A bidet. Fight me.
One I didn’t see mentioned yet: a rice cooker.
Put in rice, add water, push start button, and you get perfect rice every time. I’m usually against single-purpose kitchen tools but a rice cooker is soo worth it.
Really only if you eat a lot of rice. For once a year or so, a pot on the stove works just fine. The actual benefit I’ve see for ricecookers is how well they can hold the rice for hours ready to go, but that’s more of a commercial benefit I think.
[…] but that’s more of a commercial benefit I think
For me, this is the primary benefit of a rice cooker. Having warm, cheap, filling food on demand at any time is fantastic. I am so lazy and my little rice buddies are always ready to go when I can’t be bothered.
“Rice is great if you’re really hungry and want to eat two thousand of something”
I eat a lot of ice and I still just make it in a pot.
I like to imagine you huddled over an ice field, stirring water in a pot until it turns to the perfect slushy consistency for your fresh homemade ice.
Shit this comment made me so thirsty good lord I need some water
Artesan ice. $17.99/litre
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I would like to know more about this.
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I need this recipe ASAP.
Get a box of brownie mix
Mix according to the instructions
Put in rice cooker
Start cooker
Brownies are done when cooker cycle finishes. Test with toothpick, run longer if not fully baked.
OK that sounds so simple. Going to try this. Thanks!
A rice cooker can serve as a cheaper instapot tho. I can steam rice and veggies without having to babysit a pot.
I also have kitchen anxiety, and in a roommate situation can keep a rice cooker in my room.
Living in Japan, this almost didn’t register to me. I have literally never met anybody that didn’t have one. When you move out, you use your family’s old one until you can buy a newer one.
Everyone should have one, absolutely.
When I did a homestay in Japan, my host dad was shocked my family didn’t have one. I do now though!
I know this will be a popular response, but I don’t get it.
I just use a pot and the rice is always perfect? Not hard at all? Am I just good?
I used to do that for years, but rice cookers really do some magic to get perfectly fluffy rice. I thought my technique was good, until I tried rice from a rice cooker.
Meanwhile, I’ve been disappointed by rice cooker rice and make it better the old fashioned way. :shrug:
You should look into Zojirushi. They make the best rice cookers
Yeah just add however many cups of rice and then add water to the specified line. Don’t need to do any of that finger bullshit to check water levels
And by cup I mean the cup that comes with the rice cooker not sure how it corresponds to the actual unit of measurement
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I recently got an instant pot and gave my rice cooker back to my parents, the tough part was figuring out how to make it not stick of you don’t have a nonstick liner. Letting it naturally release pressure with the keep warm off seems to do the trick for mine, I’m guessing quick release releases too much moisture, and the keep warm doesn’t help either. With that I get good rice every time with no sticking.
I have the same pot and it defaults to low but every recipe I find says use high so that’s what I’ve beeping doing. Now I kinda Wana try low.
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Mine always seems turn turn out fine on high 6min with 10min natural release but now you have me wondering if I just haven’t had good rice haha. How long do you do it on low?
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Hmm, okay, I’ll bite. What’s the secret with low pressure for long grain rice like basmati? I’ve been using 1:1 ratio rice:water for 6 minutes on high with a 10 minute natural release.
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Interesting. How many minutes on low, and quick release or natural?
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We sold our rice cooker on eBay after finding out the microwave rice cooker addon for 10€ is just as good, if not faster.
Lol TIL people are buying used rice cookers on eBay
So what?
It’s great for quinoa, farro and couscous too. Love our tiger rice cooker, it’s a work horse!
Speaking of, be careful about consuming too much rice because of arsenic. There are plenty of other grains that don’t soak up arsenic so readily and have a better nutritional profile. It’s fine to eat rice, just switch it out throughout the week.
So much this. I’m usually responsible for cooking for the week, and prepping rice was so much of a hassle in the middle of cooking everything else that most of the time I didn’t even bother and went for pasta instead— way easier to cook, but easily 3x the calories.
After I got a rice cooker, I just pop like 4 cups in that mfer and we got enough rice to last through like 2 days worth of dinner + bentos for lunch the day after.
Get a rice cooker y’all.
what’s the difference with cooking rice the normal way?
ok this might sound heretical but a “hack” i learned from cooking youtube is to just boil rice like pasta then drain. I do this for about ~12 mins with white rice and it comes out perfect every time with no risk of messing up. Downside is you need to drain it.
unsure the validity of this claim? but apparently there can be a non-insignificant amount of arsenic in american grown rice, and boiling can help leech it out into the water.
Love mine.
When I make chicken or beef stock I put it in I’ve cube trays. On some mornings I add the rice, a stock ice cube, and maybe some miso. I let it ride while I get ready and then crack an egg on the cooked rice and add some avocado, tamari and rice seasoning (nori and sesame)
Best breakfast and super easy
An instant pot can do that and a whole lot more. I’m not sure if that falls under $100 but I would bet if you got an off-brand version it would.
You can do a lot more with a rice cooker. Soup, pasta, sauces, even steam vegetables if you put a tray on it.
You can do all of that. I don’t care either way. I was just suggesting because of the “single use” comment.
The relatively good larger instant pot that I bought a couple of years ago was around $79, so I reckon you can still get one for under $100. Although I also have a rice cooker, I find this thing indispensable. I often have 5-8 people at my house, so a go to is throwing a bunch of chicken breast, soy, ginger, garlic, brown sugar, etc, in the instant pot for around 30-40 minutes total time while the rice is cooking. Shred chicken, turn to sauté, add a little corn starch slurry. Boom teriyaki chicken.
We do a similar thing for chicken tacos, but spicing with chicken bouillon, cumin, cayenne, chili powder, garlic, onion, tomato. Shred, enjoy meat for tacos, enchiladas, etc. I make a passable birria in about around 2 hours.
Country ribs/pork shoulder, bbq sauce, apple juice, onion, garlic. While it’s cooking in the instant pot, simmer down an onion. Not quite caramelize until it’s jelly, but sweat until onions are soft. Turn oven to broil, cut the entire pack of kings hawaiian rolls or similar in half, butter and brown under the broil. Shred the pork, spread on the rolls, add a little bbq sauce, the onions, and cover with provolone slices. Broil again until cheese melts.
Chili is another good one. Although I haven’t done it, you can use unsoaked dry beans in some recipes. I usually just throw a few cans of my faves (I prefer it bitier, so more kidney) with spices and browned meat of some sort (feel free to omit) and we’re good to go.
Most of the things I make in the instant pot are things that I would normally have to wait all day for, or at least 3-4 hours. Not great after a work day. Low and slow recipes work really well in instant pot with a minor adjustment here and there, and often you turn a 4 hour recipe into a 1 hour recipe. And as a poor, this type of cooking can be a game changer because low and slow is often for foods that are cheap. if you head to the store and buy a ny strip, you can come home and be eating great in 15 minutes. Not so much with a much, much cheaper piece of chuck.
For anyone who doesn’t want a rice cooker but can’t find a good basic white rice recipe: Put rice and water in a pot (1 cup rice to 1.5 cup water. People will tell you 2 cups water, punch them, or ignore them, your choice.) Turn it on high until it boils, stirring lightly occasionally to stop it from sticking. As soon as it starts boiling (not simmering) cover it with a lid and turn on low. Keep covered until it’s done (just taste it to test if it’s done.)
P.S. You can add whatever seasonings you want if you find something good online or something. It’s not important to actually cooking the rice.
Is it different from a pressure cooker? Because pressure cooker is similar (add water, rice, start cooking, wait for X whistles) and has multiple use cases.
Rice cookers are not sealed for high pressure (they are in fact not sealed at all, just like regular pots and lids, because they need to lose excess moisture) and they are configured for this one particular thing: every rice cooker is calibrated for a fixed serving of rice (or couple different settings) with fixed amount of water. All it really does is turn off at the perfect moment,
which is determines by weight.which is determined by a thermostat (magnet-based in this case)The high end rice cookers use sensors and will vent excess moisture or hold in moisture as need and can adjust cook time.
Zojirushi calls their sensors “micom”
Oh, I have a pressure sealed rice cooker, but it’s the top of the line Zojuroshi and is more like $600. It’s also not fast, takes like an hour, but the rice is divine. Sadly, I rarely cook rice. I got it for my sister, who lived in China for a while and used to eat rice all the time, but then moved into a tiny house and gave it back to me… I can’t really bear to throw it out - but I only use it if I’m making a huge amount of rice randomly.
It takes longer because it soaks the rice, which makes it more consistent.
Ah okay. Thanks!
My husband got us a Zojirushi rice cooker for my birthday one year, and I love it so much! We had an old $15 Oster one previously, which was also pretty nice to have, but oh boy. I’m spoiled by Zojirushi now. We could make a cake in it! I haven’t yet… But I could! Lol.
I’ve always wanted to try one of those, nice.
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More importantly, it clutters the kitchen.
A toothbrush
A pair of high fidelity earplugs (aka concert earplugs or filtering earplugs). You can get a good non-custom pair for $15–$40, and that’ll work well for the average person for a long time.
They’re excellent for live music, airplanes, and anytime you want the world to be quieter but still need to be able to understand speech. And for music specifically, they can bring the volume level down just enough to be safe without muffling the sound like traditional foam earplugs do. Protect your hearing, kids!
If you have a car get a dashcam. It’s more valuable than any insurance because it will definitively prove what happened when something goes wrong. Bonus: you can post videos of bad drivers doing stupid things on the internet for imaginary points.
A bike. Poor people in underdeveloped countries can use it to get access to education and markets, while people from developed countries can ise it to keep healthy and reduce their environmental footprint
A bidet. You can install it yourself in 20 minutes and enjoy a lifetime of cleaner buttholes and save on tp.
3 dozen pairs of identical socks. Mine are black crew cut. I’ll wear them until the last few pairs are worn through and I’ll never have a sock without a mate.
A first aid kit
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A fire extinguisher can be found for less than 100 USD and is a must-have. A smoke detector is also a bare minimum in my opinion.
The Haynes manual for your car. Even if you’re not a mechanic they are so detailed they will walk you through fixing almost anything, they’re made for the laymen. I’m a diesel mechanic and even i own one for my cars.
When friends buy a new car i buy them a Haynes manual.
They don’t do them for ever single car in the world and the coverage isn’t as great on later model stuff but if you own s car 5 years or more old they’re great.
Maybe specific, but if you do any DIY housework, get an endocscope. Baiscally, a 10 foot long flexible wire with a camera and light at the end. Uses your phone as a screen. Can be had for <$50. So many of my house projects would have been impossible without it. Also good for finding stuff under the couch.
These are sometimes referred to as borescopes rather than endoscopes.
I got one on wish like 10 years ago and it’s still works fine today! Do your research though because some say “1080p” but gives you only 120p! lol Also, Temu is the new wish! 😂
Get one with a built in screen not an app. Your phone will eventually be updated but the app never will and might stop working at some point
They’re usually just basic USB cameras so any generic camera app that supports USB cameras will work with them. I use an app called CameraFI 2 on Android.
Mine works with generic apps on the Play Store
Could’ve used one of these yesterday. My father-in-law needed help mounting a TV and we couldn’t find a stud to save our lives. We eventually discovered that the wall had deep studs due to ½ inch chipboard in addition to the ¾ inch drywall. We literally start randomly hammering nails into the wall to find the studs, which led us to that discovery.
I had something very similar - a wall with old wood paneling that had been painted so you can’t tell it’s wood paneling any more. My stud finder was having a hard time due to the thickness of the wood on top of the drywall. I drilled a hole and stuck my little USB camera in there. Life saver.
I recently bought a metal detector/stud finder for that exact reason. I also am an electrician and have to find studs or rebar often when drilling and it’s been great for that too. In your case it would work by detecting the nails in the studs instead of looking for the studs themselves. I got the Zircon Metalliscanner (I believe)
I think I was literally using that exact same stud finder. We were getting very sketchy hits on where the studs were located, so we started probing and found the issue.
I’ll second this, although mine doesn’t work anymore as the software is too out of date for my phone! It was very useful when it worked though.
If you’re on Android, try the CameraFi app.
Thanks, will check that out :-)
I’m buying one now. Didn’t even occur to me but would be so helpful
I got mine on AliExpress for looking at stuff behind the walls without making major holes. It was literally like $10.
didnt realize they were that affordable, i have unironically been in multiple situations where i thought “yeah i wish i had an endoscope rn”
A water kettle. Doesn’t have to be any fancy one, but it really fucking rocks for anything you might think of : want hot water for tea? No problem. Need hot water to steep something? No problem.
Most mid-range ones are insanely power efficient too, often being alot better than just boiling water on a stovetop, or using a microwave. And, depending on insulation, heat can be stored for over 6! hours.
A kettle is such a default kitchen item in the UK that I find it kinda crazy that it’s not standard somewhere like the US, though I know I’ve seen the difference in base voltage being a factor before.
I went to visit a friend in the US (los angeles). She asked me what I want for breakfast and I said just some tea please and nothing else. I saw her going from confusion to terror in 5 seconds. And I was like whats wrong? Is everything ok?
Eventually she boiled water in a mug in the microwave, put in some pieces of apples and called it tea.
A few weeks later I went for work in the bay area. I just cannot start a day without tea. I saw the hotel I stayed in had a bit of difficulty in the tea department. Decided to buy my own kettle so I can have my tea in the room. Naively went to an electric store to buy a kettle. There was none. I was like WTF. Went to target, there were none. Only stove ones. But my room didnt have a stove. Then it hit me americans just dont boil water like the rest of the world.
I’m an Aussie living in the USA and I’ve got a $10 kettle from Walmart… somewhere. They do exist. I don’t use it often any more because we have an espresso machine now, and it can produce instant hot water.
That is pure insanity, wtf USA are you alright? I always use my kettle at least once a day. For tea or for heating up pasta water much faster
Target sells electric kettles.
So does Walmart.
Even Best Buy sells electric kettles.
I dont want to call bullshit, but I’m definitely smelling it.
It was 2011. There were only stove kettles. 🤷🏽
Just use the microwave. It’s pretty much as fast. Hotel lobbies often have one.
DO NOT MICROWAVE WATER
there’s a risk it will basically detonate when you take it out and you will be covered in burns.
I think it’s a default item everywhere except north America.
As part of reviewing a stay, Airbnb always asks if the place had a coffee maker. I’ve only ever ticked yes in the US, Canada, and Indonesia.
(edit: I should clarify, it asks if there was a coffee machine, but it DOESN’T ask if there was a kettle, showing the US-centric app design.)
You’re a psycho if you don’t have one in Canada. Don’t lump us in with america
We stayed in a few different places across BC and Alberta. I can remember they all had drip coffee machines, but I can’t actually remember if they were equipped with kettles, too! That being said, the addition of drip coffee makers could have been for American tourists (I did make good use of them though).
I stayed in Ontario for a while and the house didn’t have one, but I bought one no problem
Voltage isn’t an issue iirc, just that it isn’t in our “culture” to use kettles. Of my extended family (20+) there’s only 2 who have kettles.
voltage is a bit of a factor - electric kettles heat water more slowly (about half) in the US than in somewhere like the UK. There’s a definete cultural aspect as well, but I think more people would hop on it if (as in the UK) having one meant basically instant access to boiling water
The amount of time it takes for our US kettle to reach temperature is ridiculous. My wife and I have a kettle that I only really use when I make us a pot of tea. It takes about 5 minutes to bring a liter of water to a boil and it doesn’t get much better with less water. If I’m just making one cup, I’m just gonna put it in the microwave.
I’ve seriously considered getting a 220V outlet installed just for a proper kettle. We like our hot beverages, so I kinda think it would be worth it.
Might need to descale your kettle. Mine doesn’t take 5 minutes to heat a liter, and it’s on 120v.
Totally agree, I used to use an electric kettle for my coffee every morning and while waiting for it to boil, I could
- hand grind my beans
- empty the dishwasher
- get the pour over setup
- check my email
All before being ready to pour
It’s still the fastest way to heat water. It’s just that people don’t really care. It has nothing to do with the fucking voltage.
Yeah sorry I meant to say I know I’ve seen it mentioned as a factor before, didn’t know whether it’s actually true or not. If that’s not a factor, get on it Murica.
Voltage * Amps tells you how fast the water will boil. So lower voltage can be fixed with higher amps.
The UK runs at 230V and 13A, ~3kW max. The US is typically at 120V and 15A, 1.8kW max. Though 20A circuits exist, 2.4kW.
But US kettles are 1800W or less. Doesn’t matter what the circuit can support. Have a 240V plug wired from your oven or range circuit, then buy the UK version.
In Canada, the building code requires 20A sockets in kitchens. Obviously this only impacts new construction.
Continental Europe too. The first kitchen device I bought was a kettle.
You can make tea, coffee, cheap ramen, clean the drain… It’s universal!
How do you fit the kettle down the drain? ;)
You just have to push really hard.
At least for me, it’s pretty pointless since I already have a kitchen appliance that spits out hot water relatively fast: the coffee machine
Our kettle died and I guess we didn’t replace it quick enough for my mother in law, because she showed up with a new one a few days later. Only cost a couple of dollars, but it’s been going strong for the last 6 years.
In Australia, I only drink tea IF I’m feeling like it in winter which is it that often. Don’t drink coffee. And yet I’m still surprised it’s not something that’s in every house…
There’s just not as many tea lovers here in the U.S. I think. I got one a couple of months ago though (I am a tea lover). Game changer.
The lack of tea lovers in the US is definitely the issue. Most grocery stores have disgusting low quality tea so most Americans don’t like tea. I’ve been sending family high quality tea for years now and they love it but can’t find anything remotely close locally.
I order loose online, but I’ve also found some bags that are quite good. Thompson’s Irish Breakfast is a personal favorite. Oh and I timed my kettle today; 1.5L takes 6:15 to boil.
There’s a great video about why it isn’t widespread in the US on YouTube by Technology Connections.
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Same, I was so surprised it’s even mentioned, I thought it’s one of the things everyone has.
6! hours? An entire month?
[email protected] when
Modern tech is a marvel!
I’m going to guess you’re in the States? I’m from England and live in the Netherlands. I’ve never met anybody ever who didn’t own a kettle. Is it true that it’s really not that common in the States to own a kettle?
I would say 20 years ago almost no one had an electric kettle in the US. Now they are much more common, but still only in a minority of homes. Americans just don’t drink nearly as much tea as the English. The UK consumes 1.94kg of tea per person annually. The US is 0.23kg. (per wikipedia). You will find a coffee maker in most homes and hotel rooms though.
what do kids have with their breakfast then?
Cold milk usually
what about in wintertime?
Cold milk usually
…water?
o.o
In Canada, but we’re basically the same as the states. Of my extended family, which is 20+ people, I only know 2 who have kettles… So it’s a luxury to most people who come to my house lol.
We had a stove top kettle growing up but I never heard of an electric kettle until I was an adult. First time I saw one was a pretentious dude doing pour over coffee at work.
I’m the only person I know with an electric kettle, and I don’t use it much since I sopped doing pourover coffee.
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Depends where you live, Technology Connections did a few episodes on kettles because apparently they’re not super common in his neck of the woods.
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Americans. Us Brits seem to be one of the few countries where everyone has an actual kettle.
I’d compare it to having AC in your house: Most people in the US (and other countries) appear to have it, but they’re basically nonexistent over here.
I think they mean a powered kettle.
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Might depend on where you live. I rarely see them- usually only when someone is a tea fanatic
even cheap ones a great.
You can get a cheap one at walmart for like 20 bucks, and it’ll boil water faster than your cooktop.
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A fire extinguisher
