Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
XP: help me spend some $
I posted this on What's Cooking but maybe you ladies will have some input too.
I've got $200 in Williams-Sonoma gift cards to spend, and I'm not sure what to buy. I've got a nice set of pots&pans, a relatively new set of knives, a Kitchen Aid mixer, and more cake pans and mixing bowls than my cabinets can hold.
I like to bake, but I've got most everything I need for that. I don't want to buy decorative stuff like towels or oven mitts because we're moving soon and if our new kitchen isn't neutral then it might just be a big waste.
I was thinking about getting the pasta roller attachment set for my KAM. WC has also suggested a Le Creuset dutch oven, KAM ice cream attachment, and a cast iron skillet. Any thoughts on these items?
Any other suggestions for luxury kitchen stuff that you can't live without now that you have it? When we were registering for our wedding, I thought DH was crazy for saying we should ask for a stand mixer. Now I can't imagine not having it! I use it all the time. Same thing with our pots and pans: DH thought we should stick with our cheap stuff, but I insisted we get a nice set, and now he will never go back. I'd like to make a similar good investment on something since I have this chunk of money available just for a kitchen purchase.
Re: XP: help me spend some $
Do you need to use the GCs now or can you wait until after you move?
My favorite item in the kitchen is my convection oven, which basically is a glorified toaster oven. But I love it. I can fit a whole pizza in that thing. And I've actually roasted a small hen in there as well.
The problem is we're moving to another apartment, and still hoping to buy a house in the next year. So I really want to wait til we have a house to buy decorative stuff. I could hold onto them but it's been two years already and I am sick of seeing them in my wallet.
What does she use it for? I don't have a food processor and I never feel like I need one.
Adoption Blog
http://www.cuisinart.com/products/food_processors.html
So many choices and accessories!
YES!!! A hand blender is key for those that love to make soup. I love thick soups and it makes it easier to do that without using cream.
I adore my KA ice cream maker attachment. I also love my mini food processor and immersion blender. I also got a marble pastry board that's heaven- we have a tile countertop, so every time I roll anything out, flour gets it between the tiles, it's such a pain. The pastry board is a lifesaver. And I love my Ateco cake turntable.
?We're thinking about this too, and I think we're going to buy a Le Creuset dutch oven from our registry that no one purchased. I would suggest that, but I haven't used any Le Creuset yet, so I can't say how good they are.
?And I think you could get a lot of use out of a cast iron skillet. I don't have one, but often I think I should get one.?
I can't imagine life without a food processor! I think I have a 14 cup Cuisinart. I use the food processor for slicing as well as making dips, spreads, noodle kugel, etc. I have a mini processor that I use sometimes to chop things really quickly.
I also have an immersion blender as well but haven't taken it out of the box.
I'd love attachments for my KAM but haven't needed any... I'm sure I'd love to make ice cream. Oh there is a cool KAM paddle that has the scraper so that you don't have to scrape the bowl when mixing.
I just bought a dutch oven (Martha Stewart brand)- it was cheap & I had a GC so I figured I'd test out the brand.
A pastry board sounds awesome, especially if you like to bake! Do you like to bake bread? How about a bread maker? How about a pizza stone?
I'm jealous! I want to go on a WS shopping spree
but my husband would kill me... we have no more storage for my kitchen gadgets!
I have a Cuisiart stand mixer and I love using the pasta attachment. We were never really pasta lovers but now that we are able to make our it makes it fun and enjoyable. I especially like using it to make fresh whole wheat pasta that doesn't taste like a cardboard box. Perhaps you can get a pasta attachment, assuming there is one for the KA stand mixer?
I love Le Creuset cookware. I have all clad stainless steel and the colored cast iron. I use the oval dutch oven often. I have a 6 qt. dutch oven, I think. In the winter I make hearty winter stews, roasts, etc. in it.
I know you said you didn;t want to buy towels, etc. as you will be moving but what about updating your spatulas or other cooking tools as well?
I was just in WS the other day and noticed they are having a sale. A lot of general tools, cookwear, etc. are on sale.
We have a $200 WS gift card to use up too!!
I'm kind of trying hard to get DH to agree to the stand mixer though
) We registered for one and didn't get it, but I would LOVE to have gracing our counter.
)
If not though, I'd be getting a hand mixer and a Le Crueset big enough for a chicken