Favourite kitchen gadgets

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Bender
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Favourite kitchen gadgets

Post by Bender » 10th Jul, '08, 14:44

I'm guessing everyone that spends some time in the kitchen has their favourite gadgets. If you're anything like us, you have a heap of kitchen appliances, gadgets and gizmos, some of which are regularly in use and others which are just not worth the effort. For us, keeping it to 5 in each category, it's:

Most used/favourites:
  • Small electronic rice cooker (it says it has futzy logic, but works well despite that)
  • Induction cooktop (awesomely fast!)
  • Slow cooker (especially in winter)
  • Fast cooker (aka pressure cooker)
  • Microwave
Not used every day, but definitely worth having:
  • Breadmaker
  • Egg cooker (works great. And I thought we'd never use it)
  • Coffee maker (if both of us drank coffee this would be in the first group)
  • Steam oven/benchtop steamer (we have, and use, both)
  • Toasted sandwich maker thingy
Waste of space:
  • Donut maker (used once. What possesses people to think you'd like this as a gift?)
  • Vacuum bag sealer (another gift, it's never been taken out of the box)
  • An egg timer that you put in the pot with the egg (a novelty which works but doesn't save time or effort. It changes colour as the egg cooks so you know when the egg's done. Useless because you have to watch for it to get to the right colour)
  • Ice cream maker (impulse buy. Works great, but can we be bothered?)
  • Milkshake mixer (another impulse buy, but it does look cool)
What's your experience? Do you have a similar list? Are your cupboards full of unused gadgets? Do you buy something on impulse because you like the idea of what it can do, but never actually get around to it? Or is your kitchen pristine and minimalist?
“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” – Henry David Thoreau

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Fresh Mint
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Re: Favourite kitchen gadgets

Post by Fresh Mint » 10th Jul, '08, 14:51

A woman.

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Re: Favourite kitchen gadgets

Post by baloo » 10th Jul, '08, 14:58

FM is Lichty and I claim my $5
So…if you wish to wish a wish, you may swish for fish with my Ish wish dish.

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Re: Favourite kitchen gadgets

Post by Burbage » 10th Jul, '08, 15:08

Apart from the cooker and oven I have a:

Braun Stick mixer (which is great, but I seldom use it)
A toaster (used once a week)
A kettle (used once a month)
A microwave (used once a week)
A George Foreman grill thingy which I won at the golf (used once a week)
A deep fat fryer (used once a week)
A filter coffe maker (used every day)
A dishwasher (not used. I tried that idea of filling it up and doing a wash once a week, but in order to get stuff clean you have to rinse it under he tap, and if you're rinsing it under the tap it's no extra effort to wipe a soapy sponge over it and be done with the job.)

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Re: Favourite kitchen gadgets

Post by Kooky » 10th Jul, '08, 15:55

I don't have many gadgets as in the past I hardly cooked and now I don't have room, but I do love my combination microwave/grill/oven - I think you have the same one, Bender. (We have an oven in this rental but it's horrible, wasn't clean when we moved in, smells, and so I won't use it.)

Not really a gadget but my Bodum travel coffee press is a marvellous invention.

Oh and, Bender, I have a confession. :oops: I now use the dishwasher. I tried not to but I couldn't stand leaving pots out all day to wash up once a day, because the kitchen/lounge is open plan. I did some research and concluded it's better to dishwash every two or three days, and I don't rinse the pots first. Thankfully we have a lot of pots (my weakness) and 3 sets of cutlery. :)

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Re: Favourite kitchen gadgets

Post by Bender » 10th Jul, '08, 16:21

Burbage wrote:Apart from the cooker and oven I have a:

Braun Stick mixer (which is great, but I seldom use it)
A toaster (used once a week)
A kettle (used once a month)
A microwave (used once a week)
A George Foreman grill thingy which I won at the golf (used once a week)
A deep fat fryer (used once a week)
A filter coffe maker (used every day)
A dishwasher (not used. I tried that idea of filling it up and doing a wash once a week, but in order to get stuff clean you have to rinse it under he tap, and if you're rinsing it under the tap it's no extra effort to wipe a soapy sponge over it and be done with the job.)
Just a guess... you live on coffee 6 days a week, and on Fridays you defrost fish in the microwave, finish it off on the George Foreman and serve with deep-fried toast? ;)
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Re: Favourite kitchen gadgets

Post by Lichtgestalt » 10th Jul, '08, 16:50

Fresh Mint wrote:A woman.
Fully supporting FM here...

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Re: Favourite kitchen gadgets

Post by sluggo » 10th Jul, '08, 17:02

Lichtgestalt wrote:
Fresh Mint wrote:A woman.
Fully supporting FM here...
You two better duck when you say that. [hammer]
I guess we're not in Kansas anymore.

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Re: Favourite kitchen gadgets

Post by sluggo » 10th Jul, '08, 17:05

My favorite kitchen items are not actually in the kitchen, they are an outside bar-b-que grill and a smoker. In Texas where they are you can grill out pretty much all year round.
I guess we're not in Kansas anymore.

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Re: Favourite kitchen gadgets

Post by Satellite » 10th Jul, '08, 17:14

most used
1) cake mixer
2) oven
3) kettle
4) mini wok
5) blender

Least used
1) breadmaker - once I settle down -definitely will use it again! CAn't wait!
2) pressure cooker
3) Slow cooker - waste of space

That's it. All I want for christmas is a proper freezer!
Edit
Is a Deep fryer good - do you throw away the oil after each use?

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Re: Favourite kitchen gadgets

Post by Lichtgestalt » 10th Jul, '08, 17:17

sluggo wrote: You two better duck when you say that. [hammer]
Since I currently have a safety distance of 13 flying hours I would go as far to say "A woman with little or no clothes on" [smilie=groovy.gif]

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Re: Favourite kitchen gadgets

Post by Bender » 10th Jul, '08, 17:41

Satellite wrote:Is a Deep fryer good - do you throw away the oil after each use?
1. yes - look for one with a powerful heating element so it can recover quickly from the temperature drop when cold food is put into the oil.
2. no - we filter out the crumbs and stuff and keep the oil in the fridge, although you dont have to.

I've found this style to be good. Easy to clean, it comes apart and most parts can go in the dishwasher.
Image

Plastic body ones like this are a pain to clean.
Image
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Re: Favourite kitchen gadgets

Post by Zephyr » 10th Jul, '08, 18:03

Bender, that looks very much like the deep fat fryer we have in Canada. My only gripe is that there don't seem to be any large enough to fit a whole medium fish.

Most used:
1. Coffee maker
2. toater oven
3. food processor
4. microwave
5. kettle
6. rice cooker
7. deep freezer (only in Canada)

Least used:
1. Ice cream maker
2. blender
3. deep freezer (in Jamaica)
4. pressure cooker (am terrified of them)
5. blow torch for creme brulee (never used)
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Re: Favourite kitchen gadgets

Post by azzam » 10th Jul, '08, 18:04

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A shirtless man.
Be Yourself. Everyone Else Is Taken

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Re: Favourite kitchen gadgets

Post by cromasaig » 10th Jul, '08, 18:19

What's a kitchen?

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Re: Favourite kitchen gadgets

Post by Morrolan » 10th Jul, '08, 19:05

favourite items:
Wok
Global 20 cm kitchen knife
Espresso machine

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Re: Favourite kitchen gadgets

Post by Burbage » 10th Jul, '08, 19:10

Morrolan wrote:favourite items:
Wok
Global 20 cm kitchen knife
Espresso machine
I think this was kitchen geekery. Gadgets only. I use my wok every day. And my Sabatier knife. And my chopping board. All I need really, with the exception of fish and chip night.

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Re: Favourite kitchen gadgets

Post by Morrolan » 10th Jul, '08, 19:47

Burbage wrote:
Morrolan wrote:favourite items:
Wok
Global 20 cm kitchen knife
Espresso machine
I think this was kitchen geekery. Gadgets only. I use my wok every day. And my Sabatier knife. And my chopping board. All I need really, with the exception of fish and chip night.
ah... then only the espresso machine...

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Re: Favourite kitchen gadgets

Post by Aliya » 10th Jul, '08, 20:22

My favourite kitchen gadget is T :D.
"I really love you" she said. "Is that the champagne talking" he asked. "No" she laughed. "That's me talking to the champagne"

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Re: Favourite kitchen gadgets

Post by Bender » 10th Jul, '08, 20:24

Zephyr wrote:pressure cooker (am terrified of them)
Modern ones are safe. Once you get past the gut-wrenching terror and learn to trust it, you'll never go back.

My grandmother once told me a pressure cooker story, about one of the old style pressure cookers. Back when she was a child, her grandfather was a forest ranger. The house the family lived in was in the forest, and the dining room walls were decorated with numerous mounted deer antlers. The new pressure cooker had been used, for the first time, to cook a big batch of shredded cabbage. When the cooking time was up, the cooker was brought into the dining room to be opened....

The cooker wouldn't open (it was still under pressure). Grandpa thought it was jammed, so he forced it open by tapping the handle on the lid sideways. It moved gradually, then reached the point where it unlocked. The lid flew off and a volcano of steam and cabbage blew out of the pot. Bits of cabbage went everywhere! After everyone ha gotten over the shock, she said the antlers and the ceiling light looked quite festive with cabbage draped all over them like tinsel on a christmas tree. Grandpa had a fierce temper, so nobody dared to laugh. Nobody was hurt, but grandpa never went near the pressure cooker again.

But that was back then. Modern pressure cookers are completely safe and have safety valves and interlocks that make it impossible to open them while under pressure. They're really not dangerous.
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Re: Favourite kitchen gadgets

Post by Fresh Mint » 10th Jul, '08, 20:35

What would you cook in a pressure cooker, and how long would it take?

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Re: Favourite kitchen gadgets

Post by Morrolan » 10th Jul, '08, 20:38

Fresh Mint wrote:What would you cook in a pressure cooker, and how long would it take?
anything, not very long.

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Re: Favourite kitchen gadgets

Post by slinky » 10th Jul, '08, 20:45

Morrolan wrote:
Fresh Mint wrote:What would you cook in a pressure cooker, and how long would it take?
anything, not very long.
Well. That's precise, M ;)

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Re: Favourite kitchen gadgets

Post by canuck » 10th Jul, '08, 20:46

However, quite accurate :D

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Re: Favourite kitchen gadgets

Post by Fresh Mint » 10th Jul, '08, 20:53

Well, for example, how long would it take you to boil new potatoes?

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