Must Have Kitchen Appliances

There are adequate small kitchen appliances on the shop that, assuming you had the cash, you could use a separate one each night for evening meal for an whole year.  With this in mind, I've narrowed down the most important ones to the three that I most frequently use.  Two of them are very similar, but do very separate things; and the other is a low-tech tool that can be used for nearly every meal.

Food processor - I have two food processors that I all the time use.  A 3-cup KitchenAid Chef's Chopper and the 14-cup Cuisinart convention 14 food processor.  Both of them get equal use, but for very separate things.  I love to make peanut butter and hummus with the large one, and sauces, dressings, and bread crumbs with the small one.  Both machines are built like tanks and have had no issues during their lives.

Kitchenaid Blender

Blender - In essence, a blender does nearly the same thing as a food processor.  It uses a blade to mix and chop food.  Have you ever tried to make peanut butter in a blender?  It doesn't work.  The biggest use for a blender (aside from margaritas) is turning chunky sauces in to smooth, creamy ones.  This is important for production pastas, jerk sauce, and Bbq sauce.

Microplane - a microplane is an very low tech invention that functions like a cheese grater, but works much more efficiently.  There is a plastic adapter that slides onto the microplane that allows you to slide back and forth without scraping your finger tips, a very smart investment.  With a microplane you can grate garlic, onion, and carrot so thin that they melt in the saute pan, which is excellent for starting any pasta sauce.

These three small kitchen appliances are the cornerstone of any meal at my house, and they should be the same at yours.

Must Have Kitchen Appliances