What "Must-Have" Sufficient Kitchen appliances do you recommend?

[so lucky]

I was unexpectedly repaid a $1,000 loan, and I'm thinking I should buy some SS stuff, rather than stick it in the bank or buy actual supplies. I do have a freezer, but do not have a canner anymore, or a grain mill, etc. What items do you find absolutely essential to make/prepare/preserve food? Do you perfer particular brands of appliances? I am also thinking about getting a generator, to maintain freezer in case of short-term outtages. Solar oven? Water purifier? A goat? I don't work outside the home anymore, so time spent is not a major issue. We have no debt. What items should I spend this money on?

 

[FarmerJamie]

So many choices, we couldn't do without:

Pressure Canner
Dehydrator
Vacuum Sealer
Victorio Strainer

ETA: with a canner, you'll the jars, rings, lids, and *stuff* like jar lifters, etc. The vacuum sealer you'll need rolls of bag material and something to cut them (the wife uses a scrapbooking paper cutter)

 

[TanksHill]

Canning equipment, back up rings, flats and jars.

A couple of really nice cast iron pans. I like the 12 inch dutch oven because the lid fits the frying pan as well.

check you local CL for a used grain grinder. I looked for a really long time but then got an old stone mill for a steal.

Definitely on the dehydrator.

Some nice hand tools???

If your careful and buy used you could bank more than half that cash and still find everything you need.

g

 

[valmom]

I would vote for canning stuff- a pressure canner, jars, lids, rings. And a dehydrator. So whatever you don't like dehydrated you can can and vice-versa. A freezer is nice, but only if civilization provides electricity. And providing your own electricity is beyond $1000.

 

[freemotion]

All of the above (except the vacuum sealer for me, can't justify it, I rotate my stock a lot).....and the goats!!!! Get the goat!!! Get the goat!!!!!!

You'll need a few things to go with her, some gallon glass jars for storing the milk, a five gallon stainless steel stock pot and a loooooong knife (blade needs to reach the bottom of the pot, I got a wedding cake knife as the cheese knives in the catalogs weren't long enough), a press and molds ( you can save some of your $$$ by making your own), a milking stand, something to milk into and to filter the milk with, stud fee to breed her again this fall, etc. FENCING!!! There goes your $1000, but well spent.

You're welcome.





Bwahahahahahahahahahahahaha!



Your Crazy Goat Enabler,

Freemotion

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

ha! of COURSE Freemotion is gonna say a goat!! um.. but so do i!!!!

congrats on your big win! yay!!

i'd say a canner, for sure and jars...and somewhere to put your filled jars - like good shelves.

next i'd say fencing - for your goat. ha!

a really really big stainless steel stock pot is always good to have.

and instead of a generator you might try a power inverter for your truck.. thats what we have. our freezers (note: more than one) are super efficient so when our power goes out we run a power inverter a few mins a day to keep them cold.

or putting the $$ toward a wood burning stove?

good luck!

 

[savingdogs]

Do you keep chickens? For 1,000 you could easily build a beautiful coop and fence a big giant run so that they mostly free-range, or perhaps you already have some fencing you can make chicken-safe. The chickens themselves are inexpensive, it is their housing and fencing that costs money. Then you will have plenty of eggs!

With 1,000 I'd concentrate on just one thing. For instance, get a goat and supplies, or start beekeeping, or do as I suggested and equip yourself for chickens. But I chose chickens because they turn weeds, food scraps and grass from your yard into eggs, you can't beat that. Three hens would supply your family with plenty of eggs.

We spent much LESS than 1,000 getting started with chickens, we built our coop from 80 percent recycled parts, fencing was our biggest investment and we repurposed some that we had, so we spent much less. However with 1,000 you could put up an attractive coop and fencing whereas ours looks....recycled.

 

[gettinaclue]

I don't know about "MUST HAVE", but a food processor is nice....at least it is in my dreams LOL. One of these days I'm gonna get one.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

A goat would be nice, but only if you could contain HER and bring her all the safe extra weeds and cuttings and put them in a manger. A small coop or chicken tractor for about 6 to 12 birds (mainly hens or exclusively) would be very affordable. As to the kitchen; I try to avoid putting very much in my freezer. I do have a generator, so its not the issue of small outages....its more like what would I do if the big one hits or if TSHTF synerio. I do have food in there, but I try to can and dry as much as possible. Drying will take up less room than any other method of food preparation. I dry shrimp and onions on sheets of tin with screen covering them in the yard. I don't have a dehydrator exactly. I have lots and lots of mason jars, but I will be checking into the Tattler lids soon.
I'd also mention to have some tools to cancel out the modern versions we have been accustomed to the past few decades. For example: Do you have a coffee pot or just a coffee machine? Same with a mixer or an electric mixer?
Now in my house, I have a gas stove and oven, but I don't want to be dependant on just that. So in the winter, I have a woodburning stove to warm the house, which does have a single burner....pot-belly. I also like having an outdoor grill with at least one burner, which comes in very useful following a bad storm (I live close to the Gulf of Mexico in LA). I still have the woodburning stove that my pot-belly replaced; a boxwood stove, so if I really need to, I can set up an emergency, outdoor kitchen.....something very nice to have in the deep south.
Naturally a garden is a must for me and most of the SS people, I think. You can chose from a variety of types. I think I might check into gorilla gardening next. But I do a pretty mean job making raised beds outta discarded tractor tires I get free from my work place. As long as you keep it small enough, so you won't get too discouraged and can keep up the weeds. Don't bite off more than you can chew in one mouthful.
I'm kinda where you at because a while back I had my hands on a certain amt of money and I became fearful of keeping it invested in mutual funds because of having no confidence in our current economic conditons, so I bailed out and decided to invest my money into things that could feed my family. DH and I have since worked out butts off, but we have been eating. But after you grow you food, you do need to worry about keeping it.
I am somewhat luckier than most others on this forum because I can grow things about 365 days a year though. I think you need to be more on your toes if you live furthur up north.
If your budget is 1,000, I'd map it out on paper and go for lots of small investments rather than concentrate on a generator or freezer. And even if you get those items, you can always find them used. Goodluck.

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

Get an Excalibur dehydrator! A good grain mill if you do not have one, or, canning supplies.