Previously I posted my Top 12 Essential Kitchen Tools. These are my non essential “luxury” kitchen tools that I can’t live without….
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#1 – A Keurig Coffee Maker
Because I gotta have coffee in the morning!
#2 – A Lodge Cast Iron Hibachi Grill
I don’t use it much in the winter, but during the other seasons, this is my GO TO for steaks, chops, chicken and seafood.
https://amzn.to/2Epp8vF
#3 – A Pink Himalayan Salt Block
It’s great to set a steak on for a few hours before cooking it because it dry cures the steak a little and adds a salt flavor. I will post a recipe later this week for salt block Filet Mignon and Asparagus on an electric stovetop.
#4 – A Showtime Rotisserie Oven
Ours is several years old. You can now get combination Air Fryers and Rotisseries together. No matter the brand or type, a rotisserie oven does a fantastic job with chickens, beef and pork roasts because the meat juices baste the meats while rotating.
#5- A Sous Vide Immersion Circulator
OMG – I love this thing! These have come way down in price the last couple of years. My brother, who is an Executive Chef at a Country Club has been using one for years. You can cook steaks to around 130 degrees for a couple of hours and cool them down and when a customer orders one, it can be seared quickly and be ready in a few minutes. Most grocery stores now sell premium quality steaks already vacuum packed that you can drop right into the water bath without having to bag. That is the way I usually cook steaks all winter when I can’t use my cast iron grill. It’s also great for veggies such as carrots, broccoli and asparagus because you are not boiling the nutrients out and the veggies retain their color and firmness. Just place in the bag, place in the water bath at about 176 degrees, cook for an hour or two, cool and reheat without any added water – just add seasonings and butter or olive oil if desired. I see where InstantPot has recently got in the game with a sous vide immersion circulator, too. I recently bought a reusable silicone cooking bag that works great.
#6 – BBQ Bags
These cooking bags are wonderful, but the only place I can find them is on Amazon. They are great for campfire type meals. Just put anything in the bag and cook the whole bag in the oven, dump the meal on a serving dish and throw the bag away. Ain’t nobody got to wash a bunch of dishes!
#7- An Air Fryer/Toaster Oven
Air Fryers, along with Insta-Pots have soared in popularity the last few years. The oven we have air fries, toast, bakes and broils. Since we have become empty nesters and there’s now just the two of us, we use one of the functions on this oven just about every night. I like fried foods but I rarely ever deep fried anything at home due to the mess, the grease and the calories. In fact, we’ve never even owned a deep fryer but now we can have fried foods without all the grease, mess and calories.
#8- An InstantPot
You talk about a trending item! I was browsing in Barnes & Noble a few weeks ago and I was amazed at the amount of InstantPot books they had available. When I was a kid, my parents had a pressure cooker and I knew that you could cook a roast or chicken in minutes with it, but the contraption always scared me with the steam blowing out of it. I was always afraid it was going to take off like a space ship. My worries were warranted, however because I believe these old contraptions kind of went away due to burns, accidents and injuries. Well, now InstantPot has brought them back and they have more safety functions on them. InstantPots have several functions including a slow cooker function. Technology sure has come a long way!
#9- An Immersion Blender
These are great for blending cream soups and bisques.
#10- A Small Food Chopper/Processor
We just don’t need one of those giant dinosaur type food processors – we don’t have the counter space. This little KitchenAid one does everything we need it to do, from chopping vegetables, making salad dressings, mayonnaise or pesto.
#11- A KitchenAid Meat Grinder Attachment
I love my KitchenAid Stand Mixer and that’s why I had it listed in my “Top 12 Essential Kitchen Tools” post earlier. One of the reasons I love it so much is because of all the attachments that you can use with it. I am not a paid spokesman for KitchenAid, but I probably should be! ( are you listening @kitchenaid ?) There’s nothing better than grinding your own fresh meat. My cut of choice to grind is chuck due to the good meat to fat ratio. Just cube or strip the meat and place it in the freezer for about 20 minutes before grinding because it will grind better with a firmer texture, If you attempt to grind warm meat, you will regret it.
#12- A KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker Attachment
Because we all scream for ice cream! This thing does the trick? Just be sure to place the bowl in the freezer overnight before using it.
#13- A Kitchen Aid Pasta Maker Attachment
Because if you haven’t tried fresh made pasta, you are missing out!
#14- A KitchenAid Juicer Attachment
Because who doesn’t like fresh squeezed juice?
# 15- A KitchenAid slicer/shredder attachment
This is great when you need large quantities of shredded vegetables or cheese.
Kerrys Food Thymes 