Small Kitchen Appliances

Coming soon

A blender can be easily replaced with a kitchen food processor in the kitchen, but having a blender will make preparation of shakes, smoothies, and other drinks easier. Some people also find a blender more suitable for processing sauces.

This is one of those kitchen tools which most people will not consider buying. In most cases you can successfully replace it with a fry pan and still reach good results. On the other hand, getting a crepe maker is not very pricy and will let you reach the best possible results while preparing French crepes (thin French pancakes).

I would recommend you buy a household one since it will be much cheaper, lighter, and space efficient, and will get warm faster. It is also energy efficient than a restaurant-style one. The household one can also be a more universal tool since it can even replace a griddle in many cases to prepare other food such as potato pancakes, tortillas and, eggs. This all makes purchasing a crepe maker more justified, don’t you think so?

A deep fryer will make deep frying much easier and more consistent, but it is also another piece of equipment that costs money and takes space in the kitchen. Buying a deep fryer should depend on how often you fry. I fry about once a month, so it has been totally reasonable for me to get a deep fryer. If you are not frying that often, a deep fryer is not the way to go.

If you decide to buy a deep fryer go ahead and select a basic commercial one. They are still compact and run on a regular 120V circuit. You can get them for around $100 dollars (not much more than household versions). There are many reasons to go commercial. They are more durable than the household versions and will last significantly longer. They are more powerful and better at holding consistent oil temperatures. They are also not made from plastic, so it is much easier to keep them clean. Cleaning is a snap since they are always easy to take apart. Cheap plastic deep fryers made for home usage will give you too many headaches and will break faster than you wish. So, buy commercial or don’t buy a deep fryer at all.

If you don’t want to purchase a deep fryer, you can use any sauce regular 5 – 8 QT pot you have. Or a special fryer pot is great for deep frying, too. Either option should be followed by a frying basket (sometimes called a drain basket), which is very inexpensive and is sold in multiple sizes (make sure to buy one which fits into the pot / frying pot).

Another tool you will need is a deep fry thermometer (sometimes also called a candy thermometer) to be able to control the temperature during frying (the thermometer needs to be able show temperatures between 100 – 400°F). It is also a very cheap item. Do not confuse the deep fry thermometer with a basic food thermometer. While you can use any food thermometer to replace a deep fryer thermometer if it displays temperatures up to 400°F, most food thermometers are only able to show 200°F max.

A wire or mesh skimmer (similar to an Asian strainer) is a great helper in the kitchen (do not confuse it with a fine mesh skimmer). A small size is the most useful for frying: helps you remove individual pieces from a fryer without removing the basket. Large size is most useful for removing objects from boiling water. It is very inexpensive.

Visit section “Deep Frying” here.

An immersion blender is a slender blender that can be immersed in liquid (even hot liquid if you need to use it while cooking). It is a huge time saver and an absolute necessity in any kitchen since it will help you to smooth your soups, sauces, and more. Simply by using your immersion blender, you can process to liquid, even when it still cooking. The great news is that it is really inexpensive and also often comes with some accessories, which can replace other kitchen tools.

Most immersion blenders come with a whisk attachment, which can be great for whisking food while cooking and to some extent can replace kitchen mixers whisking function. But the most useful accessory is definitely the small food processor, which is sometimes also called a chopper. Definitely make sure that you buy your immersion mixer with that attachment. It partially replaces a big food processor since it is absolutely perfect for preparing dressings or even pesto.

If you have a kitchen mixer (with some additional attachments) and an immersion blender with a chopper accessory, you can consider not buying a kitchen food processor. But if you buy kitchen food processor anyway, you will still really appreciate it. A good food processor can slice, dice, puree, or even prepare dough (it often comes with a second blade just for that purpose).

If you decide to buy one, make sure to buy as big of one as possible because you will be surprised how quickly you fill it even with smaller amounts of cooking (especially when you are slicing or dicing). I would recommend at least a 12 cup bowl (3 QT).

Another aspect to look for is the strength of the engine. I will not tell you what power is optimal since the ideal power depends on the size of the bowl and blade and over all construction as well. But spend some time and read other peoples’ opinions to find out if they are satisfied with the food processor you consider. If you plan to use your food processor for dicing too, make sure that it has a dicing kit since not all food processors do.

A self-standing kitchen mixer is an essential tool in any kitchen. It is great not just for bakers but for regular cooking as well. There are a lot of different brands of kitchen self-standing mixers. If your budget is tight or space limited, you can also consider the small and budget friendly replacement — the hand mixer.

Self-standing mixers have a generally longer lifetime than inexpensive hand mixers since they are often built from better materials and have stronger engines. Another very important advantage of having a self-standing mixer is that you don’t have to hold them while processing, which will give you the possibility of performing other tasks at the same time.

I have had a chance to work with multiple kinds of kitchen mixers and I would recommend one from the KitchenAid brand since they perform generally well. They are generally well built, and they are the most versatile — buying additional attachments you can turn your mixer into multiple other tools, such as a juicer, pasta machine, etc. This saves money and space. But even with recommending KitchenAid, I have some reservations, which you should know about before purchasing it.

My reservations:

While KitchenAid in general makes very good mixers, none of them will last forever (unless you don’t use them very often). Based on my personal experience, the best options are the basic line called Classic, rather than the Artisan and Commercial. My first KitchenAid (a Classic) lasted 4 years of extremely intense usage (including usage in my restaurant) before one gear inside fell apart. On the bright side, with about only 30 minutes of my time, which included a little thinking, watching videos, and $10 for a new gear, I was able to replace the broken gear and make it work like new again. So that problem was totally manageable.

The professional 600 was a different story all together. Even though it is called a professional, has a professional look, and even has specifications which are better than the Artisans, it is easily the worst KitchenAid mixer line I have ever experienced. My reason for this may surprise you: it is extremely poorly built inside. I had about 7 total and some of them didn’t even survive one cycle of home baking. One even stopped working within only 30 minutes of light home usage. The others lasted longer, but not long enough. They always fell apart inside almost instantly, which I found very shocking especially considering that we are talking about the KitchenAid brand.

Over time I ended up gradually returning them all and trying to get new ones with the thought that I may just have had defective units from an otherwise great device. After going through about seven of them, I gave up on the “professional” line. I could possibly just be very unlucky, and have only gotten machines made with defective parts, but no matter what, the short life of these mixers is why I simply cannot recommend the professional line to anyone.

If you hear about tool that it is professional, it gives you the feeling that it is something well-built, which is designed to perform in a professional environment, but if you look at the fine print attached to the KitchenAid Professional book, it says “for light usage only”. So why mislead people by using the mixer name “Professional”?

Pros of KitchenAid:

• They are very space efficient.
• They have an incredible amount of additional attachments. This dramatically increases the abilities of the mixer and saves you some money and space since you don’t have to buy separate appliances.
• Even if they are considered generally expensive, you can buy them cheaply in special promotions. A few times, I paid less than $200 for the basic model during special promotions.
• Even though they don’t last forever, they last longer and handle more use than their competitors — so you save lot of money in the long run.
• They are easy and cheap to fix when they break. The parts are available everywhere for a fair price and replacing them is very easy. And, everything is even easier with the endless fixing video tutorials online.
• The best KitchenAid I have ever had is a commercial one. I have had one for my home usage for a little while now and it works great. The motor is powerful, it delivers consistent mixing, and the whole mixer doesn’t seem to have any issues at all. I have strong reasons to believe that this will be the longest lasting KitchenAid in my house.

Which one to buy? If you cook for a small family or your budget is tighter, I would definitely encourage you to buy the KitchenAid Classic. It has small mixing bowl (4.5 QT), but the motor is still fairly strong, and the price is great (it is the cheapest KitchenAid out there). It will do the work with the same results like other good KitchenAids, but with a smaller bowl (so you will have a smaller amount of the final product).

If your budget is not limited, you can consider the KitchenAid Artisan, which for an approximate additional $100, gives you a little stronger motor, (but not significantly stronger), 0.5 QT larger bowl, a selection of 20 colors, a handle on the bowl, and a splash guard with the package.

In my opinion, none of the previously mentioned things are worth that additional amount since the only extra thing included is the extra splash guard, which you can buy separately for just for $10 along with the handle on the bowl. The splash guard is helpful, but you can live without it. If you like the wider selection of colors and have extra money, you can buy the Artisan.

If you are cooking for a larger family or if you just simply cook a lot and have it within your budget, your choice should be the KitchenAid Commercial. It is a truly commercial and NSF-certified mixer, which is very durable, extremely strong, and is just a pleasure to work with. At the same time, it is still fairly compact, even for a home kitchen. And what I especially enjoy is that I can do a double batch of bread by taking advantage of its’ 8 QT bowl. Considering the quality, capacity, and NSF certification, the price is justified. And, of course, all original additional attachments still fit (with the exception of the splash guard).

Do not buy the KitchenAid Artisan Mini since it just a more expensive, smaller version of the KitchenAid Classic. For about an extra $60 you will get the same engine strength and performance, but a 3.5 QT bowl which is simply just too small for almost anything (even if you are single person). The whole machine is just slightly smaller, but not enough to save a significant amount of space on your countertop. The only thing you get extra is the possibility to select from 10 colors, along with a cute compact look.

Kitchen Mixer attachments in packaging

Most kitchen mixers come with 3 attachments in the box:

• Whisk attachment (read more here)
• Flat beater attachment(read more here)
• Hook Attachment (read more here)

Some kitchen mixers also come with a splash guard (read more here).

A kitchen scale is very important, even when you use measuring cups. It is not only great for measuring ingredients but also for portioning dough, burger meat, and other tasks.

How to select a perfect scale?

• An NFS listed scale will be more accurate, will last longer, and will be more durable.
• Buy a kitchen scale with a plate and not a bowl since it will be more convenient for most applications (if needed, you can always add a bowl on top of the scale plate anyway).
• Buy a scale with a removable weight plate (for easy cleaning) and a screen in front of the scale (for easy reading).
• Select a scale that uses AA or AAA batteries that can be also plugged into a regular outlet). Other types of batteries will not last as long, will cost a lot of money over time, and will be less accessible.
• For most versatility, select a scale with the capacity of at least 15 LB even if you think you will never need that much (it will be handy, I promise).

Coming soon.