The other day I organized several kitchen cupboards. Last year I bought a wall kitchen cabinet from Habitat Restore. A friend attached wheels to it so it's movable. After painting it white, I placed it next to the back door, and stored the food processor and its blades, vacuum sealer and bags, and several other small appliances.
Now I have more room in upper kitchen cabinets. I put a small electric steamer in the donation box, because I already have a stove top steamer, and the electric pressure cooker also has 'steam' feature.
I've been reading about air fryers for months. Initially I wanted a multifunctional appliance like toaster oven/air fryer combo, or a pressure cooker + air fryer. However most did not have good reviews. Most are like Jack of all trades, master of none. So, I decided to buy a simpler air fryer. It has only two functions - air fryer and dehydrator. I placed an order two days ago, and it should arrive in 2-3 days.
Over a decade ago when I was learning to decorate cakes, I bought a Kitchenaid stand mixer. These days I rarely use it, and it was on the countertop just taking space. Sometimes I store bread in it! I moved it to a cupboard and made room for the air fryer.
I have a microwave oven, and a small convection/rotisserie oven on a shelf. I use both of them regularly. However, lately I have been wondering if I could live without a microwave oven. When I was growing up in Sri Lanka, I did not know anyone who had a microwave oven. Even now Mom refuses to buy one. But I use it daily to reheat meals and milk for my morning tea. I could reheat things on the stovetop but it's more convenient to use the microwave oven. I usually put the plate of food in the microwave oven, without re-heating individual dishes. I should see if I can use the convection oven at a lower temperature to reheat a plate of food.
Just to give you an idea, this is how usually my lunch and dinner look like. I don't cook daily. I take rice and curries from the fridge, put everything in one plate and heat it up. 😐 If I reheat 2-3 curries and rice individually, it takes time and I have to wash several pots afterwards. I know, I am very lazy. 😉
If I can get rid of the microwave oven, that's one less thing in the kitchen.
This is how I keep the microwave oven and the convection oven. This is a 6ft wire shelving unit, and I really like to remove it from the kitchen. But I do not have any counter space for these two ovens.
Do you have a microwave oven? How do you reheat your meals, and small amounts of food?
XXX
Nil
Your kitchen cupboard looks so nicely organized! What a great idea to attach wheels to the wall cabinet and move it to where you want it! I, too, have a collection of small appliances! My daughter wants to buy me a food processer, but, I am resisting that! I already have a blender, a mixer, a citrus juicer, etc. I also have a toaster, which I use a lot, a toaster oven which I use sometimes, and a microwave which I use all the time! I do the same as you when it comes to warming up meals - serve to a plate and reheat it. Often, I heat up milk for tea and coffee in the microwave. I, too, grew up without a microwave, but, now, I've come to rely on it for warming up my food. I suppose, if I didn't have a microwave, I might make rice packets wrapped in foil, and reheat them in the oven (or toaster oven). It wouldn't be as quick as warming a plate of food in the microwave, though.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't possibly live without my microwave, but I don't have a convection oven so I don't know how well they overlap in usefulness. We reheat stuff all the time in the microwave. And when dieting it is good for those frozen meals that help keep the calorie count in check. We have an air fryer that hubby really enjoys using, especially for frozen chicken wings and potatoes of all sorts. I just did a brutal clean out of my cabinets and finally got rid of an electric skillet and a Belgian waffle maker. I have a large pressure cooker that I received as a gift several Christmas ago. It has been sitting out on my counter for 6 months and I still haven't tried it - I probably should have given in away while it was still in the box.
ReplyDeleteI have a combination microwave and convection oven. It is the best!
ReplyDeleteYou're not lazy, you arte sensible and practical!!
ReplyDeleteI use my microwave mainly for reheating. It's just a small one so not that intrusive. When I had the extension built, the kitchen was redone and I spoilt myself to a double oven range sort of thing, a modern one, not an old fashioned one. Wouldn't like to be without it!
xx
i've often thought about buying a kitchen aid stand mixer but i don't know if i'd use it much. i seem to get by with my electric hand beaters! great to re-organise cupboards isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI have a convection microwave also, but have never used the convection function on it because my oven becomes convection at the push of a button. I don't use my Kitchen-Aid mixer often, but I love it when I do need it. To be honest I opt for a small hand mixer unless I am doing some serious baking.
ReplyDeleteThe air fryer is my all time favorite small appliance ever! It really is nothing more than a super fast convection oven and I use it every single day. It serves as my toaster, I have made muffins in it, cooked burgers, baked a pudding, baked dinner rolls...the list goes on and on. I just bought an inexpensive 2 function one also, and really can't see needing more functions, but maybe I am just unenlightened and have been cheating myself out of fantastic options.
We use our microwave to warm things up. It is a built in model-above the cooktop and the controls on it operate the light and fan for the cooktop. I have never had a stand mixer and have never missed not owning one.
ReplyDeleteHello there,
ReplyDeleteI used a microwave to reheat food for several years, but decided, like you, to try something different. I found that many leftovers reheat very well in an oven by placing them in a shallow casserole dish and covering with a glass lid. Sometimes it is necessary to grease the dish a little, depending on what you are reheating. At 350 degrees, food will be ready in 20-30 minutes; of course this depends on what you are reheating and how full your dish is. I find the food often reheats much better in the oven than it did in the microwave. Also, I use a toaster oven for this in the summer, to avoid heating up the house. I suppose you could just eat right from the casserole dish, to avoid more dishes, so that would leave you with only an extra lid to wash. Hope this helps!
Hi there Nil, so good to see you back at blogging. We use a little oven like you have 30 min. at 300* to heat our lunch each day. Haven't had a microwave for a couple years now - won't be getting another one. I don't know about you, but I think it feels good to get the kitchen cleaned out.
ReplyDeleteHi Nil I don't have a microwave, never have. At the moment no stove either as it died, so I bought an electric skillet, not sure if that's what they're called there.....a small round frypan. That and the rice cooker are all I use, cook everything in the skillet, even my morning porridge. My meals look a lot like yours so I just reheat everything in the skillet, and I can reheat rice in the rice cooker, although I like to cook that fresh every day. I don't have a stand mixer, but still use the hand mixer I was given as a wedding present, 50 years ago! You'll feel like a new woman when you get your kitchen sorted, sometimes it takes a bit of trial and error.
ReplyDeleteHi Nil, Yes, I have a microwave oven at the cabin. I use it the same way you do. It really saves me on time and dishes. At the cottage, I have a small vintage toaster oven that I bought used at the Salvation Army. I heat up my leftovers on the stove in pots. I bake potatoes in the toaster oven, and use the large oven for casseroles and baking chicken, broiling meats, etc. I never had a microwave oven until a year ago, but I use it all the time. It's from the seventies, and in great condition.
ReplyDeleteI don't own many kitchen gadgets but I would struggle to manage without my microwave. It does, however, take up an lot of space in my very small kitchen. X
ReplyDeleteI read this post AFTER I told you about our experience with a microwave oven in our apt in the more recent post above. I did a bit orf reorganization in our cabinets and pantry but could use more, so it's definitely a work-in-progress site.
ReplyDeleteNil, my hubby threw out our microwave oven years ago. I have a friend with a simple air-fryer and she can't live without it.I have been tempted to buy one too.
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