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technique over tools

by theminimalistmom |


A VitaMix would be really handy right now. So would a big food processor and I have been reading about the amazing things you can do with a Souse Vide machine.

I’m on day 4 of a Whole30 challenge. Eating: fish, meat, poultry, eggs, vegetables, fats and a small amount of fruit, nuts and seeds. No dairy, no grains, no sugar. It probably sounds like a lot http://whole9life.com/2012/01/whole-30-v2012/of work. It is. I spend a lot of time in the kitchen and stick to a weekly meal plan. But we’ve been eating this way for 50-70% of our meals since last September so a lot of it is now habit.

As I have mentioned here before, kitchen gadgets are my Kryptonite. As we embark on a journey that see us eating mostly meat and veggies, (confession: we ate a lot of chocolate and some gluten over the holidays) I am scouring the Internet for recipes. My two favourite sites right now are Health-Bent and Nom Nom Paleo. Some of the recipes rely on a food processor or Vita Mix or a Dutch Oven or a slow cooker or another kitchen tool that we don’t have.

Tools that we don’t have and that I am not planning on getting any time soon.

It might sound daunting to make these kind of changes without some tools, or, you know, at least a freezer. But we’re actually doing quite well with just our Euro small fridge, a few pots, pans and baking sheets and two grocery shops a week (fridge just can’t hold more than 3-4 days worth of veggies, eggs and meat for us).

We’re doing well and eating meals that taste great and aren’t boring. Plain grilled chicken breast and steamed broccoli is not on the menu.

Instead of tools and gadgets I’m using techniques:

  • Braising vegetables and meat for better flavour.
  • Using sweat equity. A food processor could cut up cauliflower for Cauliflower Fried Rice in minutes. I can cut up the cauliflower by hand in about 20 minutes. Thus, we’re not having cauliflower fried rice more than once a week.
  • Keeping a close eye on the temperature of my pan or stock pot. Boiled meat is tough. Slow cooked meat is tender.
  • Not crowding my veggies when I roast them.
  • Letting my eggs get to room temperature before cooking them. They cook evenly and the flavour is better. Really.
  • Following directions. I love reading recipes but I usually read and then take the gist of it and start cooking. This has lead to some less than savoury meals (and me eating the offending meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner until it is gone). So, I am measuring, converting cooking temperatures to Celsius instead of guessing, moving the racks around in my oven and keeping my spice cabinet well stocked.
  • Marinating with fresh herbs. Thyme, lemon and garlic can turn a plain old chicken breast into something fantastic.

Would I like a pressure cooker or Souse Vide machine? Maybe. And maybe in the future, in a home with a kitchen that isn’t the size of a closet, maybe I would invest in some gadgets. But I know I can get by, and eat very well, without them.

Tell me, what kitchen gadgets do you use daily and which are languishing in a cupboard or your basement? I’ve found the one thing I can’t live without are good sharp knives.

 

 

  • You mentioned you have a big pot that you use like a slow cooker. Will that pot fit in the oven? One thing Cook’s Illustrated taught me is that to cook evenly and slowly in a pot, bring it to a boil, then put it in a 300 degree (F – I’ll let you do the math) oven. To avoid moisture loss like a slow cooker, put foil between the lid and the pot.

    I love to cook and I cook every day, and so have not decluttered my kitchen gadgets. But in the end you don’t need most of it! If you were to add one, I personally would go with the food processor – it is the most multi-functional of the gadgets you mentioned. You can even blend small amounts of liquids in it.

  • Great post! Myself, my wife, and our 2 young daughters have been eating Paleo for a number of months now and have been down the Whole30 path before. Congrats on going that route too! You’ll be amazed at how good you feel and it’s well worth hit in the long run.

    However, I hate to do this to you, but the Vitamix… incredible. It was big decision for us to spend that much money on an appliance, but after having it for 5 months, I don’t know how we’d live without it. We literally use it every day (sometimes more than once). Of course it’s awesome for smoothies, but it can do so many other things. Making salsa, grinding avocado nuts, making almond butter, almond milk, and ice cream just to name a few! Plus, this dude is built like a horse so it’s going to last forever (7 year warranty).

    I’m sure you can get by without it, but I highly recommend it over any other appliance.

  • Interesting to hear that you returned the Sous Vide machine. Wise choice. Wish I had done that with some of my gadgets and electronics that just ended up at a charity shop!

    PS. Go sell those appliances you’re not using!! A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.

  • Good luck with your paleo challenge Rachel! I agree with most people here, I love my food processor! I make tons of ‘lara bar’ type treats and it’s perfect for chopping up the dates and nuts. I also do a lot of grating and chopping in it. The other thing I just got and am in love with is my cast iron pan. Getting rid of all the others now! The slow cooker and the deep freeze (to hold all my beef and chicken!) are also essential, although I do love the idea of shopping for fresh meat on a more regular basis as seems the norm in the UK. Hard to get grass fed beef around here though, so have to stock up in the fall 🙂
    Love reading about your life in the Isle of Man! Take care 🙂

  • We have a big pot that I use like a slow cooker. Throw in veg and meat before breakfast, put it on low on the back burner, and, voila, dinner is ready at 5pm. That said, I found a slow cooker available on Freecycle here and am trying to get it. Would be nice to not have the stove top on all day.

  • I just found your blog and it is inspiring. I was just perscribed a no: wheat, legume, sugar, dairy, caffine lifestyle about 1.5 months ago. The first 3 wks were awesome- no cravings. Then, Mom’s cookies showed up in the mail for the holidays. One taste of sugar has started this hellish cycle. I would like to know how you beat this sensation, if you struggled with it. I look forward to downloading and reading your first year of blogs and putting your advice to practice. We live in a small apartment and it would be peacefull to minimize. I hope in time I can conquer this sugar addiction too. Thank you!!!

  • Ahhh the kitchen is my weakness too, although I was just in a US kitchen ‘super’ kitchen store and managed to walk out with nothing (although I looked at the vitamix after hearing so much about it here).
    I am thinking of taking my Father in laws slow cooker, which has been sitting unused for 15 yrs.
    Having just moved into a rental – I am using everything here, mostly hand held stuff with a Bosch food processer/blender/mixer combo.
    I have 2 boxes of kitchen stuff that has been in storage for 8 months – not sure what I will do with it when I move back….
    I think everyone needs to find a diet that ‘works’ for them – I have been veg for 20+ yrs and that works for me, but no one else in our house hold is, and that works for them. Good luck with your whole3o

  • A couple years ago, I got rid of everything in our kitchen that didn’t get used on a regular basis. I have a VitaMix (that I bought four years ago after saving and planning for months) and a Cuisinart food processor that I’ve had for about five years. Both get used at least once or twice a day. I could do without the microwave, but it’s built into the cabinets above our stove. Other than that, everything gets used on a very regular basis. No special china or glasses, no gadgets languishing in the back of a cupboard.
    I’ve been into healthy eating pretty much my whole life. I’ve been vegetarian or vegan for most of the past several years, but last summer I spent a lot of time reading about primal eating and decided to cut most grains out of our diet. We used to eat a lot of whole grain bread and whole grain pasta, and we don’t anymore. We still eat oats or quinoa at breakfast time, because I’m part of a family and we’re all about compromise. But no more pasta or bread. I’ve been making flax/almond flat bread and we use spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles or kelp noodles in place of pasta. It’s been easier than we thought, and we all feel great. We do eat lots of eggs these days, but I’ve stayed true to my desire to not eat meat, except for some very occasional salmon. So we’re an odd combination of mostly vegetarian/mostly primal (with the oats and legumes added in). We drink green smoothies everyday, which is where the VitaMix works its magic.
    I love to read food blogs, and get lots of inspiration from them. But sometimes it seems like the people writing them have every piece of kitchen equipment ever invented. I sometimes have to remind myself that what I already have works just fine. Salad spinner? Even though we eat salads every day, it’s pretty easy to dump the washed leaves into a towel, gather up the edges in my hand, and go stand outside the back door while I swing my arm around in a circle holding the towel full of greens.
    Great article. Your points apply to lots of other aspects of life too, beyond the kitchen.

  • Good luck with your Whole30! I love reading the success stories from them . I’ve been transitioning into paleo myself since August. I actually found your blog through a paleo blog. I had some issues when I cut out too much, so I now try to follow the Jaminet’s Perfect Health Diet that includes safe starches. A vacation and the holidays in general brought about some bad eating, but I’m trying to get back on track. That, along with decluttering my life, are my personal resolutions for this year.

  • I use my breadmaker 2-3 times a week, sometimes just on the dough program (notime is my middle name). My slow cooker has been sitting in its box for 3 years, never used, same goes for my mixer. We love stews and hearty soups; it would only make sense to use that slow cooker. I have a pressure cooker that gets used sometimes.
    I use my simple beater/mixer for baking and could not love without the toaster and the kitchen scale (not digital). That it is for gadgets, I do all chopping by hand (smelling my homemade bread stops the crying from onions). Sharp knives would be a must – not for me as I am clumsy and there have been and would be cutting accidents…
    I cannot imagine going dairy or gluten free at this point , but maybe this is a good time to change up some things – my son just developed allergy to soy milk, although he can have cow’s milk. We eat meat and need to eat more vegetables, I will check out those sites.

    • I couldn’t imagine going dairy and gluten free either a few yeas ago. It’s been a long slow process to get to even this beginners stage. But the more I eat these foods and cook this way the more I see that with a bit of planning it is possible. And I feel really good when I am off grains and dairy – like wake up and take on the world good 🙂

  • One area where I know I will never be a minimalist is in the kitchen. On a daily basis I use my electric kettle, coffee maker, cuisinart stand mixer, and food processor. For us I do consider them somewhat essential – I have 3 children ages 5 and under, so time is limited. I would LOVE a Vita Mix, it’s on my wish list.

    • I’m doubtful we’ll ever go down to just a knife, pot and pan either 🙂 I like cooking and trying new recipes so I almost count kitchen gadgets (the few that we have here and the ones stored back in Canada) as tools for my hobby.

  • We are a family of five with a few intolerances and I spend a LOT of time in the kitchen. I love my vitamix and would not be without it. Of course it’s best to save for things, but if you know you’re going to get one why wait? How much money would you save starting today if you owned one? To me there is so much value in it for both cost and health purposes. It is certainly not your standard blender. I’m embarrassed to confess I also got a Thermomix this year and love it just as much. I will probably pass my vitamix on at some point as I’m doubling up but it will find it hard to let it go!!

  • Oo such a great topic! I go crazy over our kitchen gadgetry! We use our blender almost daily, but I’d LOVE to upgrade to a BlendTec or VitaMix as they are much more multi-purpose. Our crock pot is used monthly, food processor weekly, and baking/cooking supplies daily. The Hubs just got a coffee make and grinder for the holidays, which I already loathe due to the space they require. One thing we did downsize was our can opener. Instead of an electric one, we now have a small hand crank one. I also got rid of our big stand mixer for a small electric hand mixer. Ugh, that’s SO much, but we really do utilize it all at some point!

  • Seeing as I am in a bread phase my go to tool right now is a bread cloche. Basically it saves me from building the wood fired brick oven outside. I also just picked up a digital kitchen scale and this has transformed the consistency of my dough. Still with the bread I would so love a stand mixer for the really sticky doughs but I can make do with good old hand power for now.

    Over the past few years I have been tempted by the idea of a slow cooker or crock pot but we looked after a neglected juicer for four years and I don’t want to go through that again.

  • My must have in a kitchen other than good knives is a Crock pot, on the days I teach this is a life saver. I can prep my meat and vegs in the night or morning and put the crock pot on before I leave the house and come home to one less thing to do, or a meal ready when we have been gone 12 hours. Yes with Scouts and Dance on Tuesday’s we are gone 12 hours that day.

  • I’ve read great reviews of the Sous Vide Supreme. And while I cringe at the plastic waste, I could see how it would be ideal for cooking and freezing meals. As we mull over having another baby the thing I keep thinking is, we’ll need a freezer before we have a newborn again. Bit strange, I know. But the thought of not having healthy and delicious meals stockpiled sends me into a panic.

  • Thanks for the links and tips. I’m trying to go more primal and need some more inspiration.

  • That famous vitamix pops in and out of my head. I sometimes think about getting one. I have an inexpensive blender that takes forever to blend things and even then… Then I think, what if vitamix didn’t exist? I wouldn’t even be thinking that there was something better than what I have. I’m so grateful that I grew up in Mexico back in the day when mexicans didn’t know about gadgets! My mom used to use a cup to smash the crackers to bread the chicken. We had a lemon squeezer, but not a garlic mincer. Is that what those are called? I can’t stand those! Just more stuff to wash. I have a crock pot (is this a gadget?) I use it every day. I just bought a good quality knife. Just one.

  • We don’t have any expensive kitchen appliances, and I kind of like it that way. We got rid of a ton of kitchen appliances this past year simply because we weren’t using them – the one gadget I did keep and use often is a Braun product that can become an immersion blender, a hand mixer, or a food processor using different attachments. I don’t even think they make such a thing any longer, but it’s so useful and it can chop veggies in seconds for baking or using in recipes. Other than that, we have a Magic Bullet for making smoothies, and a toaster. I try to be inspired more by the ingredients and the process of cooking than by the gadgets themselves.

  • Slow-cooker for me everytime. The one-pot thing revolutionised my life. It so very simple, nutritious and frugal. I love it! The one thing I do not need is a bread-maker. Making bread by hand is so very easy. Okay so it may take a bit of elbow grease or as you eloquently put it sweat equity – but it’s worth it! Pleased to hear how well the eating is working out for you Guys and that you have made it a habit! That’s 95% of the battle…

  • I love thestonesoup.com. Jules does a great job catering to the minimalist cooking idea and really makes great recipes and suggestions. You might check out her website for a few more ideas. As for tools I simply can’t live without I can make a decent meal with a knife, cutting board and bowl. Once I struck on that I simplified my spices and was surprised how tasty food could be made with really simple spices and herbs.

  • My must haves are a vitamix blender. I use this almost every day. Not only do I use it to make smoothies, but a few times a week we make rice milk (no dairy or wheat consumed here). I also use it to make homemade peanut butter that has nothing but peanut in it. My other gadget is my Kitchen Aid mixer. I have used that little gem 2-3 times a week for over 8 years making bread and other baked goods for my kids. I also use a mimi food processor (food chopper) to cut up some veggies that I want my kids to eat, but they don’t want to for various reasons. I chops them up fine enough that they don’t know they are in there. Especially, onions. I want the flavor, they don’t like the texture…problem solved. It also usually solves the problem of me “crying” everytime I chop onions. My husband is always willing to buy me new gadgets, but I don’t want them. I know that I won’t use them and will eventually go back to the basics.

    • Trust me, I am really tempted by the VitaMix blender. I am spending a lot of $ on nut butters I could be making myself and I’d love it for veggie and fruit smoothies. Everyone I know who has one raves about it and uses it all the time. I think it could be an end 2012 purchase. Which means I need to start saving now! 🙂

      • They are pricey!! My sister bought a refurbished one for a few hundred less than what I paid for mine new. Oh, the nut butters you could make!!! We eat alot of raw fruits and veggies and some of the recipes taste good with a regular blender, but seriously taste soooo much better with a Vitamix or equivalent. One would think that the taste would be a psycological thing, but it is NOT! Some things taste so much better.

  • We’re very careful to only hold onto the gadgets we use often. That list includes a slow cooker (used several times a week), a food processor / blender hybrid (used several times a month), and a stick blender (used about weekly with that slow cooker). My husband also insists on holding onto a bread maker, as he’s perfected his pizza dough in there – it’s delicious, but I’m urging him to find an alternate way to make it so we can clear that cupboard!

  • Thanks for the tip re eggs. I usually bring them to room temperature for baking, but not for cooking on their own. Going to try that the next time I have them.

    I only have two gadgets – a food processor (with a blender attachment) and a stand mixer. It’s partly due to lack of space as I have a single cupboard for all kitchenware, but I don’t think I’d use other gadgets enough to warrant having them. I could live without the food processor, although the blender is handy for soups as I prefer some of them smooth rather than chunky. Perhaps I’ll give the bulky processor away and invest in a hand blender instead. The stand mixer is invaluable for beating things for a long period of time (e.g. fudge, bread dough) but these aren’t things I make a lot of so I don’t consider it essential. But I don’t think I’d like to be without it, and it certainly got a good work out for Christmas presents which were all homemade treats.

    The only things I use daily (or near enough to) are exactly the same as yours. A couple of pots, a frying pan, some baking sheets and two (one big, one small) good knives.

    • We kept our food processor and stand mixer. When I do bake it’s, like you, usually in large quantities for special occasions and gifts.
      Over here in the UK they don’t refridgerate eggs in the store. They are just on a shelf. I do wonder if I could just leave them out?? Will have to look into it.

      • I am in the UK as well. I moved here from Australia and was surprised to see eggs on the shelf, but I don’t even think about it now.

        I refrigerate my eggs simply because I have a larger fridge than pantry and I don’t keep more than a week’s worth of food at a time in it, so that’s where my spare space is. I’d say that if your kitchen is no warmer than the average supermarket (which are kept fairly cool) and maintains a fairly constant temperature, it would be fine to leave them out if you buy good quality eggs and get through them quickly enough.

        There’s a fairly interesting conversation on the Guardian boards if you want some more views: http://www.guardian.co.uk/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-26086,00.html

        • I’m pretty sure you don’t have to refrigerate. I don’t always depending on space in my small fridge. Now I know all about the ‘float test’ I’m confident in spotting a ‘bad egg’!
          p.s. Lauren I didn’t know you were Australian! You learn something every day!

        • Interesting. Thanks for the link. Our kitchen is a no window room with a door that is often closed when I am cooking (it has a vent over the stove). It can get quite hot in there so I don’t think I could keep my eggs out on the counter. But from what I read on that Guardian link, if we ever move to a home with an open plan kitchen I could leave the eggs out on the counter. We use a lot of eggs and rarely have ones that are closet to the expiry date.

          PS. I love UK eggs! Particularly the ones here on the Isle of Man. Free range and organic fed is both easily available and so much cheaper in comparison to similar eggs in Canada. It’s been a nice win for me in the cooking department.

  • I will admit that I have quite a number of kitchen gadgets. I will also admit that I use most of them on a weekly basis, if not more frequently. I am VERY cautious before I purchase any new gadget, knowing that I only want what I will use regularly.

    I’ve retired any number of gadgets to the storage closet…which is purged every 6 months. If I haven’t wanted it in that time, it gets passed along to someone who thinks they will use it 🙂

    • One of the things I find challenging is that if you’re into trying new recipes and foods, you can get really bogged down in tools. I was in a make my own ice cream phase a few years back. So, of course, I bought an ice cream maker. I used it a lot one summer and then it gathered dust for two years. I’m trying to get better at either borrowing tools or using make shift items (you can make ice cream without an ice cream maker, bowl +freezer + regular stirring).

  • Have you got Freecycle on the Isle of Man?
    Maybe someone would be glad to find a home for a Slow Cooker or other gadgets. You might even be helping them to declutter and you can Freecycle things back into the system whenever you like.

    • Ding! There is a Isle of Man Freecycle group. Going to check out how active it is. Thank you 🙂 And checked your blog today and was drooling. Beautiful soup and those black buns looked tasty (even for the wheat free).

  • You always get me thinking!

    First, you inspired me to look more into paleo diet. We landed on primal since it’s fits all of us in the household (including a toddler) a little better. Incidentally, starting the diet coincided with finding out our daughter is lactose intolerant! Good looking out, MM!

    AND as I had started cooking this week I was incredibly frustrated with my lack of tools and hurriedly running to my amazon wish list to make additions. You’ve encouraged me to be patient with myself and learning some new techniques before bringing more tools into the house.

    Thanks again!

    • Thanks, Kim. And I want to hear more about going Primal as a family.

      I was frustrated when I started going the no wheat no dairy route too. I kept thinking, if only I had a ____ I could make ____. But what helped me turn the corner, for now, was great simple veggie recipes, spice combinations and learning more about the best ways to cook meat. The NomNomPaleo.com website has been a huge help. She has a lot of side dish recipes so I can pretty much grab anything from the produce section or at the farmer’s market and make something tasty out of it. I’m also learning how little I know about cooking meat and fish. We grew up on a lot of ground beef (large family, not a lot of money) so cooking lamb, roasts and such is new territory for me.

      The one thing I did recently buy: julienne peeler. Relatively cheap and doesn’t take up too much space. Been using it to make noodles from veggies and add for carrots in salads.

      Good luck and I let me know how Primal goes!

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