What appliances/tools to buy for pesach

Log in / Sign Up

List of Forums + New Post Recipe Box Usergroups Following My Posts Bookmarks

Private Messages Advanced Search Rules New User Guide FAQ Advertise Contact Us

Forum -> Household Management -> Kosher Kitchen

1 2 Next

View latest: 24h 48h 72h

amother

Papaya

Mon, Feb 27 2017, 10:00 am

I'm making pesach this year for seven people. I haven't done it in five years and when I did, I was a newly wed so I don't have much kitchen gear. I'd like to start cooking in my basement and freeze stuff. So far I have a large crock pot, a few bowls, and a few mixing utensils. What do I need to do this? I am thinking of buying a microwave oven so I can bake and freeze. (with the crock pot I plan on making soup and maybe some stew or compote). What would you suggest? Do I need a food processor? electric beater? George foreman?

OOTBubby

Mon, Feb 27 2017, 10:06 am

A food processor is very helpful for kugels. If you will bake cakes, an electric mixer is best (if you're doing real Pesach cakes with separated eggs, I'd get a stand mixer not a hand one). I think you could do without a George Foreman.

mummiedearest

Mon, Feb 27 2017, 10:08 am

food processor is very useful, I use mine to slice veggies in bulk among other things. electric beater is useful IF you will have an oven to use. if you're sticking to stovetop, skip the beaters. indoor grill can be nice, but not a necessity. a plug in griddle/grill might serve you better if you want to buy something electric, you really don't need more than a few pots and pans, knife, chopping board, mixing bowl, cooking utensils, heating element, and a collection of disposables.

doctorima

Mon, Feb 27 2017, 10:11 am

I would definitely invest in a food processor. I wouldn't be able to make Pesach without one.

SixOfWands

Mon, Feb 27 2017, 10:22 am

amother wrote:

IMNSHO, people make Pesach into something it doesn't need to be. You feed your family every night of the year. You honestly don't need 2 months to make things for them to eat for a week.

That said ...

I wouldn't bother with a George Foreman. Its electric, so it useless for most of the holiday, and how much would you really use it? If you're really into grilled stuff, get a grill pan for the range.

You can't really bake in a microwave. Do you mean a toaster oven?

Get decent pots and pans. Measuring cups and spoons. Food processor is very helpful, but it doesn't need all the bells and whistles. Whisks and mashers and all the other things you use. A good peeler. A couple of excellent knives.

I also use my pressure cooker quite a bit. I have a stovetop one, so I can use it on an existing flame on the chag, but the electric ones (which I use year-round) are fabulous. You can make soup in a fraction of the time, and can use it to make chicken, roasts, meatballs, etc.

Raisin

Mon, Feb 27 2017, 10:36 am

I use my food processor to beat egg whites, as well as make kugels etc. Get a really good one. I use my food processor more for pesach then the rest of the year. I went through several pesach food processors, now I have a braun that I love. (wish it was my year round one)

A combi microwave-convection oven is good, but you can't use on yom tov. You might find a basic toaster oven that you can leave on a timer more useful.

A stick blender is good for soups. Cheap one is probably fine.

I wouldn't invest in a ton of other gadgets. Maybe a spiralizer if you think your family will find zoodles an acceptable pasta alternative.

You can grill perfectly well in a regular frying pan, no need for george foreman or grill pan.

ra_mom

Mon, Feb 27 2017, 11:09 am

I agree that a quality food processor is a good investment and can be used kugels, charoses, chrain, dips, shredding veggies for soups and making cakes as well. You'll only need an electric beater if your food processor is not doing a good job of whipping egg whites, but the Braun does a pretty good job. Note are also many great cake recipes out there that don't even need eggs to be separated and whipped.
A grill pan is more worthwhile than a george foreman as it's easier to clean in the sink and easier to store from year to year. It also doesn't take up counter space, which is in high demand over pesach.
A microwave bought just for defrosting frozen dishes is not worthwhile for pesach. Defrost the food fully and then warm in the oven that you used to make the food in. If you mean a countertop convention oven to bake in, you may want to reconsider kashering your year round oven since convection ovens simply don't bake the same way as conventional ovens do. If you do buy a countertop oven, make sure to do lots of research first and choose something that has great reviews for both cooking and baking.
A good stick blender is a really useful and relatively inexpensive appliance for pesach. Also easy to store.
Make sure you have good quality peelers and knives and that you have enough of them. And measuring instruments. And a cork screw for the wine.

Rubber Ducky

Mon, Feb 27 2017, 5:13 pm

Food processors see heavy use over Pesach. My Cuisinart lasted about 30 years, and when it broke a few years ago I replaced it with another Cuisinart. If you don't bake a lot of cakes, a stand mixer isn't necessary and a hand mixer will do.

In hand tools. get a really good vegetable peeler.

imasinger

Mon, Feb 27 2017, 7:33 pm

It really depends on what you want to make, and how you like to cook.

I love love love my stick blender with attachments. It has a whisk attachment, great for egg whites, and a small food processor attachment. That plus a hand mixer, and some good sharp knives and bowls, does just as well as a stand mixer and a food processor, for a fraction of the cost, IMO.

I'm thinking of investing in a high quality Dutch oven for meats. The pot I have is part of a cheap set, and the lid doesn't stay on.

I use my lemon zester/squeezer a lot. Also, good potato peelers.

Cookware for baking and frying. A good spatula set. Cutting boards. Measuring cups and spoons. Wooden spoons and slotted spoons. A hot water urn.

We have two big splurges, both purchased and much used by my home meat chef DH. One is a sous vide, which, for a little over $100 on sale, can give you the freedom to dump your sealed and marinated meat, chicken, or fish into a pot of water with the sous vide and walk away for hours, and come back to a perfect main course. The other is a smoker, which also allows you to cook meat to come out super tender and with a smoky flavor, with relatively little effort once it is started.

MagentaYenta

Mon, Feb 27 2017, 7:36 pm

Spend the money on a sous vide, you will not regret it.

Ilovemaryland

Mon, Feb 27 2017, 8:28 pm

An industrial strength dril...

https://youtu.be/i0aL8A1UorQ

imasinger

Mon, Feb 27 2017, 8:52 pm

Ilovemaryland wrote:

An industrial strength dril...

https://youtu.be/i0aL8A1UorQ

. That video makes me laugh every year.

amother

Azure

Mon, Feb 27 2017, 9:00 pm

food processor
mixer
bowls
pans
pots
peeler
SHARP KNIVES!
measuring cup
pitcher
washing cup
kitchen towels
salt shaker
sugar shaker
hot water urn or kettle
a blech or crock pot for shabbos -either one is fine ..it's 1 shabbos!

you will need to figure out how to cover your counters and stove
buy lots of disposable pans
paper goods and plastic silverware

zaq

Mon, Feb 27 2017, 9:00 pm

The only appliance I have besides my kitchen range is a small handheld mixer for beating egg whites and mixing cake batter. I have a couple of knives, cutting board, pots and pans, veggie peelers, mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons, box grater and that's about it for food prep tools. Real estate is expensive here; we can't afford to spend money all year storing appliances we'll use for a week and a half at the most.

amother

Cyan

Mon, Feb 27 2017, 9:26 pm

food processor is very useful - but why not just purchase Pessach only blades and 'bowl' for the one you use during the year? That's what I do...is that not permitted?

PinkFridge

Mon, Feb 27 2017, 9:43 pm

SixOfWands wrote:

IMNSHO, people make Pesach into something it doesn't need to be.

You can't really bake in a microwave. Do you mean a toaster oven?

.

This.
You might enjoy a turkey roaster, you know those 18 - 22 qt. things you see cholent made in for a Kiddush. (And get the 22 qt. - you can stack three 9x13 pans in it.)
I love my Pesach food processor.
And a mixer. I was spoiled one Pesach recently when we started using our new Kitchen Aid on Pesach, and then I went back to the hand mixer the next year.
A grill pan can be useful.

amother

Gold

Mon, Feb 27 2017, 9:53 pm

A couple of you said urn. can't you kasher your regular urn?

mummiedearest

Mon, Feb 27 2017, 10:09 pm

amother wrote:

A couple of you said urn. can't you kasher your regular urn?

I'm sure many urns are not easily kashered. honestly, I'd go nuts if I kashered everything for pesach. I spend enough time cleaning and turning the kitchen over as it is. I try to turn over a week before pesach so I can bake things in advance. I generally have a lot of guests for seder. even with the advance prep, I still have to deal with seder prep erev pesach. I do not want to have to kasher my counters and appliances in addition to whatever else I do. until recently, I lived in a small house with limited storage, so I was very careful to buy appliances that I'd really make use of and wouldn't take up too much space. an urn was one of the bigger items I got for pesach.

amother

Cyan

Mon, Feb 27 2017, 10:23 pm

amother wrote:

A couple of you said urn. can't you kasher your regular urn?

we only put water in ours... clean it with Pessach vinegar with a designated "urn only" sponge. We use it year-round as a result. (I'll wipe off the outside before Pessach).

ra_mom

Mon, Feb 27 2017, 10:29 pm

amother wrote:

we only put water in ours... clean it with Pessach vinegar with a designated "urn only" sponge. We use it year-round as a result. (I'll wipe off the outside before Pessach).

Chometz vinegar?

Page 1 of 2

1 2 Next