[Svadhisthana]

What is your favorite gadget? The one item that nobody needs but you absolutely love.

[Mezzaluna]

I love my aluminum batti carni. A heavy pan would do, but I love it.

[Kimmie]

Hi Mez,

What's a "batti carni"?

I have a small gadget for julienning green beans.

Also love my little garlic mandoline. It gives me nice paper thin slices on one side and the other side purées it.

[Isa]

I love my mandoline and my food mill not sure if htey qualify as gadget though.


Kimmie I am curious where did you find a garlic mandoline??

[Svadhisthana]

I would also love to know more about the garlic mandoline. I have a recipe for garlic "chips" that I want to try out on my mother ( she's a BIG fan of garlic anything). What is the source? How much? etc.

[ June 03, 2001: Message edited by: Svadhisthana ]

[Mezzaluna]

A batti carne (spelling???) is what you use to flatten veal scallops, chicken breast, etc. I think carne/carni means meat. Batti may mean beat. I won't go there.....

[coolJ]

I have my tomato shark, it's basically a miniature mellon baller, with a serrated scoop, used for coring tomatoes. I also have a mini garlic slicer, I got it at liquidation world for $0.99, it's pretty cool, although the coolest gadget I've ever seen in the kitchen, is the pocket blow torch, I would really like to get one of those.

[ June 03, 2001: Message edited by: coolJ ]

[Kimmie]

Gotcha Mez!

Sisi and Svadhisthana,

I had to send someone on holidays in Texas to pick one up for me at Williams-Sonoma. But don't cry, I think I saw it at La Soupière...

[ June 03, 2001: Message edited by: Kimmie ]

[Svadhisthana]

I found it here

[Kimmie]

That's the one. Glad you found it.

In exchange, I want you to tell me how to do that "here" thing...pleaaaaaaaaaaaaase!!




[ June 03, 2001: Message edited by: Kimmie ]

[nancya]

You will have to pry my stick blender out of my cold dead fingers. Yes, I could use a whisk for most of the things I do with it, but I love my stick blender. Also love my vacuum sealer. Allows me to buy big hunks of good cheese [good, not great - unless I buy by mail I'm not going to get great here] and reseal it so that it stays fresh for months, which is a good thing for us home cooks. I also use it to preserve bulk yeast so that I only spen $3-4 per year on yeast.

[Pooh]

I have a little battery powered milk frother, perfect for Capuccino.

It's like having a magic wand!

Hubby laughed at me when I bought it. Guess who's having the last laugh!

[Svadhisthana]

Nancya,
I love my stick blender too. So much so that I no longer consider it a "gadget". I think every kitchen should have one.


Kimmie, I am going to two local gourmet kitchen supply stores and see if they have the garlic mandolin. Have you found any non-garlic related uses for it? I love to multitask my "toys"

[Kimmie]

Yep! I also use it to purée ginger. Makes nice slices too on the reverse side.

Another thing I love is the "Great Grater" from Martha Stewart. Talk about multitasking, this thing grates cheese, chocolate, garlic, ginger, it's fantastic for zesting either an orange or a lemon or a lime. I paid way too much for it (canadian exchange and all) but it's a very versatile "toy".



[ June 04, 2001: Message edited by: Kimmie ]

a mezzaluna I bought in Italy for about $25 that does the best job on herbs and small amounts of garlic or onion or whatever. And very satisfying to use. The rocking motion is very comforting and the simplicity is a tiny bit zen. Better than the food processor and much easier to wash.