Woman's Day -- 11 least needed -- my thoughts on their list

When I turn on my computer, on one of my browsers, I have yahoo as my homepage. I usually browse thru the stories there as I am getting ready to start my online time.  Here is one of the stories I ran across today, from the Woman's Day website:

11 Kitchen Tools You Don’t Really Need

So being a food and cooking blogger, this was one story that I just had to check out.  So here is their list of 11 kitchen tools that their writer thinks you don't need:

1- electric griddle
2- electric steamer
3- funnel
4- juice reamer
5- mandoline
6- meat mallet
7- panini press
8- pastry bag
9- roasting rack
10- rolling pin
11- wok

So here are my thoughts on their 11 most not needed:


1- electric griddle - I don't have one of these.  Have never really found a need for one in my kitchen.  We usually buy microwaveable breakfast foods.  But if you cook breakfast a lot and have plenty of kitchen room for it, I can see how one of these would be handy.

2- electric steamer - Just this year I purchased a stove-top, non-electric pan set that included 2 different steamer inserts with the pan.  I got the set particularly for the steamer inserts.  I agree with this one.  You can get great stove-top pans with steamer inserts that then serve a dual function of steamer and cook pan.

3- funnel - Don't agree at all!  I don't have a large kitchen right now, but my plastic funnels are must haves in my kitchen.

4- juice reamer - I don't have one of these, never have.  My mother never did either.  She just took her hand and squeezed the fruit.  Good old hand, always there at the end of your arm, and comes free with the equipment of being a human.

5- mandoline - I have one of these, got it at my local Walmart.  Tried using it and didn't have much luck with it.  Now days they make food processors that do the same things a mandoline does.  My preference would be a food processor that does these things.

6- meat mallet - I don't have one of these.  My mom did.  Not particularly necessary.  Now days you can buy cuts of meat already tenderized.  Also, it is my opinion that if you cook the cut of meat right, it will be tender.

7- panini press - Don't have one of these, have seen them in stores.  Depends on the kind of cooking that you do as to how necessary they are in your kitchen.  Don't buy one unless you find you really have a need for one.

8- pastry bag - Used to have one of these, when I lived at home with mom and dad.  These pastry bag sets can be nice if you do a lot of cake decorating.  But unless you do a lot of cake decorating, there really isn't much of any other use for them.

9- roasting rack - Don't have one of these.  Would love to find a good stainless steel one to go with the great roasting pan my mom gave me.  Can be handy to have, but once again - having this all depends on the cooking you do, and how often you would use it.

10- rolling pin - Like I said about the panini press - Don't buy one unless you find you really have a need for one.  Essential if you do a lot of baking of items such as cookies or biscuits or pie crusts.  Otherwise it could just end up as a space taker in your kitchen,

11- wok - I have one of these.  Haven't used it in ages, but wouldn't take anything for it.  Got mine as a gift from my parents ages ago, when I was taking karate and got interested in oriental cooking.  Mine is an electric, non-stick one.  If you find a good one of these, either electric or non electric, for a great price - grab it.  Nice big roomy pans, can be handy in about any cook's kitchen.

Now . . .

you tell me - what is your most un-needed kitchen tool?
What kitchen tool did you buy that you regret?  What ones do you have that you use the least, and can live without?  Let me know, and I will make an upcoming blog post of them!


Happy cooking and delightful eating from
-- Jacqueline D. --
the cook behind it all

A new blog feature - J's preferred picks

Welcome to the info about a new blog feature you will be seeing.  I call it --

J's preferred picks


As I buy different food and cooking related products, when I find a product I really like, that I think is really good - I like to share with you about it and let you know about it. Well now, just today, I have come up with a new way to do that.  I will do it thru blog posts that I will call 'Js preferred picks'.  And being one of Js preferred picks will be a high honor for the product chosen.  I am picky about my food, and like good quality products for a good price that taste good.

So enough of that.  You get the idea!  Now on to our first J's preferred pick:

Oscar Mayer Angus Selects hot dogs

For the longest while, my IBS wouldn't let me eat hot dogs, which I dearly love.  But recently it has gotten better, and I am once again able to eat hot dogs again.  We discovered a great way to cook them in our toaster oven:

http://rcandfood.blogspot.com/2011/07/cooking-hot-dogs-and-sausages.html

So then I started trying different hot dogs to find out which ones I liked the best.  I tried the Hebrew National brand, which are good hot dogs.  But then I got a coupon online for these Oscar Mayer hot dogs, so I tried them.  They are now our favorite hot dogs.

Now the Hebrew National are great hot dogs too, my second favorite.  But these get the first spot.  They taste great cooked the way I talk about in my blog post.  Good taste, really satisfying and filling, and juicy too.  Great flavor.  Highly recommend these!

So there you have it!  My first J's preferred pick.  Keep a lookout for more to come.

Happy cooking and delightful eating from
-- Jacqueline D. --
the cook behind it all