, finally broke down and bought one almost exclusively for coriander, since it took ten minutes on the manual grinder every time I made beans or curry


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## Jovidah (Oct 11, 2021)

I've always tried to keep appliances to a minimum... both because they just end up sucking a ton of space, and because in my experience, unless I can set it up on a permanent spot where I can use it straight away without fiddling they just won't get much use. Maybe it's just lazyness but I'd rather just knead my own dough (or use a no-knead recipe), than having to bother putting stand mixers in and out of cupboards.

I'm a bit inconsistent though, because I do have 2 ovens (wouldn't want to go back to having just 1), which see a shitton of usage and I have a seperate extra freezer (which massively eases food logistics; if it dies it'll get replaced).

Beyond that...
-Kettles (mostly used for tea, but used a good amount)
-Microwave (rarely used, only for reheating... not sure I'd miss it at all if it died).
-Stick blender - a proper one from Bamix (does a lot of different things, including grinding spices, making whipped cream, puree stuff, make smoothies, etc, so it's a bit of a multitasker)
-Crappy blender I got for free once that I don't use anymore since I got the Bamix
-Crappy hand mixer I got for free once that I don't use anymore since I got the Bamix
-Anova... actually using this far less than I expected to; partially because as my meat game progressed I found that I can get similar if not better results with pan & oven combination, but also because I lack a vacuum sealer, and I've had some bad results with just using random freezer bags (some of them start leaking because they're not heat proof).
-Some crappy coffee thing I only really use for guests because I don't drink coffee.

The things I'm seriously considering:
-Vacuum machine. Both to get more out of my ANOVA and because it can simplifiy food logistics. Main thing holding me back is that the affordable devices have a very high cost per bag, but the chamber vacuum sealers are way too expensive.
-A proper meat slicer. I eat a good amount of charcutterie (dried spanish / italian hams, salamis, etc), and it would essentially pay itself back in a few moths simply because buying larger chunks of ham is far cheaper. Main issue is space; I just don't really know where to put it and I'm afraid it'd be too much hassle.
-Food processor attachments for the Bamix. I had something similar for an older crap blender, but occasionally found it useful for quickly generating mirepoix-mush to throw into rices and other stuff when I really didn't care about consistency and just wanted a paste that'd just melt away. Can imagine it could also be useful for making stuff like gremolata (I have to do that in batches now because my grinder attachment is on the small side).


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## stringer (Oct 11, 2021)

In order of frequency of use

Coffee grinder/hot water kettle/French press
Dishwasher
Toaster oven
Soda stream

Crock pot for when I want to cook something in 8 hours that normally takes 2 (set it up before work to be done when you get home)

Instant pot for when I forget to put the stuff in the Crock pot before I leave to work and so I need to cook something in half an hour that normally takes 
2.

Mortar and pestle
Popcorn air popper
Cuisinart for pesto and cauliflower rice
Stick blender
I have a Vitamix but it's rarely used


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## WiriWiri (Oct 11, 2021)

I’d basically nick @michi‘s format with same top five basics, plus a rice cooker. I used to be quite proud of my rice, taking great pains with the right pan, gas setting/diffuser etc to get the absorption right. But also happy to admit that the zojirushi does it better than me, plus keeps things conveniently warm in the background while `I sort a one pot/wok meal out.

In regular use:

Dishwasher
Microwave
Coffee machine
Electric kettle
Toaster
Rice Cooker
In irregular use:

Kitchenaid Blender (smoothies/ice drinks for the kids mainly)
Magimix food processor (big batches of pepper sauce, juices, decent lazy mash)


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## jeremysell (Oct 11, 2021)

Stand mixer the most
Vitamin blender
Mortar and pestle
Crock pot usually just for work potlucks but wife uses it occasionally more often. 
pressure cooker for stock/canning
Food processor 
Toaster
Microwave 
Have a bread maker my wife needed and I think she’s used twice 
The top 3 live on the counter as they get used the most (the toaster and microwave are always out as well)


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## timebard (Oct 11, 2021)

I never bothered with a lot of the newer gadgets like SV, instapot, etc. and barely ever use our food processor or crock pot. The blender and immersion blender don't come out more than a few times a month but are still essential IMO. Our rice cooker gets used regularly and I think is an underrated appliance, especially if you get one with a steamer basket for stuff like dumplings and tamales. Toaster, microwave, electric kettle get used constantly.


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## btbyrd (Oct 11, 2021)

If you don't already have a reason to buy an appliance, don't get one just to have one. I have a lot of appliances and would like to add even more, but it's because I have specific use cases in mind. I do have a couple gadget things I thought I'd use but basically never use, but they're not appliances per se. In any event, let your desired use be your guide -- not some list on the internet.
If there are recipes you'd like to make or techniques you'd like to use, but you can't because of your current equipment, that's the reason to purchase something. And if you're going to buy a new piece of equipment like a blender or toaster oven or whatever, it's so worth it to do the research, take the time, spend the money, and get the best one you can. You're going to have it for a decade or more, make sure it's something you'll love to live with. If it's something you know that you'll use, that is. Which should be your primary consideration.


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## LostHighway (Oct 11, 2021)

My wife is one of the rare women that absolutes hates small appliances (and dishwashers), especially if they are single use, so what he have and use is at least partially dictated by her preferences.
Her take:
Toaster - essential, used daily
Stand mixer - essential. Probably gets used one to five times per month
Immersion/stick blender - granted absolution for not taking up much space. Versatile if you get one with attachments. Again probably gets used one to four times per month
Everything else is superfluous

My take in addition to the above (all coffee & tea gear left off list):
Digital scale - essential, used daily
Thermapen - essential, used daily (the Mk 4 was a major step up from the "Classic" Mk III. I haven't used a Thermapen One)
Kitchen timers (also from ThermaWorks) - essential used daily
Microwave - close to essential, used daily to warm up coffee or tea, soften butter, reheat, ...
Mortar & pestle - used several times per week for spices/herbs. I kind of also want a big one for guacamole, pesto,..., but not sure I'd use it all that much.
Pressure cooker - used a few times per month, especially in fall/winter, mostly for soups
Food processor - we finally bought one last year but, so far, it is not seeing much use

Things I have zero interest in:
Meat grinder
Hand mixer
Sous vide
Bread maker
Instapot or slow cooker
Vacuum sealer - no stand alone freezer
Pasta maker

Things I sort of jones for:
Big a*s blender (Vitamix?)
Rice cooker - I had a primitive one in the past. The Zojirushi or Cuckoo sort of beckon to me but it isn't as though I can't make rice without a $160 device

I could add a bunch of purely manual devices, especially graters but I don't see them as appliances


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## Jovidah (Oct 11, 2021)

btbyrd said:


> If you don't already have a reason to buy an appliance, don't get one just to have one. I have a lot of appliances and would like to add even more, but it's because I have specific use cases in mind. I do have a couple gadget things I thought I'd use but basically never use, but they're not appliances per se. In any event, let your desired use be your guide -- not some list on the internet.
> If there are recipes you'd like to make or techniques you'd like to use, but you can't because of your current equipment, that's the reason to purchase something. And if you're going to buy a new piece of equipment like a blender or toaster oven or whatever, it's so worth it to do the research, take the time, spend the money, and get the best one you can. You're going to have it for a decade or more, make sure it's something you'll love to live with. If it's something you know that you'll use, that is. Which should be your primary consideration.


Agreed. If you're gonna buy, buy good stuff... but give it some time before you buy. Almost everytime I cheaped out on something I ended up replacing it with something better in the long term. My golden rule is to basically wait at least month or so after I get the urge to buy something and then check if I still actually want it or see the need for it... and then after that I usually wait for some sale to come along. Saves you from impulse purchases that you won't actually use much.


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## Ochazuke (Oct 11, 2021)

Anybody have any experience with the Anova Precision Oven? Not talking about the sous vide stick. I mean the combi oven they put out last year. 

I'm not super in to most gadgets, but I would jump all over a combi oven for home use if it was any good. That's the only piece of commercial equipment I really lust after in my home life.


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## parbaked (Oct 11, 2021)

Ochazuke said:


> Anybody have any experience with the Anova Precision Oven?








New Anova combi oven


Anyone have any thoughts on the new anova oven. Looks pretty cool.




www.kitchenknifeforums.com


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## cawilson6072 (Oct 11, 2021)

HumbleHomeCook said:


> A rice cooker is the one appliance I'm really thinking about getting.



If you've not tended to make rice in the oven, give it a try before springing on the rice cooker IMO. 2:1 liquid to rice, or thereabouts depending on the rice (this works for basmati and other longer grains that are not very sticky...you might need to adjust water for those a bit). Some use coconut milk, but you do not have to. Regardless, D.O. with or without fat and salt at 375F for 45 minutes gets the job done for me. It put off my desire for a rice cooker for awhile. 

Otherwise:

Blender (just one of the NutriNinja jobs), 2-3x per week for smoothies, batters, etc. Bonus: it has a "food processor" bowl that is "o.k." but keeps me from having a proper food processor.
Kitchen Aid Stand mixer, I knead some bread doughs, mix batters, whip meringues, etc. in here. This is indespensible for me. 
I use the microwave alot, but any old microwave will do.
I like my immersion blender (nothing fancy) for pureed squashes and soups, daal, etc. 
Digital scale is core equipment for me. 


Anything else is very "optional". I can do alot with a broiler and box grater vs. a toaster/oven and food processor, for examples, IMO. 

Side note - this is sort of something that I love about this and similar communities. I can convince myself that I need a $250 knife for fish butchery and at the same time have no interest in a $15 toaster.


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## jeremysell (Oct 11, 2021)

cawilson6072 said:


> .
> Side note - this is sort of something that I love about this and similar communities. I can convince myself that I need a $250 knife for fish butchery and at the same time have no interest in a $15 toaster.


That $250 knife is way more valuable than a $15 toaster


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## chefwp (Oct 11, 2021)

Rangen said:


> But when you need 2C of grated cheddar, what, you break out that flat thing


I do, just because I'm too lazy to clean the processor... Which I know is ironic, because it would probably take less time to clean it than it does for me to grate all that cheese. What can I say, I'm old and set in my ways...








HumbleHomeCook said:


> A rice cooker is the one appliance I'm really thinking about getting.


This is one I am tempted to add occasionally, but haven't bitten yet. I attracted to it being able to hold rice well after cooking


tcmx3 said:


> microwave sometimes to melt butter


same, or on the rare occasion I heat water for a cup of tea, and sometimes to reheat my mug of coffee.

counter top appliances in order of most used to least:

toaster oven, indispensable, could not do my kitchen business without it, used many times per day.
coffee maker, daily a few times, probably tied with toaster oven for use. I could live without this and make do with a french press probably.
mixer (kitchenaid), I use maybe once or twice every month or so, this could be a candidate to more to a storage cabinet if I needed counter space, and that would be true for everything that follows
food processor, I use it rarely, but when you need it you need it. I use it with the disc to process beets for borscht; to make pesto; for whipped feta for bruschetta; to make ramp butter or chimichuri sauce, to make Muhmmara; to make lemon cream cheese frosting.
blender, it gets used infrequently by me, but the girls get on a smoothie kick every now and then. I probably use it the most to homogenize the batter for lemon cheese cake ice cream, but will occasionally bust it out if I'm making an unusually large quantity of soup where my little immersion stick just won't cut it.
Really that is it for things that live on the counter. I have one or two crock pots and a steamer, but they are in storage and only come out every now and then. I am not counting all the little hand appliances that store away easily. The most used of these are scale, micro-scale, hand mixer, molcajette and immersion blender, all of which I use more frequently that all the others that live on the counter-tops. If I didn't have a tall marble island in the kitchen where I do almost all of my prep, I'd probably store away everything except the toaster and coffee maker.


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## chefwp (Oct 11, 2021)

I forgot the ice cream maker, occasional use only but I'm happy i have it. The family favorite dessert is lemon cheese cake ice cream with berries and a brown-butter/toasted-almond/graham streusel. I'm still trying to find the perfect coconut sorbet recipe to accompany caramelized pineapple with vanilla bean or to just go solo for the perfect intermezzo.


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## agustinnielsen (Oct 11, 2021)

Picked up a lot of gadgets during Covid, which is when I took interest in cooking:

Sous Vide - 2x per month, more during the summer
Vacuum Sealer - 4x per month
Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer - 1x per month, more if my girlfriend bakes
Marcato Pasta Machine - 1x per month
Breville Smoker - 1x per month
Blender - Girlfriend uses almost daily for shakes/smoothies
ISI Gourmet Whip - 1x per month
Chitarra - Never, only bought a month ago
Immersion Blender - 1x per month only for soups
Food Processor - 2-3x per month

These are all I can think of for the moment. In general, I think a lot of the gadgets are not necessary, but I really enjoy being able to elevate standard meals. Ie. Taking a standard caprese salad and smoking it for 10' with Breville smoke gun = amazing


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## rickbern (Oct 11, 2021)

Ochazuke said:


> Anybody have any experience with the Anova Precision Oven? Not talking about the sous vide stick. I mean the combi oven they put out last year.
> 
> I'm not super in to most gadgets, but I would jump all over a combi oven for home use if it was any good. That's the only piece of commercial equipment I really lust after in my home life.


Ochazuke, jump all over it. It's fabulous.

Last night I put some delicata squash in it, steam cooked it at 350/100pc steam for maybe 15-20 minutes. Took it out, dried out the oven and put it to circulate at 400/0pc steam for maybe 4 minutes. It was some banging squash. I've done a few things in it, there's a fair number of recipes I want to tweak, but the chicken thighs (slathered in shiro koji!) 385/75pc steam for half an hour to bring internal temperture to 165 were really good. I made some whole snappers (1 hour), and a pork shoulder (24 hours) using the sous vide mode.

Great addition to the kitchen.


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## rickbern (Oct 11, 2021)

Back to the topic at hand...

I have a blender (gazpacho) and a regular and mini food processor. I wouldn't be without them, but all told I probably use them all a total of 35 times a year. Mostly use the mini for quick purees, it gets the most action. Pesto and such I'd rather do by hand. I use stovetop pressure cookers a lot (stock, brisket, beets, oxtails), my microwave defrosts stock, soups and bolognese, and other than the new oven I listed above there's not that much else. I'm a big fan of mortars and pestles, I have a party size and a personal size food mill (think one can of tomatoes, easy clean up) and the odd microplane.

The anova oven though has definitely won a place in my heart. I'm thinking there's a world of vegetables cooked initially with steam that it's gonna be great at.

edit. Forgot my immersion blender. Love that thing, it lets me give all my neighbors soup


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## Heckel7302 (Oct 11, 2021)

Vitamix blender-every day for smoothies. Couldn’t live without it.

Electric kettle-every day for coffee. (Along with the burr grinder)

Immersion Curculator-3 or 4 times a month, love it

Microwave-all the time for defrosting and reheating leftovers

Rice Cooker-2 or 3 times a week. I’ll never cook rice on the stovetop again

Instant Pot-pretty much exclusively for making beans, yogurt, and stock

KitchenAid mixer-my wife does the baking. She uses it all the time.

toaster oven-all the time, for toast and heating stuff when I don’t want to use the big oven.

vacuum sealer-use it all the time. Butchering is another excuse to use knives. Gotta keep all that meat fresh. 

Meat Grinder-KitchenAid attachment. Use it all the time. I never buy pre ground meat.

Food processor-almost never use it. Feels like cheating on my knives.

food dehydrator-used it when we first got it, now it just takes up space


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## Rangen (Oct 11, 2021)

Heckel7302 said:


> food dehydrator-use it when we first got it, now it just takes up space



Same here. I succumbed to the lure of making my own beef jerky, and discovered that I wasn't as excited about beef jerky as I had thought.


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## Cliff (Oct 11, 2021)

Microwave, all the time.

I love the instant pot for stock, mostly chicken stock. It's also useful for a lot of stuff where I don't think it's the best method, but ease of use and speed are crucial and results are close enough, for me -- pork shoulder, stews, beans.

Sous vide -- ideal for entertaining.


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## Heckel7302 (Oct 11, 2021)

Rangen said:


> Same here. I succumbed to the lure of making my own beef jerky, and discovered that I wasn't as excited about beef jerky as I had thought.



my wife really wanted one one Christmas. I succumbed. I think we dried fruit and some tomatoes once or twice, but since then collecting dust. And the thing is frickin huge.


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## sumis (Oct 12, 2021)

– got my first microwave last week. i moved from home 30 years ago so i can't say i need it.
– digital scale
– immersion blender
– electric kettle
– pestle & mortar (one medium one thai big ass size)
– kenwood chef xl titanium (with a bunch of add-ons ranging from okay to great). do i use it as much as i imagined i would? no! would i want to be without it? no!
– thermopen

.


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## sumis (Oct 12, 2021)

someone recently gave me an air fryer for my birthday. i really dunno about that one … i don’t really want to be seen with it.

.


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## Cliff (Oct 12, 2021)

sumis said:


> – thermopen



Good call on the thermopen -- also a cake tester, all the time.


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## Lars (Oct 12, 2021)

sumis said:


> someone recently gave me an air fryer for my birthday. i really dunno about that one … i don’t really want to be seen with it.
> 
> .


Just think of it as a tiny convention oven, I'm sure it has it's uses..


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## big_adventure (Oct 12, 2021)

Most used:

- Too many knives
- Cheap slot toaster
- Very nice rice cooker
- Mortar and pestle
- Precise scale (masses are better for ingredients than volumes in nearly all cases)

Used to be used a lot, but for various reasons are used much-less-frequently:

- Thermomix - I've had it for 11 years now, it still works perfectly, but I blend fewer things, no longer dabble in as much modernist/molecular cuisine, and don't mind cutting/chopping/pounding my ingredients by hand.
- SV sticks and vacuum sealer - again, used to use all the time, likely because I had counter space for them before. I don't have the counter space now, so pulling them out and putting them back is just too much of a hassle on a near-daily basis.
- Whipping siphon - again, I think I just make fewer fancy things that benefit from this presentation aid. Voilà.
- Temp-controlled kettle, adjustable grinder - I used to be very specific and serious about coffee, but have mostly stopped drinking it. C'est la via.

Almost never get pulled out:

- Mandoline
- Measuring cups or spoons
- Ummmm, etc.?


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## Cliff (Oct 12, 2021)

Digital scale. All the time


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## DitmasPork (Oct 12, 2021)

HumbleHomeCook said:


> So, obviously, by "supplemental" appliances I'm talking about those beyond the stove and fridge.
> 
> I'm excluding your chosen coffee production method here and am more cooking focused. So I guess that can include a simple bread toaster.
> 
> ...



I'm a minimalist. Why get a rice cooker when I can make perfect rice in a pot? [Note: rice cookers are overrated]

My kitchen arsenal very low tech—knives, benriner, mortar & pestle, etc.

Indispensable electrical appliance for me are: VitaPrep-3, electric hand wand, Braun coffee grinder that's dedicated to spices.


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## Oshidashi (Oct 12, 2021)

My wife thought I was crazy to order it but a few months ago I bought a cheap electric plate warmer, and we use it all the time, esp. for steak or fish. Makes a huge difference especially when guests are over.


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## GorillaGrunt (Oct 12, 2021)

Pressure cooker I use a lot especially for stock. Immersion blender sometimes, robot coupe somewhat more frequently because I do blender stuff in there too. Kitchen aid when needed but when it’s needed nothing else will do so it’s good to have around. Microwave almost never, if I need boiling water quick I use the electric kettle for that.

Induction burner all the time, home stoves just don’t sear well enough.


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## chefwp (Oct 13, 2021)




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## DitmasPork (Oct 14, 2021)

chefwp said:


> View attachment 146948


Want this badly.


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## Michi (Oct 14, 2021)

DitmasPork said:


> Want this badly.


Also works as a contraceptive. You can push it in front of the bedroom door…


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## DitmasPork (Oct 14, 2021)

Michi said:


> Also works as a contraceptive. You can push it in front of the bedroom door…


Hahahaha! But, seriously, lemme know if anyone’s selling one BNIB.


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## YumYumSauce (Oct 22, 2021)

My kitchenaid and ice cream maker are probably the least used. I still love having them both around. Dont do a lot of baking so I barely use the kitchenaid. 
Id probably use the ice cream maker more but the freezer always seems to be full. And then someone goes and buys store bought ice cream. 

The Marcato Atlas pasta machine went from being rarely used to used fairly often last year. Got pretty good at making pasta by hand so I rarely use storebought pasta anymore. I can probably count the number of times Ive used storebought pasta since last year on one hand.


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## YumYumSauce (Oct 22, 2021)

btbyrd said:


> If you don't already have a reason to buy an appliance, don't get one just to have one. I have a lot of appliances and would like to add even more, but it's because I have specific use cases in mind. I do have a couple gadget things I thought I'd use but basically never use, but they're not appliances per se. In any event, let your desired use be your guide -- not some list on the internet.
> If there are recipes you'd like to make or techniques you'd like to use, but you can't because of your current equipment, that's the reason to purchase something. And if you're going to buy a new piece of equipment like a blender or toaster oven or whatever, it's so worth it to do the research, take the time, spend the money, and get the best one you can. You're going to have it for a decade or more, make sure it's something you'll love to live with. If it's something you know that you'll use, that is. Which should be your primary consideration.



That's pretty much my thought process as well


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## YumYumSauce (Oct 22, 2021)

Ochazuke said:


> Anybody have any experience with the Anova Precision Oven? Not talking about the sous vide stick. I mean the combi oven they put out last year.
> 
> I'm not super in to most gadgets, but I would jump all over a combi oven for home use if it was any good. That's the only piece of commercial equipment I really lust after in my home life.



I guess Ive become an anova precision oven fanboy/borderline shill. Ive also lusted for a combi oven for home use for years. 
I know Ive talked about it a good amount in the other thread but Ive had it about 3 months now and love it. Havent done anything too crazy or complex yet but seems to be solid so far. It sounds gimmicky but having this all in one machine really makes things convenient and replaces the need for many gadets I was interested in getting that might not see much use on its own as some others have mentioned(dehydrator, sous vide stick, steamer, air fryer/convection oven) as well as turning the regular oven back into storage space. 

Also, I wasnt sold on controlling it over Wi-Fi on my phone until I had an epiphany over toast. I woke up one day and realized I could turn it on from bed and it'll be ready to go by the time I got around to it. Doesn't have to be toast, maybe you wanna make bacon in the oven, or steam hard boiled eggs, or you're getting off work etc, you can have it ready to go. Still wish it had knobs instead of touchscreen on the actual machine tho.


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## KitchenCommander (Nov 2, 2021)

Microwave - Daily
Coffee maker - wife uses it few times a week. 
Kitchenaid Stand Mixer - Monthly, depends on our mood, but used enough for it to be worth it. 
Slow Cooker - few times a year, more in the winter. I like oven roasting for meats now more than crock pot.
Food Processor - almost never, though I may have use for this that I don't think about in the moment. We don't really make salsa, pesto sometimes.
Immersion blender - almost never
Standing blender - when we were in a smoothie phase, weekly, now almost never.
Instant Pot - wife uses this every couple months, but is still working out the finer points of this unit. I don't think it's worth the hassle myself.


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## Oshidashi (Nov 4, 2021)

This is probably pretty worthless for most but but some cooks may like it, especially since it is so small and simple: A mini squeegee to safely wipe stictioned diced garlic, carrots, etc. from your gyuto without risking your fingers. Or can be used to push them back onto the knife or scraper for transfer. I do not have one, but it's a thought.

Luxe Mini Squeegee - Medium Soft


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## btbyrd (Nov 4, 2021)

I'd just use a nylon bench scraper like the one from Matfer.

Speaking of, I'd like to do a quick plug for bench scrapers. I had one but never used it (apart from working with dough) for the longest time. I started using it as part of my normal prep and have really come around to it. Now I break it out whenever I'm cutting medium or larger quantities of items. Unless I'm using my CCK, which is a bench scraper unto itself. (My XL Takeda gyuto also comes close.)


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## BillHanna (Nov 4, 2021)

I never even thought to do that until joining this forum.


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## Oshidashi (Nov 4, 2021)

Me too. Always get out a metal bench scraper, a damp rag and a dry rag before starting prep. One other thing I've recently learned to do with garlic is to smack and peel on a paper towel sheet over the cutting board to gather up the ends and papery parts for disposal. I do that with onion ends and peels as well. So much easier.


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## stringer (Nov 4, 2021)

btbyrd said:


> I'd just use a nylon bench scraper like the one from Matfer.
> 
> Speaking of, I'd like to do a quick plug for bench scrapers. I had one but never used it (apart from working with dough) for the longest time. I started using it as part of my normal prep and have really come around to it. Now I break it out whenever I'm cutting medium or larger quantities of items. Unless I'm using my CCK, which is a bench scraper unto itself. (My XL Takeda gyuto also comes close.)



A sturdy bench scraper is an excellent cleaning tool as well for the inside of grills and ovens and roasting pans. Especially for getting congealed grease and burnt bits gone before heavily soiled pans hit the sink or you do a deep dive on your smoker.


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## stringer (Nov 4, 2021)

stringer said:


> A sturdy bench scraper is an excellent cleaning tool as well for the inside of grills and ovens and roasting pans. Especially for getting congealed grease and burnt bits gone before heavily soiled pans hit the sink or you do a deep dive on your smoker.



Not a nylon one but stainless


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## toast (Nov 4, 2021)

I recently moved into a small apartment with a very small but functional kitchen. Got rid of almost every supplemental appliance except my Zojirushi rice cooker. I can’t imagine being without it, despite being perfectly comfortable making stove top rice.


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## stringer (Nov 4, 2021)

toast said:


> I recently moved into a small apartment with a very small but functional kitchen. Got rid of almost every supplemental appliance except my Zojirushi rice cooker. I can’t imagine being without it, despite being perfectly comfortable making stove top rice.



I've never used a rice cooker except when I was working at an Indian restaurant. We would cook the rice on the stove and then transfer it to a rice cooker to hold warm.


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## Oshidashi (Nov 4, 2021)

I use my Zojirushi all the time. It's great but there are two downsides; it takes longer than on the stove, and the automatic non-burn feature doesn't allow a delicious crust to form on the bottom. For tahdig, or any crust at all you will probably want to use a pan on the stove. However, for "automatic" tahdig there is a specialty rice cooker, and on Amazon it's the _"Pars Automatic Persian Rice Cooker -- Tahdig Rice Maker Perfect Rice Crust." _I don't have one but I am tempted, though my wife might hit me if I order it.

For Indian rice dishes, where onion and spices can be fried in ghee before adding the rice and liquid, I can see where it makes sense to use the rice cooker just to keep the rice warm.

Love the Zojirushi for uncrusted rice, long grained indica or jasmine, but especially sushi or plain japonica rice, as long as it's pre-rinsed well. My god, it comes out perfect.


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## Michi (Nov 5, 2021)

stringer said:


> Not a nylon one but stainless


I've managed to make scratches on my granite bench top that way. The corners of these things can be quite sharp. It's not a bad idea to grind down and smooth the corners a little.


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## sumis (Nov 5, 2021)

Michi said:


> I've managed to make scratches on my granite bench top that way. The corners of these things can be quite sharp. It's not a bad idea to grind down and smooth the corners a little.



this i do. 

.


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## Jovidah (Nov 5, 2021)

Bench scraprs are awesome... All of mine are just cheap plastic, the wider ones are my favorite! They scoop more. Although admittedly i don't exactly use them daily; whenever something's going into a bowl or pan with a long handle i just bring that to the board and swipe it all straight in.


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## Michi (Nov 5, 2021)

I have three. A stainless steel one, a plastic one that is quite stiff with a straight side and a curved side, and a silicone one, also with a straight and curved side. (The latter two get used for baking.)

Of all the small kitchen gadgets I have, the steel bench scraper is among the most useful. It's rare that I cook a meal without using it.


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## Brian Weekley (Nov 5, 2021)

Anova Prevision Oven … responsible for the biggest changes in my cooking since I discovered Japanese knives and carbon pans. In my view … indispensable.


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## btbyrd (Nov 5, 2021)

One thing I use every day, multiple times a day, even on days when I don't cook, is a touchless soap dispenser. The one I have dispenses foam (we buy Method foaming hand soap) and it dramatically improves the experience of washing your hands -- especially if they're covered in chicken or whatever.


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## btbyrd (Nov 5, 2021)

One last thing about bench scrapers (and this may be old news) but you can dye the Mafter ones to whatever color you want. I was watching a video with Alison Roman and she mentioned in passing that she dyes Matfer scrapers and gives them as gifts. A quick Googling revealed her technique in an old BA article. Not a bad idea with the holiday season coming up!


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## HumbleHomeCook (Nov 5, 2021)

btbyrd said:


> One thing I use every day, multiple times a day, even on days when I don't cook, is a touchless soap dispenser. The one I have dispenses foam (we buy Method foaming hand soap) and it dramatically improves the experience of washing your hands -- especially if they're covered in chicken or whatever.



We do our dishes by hand and I have dispenser for the dish soap. Awesome device. Gifted them to my children who both also love them.


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## Oshidashi (Nov 5, 2021)

btbyrd said:


> One thing I use every day, multiple times a day, even on days when I don't cook, is a touchless soap dispenser. The one I have dispenses foam (we buy Method foaming hand soap) and it dramatically improves the experience of washing your hands -- especially if they're covered in chicken or whatever.



I was thinking of getting one of those. What brand do you have or recommend?


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## HumbleHomeCook (Nov 5, 2021)

Oshidashi said:


> I was thinking of getting one of those. What brand do you have or recommend?



I know you didn't ask me but I have the SimpleHuman brand and they are very good.


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## Oshidashi (Nov 5, 2021)

Thank you!


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## btbyrd (Nov 5, 2021)

Yeah, SimpleHuman are sort of the standard for touchless soap dispensers. Their foaming dispenser was $70 the last time I checked, which is kind of above my desired budget for a soap dispenser (though I did just buy a $125 SimpleHuman trash can, so... there's that). I ended up with a kinda generic but perfectly functional Secura brand one from Amazon. I've had it for 3 years and it's still going strong.


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## rickbern (Nov 6, 2021)

btbyrd said:


> Yeah, SimpleHuman are sort of the standard for touchless soap dispensers. Their foaming dispenser was $70 the last time I checked, which is kind of above my desired budget for a soap dispenser (though I did just buy a $125 SimpleHuman trash can, so... there's that). I ended up with a kinda generic but perfectly functional Secura brand one from Amazon. I've had it for 3 years and it's still going strong.


My simple human trash can is my most used, and most useful, kitchen gadget!


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## PtownPhil (Nov 6, 2021)

Electric hot water pot and rice cooker.


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## Bart.s (Nov 6, 2021)

I use some:

- Blender for making fruit smoothies, milkshakes etc.
- Foodprocessor, mostly for humus, salsa sauce, grinding nuts, stuff like that.
- Electric cattle, should be obvious.
- Immersion blender, grinding whole tomatoes in the can for pasta sauce, home made mayonnaise.
- Airfryer, kinda replaced my oven for small things like baking bread, quick snacks.
- Mortle and pestle for spices.
- Kitchen scale, always use it to measure rice and pasta before boiling, because when eye balling it I always end up with way too much.
- Microwave, actually don't use it that much, when heating up a meal, 9 times out of 10 I just use a pan. Maybe it's just me, but I like my meals better when heated in a pan vs microwave.
- Coffee machine, who can live without it?


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## Oshidashi (Nov 6, 2021)

Electric cattle is not immediately obvious.


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## Michi (Nov 6, 2021)

Oshidashi said:


> Electric cattle is not immediately obvious.


Probably was supposed to be “eclectic kettle”.


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## Oshidashi (Nov 6, 2021)

I would go for an eclectic kettle. As far as electric cattle, I just checked and they are not allowed by our local homeowner's association.


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## HumbleHomeCook (Nov 6, 2021)

Electric cattle are so 2000's. Digital cattle are where it's at these days.


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## Bart.s (Nov 7, 2021)

Oshidashi said:


> Electric cattle is not immediately obvious.


Haha should have been electric kettle


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## Noxion (Nov 7, 2021)

Well, there is a difference already at the basic two items you’ve listed, between the European and the US kitchen.

Instead of a stove we have a 80cm wide ceramic hob.
The fridge is a Liebherr with three 0°C drawers to keep the vegetables extra fresh.
The freezer is a separate “cabinet”.

*Other appliances:*
- microwave; constantly in use; from heating a cup of water (even for tea) to cooking and reheating food portions from that deep-cold fridge. Can’t think being without it. Large capacity one; 33L.
- dishwasher every day
- electrical grill/toaster; each day

- electrical oven for baking bread, pastry, sweets
- pro kneading machine; we make bread at home; also for pastry

- stick blender; is a creamy vegetable soup maker
- hand mixer for pastry and other sweets

- sturdy Ohaus lab scale with a washable inox top

Never gets used for anything:
- steamer; great for making rice
- various attachments for the mentioned machines; as grinders, special bakery mixing spatulas, blenders…

That's it; one doesn't need anything else.


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## MarcelNL (Nov 7, 2021)

In our current in between house the one thing I miss most is worktop SPACE, the next thing is our Steam -sous vide-precision Oven (Neff)....and finally a good sized Fridge (Liebherr it is in the new house)

most used, highest first:

Mazzer Major espresso grinder with SSP burrs
Faema Urania espresso machine

huge gap

various peelers
various microplane graters
dishwasher
Oven
Coffee roaster
Sous Vide stick
PID water kettle
Toaster/Grill
rice cooker
electric fryer
air fryer
immersion mixer
ice cream maker
Mandoline, 2 sizes
Magimix


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## Lars (Nov 7, 2021)

Recently got a high speed blender. Wish I had gotten one years ago, use it all the time.


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## Noxion (Nov 7, 2021)

Lars said:


> Recently got a high speed blender. Wish I had gotten one years ago, use it all the time.


What for? we've never used it. We use only the immersion stick one for creamy vegetable soups.


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## Lars (Nov 7, 2021)

Noxion said:


> What for? we've never used it. We use only the immersion stick one for creamy vegetable soups.


You can achieve a much finer texture. I have a bamix stick blender and I love it, but it can't make soup nearly as smooth. 
It's also great for salsas, dressings and smoothies although I'm don't make the latter myself.


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## MarcelNL (Nov 7, 2021)

Michi said:


> I've managed to make scratches on my granite bench top that way. The corners of these things can be quite sharp. It's not a bad idea to grind down and smooth the corners a little.



You can repair granite pretty well, get some ultraviolet activated acrylic resin and coloring component and work in tiny layers (getting a better UV LED helps). I repaired a chip on the edge of a black granite countertop, a gap of about 4mm by 3 mm deep by 3mm ....took a while but it came out very nicely after sanding and polishing.


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## Noxion (Nov 7, 2021)

Lars said:


> You can achieve a much finer texture. I have a bamix stick blender and I love it, but it can't make soup nearly as smooth.
> It's also great for salsas, dressings and smoothies although I'm don't make the latter myself.



We have a Philips ProMix stick blender and it's awesome; it really doesn't spray the liquid. It also makes a great smooth job. The fennel (finocchio) soup gets perfect.
We make salsas the old fashioned way; don't make dressings (except for very small quantities) and even less smoothies.
The problem with the blender is that a lot of the product remains on the walls of the container, so it is only handy for restaurant size quantities. Also you have one additional and heavy item to clean. The immersion stick is instantly clean and there is no additional "pot" to wash. 
We have the Kenwood blender (attachment for the Titanium line) and the piece is heavy as a granate,...imagine having to clean it...


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## sumis (Nov 7, 2021)

Noxion said:


> .
> We have the Kenwood blender (attachment for the Titanium line) and the piece is heavy as a granate,...imagine having to clean it...



so do i. to clean, just fill with water (and maybe a small drop of detergent) and let it spin for a minute. rinse. done. 

.


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## Noxion (Nov 7, 2021)

sumis said:


> so do i. to clean, just fill with water (and maybe a small drop of detergent) and let it spin for a minute. rinse. done.



You're most practical; still, the sheer volume of it is for those who make huge home parties; like Tupperware group meetings


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