What are your favorite kitchen gadgets and tools?

I love: my apple corer/peeler and my apple slicer that cores the apple and divides it into eight pieces, I think; mandoline, garlic press, food processor, two Whustof knives, cast iron grill pan and frying pan, Calphalon dutch oven that I found in a thrift shop for 6 bucks and my Kitchen-Aid stand mixer.

I want: a good juicer, a waffle iron and a better grater.
 
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I agree about good graters. It's hard to find one that is designed well. Using the side that has the smaller sort of star-shaped holes that stick out usually results in more of whatever you grate getting stuck in and around the openings than not. They make versions that have the same style grater as the large side, just scaled down, and those seem to work so much better. They are just a chore to find.
 
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GingerFoxx said:
I agree about good graters. It's hard to find one that is designed well. Using the side that has the smaller sort of star-shaped holes that stick out usually results in more of whatever you grate getting stuck in and around the openings than not. They make versions that have the same style grater as the large side, just scaled down, and those seem to work so much better. They are just a chore to find.
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I agree on the traditional grater. I never use the star-shaped holes for the reasons you cite. In fact, the only side I regularly use is the larger-hole side.
 
Yeah, the small star shaped holes were only good for grating hard Parmesan or Romano, back in the cheese days. Growing up Italian, we did that a lot...and I hated when my mom would ask me to grate the cheese, lol.
 
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One of my favorite tools is my coffee grinder. Actually, I have two--a Krups and a Mr. Coffee. I do not grind coffee in either.
The Krups I use for kudu, which comes in a rock-like formation but must be put into powered form to mix in gravies, etc., as a thickener. I use the Mr. Coffee one for pulverizing powered laundry detergent which was stored in my basement, absorbed moisture from the air, and formed rock-like clumps that seem not to dissolve in the washing machine.


MrCoffeeGrinder.jpg
 
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Kitchen Timer on a Rope

I've had too many instances where I've put a pot on the stove to boil and then gone into another room to do something "for just a minute" and then forgotten about the pot on the stove. The next thing I know the smoke alarm has sounded, the pot has boiled dry and is ruined.

This thing allows you to take the timer with you easily from room to room. I generally replace the lanyard they give you with a longer one. The short one holds the timer too near your ears and the ticking is so loud you cannot hear yourself think.

I've only seen these timers in mail-order catalogs. They make good gifts. And they can be used purely as a conventional timer.
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I have some friends from the UK who visit here from time to time and they expressed shock--shock!--that Americans put a kettle on the stove to make tea. In the UK, they tell me, almost everyone uses an electric kettle that boils the water and then shuts off automatically.

So, I began looking around for these things here in the 'States. and found one made by Proctor-Silex. I use it all the time. Great that it shuts off automatically. Also use it when I shave in the morning, since running the hot water in the pipes takes forever.

I would have preferred one in white, but this is what they had in the stores. And Darth Vader tells me he likes the look of it whenever he comes over for a cup of tea. They also make them more in the shape of a conventional tea kettle, but I don't really care much about the aesthetics of the appliance.

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Yes, we too have one of those, Joe. We do have a regular kettle as well. It works well, but it never feels quite right somehow. Water is supposed to be boiled on a stove top!
 
I have an electric kettle also which I love! It's a Braun, and I love how it shuts off automatically. I've had it for years and the model is no longer available. I got a little jealous when my sister gave one to our parents, and I decided I wanted one of my own, because I was using a stovetop kettle and hated having to wait a long time for the water to boil, so I looked on Amazon and found the same model for about $35. I like how it boils water a lot faster than the stovetop kettle.
 
Joe said:
I have some friends from the UK who visit here from time to time and they expressed shock--shock!--that Americans put a kettle on the stove to make tea. In the UK, they tell me, almost everyone uses an electric kettle that boils the water and then shuts off automatically.
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I am feeling a similar amount of shock... Over here, you can pick up an electric kettle for as little as a couple of pounds, which is good, because my housemates at uni broke ours by using it as a baseball bat. So, because they're so cheap (and convenient for our tea-loving ways), pretty much everyone has one...
 
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AeryFairy said:
I am feeling a similar amount of shock... Over here, you can pick up an electric kettle for as little as a couple of pounds, which is good, because my housemates at uni broke ours by using it as a baseball bat. So, because they're so cheap (and convenient for our tea-loving ways), pretty much everyone has one...
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My friend has an electric kettle, and it's great...but I think I would miss the whistle of the stovetop kettle when the water reaches boiling if I got an electric one. :D
 
Joe said:
One of my favorite tools is my coffee grinder. Actually, I have two--a Krups and a Mr. Coffee. I do not grind coffee in either.
The Krups I use for kudu, which comes in a rock-like formation but must be put into powered form to mix in gravies, etc., as a thickener. I use the Mr. Coffee one for pulverizing powered laundry detergent which was stored in my basement, absorbed moisture from the air, and formed rock-like clumps that seem not to dissolve in the washing machine.


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We have the EXACT same one! (Mr. Coffee) :up: ONLY for coffee beans, though... maybe I should get one for spices 'cuz that mortar & pestle just KILLS my hand! LOL
 
Can anyone suggest a food processor?? I'm feeling desperate. Here's what I need: large capacity, moderately priced, sturdy as hell, also the ability to drizzle oil in through top while it's running.... I want to make SMOOOOTH dips & spreads with it. :yes:
 
I got this one, mostly because of low price-
Hamilton Beach 70740 8-Cup Food Processor, Black
Go to amazon.com . I can't get the link in!:confused: It's $21.59
It's lightweight. Does a good job processing. I haven't done anything really heavy duty, but things like bean dips, with cooked beans, were very smooth. It has a low, high, and pulse setting. You can store the top upside down for easy storage with things inside. I haven't used the slicer, grater blades as I just use a hand grater.
 
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What I figure is the one I'd really want is way too much, and the ones in between aren't so good as to justify their price. I did discover my old one was a really good one. All cracked up now...
 
PTree15 said:
My friend has an electric kettle, and it's great...but I think I would miss the whistle of the stovetop kettle when the water reaches boiling if I got an electric one. :D
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I've never had one of those kettles that whistle. Even as a tot we always had an electric one. When I'm in need of boiling water I like to have it fast...:p
 
shyvas said:
When I'm in need of boiling water I like to have it fast...:p
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I guess if you have a gas stove, it is fast enough.

So that is a business opportunity ... provide an electric kettle with a nice electronic (programmable) whistle sound...
 
The do make whistling electric tea kettles. :) Don't know if there's a programmable one, however.
 
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