• Dessalines
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    1202 years ago

    One I didn’t see mentioned yet: a rice cooker.

    Put in rice, add water, push start button, and you get perfect rice every time. I’m usually against single-purpose kitchen tools but a rice cooker is soo worth it.

    • @Addfwyn@lemmy.ml
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      212 years ago

      Living in Japan, this almost didn’t register to me. I have literally never met anybody that didn’t have one. When you move out, you use your family’s old one until you can buy a newer one.

      Everyone should have one, absolutely.

    • @ebits21@lemmy.ca
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      122 years ago

      I know this will be a popular response, but I don’t get it.

      I just use a pot and the rice is always perfect? Not hard at all? Am I just good?

      • Dessalines
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        192 years ago

        I used to do that for years, but rice cookers really do some magic to get perfectly fluffy rice. I thought my technique was good, until I tried rice from a rice cooker.

      • @Cortell@lemmy.world
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        2 years ago

        Yeah just add however many cups of rice and then add water to the specified line. Don’t need to do any of that finger bullshit to check water levels

        And by cup I mean the cup that comes with the rice cooker not sure how it corresponds to the actual unit of measurement

      • @Stephen304@lemmy.ml
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        52 years ago

        I recently got an instant pot and gave my rice cooker back to my parents, the tough part was figuring out how to make it not stick of you don’t have a nonstick liner. Letting it naturally release pressure with the keep warm off seems to do the trick for mine, I’m guessing quick release releases too much moisture, and the keep warm doesn’t help either. With that I get good rice every time with no sticking.

    • @jmp242@sopuli.xyz
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      72 years ago

      Really only if you eat a lot of rice. For once a year or so, a pot on the stove works just fine. The actual benefit I’ve see for ricecookers is how well they can hold the rice for hours ready to go, but that’s more of a commercial benefit I think.

    • Lorax
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      42 years ago

      It’s great for quinoa, farro and couscous too. Love our tiger rice cooker, it’s a work horse!

      • @pingveno@lemmy.ml
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        12 years ago

        Speaking of, be careful about consuming too much rice because of arsenic. There are plenty of other grains that don’t soak up arsenic so readily and have a better nutritional profile. It’s fine to eat rice, just switch it out throughout the week.

    • Helix 🧬
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      42 years ago

      We sold our rice cooker on eBay after finding out the microwave rice cooker addon for 10€ is just as good, if not faster.

    • @Kyannon@lemmy.world
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      32 years ago

      So much this. I’m usually responsible for cooking for the week, and prepping rice was so much of a hassle in the middle of cooking everything else that most of the time I didn’t even bother and went for pasta instead— way easier to cook, but easily 3x the calories.

      After I got a rice cooker, I just pop like 4 cups in that mfer and we got enough rice to last through like 2 days worth of dinner + bentos for lunch the day after.

      Get a rice cooker y’all.

    • @doomy@lemmy.ml
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      2 years ago

      ok this might sound heretical but a “hack” i learned from cooking youtube is to just boil rice like pasta then drain. I do this for about ~12 mins with white rice and it comes out perfect every time with no risk of messing up. Downside is you need to drain it.

      unsure the validity of this claim? but apparently there can be a non-insignificant amount of arsenic in american grown rice, and boiling can help leech it out into the water.

    • @FrostKing@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      For anyone who doesn’t want a rice cooker but can’t find a good basic white rice recipe: Put rice and water in a pot (1 cup rice to 1.5 cup water. People will tell you 2 cups water, punch them, or ignore them, your choice.) Turn it on high until it boils, stirring lightly occasionally to stop it from sticking. As soon as it starts boiling (not simmering) cover it with a lid and turn on low. Keep covered until it’s done (just taste it to test if it’s done.)

      P.S. You can add whatever seasonings you want if you find something good online or something. It’s not important to actually cooking the rice.

    • @Shrek@lemmy.world
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      22 years ago

      An instant pot can do that and a whole lot more. I’m not sure if that falls under $100 but I would bet if you got an off-brand version it would.

      • @lenathaw@lemmy.ml
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        22 years ago

        You can do a lot more with a rice cooker. Soup, pasta, sauces, even steam vegetables if you put a tray on it.

        • @Shrek@lemmy.world
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          22 years ago

          You can do all of that. I don’t care either way. I was just suggesting because of the “single use” comment.

      • @whofearsthenight@lemmy.world
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        22 years ago

        The relatively good larger instant pot that I bought a couple of years ago was around $79, so I reckon you can still get one for under $100. Although I also have a rice cooker, I find this thing indispensable. I often have 5-8 people at my house, so a go to is throwing a bunch of chicken breast, soy, ginger, garlic, brown sugar, etc, in the instant pot for around 30-40 minutes total time while the rice is cooking. Shred chicken, turn to sauté, add a little corn starch slurry. Boom teriyaki chicken.

        We do a similar thing for chicken tacos, but spicing with chicken bouillon, cumin, cayenne, chili powder, garlic, onion, tomato. Shred, enjoy meat for tacos, enchiladas, etc. I make a passable birria in about around 2 hours.

        Country ribs/pork shoulder, bbq sauce, apple juice, onion, garlic. While it’s cooking in the instant pot, simmer down an onion. Not quite caramelize until it’s jelly, but sweat until onions are soft. Turn oven to broil, cut the entire pack of kings hawaiian rolls or similar in half, butter and brown under the broil. Shred the pork, spread on the rolls, add a little bbq sauce, the onions, and cover with provolone slices. Broil again until cheese melts.

        Chili is another good one. Although I haven’t done it, you can use unsoaked dry beans in some recipes. I usually just throw a few cans of my faves (I prefer it bitier, so more kidney) with spices and browned meat of some sort (feel free to omit) and we’re good to go.

        Most of the things I make in the instant pot are things that I would normally have to wait all day for, or at least 3-4 hours. Not great after a work day. Low and slow recipes work really well in instant pot with a minor adjustment here and there, and often you turn a 4 hour recipe into a 1 hour recipe. And as a poor, this type of cooking can be a game changer because low and slow is often for foods that are cheap. if you head to the store and buy a ny strip, you can come home and be eating great in 15 minutes. Not so much with a much, much cheaper piece of chuck.

    • @negativeyoda@lemmy.world
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      22 years ago

      Love mine.

      When I make chicken or beef stock I put it in I’ve cube trays. On some mornings I add the rice, a stock ice cube, and maybe some miso. I let it ride while I get ready and then crack an egg on the cooked rice and add some avocado, tamari and rice seasoning (nori and sesame)

      Best breakfast and super easy

    • @xNekoyaki@lemmy.world
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      22 years ago

      My husband got us a Zojirushi rice cooker for my birthday one year, and I love it so much! We had an old $15 Oster one previously, which was also pretty nice to have, but oh boy. I’m spoiled by Zojirushi now. We could make a cake in it! I haven’t yet… But I could! Lol.

  • @nbailey@lemmy.ca
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    1012 years ago

    If you have a car get a dashcam. It’s more valuable than any insurance because it will definitively prove what happened when something goes wrong. Bonus: you can post videos of bad drivers doing stupid things on the internet for imaginary points.

    • @lemmefixdat4u@lemmy.world
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      62 years ago

      Definitely get one for your teenage driver. It keeps them honest and safe. And they will pay for themselves many times over if you get in an accident that wasn’t your fault. It’s like having your very own personal unimpeachable witness riding with you.

    • @jmp242@sopuli.xyz
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      62 years ago

      If only there was actually a good car dashcam, but every time I go down that rabbit hole I give up frustrated. The quality (build, mounting, video, whatever) is shit in pretty much all of them, and the “passable” ones look like a web cam from 2005 still.

  • A bike. Poor people in underdeveloped countries can use it to get access to education and markets, while people from developed countries can ise it to keep healthy and reduce their environmental footprint

    • @corm@beehaw.org
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      22 years ago

      I was gonna say this.

      $100 on craigslist or a local bike refurbishing place (where I got mine) will get you something that will last for years.

      Throw in a $15 bike lock, a cheap returned helmet, and a $5 rear bike light and you’re set for life.

    • @FrostKing@lemmy.world
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      22 years ago

      If you live in America, there are certainly a lot of things to consider on this point; mainly whether cycling in your area is even safe—obviously the ideal solution would be to move to an area with safer cycling, but that’s not an option for everyone—and I’d much rather someone not cycle than die because their area has horrible roads for cycling and they didn’t think about that. Check the safety of your area, and consider moving to a safer area for cycling if necessary (Or if you’re in it for the long haul, consider pitching in the community and trying to lead it towards a safer cycling future)

  • @Jazsta@lemmy.world
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    782 years ago

    A bidet. You can install it yourself in 20 minutes and enjoy a lifetime of cleaner buttholes and save on tp.

    • @Landrin201@lemmy.ml
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      12 years ago

      Yep I have that problem now. All the toilet seats in my house are soft close and I slam public toilet seats whenever I’m out of the house now without thinking

    • @Shrek@lemmy.world
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      12 years ago

      I can relate to this so much. When I bought my last house it didn’t have soft close seats and I was so used to it that I slammed it every time.

    • @Landrin201@lemmy.ml
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      22 years ago

      Very important that whatever first aid kit you get has a tourniquet, or that you buy one separately.

      They are easily the most important life saving device in any first aid kit. 99% of the time you won’t need it for normal cuts but when you are dealing an injury that needs one you WILL regret not having one.

  • @kostel_thecreed@lemmy.ca
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    552 years ago

    A water kettle. Doesn’t have to be any fancy one, but it really fucking rocks for anything you might think of : want hot water for tea? No problem. Need hot water to steep something? No problem.

    Most mid-range ones are insanely power efficient too, often being alot better than just boiling water on a stovetop, or using a microwave. And, depending on insulation, heat can be stored for over 6! hours.

    • @Robertej92@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      A kettle is such a default kitchen item in the UK that I find it kinda crazy that it’s not standard somewhere like the US, though I know I’ve seen the difference in base voltage being a factor before.

      • @SloppyPuppy@lemmy.world
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        2 years ago

        I went to visit a friend in the US (los angeles). She asked me what I want for breakfast and I said just some tea please and nothing else. I saw her going from confusion to terror in 5 seconds. And I was like whats wrong? Is everything ok?

        Eventually she boiled water in a mug in the microwave, put in some pieces of apples and called it tea.

        A few weeks later I went for work in the bay area. I just cannot start a day without tea. I saw the hotel I stayed in had a bit of difficulty in the tea department. Decided to buy my own kettle so I can have my tea in the room. Naively went to an electric store to buy a kettle. There was none. I was like WTF. Went to target, there were none. Only stove ones. But my room didnt have a stove. Then it hit me americans just dont boil water like the rest of the world.

        • @Papercrane@feddit.de
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          52 years ago

          That is pure insanity, wtf USA are you alright? I always use my kettle at least once a day. For tea or for heating up pasta water much faster

        • @Dubious_Fart@lemmy.ml
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          22 years ago

          Target sells electric kettles.

          So does Walmart.

          Even Best Buy sells electric kettles.

          I dont want to call bullshit, but I’m definitely smelling it.

      • AggressivelyPassive
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        52 years ago

        Continental Europe too. The first kitchen device I bought was a kettle.

        You can make tea, coffee, cheap ramen, clean the drain… It’s universal!

      • @SuperApples@lemmy.world
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        2 years ago

        I think it’s a default item everywhere except north America.

        As part of reviewing a stay, Airbnb always asks if the place had a coffee maker. I’ve only ever ticked yes in the US, Canada, and Indonesia.

        (edit: I should clarify, it asks if there was a coffee machine, but it DOESN’T ask if there was a kettle, showing the US-centric app design.)

        • Fogle
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          42 years ago

          You’re a psycho if you don’t have one in Canada. Don’t lump us in with america

          • @SuperApples@lemmy.world
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            22 years ago

            We stayed in a few different places across BC and Alberta. I can remember they all had drip coffee machines, but I can’t actually remember if they were equipped with kettles, too! That being said, the addition of drip coffee makers could have been for American tourists (I did make good use of them though).

      • @kostel_thecreed@lemmy.ca
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        32 years ago

        Voltage isn’t an issue iirc, just that it isn’t in our “culture” to use kettles. Of my extended family (20+) there’s only 2 who have kettles.

        • @bitsplease@lemmy.ml
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          82 years ago

          voltage is a bit of a factor - electric kettles heat water more slowly (about half) in the US than in somewhere like the UK. There’s a definete cultural aspect as well, but I think more people would hop on it if (as in the UK) having one meant basically instant access to boiling water

          • @DAVENP0RT@lemmy.world
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            52 years ago

            The amount of time it takes for our US kettle to reach temperature is ridiculous. My wife and I have a kettle that I only really use when I make us a pot of tea. It takes about 5 minutes to bring a liter of water to a boil and it doesn’t get much better with less water. If I’m just making one cup, I’m just gonna put it in the microwave.

            I’ve seriously considered getting a 220V outlet installed just for a proper kettle. We like our hot beverages, so I kinda think it would be worth it.

            • TheRealKuni
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              12 years ago

              Might need to descale your kettle. Mine doesn’t take 5 minutes to heat a liter, and it’s on 120v.

            • @bitsplease@lemmy.ml
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              12 years ago

              Totally agree, I used to use an electric kettle for my coffee every morning and while waiting for it to boil, I could

              • hand grind my beans
              • empty the dishwasher
              • get the pour over setup
              • check my email

              All before being ready to pour

        • @Robertej92@lemmy.world
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          22 years ago

          Yeah sorry I meant to say I know I’ve seen it mentioned as a factor before, didn’t know whether it’s actually true or not. If that’s not a factor, get on it Murica.

          • @cogman@lemmy.world
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            22 years ago

            Voltage * Amps tells you how fast the water will boil. So lower voltage can be fixed with higher amps.

            The UK runs at 230V and 13A, ~3kW max. The US is typically at 120V and 15A, 1.8kW max. Though 20A circuits exist, 2.4kW.

            • @lemmefixdat4u@lemmy.world
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              32 years ago

              But US kettles are 1800W or less. Doesn’t matter what the circuit can support. Have a 240V plug wired from your oven or range circuit, then buy the UK version.

    • @TheyHaveNoName@beehaw.org
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      112 years ago

      I’m going to guess you’re in the States? I’m from England and live in the Netherlands. I’ve never met anybody ever who didn’t own a kettle. Is it true that it’s really not that common in the States to own a kettle?

      • Shrek
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        82 years ago

        I would say 20 years ago almost no one had an electric kettle in the US. Now they are much more common, but still only in a minority of homes. Americans just don’t drink nearly as much tea as the English. The UK consumes 1.94kg of tea per person annually. The US is 0.23kg. (per wikipedia). You will find a coffee maker in most homes and hotel rooms though.

      • @CarnyVeil@beehaw.org
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        22 years ago

        We had a stove top kettle growing up but I never heard of an electric kettle until I was an adult. First time I saw one was a pretentious dude doing pour over coffee at work.

      • @kostel_thecreed@lemmy.ca
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        22 years ago

        In Canada, but we’re basically the same as the states. Of my extended family, which is 20+ people, I only know 2 who have kettles… So it’s a luxury to most people who come to my house lol.

    • @Dubious_Fart@lemmy.ml
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      32 years ago

      even cheap ones a great.

      You can get a cheap one at walmart for like 20 bucks, and it’ll boil water faster than your cooktop.

  • @ch00f@lemmy.world
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    532 years ago

    Maybe specific, but if you do any DIY housework, get an endocscope. Baiscally, a 10 foot long flexible wire with a camera and light at the end. Uses your phone as a screen. Can be had for <$50. So many of my house projects would have been impossible without it. Also good for finding stuff under the couch.

    • @DAVENP0RT@lemmy.world
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      42 years ago

      Could’ve used one of these yesterday. My father-in-law needed help mounting a TV and we couldn’t find a stud to save our lives. We eventually discovered that the wall had deep studs due to ½ inch chipboard in addition to the ¾ inch drywall. We literally start randomly hammering nails into the wall to find the studs, which led us to that discovery.

      • Schrodinger's Dinger
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        22 years ago

        I recently bought a metal detector/stud finder for that exact reason. I also am an electrician and have to find studs or rebar often when drilling and it’s been great for that too. In your case it would work by detecting the nails in the studs instead of looking for the studs themselves. I got the Zircon Metalliscanner (I believe)

        • @DAVENP0RT@lemmy.world
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          12 years ago

          I think I was literally using that exact same stud finder. We were getting very sketchy hits on where the studs were located, so we started probing and found the issue.

    • @MrHindsight@lemmy.world
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      42 years ago

      I got one on wish like 10 years ago and it’s still works fine today! Do your research though because some say “1080p” but gives you only 120p! lol Also, Temu is the new wish! 😂

      • @Lem453@lemmy.ca
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        2 years ago

        Get one with a built in screen not an app. Your phone will eventually be updated but the app never will and might stop working at some point

    • SanguinePar
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      32 years ago

      I’ll second this, although mine doesn’t work anymore as the software is too out of date for my phone! It was very useful when it worked though.

    • @Shrek@lemmy.world
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      12 years ago

      I got mine on AliExpress for looking at stuff behind the walls without making major holes. It was literally like $10.

    • @doomy@lemmy.ml
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      12 years ago

      didnt realize they were that affordable, i have unironically been in multiple situations where i thought “yeah i wish i had an endoscope rn”

  • Aussiemandeus
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    532 years ago

    The Haynes manual for your car. Even if you’re not a mechanic they are so detailed they will walk you through fixing almost anything, they’re made for the laymen. I’m a diesel mechanic and even i own one for my cars.

    When friends buy a new car i buy them a Haynes manual.

    They don’t do them for ever single car in the world and the coverage isn’t as great on later model stuff but if you own s car 5 years or more old they’re great.

    https://haynes.com/en-au/?gclid=CjwKCAjww7KmBhAyEiwA5-PUSuYaLa8Lf9OzVI6z-fuUXN0lI7Wo2VP6vV-gXqGiDAJzVaogwRctThoChAIQAvD_BwE

  • @Kramgr@lemmy.world
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    502 years ago

    I spent a lot of time in the middle east, so I’m going to say: Deodorant, not more perfume. Please.

  • @momnoon@lemmy.world
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    422 years ago

    An OBD scanner

    A decent flashlight

    A mini screwdriver set

    A multimeter

    An outlet polarity tester

    These immediately come to mind.

    • @Shrek@lemmy.world
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      32 years ago

      And not that one that’s been sitting there for many years. They need to be replaced and you need to know how to use them.