Checking In: Small Kitchen Appliances

The first month of the new year is over. And just as last year did, this month flew by. Maybe I've just reached the time in my life where time flies no matter how long or how short. 🤷🏻‍♀️

This past month, I've been marking tallies everyday we use an appliance. Here are how the tallies are standing after January:  

1. Toaster Oven
2. Kettle
3. Rice Cooker
4. Instant Pot : 7
5. Instant Pot Air Fryer: 3
6. Vacuum Sealer: 3
7. Juicer: 2
8. Food Processor: 2
9. Blender: 2
10. Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven: 2
11. Waffle Maker: 1
12. Griddle: 1
13. Immersion Blender: 1
14. Popcorn Maker
15. Crockpot/Slow Cooker
16. Mini Food Warmer
17. Hand Mixer
18. Stand Mixer
19. Steamer

I do want to make sure it's understood that these numbers represent days used, not number of times used. I chose to do this method because if I decided to use my stand mixer to bake three different items in one day, it is not fair to count that as three times. If I had borrowed it for example, I would have only needed to borrow it for one day. However, asking to borrow something three separate times is very different. 

The top three items do not have numbers next to them because I'm not counting. They are my "must-haves" and therefore have been used close to every single day of the year. The Instant Pot is currently holding the winning position at 7 uses in one month. I've used it to make stock out of bones as well as soups and stews this month. 

We recently upgraded to an 8 qt Instant Pot with Air Fryer lid.
So far it's proving itself the leader in our kitchen small appliances.

The vacuum sealer is tied in the second spot with 3 uses in one month. I've been restocking our freezer meat because I went almost an entire month without buying meat near the end of last year. I do this every now and then if I catch myself buying too much meat when I see it on sale. I'll tell myself to start using up what's in the freezer and to stop buying meat at the grocery store. It helps to balance out our grocery budgets as well as clean out the freezer so nothing gets too old. 

We've used our juicer twice this month. I decided to buy a 10 pound bag of grapefruit that was on sale. My husband doesn't prefer grapefruit but I love it. He does not mind the juice however, so we juice it out and drink it. Equally just as satisfying. We bought it at the end of 2020 and use it seasonally when citrus is in season, but even if the numbers don't show, I still believe it's handy to have around for juicing rather than eating citrus. I'm just not a fan of citrus fibers stuck in my teeth. 

I also discovered my food processor blades are no longer sharp enough to slice through raw almonds. Unfortunately, in this day and age, it's sometimes more worth it to buy a whole new appliance than replace a part. 

It's amazing how much you discover and learn about your kitchen appliances and your usage habits when you actually study them.