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  #1   ^
Old Fri, Jan-08-16, 11:15
s-piper s-piper is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 694
 
Plan: LC Primal
Stats: 290/270/160 Female 5'7
BF:
Progress: 15%
Default Kitchen gadgets

I was thinking we might start a thread where we can weigh in on what kitchen gadgets are worth it on low carb, and which ones are a waste of money.

A spiralizer is the most obvious one, though I can't comment on their worth because I still don't have one yet. Boo!

I did recently purchase an egg slicer and already love it! Apparently it can also be used for strawberries and mushrooms. I haven't tried that yet, though I'm sure I will. However, just being able to easily slice a hard boiled egg for my salad makes it worth the 5 dollars I paid for it at Kroger.
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  #2   ^
Old Fri, Jan-08-16, 11:49
Nicekitty's Avatar
Nicekitty Nicekitty is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 469
 
Plan: Banting
Stats: 150/132/132 Female 5'7"
BF:
Progress: 100%
Location: PNW
Default

I bought a spiralizer, it was a bit spendy, but works great. I made zoodles (zuchinni noodles) a couple of times, but my husband was NOT impressed. So I haven't used it since. I would say it is a valuable tool if you like those types of noodles, but maybe do a couple of test batches by hand first.

The most valuable tools I have found since I changed my diet are--a small food processor (for nut meals, chopping, etc..) and a small single-serve type blender. Those are getting a work-out
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  #3   ^
Old Fri, Jan-08-16, 12:12
Robin120's Avatar
Robin120 Robin120 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 4,140
 
Plan: low carb
Stats: 171/125/145 Female 5'9
BF:
Progress: 177%
Location: DC
Default

1. a food scale! i use it pretty much everyday to keep portions from creeping up...

2. love my spiralizer- in addition to zoodles, i love julienne cucumber salads.

3. a steamer basket- i ake a basket of steamed eggs to keep on hand just about every week.

4. icecream machine- we only break it out maybe 6 times a year, but having homemade coconut milk icecream is soooo good.

collecting dust- my egg slicer, popsicle molds

used to have, but broke it- an espresso/cappucino maker- having cappuccino made with coconut milk was a perfect treat on weekends
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  #4   ^
Old Fri, Jan-08-16, 12:57
deirdra's Avatar
deirdra deirdra is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 4,324
 
Plan: vLC/GF,CF,SF
Stats: 197/136/150 Female 66 inches
BF:
Progress: 130%
Location: Alberta
Default

use daily:
food scale that lets me zero out the bowl/cup weight - I know the weight of everything I use often so I don't have to use and clean volume-measuring spoons & cups
pyrex 2 and 4 cup measuring cups - I nuke practically everything in them and eat out of them when alone
MagicBullet (to grind coffee beans & chia etc. seeds, and whiz my morning coffee with butter, CO or MCT oil; occasionally used to make a single serving of "ice cream" with frozen berries)

2-3X per week:
steamer basket (for vegs, fish, and to hard "boil" eggs; steaming frozen veg & fish does not dry them out or turn them rubbery like a microwave or conventional oven)

weekly to monthly:

spiralizer
egg slicer (try slicing both ways to dice and add melted butter & salt as an alternative to cold HB eggs)
Flavorwave / Rapidwave oven - mainly to cook chicken w/skin on
Slowcooker/roaster - to roast meat and make stews and bone broth
ice-cube trays to freeze bone broth
single-serving freezer-friendly containers to store my bulk-cooked meats, poultry, soups & stews

gave to Goodwill:

popsicle molds
dehydrator (my oven can dehydrate at 125F and is easier to clean)
small crockpot

Last edited by deirdra : Fri, Jan-08-16 at 13:53.
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  #5   ^
Old Fri, Jan-08-16, 13:05
Mrs Plaia's Avatar
Mrs Plaia Mrs Plaia is offline
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Posts: 81
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 164/152/135 Female 5ft 7in
BF:
Progress: 41%
Location: London & Italy
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The thermomix is the gadget every kitchen should have, it does pretty much everything.....
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  #6   ^
Old Fri, Jan-08-16, 13:10
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JAnn JAnn is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 4,039
 
Plan: LC/GF/IF
Stats: 237.0/223.6/174.6 Female 5 ft 10 in
BF:42%.
Progress: 21%
Location: Central Arizona
Default

Food scale
Food processor (I think I use this more than anything else except MW)
Coffee grinder for herbs and nuts
Hand blender
Coffee pot
Crock pots ( I have 5!)
Blender for smoothies
Rice steamer for eggs and vegetables

FoodSaver (broken right now) Great for make ahead dinners and soups.

I would like to have
Griddle for making LC pancakes and flatbreads
Sausage stuffer for making my own gluten free hot dogs

I have thought of a sprializer but would I really use it? I need to make some noodles with a potato peeler to see if we like it. I do like spaghetti squash.

And of course outside we have a gas grill for summer cooking

ETA: I forgot the egg slicer--need that for al l the hard cooked eggs I eat!

Last edited by JAnn : Fri, Jan-08-16 at 13:29.
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  #7   ^
Old Fri, Jan-08-16, 13:13
Kristine's Avatar
Kristine Kristine is offline
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Posts: 25,581
 
Plan: Primal/P:E
Stats: 171/146/150 Female 5'7"
BF:
Progress: 119%
Location: Southern Ontario, Canada
Default

I hope small appliances count.

- Spiralizer, yes, though I haven't used it since summer. I LOVE zoodles. I grew zucchini this summer and had them several times a week; never got sick of them.
- Egg Genie, aka Egg Head. Makes great hard- or soft-cooked eggs. I got it for $10 at Zeller's before it closed. Heh heh. It still works great.
- Dehydrator. Makes excellent flax crackers - I don't like the burnt taste it gets in the oven. Also great for zucchini or cucumber chips. They're a great LC snacking option, especially for dips. There are sophisticated models, but mine is a simple $40 one from Walmart.
- I don't use it often, but I do like my Magic Bullet. It does really good smoothies. It out-crushes ice over an expensive blender I used to have.
- Immersion blender. Fantastic for creamy soups and homemade mayo. Easy to wash by hand; just swizzle it in the dishwater. (Side note: I have no dishwasher, so all gadgets must be easily hand-washable to qualify as a favorite of mine.)
- I concur with Robin on the food scale. Excellent investment of $10. That was over a decade ago, and it's still working.
- Clam shell grill. I love this for a quick weeknight meal of sausages and grilled peppers. Heats up quickly, doesn't seem to use too much electricity, doesn't heat up the kitchen in summer, cleans and stores easily. Love it.
- Back when I had a dishwasher, I had a mini-chopper and I liked it a lot. There's no way I'd get one now, though. See previous comment re: hand washing. Ugh.
- Crock pot.

Wish list:
- ice cream maker.
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  #8   ^
Old Sat, Jan-09-16, 13:58
walnut's Avatar
walnut walnut is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 2,876
 
Plan: C:12 P:60 F:satiety
Stats: 220/177.6/142 Female 5'5
BF:0/0/0
Progress: 54%
Location: canada, eh!
Default

I'm back and forth on the spiralizer. if you have a mandolin slicer, then you probably don't need one. i cut up the spirals anyways, so that i don't end up with zoodles that are several feet long, hahaha. on the other hand, if a fun kitchen gadget makes it so that you're more likely prepare and eat lots of lc veggies, then why not?

we just got an instant pot. it's amazing just for making fast bone broth. also pretty great for making cheap cuts of meat really tender. it also doubles as a crock pot and a few other things. haven't gotten rid of my regular crock pot yet, but can't see using it very much now that we have the instant pot.

gadgety things i use all the time:

  • parchment paper

    silicone molds for flax muffins (recipe in first post of my journal )

    reusable coffee filter and the pour-over cup--i use that thing to micro-strain everything, i like really clear bone broth.

    mason jars (great for storing leftovers, the 1/2 litre wide mouth jars are handy for reheating leftovers in the microwave, and i'll eat out of them too to save on dishes. leftovers from the night before= perfect lunch for the next day). i make tea in them, have sippy cup lids for smoothies, etc. i have an assortment of sizes from 1/2 cup to 2 liters. also handy for fermentation crocks and sprouting vessels. i currently have a batch of sprouts, jars of water kefirs and jun (for my family, i don't drink them, it's too sweet for me, even after the 2nd ferment), a big 2l batch of apple cider vinegar. we've made sauerkraut in them, etc...

    plastic shoeboxes for the fridge: i keep 3 in the fridge, one for fruit (mostly for the kids/hubby), one for veggies that can be eaten raw in salads or just cut up with dip), one for veggies that need to be cooked. so easy to grab a bin of veggies and bring them to the counter to prep. i keep them on the top shelf of the fridge where they're at eye level and can be seen. i use the crispers to store carrots and onions, and found that when i used to put veggies in the crispers they were 'out of sight and out of mind'. i also keep one in the freezer with precooked individual portion size baggies of meat for fast, easy meals. and another one for dog treats, lol (he gets the mushy bones that are left over from making bone broth. i mash them up and freeze in a muffin tin for perfect serving size for him, pop out and store in freezer bags in his bin..)

other things we use less frequently: dehydrator (homemade jerky, kale chips, flax crax, seed/veg crackers), ice cream maker, popsicle molds (have kids with allergies, we freeze leftover smoothies for them all the time), ninja pro blender with bullet cups (mayo, grinding flax, smoothies), pyrex bowls for microwave cakes (don't like the way they turn out in a mug), meat grinder (no pink slime! LOL and we can use extra fat if we have it available), rolling cutter (cutting up sheets of lc coconut flour 'bread'), etc...

i'm sure there's more. i've gone through a couple of the egg slicers over the years. great for making egg salad to eat as as an easy lunch with cukes/celery. slice thru one way, turn 90degrees and slice again for perfect little bitty cubes, mix with mayo...

i use my electronic scale more often when making skincare recipes. interesting to read how y'all are weighing ingredients and using the scale to help with portion control though! i love threads like this, always learn something new.

Last edited by walnut : Sat, Jan-09-16 at 14:07.
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