Anonymous wrote:I bought one of those cross shaped utensils for breaking up ground meat, and actually it rocks. I just made bolognese sauce and it made browning the meat easier. It looked so gimmicky, but it’s actually very helpful.

I always wondered who bought one of those! Glad you like it.

Anonymous wrote:My Breville oven. It has a slow cooker function, air fryer function, toaster, roaster, cookie baker and is my most used appliance. I could get rid of my full sized oven if I never had to roast a whole turkey at Thanksgiving. .

This. We didn't have a working oven for MONTHS (stove top worked) and never missed it. Did everything for a family of 4 with the Brevelle. Worth every penny.

Anonymous wrote:Curious what the mandoline fans use theirs for other than caramelized onions? I got one as a gift, and every time I use it I'm glad I have it, but I don't use it that often.

My favorite is definitely my Zojirushi rice cooker. Love waking up to steel cut oats, and being able to set a timer for rice busy weeknights is a lifesaver.

Also, some small ramekins I got years ago at Homegoods get way more use (for mise en prep or to hold nuts/olives when entertaining) than I ever would have expected. Love them.

I use it a lot with salads. Which I eat a lot of! Cucumbers etc. I have a cheap OXO one that I can put in the dishwasher which helps.

https://www.target.com/p/oxo-handheld-mandoline/-/A-11144547#lnk=sametab

Anonymous wrote:Curious what the mandoline fans use theirs for other than caramelized onions? I got one as a gift, and every time I use it I'm glad I have it, but I don't use it that often.

My favorite is definitely my Zojirushi rice cooker. Love waking up to steel cut oats, and being able to set a timer for rice busy weeknights is a lifesaver.

Also, some small ramekins I got years ago at Homegoods get way more use (for mise en prep or to hold nuts/olives when entertaining) than I ever would have expected. Love them.

I like using the mandolin for shaved vegetable salads. I made one with shaved apples and fennels plus watercress, walnuts and blue cheese the other day. I also frequently use it on potatoes to make air fryer potato chips or hash browns. Mine has a cubing function, which is nice.

There are a lot of other fun things you can do like make eggplant or zucchini wrappers to fill however you like. I’m on the lookout for giant watermelon radishes so I can recreate a restaurant dish I had recently with seared tuna and guacamole in the radish wrapper. You’ll find lots of inspiration online if you look.

my stainless steel steamer insert. I love steaming veggies and then dressing with a sauce.

Curious what the mandoline fans use theirs for other than caramelized onions? I got one as a gift, and every time I use it I'm glad I have it, but I don't use it that often.

My favorite is definitely my Zojirushi rice cooker. Love waking up to steel cut oats, and being able to set a timer for rice busy weeknights is a lifesaver.

Also, some small ramekins I got years ago at Homegoods get way more use (for mise en prep or to hold nuts/olives when entertaining) than I ever would have expected. Love them.

Anonymous wrote:This spatula, which I use exclusively and daily:

vhttps://www.amazon.com/Joseph-UNITG0100SW-Uni-Tool-Utensil-Slotted/dp/B002STMD0Q/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3PZG8BSS9TT5U&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.HqwnirtLa1cpU5u-TP05reYthQZT4H39vnw4yk8zec1xuz9sY-GWez0-2UU57HkTufginwASZ1SkC_7ruyw7BiZrLwFj9-fyyml_0m8cN1HASOQCZa7Ty5WlMN05T7Yq8zpskoilNNe36OyFxODc6YJO3E6RwcNextK-u2mN6LX5m7InFUV_OnBhNswVaMVSiUzjPJXDDUD6L1Kss0j3h5Qc4GnlaYfYIvMHZs3bWHz097yegjLdKSKwTCOdVpMkeGoKRM-vNXBmTUpGYEKTNqUckmxQxjJIULSFgHKXRng.7AQWgsDemXABtSaWlMs-kqtltaWd6Hoz8yrREiac8ro&dib_tag=se&keywords=joseph%2Bjoseph%2Bspatula&qid=1727121140&sprefix=joseph%2Bjoseph%2Bspat%2Caps%2C188&sr=8-1&th=1

This pp put a v before the hyperlink that broke it, reposting

https://www.amazon.com/Joseph-UNITG0100SW-Uni-Tool-Utensil-Slotted/dp/B002STMD0Q/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3PZG8BSS9TT5U&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.HqwnirtLa1cpU5u-TP05reYthQZT4H39vnw4yk8zec1xuz9sY-GWez0-2UU57HkTufginwASZ1SkC_7ruyw7BiZrLwFj9-fyyml_0m8cN1HASOQCZa7Ty5WlMN05T7Yq8zpskoilNNe36OyFxODc6YJO3E6RwcNextK-u2mN6LX5m7InFUV_OnBhNswVaMVSiUzjPJXDDUD6L1Kss0j3h5Qc4GnlaYfYIvMHZs3bWHz097yegjLdKSKwTCOdVpMkeGoKRM-vNXBmTUpGYEKTNqUckmxQxjJIULSFgHKXRng.7AQWgsDemXABtSaWlMs-kqtltaWd6Hoz8yrREiac8ro&dib_tag=se&keywords=joseph%2Bjoseph%2Bspatula&qid=1727121140&sprefix=joseph%2Bjoseph%2Bspat%2Caps%2C188&sr=8-1&th=1

I bought one of those cross shaped utensils for breaking up ground meat, and actually it rocks. I just made bolognese sauce and it made browning the meat easier. It looked so gimmicky, but it’s actually very helpful.

I love my coffee frother. A very inexpensive device to make coffee feel more decadent

This spatula, which I use exclusively and daily:

vhttps://www.amazon.com/Joseph-UNITG0100SW-Uni-Tool-Utensil-Slotted/dp/B002STMD0Q/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3PZG8BSS9TT5U&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.HqwnirtLa1cpU5u-TP05reYthQZT4H39vnw4yk8zec1xuz9sY-GWez0-2UU57HkTufginwASZ1SkC_7ruyw7BiZrLwFj9-fyyml_0m8cN1HASOQCZa7Ty5WlMN05T7Yq8zpskoilNNe36OyFxODc6YJO3E6RwcNextK-u2mN6LX5m7InFUV_OnBhNswVaMVSiUzjPJXDDUD6L1Kss0j3h5Qc4GnlaYfYIvMHZs3bWHz097yegjLdKSKwTCOdVpMkeGoKRM-vNXBmTUpGYEKTNqUckmxQxjJIULSFgHKXRng.7AQWgsDemXABtSaWlMs-kqtltaWd6Hoz8yrREiac8ro&dib_tag=se&keywords=joseph%2Bjoseph%2Bspatula&qid=1727121140&sprefix=joseph%2Bjoseph%2Bspat%2Caps%2C188&sr=8-1&th=1

Ignoring solid pans/knife/boards/measuring things/bowls which seem like the basic essentials my favorite extras are

- I have this clip-on-the-pan colander and freaking love it use it all the time:
https://www.surlatable.com/product/chefs-planet-clip-drain/8724593?srsltid=AfmBOooEiH66w_dmwApr2-pkNUmzBxJgrXE3PlCCNc-em0LkN2TgmNF9

- Cuisinart hand immersion blender

- I was a long time air fryer hold out but do really like it

- Mandolin

Breville smart oven and my pressure cooker (which also slow cooks and I use to deep fry and many other functions). And my zojirushi rice cooker. Though I use my kitchenaid stand mixer a decent amount too.

Not a gadget, but taking my knives to a professional to sharpen (I like the people in Union Market) always leaves me happy.

Oh, and if you bake, get a kitchen scale. Ideally a good one, but even the cheap things at Target will make a believer of you.