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Post by Ben Grimm on Oct 3, 2017 9:07:14 GMT -5
A thread to discuss the various kitchen gadgets we all accumulate, use constantly, or allow to gather dust.
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Post by Ben Grimm on Oct 3, 2017 9:08:31 GMT -5
My wife would like a healthy air fryer - we have an Actifry, but she'd like one that doesn't use a paddle, since the paddle doesn't really allow us to coat anything and limits the recipes we can use. Does anybody have any experience with these, or have any recommendations?
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Oct 3, 2017 9:13:36 GMT -5
I have a large drawer full of various implements, spatulas, spoons, measuring cups, etc. and the problem is ... I use them all! I mean, I only use the frosting spatula a few times a year, but it's really handy when I need it! Or the corkscrew! Or the rolling pin! As for gadgets... I have a mini donut maker I've used like three times, but it was a gift, so I hate to get rid of it. I have a giant George Foreman grill with various plates that I have used approximately a dozen times in 10 years, for waffles. I have a tiny "espresso" maker/foamer that I hardly use. Can't seem to get rid of them. Ben Grimm, I am sort of intrigued by the air fryer idea, but I've never used one.
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Post by pairesta on Oct 3, 2017 9:20:26 GMT -5
I have a tiny "espresso" maker/foamer that I hardly use. Can't seem to get rid of them. I have an espresso maker (not a fancy one) that I used almost entirely just to steam milk--because one simply MUST have steamed milk in their coffee, don't you know--and then my mom got me one of those aerolater frothing wands that you stick in milk, turn on, and it whips the milk into towering peaks in no time flat, so now the espresso machine sits neglected in my garage.
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Gumbercules
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Post by Gumbercules on Oct 3, 2017 9:35:12 GMT -5
iSi whipper - It rarely gets used. But if you ever want to make foams or boozy whipped creams, it's great to have. So, I use it twice a year at most.
Garlic Press - I think we've had a discussion on these before. I never use it. I feel like trying to get all the garlic that comes up along the sides and sticks to the pressing mechanism doesn't save me any time. So unless I need to mince 2+ bulbs, I'll just do it by hand.
Sous Vide Machine - Used probably 2-3 times a month. It's my go-to for making fish.
Immersion blender - If you ever make pureed soups, pureed tomato sauce, or anything where you're blending a hot item, this is a must. Not used often, but when you do need it, it's a godsend. If not, adding some of the hot liquid to the blender and not burning yourself at least once is almost impossible. Plus, I can finally do the aioli trick with it (the key is to double the recipe), so it's purchase is definitely justified.
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Post by pairesta on Oct 3, 2017 9:49:14 GMT -5
Immersion blender - If you ever make pureed soups, pureed tomato sauce, or anything where you're blending a hot item, this is a must. Not used often, but when you do need it, it's a godsend. If not, adding some of the hot liquid to the blender and not burning yourself at least once is almost impossible. Plus, I can finally do the aioli trick with it (the key is to double the recipe), so it's purchase is definitely justified. I've definitely sung the praises of the immersion blender before but I love it. God, no more half-loading a blender with hot liquid and hoping it doesn't blow the lid off when I start it, or soaking and staining a kitchen towel with hot liquid as you use it to hold the lid in place. I made lentil soup last night and just putting it in the pot, giving it one or two zaps, did the job perfectly thickening it. Then you unscrew the top and that's all that needs to be cleaned: no blender/processor bowl, lid, blade, etc. I remember them first hitting the home market and they were pretty pricey at first, and on cooking programs they were always kind of shy about recommending them, but I got one as soon as money allowed and still have it.
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Oct 3, 2017 9:51:59 GMT -5
I think I would probably use an immersion blender if I had one, for soups in particular, but I have a regular Ninja instead and it's a good blender.
I think I would also use a stand mixer (maybe one of those mini ones) but I should probably just replace my hand mixer instead, because a) space concerns and b) I don't bake THAT much.
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Post by Liz n Dick on Oct 3, 2017 10:20:23 GMT -5
I have one of those iSi whippers and never use it, so... yeah. There's a gadget I could probably throw out. I also have an absolutely ridiculous amount of cookie cutters but hate hate hate hate hate with the fiery passion of a thousand billion suns the process of rolling and cutting cookie dough. There's another couple of square feet of cabinet space I could have back, if I could ditch the box full of them. Those strawberry hullers rolling around my silverware drawer could also probably go. And I haven't used my cherry pitter in a couple of years, even though for a while it was worth its weight in gold. Man, I have a hard time saying no to gadgets!
On the immersion blender front, I actually don't really love mine. I've got a Vitamix, and while I had never been a blender person before getting it, it's made me do a full 180 on that front. I find the immersion blender doesn't do things smooth enough, not the way the Vitamix does. No amount of inconvenience doing hot liquids in batches in it will sway me -- that's how great the Vitamix is. I do use my immersion blender from time to time, but each time I do I find myself wondering why I'm not just blending.
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Post by Ben Grimm on Oct 3, 2017 10:31:21 GMT -5
On the immersion blender front, I actually don't really love mine. I've got a Vitamix, and while I had never been a blender person before getting it, it's made me do a full 180 on that front. I find the immersion blender doesn't do things smooth enough, not the way the Vitamix does. No amount of inconvenience doing hot liquids in batches in it will sway me -- that's how great the Vitamix is. I do use my immersion blender from time to time, but each time I do I find myself wondering why I'm not just blending. My wife loves her Vitamix more than anything else in the kitchen, I think.
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Post by Liz n Dick on Oct 3, 2017 10:43:29 GMT -5
My wife loves her Vitamix more than anything else in the kitchen, I think. There are some kitchen appliances that are well worth their exorbitant price tags, and the Vitamix tops that list. Truly, it is a miracle machine. And I say that as someone who long had a blender that collected dust while I relied on my well-loved food processor. Then, along came the Vitamix and the scales fell from my eyes. (I do still use my food processor frequently.)
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Oct 3, 2017 15:19:11 GMT -5
I got a fryolator as a wedding gift back in '06 that I never got around to using until 2014 or so. Then when I tried to fire it up for the first time, it wouldn't start. Not sure what was wrong, tried a couple different cords, tried the troubleshooting guide in the book ... nothing. Didn't really care enough to see about getting it serviced, and again it was over 8 years old, so I just junked it.
Then just this past weekend, one of my father-in-laws told me they had an old fryolator they never used and asked if I wanted it. "Sure," I said, and now I have another deep-fryer that I can maybe use sometime in the next 8 years, assuming it works.
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Oct 3, 2017 15:20:40 GMT -5
My wife loves her Vitamix more than anything else in the kitchen, I think. There are some kitchen appliances that are well worth their exorbitant price tags, and the Vitamix tops that list. Truly, it is a miracle machine. And I say that as someone who long had a blender that collected dust while I relied on my well-loved food processor. Then, along came the Vitamix and the scales fell from my eyes. (I do still use my food processor frequently.) I use my blender less than once a month, maybe less than every two months, and I still eye those high-end blenders long and hard every time I see them at the store. I really do like my stick blender though, and it more than ably serves my needs.
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Oct 3, 2017 15:24:21 GMT -5
Old gizmos hanging around that never see use are my toaster, fondue pot and my crock pot/slow cooker, which was more or less replaced by my Instant Pot.
I don't use my immersion circulator/sous vide device often, but I'm glad to have it, and it does just what I want it to whenever I do.
I join those above who extol the virtues of the stick blender. All hail!
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Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Oct 3, 2017 15:43:43 GMT -5
Old gizmos hanging around that never see use are my toaster, fondue pot and my crock pot/slow cooker, which was more or less replaced by my Instant Pot. I don't use my immersion circulator/sous vide device often, but I'm glad to have it, and it does just what I want it to whenever I do. I join those above who extol the virtues of the stick blender. All hail! I finally got rid of our fondue pot this year, it was a wedding gift that I was just sure we'd use, and I used it... twice? three times? I have a crockpot I use regularly and a mini crockpot that would gladly take the place of the fondue pot.
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Gumbercules
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Post by Gumbercules on Oct 4, 2017 6:08:30 GMT -5
My wife and I still have the reception coming up in 3 weeks, and we were looking at setting up a registry, but a) we don't want more stuff and b) we found out that we lose a percentage of any money given. She's now upset with me after the 15th email she's had to answer about why we don't have a registry. I've always given a check (by the way, if you sign it to Mr. X and Mrs. Y and the couple doesn't have a joint account, they both have to be present to deposit the check. I never knew), so I just kind of expected people to do the same. Now I'm nervous that since we don't have a registry, people will take it as a sign that they can gift us with a fondue set, a Pizzazz, and their favorite spiralizer.
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Post by Liz n Dick on Oct 4, 2017 8:34:07 GMT -5
My wife and I still have the reception coming up in 3 weeks, and we were looking at setting up a registry, but a) we don't want more stuff and b) we found out that we lose a percentage of any money given. She's now upset with me after the 15th email she's had to answer about why we don't have a registry. I've always given a check (by the way, if you sign it to Mr. X and Mrs. Y and the couple doesn't have a joint account, they both have to be present to deposit the check. I never knew), so I just kind of expected people to do the same. Now I'm nervous that since we don't have a registry, people will take it as a sign that they can gift us with a fondue set, a Pizzazz, and their favorite spiralizer. Oh man, you really have set yourself up for a limitless pile of spiralizers, haven't you? Good luck with that!
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Oct 4, 2017 8:36:02 GMT -5
My wife and I still have the reception coming up in 3 weeks, and we were looking at setting up a registry, but a) we don't want more stuff and b) we found out that we lose a percentage of any money given. She's now upset with me after the 15th email she's had to answer about why we don't have a registry. I've always given a check (by the way, if you sign it to Mr. X and Mrs. Y and the couple doesn't have a joint account, they both have to be present to deposit the check. I never knew), so I just kind of expected people to do the same. Now I'm nervous that since we don't have a registry, people will take it as a sign that they can gift us with a fondue set, a Pizzazz, and their favorite spiralizer. I hope you get a hand model so you can spiralize on the go.
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Post by Logoboros on Oct 4, 2017 14:36:54 GMT -5
We never had a toaster oven growing up. I didn't have any experience with one, and I never really could see what they did that I couldn't already do with either my conventional toaster or my conventional oven. But I'd heard friends talking about their advantages and swearing by their usefulness. So a few years ago, I spotted one on a Walmart clearance rack for $15. It's a pretty barebones model, fairly small (cooking rack maybe 7" x 12"), only the most basic options. But, wow, I use it all the time -- though, primarily for actual toasting of various bread products. I only use it to bake small servings of frozen things on rare occasions (but it is nice to not have to heat up the whole regular oven). It's great to be able to melt cheese on toast, and what it does to otherwise bland, store-bought croissants is transformative.
I've now been eyeing better and larger models, but I don't really have the counterspace (in fact, my current one lives on top of the refrigerator, which isn't the most convenient spot, but is literally the only available place for it). Nonetheless, probably the best $15 I've spent in my kitchen. Heck, I've bought single Rubbermaid tubs that cost almost that.
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Post by The Spice Weasel on Oct 4, 2017 14:49:47 GMT -5
Toaster ovens were made for leftover pizza.
I never had one growing up either, but once I had second day pizza out of one it was over.
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Post by ganews on Oct 13, 2017 11:06:40 GMT -5
Toasters are completely useless. Toaster ovens are absolutely essential.
I think the most esoteric utensil we own in the bamboo scoop/cup/thingy for shaping tsukune, Japanese chicken meatballs. I don't remember if we actually use it when making those a few times a year.
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fab
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Post by fab on Oct 14, 2017 1:15:33 GMT -5
I have a stovetop espresso maker that I haven't used in awhile - the kind where you tamp the grounds in and the hot pressure from the boiling water makes espresso good times.
it's a mild pain in the ass to clean and I suppose I don't drink all that much coffee. I wonder if the pre ground espresso I have left is still any good...
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Post by Liz n Dick on Oct 16, 2017 8:36:52 GMT -5
Just wanted to take a moment this morning to sing the praises of the humble bench scraper. I was doing a lot of chopping and scooping this weekend, and it struck me in the middle of it all that it's a tool I shouldn't take for granted.
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Post by pairesta on Oct 16, 2017 8:41:05 GMT -5
Just wanted to take a moment this morning to sing the praises of the humble bench scraper. I was doing a lot of chopping and scooping this weekend, and it struck me in the middle of it all that it's a tool I shouldn't take for granted. One of my daughter's chores is to empty the dishwasher, and she never puts my bench scraper in the same place twice, which always leads to frantic searching for it last-minute because I NEED that scraper honey, where did you put it?!
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LazBro
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Post by LazBro on Oct 16, 2017 8:49:32 GMT -5
Just wanted to take a moment this morning to sing the praises of the humble bench scraper. I was doing a lot of chopping and scooping this weekend, and it struck me in the middle of it all that it's a tool I shouldn't take for granted. The humble bench scraper stands 3rd in the list of most important kitchen instruments, surpassed only by the knife and the cutting board.
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Post by Ben Grimm on Oct 16, 2017 9:55:36 GMT -5
My parents' deep fryer crapped out a little while ago. They're still in frugal mode, so they've been frying in a pot, but I want to get them a new deep fryer, on part because it's easier, in part because they always fry a lot of stuff for the holidays, and in part because I'm worried that they're going to burn their house down. Anyone have any recommendations?
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Gumbercules
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Post by Gumbercules on Oct 16, 2017 10:49:02 GMT -5
My parents' deep fryer crapped out a little while ago. They're still in frugal mode, so they've been frying in a pot, but I want to get them a new deep fryer, on part because it's easier, in part because they always fry a lot of stuff for the holidays, and in part because I'm worried that they're going to burn their house down. Anyone have any recommendations? Get this one!
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Post by pairesta on Oct 16, 2017 18:48:45 GMT -5
I may have mentioned before that my well-meaning mom gets me all kinds of kitchen gadgets as easy stocking stuffers at Christmas, such that I basically have a drawer full of them (strawberry washing mat, anyone?). She got me this dual-end tomato-corer and pepper scraper one year. It's been tucked away in said drawer, always forgotten, but this month I've been working with lots of peppers, and all of my spoons were in the dishwasher when I suddenly remembered it. Damned if it doesn't work wonders: a couple scrapes and the ribs and seeds are completely gone.
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Post by pairesta on Oct 16, 2017 18:50:04 GMT -5
Friend of the Food Board Kenji Lopez-Alt's List of Top 10 Kitchen gadgets.WTF is a timer doing on there. Does no one have a smartphone?
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Trurl
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Post by Trurl on Oct 16, 2017 20:38:12 GMT -5
I've got a thing, from childhood, for lopping the tops off of a soft-boiled eggs. It looks like a penis torture device.
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Gumbercules
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Post by Gumbercules on Oct 17, 2017 5:54:23 GMT -5
Friend of the Food Board Kenji Lopez-Alt's List of Top 10 Kitchen gadgets.WTF is a timer doing on there. Does no one have a smartphone? I'm always conflicted between getting a mandoline and keeping a layer of skin on my hand. I'm fairly confident those two are mutually exclusive.
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