-Put your steel wool pads in the freezer. It stops them rusting and you get 10 times the life out of them.
-If you run out of laundry soap, take plain old bar soap and grate some of it into the washing machine. This is what your grandmother did.
-Baking soda and hot water are acceptable emergency substitutes for either dishwasher or laundry detergent in a pinch.
-Slow cookers are pointless and cannot do anything that a pressure cooker cannot do as well or better in a fraction of the time. Aside from my cast iron skillets, my pressure cookers get the most use of any appliance.
-Your best buy in appliances is, believe it or not, vintage or antique stuff. I really mean it, and not for fussy aesthetic reasons. Take this 1930s blender:
$75 at the antique store. That is a lifetime purchase, even though it’s already 100 years old. These things are made of real metal components that last. If they break, repair is stupid easy.
I have a 1962 model that works better and will never break, compared to modern plastic shit. Got it for $10 at the flea market.
I also recommend buying old, mechanical, no-electronics washing machines and dryers. The cost of only very occasional or never repairs is far less than replacing modern shitty units with flashing lights and a digital control system that renders the whole appliance inert if the chip gets fussy.
-Look for pig fat/pig skins at the store or at your butcher. Mince finely and put over the lowest possible heat in a heavy bottomed pan. Render out the lard over hours. You’ll have a jar of pure, white, clean-tasting lard.
This is your cooking fat, iron seasoning fat, your deep frying fat.
Lard is good for you. And making your own is cheaper than dirt.
-Likewise with chicken skins. Save your rendered chicken fat from baking skin-on parts. It makes wonderful seasoning fat for almost any kind of food. Or, get skins and make your own schmaltz.
-Most kitchen gadgets are wastes of money to do one small task. Not so the “air fryer”. These countertop convection ovens are perfect for heating and reheating, and for cooking small meals in less time with less energy than heating the oen.
-The Fuller Brush mechanical floor sweeper is great. I use it all the time between vacuumings.
-Add a squeeze of lemon juice at the end to soups, sauces, and vegetables. Instant brightness, and a favorite “chef’s trick.”
-Is your dishwasher not cleaning so well anymore? It might be that the holes in the sprayer arm are clogged. Check. I just unclogged the two main holes in the upper and lower arms of my dishwasher. Shredder hair and food had plugged them. Dishes are getting clean again.
Almost bought a vintage stand mixer at an estate sale. Had to be from the 50s or 60s. Had 2 bowls and a variety of inserts (whisk, dough hook, more). Was brown and chrome and looked like a bullet. Plugged it in and still worked! I didn’t need it. I already own a KitchenAide stand-mixer that is about 30 years old purchased new. 😊 But your points are excellent and estate sales are a great source for previously owned, high quality items.
Also---use MSG. Monosodium Glutamate. Marketed in the US as "Accent."
No. Stop typing that comment right now. You are not "allergic" to MSG. It does not "make people sick/give headaches." This is an urban myth from a flawed 1969 study. It's not true.
Monosodium glutamate is just a salt. It occurs naturally in many foods.
Its flavor-boosting capacity for savory foods is delightful. I use it constantly, and if you've eaten at my house, you've eaten me-added MSG and never knew it.