Next kitchen appliance... what should it be?

[hunterjumper999]

I have a mixer, icecream maker and crockpot.

Id like to try yogurt and cheese and jerky . i enjoy making my own bread when time allows.

what would everyone reccomend?

Yogurt makers?

Cheese kits?

Dehydrators?

bread maker?

Ps. it has to come from amazon.com because its a gift certificate

 

[Wildsky]

I'd vote for a dehydrator. Can be used to dry so many things... even though mine is used 90% for Jerky.

 

[lalaland]

I vote for an immersion blender.

With it, making soups is so easy - I used to hate having to try to pour hot soup into the blender, spattering everywhere, having to dump the blended soup into a container while I got more soup out of the pot into the blender, repeat, repeat, and then having the blender and counter top to clean up.

With the immersion blender, it takes literally seconds to blend a little or the whole soup pot - creamy tomato soup, potato soup, etc - I use mine tons in the winter.

you can use them for smoothies, etc, too.

 

[mrbstephens]

Yogurt maker and bread machine. The yogurt maker is invaluable and inexpensive. You can use it to make cheese too. The bread machine is worth every penny. I've had mine for 15 years and it's still going strong! Just throw in the ingredients and push start. I don't bake it in the machine though because I don't like the shape of the loaf. I take the dough out when it's done mixing and rising and throw it in a bread pan to rise once more and then in the oven it goes. Nothing better than fresh baked bread! P.S. It's also great for pizza dough!!!

 

[miss_thenorth]

Yogurt makers?

Cheese kits?

Dehydrators?

bread maker?

yogurt maker? I have one and I don't use it anymore, since I got my kefir grains. Kefir is much easier to make and does not take electricilty.

cheese kits? heven;t got there yet, so no opinion.

Dehydrator? Love mine--don't use it too too much but would be absolutely lost without it.

breadmaker? I use one but I use it to mix the dough only. I find if you bake the bread in the bread maker, the loaf is not good at all. I have had my bread maker for almost15 years, and it is just ab out dead. Next I will be getting a kitchenaide. But my bread maker has been very good to me.

Helpful??

 

[freemotion]

From your list, I'd take the dehydrator. You don't need much to make yogurt that you don't already have, unless you don't have a thermometer that will register 100-120 F or so. For cheesemaking, you still don't need much that is special, again you need a thermometer that will register 80-220 F for any cheese you'd like to make. You would need to buy cultures and rennet, though.

A dehydrator can be very handy, though. You can make jerky, dry fruits and veggies and tomatoes, and all your own flavoring herbs if you'd like.

A good staninless steel stockpot is invaluable if you don't already have one.

 

[Mackay]

I make two quarts of yogurt at a time and I never use a yogurt maker, after bringing to temp on the stove then cooling to 110 I put it in mason jars with the starter, place in a picnic cooler packed with towels and a couple of hot water bottles. Who needs a yogurt maker?

Go for the dehydrator... I'm dreaming of Elk jerky!

 

[Farmfresh]

Definitely the dehydrator!! I have an American Harvest by Nesco. I got it at a garage sale for $5.00 and have had it for the last 20 years and I use the living daylights out of it!!

That said a bread maker comes in next on my list, but I have Celiac disease and must eat gluten free. This means I make all of my own bread and wheat free bread is VERY hard to make by hand. Before my diagnosis I made bread very often and always made it by hand. BTW I ALSO got my bread maker at a thrift store new in the box for $10.00.

I use a thermos jug for making my yogurt. Heat it up - dump it in and forget it for a while!

Do some shopping at the thrift stores and you may not have to decide which to get, you may be able to get them all! I would use the gift certificate on SS books from Amazon instead!

 

[mrbstephens]

You know you can buy cases of FOOD from Amazon? Who da thought?

 

[freemotion]

I use a thermos jug for making my yogurt. Heat it up - dump it in and forget it for a while!

Gasp! I never thought of that! I have two stainless steel insulated pitchers that hold....um....hmmm, gotta go check, at least a quart, probably two.....I use them for tea when I go on a long car trip. How simple yogurt-making would be using those pitchers! My dad is gonna be soooo happy with you. We use kefir almost excusively, but he asks me for yogurt. Now he will get it more often, thanks!