Always Reach for the Hamilton Beach (RIP Eddie)

We have many great threads in this forum — some spanning years, others one-offs — but I'd wager (and lose?) that a lot of them wouldn't get "lift-off" if it weren't for kitchen appliances. Not the bigguns — fridge, freezer, stove, dishwasher, etc. — but the hand-held variety. (see title)

I've got three... use 'em every day, multiple times:

• digital scale I keep a "food log" and can't track the macros w/o weighing the components.
• immersion blender aka "stick blender" — I couldn't mix protein-powder shakes w/o it.
• can-opener The hand-operated kind. I eat a lot of canned tuna, also add canned pumpkin puree to my shakes.

What're yours?

My coffee bean grinder and electric hot water maker are used every day in the morning. The wife takes care of the rest of the kitchen work.

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Originally Posted by Gasman

My coffee bean grinder and electric hot water maker are used every day in the morning. The wife takes care of the rest of the kitchen work.

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Doh! I completely forgot about these two... lol. Thanks, Jerry!

Wow I do a lot of cooking and baking so I have a lot. Two coffee bean grinders one for drip one for espresso. An electric mixer, hand mixer, hand blender, food processor, can opener, rice cooker, toaster, microwave, air fryer, toaster-oven, hotpot, steam machine for espresso, manual espresso machine, electric pour over coffee maker, and whatever else I forgot.

One thing that I wish I had got long ago is a pressure cooker.
Had one for a few years now, just the one that goes on the stove.
Cooking time is half and tough cuts of meat come out as tender as fillet.
Good for curries and dried bean recipes.
The newer electric ones look quite impressive.

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Originally Posted by Grazor

One thing that I wish I had got long ago is a pressure cooker.
Had one for a few years now, just the one that goes on the stove.
Cooking time is half and tough cuts of meat come out as tender as fillet.
Good for curries and dried bean recipes.
The newer electric ones look quite impressive.

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I sure could've used one of these two weeks ago! I decided to augment a "thin" pot of chicken-vegetable soup with a couple of cups of Mayocoba beans that I'd soaked overnight, but got delayed in cooking them until well past noontime. I boiled, then simmered them for a few hours, but couldn't help thinking how much easier and quicker it would be, if only I had a stove-top pressure cooker (like Mom had). Being a single guy, a smaller-sized model -- 4-quarts? -- would probably be large enough. Huh -- new ones are not inexpensive; I wonder if it's worth buying one used, on eBay...

That reminds me, an Instapot.

It really replaces a pressure cooker and is really a "smart" pressure cooker. It does pretty much everything a traditional pressure cooker does and can do way more. You can pick one up pretty cheap these days.

Yeah, that's the one.
They are quite impressive what you can do with them and reasonably priced.

My wife says that without a pressure cooker she wouldnt be able to make pinto beens at this altitude as they never seem to soften up. I guess if she boiled them all day.

I've always wanted a pressure cooker like my mum had but my wife doesn't want to know. She thinks they are dangerous so I doubt I would be able to use it if I got one.

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Originally Posted by STF

I've always wanted a pressure cooker like my mum had but my wife doesn't want to know. She thinks they are dangerous so I doubt I would be able to use it if I got one.

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Pressure cookers are only dangerous if you fill them with explosives.

When is the last time you have ever heard of one blowing up on the stove?

Some folks have these irrational fears you just can't get around.

I had my stovetop pressure cooker and my canner on the stove this morning.

I am living on the edge :)

Where to even start? For a hand mixer I actually like our old vintage hand crank one. It has a very high gear ratio and if you turn it pretty fast it will whip egg whites to peaks in no time at all. We have two electrics but I actually almost never use them. Our Kitchen-Aid stand mixer gets used a lot, especially when I make bread. It is a beast, never bogs down, never gives up.

Microwave is essential in our kitchen. I take a bag of birdseye frozen vegs and stick it in there for 2-1/2 minutes to use in a recipe, 3-1/2 or 4 minutes to just pour out onto plates. No stirring, no fuss, just really great vegs. Pat of butter and a shake of Slap Ya Mama and bam, vegs even a stone cold carnivore would eat.

We have two DeLonghi superautomatic espresso machines, and the wife spoils me with a quad shot cappuccino every morning. All she has to do is fill the water and the bean hopper, and dump the puck bin once in a while and keep the steam wand clean. Push a button, turn a lever to steam the milk, push another button for two shots and again for the other two, perfect cappuccino, way better than you get at TarMuck's, and she doesn't even have to know how to actually make coffee. The machine does everything and does it pretty darn good. We did keep one for real espresso and one for decaf but we went like two years without ever having a shot of decaf, so one is now at the new house and one here at the old.

KitchenAid side cutting can opener. I like side cutters because you can use half the can of something and just plop the lid right back on and stick it in the fridge, use the rest the next day, no fussing with saran wrap or numinum foil. Top cutting can openers are SOOOOOOOO 2021!

Sous vide. Since buying a sous vide tank and wand, I have really upped my game. Poultry breast has got to be one of the trickiest dishes to get exactly right. Too dry, or undercooked, your choice. It can be hard to really nail it because it can be perfect by an internal thermometer but self cook on the platter some more. With sous vide, you know it is safe to eat, so just re-cook to taste for a nice finish. Teriffic for tough or naturally dry cuts of beef or pork, too. A pork loin (not talking about tenderloin) can be pretty lean with basically zero marble, and so same problem as a turkey breast, half the time it is over or under cooked, at least to the discerning palate. Sous vide is the answer. Nice and juicy every time. Give it a rub of Slap Ya Mama and a few minutes in a broiler or over a hot fire in the grill for a nice tasty crust, and oh mammy come get ya baby boy, that's some fine eating, and incredibly cheap. I like to sous vide a beef rump roast and run it through the slicer for sammitch meat. Sometimes I make a nice dark roux and cook the sliced beef in it some more, for roast beast poboys.

Meat slicer. I have a cheapie off brand but very heavy duty 10" slicer and I love it. It is a lot of work to clean but for a big job it really does great.

Mandolin, with food pusher. I love it for slicing an onion in a hurry, and with the food pusher I never cut my fingertips or even get close calls. The one we have now will also do french fries or those riffly cut slices but I just use it for slices.

The barbecue. We have about 4 cords of pecan stacked in front of the house, and one of those Home Depot barbecue grills with the firebox on one end and the smokestack on the other end, like a proper barbecue. We do a lot of stuff on it with the meat all the way at the cold end, keeping the temp down around 220 or 230 degrees all day, then move it to the little grill in the firebox for the crust. When the meat has had a few hours in the fridge, it is ready to slice for salads, sammitches, and other stuff, with that gorgeous smoke ring and exquisite flavor and aroma. Okay, yeah getting off topic. That thing is like 7 feet long so not a handheld appliance at all.

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Originally Posted by CrescentCityRazors

Where to even start?

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How about with Wow! (and leave it at that)

<RE: SOUS VIDE> I almost forgot the vacuum bagger. Makes sous vide really convenient and practical to use vacuum bags instead of zip locks. I use it for other stuff, too, anywhere that I want to seal something up and keep air completely off of it. We call it our "Daisy Seal-a-Meal" after the late night infomercial product of a couple decades ago.

Clear ice ball mold. Always breggin on this. We love our crystal clear ice ball in our old fashioned. A real touch of class, slow melting, gentle diluting, and beautiful to behold in a heavy old fashion glass.
https://www.amazon.com/Das-TooKii-Cl...%2C122&sr=8-23
We have three of them. Ordinary ice ball molds don't make clear ice. This type does. As the ice freezes from the top, pure water ice drives dissolved air ahead into the unfrozen water, which conveniently is down within the insulated reservoir. You end up with cloudy ice down there, clear ice in the upper chamber. Always start with hot water for best results.

I actually use the seal-a-meal to package the ice balls. Four per pack. That way they don't absorb flavors or get air-dissolved or chipped in the ice bin.

Remember the green Hamilton beach milkshake makers 10 in a row at the local ice cream parlour?

Attachment 338973

Grand memories, a burger and a drink for 50 cent.. a half a days work, worth every dime.

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Originally Posted by Grazor

Remember the green Hamilton beach milkshake makers 10 in a row at the local ice cream parlour?

Attachment 338973

Grand memories, a burger and a drink for 50 cent.. a half a days work, worth every dime.

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In this neck of the woods Waring was the brand of choice for these things.

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Pressure cookers are only dangerous if you fill them with explosives.

When is the last time you have ever heard of one blowing up on the stove?

Some folks have these irrational fears you just can't get around.

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I had the experience that proves the little black pressure relief thingy in the lid of a pressure cooker really works. Many years ago I overfilled my cooker when making chicken broth. Stepped away from the stove to answer the phone and heard a “whoosh”. Ran back to find several quarts of chicken broth dripping from the ceiling over the stove.

The interior of the cooker was almost completely empty. A whole chicken carcass, carrots, onions, celery and water had passed through that little hole. Needless to say, my wife was not impressed and I had to spend several hours cleaning broth and chicken fat off the ceiling walls, stove, floor and vent hood. Smelled great though.

I’ve had a Kitchen Aid stand mixer for over 40 years. It’s one of the models for which you raise the stainless steel bowl up to the beater.

It weighs a lot and has been used for countless loaves of bread and cakes and making whipped cream, butter cream and meringues. I even had the pasta maker and meat grinder attachments, but passed them on to a daughter who is more likely to make regular use of them.

It’s a tank and I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to pass it on to a grandchild when I no longer want to try to heft it from its storage place to the counter top. It really has been a lifetime investment and I’d recommend spending the $$$ to anyone serious about baking.

Danish dough hook is something I use whenever I make dough for no-knead bread. It’s not an appliance, but it gets a lot of use.
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Originally Posted by DZEC

Danish dough hook is something I use whenever I make dough for no-knead bread. It’s not an appliance, but it gets a lot of use.

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Yes, it is! Like my can opener (hand-held, aka "manually-operated"), it's a kitchen appliance... often the best kind.

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Originally Posted by DZEC

I’ve had a Kitchen Aid stand mixer for over 40 years. It’s one of the models for which you raise the stainless steel bowl up to the beater.

It weighs a lot and has been used for countless loaves of bread and cakes and making whipped cream, butter cream and meringues. I even had the pasta maker and meat grinder attachments, but passed them on to a daughter who is more likely to make regular use of them.

It’s a tank and I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to pass it on to a grandchild when I no longer want to try to heft it from its storage place to the counter top. It really has been a lifetime investment and I’d recommend spending the $$$ to anyone serious about baking.

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Yeah that's the one. The tilt head type is okay but the bowl raiser type is way better. It is the serious one.

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Originally Posted by CrescentCityRazors

Yeah that's the one. The tilt head type is okay but the bowl raiser type is way better. It is the serious one.

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I had a "regular" (tilt-head) KitchenAid stand mixer in Fairbanks, but it took up way too much of my limited counter space, so just before I returned to the Lower '48 I sold it. It's like my KitchenAid coffee grinder — way too big — which now sits in an under-the-counter cabinet (and takes-up limited storage space) — I really ought to sell it. I've been using the hand-held Zassenhaus grinder since 2007, and it's really the best solution for my needs — grinding, brewing, and sipping Eight O'Clock "Colombian Peaks" since 2016, when I stopped home-roasting.

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I had a Kitchen Aid mixer for many many years. It was what they called the K-45 (the smaller one). It survived moves and decades and at times it got so hot I thought it would burn up but it always kept going. Then when I started with heavy duty dough it would just stop dead so I donated it to our church and by then Hobart sold them off and they were garbage made in China. I guess Whirlpool bought them now and they are supposed to be better but 7 years ago I bought a Swedish made machine an Ankarsrum. It's a fantastic machine I use for everything. I could mix concrete in this thing.

I have a Zass grinder a bought a few years ago. They are garbage now.

I have drooled over the ankarsrum machines, but they are just under $1000 Canadian.Very impressive machines. If I were 40 years younger I’d buy one.

This is my favorite. I would leave it clamped on the end of the kitchen table but my wife disagrees.
I had to take it out of the potato drawer to pose it for this picture. :)

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Originally Posted by JBHoren

I had a "regular" (tilt-head) KitchenAid stand mixer in Fairbanks, but it took up way too much of my limited counter space, so just before I returned to the Lower '48 I sold it. It's like my KitchenAid coffee grinder — way too big — which now sits in an under-the-counter cabinet (and takes-up limited storage space) — I really ought to sell it. I've been using the hand-held Zassenhaus grinder since 2007, and it's really the best solution for my needs — grinding, brewing, and sipping Eight O'Clock "Colombian Peaks" since 2016, when I stopped home-roasting.

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THAT'S OUR COFFEE! Cheap but VERY good! We like a medium roast Columbian a lot better than super duper dark espresso roasts for espresso. It's absolutely the best value in big name commercial whole bean coffee.

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Originally Posted by CrescentCityRazors

THAT'S OUR COFFEE! Cheap but VERY good! We like a medium roast Columbian a lot better than super duper dark espresso roasts for espresso. It's absolutely the best value in big name commercial whole bean coffee.

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I buy a 40oz bag each month from Amazon... $13.24 and S/H is covered by my $5.99/month Prime subscription. As you wrote: VERY good coffee, and at an affordable price.

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Originally Posted by 32t

This is my favorite. I would leave it clamped on the end of the kitchen table but my wife disagrees.
I had to take it out of the potato drawer to pose it for this picture. :)

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THAT is a beauty! I bet it's as old as (older than?) me... and that it works as well as the day it was made. Refurbish, recycle, reuse. Thanks for posting!

I roast my own and pay no more than six or seven bucks per pound for green beans and it's all small farm high quality stuff.

I get my beans from a roaster in town. 15 bucks a pound. He has beans from all over the world and roasts in a huge green machine from the 70s. Its always a meduim roast. I love seeing the oils from the beans floating at the top of my mug of joe. Thats fresh!

He sells no bean roasted no more than 48 hours ago.

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Originally Posted by Gasman

I get my beans from a roaster in town. 15 bucks a pound. He has beans from all over the world and roasts in a huge green machine from the 70s. Its always a meduim roast. I love seeing the oils from the beans floating at the top of my mug of joe. Thats fresh!

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No wonder prices are so high at the pump! :rofl2:

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Originally Posted by thebigspendur

I roast my own and pay no more than six or seven bucks per pound for green beans and it's all small farm high quality stuff.

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And I would probably do the same if it weren't for the fact that the Eight O'Clock is cheaper, and so darn good. While you are busy roasting, which I am sure you enjoy doing very much and find very satisfying, I am drinking my cappuccino or enjoying a double shot of espresso or even the occasional Americano, black. From my machine which removes from me the pleasure of grinding, packing, tamping, temperature taking, and perfectly timing a shot. All enjoyable, I am sure. Literally certainly sure. We like to cut straight to the prize, which is something smooth, tasty, and aromatic in the mug.

If that brand ever goes downhill, very likely I will try roasting my own. It would be a sad, tragic day if the Columbian Peaks were no longer available but maybe roasting would help me cope.

My go to coffee as well

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Originally Posted by CrescentCityRazors

And I would probably do the same if it weren't for the fact that the Eight O'Clock is cheaper, and so darn good. While you are busy roasting, which I am sure you enjoy doing very much and find very satisfying, I am drinking my cappuccino or enjoying a double shot of espresso or even the occasional Americano, black. From my machine which removes from me the pleasure of grinding, packing, tamping, temperature taking, and perfectly timing a shot. All enjoyable, I am sure. Literally certainly sure. We like to cut straight to the prize, which is something smooth, tasty, and aromatic in the mug.

If that brand ever goes downhill, very likely I will try roasting my own. It would be a sad, tragic day if the Columbian Peaks were no longer available but maybe roasting would help me cope.

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Busy roasting? Hardly. I roast every two weeks. It takes 15 minutes for an 8 oz batch and 5 minutes or less to cool each batch and 4 batches in all. I've tried various roasted coffees over the years and unless you have a local source that roasts every day and you know is fresh you are getting coffee in various states of staleness. Every local roaster I know is quite pricey.

Oh great, now looking at green beans.
Bloody enablers...

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Originally Posted by Grazor

Oh great, now looking at green beans.
Bloody enablers...

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You know, you don't need much to roast. You can do it over the stove or in the oven. It's not the best way but it can be done with great results.