Well, I vote for the pressure cooker/canner. Only because that is on my list of wants for canning.

The other two items on your list are things I would have no use for. But I'll be anxious to see what other votes you get!

Linda

I have many new toys coming soon, we're going to gut the entire kitchen in about two months. The one thing I'm most excited about is the 36" induction cooktop.

I have a big pressure canner, I'll be using it soon.

Nancy

Johnliu, you don't let a little rain stop you from grilling year around do you?

Ann

I'd go the the big burner and the wok ring!
Pressure cookers scare me and the bigger they are the scarier they are!

I'm soured on canning. Literally. Government guidelines now require so much acid in most home canned products that everything is a pickle. Having been brought up on water bath canned foods of all sorts, I suspect the guidelines are overly conservative. But there are no safe alternatives to following the government guidelines. Freezing is much less work and more versatile. There was a time I would have been interested in a pressure canner. That time has passed.

Sous vide sounds interesting but I doubt I would ever use it routinely. Perhaps you would. It has possibilities for doing creative things.

The jet burner for a wok is something I would use on a regular basis and not tire of. Food would cook quickly and you would be standing in the Oregon drizzle for mere minutes.

The burner gets my vote.

Jim

I'm just outside Portland in St. Helens. I definitely understand about the weather issue.

I'd go for the pressure canner because I can't imagine living without mine (think smoked salmon and tuna) and because wok cooking on 35,000 BTU's is as much as I can stand. The thought of higher is frightening. I suppose I could go higher outside on propane but I'm not even remotely interested.

Sous vide is way outside my area of expertise.

Carol

My deck has no roof either, we both feel it would look like carp on the back if the house.

But what I have used and quite successfully, for the past five years is one of those off set umbrellas. In fact, the original is beginning to show its age and as Canadian Tire has the exact same one on sale at 50% off this week I just picked up a back up.

So it sits in the outer, left corner of the deck and it is (mostly) out of the way. If its raining or drizzling or whatever I open it up and just like that I have a ten foot by ten foot dry area.

So I too live in what you call the PNW (we call it the Wet Coast) and grill, smoke and etc. year round. Only a gale keeps us from using it, its very good even in a fairly significant wind.

each spring we move it to the lawn and run the pressure washer over it (same, same with the smoker, grills, etc.) and its still in one piece after all these years, albeit a little sun worn.

So....get the wok ring AND an off set umbrella.

I'm with Jimster. I used to pressure can many things, but it's a lot of work and you have to be careful with everything. Once I bought my biiiiig freezer, I never looked back. Easier, faster, and the texture of the food suffers less.

That said--if you don't have a pressure cooker for cooking (as opposed to canning), that would be something that would be really fun to play with. I have a Kuhn Rikon 8 liter turn top--and after a year, I bought another one! Meat is tender and succulent just half an hour, and tastes like it's been cooking all day long. Corn on the cob--an inch of water in the bottom, 3 minutes, done. No big pot of steaming water to deal with. Steer clear of the computerized gadgets--get a real one that sits on the burner. It's much more versatile and way more fun (I had one and sent it back--too fussy).

If you already have a pressure cooker for cooking, then I'd vote for the Wok. That sounds like fun.

None on your list ring my bells, especially the pressure cooker. Scares the heck out of me!

If I could have anything it would be an outdoor pizza oven or an indoor warming oven. Neither appear to be arriving in the near future!

The burner attached to the propane tank. We have one - we will use it today to steam crabs - okay probably no crabs for you, but we also use it to deep fry - chicken wings are the best- I have made big containers of gumbo, lobster boil,chili for a large crowd, anything that may be too stinky to cook indoors. We've almost always had one - when the burner rusts thru- we buy another. We prefer the low ones, because we feel they are more stable, and we are usually maneuvering heavy, hot liquidy pots.

Our burner has saved us, in the winter or during tropical storms when we've lost power for days. Love our burner. I also cook on a deck, and set it on a cookie sheet that doesn't have a lip. Makes me feel a little safer.

After years of canning and teaching classes on it at our County Extension Office, I'll never waste my time and energy (mine nor the utilities) to do home canning ever again. It's just not cost effective in most cases if you take into consideration ALL expenses from seed to finished product, especially with utilities going up all the time. Our utilities have gone up 3X this year and it's doubtful it will ever go down in this economic climate. If you want a rewarding hobby, and potentially expensive hobby, that is a lot of work (especially during the hottest time of the year - like the air conditioner really needs high-heat cooking going on when it's 107°F outside...), canning certainly fits the bill.

I freeze and dehydrate much of our garden produce. I've switched to freeze-dried foods in storage and only wish we would have started using them years ago. Superior taste and nutrition when compared to home-canned.

As others have mentioned, pressure COOKING is a whole other thing...and great for fast food preparation. I have two pressure cookers and gave my pressure canner away. I kept my collection of canning jars because I use them with the jar sealer on the FoodSaver.

I wouldn't be without a vacuum-sealer. I've used them for more than two decades. I'm on my third one, and the next one is in storage in the basement. It's something I use several times a day EVERY day. Great for home food storage and freezing. I also wouldn't be without my dehydrator (a great inexpensive way to preserve food), and it goes hand-in-glove with a vacuum sealer - that and a good cutting mandoline.

I've been converting to low-energy use for food preparation for a number of years, so 100,000 BTUs seems astronomical for a person who uses two solar ovens and a thermal cooker on a regular basis. I like my Sharp Microwave/Convection oven (I can bake a loaf of bread in 20-minutes (2 loaves in 25-minutes) without ANY pre-heating. And my newest energy-saving "toy" - a BergHOFF Induction Hot Plate (love it!!!). I can bring the food that is being "cooked" in the thermal cooker up to temperature very quickly on the Induction Hot Plate, then put it in the thermal cooker and cook it all day without any additional gas or electricity. I rarely use my stove these days, other than for a place for the Induction Hot Plate to sit.

-Grainlady

For those folks who keep saying they're scared of pressure cookers, please read up on the current safety features on the new ones. We all have old family stories about the pressure cooker that blew up and sprayed soup all over the kitchen. (and believe me, I hear them often when people find out that I use a PC!) If you get a new generation pressure cooker, there are multiple safety features that prevent that from happening. Don't use an old one--long story, but there was a period of time in this country after WWII where everyone and his brother was manufacturing pressure cookers, and some of them were doing it badly. This resulted in many cheap and unsafe models on the market 'way back then'. The new ones are manufactured to strict safety standards. I like my Kuhn Rikon because I can easily see what pressure level it's at and adjust accordingly. If the pressure gets too high, it hisses a bit as the steam is released on the sides--and then I turn it down. This happened just once in the three years I've been using these.

All that said, if you don't think pressure cooking is for you, fine and dandy--but don't let fear be the reason you never try one of these out, because it can be a great tool in the kitchen. :-)

Happy Cooking,
Cj

Well, I'd love to have one of those big All American canners, but then I'd have to stand on a chair to put jars in the darned thing, so I guess I'll keep my old pressure canner.

Like Chase, I want an outdoor oven, Elery has plans to build a combination grill/wood fired oven/smoke house when we build at the farm, as well as a root cellar. I don't give a darned what color we paint the living room but I have all kinds of ideas about a root cellar, LOL.

Like Grainlady, I use a dehydrator regularly, for onions, peppers, zucchini, apples. I have two big freezers but since I raise my own beef and pork, freezer space is at a premium, so unlike Grainlady, freezing produce doesn't work for me.

I can everything I grow or that gets grown locally. At the end of the summer when the garden has a variety of things I make big batches of vegetable soup and can them in pints so in the winter I just take a jar to work, pop the lid and stick the jar in the microwave for a nice, healthy, hot lunch.

Since electricity is going up and will continue to go up, and since freezers cost in electricity to run, I'm sure not buying another one. Instead, I'll use natural gas and can whatever I'm able to. The rings and jars are recycled in the truest sense of the word since I'm still using jars that belonged to Grandma 40 years ago, and the flats go to the recycling center. So, whether or not canning is a good financial decision depends entirely on the situation of each individual. Financial decisions aside, that's not why I can. I can because I grow my own organic produce and I know exactly what's in the jar of green beans or sauerkraut or beef stew. There's no percentage of "particulate matter", no stray bandaids or nail clippings or rodent droppings, all that's in those jars is what I put in there.

I do have a Food Saver and so far I have been very underwhelmed, although I did use it for strawberries and sweet cherries, and I guess we'll see how it goes. I already had to redo all the strawberries because the bags came unsealed, apparently the device was defective. I returned it for a new one which seems to work better, but I haven't used it for anything else.

So, if my choice were between those three, I'd take the pressure canner.

Annie

Here's a strong vote for a good pressure cooker. I wouldn't want to have a kitchen without one. It does some things in about a third or less time than conventional cooking. Steamed artichokes in 15 minutes instead of an hour. Osso buco in under an hour. Pot roasts. Curry in fifteen minutes instead of all day. Corned beef & cabbage in about an hour.

I DO have a big ol' pressure canner, the All American 930 that can process a whopping 14 quart jars at once. I honestly don't use it that often--just a few times a year--but when I do use it I make several months' worth of great chicken broth, canning it for future use. I'm into simplifying stuff these days, and I'm finding I just don't use it as much as I used to--and if I don't use it much more I may end up putting it on eBay. While it can be used as a pressure cooker, unless you're cooking for fifty it isn't practical (it's HUGE).

I also have a couple of pressure cookers, my favorite being the 6 qt Kuhn Rikon stockpot. (If I were to do it again, I'd go for the 8 qt model.) KR is somewhat pricey but very good quality. You can find them online at a (slight) discount.

If you don't have a good pressure cooker, that's the next toy I'd most recommend, no question. Having used a bunch, here's what I'd recommend:

The 8 qt Kuhn Rikon stockpot (see link)

If you're watching the $$$ and just want to try out pressure cooking, Fagor makes a set in their 'Splendid' line which consists of a 8 qt stockpot, a 4 qt saute pan and a pressure lid which fits them both. That actually was my favorite setup until it got 'borrowed' and never returned. That set is available for around $100-120 (although a few weeks ago it was available for $94 from Amazon with free shipping). They also make a set with a 6 qt and 4 qt pots as well. I recommend going with the set with the bigger 8 qt model if you have the storage space for it.

KR also makes a 5 qt brasier which a friend of mine has and loves.

BTW, some PC brands make a big thing about having two different pressure settings (the Fagor Duo line, for example). IMHO that's not really a big deal; 99% of the time you use a PC you'll be using the high setting.

For info on PC's you may wish to look at missvickie.com, read her cookbook, or any of Lorna Sass's pressure cooking cookbooks.

Here is a link that might be useful: KR stockpot

Here's that Fagor set I mentioned in the previous post.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fagor pressure cooker set

Thanks for all the replies.

It sounds like some would choose the pressure cooker, fewer the wok burner, while sous-vide has (apparently) no devotees here. I am a weather wimp, by the way. A California softie in the PNW, and all that.

The other toy-tool I had thought of, but decided not to list, was a stand mixer. I don't bake, need to lose weight, and am short of counter space, so it is hard to make a case for a big KA. Also thought of, but dismissed, a pasta maker. I'm trying to eat much less pasta. And I keep wanting to order a very good hand-made Japanese knife, but haven't convinced myself that I can justify $500 for a single blade, no matter how exquisite.

I did get an ice cream maker (free) and a counter-top deep fryer this year (big protest from SWMBO there, but she likes the product even if she hates the process) both have seen continuing use even after the novelty phase, but I store them off the counter.

The bread machine is about to get yard-saled, I realized we haven't used it in, well, forever.

I'm not sure when I'll actually get the next toy-tool. My vow was to buy nothing kitchen-related, until the kitchen gets remodeled. I've broken that vow a couple of times but the idea still makes sense.

After all, new appliances and work space will already be more fun than I can handle. Nancy, I'm sure that 36'' induction cooktop will have you giggling. I have some plans for my new range, can't wait!

Another pressure canner vote here.
I don't need a wok or burner that size for 2 of us. I can stir-fry what I need in my Calaphon pan.
Sous-vide? Non-existent here!

Maybe the "toy" is a covered deck!!

I'm PWN'er too and also a weather wimp.
I can actually turn my BBQ around and stand inside the garage door if it's raining. After I run the 30 feet from the house to the garage. But I don't. Nope. I just wait for the sun....(and wait, and wait, and wait this year!).

What about a few smaller toys?

I'm having fun with a new (to me, from Ebay) pasta roller.
$20 including shipping!! Footprint is only about 12" square.
Food processor?
Maybe that Sharp micro/convection oven grainlady mentioned?

I would just have a hard time spending a lot of money on something I'm not really sure I need. Just me though!

Deanna

I have a pressure canner and LOATHE messing with it. So unless you plan on getting into pressure canning big time, it will most likely end up gathering dust in your basement like mine does. You can can things like meats and soups in it, but unless you WANT to can meats and soups in a big time way, those also freeze just fine too.
A stovetop pressure cooker for making actual MEALS on the other hand I would like, it is a time and energy saver and makes very good food, with good flavor.
Being a vegetarian, I am not much for grilling and outdoor cooking in my tiny row house environment so I can't really add anything cogent to those discussions.

John, what kind of knives are you looking at? Now you've got my attention. I invested in good quality santoku, utility, and paring knives last year. (though not quite in the league you are looking at!) I love to use them, they stay sharp and they're nicely balance and fit my hand well. It makes prep seem like a luxurious experience, as goofy as that sounds. If you're thinking of a good knife, that might get my vote as well, if you don't already have a really good pressure cooker, that is. :-)
Cj

Something from Watanabe, probably. He seems well regarded, from reading Japanese knife forums (you wanna talk about obsessive people . . . ) and I like the idea of buying from a one-man show, I'm sure he has assistants but basically the company is him.

The thing is, I would have to buy some waterstones, which are as expensive as the knives, so it would be a $500 bill at least, just to get started.

Right now, I mostly use Victorinox Forschner knives, that I've reground to have a more acute edge (20 degrees per side). They work well. I have some other knives but like the Forschners best. The Japanese blade - well, it probably needs to be my birthday or something.

What knives did you get? What were you using before? I'd be interested to know what differences you noticed and what you like better about the new blades?

Here is a link that might be useful: Watanabe Blade

Oh, I'd ideally get something from his "professional" line, but I know someone who got the 8 piece standard set and loves them, says it is an incredible bargain - 8 hand-forged, hand-finished knives made by a known Japanese bladesmith for

Here is a link that might be useful: The

John,

For summer: Go for the 100,000 BTU burner and wok ring - it will certainly keep you away from pasta!
For winter: A Wantanabe knife and the stone...will be a lifetime investment and usable year-round! I have the Victorinox Forschner knives and love them but the Wantanbe is on the top of my wish list...
Runner-up- sealer for the sous-vide cooking- Have just gotten into that thanks to some of the wonderful chefs in my area (Boston)

Have fun!

John,

Forget about the other toys. Get the knife. You will get pleasure from it daily.

Jim