Favorite Kitchen Gadgets

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SoCal78_IHB

SoCal78_IHB

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Momo's post about the potato ricer got me thinking about favorite kitchen gadgets. A couple of mine are...



The <a href="http://www.pamperedchef.com/our_products/catalog/product.jsp?productId=239&categoryCode=KW">best garlic press</a> I've ever used. It's sold by Pampered Chef. You can put a clove in without peeling it and it takes very little effort to press.

<img src="http://www.pamperedchef.com/graphics/products_200/2575_200.jpg" alt="" />



I really like having an apple-corer-slicer-peeler. I use it on apples when making pies and on potatoes when I want them peeled for mashed potatoes.

<img src="http://www.kasbahouse.com/images/SP700white.jpg" alt="" />



Last but not least, I could not live without my cast iron skillets. My favorite is the 10" preseasoned Chef's skillet with sloped sides made by <a href="http://www.lodgemfg.com/lodge-history.asp">Lodge </a>- the oldest maker of cast iron cookware in the country. In business 112 years. In my opinion, cast iron cookware is a great buy. It has many of the same benefits as expensive anodized cookware at a fraction of the price. Works on stovetop and in oven, retains heat well, infuses iron into the food, cooks evenly, is nearly indestructible... Its benefits are too numerous to list. I use it for everything.



<img src="https://secure.lodgemfg.com/storefront/storeimages/{406E5E8D-F68F-4AC5-A2E2-EF309E242B90}_LCS3.jpg" alt="" />



What are your favorite kitchen tools?
 
I only know how to use that rectangular box w/the spinning plate and the light.



You throw something in it, tell it how long to spin for, and boom, food be warm! :)



That's my excuse for the $40+ in TV dinners ...







On a serious note, I travel for work .. having a Magic Bullet to make quick small serving sized drinks is pretty convenient. I just wish the ribs on the cups weren't there, makes cleaning harder. I also eat a lot of TV dinners.
 
A giant metal spoon. Never use it for stirring the pot like I'm supposed too (gets too hot), but great for starting prying open stubborn pop top cans of consume or veggies (ie. put the lip of the spoon under the tab & rock it like a seasaw to pop it), scraping the inside of pumpkins for Halloween, etc. Also great for whacking stuff, like for tenderizing meat, or I put spices, nuts, etc in a plastic bag and smack 'em with the spoon to crush them up. Good multipurpose tool for a very small kitchen w/o enough storage space for specialized tools.
 
Cuisinart Smart Stick Blender. Does everything a normal blender does and more.
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^ Yep that absolutely qualifies. Maybe I should have said kitchen item instead of gadget. Nice food processor. I'm glad someone mentioned the Magic Bullet too. I had been thinking of getting one except I read a review saying there were too many pieces and altogether they took up as much room as a full sized blender. But I still think it seems worth it because it doesn't look like there is as much to clean after mixing one or two drinks as with a regular sized blender. I think I will get one.
 
<img src="http://www.paulsfinest.com/image.php?productid=202" alt="" />



I love my honing steel because it keeps a razor sharp edge on my knives. There is nothing worse than trying to cook with dull knives.
 
My steel coffee press from Crate and Barrel is my favorite. I've been using a coffee press for 20 years, I've broken way too many of the glass presses. Once you press coffee at home, a coffee maker just doesn't do it anymore.
 
^ tmare - do you grind your own beans too? Thanks for the tip on the French Press. I am tempted to get one.



I often wonder why percolators aren't popular anymore even though stronger coffee from espresso to french press is and perk is most certainly strong as well. Percolators seem to have fallen out of fashion when automatic drip makers become popular.



I do drip and have this Hamilton Beach "Brew Station". I love the way it dispenses. I also use it just to heat water when a recipe calls for hot water and also for tea. Very versatile.



<img src="http://images.netshops.com/mgen/digimarc.ms?img=master:EMG006.jpg&h=300&w=300" alt="" />
 
My favorites are 1. my kitchenaid mixer. and 2. my cast iron anything. Last year we bought some kitchen aid pans and here it is nearly a year later and they are ruined because BK only knows how to heat things on HIGH heat rather than slow so nearly all the pans are burned. God bless him that hes a genius at so many things but god help me because in the kitchen he's in so much of a hurry he doesn't notice or care about the instructions.



Last year I bought 2 Le Crueset wide dutch 6 and 3/4 quart ovens from William Sonoma at 55.00 each in red or (flame) (they were hugely on sale regular retail is anywhere from 240 to 310 each.) Now I am selling them on Ebay and I expect to make enough to pay for the new pots and pans we need. The Le Crueset outlet at the Citadel has been very helpful so woot yay me. I will have some new stuff to make his enormous' family Christmas dinner with!
 
I know I've posted this before, but it deserves reposting:



<a href="http://www.roastmasters.com/moccamaster.html">http://www.roastmasters.com/moccamaster.html</a>



<img src="http://www.roastmasters.com/store/graphics/00000001/kbt741.jpg" alt="" />



High points:



- Straight into the airpot

- Constant temperature (most drip machines start too cold and finish too fast)

- Fast



My french press makes a better cup of coffee, but just barely. I heart my Moccamaster.



I love my cast iron pans. Mine are of no particular pedrigree. I think the last one I got was a 12" at a yardsale for $2 when I was looking for CD's.
 
[quote author="SoCal78" date=1228304978]^ tmare - do you grind your own beans too? Thanks for the tip on the French Press. I am tempted to get one.



I often wonder why percolators aren't popular anymore even though stronger coffee from espresso to french press is and perk is most certainly strong as well. Percolators seem to have fallen out of fashion when automatic drip makers become popular.



I do drip and have this Hamilton Beach "Brew Station". I love the way it dispenses. I also use it just to heat water when a recipe calls for hot water and also for tea. Very versatile.



<img src="http://images.netshops.com/mgen/digimarc.ms?img=master:EMG006.jpg&h=300&w=300" alt="" /></blockquote>


Yes, I always grind my own beans. For me, the best beans for the money are the Trader Joe's French Roast. I think percolators lost out when people realized that boiled coffee really isn't that good. In my opinion, there really is no better coffeemaker than a French Press.
 
Momopi's favorite kitchen gadget:



<img src="http://www.revellphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/camera.jpg" alt="" />
 
Here is my complete set of kitchen gadgets



<img src="http://www.made-in-china.com/image/2f0j00nQTafMGdFtYgM/Fire-Extinguisher.jpg" alt="" />
 
Wow, Bk. That's a nice collection you have there. For your sake, I hope you also have this gadget:



<img src="http://www.bhsracing.com/uploads1/products/img3/230980_1196357367.jpg" alt="" />
 
Do worry. I got the decal on my weekend car.



<img src="http://www.bradfordwoodspa.org/images/firetruck1.jpg" alt="" />
 
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