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useless kitchen gadgets? - Page 2

post #31 of 69
7/4/08 at 8:02am
One I just saw: disposable plastic slow cooker liners. Of the seven deadly sins, sloth is clearly in the lead.
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post #32 of 69
7/7/08 at 6:57am
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.
http://www.cutleryandcatering.co.uk
Sheffy
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post #33 of 69
7/7/08 at 7:42pm
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
when life hands you lemons, make lemon gelee, lemon meringue pie, or any other dessert your heart desires

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post #34 of 69
7/8/08 at 5:35am

Dual fuel vs gas

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!
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post #35 of 69
7/8/08 at 8:52am
Anyone remember the Ronco Electric-in-the-Egg Scrambler. Here's someone using it thinking it's cool.


YouTube - egg scrambler
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post #36 of 69
7/21/08 at 5:38am
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.
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post #37 of 69
7/21/08 at 8:19am
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.
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
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post #38 of 69
7/21/08 at 9:18am
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.
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post #39 of 69
7/28/08 at 10:56am
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)
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post #40 of 69
7/28/08 at 11:06am
you hand is the best separator in the world, its also the best lemon strainer as well
when life hands you lemons, make lemon gelee, lemon meringue pie, or any other dessert your heart desires

www.theunknownchef.com
www.theunknownchef.co.nz
www.shoebridge.co.nz
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post #41 of 69
7/28/08 at 11:12am
not when ya have to make a couple of cups of lemon juice! (don't ask)
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post #42 of 69
7/28/08 at 5:26pm
>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.
They have taken the oath of the brother in blood, in leavened bread and salt. Rudyard Kipling
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post #43 of 69
7/28/08 at 6:26pm
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 .
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post #44 of 69
7/28/08 at 7:29pm
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.
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post #45 of 69
7/28/08 at 7:47pm
Mezz, the dishwasher works a treat with my old crock pot.

shel
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post #46 of 69
7/29/08 at 12:02pm
Thanks, Shel, I'll give that a try. Any time I can stop using plastic for anything, I do.
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post #47 of 69
7/29/08 at 12:53pm
Perfect for this thread

Behold: Pizza scissors! - Slashfood
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post #48 of 69
7/29/08 at 1:50pm
It works. You just have to know how to use it. You don't grab the leaves with the little tongs, you grab the flesh below them and give a squeeze. The tongs will cut a neat, cup-shaped scoop and take the entire stem. If the berries have a little white rim at the top, just below the leaves and stem, try and cut just barely into the red flesh beneath it.

No. No. Don't thank me. Just get it through your head, SHE IS ALWAYS RIGHT. The quicker you stop struggling, the happier you'll be.

Tell her I said so. I'm currying favor.
BDL

PS. Ask any woman the following question: If a man goes by himself into a forest, is ten miles away from the nearest woman, and says something -- is he still wrong? You will always get the same answer: "Yes."
What were we talking about?
 
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post #49 of 69
7/29/08 at 8:06pm
I use regular kitchen scissors for cutting homemade pizza into slices.
(After seeing the servers at a dim sum restaurant using scissors to cut broccoli, I am getting more adventurous in using the kitchen scissors to cut food...)
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post #50 of 69
7/29/08 at 9:36pm
hey i have used those they make for really easy clean up. and there cheep
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post #51 of 69
7/30/08 at 1:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AllanMcPherson

I'd never cook in plastic ...

shel
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post #52 of 69
8/4/08 at 7:27am
I saw this at the store the other day......really, 100$ because you can't shake a mixer. Heck....not to be foul, but ah...nevermind...




now....it has 3 buttons, shake/stir and on off.

thats all. it does.
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post #53 of 69
8/4/08 at 8:47am
Shel, I love you as a person, as an online friend, and in myriad other ways. But your lingerie habits are TOO MUCH INFORMATION.

BDL
What were we talking about?
 
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post #54 of 69
8/4/08 at 8:50am
RPM,

The trouble with your generation is a lack of appreciation for Dean Martin movies. This makes a weird sort of "swinging bachelor pad" sense if you're old enough to have seen the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. Admittedly, I was only 13; but I can appreciate the kitsch.

BDL
What were we talking about?
 
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post #55 of 69
8/4/08 at 8:55am
I'd be willing to say that my appreciation for Dean Martin movies, is more so than most who lived in that generation sir. I was born after my time.

besides my initial reason to post, was the joke my fiance made about "heck, guys can do [blank] but can't shake a mixer?"

haha.

P.S. I'm more of a Bogey fan, ala Casablanca, Maltese Falcon

Last great actor was Steve McQueen.....
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post #56 of 69
8/13/08 at 8:23am
My Step-FIL fancies himself as a cook, and being a very nice man, tries to buy me one of whatever gadget he's purchased for himself. I've gotten rid of a bunch of stuff, but I still have the "Hot Diggity Dogger" unused, (we eat hotdogs once or twice a year, maybe, and I'm still not sure how you're supposed to get the thing clean after use, shudder), a cheese slicer useful for either denting your cheese or causing odd shaped chunks to fall off and a salsa maker. The last is like some horrid Ronco or Popeil creation--a plastic bowl with cover and a hand-cranked "blade" that supposedly chops everything for "fresh salsa...anytime!!". It makes gobs of smooshed tomatoes (I don't think the blade could cut room temp butter), bruises the crap out of your peppers instead of cutting them, but it does mix the smooshed tomatoes and bruised peppers nicely. :crazy: Goodwill loves me, I'm sure.

Ah! Here's the salsa maker - http://www.asontv.com/kitchen/gourme...f=gb&s_cid=104

Hot Diggity Dogger - http://www.hotdiggitydogger.ca/
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post #57 of 69
8/13/08 at 12:45pm
Not really the same, but....I have a "hot dog roller" that I got from Sams Club or Costco....can "roll" 6 hotdogs at a time..I think I paid under 100$ for it...and let me tell you, it's the best **** thing ever to have at a party....for some reason, people love it...and they swear that skinless sabretts taste so much better on it. ( i ususally start them on the gril then put them on the rollers on low)

it was the "hit" of my 4th of july party even though we have about 20 other foods.

(and what post would be complete without me posting a picture)

you can see it in the lower left on the table.

Amazon.com: Waring Pro HDG100 200-Watt Hot-Dog Griller: Kitchen & Dining



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post #58 of 69
8/13/08 at 1:52pm
Now, see, yours looks like it'd be easy to clean and great for a get together. This one operates something like a toaster. The hotdogs and buns go down into it and it, well, toasts them. It also only does two dogs and two buns at a time. Not so good for a party. The only cleanable unit is the basket that holds the hotdogs--I'm not sure what you're supposed to do about the grease and whatnot that runs out of the dogs/basket down into the unit. I do like that they're kind enough to warn me not to apply condiments until after I remove the hotdogs from the unit! :roll:And I'd post a pic, but I think most of the folks here would find your fiance (wife? I'm thinking you guys aren't married yet, so forgive me if I'm wrong.) a lot cuter than my husband (well, I think he's cute!!!).
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post #59 of 69
8/13/08 at 5:33pm
disclaimer : that is not my fiance. fiance's friend. :)
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post #60 of 69
8/14/08 at 7:41am
Ah! My mistake. :blush:
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