The Money Mustache Community
Other => Off Topic => Topic started by: HappierAtHome on May 09, 2018, 11:04:37 PM
-
I'm curious about the differences in which (electrical) kitchen appliances people use regularly. What do you use, and roughly how often?
My household uses:
Every single day - kettle and microwave.
At least once a week - slow cooker, toaster, food processor, stick blender.
Less than weekly - breadmaker, sandwich press, hand mixer.
For context, it's a household of two adults (one with multiple food allergies), one baby. The stick blender is getting a lot more use since the baby arrived. We try to cook as much as possible from scratch.
-
My household uses:
Every single day - toaster, microwave
Several times a week - sandwich press
Less than weekly - hand mixer, stick blender
Does not possess: food processor, kettle
Household of two adults
-
Daily: Kettle
1-3 times per week: Microwave, Coffee grinder
Less often than weekly (often not used for months and then used regularly for a period): Blender, Sandwich press, Slow Cooker, Electric beaters
Don't own: Toaster (I don't bother buying much bread)
Dishwasher is currently not used (it's apparently contributing to the mould that was in the kitchen cupboard, i'm in a rental).
Just me here :)
-
Daily: Kettle
Near-Daily: Microwave
Once a week or more: pressure cooker, toaster
Gathering dust: george foreman grill, stick blender
I *think* that's all the small appliances we own, but if there's more, they're also certainly gathering dust. Was using a slow cooker pretty regularly but when I was gifted a pressure cooker with a slow cook function I gave it away for space reasons.
Household of two adults.
-
Daily: Blender
Weekly: Pressure Cooker, Frying Pan
Infrequent: Kettle, Microwave
The blender is a luxury item and the frying pan's job could be outsourced to the pressure cooker, so theoretically I could live with just the pressure cooker.
-
Every day: Kettle
Every 2-3 days: Mikrowave and toaster
Once a week:?
Less often than once a week but more often than once a month: slowcooker
Once a month or less: stick blender, regular blender, waffle maker
I also own an icecream maker that is not very good at making icecream which I almost never use which I plan to get rid of.
-
Kettle, toaster, microwave, stick blender, stove, oven, sandwhich press, soda stream, and water filter all get regular use.
Blender, bread maker, juicer and electric mixer less so.
-
Keurig, toaster and microwave get used daily. Slow cooker get used weekly, blender and food processor probably once a month.
-
Daily: Mr. Coffee coffeemaker and microwave.
-
daily: stove, fridge, kettle
2-5x/week: soda stream, InstantPot, blender, Microwave, stand mixer, Oven
Weekly: Cuisinart, Dishwasher,
Less frequently: Ice-cream maker (sadly), juicer
This thread made me realize I really need to give away the ice cream maker and juicer and let someone else enjoy them.
-
Daily: kettle, coffee grinder, microwave
At least weekly: electric pressure cooker
Monthly (roughly): stand mixer, food processor, stick blender, vacuum sealer
-
Daily: knives, microwave, stove, teakettle
Weekly-ish: oven, toaster oven, Kitchen-Aid mixer w/accoutrements, two-burner reversible griddle/grill pan. DD also uses the blender for smoothies.
Periodically: mini-chopper, spiralizer*, waffle maker, ebelskiver pan, Instantpot, spice grinder, grill.
I’m not even going to start the list of “almost never” - I’ve had 30+ years to collect a lot of things that fall in the “seemed like a good idea at the time” category.
*I have a 12-yr-old boy who loves fries, so what the hell.
-
Daily: Coffee grinder, espresso machine, microwave, utensils, stove
Not daily but more frequently than Weekly: Instant Pot, Food processor, blender, mixer, oven
Monthly: Immersion blender, hand mixer
Probably not frequently enough to justify having: waffle iron, spiralizer, electric griddle, electric fryer, soda stream, toaster oven
-
Blender and microwave. I don't think I own any other electrical kitchen appliance. I use to own a rice cooker, but I gave it away.
edit: I own a kettle that I never use. Maybe it's the next thing to go.
-
Espresso Machine (Silvia) - 1 or 2 times daily
Dishwasher - 1 or 2 times daily
Range/Oven - 2-3 times daily
Toaster oven - 1 or 2 times daily
Food processor - once a month maybe.
Immersion blender - twice a month maybe.
-
Daily: Immersion blender, microwave
Weekly: Instant Pot
Monthly: Food processor
Less than monthly: hand mixer, standard blender, drip coffee maker
I could definitely live without the "monthly" and "less than monthly" items entirely.
Notable exclusions (based on the lists of others): dishwasher, toaster, kettle
That's about it really. Plus the usual stove/oven/refrigerator/freezer that all see daily or near-daily use.
-
Daily: coffee maker, refrigerator[1]
Near-daily: microwave
Weekly: dishwasher, vent hood, stove
Monthly: multi-function pressure cooker, oven
Rarely: spice grinder, Blender & Mixer (I always get those two mixed up confused) turns out I have both!
[1 - I'm guessing most everyone uses a fridge regularly, but on this forum I'm not making any assumptions!]
-
I find it really interesting how much people vary in their use of the same stuff. I can't fathom how I would end up using my immersion blender more than once a week max, if I ate beans all the time. I also can't imagine only using the food processor 1x/month!
-
Daily
Microwave
Coffeemaker
refrigerator
dishwasher
Weekly
Can opener (I have to have electric)
Mixer
toaster
Slo-cooker
-
I find it really interesting how much people vary in their use of the same stuff. I can't fathom how I would end up using my immersion blender more than once a week max, if I ate beans all the time. I also can't imagine only using the food processor 1x/month!
It is very interesting. I can't think of a use for a hand mixer more than once every few months to make cupcakes!
I usually use our immersion blender for making salad dressing and GF likes to use it to make cold brew coffee drinks (typically made with a homemade imitation Starbucks vanilla sweet cream). Many days it's used for both (and thoroughly cleaned in between, as these use cases don't exactly mix). Occasionally for pureed soups, which was what I thought would be our primary use when I bought it. I've literally never made or bought beans, so that's pretty funny that that's where your mind goes. :)
I hate using the food processor since it's a bitch to clean, so I usually stay away from it. GF is more likely to use it when she cooks but still not very often. We also have a pretty crappy one ($22 Walmart special) so that also may contribute to this.
-
Daily
kettle, coffee grinder, microwave, stove/oven, dishwasher
Weekly
stick blender, kitchenaid mixer, instant pot, milk frother, kegerator/extra fridge
Monthly
waffle maker, mini chopper
A few times a year
blender, toaster, spice grinder, dehydrator
Not in 2+ years (but still have for some reason)?!
2 chest freezers, ice cream maker, pasta maker (i guess this isn't an "appliance"), deep fryer
-
Let's see...
Daily: oven, microwave, toaster, fridge/freezer, and my family uses the kettle (I don't drink tea or coffee myself).
Several times a week: Other freezer (not my idea to have 2 freezers), coffee machine (again, that's my family), bread machine
Weekly-ish: Food processor (when my mum bakes)
Very rarely: Ice-cream maker
I can't think of any other electric-powered appliances off the top of my head, unless you count the fact that we store our washing machine and stuff in the kitchen, but I don't think those are really part of the question.
-
Daily
Coffee machine, microwave, oven and/or stovetop, dishwasher
We have a nice oven with a separate small 'toaster oven' section. It makes perfect toast in 3minutes, DW+kids use it most every day
Weekly
crock pot, Weber kettle grill, rice cooker
Seldom
Blender, used almost exclusively for margaritas. Hand mixer.
We got rid of all the other minor appliances.
-
Daily
Coffee machine, microwave, oven and/or stovetop, dishwasher
We have a nice oven with a separate small 'toaster oven' section. It makes perfect toast in 3minutes, DW+kids use it most every day
Weekly
crock pot, Weber kettle grill, rice cooker
Seldom
Blender, used almost exclusively for margaritas. Hand mixer.
We got rid of all the other minor appliances.
@acroy - what the hell?! You've got a Webber Kettle grill in your kitchen?! Seriously bad idea!
:-P
-
Other freezer (not my idea to have 2 freezers)
I suppose I forgot to mention my chest freezer, and our other chest freezer, and our other other chest freezer. :)
-
Daily
Coffee machine, microwave, oven and/or stovetop, dishwasher
We have a nice oven with a separate small 'toaster oven' section. It makes perfect toast in 3minutes, DW+kids use it most every day
Weekly
crock pot, Weber kettle grill, rice cooker
Seldom
Blender, used almost exclusively for margaritas. Hand mixer.
We got rid of all the other minor appliances.
@acroy - what the hell?! You've got a Webber Kettle grill in your kitchen?! Seriously bad idea!
:-P
makes quite a mess and sets off the fire detector every time ;)
I included it since it gets used quite a bit, actually used it last night to do chicken + 'taters. Marinate chicken for 48hrs in Italian dressing, slow cook, yum!
-
Daily:
microwave
dishwasher
A couple times a week:
food processor
Instant Pot
Weekend days only:
coffee maker (we have pretty good coffee at my office)
crock pot
Rarely:
blender - though more often in summer as I like to make fruit smoothies then
coffee grinder - I've been buying ground mostly, but now and then will get beans.
Almost never:
toaster - we don't keep bread in the house any more. Had to dig it out of storage a while ago when we had guests staying with us and therefore also had bagels in the house for them :) .
hand mixer - pretty much only for our twice-a-year cake baking, on my birthday and my partner's birthday
-
Nearly Daily/Daily: Toaster, microwave, stove/oven, dishwasher (lots of baby bottles), coffee pot
Frequently (monthly or more): small food processor, hand mixer, crock pot
Almost never: Blender, large food processor, immersion blender, stand mixer, stupid breakfast sandwich maker I got for Christmas, etc. Most of these were wedding presents and live in the crawl space. Although sometimes they do come in handy for certain times of year like Christmas or Thanksgiving for larger projects.
Have a smaller gas Weber and a Weber kettle grills, use the gas Weber 2-3-4x a week in the summer, and the kettle usually 1x a week.
-
We use the toaster and microwave every day, and that's about it. But I make all our food on the weekend. Our rice cooker and stove get very heavy use. Especially the rice cooker. Boyfriend gets cranky if he doesn't have rice for a day (he claims it's because he's Asian), so at least half of our weekend meal prep is stir fries and other things with rice.
I have a blender that gets used for some sauces, and a slow cooker for re-hydrating dried chickpeas. That's about it.
-
kettle every day, sometimes mulitple times (it's one of those 4L keep hot ones - excellent for a work from home tea drinker, when hubby is home we sometimes go through more than 4L)
toaster and french press almost every morning that hubby is home (he's the toast eater)
microwave multiple times a day
cooktop most days
rice cooker once a week (we make a big batch of brown/wild rice that gets used throughout the week)
oven gets used once or twice a week, roasts, banana bread, quiche, the occaisional frozen pizza
BBQ a few times a week (not in the kitchen of course but part of the cooking process)
Stand mixer once a week
hand mixer every few weeks (when I'm craving creamed potatoes - mashed potatoes with milk and butter, whatever you call it)
rarely use the small food processor (probably 25+ years old), we're both pretty good with a knife and like the precision that a knife brings
dishwasher gets run maybe twice a week
more small appliances that rarely get used, but my horder hubby won't let me get rid of them
-
Moka stovetop espresso maker - every morning
Toaster - about 3-4 times a week
Stick blender - around once every 2 weeks - usually for making soup
Normal food processor - once or twice a month - for making things in bulk that need to be smoother than soup like hummus, pesto, home made ice cream that the kids make or pie dough
pressure cooker - once a week - for making lentil and other bean soups on the weekend to bring to work during the week
slow cooker - only about once every 2-3 weeks to make stock from chicken bones. I never use it for anything else any more as I find it either over or under cooks everything.
microwave - 3-4 times a week
electric kettle - 2-3 times a week - mostly for cups of tea on the weekends but also sometimes to boil things quickly for cooking
dishwasher - every day more or less - could not live without this
-
I've literally never made or bought beans
°O°
Get out
-
I've literally never made or bought beans
°O°
Get out
I've eaten beans before, at a restaurant. I don't mind them once in a while (1-2x/yr), but they don't agree with me digestively speaking, so I don't have them at home.
-
Everyday: coffee maker, dishwasher, stove, microwave
At least weekly: immersion blender, instapot, toaster, coffee grinder
Less than weekly: stand mixer, blender, slowcooker, waffle iron, plug in griddle
We have pretty much purged all other electronic kitchen gadgets!
-
I've literally never made or bought beans
°O°
Get out
I've eaten beans before, at a restaurant. I don't mind them once in a while (1-2x/yr), but they don't agree with me digestively speaking, so I don't have them at home.
Oh, in that case my sincere condolences. If I eat too many they can make my stomach turn but I can't pass up that cheap protein.
-
For anyone who has issues digesting beans, I recommend cooking them in a pressue cooker. Makes them much easier to digest for some reason.
-
Daily: Espresso maker, microwave, dishwasher
Multiple times a week: Kitchenaid stand mixer, toaster, blender
Gathering dust: Crockpot, stick blender, hand mixer with mismatched beaters. I should probably just get rid of these.
If it counts I have a chest freezer to store things like stock, leftovers from big batches, soup, deals on meat, looking to eventually get 1/4 of a cow or something.
-
For anyone who has issues digesting beans, I recommend cooking them in a pressue cooker. Makes them much easier to digest for some reason.
+1
-
Constant: refrigerator (accessed several times daily), chest freezer (accessed a few times a week)
Nearly daily: VitaMix Blender (morning smoothies)
Several times a week: Instant Pot (has virtually replaced rice cooker and crock pot and does even more)
A few times a week: Microwave, Oven, Cooktop
A few times a month: Toaster Oven
Would like to add:
Dishwasher (would use several times a week)
Stand Mixer (would use a few times a month)
Rarely used: Bread Machine, Food Processor, Rice Cooker (better at delayed cooking rice than Instant Pot), Crock Pot, Immersion Blender, Hand Mixer
I've eaten beans before, at a restaurant. I don't mind them once in a while (1-2x/yr), but they don't agree with me digestively speaking, so I don't have them at home.
How they are prepared can have an influence. Rinsing between soaking and cooking can reduce the excess starch and improve digestion.
-
A lot of these aren't electric. But I think this is the whole list of appliances we use.
Daily: coffee grinder (manual), kettle (stove top), blender, (large appliances like stove/oven, fridge, chest freezer)
Every couple days: instant pot, soda stream, dishwasher
Roughly weekly: food processor, microwave
Own but hardly use: popcorn air popper, toaster, crock pot
-
For anyone who has issues digesting beans, I recommend cooking them in a pressue cooker. Makes them much easier to digest for some reason.
Yes. And soak them first (I pour boiling water over them and let them sit for an hour), then pressure-cook them for about twice as long as recommended. My husband usually has trouble with beans but can digest them when they're cooked this way.
-
Daily: stove, refrigerator, kettle, steaming pot, wok
Multiple times a week: instant pot
Occasionally: manual coffee grinder & french press
We don't own any other appliances.
-
Daily or almost daily: Espresso maker, microwave, sodastream (although it's not electric)
Weekly: Instapot, toaster
Monthly: Standing mixer, immersion blender, regular blender, food processor, electric egg cooker
Quarterly: waffle iron, rice cooker
Very rarely: crock pot (I used to use it quite often, but now I use my instapot), food dehydrator, coffee grinder
-
Daily: gas stove, coffee grinder, coffee machine, fridge
Several times a week: mechanical pasta roller, oven, dishwasher
Hardly ever: kettle (we don’t have enough plugs so I put it in the cupboard and stopped drinking tea)
Things we own but are in storage: toaster, food processor, stand mixer, ice cream maker, waffle iron.
Of the things we have in storage probably just the food processor (which is also a stick blender) and the ice cream maker I really miss.
-
Daily:
fridge
gas stovetop
drip coffee maker
toaster
Almost daily:
microwave
Less often:
electric oven (we have a dual energy range: gas stovetop and electric oven)
Rarely:
Immersion blender, dishwasher.
Don't own:
mixer, blender, crockpot, deep fryer, breadmaker or anything else not listed above.
-
Daily: oven, microwave, stovetop, fridge, dishwasher
We use a regular kettle on the stove so I consider it more of a pot/pan than an appliance. Used to have an electric kettle but I got sick of it cluttering up the counter.
I guess the kids use the toaster most days.
Maybe twice a month: crockpot
Once a month: blender, mixer
A few times a year: food processor, coffee maker (for guests), popsicle maker (gift, I know it is ridiculous but the kids chose it), waffle maker (gift but kids love it).
-
Microwave, stove-top, fridge, and toaster pretty much daily.
Stand alone mixer, a few times a month.
Those are the only ones we own.
-
Daily: kettle
3-5 times a week: microwave
Once/week: hand blender, toaster
Less than monthly: hand mixer, grill, wok
-
Daily or close to it: Toaster, Coffee Maker, Dishwasher, Microwave, Gas Range
Weekly or more: Crock Pot, Rice Cooker, Hand Mixer, Gas Grill (outdoor), Stand Mixer
Monthly: Bread Machine, Blender, Food Processor
Rarely: Waffle Iron, Electric Griddle
The blender and food processor get used in bursts, for example, when my kids were babies, I made all their baby food purees about once a week or more. Waffle iron and electric griddle were wedding gifts that were not on the registry. I can't bring myself to get rid of them either because we do use them... sometimes.
For those asking what people use hand mixers for other than baking cupcakes, I use mine to easily shred meats (think pulled pork) and just tonight I used it to "mash" my (not really)refried beans.. right in the crock pot. Much easier than actual mashing by hand. Also in the past month I made banana bread from leftover bananas, chocolate chip cookies for my kid's spring performance and made my own hollandaise sauce.
Family of 4, 2 adults and 2 young kids. I cook pretty much every meal at home. We eat out about once a month.
-
This is embarrassing, but I may as well ...
I should say, I cook every breakfast and dinner, and 90% of lunches (my husband and older teen eat out occasionally).
At least daily: Toaster, Electric kettle, burr grinder, french press (not really an appliance), fridge, range, microwave
Every few days: dishwasher, oven, grill (just out the back door), stick blender, blender (for smoothies), hand mixer, popcorn popper (for after-school snacks), chest freezer
weekly-ish, depending on season: Slow Cooker(s), pressure cooker, food processor, rice cooker (was a gift, I don't like rice that much)
Monthly? Big 'ole kitchen aid mixer, waffle iron
There are a few baking things (roasting dishes and such) that get used only a few times/year, but we remodeled to have a ton of kitchen space, and there's room for everything to fit gracefully. Also, many of these things were gifts and/or hand-me-downs.
Also, I should make waffles this weekend. Coincidentally, the sourdough needs to be fed...
-
This is embarrassing, but I may as well ...
I don't think it's embarrassing at all to own many appliances if you're using them all the time. Seems legit to me.
I admire cooks who whip everything up from scratch without appliances, but I'm not one of them, and that's okay too :-)
-
I use the
1) fancy rice cooker the most by far,
2) followed closely by the microwave
3) and then the blender for smoothies.
The rice cooker cooks grains and beans (and soups in the winter) and is brilliant for set-and-forget.
-
This is embarrassing, but I may as well ...
I don't think it's embarrassing at all to own many appliances if you're using them all the time. Seems legit to me.
I admire cooks who whip everything up from scratch without appliances, but I'm not one of them, and that's okay too :-)
Thanks for the kind words -- I'm not very hardcore, by the standards of this forum. By the standards of many of the folks living around me, my family is mildly insane...
Anyhow, due partly to the reminder, I fed the sourdough starter that lives in the refrigerator and made several dozen waffles on Saturday. And remembered how much I like that waffle iron, which (1) makes 4 waffles at a time, and (2) has removable, nonstick plates that can go into the dishwasher.
(We also used the hand mixer to whip cream, which we used to make blueberry eton mess -- crushed meringues, whipped slightly sweetened cream with fruit mixed in -- with purchased meringues. Yum!)
-
This thread has made me realise we still own a stand mixer which we never use. I should talk to Mr Happier about whether we can Buy Nothing it (it's his, so his decision). I don't think it has any functions that aren't replicated by other appliances - I prefer to use a hand mixer for making cakes and icing, and he uses the food processor to make cheesecakes. Hmm.
-
Alsomost daily:
Cooktop (currently a single induction burner during the remodel)
Oven (either full-size or countertop)
Automatic tea maker
Electric kettle (for the coffee drinker in the house)
coffee grinder
microwave
dishwasher (currently without due to remodel)
refrigerator
upright freezer (for leftovers and buying in bulk, such as in season fruits)
hood vent (again out of service due to remodel)
Several times a week:
Pressure cooker
panini press
blender
food processor
Several times a month:
sous vide immersion cooker
stand mixer
warming drawer/yogurt maker/bread proofer
immersion blender
Seasonally:
Food dehydrator
We have a lot of kitchen tools and appliance, but an average week we might eat out one dinner. Otherwise, all dinners are home cooked, all lunches are homemade or homemade dinner leftovers, and most breakfasts are home made as well.
-
Daily: drip coffeepot, electric kettle (at work), microwave, toaster, refrigerator, can openers (we have two, one for human food and one for dog food)
3-4 times weekly: chest freezer, countertop convection oven, stovetop, instantpot
Weekly: bread machine
Every 2-3 weeks: rice cooker (make 2 pounds of brown rice at a time and freeze)
Seasonally: food processor. Also nonelectric things get seasonal use- pressure canner, water bath canner, food mill, meat grinder, dehydrator, oven (only used at the holidays)
I’ve recently thrown out my 1970s – model yogurt maker because the instant pot has supplanted it. I’ve not yet thrown out my slow cooker, and probably won’t because it does see use when I’m cooking for a crowd. But the instantpot gets to live on the counter where it used to live, and it’s sitting on a shelf these days.
-
Daily-- Espresso machine and grinder
Range and/or oven (if not at home, I use the one at work, but my son uses the range at least as much as I do)
Every few days-- Microwave (by my son, I only use it once a month or so)
Kettle (again, by my son)
Toaster
Weekly-- Blender
Deep fryer (right now we tend to use it about weekly, but when the oil gets dirty I might clean it and then not use it for a long time)
Rice cooker
Less than weekly: Waffle iron, dehydrator, Instant Pot, Crock Pot, mixer, griddle
I do a lot of stuff from scratch, but when it comes to cutting stuff up, I use a knife or a grater rather than a food processor, I often knead bread by hand if I make it at work, but will use the kitchen aid mixer if I'm at home, I use a potato masher for potatoes and beans instead of a mixer or blender, etc.
Outside of the microwave and kettle, there is not much I would get rid of. I'd have no problem letting my son have those two when he moves out though, since I just don't really use them (I reheat things in a cast iron skillet on the stove, and can get plain hot water from the espresso machine.) The other things might not get used often, but they still have a job to do that I don't want to have to "figure out" a different method to do the same thing.
-
Daily:
- stovetop, microwave, toaster oven
Several times per week:
- instant pot, coffee maker, blender
Weekly:
- rice cooker, food processor
Monthly:
- bread machine (used to be weekly, but I can't eat wheat anymore...)
- immersion blender
- waffle iron
Quarterly:
- stand mixer. Hubby uses it, he's the cake baker.
-
This thread has made me realise we still own a stand mixer which we never use. I should talk to Mr Happier about whether we can Buy Nothing it (it's his, so his decision). I don't think it has any functions that aren't replicated by other appliances - I prefer to use a hand mixer for making cakes and icing, and he uses the food processor to make cheesecakes. Hmm.
It's funny how people are different -- I'm the other way around. I use a whisk for anything that is too small to justify the Kitchen Aid, and I use the shredder attachments for any chopping/shredding that is too big for a knife (and then of course there are the pasta maker and meat grinder attachments, too). I would get rid of my food processor and hand mixer long before I got rid of the Kitchen Aid!
-
I have to give a shout out to the broiler!
I use it several times a week. To make garlic bread, to reheat and crisp up leftovers, or to melt cheese on anything. Its also great for getting a good crust on a brisket cooked in the pressure cooker or slow cooker.
If I cook a steak indoors, I'll sear both sides on the stovetop then transfer it under the broiler. This heats both sides simultaneously like a tandoor oven. It's also a good technique for heating up bratwurst without splitting the skins.
A few years ago Cooks Country did an episode that featured the broiler. They called it the most underused piece of equipment in the kitchen.
Not in my house!
-
I'm posting without reading the thread :p
My household uses:
Every single day - electric kettle (can't live without it)
Several times a week - microwave
Less than weekly - toaster, stick blender, slow cooker (we use the slow cooker in winter, never in summer because it still has quite a bit of radiant heat)
Does not possess: food processor, sandwich maker, proper blender
Household of two adults.
The kettle gets used many times per day, for hot drinks, to pre-boil water for cooking things like pasta (more efficient than our crappy old electric stove) and to fill hot water bottles in winter (which helps in not needing to run a heater overnight). I could live without a microwave but I can't live without a kettle.
ETA: could an American please explain a broiler? I've inferred from extensive googling that it's an element in your oven at the top and it gets used a bit like the griller in my stover, but a broiler is part of the oven, not a separate thing like a griller. Is that correct? (and isn't funny how much assumed cultural knowledge there is even for basic things like cooking ;))
-
Broiler = Grill
My oven has a grill in it instead of being separate. Advantages include having more room (so you can grill wide things as well as steaks...), and combine it with other oven things (so for instance I can put it on to do the crackling on a pork roast), but the disadvantage is that it consumes more energy and you can't have something in the oven and something else in the grill.
-
Broilers are, like you mention, an element at the top of the oven that gets extremely hot. It's a bit like using a tiny blowtorch right on the food. Kinda like you're going for a creme brulee crust, but not actual fire. It's great for getting a good crust on things, esp with cheese topping a dish, or with breads.
The big metal things outdoors we cook on with propane or charcoal briquettes we call "grills" or "barbecues".
-
Daily: Stovetop, fridge, toaster oven
Several times a week: Oven, microwave
Every few weeks: waffle iron, air popper, blender
Seasonally: stand mixer, electric knife, cookie press
Rarely use: slow cooker, deep fryer, food processor
Don't own: dishwasher, instapot, rice cooker, bread machine, pasta machine, hand mixer, coffee anything
-
I forgot to mention that I use a cast iron skillet when broiling meat so that both sides cook at the same time.
Although I wouldn't use olive oil for such high heat cooking, this video is a good demonstration of the idea...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--q1-AUFbgA
-
The only one we use every day is the refrigerator. It would be interesting if there was a better way to optimize that, like with a really small refrigerator or one that held temp without electricity as long as you didn't open the door. We see too many Americans with refrigerators and freezers 2-3x larger than they need which are either mostly empty or full of junk they are not using. Such waste!
-
The only one we use every day is the refrigerator. It would be interesting if there was a better way to optimize that, like with a really small refrigerator or one that held temp without electricity as long as you didn't open the door. We see too many Americans with refrigerators and freezers 2-3x larger than they need which are either mostly empty or full of junk they are not using. Such waste!
There is - check out waht 'cruisers' (people who live board sailboats) use, when electricity is a severely constrained commodity. There's a variety of approaches, but they all start with really thick insulation (often 6" on all sides) that make them better insulated than the best Yeti coolers. Most are top-open (minimizing loss of cold air). Some designs rely on ice (passive cooling) while others use very efficient low power compressors.
I think the inherent compromises are why so few people do this; newer energyStar fridges may use 300-400kw/year - equivalent to $1-2/day depending on your energy rates. The insulation requirements shrink the usable space of a 'normal' size unit by half or more (it's really amazing how small they are inside). Passive units require weekly top-ups of ice, and while a single bag (or brick, whicha re better) can keep the contents cool for a week you still have to add that to your weekly shopping list, and drain the bottom periodically.
FWIW I lived/worked on a catamaran in the Caribbean which had a passive reefer - it was pretty awesome how long just a little bit of ice could keep everything at ~35ºF, but it took up a very large amount of space in the galley (like most things ont he ship it served as seating as well), but on land i still keep a modern, large regular fridge. To me the convenience is worth the extra few hundred$/year. YMMV
-
Daily
microwave, toaster, coffee maker
Weekly
Kitchen Aid stand mixer
Monthly
immersion blender
several times a year
waffle maker, food processor, crock pot, hand mixer, coffee grinder, french press, sandwich maker
have not used in years
apple corer/peeler, Magic Bullet
-
Does running water count as an appliance? If so, water faucet = multiple times per Day
Daily - microwave, refrigerator
Almost daily - Freezer part of refrigerator, toaster
Every week - nothing
More than once a month - dishwasher, stove-top
Less than once a month - oven, hand mixer, air popcorn popper
Less than once a year - shaved ice machine, food chopper, rice cooker
Do not own - everything else