Gourmet Kitchen Appliances

How do I cook well on a crappy stove?

I live in an apartment so I have no control over the appliances in my kitchen. The stove is a cruddy electric range abomination with slanted, uneven, gunky burners (yes, I do clean them but there's alway something on the left one that makes it smoke) that don't respond exactly to the heating controls. I love cooking and am so jealous watching the Food Network stars creating food masterpieces with their expensive cookware, kooky gadgets, and amazing appliances. I suppose the cookware is part of the problem, but I just don't have the money for the gourmet quality stuff. How do I adjust my cooking practices on my crappy stove with my hand-me-down pots and pans to replicate their perfectly clarified butter, precisely medium pan-seared filet minion, flawless balsamic-wine glaze reduction, and pristine not-curdled hollandaise?

Cooking on crappy appliances and cookware is a true test of a cook's patience. Before I completely remodeled my kitchen I found that I had to spend a lot more time watching the stove and the food. You have to really get to know your electric range so you know what to watch for - turning itself off, one burner hotter than the rest, etc. Your oven will need the same patience and you can test it with an oven thermometer so you'll have an idea of how to adjust when baking in it. You may also find that sauces are easier on an electric pan (I had a giant one that I used "on the side" because I could better control the heat of that electric pan).
Pass the word to friends and family that you'd really appreciate cookware or kitchen stuff as gifts.
I wish you MUCH culinary luck!

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Cuisinart ICE-30BC Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Automatic Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, and Ice Cream Maker $73.95 ...

Cuisinart CSB-76 SmartStick 200-Watt Immersion Hand Blender The versatile stick design of the Cuisinart Smart stick Hand Blender lets users blend ingredients right in pots, pitchers, bowls, or clear plastic beaker that's included. A powerful 200-watt motor operates with an easy one-touch control. Blends drinks, purees soup, mixes pancake and crepe batters in seconds! Both stainless steel blending shaft and beaker are dishwasher-safe....

Presto 114316 04820 PopLite Hot Air Corn Popper $29.99 Plug in Presto's PopLite and the party begins. In less than 2-1/2 minutes you'll have up to 18 cups--two large bowlfuls--of fluffy popcorn with virtually no unpopped kernels. And because the machine uses hot air instead of oil, the resulting snack is healthier and lower in calories. That's not to say you can't add butter; in fact, the 1/2-cup measuring cup on top of the popper doubles as a butter ...

Waste King 1025 Sink Stopper and Splash Guard for EZ Mount Disposers $3.29 For Anaheim-Whirlaway, Sinkmaster, Tappan and other brand disposals. Made of neoprene for long life. Easy-to-replace; no tools required, removal of disposal is not necessary....

Cuisinart GF-80 Cleanwater Countertop Replacement Filter, White $9.99 GF-80 Features: -Replacement filter. -White color. -Replacement filter. -Charcoal system removes impurities from tap water. -Economical design filters up to 40 gallons, lasting up to four months. -Fits 2-gallon & 1.5-gallon Cuisinart countertop water filtration systems. -Reduces contaminants that can alter taste like chlorine, mercury, benzene, cadmium, tetrachloroethylene and toluene. -Overall ...