Comments on: Small Appliances — Extravagant Or Necessary? http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/small-appliances-extravagant-or-necessary/ About finding balance in your life, connecting with who you are, and creating a lifestyle where you wake up each morning eagerly anticipating the day ahead. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:40:23 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Carol http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/small-appliances-extravagant-or-necessary/comment-page-1/#comment-9960 Carol Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:47:12 +0000 http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/small-appliances-extravagant-or-necessary/#comment-9960 Hi Shirley...I love your blog! So glad I found it. My favorite use for my stick blender is to make milkshakes. I use a large canning jar. Put my ice cream, a little milk and some chocolate syrup and rip it up. Maybe not quite like a milkshake machine, but satisfies my addiction. Hi Shirley…I love your blog! So glad I found it. My favorite use for my stick blender is to make milkshakes. I use a large canning jar. Put my ice cream, a little milk and some chocolate syrup and rip it up. Maybe not quite like a milkshake machine, but satisfies my addiction.

]]> By: Elwin http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/small-appliances-extravagant-or-necessary/comment-page-1/#comment-4556 Elwin Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:14:38 +0000 http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/small-appliances-extravagant-or-necessary/#comment-4556 We use the Crock pot a fair amount. It's great for fix and forget meals. I like to use it for cooking lentil and kielbasa soup. (Lentils and water according to the package, usually 2 cups lentils to five cups water. one 1 1lb. package of Kielbasa or other sausage, sliced into 1/4-3/8 in. slices, and one onion, chopped fine and sauted. It will cook up in about 4 hours on high, but you can cook it longer on low. Season to taste. Sometimes I add garlic. I have one of the older Vita Mix machines (basically a blender on steroids), that I like to use for all sorts of things, smoothies, soups, gravy, etc. I also have a 20 year old Oster Liitle Oscar food processor I inherited from my mother, which I use mostly for making biscuits, the odd batch of hummus, and peanut butter glaze for chocolate cakes. (I think my recipe for chocolate cake pan cake is the same one you have here, I got it from King Arthur flour) The glaze uses about 3/4 of a cup of powdered sugar, a couple of teaspoons of vanilla, maybe 1/4 cup of peanut butter and some water, then it get's whizzed in the Oscar until it is smooth and creamy. I put it on the cake right after it comes out of the oven. I have a larger "Professional Grade" Kitchen-Aid stand mixer I use. I make bread dough, cake, cookies, meatloaf, and occasionally mashed potatoes with. It's a remanufactured one I got at a factory outlet store. Cost me half as much as a new one would. I would love to have a countertop convection oven. I used to have one of those round "cyclone type" ovens, but it broke. When I had it, it worked quite well. I also have had my eye on one of those big Nesco roaster ovens for years, but keep talking myself out of getting one. We use the Crock pot a fair amount. It’s great for fix and forget meals. I like to use it for cooking lentil and kielbasa soup. (Lentils and water according to the package, usually 2 cups lentils to five cups water. one 1 1lb. package of Kielbasa or other sausage, sliced into 1/4-3/8 in. slices, and one onion, chopped fine and sauted. It will cook up in about 4 hours on high, but you can cook it longer on low. Season to taste. Sometimes I add garlic.

I have one of the older Vita Mix machines (basically a blender on steroids), that I like to use for all sorts of things, smoothies, soups, gravy, etc.

I also have a 20 year old Oster Liitle Oscar food processor I inherited from my mother, which I use mostly for making biscuits, the odd batch of hummus, and peanut butter glaze for chocolate cakes. (I think my recipe for chocolate cake pan cake is the same one you have here, I got it from King Arthur flour) The glaze uses about 3/4 of a cup of powdered sugar, a couple of teaspoons of vanilla, maybe 1/4 cup of peanut butter and some water, then it get’s whizzed in the Oscar until it is smooth and creamy. I put it on the cake right after it comes out of the oven.

I have a larger “Professional Grade” Kitchen-Aid stand mixer I use. I make bread dough, cake, cookies, meatloaf, and occasionally mashed potatoes with. It’s a remanufactured one I got at a factory outlet store. Cost me half as much as a new one would.

I would love to have a countertop convection oven. I used to have one of those round “cyclone type” ovens, but it broke. When I had it, it worked quite well. I also have had my eye on one of those big Nesco roaster ovens for years, but keep talking myself out of getting one.

]]> By: Esther http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/small-appliances-extravagant-or-necessary/comment-page-1/#comment-3602 Esther Fri, 17 Oct 2008 02:45:30 +0000 http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/small-appliances-extravagant-or-necessary/#comment-3602 My Favorite appliance at the moment is my bread machine... I appreciate knowing exactly what is in my bread... it is very convenient... I have to have a coffee maker, and a coffee grinder.... a crock pot I use continually, and toaster oven... and microwave.... mostly for cooking oatmeal and rye cereal... it comes out the best..... My Favorite appliance at the moment is my bread machine… I appreciate knowing exactly what is in my bread… it is very convenient…
I have to have a coffee maker, and a coffee grinder…. a crock pot I use continually, and toaster oven… and microwave…. mostly for cooking oatmeal and rye cereal… it comes out the best…..

]]> By: Shirley http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/small-appliances-extravagant-or-necessary/comment-page-1/#comment-2091 Shirley Thu, 21 Aug 2008 17:29:00 +0000 http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/small-appliances-extravagant-or-necessary/#comment-2091 Alissa, Niki, and Satsuki Rebel... Thanks for sharing your list of favorite small appliances. This has been really fun to read, and I think it is so interesting to see the similarities and differences. Orneryswife... I think your comment about kitchen gadgets might have inspired the question from another reader, and that question inspired <a href="http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/my-favorite-kitchen-gadgets/" rel="nofollow">today's post,</a> so I hope you will share your list of kitchen gadgets, too! Grace, what a nice tradition. Thanks for sharing! Alissa, Niki, and Satsuki Rebel… Thanks for sharing your list of favorite small appliances. This has been really fun to read, and I think it is so interesting to see the similarities and differences.

Orneryswife… I think your comment about kitchen gadgets might have inspired the question from another reader, and that question inspired today’s post, so I hope you will share your list of kitchen gadgets, too!

Grace, what a nice tradition. Thanks for sharing!

]]> By: orneryswife http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/small-appliances-extravagant-or-necessary/comment-page-1/#comment-2088 orneryswife Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:58:41 +0000 http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/small-appliances-extravagant-or-necessary/#comment-2088 Right now, we use the George foreman the most, but depending on the phase of life we are going through we use the toaster, blender, juicer, stand mixer, and warming tray. My husband has a little one burner stove affair that he keeps at work to heat his water for tea and his lunch on everyday. We gave the microwave away. With wheat allergies we don't do much bread so got rid of the bread maker and waffle iron. I take the immersion blender on road trips to mix smoothies so I don't have to haul the big one. My love isn't so much the appliances, as the gadgets. I am a Pampered Chef-a-holic! Now, if we were listing those, I'd have a LONG list of things I use everyday! That was fun! tm Right now, we use the George foreman the most, but depending on the phase of life we are going through we use the toaster, blender, juicer, stand mixer, and warming tray. My husband has a little one burner stove affair that he keeps at work to heat his water for tea and his lunch on everyday. We gave the microwave away. With wheat allergies we don’t do much bread so got rid of the bread maker and waffle iron. I take the immersion blender on road trips to mix smoothies so I don’t have to haul the big one.

My love isn’t so much the appliances, as the gadgets. I am a Pampered Chef-a-holic! Now, if we were listing those, I’d have a LONG list of things I use everyday!

That was fun!
tm

]]> By: Satsuki Rebel http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/small-appliances-extravagant-or-necessary/comment-page-1/#comment-2081 Satsuki Rebel Thu, 21 Aug 2008 05:20:21 +0000 http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/small-appliances-extravagant-or-necessary/#comment-2081 Nice list! I don't have half of the items you do. I use my microwave and toaster ALL of the time. The toaster is for sandwiches using non-white bread. I think it makes em taste better. I only use the microwave for reheating leftovers. I prefer not to -cook- with it either. Nice list! I don’t have half of the items you do. I use my microwave and toaster ALL of the time. The toaster is for sandwiches using non-white bread. I think it makes em taste better. I only use the microwave for reheating leftovers. I prefer not to -cook- with it either.

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