photo credit: Photocapy

If you are anything like me; you love shopping.  However, to shop for other people on your list, is just a totally different ball game, then I will give you some ideas for the cooks/bakers on your list.

Just in case you have missed my posts about my favorite kitchen gadgets and other kitchen items, I will provide the necessary links for your quick reference.  So please click on the highlighted word, and it will take you to the appropriate page, for more information.

Every kitchen will be much more functional, and the chef will be all smiles  with these:

Pressure cooker, which I love so much, as it saves me lots of time with meal preparations, and makes the meats very tender.  My friend from India told me that she uses it EVERYDAY for her cooking, and it became  a very popular item.

Slow Cooker – Crock Pot – if you know anyone who does not have one of these, they will love you for getting it for them.

Just think of setting it all up, turning it on, and have 5-8 hours of free time to read or write blogs, talk on the phone with your friends, wrap presents, decorate the house, or just enjoy your free time, while your meal is cooking itself in a crock pot, filling your home with a wonderful aroma of the delicious flavors of our meal.

Rice Cooker - a definitely a very convenient small appliance to outfit your kitchen with, especially if you just have enough of overboiled rice all over your pots and your stove, every time you cook rice in a regular pot.

Also, don’t underestimate the multiple functions of this helpful kitchen item, because it is much more versatile than just for cooking rice.  Please check it out and you will fall in love with it, for sure.

Chef’n Garlic Zoom – Best ever garlic chopper – this little gadget is a perfect stocking stuffer for EVERYONE on your list.  A definite must in every kitchen drawer (very inexpensive as well), also a “can’t live without” once you try it.

I have given one of these to so many people now, and they just can’t stop bragging about it, how this little gadget made their garlic chopping experience a real pleasure now,  rather than a chore.

I hope this short list will come in handy for you, and I would like to hear back from you after the holidays (Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, or what ever gift giving holiday you celebrate), if you found it helpful, and your gifts got a warm reception.

Also, please help us all out, and share any of your ideas for “must have” small kitchen appliances, and gadgets. Thank you!

Happy shopping!!!

Those of us who enjoy cooking, are always on a lookout for new gadgets, cookware and kitchen appliances, and other useful tools which would make the job easier, faster and still result with a scrumptious meal to put on the table.

I am on that list as well, and even though I already enjoy using my pressure cooker and a slow-cooker/crockpot, I came across yet another very useful kitchen appliance, the rice cooker.

Since I still do not have that one, I read about it on this blog, and it sounds like something I should add to my wish list, and you might find it useful as well.

Don’t let the name fool you, since it is not only for cooking rice.  According to Leah Ingram from Suddenly Frugal, this appliance may also be used to:

steam vegetables

cook seafood

make pasta–as in heat it up in the absence of a pot on a stove, not actually “make” pasta

act as a stockpot for making soup

cook and steam dumplings

Don’t you agree that it is a must have kitchen appliance?

I have a Flavor Scenter Steamer,  made by Black & Decker, which I use for steaming rice and vegetables.

This steamer may also be used for steaming fish, clams and chicken breast, but these are not my favorite foods to steam.

I love using it for steaming my rice, since it is such a clean way to get the job done (no overflowing all over your pot and stove)….what a mess that creates…which is my problem lots of times with cooking rice on the stove.

My daughter does not seem to have this problem, because she actually follows directions when cooking rice, and I seem to skip over some very vital parts in these directions…oh well…this way I had a good reason to own a steamer, and help the economy, at the same time.

I will continue to share posts about my other  favorite kitchen tools/gadgets, but as always, I would love to hear about your favorites as well.

The single most convenient, time and energy saving piece of cookware in my kitchen is my pressure cooker.  Most of my meals are ready in 15 minutes, which is at least a third of the time it would take to prepare them the usual way.  Presto Pressure Cooker was my first pot I ever bought, and used it for over 20 years.  During this time I only had to replace the gasket, and the pressure regulator (which I misplaced).  Last year I finally let it retire, and replaced it with Splendid 2 in 1 Pressure Cooker by Fagor.

The Splendid 2 in 1 Pressure Cooker was a great buy, because it consists of a 6 quarts pressure cooker, which also fits inside a 4 quarts pot for easy storage.  It has tempered glass lid, which turns either unit into a saucepan.  It also has a stainless steel steamer basket with trivet.  But my favorite feature on this unit is the safety lock handle, the support grip, and the operating valve, which replaced the noisy, rattling pressure regulator on my old unit.

Some people are unnecessarily intimidated by pressure cookers, but these really are very safe and user friendly now, more than ever before.  I personally never experienced any negative incidents with my pressure cookers, but of course I do follow the manufacturer’s handling instructions, which is a must.

My pressure cooker includes a very nice 50 recipe cook book.  These are my favorite pressure cooker recipes, which I have used for years:  Beef Stew, Beef/Veal Goulash, Italian Sausage with Kraut, and Barbecue Pork Spareribs.  I will share these recipes with you in my future posts.