Kitchen equipment

[SaligoBay]

A lot is said about French cooking, but a look into any French kitchen will show that to do it properly you have to have all the following:

- food processor (robot)

- coffee/espresso machine

- pressure cooker

- microwave

- raclette thing

- pierrade thing

- fondue thing

Can't think of any others right now, but I'm sure there must be some!   Haven't seen many slow cookers, but there are a few bread machines around.

[Val_2]

Also go into any grande surface electrical section and see what and how many different gadgets there on are on offer, you would need another kitchen to put them all in methinks!

[zeb]

My neighbour has every kitchen gadget imagineable! Recently she offered us her old chip frier as she had bought a new one. I thought she meant an electric frier and so, never having owned one, I said that I'd be delighted. (At this point, I must say that she feels really sorry for us as we are English and it's well known in France that the English can't cook and have horrible food) Anyway, she gave me a large old saucepan and ask me if I knew where to buy oil!!

[Teamedup]

[:D][:D][:D]

Zeb that did make me laugh.

[PossumGirl]

[quote user="SaligoBay"]

A lot is said about French cooking, but a look into any French kitchen will show that to do it properly you have to have all the following:

[/quote]

I had a lot more of those gadgets when I lived in Los Angeles than I do now. I had to leave all the electric appliances behind, obviously.  Then, we we got our renovation done I made a decision to NOT buy any of the things that I had almost never used in L.A.  I had a lot more counterspace there than I do here.  Although, I found that the more counterspace there was, the more I was tempted to clutter it up with "stuff."

So, I do have the pressure cooker, robot mixeur and espresso machine (MUST have my coffee in the morning!), but I am surviving fine without a microwave, raclette, cooking stone, etc.  In fact, I borrowed a microwave while we were kitchenless last summer and I was glad to see the back of it.  I don't miss one at all. I've discovered that almost anything that you can make in a microwave, you can make in either a bain marie or the oven.

R

[Mistral]

Er, I've got all of those, plus a hand blender, deep fat frier, electric whisk, ice-cream maker .... and my husband bought himself an electric knife yesterday. But I actually use them and I know I can go without (and have done) These are gadgets I have collected over the years.

On the other hand, many french kitchens don't have a decent sized sieve (I've been handed tea strainers)  a set of scales, baking trays or cake tins. And I've given  up trying to explain why I need a cooling rack for cakes.

[Loiseau]

The 9-year-old daughter of a French friend looked very pityingly at me when I was squeezing an orange on my time-honoured glass citrus squeezer.  She had never seen anything so primitive; all the French households she knew had electric ones!

Angela

[Viv]

 yoghurt makers,  crepe turntables ( why using a frying pan when you can have a big expensive bulky item vieing for space in your kitchen?) and funny cone with handle for pureeing vegetables so finely it end up looking like Heinz baby food , all seem to be quite popular as well.

[Clair]

In use:

• Magimix
• Kitchenaid blender

• expresso machine
• microwave
• slow cooker (lip-smacking lentils and sausages yesterday!)
• toaster
• kettle
• hand-held blender
• electric whisk

• various cake tins and racks

Soon to come out of removal box (after 3 years!)

• yogurt maker
• Lakeland Remoska (pan-like mini oven, runs on light-bulb use of electricity)

I forgot I also packed the...

• ice-cream maker
• electric citrus press
• mini-chopper

When visiting me in the UK, my France-based sister used to say I was a kitchen gadget freak, but I could tell she looked with longing! Now living in France, I'm trying to keep it under control!

[Hoddy]

I'm really interested to see a Remoska on your list, Clair. I've been meaning to ask for ages if anyone actually uses one of these and if so what for and how good are they ?

[Clair]

[quote user="Hoddy"]I'm really interested to see a Remoska on your list, Clair. I've been meaning to ask for ages if anyone actually uses one of these and if so what for and how good are they ?[/quote]

I bought my Remoska just before we moved to France, knowing we would be without proper cooking facilities for a few weeks whilst the removal van made its way through France to us... and also because I wanted to try and not use a full electric oven when only cooking/baking for 2...

Good points:

• it does exactly what Lakeland say it does, so no disappointment there
• it really does not use a lot of electricity
• it roasts beautifully, much like a grill with only a fraction of the cost (chicken pieces, chops)
• it also slow-cooks like a slow cooker
• easy to clean (non stick lid and pan)
• you can see what's happening (partly glassed lid)
• very easy to clean

Not so good points (in my opinion):

• it is cumbersome to store (pan-like handle sticks out and cannot be locked into position)
• the lid is also a bit of a pain when hot (you have to put it down upside down as the heating element, although protected, would burn anything it gets in contact with)

So I now have a slow cooker to replace it but I will also use the Remoska for chicken pieces or chops or when I do not see the point of turning a normal-size oven on.