Hits and Misses in the Kitchen

I've been cleaning out my kitchen recently and found some "had to have" tools that are now doing nothing more than collecting dust. Then of course on my over-cluttered counter-tops grace the tools I use most. I thought I'd share my "hits and misses" here and see if they match yours.

My first "hits" have to be my Crock Pot and Kitchen Aid Mixer:

If I had to pick just one of these to keep, I honestly don't think I could choose. They both get used nearly daily. With the mixer, I can also easily kneed bread dough and do numerous other tasks. The Crock Pot is great for keeping the kitchen cool in the summer as well as having hot soups or stews ready in the evening in the winters. Nothing beats the aroma of the food cooking all day!!

A third tool , I could live without if I had to, but really appreciate is my Rice Cooker:

Not only does this cook rice to just the right texture with very little effort, but it is great for steel cut oats or other hot cearls that take a long time to cook. I just stick the right amount of water and oats in when I get up in the morning, and by the time I am done with Yoga, it is ready to eat..."YUM!!

These next few, I am thankful I have, and use them fairly regularly, but could easily live with out if I had to are these:

I've shared before, that I pretty much just use my bread machine to mix and rise the dough then bake in the oven. I can pretty much do the same with my Kitchen Aid Mixer. But there are times where this is just more convenient.

My blender I use often to make smoothies or the Hillbilly House Wife's "Magic Shakes." Again, an appliance I could easily live without, but it is also one that when you do need it, there isn't much to replace it with.

The next one, I rarely use, but when I do I am so grateful I have it:

This is one that I bought for one specific purpose, and nothing else will suit that purpose, so I guess that makes it a hit. I use it to make cabbage juice. Cabbage juice heals my ulcers when they act up. I only need it once a year if that, but I wouldn't want to be without it. Cabbage juice is much more healthy than over the counter or prescription medications and seems to do a better job!

It is great for other juices, which are all good for you, but honestly, the clean-up makes it a hassle, so I rarely make anything else in it. If I didn't need the cabbage juice, this is something I wouldn't buy again.

This last one is my only real big "miss." I really regret this purchase:

It is my Kitchen Aid Food Processor. It is great for what it is meant to be used for, but honestly I don't use it enough to justify it. It was quite pricey, and I could easily live without this one. IT is great for shredding the 5lb blocks of cheese I buy easily and quickly, but the clean up in my opinion makes it not worth it. I find myself using my old fashioned cheese grater more often than not.

There are plenty of other gadgets that I don't have, that I easily live without. There isn't any gadget I don't have that I long for. Really all you need are the basic hand tools and you can do just about anything you need in the kitchen!

Speaking of hand tools, here is one I think everyone should have!

A hand operated can opener. I once thought I could never, ever live without an electric one, and you know what? I have happily been living without one for about ten years now!! Where I live ,we lose electricity often, leaving our electric ones useless. So when it finally broke, I invested in a good Tupperware hand operated one, and haven't missed the electric one since!! I also love that the Tupperware one removes the lid safely without the sharp edges!

Well, those are my hits and misses off the top of my head. Hope this helps you as you make purchases for your kitchen.

Feel free to share your own hits and misses here!