If you could only have ONE small electric appliance...

[kevin313]

which would you choose??

I love reading the threads about mixers, blenders, and other small electrics. It's amazing to see how much many of you know about these machines!

But if you were told that you could only keep ONE small electric appliance in your kitchen, which one would you choose: toaster, blender, mixer, juicer, waffle iron, electric griddle, electric skillet, coffee pot, toaster-oven, crock pot, roaster oven, ice crusher, electric knife??? I'm sure I'm forgetting some other important equipment, but you get the idea.

My vote would have to go to my mixer. While I probably use my old Sunbeam electric skillet more, most of those tasks could be accomplished on my stovetop. My KA mixer does the work that without it, would be a pain to have to do by hand.

What would be your "can't live without" small electric and why?

 

[joeekaitis]

Coffeemaker. You can't cook if you can't shake off a night's sleep. Lock thread.

 

[foraloysius]

That's not a question, that's a nightmare! lol

 

[mixfinder]

Hmm... Let Me Think

I love appliances and its not a good recipe or meal if it doesn't use at least five and two of them twice.  I too use an electric skillet for most frying.  I have a 14 inch skillet that I use on the Heat-Minder burner for larger quantities but like to take the frying pan as far from the stove as possible when cooking so the grease spray doesn't hit the controls and all four burners.  The joy of automated coffee being kept warm and waiting is a benefit to me but in a pinch I could live with a French Press.  I have a processor and I use the metal balde for some pastries and chopping and never use it as a grater or slicer.  I try to find excuses to use the blender and I could do fine without it.  I like the speed and convenience of an electric can opener, no rummaging through drawers finding a clap trap hand held.  It is hands down the mixer.  I would even cook if I didn't have one.  A Kitchenaid with a grinder and shredder can do almost everything a food processor would do.  That said, only one appliance would be a Sunbeam stand mixer with Bowl-Fit beaters and I could live with a 10, 11, 12 or MM series.  None before and none after.

 

 

[lordkenmore]

That's not a question, that's a nightmare!

No kidding! My cooking is pretty simple these days, but I still nearly screamed at this idea of one appliance!

This idea of one appliance could be the theme for an AW.org horror movie!

 

[dj-gabriele]

Hahahah I second the "nightmare" opinion

But in the end, if I were to choose a single machine, I'd get a Kenwood cooking chef (of course with its accessories box!)

 

[mrb627]

Coffeemaker!

Definately the coffeemaker! But which one? Oh crap!

 

[iheartmaytag]

Kitchen Aide Stand Mixer.  I can get coffee at McDonalds.

 

 

[lordkenmore]

It's hard to say what my vote would be for. Years ago, I'd have voted for a food processor. I used one regularly then. If powerful enough, it could do everything from doughs to slicing and dicing. At least, in theory--I've never tried dough. If I recall right, Braun even had an attachment for whipping cream.

In more recent times, my vote would be more likely for my KA mixer. My cooking is geared to the "keep it simple" mode these days, and I seldom use food processors or blenders. But I do bake bread, and I know I wouldn't bake as much if it weren't for the mixer.

Although, practically at the moment, I'd be forced to vote for my toaster oven. Currently, my regular oven is non-functional. Thus, the toaster oven wins simply because without it the basic oven function is totally lost in my kitchen. A big bowl of fresh dough is pointless if you can't bake it!

 

[turquoisedude]

If I HAD to make a choice (ie - gun to the head), surprsingly, I would choose a blender (probably the '64 MW Signature in turquoise, though!)
You can do quite a bit with one - chop veggies (anyone ever use the 'water chop' method?), purée fruits and vegetables, mix drinks, make mayonnaise and salad dressings, and some cakes! Ok, I would have to abandon the idea of ever making a chiffon or angel cake, but I think I'd be able to survive with just the blender...

 

[maytagbear]

What a horrifying scenario!

However, my one and only would be my Kitchen Aid 12 cup processor.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[norgeway]

MIXER!

Have you ever tried to make a pound cake by hand!!! Which one ????Thats harder, Probably a 12 Sunbeam, I love a Kitchen Aid, but all around the Sunbeam is more versitile, but then...I do love my old Kenmore mixers and they are faster than the Sunbeam...

 

[aegokocarat]

my husqvarna viking e10 h-class sewing machine cos i love to sew

 

[countryguy]

I use my Cuisinart food processor all the time to make pizza dough - works great!

 

Gary

 

[gmmcnair]

Iced Tea Maker....

...hands down, the most used small electric appliance of the many I own!

 

[xraytech]

This is such a horrifying and difficult question Kevin.

I could do with out my roaster, crockpot, and automatic percolator as that work can all be done stovetop. I dont do much blending, and I can live without my electric knife, canopener, crepe maker, fondue pot, juicer, toaster oven, coffee grinder, or food processor.

 

What I must have though would be my Sunbeam MixMaster model 12, preferably my turquoise one, and it would be equipped with the slicer/shredder, butterchurn, blender, canopener, juicer, and meat grinder attachments

 

[ronhic]

Such a cruel scenario...

...but I'll take my Kenwood Chef ....

 

....WITH its' attachements.....

 

I would have taken one of the Sunbeams, but I can get more bits for the Kenwood

 

[MrX]

Espresso machine!!!!

 

[washernoob]

Don't know if a microwave is considered a small appliance but if it is heck yes I can't live without one.

If not. For me a tea machine definitely.

 

[tolivac]

I could not live with just ONE small appliance-couldn't do it!

 

[sudsmaster]

Well, I'd look at it in terms of utility.

You can mix a lot of things by hand.

You can make coffee with a stove-top percolator, or use a manual Melitta filter with a kettle of boiling water.

And then there are the stove-top espresso gizmos.

A Cuisinart is nice but I got by just fine for many years with a good set of knives and a cutting board - and a simple Rubbermaid manual slicing gizmo.

Blender? Hard to find a manual substitute, but that begs the question of whether one really needs to blend things to begin with.

But speaking from experience, making toast in anything but an automatic toaster is a nightmare. I've tried the little pyramid things you stick on top of a gas burner. And they suck.

So my money would go towards a toaster. It performs a function that is difficult if not impossible to reproduce any other way, and toast is a mainstay of many breakfasts and sandwiches.

 

[frigilux]

I was going to say my 14-cup Cuisinart food processor. I use an 11-cup KitchenAid processor for most tasks, as it doesn't have an interlocked food pusher that has to be removed each time you want to open the lid, but the Cuisinart is my go-to for bread dough...

...Of course I could use my KitchenAid standing mixer for bread dough, and making whipped cream and cake batter with a food processor is kind of lame....but I use the food processor so often to cut butter into flour for crusts, biscuits, and coffee cake topping. 

Are you sure we can't keep two small appliances?

 

I'd be willing to live without a coffee maker, a toaster, and my beloved Waring professional ice crusher if I could keep both a standing mixer and a food processor.  

 

Lordy, I am never going to fall asleep, now, LOL!

 

[kenmore58]

My avocado Presto Vertical Broiler. Makes the best hamburgers and chicken!

Ron

 

[frigilux]

All right, all right...after much deliberation, I've decided to keep the KitchenAid standing mixer. I have a mandoline which can be used for slicing and shredding, and I have one of those half-moon shaped dough cutters somewhere. I can learn to cut butter into flour manually, right?

Boy Howdy, it was a difficult decision to trade the mixer for a food processor!

 

[polkanut]

I would choose my avocado Mirro-Matic Whiz Grid it can toast, broil, and fry on both sides at once, especially crispy bacon. 

 

[westie2]

Our Kitchenaid mixer and the accesories we have.

 

[mrb627]

Draw the Line

At what price point is it no longer a small appliance? I say anything over $300 is a major investment an cannot be considered a small appliance

Malcolm

 

[kevin313]

What a variety of answers!

How fun to see which appliances some of us just couldn't live without...sorry if I gave anyone nightmares over the thought of only being able to keep just one! The bad dream is over...we can all wake up and fire up our toasters, blenders, perculators, Mixmasters and food processors all at the same time!

 

[toggleswitch]

Slow-cooker/ Crock-pot. There is nothing else like it.

I can make coffee in a saucepan (Turkish-style) and strain it ................

I once did this at a Thanksgiving dinner where the host was just moving in and had nothing unpacked. The guests were amazed.

My naughty answer was, "If I can do this with 'no' equipment, imagine if I had some decent equipment." (Only the homos present cracked a smile). LOL

 

[tomturbomatic]

I would be forced to pick up a very non-electric chef's knife or a gun and force that obviously insane person out of my house or invite their soul to stick around and watch me use my blue & white Hoover Floor-a-Matic to clean up the blood they would be leaving behind.