Reddit mentions: The best cooks tool & gadget sets

It's a lot of little things, and it's different for everyone because everyone has different priorities, resources, and abilities.

• The basics are exactly what you expect - you have to make a budget, and you have to keep careful track of cash flow, which is where the computer is helpful in my case.
  
  
• The best starting advice that I can give you is to first find out where your money goes. If you mostly use your debit card, then this is just a matter of going back through your statements. It's important to be honest and consider how to work within your own personality and values. You also need to be constantly reviewing and adjusting.
  
  
• Keeping one's happiness up is important - if seeing one movie per week is necessary to keep you content enough the rest of the time to be less tempted to go off budget, then it just might be worth it.
  
  
• My problem is that I am disabled and have ADHD, so my energy is extremely limited, and I have to make a lot of room for errors - I can't fight that, I am better off accepting it, and spending money on things that might seem counterintuitive, but save money in the long term. I am also cash heavy, but with no income - I am working off of savings - so this means that I can invest in things upfront, but also that my margins are very thin in the long run.
  
  
• I do a decent amount of couponing (check out CouponMom.com - awfully designed website, but it's actually a great resource). I only clip coupons for stuff that I am already planning to buy (except the occasional interesting new item that I want to try out - again, need to keep happiness up, so I allow myself the occasional culinary adventure).
  
  
• You're going to need to learn how to cook well if you want to save money - there is no way around that. It's also important to have decent freezer space and freezing containers - I bought a whole bunch of store-brand containers, so they all are a uniform size and I don't have to worry about matching lids. I don't eat very much meat - mostly just fish, if anything, because it is pretty forgiving, filling, nutritious, and so easy to cook directly from frozen. I've worked my menu down to a few basic things that require very little effort and time, and use only packaged ingredients, and a full package at that, or batch cook meals or mise en place and freeze, all so that I have less food waste and my expenses are constant and predictable, allowing me to take advantage of deals and keep margins tight. I also try to do my shopping in large quantities, but less often.
  
  
• So, for instance, I buy milk in individual little 8oz cartons, which is more expensive per ounce than buying them buy the half gallon or even quart, but I know that I never end up coming close to finishing an entire carton before it expires. So, buying the small cartons means that I don't have to keep replacing a whole milk carton, and I save money overall. I can also buy the small cartons in bulk packs because they are shelf-stable, so I can stock up when they are on sale, saving me even more. It also helps with portion control.
  
  
• It can also end up being cheaper to have groceries delivered than to go shopping - especially if you tend to impulse buy, or tend to get too tired and just order out. It costs a $15 flat fee for delivery from my local place (slightly less if I do a curbside pickup), and I can order online. If I do very large orders at a time, this can save me quite a lot of energy - if it saves me one take-out order, then it has paid for itself.
  
  
• If you are near a Shoprite, I highly recommend them - they are my favorite damn grocery store. Their everyday prices almost always beat their big competitors and they have a very large store-brand selection of even organic foods that are excellent quality, plus an excellent online delivery setup. They also have bi-annual "Can Can" sales, where I stock up on canned and packaged goods. I'm all for getting to know one store very very well, so you can learn the rhythm of its sales and be less inclined to impulse buy or get de-energized when you don't know where things are. Again, predictability is key to maximizing your money, because you can then afford to keep margins tighter. I used to get clothing at a steal because I just picked a store and learned its system. (Generally, clothing stores have a three-week cycle for women, so I would just go shopping 3 weeks early, pick what I liked, and then come back in 3 weeks and the thing will be on sale...it is also important to understand how the store views its merchandise - basics vs. nonbasics, etc...I could do a whole post just on that, but this is become a huge comment).
  
  
• There is also this thing, which makes using mostly frozen things easier. It thaws anything within about an hour - so, no excuses if I forget to thaw something overnight. It's well worth its purchase price.
  
  
• I cut all of my sponges in half, and water down all soaps by half because I know I'm a little squirt-happy - and decant everything from large bulk bottles into smaller bottles that I actually handle, thus making me less likely to overuse it (it's some weird psychological thing - we use less when it seems like there is less of a quantity available).
  
  
• I keep a careful eye on unit prices on price tags. Whenever I buy something, I check the prices of all competing brands - the cheapest stuff is usually in the horizontal center of a grouping of items, and below eye level. I am a huge fan of the dollar store for certain things, and Amazon for others.
  
  
• I try to find dual uses for everything. I wait long periods of time and carefully consider before making big purchases. I take care of my car - I had just bought a newer used car before getting sick. Although it's hard to have to be paying that lease when I owned the previous car outright, it is actually much much better having the newer car because it's dependable and so the costs are much more predictable (predictability being the big theme, here, once again). So, overall, I was lucky that I had the capital and credit at the time to have purchased it when I did.
  
  
• I keep things as clean and tidy as possible, just for the sake of improving my spirits. You are also more likely to eat the food and use the items that you already have if they are presented well. Anything that helps the spirit helps your mind stay on task and on budget. Organization is also a holistic thing, and organization always helps when margins are tight - ready and quick access to information really helps in making the process easier, and when quick decisions need to be made in the moment, and ready and quick access to the tools you need make you less likely to feel want.
  
  
• The other stuff that I have had to do is NOT recommended for long-term financial planning, and I just had to do it to survive for the short term until I get my disability claim processed - stuff like getting a bunch of zero-introductory-interest credit cards while I was technically still employed. I was only able to do this because I had a good credit score to begin with, though (clearly, it has suffered since then due to high credit usage). This and savings is how I have had any money at all to work with - though, it is not much, and won't last forever. Once that disability check is in hand, it will start going toward that debt using the "snowball" method.
  
  
• (My long term advice: start putting together a rainy day fund as soon as you get a paycheck. It's more important than paying off debt, because you can't do anything with $0 in the bank, and $200 in hand is worth more than -$200 of debt. Also, avoid credit cards until well into your paycheck-earning days, unless you have REALLY good self-control, which most of us do not - and then, go for low interest over any points/rewards gimmicks).
  
  
• I'd be happy to share some recipes if you are interested. Here is a great recipe book written specifically for people on [SNAP] (https://8b862ca0073972f0472b704e2c0c21d0480f50d3.googledrive.com/host/0Bxd6wdCBD_2tdUdtM0d4WTJmclU/good-and-cheap.pdf)
  
  Hope this is helpful.
  
  Edit: Added bullet points to make this all more readable. Also, some more thoughts:
  
  
• A good haircut is worth investing in. Go to a salon, and have them give you a cut that can "grow out" well, so you can get haircuts less often. A trendy-ish haircut can make even the most out-of-style clothes look stylish, and a good haircut helps a LOT with confidence, which in turn makes us less likely to impulse buy or feel "wanting". It all adds up. Invest in your cut.
  
  
• Shampoos are mostly all the same, it is conditioner that is actually important to your hair, so buy cheap shampoo, water it down, and use it only on the roots.
  
  
• Coats and shoes are also worth investing in. Find yourself a good consignment shop to get quality goods for cheap.
  
  
• If you have flu-like or arthritis-like symptoms that don't seem to go away, get tested for Lyme disease - even if you don't remember getting bit and don't have a bullseye. And always wear bug spray with DEET when going anywhere near areas where there are "dear-crossing" signs. TRUST ME. Losing your health is the most expensive mistake that you can make. While I'm at it - keep really good care of your teeth.

There's the Joyce Chen dumpling press. Never used it myself, because I'm a bit of a masochist with folding by hand, but I have friends who are more casual dumpling makers and who say it works well. That being said, I probably fold by hand as quickly as my friends can make dumplings via the press - there is something about holding the skin in your hand that allows you to feel and better control the amount of filling, in my experience. But that's a skill developed from making thousands of dumplings by hand. After the kids are asleep, I'll put on an old familiar TV show or movie and half pay attention as I fold a couple hundred dumplings. It's akin to folding laundry while watching TV.

For knives, I have a 10” chefs knife, a bread knife and a paring knife. Those three together fill pretty much all my vegetarian knife needs.

If you’re only going to get one knife, I’d recommend a 10”, or at least the 8” between the two you’re considering. The 6” is pretty small, which will make chopping bigger veggies really awkward (think onions, potatoes, that sort of thing). Even if you don’t prep meat, a decent size chefs knife is a really versatile kitchen tool.

Edit: For pots and pans, my most used ones are:

• Nonstick 2 quart pot with lid (good for rice, cheesy things) - be sure to use rubber/plastic utensils on your nonstick, not metal!
  
  
• Dutch oven (or big stock pot, good for soups, curries, pasta sauces)
  
  
• Big steel frying pan (stir fries, one pan skillet recipes, curries)
  
  
• Nonstick frying pan (good for eggs)
  
  
• Other good basic kitchen stuff to have: baking sheets, spatula, rubber spatula, ladle, wooden spoons, colander, pasta scoop (not sure the proper name), cheese grater, liquid measuring cup, dry measuring cups and spoons. I have this utensil set and its a great cheap option.

I love this ottoman though it is a bit above the price range.

On the cheaper side, i love little things to make your house feel like home:

-this sponge holder

-this oven mitt

-a darling windchime

-or these helpful moms

EDIT: i also find this to be hugely helpful in my household!

I like them much more than spaghetti squash. I've never figured out how to make spaghetti squash where it has any sort of bite (al dente) to it. Zoodles have more substance and are larger than the strands of spaghetti squash and has the sort of bite that I'm looking for. I agree with the other person who replied -- they're not the same thing as spaghetti noodles, but I think they have a similar mouth feel and a similar neutral taste...so the trade off is a pretty easy one for me to make. This was the first zoodle maker I bought, which works well for zucchini and other softer veggies but not well at all for things like sweet potatoes: https://www.amazon.com/Zoodle-Slicer-ZS001-Vegetable-Cleaning/dp/B00M6I6MG0/

Thank you for extending it another day, I haven't had the chance to sit down and look through my lists yet!

How about 133 $.15 Amazon gift cards? ;-) I know, that counts as digital, I'm just bein' silly.

Really though, I have to start with this, to keep my darn cat from tracking litter all through the bathroom and the rest of the apartment! (On this list)

Next, these tools would make cooking just a liiiittle easier; it's hard to get pasta out of a pot with a fork. (On this list)

This will make things just a bit easier when it comes to hanging up my nail polish rack. (On this list)

Currently that takes us to $19.81, all with Prime shipping! Gifting is fun! :-D

You'll need:

• A saucepan (at least 2.5 quarts)
  
  
• A frying pan/skillet - nonstick is fine, but you'll want to get one that is conventional at some point, too.
  
  
• Knives. Do not cheap out on knives. A good quality knife, properly cared for, will last you years. It will also glide through anything you cut, making your cooking experience better. You really only need three knives: A chef's knife (or maybe santoku), a pairing knife, and a bread knife. Sharpen them, hand-wash them, put them away dry. Wusthof and Henckels are high-end stuff. Kitchen Aid knives are alright. You want forged knives, not stamped.
  
  
• Flatwear - Whatever's on sale at Target, really.
  
  
• Corellewear plates - high quality, take up little space. You can also get whatever set of stonewear is at Goodwill, depending on what you're looking to do.
  
  
• Pretty much everything in this picture
  
  • Tongs, slotted spoon, regular spoon, spatula (both the kind you flip burgers with and the one you mix stuff with), whisk, measuring cups, measuring spoons, and so forth. You don't have to get that set, it's just a point of reference.
    
    
• Can opener.
  
  
• Corkscrew/bottle opener
  
  
  That's what I can think of at the moment, but it should be a good start.
  
  Don't cheap out on knives!

Love me some shirataki noodles! My husband prefers the Tofu Shirataki style as he finds them much more similar to the noodles used in ramen or pho...much less slimy and chewy and with a better mouthfeel and good bite. Also, consider getting a Spiralizer and making zoodles out of zucchini! :) Toss that in a pan with some sautéed garlic and pesto..NOMZ!!!

I don't have the paperwhite, just the kindle.. regardless I wanted to nominate /u/Smile_for_the_Camera to win something, because she deserves it.

The kindle would be great as my husband and I are taking a roadtrip next month.

if you're moving in to a new place, I cannot stress the need for kitchen stuffs I'm kind of a kitchen crazy. haha.


Also, I've been in your position, kind of. He didn't live in the UK, just across the country. And after buying be a plane ticket to come look at houses 2mo after my most recent visit, he disappeared on me. A real prince charming, haha. It was just the universe looking out for me.

I am so sorry about your pup. Letting them go over the rainbow bridge is never easy. Hopefully this will make you smile! I'm teaching her a new trick.

https://www.amazon.com/Original-Zoodle-Slicer-Vegetable-Spiralizer/dp/B00M6I6MG0

One of these or whatever alternative you like. It's a fun way to experiment with making healthy food! I recommend doing the zoodles raw instead of cooking them slightly like most recipes will recommend.

Fun gag gift portable speaker

Minimalist wallets are in style

This is my fav cologne

I love sushi so I would want this, good for a host

The best start to any smart house

The ultimate desk toy

If you really have no budget

Aha, I was wondering why the value was listed at $100 for this prize but none of this companies kits are more than $50. Looks like it includes 2 the $20 aroma kit and the $45 gastronomy kit

Which is close enough as far as values are considered in contests lol

everywhere - it's called a Spiralizer.

They have a million knock-offs at this point, too. A friend of a friend was the woman who designed this product. Super useful. I'd recommend getting one with a sturdy base that has a suction cup or some other way to prevent it from moving around. Sometimes you need to put some force into it to get the noodles.

I use an electric one now because it only costs a couple bucks more and requires substantially less effort.

Easy:

SMSL SA 50 (£56) + Wharfedale Diamond 9.0 (£40!) + Speaker cable (£6) + 3.5mm to RCA cable (£8.5) = £110.5

PS: Those speakers usually sell for more than twice the sum. That is a great deal (probably clearing out sale).

OMG! You should totally get one of these to go with it! Can you imagine a big blueberry muffin with either blueberry compote or blueberries & cream inside of it? I wish those were a thing I could go buy. I want one so bad now!. :)

Ooh! Or you could hollow out a corn muffin and eat chili out of it.

Maybe I'm just really hungry^^for ^^muffins right now. ;)

The slices need to be separate (not touching with each other). I had a rack like this which was surprisingly great and had its own mandolin to slice the potatoes.

I got this last week - we've used it a couple of times since it arrived. It's okay because there are just two of us, but if we were cooking for any more than two it would be impractical because it's hand-held. But it works like a charm!

Maybe this?

Aluminum does a great job exchanging heat. If you could find a big enough chunk, you could just set it on that but that would only be effective if the bottom of your laptop was getting hot.

Just made this delicious zucchini noodle dish with shrimp and mozzarella in less than 20 minutes for 280 cal (9c/8f/42p)


Steps:


Make zucchini noodles


Put noodles and a couple handfuls of spinach in a pan


Add cooked shrimp


Toss until spinach is wilted


Add mozzarella and toss



Note- I just bought this vegetable slicer on amazon to make zucchini noodles for under $12 and I love it!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M6I6MG0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This is such a sweet contest :D

Kitchen supplies because us recent college grads that never had/needed this stuff need to be able to cook food somehow, haha.

One of my favorite cheap kitchen toys

18 Inch Magnetic Knife Strip, Magnetic Knife Holder, 18/10 Stainless Steel Knife Rack, Magnetic Knife Bar, Kitchen Utensil Holder, Easy Installation https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DBZ3J55/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ajNTCb8X9XSAN

Indeed we should! And we have to make sure we have a sushi making kit ready at all times! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HRR4L5R/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_h.oBCbJY9WYV1

I always thought lucky iron fish were a really cool idea. It's a piece of iron shaped like a fish you add to your cooking to impart your food with iron.

Since you're renting, I would get something like this http://www.amazon.com/Gap-Stopper-Premium-Silicone-Covers/dp/B018T5D4QO/ref=sr_1_6?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1458121325&sr=1-6&keywords=silicone+gap+cover
And use the L shape.

Get regular silicone and stick a few of them together end to end (probably use scraps of it and act as extra bonding surface like this -=-) until it's long enough or see if you can find something in longer lengths. Glue the short side facing the water to the floor with more silicone and that should act as a dam. When you leave you can just peel it up and scrape off the silicone residue.

Rice ball maker for kids who arent ready for chopsticks yet.

https://smile.amazon.com/blue-page-Baby-Rice-Orange/dp/B07CHVHVGX/


Load half with cooked rice, couple shakes back and fourth, perfectly sized rice balls for a little one.

http://giant.gfycat.com/EminentEnragedDavidstiger.gif

Does he work in a professional kitchen or just a home cook?


Just saw you answered this in another comment.


Has he gone through his Molecular Gastronomy phase yet? This is under $50 and was on my Christmas list a couple years back but nobody loved me enough to get it. :(


https://www.amazon.com/Molecule-R-Cuisine-R-Evolution-Kit-0-14/dp/B00GN0YN86?th=1

I think cooking utensils are really basic, and always necessary. That set there has almost everything you'll need, minus a few small things. :)

I think OP is referring to a tool like this or this.

Something like this

There are some cheaper ones the bot found $6 on Amazon

Link: https://www.amazon.com/blue-page-Baby-Rice-Orange/dp/B07CHVHVGX

edit: $3 on Amazon:

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Shuohu-1Pc-Japanese-Shaker-Paddle/dp/B07CQK7HJB

$6 on Amazon

Link: https://www.amazon.com/blue-page-Baby-Rice-Orange/dp/B07CHVHVGX

edit: $3 on Amazon:

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Shuohu-1Pc-Japanese-Shaker-Paddle/dp/B07CQK7HJB

That’s surprisingly more expensive than I initially assumed it would be.

Edit : I found one for a much more reasonable price here

These types of procrastination things happen because you set too ambitious a goal (an hour a day), can't meet it and start to procrastinate. Then you feel guilty about procrastinating, and then mentally associate the bad guilty feeling with getting to work, which makes you dread it all the more.

I recommend using a timer (this one is cool ). Set it for something small, even just 5 minutes, when you're done you can reward yourself with doing sweet fuck all and not feel guilty. Then gradually increase the time. If it starts to be a chore again, drop back to five minutes. Ultimately, actually working for five minutes is better than saying you want to do an hour, but not doing anything.

(Full disclosure: I'm literally procrastinating right now by writing this, so the timer thing should be seen as a tactic, not a solution.)

If it helps, there are squash that can be made into a "pasta." There is the spaghetti squash, or even zucchini if cut up into "noodles." See this:

https://www.amazon.com/Zoodle-Slicer-ZS001-Vegetable-Spiral/dp/B00M6I6MG0

This is one i use! https://www.amazon.com/Original-Zoodle-Slicer-Vegetable-Spiralizer/dp/B00M6I6MG0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1506537129&sr=8-3&keywords=zoodle

Except it isn’t even a meatball mold. It is made to mold rice.

It’s actually a phone holder but it’s doing the job so far, https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01LQE4ZUE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_03iRDbSRV8HSC

This phone stand!

Phone Stand, Lamicall iPhone Dock : Universal iPhone Stand, Cradle, Holder, Dock f... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01LQE4ZS6/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_k11aAbMRP5AF1

Do you have a moment to talk about our lord and savior The Zoodler?

If OP has one of these https://www.amazon.com/Zoodle-Slicer-ZS001-Vegetable-Spiral/dp/B00M6I6MG0

It looks possible. Seems about the right size blade and black plastic.

You can make them yourself, look up direct spherification, it's sodium alginate and calcium lactate.

https://www.amazon.ca/Cuisine-R-EVOLUTION-Molecular-Gastronomy-Kit/dp/B00GN0YN86/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1494725994&sr=8-6&keywords=sodium+alginate

Shoes - $59.95


Mugs -$20.98


Kitchen Gadgets -$40.81


Knives -$28.24


Skillet Set -$63.99

Cell phone case -$10.99

Shelf -$33.53

Paper towel holder -$17.99

Scrub Top -$17.17

Socks -$5.00

Turkey stickers -$1.75

All adds up to $300.00!

http://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Steel-Spaghetti-Pasta-Measure/dp/B0000VLLY8

[Here you go] (http://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Steel-Spaghetti-Pasta-Measure/dp/B0000VLLY8)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0000VLLY8?pc_redir=1404971618&robot_redir=1 problem solved.

And in case anyone tries to mess with us, this fancy sushi chef theif kit has a knife!