Let’s bring this full circle… Prior to Tim’s excellent thread (about what you’d give up), what would have made the list except for the fact that it’s already gone?
For me:
My duck press. Gifted to a dear friend. I used it a little for shellfish, but not enough with duck to justify keeping it.
My tutove. A specialized pastry rolling pin for croissants, koign aman and the like. My interest waned after I proved it works. Went to a budding pastry chef who can use it.
The Kila pans. Very good cookware, but not enough room to store it, and the company lost interest in a review. Gifted to and in regular use by my SIL.
I’ve been trying to downsize all of my belongings for a few years now. Ultimately I would like to live out of one bag; working and travelling. I recently sold off my Chemex, donated my electric kettle, gave away some bare cast iron to my parents, and gave a friend a box of my old college cookware. Still a lot to go through and figure out what to donate or sell.
I’ve only just tossed a salad recently lol. BUT, I did donate, recycle and gift a number of kitchen things a few years ago, in advance of a kitchen demolition, and redo.
I do have lots of kitchen stuff, best described as ample in most ways. Not in the mood to let anything else go now, but as time goes on, I’ll be gifting certain things to the DD’s.
I, like many, have tried to get back to fewer items. If have given my Japanese knives to my brother in law. I find myself almost always picking the more traditional and simple approach over using a convenience type appliance. So the InstantPot and the deep fryer found new homes. A few appliances remain. I love my toaster, and my wife loves the stand mixer. We both use the FP but for very different things. The bamboo and Epicurean cutting boards went. The ravioli attachment to the mixer went.
We “toss” things to the end of our driveway with a recyclable “FREE” sign on them. Our last offering was an SV apparatus with storage bags. Home decor, pottery, glassware, houseplants, cooking gear…we live on a well travelled beach road. Nothing lasts long…
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CCE
(Keyrock the unfrozen caveman lawyer; your world frightens & confuses me)
10
It was a riff on a comment in one of the other two threads.
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CCE
(Keyrock the unfrozen caveman lawyer; your world frightens & confuses me)
11
I haven’t intentionally gotten rid of anything kitchen-ey in a long time. But my daughters all steal stuff from me to supplement their college apt kitchens. A big dutch-oven sized pot to make popcorn in. Loaf pans. A small skillet here and there.
When I moved away from my big properties, I left everything major behind. Seven years ago, I started up my “experiment” in a small house without anything: not even a decent refrigerator or stove. I was free to start from scratch
For me, it’s not about “things,” but rather “ways,” and you’ve done a great job of modeling the ways one can enjoy one’s kitchen and hobby–whether you keep or toss things. Great model of the home cook enthusiast.
My approach is to model, but also to explore. I started with a commitment to explore alternative technology in a user friendly environment. The technology is induction, convection, and microwave, the environment is ergonomic and safe: modeled after the octopus. The goal is cultural fusion–in concept anyway–between American and Asian cultures as expressed in kitchen knives.
Good thread, for those of us fortunate enough to be able to rid ourselves certain items.
Hot dog roller. I have no idea what my brother was thinking with this, unless he was regifting it. He knows I pretty much eat only natural casing dogs. They don’t roll very well. Gave it to my buddy who loves mush dogs. Blah.
SuperGeorge- Another ode to my beloved mother. This one, though, I took to work and it’s still there. I never used it at home; but any device you can make a frozen pork chop on , and turn out pretty well, I couldn’t fully toss. Our custodial staff loves the thing. They all raise beef, so they’ll bring in a ribeye and let 'er rip.
All non stick (but one little pan.) Split them between two new arrival families. Most stuff I want to get rid of, I just keep in boxes. Then, when a new family gets here, they get cookin’.
My first set of knives. I inherited the much heralded Ginsu knives. Go through a can, then a tomato with the greatest of ease. Yeah, those were gone within months of acquiring them. Kept the big one for a bread knife. My nephew was the regift victim. He wanted them. Must have seen the commercials.
Your daughters and mine should get together and go bowling. My girl is always grabbing something from the pantry or cookware cupboards. She’s smart enough to keep her mitts off what she knows I use, though.
As in George Foreman? A small version of what commercial appliance makers call a 'clamshell griddle" isn’t a stupid idea. It’s just not what most home cooks want or need on their countertops.
I loved my George Foreman grill back in the day! Finally swapped it out for a Cuisinart Griddler, which my dad gleefully appropriated from me. Never got around to replacing it.
CCE
(Keyrock the unfrozen caveman lawyer; your world frightens & confuses me)
18
I’m pretty sure they’d all love that.
As for “stealing” stuff - they do ask, and I do say (reluctantly sometimes) “okay”. Or sometimes “No” if as you note, it’s something I use.
The most recent was this pot I’ve shown before (image below). The daughter who found it for me (and I paid her back, dammit, so it’s MINE) figured out it’s better for popcorn than the original pan she stole from me for popcorn, and wanted to trade.
I just didn’t have the space. It’s still in use. They were made pretty well. My pals at work absolutely love it. Almost wish I’d kept it for me son. That thing is right up his alley. It was a great selling product that really didn’t disappoint. One of the few. Did I mention the Ginsu knives?
