Those Amazing Cooking Machines I Covet

...perfect to make bread, fry things, for raclette, rice and eggs, plus a recipe...

Apr 20, 2023

Set and walk away. That’s what I love about so many of the new cooking machines! They take almost no effort and produce amazing results, saving me time to do other things.

I have always been a food machine enthusiast who, like my friend who is a shopaholic for shoes, wants to buy every shiny new gadget to play with.

My kitchen has a lot of machines in it. A fabulous Italian barista-worthy espresso machine. My much-used ice cream maker. The KitchenAid mixer I inherited from my father, a great cook, with all the attachments he had accumulated. He loved to grind his own meat and make his own sausages with that machine.

I also have two Cuisinart food processors because it’s easier than stopping mid-recipe and washing out a bowl. I don’t cook with a microwave, so I have one but rarely use it. A blender for smoothies.

And I have a much loved Chefman Jumbo Size electric deep fryer which I use and delight in, and can totally recommend, to make potato chips, french fries, fried clams, fried chicken, and anything else I can think of frying in it. It’s so much fun.

My latest yearning, however, has been for a bread making machine.

Why would I do that when I love making my own by hand? Probably because I see people online in videos extolling the ease of it, that you can control what goes into your bread so there are no preservatives or chemical trails, that you can set it in the evening, go to bed, and it works on a timer so that when you wake up you have warm fresh fragrant bread for breakfast. No work. That’s so appealing to me.

I have trolled through so many models and had a hard time finding one that didn’t have a non-stick teflon interior, which can be toxic. I finally found one that I am considering ordering that has a ceramic interior. It’s this KBS Large Bread Maker.

The first thing I want to make when I get it is cinnamon raisin bread with loads and loads of cinnamon and tons and tons of raisins. I will set it to be finished in the morning when I will take it out of the machine and it will be hot.

I imagine thickly slicing it, toasting it, slathering it with sweet butter and totally enjoying freshly made bread. I would also try recipes for sourdough in it, as well as brioche and challah. This model has a fruit, seeds and nut dispenser to ensure they are mixed in at the right time and don’t sink to the bottom, and it apparently makes pizza dough in no time.

To make it easier to learn how to use, I ordered this cookbook:

it has a variety of recipes including making vegetable breads, cheese breads, fruit breads, quick breads and more….so I am really looking forward to experimenting with this. Plus, there are a lot of gluten free bread recipes online to try with this machine.
Or there is this gluten-free bread machine cookbook:

If you own a bread machine, or can recommend one, leave a comment below. I will wait to order this one until I see what your personal recommendations are!

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I am also looking at raclette makers. I adore raclette. I make fondu several times every winter using a mixture that includes raclette cheese, but like the idea of everyone at the table having their own little tray of cheese melting, a sort of do-it-yourself dinner party where I can offer warm tiny potatoes, gherkins, slices of baguette and pickled cocktail onions for them to enjoy with the cheese that they will scoop onto their plates out of the raclette maker that will sit in the middle of the table.

I found this one, Swissmar KF-77040 8-person raclette maker, that has a non-toxic cast iron grill plate. It looks just about perfect.

People often grill sausages, vegetables and the little potatoes on the top grill. I might try to melt Mexican cheese and on top make fajitas fillings and warm the soft tacos. If you turn over the grill it is smooth enough to make pancakes or quesadillas. I might try hibachi style cooking on it.

And I am also looking to replace my old electric ricer.

They always make perfect rice and are so easy to use, simply set and forget, that I don’t want to be without one. I threw out the one I use a lot because I suddenly focused and realized it has a toxic non-stick coating. Out in the bin it went. I finally found a one that has a stainless steel inner pot, called Elite Gourmet 10 Cup rice cooker.

I have so many cooking machines now on my counters that the rest of them live under my kitchen counters. I have a long electric Bella pancake griddle and an electric egg cooker I got hooked on in Germany that I store down below out of sight. I also have a regular size waffle maker and one that makes mini waffles. You’ll find my heavy-duty electric juicer, which I actually use quite a bit.

And what could possibly be my favorite of all my cooking “machines” is my Instapot.

What a gift! I can’t praise it enough. It is a game changer. Brisket, Boeuf Bourguignon, pulled pork, steamed pudding, yogurt….well, it just about does everything. It took me a while to learn how to use it, how to excel at using it, and this cookbook helped me gain that confidence:

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Condiment Recipe: (you don’t need a machine to make this one, and you know how much I love condiments!!)

Ruby Red Onion and Raspberry Chutney

makes about 4 cups

I recently made this to serve over a rustic country pate on sliced baguette and it was lovely so I thought I would share the recipe with you. It would also be perfect over cheese or with curry as well. Let me know how you like it?

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 large red onions, peeled

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2/3 cup white balsamic vinegar

2/3 cup plain white vinegar

1 cup fresh raspberries

Directions:

Add the olive oil to a large saucepan and heat over medium heat.

Thinly slice the onions, slice in half, and add to the pot. Stir and cook until they are translucent and begin to caramelize, for about 6 minutes.

Add the salt, both sugars and both vinegars and stir well to combine. Continue cooking until the mixture is very soft and thickened, for another 10 minutes or more if needed. Then take off the heat and gently stir in the raspberries until they are mashed in and thoroughly incorporated, but not cooked.

Transfer to a clean bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.

Those Amazing Cooking Machines I Covet

...perfect to make bread, fry things, for raclette, rice and eggs, plus a recipe...

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