Vegan Cooking & Cookbooks discussion

A place to mention new and old but well loved gadgets, tools, and so on that add to the whole cooking experience.

Probably the single most favorite gadget of many of my friends is a pressure cooker. Mine is a hand me down from my MIL and it is really handy at getting a pot of beans from dry to ready to go in a really short span of time.

Other favorites are my tofuXpress (see tofuXpress.com )
and my brand spanking new shiny Masala Dabba (Indian spice box)

What are some of your favs?

I don't use it very often, but I like my little manual garlic press. I do sometimes enjoy crushed garlic.

I never actually express the water out of my tofu and I still enjoy it. Does it really make a huge difference in the texture?

I think so. As does freezing. I like it pressed for about an hour. Then marinated, if time permits. I believe pressing out the water allows more marinade places to fill. If that makes sense.

I don't like tofu that's been frozen. It tastes "too meaty" to me; I guess it's appealing to people who enjoy faux meats.

Selah wrote: "I think so. As does freezing. I like it pressed for about an hour. Then marinated, if time permits. I believe pressing out the water allows more marinade places to fill. If that makes sense."

I hadn't thought of it that way but it does make sense. I'm usually using tofu in a quick stir-fry kind of a way so I don't often marinate it. There seem to be lots of recipes for tofu marinade though maybe I will give the pressing or expressing technique a try.

I've accidently frozen my tofu in the fridge and noticed it gave it quite a chewy texture which I didn't mind. I can understand why it doesn't appeal to you Lisa, I know you don't like things with a meatier texture.

My favorite gadgets are my Vitamix blender (bought at a garage sale for $20 believe-it-or not!), my garlic roller (easily peels garlic cloves), and my pineapple corer, although my hand strength (or lack thereof) makes using it not so easy anymore. But I haven't found a better solution for fresh pineapples yet.

What a lucky find! I covet your Vitamix for 20 bucks.

A friend found and gave us a call!! It's an old one (probably 70s to 80s given the literature with it) but is metal, not plastic.

$20 - That's amazing!

We didn't get that kind of deal, but I do love my Vitamix. It was a very hard decision, but it has been worth it.

Yep..I don't use it as often as I should, but did use it this past weekend to make almond butter.

Sfdreams wrote: "A friend found and gave us a call!! It's an old one (probably 70s to 80s given the literature with it) but is metal, not plastic."

So, so jealous.

I have to say my favourite gadget is my food processor. I don't know what I did BFP.

I love gadgets. My Cuisinart food processor is still going strong nearly 30 years after we received it as a wedding present. I probably use my fuzzy logic rice cooker more than any other gadget. My Zojirushi bread machine comes in second in terms of usage. I'm also fond of my Crock-Pot and my pressure cookers.

The best cheap gadget of all time is the vintage "Top Off" jar and bottle opener by the Edlund Company. I have arthritis in my hands, and I've tried numerous jar openers that didn't work as well as I'd hoped. A friend mentioned the old Edlund company product and I found one on eBay. It works like a dream every time.

Bobbi wrote: "The best cheap gadget of all time is the vintage "Top Off" jar and bottle opener by the Edlund Company. I have arthritis in my hands, and I've tried numerous jar openers that didn't work as well as I'd hoped. A friend mentioned the old Edlund company product and I found one on eBay. It works like a dream every time. "

Ooh, Thanks, Bobbi. I've had arthritis in my hands since my twenties. And I'm left-handed so the strength to turn backwards for me just isn't there. I'm going to look into this gadget! Right now I have one of those round rubber textured discs, and it works reasonably well.

There's almost always one available on eBay. I got one for my mother-in-law there, too. Just search "Edlund Top Off."

Bobbi wrote: "There's almost always one available on eBay. I got one for my mother-in-law there, too. Just search "Edlund Top Off.""

Thanks, Bobbi. I might be getting myself a Hanukkah gift after all.

Here's a gadget that I'm super excited about.



http://www.blenderbottle.com/category

I want to start having my multivitamin as a powder instead of as capsules, because I'm thinking it will absorb better in my system and not irritate the lining of my stomach so much.

Supposedly this blender bottle works well, you just shake it up. I ordered it from amazon for about $8, can't wait to try it. There are 2 sizes, I'm not sure which one would work best. I went ahead and got the larger one and will see how it goes.




http://www.amazon.com/Sundesa-BB28-SC...

I just acquired a spiralizer and am completely in love! I've been eating raw, veggie noodles made from zucchini, cucumber, daikon, and carrots. It's so fun to use and it's a great alternative to cooked pasta. I'm feeling very healthy and I now have hope that my pasta addiction could be overcome with the help of raw, veggie noodles. Yay!

Does anyone have one of these tools and if so, do you have any favourite recipes to share?

Lee, I saw that on your blog. I'd never heard of a spiralizer and have never seen them anywhere.

I went for a walk in the rain/snow last night to get some more zucchini for the spiralizer. The store didn't have any left so I purchased an English cucumber to try instead. It worked like a dream! *doing my happy dance!* I'm finally discovering ways to get more raw veggies into my body in a way that's appealing!

Hi Don,
It's this one:

http://www.amazon.com/World-Cuisine-A...

Lee, Then you use a bowl for the spiralized veggies to fall into? I'd love one but it looks as though it takes up a lot of counter space, and I have no counter space. Have you been putingt pasta sauces on them or do other things with the vegetables?

Yes, I put a bowl under the ledge where the veggies come out. I've been using the same dressing/sauce that I posted in my blog but there are tons of other recipes or possibilities. Someone also suggested you could steam the veggies like noodles if you don't want to eat them raw. You could make noodles from sweet potato, beets, zucchini, carrots, etc.... You could throw some pasta sauce on that and have a super healthy dish.

That sounds so delicious. I wish I had more room. I might consider it anyway.

That's interesting, Don. I'm happy to report I haven't had that problem and I've eaten them two or three days in a row. :-)
If I find any more yummy recipes related to the spiralizer, I'll let you all know!

Lee wrote: "If I find any more yummy recipes related to the spiralizer, I'll let you all know!"

Yes, please, Lee.

Yum! Pretty pictures, Don.

That's awesome, Don!!!! I'm so glad you got one. I plan on making lots of zucchini noodles this summer, your sauce looks super yummy.

You're welcome. I hope you make lots of yummy veggie noodles!

I have 2 favorite tools. First, my kitchen aid mixer. It has to be 18 years old and never has skipped a beat (hopefully this does not jinx it). My second favorite tool is my rasp grater - lemon and lime zests quick and easy. And my fingers stay safe!

The two things I use most often are my steamer (which has a rice bowl and makes perfect rice) and my KitchenAid hand blender which I use regularly for soups and sauces. I've had the former for years, probably around 15 years or so. My hand blender I bought in an Amazon sale for about $30, since my Braun one had a large crack in the plastic. The new one I like a lot better.

I use my bread maker fairly regularly, but with the added humidity in the summer, it doesn't get used as often as it's hard to get the right amount of yeast.

I like my hand blender too, Tim. Nothing beats it for quick blending in the pot. It saves getting the blender dirty and I hate washing the blender...

I hate washing my blender too. I like that my hand blender separates so I only have to wash the attachment and not worry about the motor.

Yes, that's the best part. Run that wand under the tap immediately and it's good to go!

I'm another one who jumped onto the bandwagon and got the same spiralizer! :D It arrived today and I'm eager to try some zucchini noodles as well! (Isa posted a dish on PPK with them, using a peanut sauce, if I'm not mistaken..)

Back to the original question, I have to say my most favorite kitchen item would have to be my pressure cooker! I cook all of my soups in it as well as potatoes (cooked in 3 minutes! ;) ) and beans, of course!

Next would have to be my Vitamix, no doubt about that, even though I do prefer chopping onions etc. in my food processor. ;) [I have a fairly cheap one, nothing fancy.]

Steph, I don't have one either, but I think pressure cookers are usually used because they cook foods much more quickly. With a food like beans, they can make a significant time difference.

Val have you ever made a recipe for black bean brownies? I can't remember who had it but I was so interested - thing is it called for a pressure cooker and I don't have one so I never tried it. I don't know what a pressure cooker does to the beans that are different than normal cooking so I never tried to modify the recipe.

Steph,
actually I have a few times, yes! ;) The first time I've followed an easy recipe just using a boxed Brownie mix and using a can of black beans. (I'm not 100% sure how the recipe went but it was really easy! I think all you needed, was the mix, beans and water!)

The next time I've made black beans brownies from scratch. My recipe didn't call for a pressure cooker though. I usually buy bulk beans and then soak/cook them and freeze them in portions.
Sorry I'm no big help!

Oh and yes, the pressure cooker helps reducing cooking time immensely! Beans (pre-soaked) usually cook within 8-10 minutes, depending on what kind it is!

Thanks Lee, for posting about the spiralizer! I have been wanting one for years, but hadn't found any, and was okay with making raw zucchini noodles with a vegetable peeler. (More like really wide egg noodles or fettucine.) Thanks to your link, I have now placed it on my wish list!!

Val, I've never thought of trying potatoes in a pressure cooker. There minutes is pretty fast! Do you just do plain potatoes? Like boiled potatoes super quick?

The spiralizer is a real hit!!! We had zucchini noodles yesterday for dinner and my kids are excited to spiralize apples and potatoes next! ;)

Lee,
yes, the potato cooking time was one of the reasons I originally bought the pressure cooker! (That's what my grandparents used theirs for and that's how I knew about it! We didn't have one ourselves at my home..)
You can do plain boiled potatoes that way, absolutely!