Favorite cooking tool or utensil
By Angela717
@Angela717 (74)
United States
February 10, 2008 12:17pm CST
Calling all cooks and amateur chefs! What is your favorite cooking or kitchen tool or utensil? Your choice may even be classified as an appliance. Either way, I want to hear about your favorite tool you use in the kitchen to help prepare meals and why it is your favorite.
My favorite is my teflon-coated garlic press. I find any recipe and excuse I can to use it because I remember the days of trying to mince garlic with a paring knife and the press makes it so much easier and faster. And with the teflon, cleaup is a snap. Now my second choice would have to be my crock-pot/slow cooker. There is something, dare I say, magical about tossing some ingredients into the pot and coming back to find a wonderful meal!
Ok cooks of myLot, it's your turn to share. :)
4 people like this
10 responses
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
10 Feb 08
You have named it already, my slow cooker/crock pot. I would guess next to that would be my stick blender. It goes everywhere.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
10 Feb 08
Yes, I have worn one out, and I have another, inexpensive one, but when I go again it will be for one that has a removable work portion, so that I can submerge the dirty part. Hard to explain. Here is a "for instance." I freeze overripe bananas. Put a frozen banana, a cup of milk and a spoonful of peanut butter in a container. Grab your stick blender and mush away. You have a peanut butter banana smoothie. You can also use yogurt, chocolate, other fruits, it is all good. Wash that tool, use it to blend lumps out of gravy, etc.
@Angela717 (74)
• United States
10 Feb 08
Ok, you sold me. :) I would use something like that alot too and I can see how having one you can dunk and clean easily would be helpful. I'm definately going to be looking for one now. Thank you :)
@Angela717 (74)
• United States
10 Feb 08
Stick blender? Is that like a hand held slender mixer? If so, I almost bought one a few months back, but talked myself out of it. You use it alot?
1 person likes this
@pwalent (8)
• United States
12 Feb 08
My favorite is this food chopper put out by The Pampered Chef. You can see it at www.pamperedchef.com. Search for "chopper". No electricity needed! It cost less than $30. I chop food on these 15" x 11" plastic sheets that I bought at Bed Bath and Beyond for about $1.50 each. All this stuff is dishwasher washable. Who need a Magic Bullet for chopping?
1 person likes this
@Angela717 (74)
• United States
17 Feb 08
Hi and thanks for responding. I'll definately have to check those out. I'd like to find some equipment to reduce the time I spend preparing meals. Thanks again.
@raijin (10345)
• Philippines
11 Feb 08
Mine would be my ever dependable kitchen/chopping knife and it's partner, my chopping board. I like using it, especially when it's sharp as I can almost cut the ingredients I'm going to use effortless.
I love cutting and chopping almost everything, I slide on the food and speedily chop onto it. I'm not used to using any food processor, but when I do use it when I know I have a deadline or in a hurry.
1 person likes this
@Angela717 (74)
• United States
17 Feb 08
Your response reminds me that I need a cutting board to pair with my knives. I had one and I think it got lost in our move and has yet to be rediscovered. LOL Thank you for responding and its nice to meet you.
1 person likes this
@jbrowsin66 (1321)
• United States
11 Feb 08
Right now my favorite one is an onion chopper. It's actually one of those "only seen on TV" things that work --except you can get them other places. It's called a Vidalia Onion Wizard and a lot of other names. It's white with light green and comes with a little white fork cleaner thing. I love it! You just put the onion in there and close it and it's all chopped. It's about $19.99
1 person likes this
@Angela717 (74)
• United States
17 Feb 08
My mom has one of those and I'm totally jealous! I'm going to have to find one and make the purchase. This whole chopping and crying stinks. Nice to meet you and thank you for responding.
@terilee79720 (3621)
• United States
11 Feb 08
My favorite cooking utensils are my knives. My knives are top notch and razor sharp. If you don't have good knives to help prepare meals you are stuck and could easily hurt yourself.
My second favorite thing is my chopping block.
@Angela717 (74)
• United States
17 Feb 08
Hi Terilee, it's nice to meet you and thank you for responding. I totally agree that a good sharp knife is one of the best tools in the kitchen. Take care. :)
@jeanne94668 (478)
• Philippines
11 Feb 08
My favorite and most used tool in the kitchen is my paring knife. I use it in skinning veggies, cutting meat, chicken, crashing garlic and mincing onions. Next is the wooden spoon while stirring and tossing the food.
@Angela717 (74)
• United States
17 Feb 08
Absolutely, having a good paring knife is essential for cooking. I've got 3, but one is my favorite it's super sharp. Good call and thank you for responding.
@brimia (6581)
• United States
11 Feb 08
I love garlic so my garlic press gets a lot of use too. I've never heard of a teflon one though...cool idea. I also love my All-Clad stainless steel pans...I use them a lot. They're versatile, sturdy, and look great. I've had them 7 years and plan on using them many more years.
@Angela717 (74)
• United States
11 Feb 08
My mom passed her set of stainless steel pans to me that she bought back in the 70's and they are still going strong and I love them. She replaced all her pans with pampered chef cookware.
@luvstochat (6907)
• United States
10 Feb 08
I love my slow cooker/crock pot as you can put a meal on in the morning and let it cook slowly all day long while you are doing other things like playing with your kids. It does not take long to fix dinner then.
@Angela717 (74)
• United States
10 Feb 08
I agree, they are wonderful and make cooking supper so easy! I need to wander around here and see if there are any discussions sharing crock pot recipes. :) Thank you for responding.
@JanisRemaxRealtor (432)
• United States
10 Feb 08
My favorite is my grill pan. I use it for chicken, fish, steaks, hamburgers, potatoes, garlic bread, panini's - just about everything I make, I can use it! I got it from Pampered Chef and it's real nice! I wanted to get a grill pan that is large and extends over two burners, but they were just too expensive! I LOVE my grill pan! Your teflon garlic press sounds quite nice too!
@Angela717 (74)
• United States
10 Feb 08
Ahh that sounds nice! I love pampered chef cookware! I haven't purchased much of it myself, but have received a few items as gifts that have become essential to my cooking. I will have to see about putting my request in early for a grill pan for my birthday. :) Thank you for responding Janis.
@SueandCalls33 (73)
•
10 Feb 08
I have to admit, my favourite cooking utensil is my microwave, for the following reasons:
1) I use it to heat my baby's food
2) It is ideal for defrosting fish such as prawns
3) You can cook frozen veg in next to no time
4) You can use it to cook pouches of rice in two minutes, e.g Uncle Bens
5) You can use it to heat ready meals, when you are really short of time and cannot be faffed with the mess or the fact that cooking a meal is something else to do on top of all your other chores.
@Angela717 (74)
• United States
10 Feb 08
Now that you mention it, the microwave is pretty handy and something I take for granted. I remember when microwaves were a new idea that my grandmother said would never catch on. Thank you for responding :)
