Are you a small appliance collector?

[pita1213]

i have 2 crockpots (2 different sizes) a roaster, popcorn maker, toaster, KA mixer, food sealer, electric griddle, and electric grill. oh and a dehydrater.
i would like to get rid of the grill and griddle as they are just a big pain to clean. i just want a square griddle pan to use on the stove, and an outdoor grill. the pan is easy to get, but we are in a townhouse and don't have any place to put an outdoor grill. so i'm stuck with those for right now. i also have a blender/mixer combo.
i haven't used the food sealer in a while but i also haven't gone on a freezer stocking shopping trip in a while.
i think i have a sandwich maker that oddly my dh bought for me, yet he doesn't like sandwiches from it.

[redhead68]

~Now I'm wondering if you've ever worked in a restaurant kitchen?

No, I just liked to eat out. Still do, actually, but now our family tends to stay away from the middle-of-the-road places, preferring save up for special meals I can't prepare at home (e.g., sushi).

It's interesting to read all the responses to this thread. We definitely run the gamut around here!

[redhead68]

I'm definitely seeing things I might consider owning at some point. The immersion blender would come in handy for soups. For now, I just wait for the soup to cool a bit and pour it into the blender. Unfortunately, I seem to spill some every time, no matter how careful I am in pouring. I'm still debating a slow cooker, because I have bad childhood memories of my mother's horrible Crock-pot meals. I know they are great for braising roasts, but we don't eat red meat, so I don't know if a slow cooker would have much value for us.

I don't need a coffee maker, since I am an American oddity who doesn't like coffee. I know, I'm weird. I make bread the old-fashioned way, so I can do without the electric bread maker. I've never seen the need for a food processor. I just use my chef's knife to mince or a blender if I need to puree.

So, for those of you who have food processors and slow cookers. Do you use them all the time? What kinds of foods do you prepare with them?

[Neeley]

We have....
2 crock pots (I make boiled peanuts and need them both - could actually use a third one at times)
waffle cone maker
s'mores maker
shaved ice machine
microwave
2 blenders
rice steamer
Electric cooker thing (not sure what its called - mainly we fry or stir fry in it)
flat top griddle
large George Foreman grill
small George foreman grill
Sandwich maker
hand held mixer (I fried my Kitchen Aid nice one)
mellon baller
Salad Master with all attachments
apple pealer
kitchen scales - electric and regular
coffee maker
can opener
2 different kinds of cheese graters
food saver (just got it recently and have not used it yet)
Plus, all of my pots, pans, tupperware, cookie sheets, muffin pans, everyday flatware, good flatware for special dinners, everyday dinnerware and special dinnerware, measuring cups, many pyrex cooking dishes.

DS loves to cook and likes to use different things when he prepares a meal. If he sees it on Food Network we normally get it.

Our kitchen is on the bigger side. We have lots of cabinet space and everything is stored in a very ordlery manner - I am extremely anal about things being organized. I only keep the coffee maker and can opener on the countertop. The microwave is a mounted one so it does not take up counter space either.

No toaster or toaster oven. Had them both and never used them so I threw them out.

We really use all of our items. The only one that does not get used on a regular basis is the waffle cone maker. Nothing is cluttered or messy and all of the items come in handy at one time or another. Many of the items are stored in their original boxes. After they are cleaned and dry, we re-box them for easier storage.

[redhead68]

Boiled peanuts! Boy, that takes me back. I had a childhood neighbor from Georgia who made them all the time. I never managed to acquire the taste for them, but my neighbors ate them like they were going out of style.

[Lambie]

Well, I must confess....as long as you use them you are only as good as your tools!!! I have:
Kitchen aid stand mixer
4 slice toaster
blender
double bread maker
icecream maker
yogurt maker
coffee pot
coffee grinder
grain grinder
belgian waffle maker
food processor
sandwich maker
automatic pasta maker
george forman grill
electric fry pan
griddle (large one)
ETC anyway, I make most everything from scratch and all of this has helped me over the years to reduce my grocery budget instead of buying convience food. It has also given us a variety as we eat at home a bunch!! Have fun with your stuff, Katy

[Luv2BeFrugal]

For large appliances we have a fridge and stove/range (no dishwasher).

Small appliances...we have a toaster, foreman grill, blender, microwave, and crock pot... Frankly, we use the micro maybe 10-15 times a *year*. The blender gets used maybe 3 or 4 times a year. Both are in out of the way spaces. The toaster and crock pot are used frequently. The grill gets used maybe 2 or 3 times a month...

That's it...small kitchen...lots of sratch cooking and hand mixing... I would LOVE to have a hand grinder for grains (I borrow my mom's once a month to grind our grain...).

What we have ended up with are lots of duplicate muffin tins, bread pans, cookie sheets, etc. I need to slim down on those...

[redhead68]

Okay, I'm obviously in the minority here with my ruthlessly stream-lined kitchen, but I think I'm actually a more creative cook without all the extras. Anybody else?