Most expensive tool/item in your kitchen

[Anonymous]

$8000 Viking oven

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Set of knives for me. I had never used good knives till I started dating my now DH. Now I am spoiled--it drives me crazy to cook at my parents' house and use the dull knives my mom has had since I was a kid...

My Cuisinart food processor is a close second. Don't use it nearly as often as the knives, but it's great to have when I need it. Only downside is having to wash all those pieces.

I could've written this word for word.

The funny thing is, my mom gave me both the knife set and the cuisinart, but her own equipment is ancient (had it since I was a kid) and was cheap to begin with. Every time I visit, I tell her "get those knives you got me! They're amazing!" and she says "I'm glad you like them; maybe I should..." and then she doesn't, and then we have the same conversation the next Christmas.

One day, I'm just going to bite the bullet and spend the $500 or whatever to get her a set of great knives. And I'll be doing it for ME.

Just get her a couple great knives. There is no need to wait until you can get her the set. A great chefs knife and a great paring knife will change her life forever.

I've thought of that, but she would just throw them in "the knife drawer", and they would be ruined in six months. I want to get her the whole block, to maybe inspire her to take care of them.

Seems like people I know with giant suburban kitchens have so much crappy stuff in them, while people with itty-bitty city kitchens stock them with much higher quality tools. I have eight knives. My mother has 30+, all junk. I just want her to throw away half of her warped cookie sheets, 80% of her mismatched mugs, and ALL of her worn-out tupperware, and start over, with quality products that will last. And I'm usually a use-it-til-it-dies type. But... junk!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Set of knives for me. I had never used good knives till I started dating my now DH. Now I am spoiled--it drives me crazy to cook at my parents' house and use the dull knives my mom has had since I was a kid...

My Cuisinart food processor is a close second. Don't use it nearly as often as the knives, but it's great to have when I need it. Only downside is having to wash all those pieces.

I could've written this word for word.

The funny thing is, my mom gave me both the knife set and the cuisinart, but her own equipment is ancient (had it since I was a kid) and was cheap to begin with. Every time I visit, I tell her "get those knives you got me! They're amazing!" and she says "I'm glad you like them; maybe I should..." and then she doesn't, and then we have the same conversation the next Christmas.

One day, I'm just going to bite the bullet and spend the $500 or whatever to get her a set of great knives. And I'll be doing it for ME.

Just get her a couple great knives. There is no need to wait until you can get her the set. A great chefs knife and a great paring knife will change her life forever.

Get her a small pretty block too. It is super dangerous to just throw good knives in a drawer.

I've thought of that, but she would just throw them in "the knife drawer", and they would be ruined in six months. I want to get her the whole block, to maybe inspire her to take care of them.

Seems like people I know with giant suburban kitchens have so much crappy stuff in them, while people with itty-bitty city kitchens stock them with much higher quality tools. I have eight knives. My mother has 30+, all junk. I just want her to throw away half of her warped cookie sheets, 80% of her mismatched mugs, and ALL of her worn-out tupperware, and start over, with quality products that will last. And I'm usually a use-it-til-it-dies type. But... junk!

[Anonymous]

I had a Le Creuset casserole dish. Hated it. It was so darn heavy with nothing in it. I re-gifted it. So I'm very curious about the Dutch Ovens. Are they heavy? What makes them so wonderful!?

[Anonymous]

I have a LC DO and the only diff between it and my ~$40 SAMs club tramontina DO is the weight. I feel like they cook the same, the LC is just lighter. My favorite, use 3-4 times/week, LC, though, is my braiser. That thing is wonderful!

[Anonymous]

The cast iron ovens are super- heavy, but so are all cast iron ovens. Cast iron is itself heavy, but it is an amazingly even conductor of heat, which makes it much easier to cook without burning.

I have some other le creuset pieces - casserole dishes, grill pans, etc. and they are fine, but nothing too special. I much prefer a naked cast iron skillet and my Pyrex casserole dishes are much easier to use. But the name brings cache, so people buy them as gifts, and I use them for company because they are prettier than other things (although not pretty enough to ever replace the functionality of a seasoned heavy cast iron skillet; I have a large one of those that I'm sure is going to send me to the sports doctor someday, but I'll use it until it does).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My $20 digital thermometer works fine. What makes the $200 thermapen different?

The thermapen is only ~$110, and in fact I just bought my daughter a refurb this past weekend for ~$80. (If interested you might want to check the refurb.) I don't have the backlit one, but I haven't found I needed it yet either. I've had many $20 ones in the past, they break easily and often, never give the same reading twice and aren't easy to read, not to mention so slow! I made the upgrade finally, because the thermapen seems indestructible (mine is 2 years old, so I'm not sure about this though). It reads immediately and precisely. I didn't realize how dependent I could be on a thermometer, but since I got this one, my meats have never been so perfectly cooked. I used it for yogurt making, baking, candy making and water temps too. I just ordered their alarm/timer, with high and low settings, for in oven use. I hope I like it as well.

[Anonymous]

The still unopened Vitamix MIL gave us for Christmas. I am excited to have it but haven't figured out what to do with it yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Set of knives for me. I had never used good knives till I started dating my now DH. Now I am spoiled--it drives me crazy to cook at my parents' house and use the dull knives my mom has had since I was a kid...

My Cuisinart food processor is a close second. Don't use it nearly as often as the knives, but it's great to have when I need it. Only downside is having to wash all those pieces.

I could've written this word for word.

The funny thing is, my mom gave me both the knife set and the cuisinart, but her own equipment is ancient (had it since I was a kid) and was cheap to begin with. Every time I visit, I tell her "get those knives you got me! They're amazing!" and she says "I'm glad you like them; maybe I should..." and then she doesn't, and then we have the same conversation the next Christmas.

One day, I'm just going to bite the bullet and spend the $500 or whatever to get her a set of great knives. And I'll be doing it for ME.

Just get her a couple great knives. There is no need to wait until you can get her the set. A great chefs knife and a great paring knife will change her life forever.

I've thought of that, but she would just throw them in "the knife drawer", and they would be ruined in six months. I want to get her the whole block, to maybe inspire her to take care of them.

Seems like people I know with giant suburban kitchens have so much crappy stuff in them, while people with itty-bitty city kitchens stock them with much higher quality tools. I have eight knives. My mother has 30+, all junk. I just want her to throw away half of her warped cookie sheets, 80% of her mismatched mugs, and ALL of her worn-out tupperware, and start over, with quality products that will last. And I'm usually a use-it-til-it-dies type. But... junk!

the city vs. suburbs war can end now. we've officially heard it all.

[Anonymous]

KA Mixer and a Le Creuset dutch oven. Love them both and they both enhance my cooking experience.

[Anonymous]

superautomatic espresso machine-- love it every time I use it (which is at least 2x a day)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The cast iron ovens are super- heavy, but so are all cast iron ovens. Cast iron is itself heavy, but it is an amazingly even conductor of heat, which makes it much easier to cook without burning.

I have some other le creuset pieces - casserole dishes, grill pans, etc. and they are fine, but nothing too special. I much prefer a naked cast iron skillet and my Pyrex casserole dishes are much easier to use. But the name brings cache, so people buy them as gifts, and I use them for company because they are prettier than other things (although not pretty enough to ever replace the functionality of a seasoned heavy cast iron skillet; I have a large one of those that I'm sure is going to send me to the sports doctor someday, but I'll use it until it does).

I have Emile Henry Flame dutch ovens. They are significantly lighter than Le Creuset (being ceramic instead of iron) and conduct heat the same way. I love love love them.

[Anonymous]

Someone else mentioned the zojirushi rice cooker. This is the best thing since sliced bread for me. It cooks so much more than rice - any kind of grain really (and more probably, but I just got it and haven't fully experimented yet). The best part is it does it all on a timer, so I can wake up to fresh oatmeal or come home from work to perfectly cooked brown rice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:$8000 Viking oven

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/viking.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Set of knives for me. I had never used good knives till I started dating my now DH. Now I am spoiled--it drives me crazy to cook at my parents' house and use the dull knives my mom has had since I was a kid...

My Cuisinart food processor is a close second. Don't use it nearly as often as the knives, but it's great to have when I need it. Only downside is having to wash all those pieces.



I could've written this word for word.

The funny thing is, my mom gave me both the knife set and the cuisinart, but her own equipment is ancient (had it since I was a kid) and was cheap to begin with. Every time I visit, I tell her "get those knives you got me! They're amazing!" and she says "I'm glad you like them; maybe I should..." and then she doesn't, and then we have the same conversation the next Christmas.

One day, I'm just going to bite the bullet and spend the $500 or whatever to get her a set of great knives. And I'll be doing it for ME.

Yes, it's time for you to give her the good set of knives. My folks would never in a million years buy All-Clad pots and Henckels knives, but they sure loved them when we gave them to them, and have gotten great use out of them. It made me feel like a cheapskate for not having had the idea much sooner.

You can get a good set for 300 or 350, not 500. But as a PP said, she doesn't need the set. A chef's knife, a bread knife, two paring knives, and a honing steel will do it. (Many people say just a chef's knife and a paring knife, but I find having two paring knives is really handy. And the bread knife is good for bread, bagels, and tomatoes.) You can buy the block separately, and it will have extra slots for extra knives if you or she decide she needs any additional ones in the future.