useless kitchen gadgets?

[AllanMcPherson]

One I just saw: disposable plastic slow cooker liners. Of the seven deadly sins, sloth is clearly in the lead.

[sheffy]

I agree with the person who doesn't like the George Foreman grill. I think it is too difficult to clean to be of much use and it only cooks at one temperature.
I think that the most useless gadget is an avocado stoner! What is wrong with a knife? The stone is so huge, anyway.

[tessa]

i love my GF grill, havnt used it in a while but do love using it
its great for when im in a cant be fagged cooking mood

i got given these silicone egg poachers that have holes in them and you sit them in the poaching water huh all the egg drips through the holes before it starts to cook , **** horrible things

[blw7u]

I am remodelling my kitchen. Getting 2 ovens. One 30" (thinking of the GE Cafe dual fuel) and the other a 27" electric wall oven. My questions are:

1. If I have the electric 27" wall oven do you still think dual fuel is better than all gas for my 30" range?

2. Any experience preferences withthe GE Cafe? Good or bad?

3. I like the look of the KitchenAid Architect series 27" wall ovens. Any pros or cons with this? Thanks for your help!

[yorvo]

Anyone remember the Ronco Electric-in-the-Egg Scrambler. Here's someone using it thinking it's cool.


YouTube - egg scrambler

[bluedogz]

Lemon sqeezer (little metal folding thing)

Well, I have a trash-to-treasure example there...

As some of you know, I run on one arm due to a motorcycle accident. So, a lot of stupid kitchen doohickies that I'd have scoffed at before have become useful. Particularly the lemon squeezer (all juice, no seeds, one hand) and the One-touch can opener. And I also use that silly multi-pizza cutter doodad for mincing herbs.

[Just Jim]

I happen to like the pinch, smidgen, etc. measuring spoons.
They are actually 1/8, 1/16 and 1/32 teaspoon measurments, so they do have an actual use.
They also make a great gift for that sweet old lady you have working in the kitchen.

Most useless?
Hmmmm.

I have a spatula/tong, a spat with a tong to hold the burger. I never use it.
Thermometer fork ranks up there for sure.
Avocado slicer/peeler, that takes the meat out of the skin and slices at the same time.
I have some sort of hand mixer I recieved as a gift. It can be twisted to form either an immersion blender or a standard hand mixer, and does neither of them well.

[mycroftt]

As a reformed collector of worthless kitchen gizmos I now try to stick to Alton Brown's advice not to buy "single-purpose" items for the kitchen - except for the fire extinguisher.

I had an electric coffee spoon that calculated how many spoonfuls of coffee you needed. Somebody must have given that to us as a gift because even I wouldn't purchase such a worthless item. It emitted an annoying beep every time you moved stuff around in the drawer. Finally I just tossed it.

[RPMcMurphy]

Originally Posted by mycroftt

As a reformed collector of worthless kitchen gizmos I now try to stick to Alton Brown's advice not to buy "single-purpose" items for the kitchen - except for the fire extinguisher.

I now try as well....we received many bedbathbeyondish gift cards for our engagement and with our 20% coupon, we love to go to BBB or LNT....however everything my fiance picks up, I have to ask "what else does it do" and she knows if she says nothing...I give it the toss!


or.....


I bring up.........



the "strawberry leaf remover" that she has..................and never uses (because...1. it doesnt work 2. why? why why?)

I've been known to use an egg separator on some occasions (needing a doz+ egg yolks, whites)

[tessa]

Originally Posted by RPMcMurphy

I now try as well....we received many bedbathbeyondish gift cards for our engagement and with our 20% coupon, we love to go to BBB or LNT....however everything my fiance picks up, I have to ask "what else does it do" and she knows if she says nothing...I give it the toss!


or.....


I bring up.........



the "strawberry leaf remover" that she has..................and never uses (because...1. it doesnt work 2. why? why why?)

I've been known to use an egg separator on some occasions (needing a doz+ egg yolks, whites)

you hand is the best separator in the world, its also the best lemon strainer as well

[RPMcMurphy]

Originally Posted by tessa

you hand is the best separator in the world, its also the best lemon strainer as well

not when ya have to make a couple of cups of lemon juice! (don't ask)

[KYHeirloomer]

>I now try to stick to Alton Brown's advice not to buy "single-purpose" items for the kitchen - except for the fire extinguisher.<

I'm going to follow that advice: just as soon as he does.

One of his many self-contradictions is that he constantly sings that "multi-tasker" song. But then he goes out and buys a low to single-use products.

Just what, for instance, can you do with a deep fat fryer except deep fat fry in it? Or what do you make in waffles other than waffles? Or..... well, you get the idea.

[RPMcMurphy]

i can see the difference....in some things....one use is fine, if its the ONLY way you can achieve the result. If there is another way to achieve it....that can also do it...then that would be better....

for instance, hard to make waffles without a waffle iron, even though it's single use..

easy to take the leaves off of strawberries or chop/dice and onion, without the single use doo-dads .

[Mezzaluna]

One I just saw: disposable plastic slow cooker liners. Of the seven deadly sins, sloth is clearly in the lead.

Sorry, Allan, this is hardly useless, at least for me! If I don't use one of these bags, it takes two days to scrape off the residue from a 10-hour simmer in the crock pot. I've got better things to do with my time.

[shel]

Originally Posted by Mezzaluna

Sorry, Allan [...] it takes two days to scrape off the residue from a 10-hour simmer in the crock pot. I've got better things to do with my time.

Mezz, the dishwasher works a treat with my old crock pot.

shel