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I have come to really enjoy cooking in bulk for my family and for the freezer. It’s almost to the point where I cannot cook just one batch of something. I have to make it triple or quadruple. It really is true that it doesn’t take a lot more time to make a triple recipe than it does a single one. I’m already measuring and mixing and pouring and cleaning all the dishes. Adding more in the bowl doesn’t take any more effort, but it sure does fill my freezer where I can just pull it out on a busy day.
However, one thing I have been thinking about are my kitchen tools. I have been using my simple (but good quality) hand mixer so I have to stand there with it when I mix batter. I have been using a bread machine to knead dough which is great except I can only do a single or maybe double batch in it at a time. I found myself making the same recipes the next day just due to my smaller kitchen tools.
And honestly, all the mouths in my house are only going to be consuming more in the upcoming years, not less. So I’ve been looking into different tools and appliances. A friend told me about some heavy duty mixers that big bread makers use and when I looked them up, they looked amazing but way too expensive. That was until I happened upon the exact mixer she told me about on Ebay where someone was just selling their used one. When I saw it, I quickly had a conversation with my husband about what my maximum bid could be. I won the auction in the last 30 seconds! I love the excitement of Ebay!
Magic Mill Kitchen Machine
This thing is so impressive to me (which probably wouldn’t take a lot since I was using a hand mixer). The day I got it I made 5 loaves of bread in one turn and 7 batches of pizza dough in another. It was amazing!
I may need a bigger bowl to let all that dough rise!
Love this!
7 batches of pizza dough and it was SO soft and easy to work with!
What have you done to make cooking easier and more efficient?
LOVE my DLX! (Oh, and if you have a smooth-surface countertop, you can let the dough rise straight on the counter. Just oil it first. Then it doesn’t overflow anything.)
good to know, Rachel!! if you have any other tips for the DLX, send them on!
I make a lot of freezer things before Paisley was born & now I’m hooked. Granted, I’m only feeding myself & Tanner, but it’s so nice to just make a bigger batch of something & have it available when I don’t want to cook. Love these posts!
That’s when I got hooked too. I started freezer cooking during one of the pregnancies and I can’t stop!
*made
I’ve started some freezer cooking recently, inspired by your posts. I’m so happy for your new acquisition in the mixer! I have a pretty well-tooled kitchen for living in China, but the one other tool I’d wish for is a Kitchen Aid mixer. And maybe a Vitamix blender. Another useful tool I got a couple years ago was a big electric griddle that can fit 6 pancakes at a time. It also flips over to a ridged surface on the back so you can grill meat with it. I used it a lot this summer when the weather was too hot to turn on my oven!
You do sound like you have a well-stocked kitchen. That griddle sounds great!!
You just might love my pancake cup recipes. It’s SO much easier than flipping pancakes and awesome for the freezer! And get a Kitchen Aid! We had one brought over for us by some guests and it is simply amazing!