Comments on: Alternative uses for specialized cooking gadgets

By: bolamig

bolamig — Wed, 09 May 2012 08:23:00 +0000

Costco’s Aroma brand $30 rice cooker is incredibly flexible because the “steam” setting cooks anything, for any user-specified amount of time.

By: chgoliz

chgoliz — Tue, 08 May 2012 20:55:00 +0000

You can also use a fondue pot for Hot Pot. It’s particularly great if not all of your dinner guests are able to use chopsticks, since fondue forks are part of the package.

By: Tim Lewallen

Tim Lewallen — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:48:00 +0000

You can heat pop tarts on the hot plate portion of a coffee maker (college food).

By: SamSam

SamSam — Tue, 08 May 2012 12:31:00 +0000

(2) the cooking time should be equal to or shorter than normal

Trying to make good food: you’re doing it wrong.

I’m all for reusing single-purpose appliances, but that’s a silly requirement. If you use your slow cooker to cook your meat sous vide, for example, that’s a great non-traditional use for it, and may taste excellent, but it’s not going to be shorter than searing it on the stove, and nor should it be.

By: Antinous / Moderator

Antinous / Moderator — Tue, 08 May 2012 04:31:00 +0000

My Rival has off/low/high.

By: Antinous / Moderator

Antinous / Moderator — Tue, 08 May 2012 04:30:00 +0000

That’s a rather tender subject.

By: retchdog

retchdog — Tue, 08 May 2012 04:24:00 +0000

i have a west bend 5 quart and the dial turns smoothly. i suspect it’s just a potentiometer, so it basically is a dimmer. anyway, it has two keep warms, and i’ve noticed that the higher one works well for cooking. in fact, i suspect that the two keep warms are a subtle wink-and-nudge to get around guidelines/restrictions and include a true “low” setting.

By: bcsizemo

bcsizemo — Tue, 08 May 2012 03:56:00 +0000

All the units I’ve seen or at least had experience with have more of a rotary switch then an analog dial. My HB unit not has warm/low/high, but there is no inbetweens spaces, there is no way to make a setting called low-ish.

Honestly if you are going down that route a corded dimmer control unit would work equally as well. (Might take some playing with to get the temperatures marked like you want, but it’d work.)

By: bcsizemo

bcsizemo — Tue, 08 May 2012 03:53:00 +0000

Well I suppose all the other crockpot manufactures didn’t get the memo then…. The Hamilton Beach unit I replaced my super hot Rival with can cook a roast for 16 hours on low and not loose any liquid.

By: Ken Williams

Ken Williams — Tue, 08 May 2012 02:04:00 +0000

No mention of bacon in the waffle iron?

By: sockdoll

sockdoll — Tue, 08 May 2012 01:51:00 +0000

Based on his experiences preparing meals in hotel rooms all over the world, movie critic Roger Ebert wrote an entire book on cooking meals in a rice cooker.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Pot-How-Use-It/dp/0740791427

By: mikedt

mikedt — Tue, 08 May 2012 01:37:00 +0000

Newer models are much hotter that the ones mother used. I got one recently and sent a note to Rival asking about the much higher temperature. Seems that the higher temps is do to a federal regulation to prevent bacterial growth.

By: aeon

aeon — Tue, 08 May 2012 00:58:00 +0000

We use a rice cooker for 火锅 (Hot Pot or Steamboat — http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_pot). You have to pre-prepare the stock, but the rice cooker keeps it simmering nicely while the other ingredients cook in it.

By: retchdog

retchdog — Tue, 08 May 2012 00:40:00 +0000

the trick is to get one with an analog dial and set it between “keep warm” and low, or even directly on “keep warm.” the instructions are very clear that you shouldn’t do this because of the danger zone, which always makes me titter because it reminds me of “she-bop.”

By: Nylund

Nylund — Tue, 08 May 2012 00:34:00 +0000

I think it’s probably common knowledge, but a really cheap coffee grinder is really great for grinding spices.

By: Robert

Robert — Mon, 07 May 2012 23:42:00 +0000

I’ve repurposed colanders as hats. It’s a glamorous thing to do.

http://www.freakingnews.com/pictures/66500/Marilyn-Monroe-in-Colander-Hat–66742.jpg

By: Antinous / Moderator

Antinous / Moderator — Mon, 07 May 2012 23:27:00 +0000

My Rival cooks hot, too. I only use it for stewish sorts of things, and they are fully cooked in three to four hours.

By: Paul Renault

Paul Renault — Mon, 07 May 2012 23:21:00 +0000

But, but, but… The slow cooker’s slow! That’s its benefit.

By: bcsizemo

bcsizemo — Mon, 07 May 2012 23:19:00 +0000

I would also note that slow cookers or “crockpots” as I call them do vary by manufacture… Most modern Rival units run hot and will simmer water/broth on low. I replaced a Rival unit with a Hamilton Beach unit because it would cook a roast in 4-5 hours on low and after 8 there would be no liquid left in the pot.

By: Pedantic Douchebag

Pedantic Douchebag — Mon, 07 May 2012 23:15:00 +0000

1) Par-fry some hash browns
2) Press the par-fried hash browns in a waffle iron
3) Finish frying waffle-shaped hash browns
4) Presto, waffle fries!

By: oasisob1

oasisob1 — Mon, 07 May 2012 23:06:00 +0000

I’ve used coffee pots to make ramen, boiled eggs, veggies – drip coffee pot for ramen, percolator for everything else.

By: suburbanhick

suburbanhick — Mon, 07 May 2012 23:02:00 +0000

Reminds me of a friend of mine from college who got high one day and somehow figured out how to cook Pillsbury crescents in the only cooking device in her dorm room – a toaster. How she ever got them out once they puffed up is beyond me!

By: pupdog

pupdog — Mon, 07 May 2012 23:01:00 +0000

Powdered Baby Flesh is an INGREDIENT, people. It’s what you do with it that makes all the difference.

I personally find it adds a little richness to my French Onion and Baby Soup that you can’t get anywhere else…

By: Stefan Jones

Stefan Jones — Mon, 07 May 2012 22:42:00 +0000

How about a slow-cooker technique for making powdered baby?

By: thebarbecuemast

thebarbecuemast — Mon, 07 May 2012 22:20:00 +0000

you need to get a wok its good for cooking everything! -except bannana bread