Help me pick some kitchen stuff!:)

[Satori]

Money is tight but there's a few things that will help make things easier on me in the kitchen where I spend a lot of time. No idea on what to look for though.

Food processor
small/medium dutch oven (lots of recipes I want to try call for one)
pressure cooker (we eat lots of beans and living at high altitude means cooking them is an all day thing on the stove, 2x as long in the crock pot) and I would like to start canning next summer.

Top of the line is always nice but this mama is seriously poor so cost is a major factor, I will probably go for the middle range, I want it to last and do the job. Hoping not to spend more then about $100 if possible. I have no problem checking ebay or the discount stores but I have no idea on models.

Help?

[sugarlumpkin]

For a food processor you want a Cuisinart. There is no other.

[Owen'nZoe]

I have a few suggestions:

- For the food processor: Cuisinart is the standard, but you might want to consider a Bosch kitchen machine. I don't have the food processor attachment for it yet (its on my Christmas wish list ), but I have the basic machine (which is a stand mixer), the blender and the slicer/chopper, and I've been very happy with it so far. It isn't cheap, but for about $250, you would have a mixer, blender, and food processor all in one: http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=474284. If you're in need of a stand mixer and blender, too, it might be a good deal for you.

- Dutch oven: I found my cast-iron dutch oven for $3 at a thrift store, and it is just perfect! I don't know how often they come up in thrift stores, but if you don't need it right away, it might be worth watching for awhile. I bought a new one for my sister (Lodge brand) and it was reasonable and works well, too. Well seasoned, they are non stick and very easy to cook with and clean.

- Pressure cooker: This is on my list for Christmas, too. I was hoping to find one I could use for cooking and canning, too, but it is looking like you want at least a 10qt for canning, and more like a 6 qt for cooking, because the 10+qts are apparently very heavy to use for every-day cooking. I hope someone with first-hand experience will jump in on this one!

One question about your canning needs - what are you planning to can? Do you need a pressure canner, or would a water-bath work?

[texmati]

If you have one nearby, you can check the indian store for a pressure cooker. Personally, I think they are better quality than the presto brand at macy's. Also, they have pressure cooker parts (whistle, ring ect) so if you find one at the thrift, you can fix it on the cheap. -- However, I think a pressure cooker is different than a pressure canner.

[Satori]

Originally Posted by Owen'nZoe

I have a few suggestions:

- For the food processor: Cuisinart is the standard, but you might want to consider a Bosch kitchen machine. I don't have the food processor attachment for it yet (its on my Christmas wish list ), but I have the basic machine (which is a stand mixer), the blender and the slicer/chopper, and I've been very happy with it so far. It isn't cheap, but for about $250, you would have a mixer, blender, and food processor all in one: http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=474284. If you're in need of a stand mixer and blender, too, it might be a good deal for you.

- Dutch oven: I found my cast-iron dutch oven for $3 at a thrift store, and it is just perfect! I don't know how often they come up in thrift stores, but if you don't need it right away, it might be worth watching for awhile. I bought a new one for my sister (Lodge brand) and it was reasonable and works well, too. Well seasoned, they are non stick and very easy to cook with and clean.

- Pressure cooker: This is on my list for Christmas, too. I was hoping to find one I could use for cooking and canning, too, but it is looking like you want at least a 10qt for canning, and more like a 6 qt for cooking, because the 10+qts are apparently very heavy to use for every-day cooking. I hope someone with first-hand experience will jump in on this one!

One question about your canning needs - what are you planning to can? Do you need a pressure canner, or would a water-bath work?

I already have a good blender and a kitchen aid stand mixer so I'm good there. I need to find something that's not going to eat up the entire $100 and then some. I mean top of the line is great but when your very low income, spending $100 on kitchen stuff is pretty huge. I can't exceed $100 period. I know there's good stuff out there that doesn't cost crazy amounts of money. As for canning, I'm thinking of things like tomato's, chili, sauces, ect.

[Owen'nZoe]

Originally Posted by Satori

I already have a good blender and a kitchen aid stand mixer so I'm good there. I need to find something that's not going to eat up the entire $100 and then some. I mean top of the line is great but when your very low income, spending $100 on kitchen stuff is pretty huge. I can't exceed $100 period. I know there's good stuff out there that doesn't cost crazy amounts of money. As for canning, I'm thinking of things like tomato's, chili, sauces, ect.

Totally understand!

For the canning, tomatoes can be done with a water bath canner, as can salsa and pickled veggies. Maybe you could make do with those in a water bath (I just use a large stainless stock pot that I already had to do my canning, so I didn't have to buy more equipment) for the time being, and just get a pressure cooker that you can use for your bean dishes?

[texmati]

what are you planning on using the food processor for? I really only use my teeny food processer, to be honest. I only pull out the big one if I have to.

[audsma]

My immersion blender came with a mini chopper attachment. I think my brother spent $20 on it at a hardware store. I use the mini chopper all the time for garlic, hard cheese, spices, herbs, etc. I have been using my real food processor (Kitchenaid -- wedding gift 13 yrs ago and I love it!) much less since I discovered the mini chopper attachment I'd tossed aside. It does not, however, grate cheese, but makes me appreciate this itty bitty appliance which is much easier to clean than my food processor.

[TeaghansMama]

i got my cast iron dutch oven at an antique store for $6. it was one of those places where lots of vendors rent out a booth. there is one guy who has a whole booth of cast iron and vintage kitchenware. i think i buy a new piece everytime i go there!

i have a Big Mouth food processor. i don't use it often but i have no complaints about it when i do use it. it's plenty powerful for what i use it for and it's super easy to clean. i'd love a cuisinart but i'm with you on budget. i've never seen a cuisinart for under $100 unless you want a mini but i needed a full size.

i have a cheapo pressure cooker but i don't use it often. i think i paid under $20 at jcpenney on black friday 2 years ago. i've only used it a handful of times for stew. worked great but i don't know how it would hold up if i used it more often. i'm just getting into canning... i have a water bath canner, but i don't know much about pressure canning yet. so i'm no help on that one...

[allnaturalmom]

I've had great luck getting deals on kitchen stuff at Kohls. Is there one near you? They will typically have a certain percentage off kitchen stuff every so often, like holidays, mother's day, etc... This is how I got my large kitchen aid food processor. It was already on sale, then for mother's day they were running an additional percentage off, plus I opened a kohls card for additional 20% off. Oh, and on top of all that, kitchen aid was offering a rebate, too. Wow, what an awesome deal!

My brother got a similar great deal at kohls on my pressure cooker, and my mom got one on my toaster-oven.

If you like kitchenaid products and are not in a hurry... they will offer rebates every now and then on some of their products.

Check out amazon for great deals, too. I wouldn't be afraid to get a refurbished countertop appliance.

Also, my mom got a great deal on a professional blender at costco.

If you're willing to look second-hand, you may come up w/some great finds, too. My mom got a cuisinart mini chopper, like new in the box, for a few bucks at a second-hand shop... works great! Come to think of it she also got her large Cuisinart second-hand as well... works great too! She also found a zojorushi bread maker w/the stickers still attached at the goodwill for like $13. Can't beat that!

gl
hth

[Mallori]

I already have a good blender and a kitchen aid stand mixer so I'm good there. I need to find something that's not going to eat up the entire $100 and then some. I mean top of the line is great but when your very low income, spending $100 on kitchen stuff is pretty huge. I can't exceed $100 period. I know there's good stuff out there that doesn't cost crazy amounts of money. As for canning, I'm thinking of things like tomato's, chili, sauces, ect.

I hear ya loud and clear on the money part. However, when you are in the kitchen for as much as it sounds like you are, appliances take a beating, and need to be able to withstand it. Otherwise you're spending more in the long run to replace it.

How big of a food processor are you in need of? There is a refurbished kitchenaid (I've heard people have good luck with getting them refurbished) on the site for $29, but it's only a 3 cup. Here's the link: Food Processor

How big of a dutch oven? Amazon has a pre-seasoned Lodge marked down to $29.99, a 5 quart.

The pressure cooker/canner is going to set you back a bit more, likely the entire $100. I managed to find one at Goodwill for $2 (I don't think they knew what it was) and it needed a $4 part, but that's a rare find.

Otherwise, you could try craigslist, i've had some luck with putting a Wanted post up for a couple of items.

Good luck to you, I know it's hard when you need several things and limited funds.

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by sugarlumpkin

For a food processor you want a Cuisinart. There is no other.

Not true. I love my KitchenAid food processor. The older cuisinarts were major workhorses, but the newer ones aren't as reliable, IMO. And Cuisinart has crappy customer service.

But, since money is an issue, I'd be looking at other options. I have a FP attachment for my Oster blender. If you have an Oster, it might be worth looking for a way to order "replacement parts" to get the FP attachment (since I don't think it's sold separately). It is small, only holds maybe a cup and a half, but it gets the job done.

But I think you're asking a lot to get all that for under $100. I think you'll be lucky to find a pressure cooker for under $50, and a good dutch oven will likely cost at least $30, but could go up to a couple hundred.

It really depends on what's near you, but I know I was at Cost Plus World Market a couple days ago and they had a pressure cooker for $59, I believe. It was made in Spain. They also had Le Creuset style dutch ovens, but they're MIC, also for about $59.

[dogmom327]

Craig's List! I get awesome deals on kitchen stuff there. I also second the suggestion to check out amazon.com.

[mnnice]

I also have a decent blender and a Kitchen Aid stand mixer. I had a cheap food processor, but when it died I didn't replace it. I really only used it to make pesto. I bought a cheap mortar and pestle and like it better. Or while it would be a spendy as a food processor the grater attachement accessory for a kitchen aid would be another option.

I think the other two items could be found used if you weren't in a hurry.