Indispensable Kitchen Gadgets

[chessiegal]

1 hour ago, larapu2000 said:

I have a Soda Stream as well, and I also mainly use it for parties to make club soda.  But they are really easy to use and the CO2 bottle lasts a fair amount of time for the money.  You can buy flavors, or you can make your own.  My mom likes the sugar free grapefruit one, and she doesn't use the full amount recommended, so it's like a hint of grapefruit and it's pretty refreshing instead of cloying.

Do you have the model that doesn't require power, just works by pressing the button to put the carbonation in?

[larapu2000]

6 hours ago, chessiegal said:

Do you have the model that doesn't require power, just works by pressing the button to put the carbonation in?

Yep!! No electric needed!

[chessiegal]

I ordered a SodaStream on Wednesday through Amazon Prime. It's not arriving until Tuesday. WTH Amazon? I thought the point of Prime was next day delivery.

[Mindthinkr]

12 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

I ordered a SodaStream on Wednesday through Amazon Prime. It's not arriving until Tuesday. WTH Amazon? I thought the point of Prime was next day delivery.

I have been also noticing longer shipping times; sometimes a prime item will take 7 days. It’s not Christmas so I’m not cutting them any slack. 

[chessiegal]

I'd have one on my counter now if I had gotten my lazy ass off the couch and gone to BB&B.

ETA: I asked my husband to put grab bars in our shower. Those got delivered next day.

Edited August 30, 2019 by chessiegal

[chessiegal]

My SodaStream arrived today - it came by UPS. When I checked tracking last night, it said it had arrived in Baltimore at 7:34 pm. I thought it ought to be able to make it 30 miles in one day. Sure enough, it was here by noon. You'd think Prime members should get FedEx overnight.

[HunterHunted]

The Drinkmate can carbonate anything: water, juice, tea, coffee, beer, wine.

[Mondrianyone]

I have a Drinkmate.  I bought it after buying the Fizzini, which I don't think is made anymore.  I thought the Fizzini would be easier on counter space, which it was, but it went through CO2 cartridges the way a Hummer goes through gasoline.  I like the Drinkmate, but you can only make so much fizzy water at a time, since the bottle's size limits you.  So the alternative is to get multiple bottles (say, for a party) or forget it and buy a soda siphon, which I think is my next purchase (along with a whipped-cream siphon, but that's a whole other story).  Maybe I should just start stockpiling seltzer.

[Gramto6]

On 8/30/2019 at 9:52 AM, chessiegal said:

I ordered a SodaStream on Wednesday through Amazon Prime. It's not arriving until Tuesday. WTH Amazon? I thought the point of Prime was next day delivery.

Prime is two day delivery, supposedly. I too have noticed a delay in several items I ordered that were listed as Prime. We pay the extra the least they could do is make good on their promise!

[chessiegal]

I took a shower and got dressed this morning with the intention of putting the clean dishes away from the dishwasher. When I got to the kitchen, I found that the dish putting away fairy had struck again!

I am loving my SodaStream. No more buying bubbly water at the store.

[chessiegal]

I bought a Faegor brand multi-cooker instead of an InstantPot. It's huge and I've used it 4 times. I'd like to donate it.

I looked at Goodwill's site and it appears they will not accept it. There is a consignment shop nearby where I've seen food processors and stand mixers. I guess I can ask them if they'll take it.

Anyone have other ideas? I'm not interested in Craig's List or eBay.

[biakbiak]

17 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

Anyone have other ideas? I'm not interested in Craig's List or eBay.

Habitat Restore might take it. Salvation Army near me takes things like that but I have seen them at Goodwill so that must depend on where you live.

A small shelter, food program or church would probably appreciate it but that might require legwork. Our municipal environmental agency has a list of local charities and what items they take to help cut down on people throwing them away but I realize that not everyone has that available to them but it couldn’t hurt to check. 

[chessiegal]

12 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

Habitat Restore might take it. Salvation Army near me takes things like that but I have seen them at Goodwill so that must depend on where you live.

A small shelter, food program or church would probably appreciate it but that might require legwork. Our municipal environmental agency has a list of local charities and what items they take to help cut down on people throwing them away but I realize that not everyone has that available to them but it couldn’t hurt to check. 

Thanks! I'll look into those kinds of places.

[Anela]

Still loving my instant pot, and I need to buy a new food processor. I've needed one for a year now. As inexpensive as possible, but still able to do a good job. 

[larapu2000]

On 10/17/2019 at 5:23 AM, Anela said:

Still loving my instant pot, and I need to buy a new food processor. I've needed one for a year now. As inexpensive as possible, but still able to do a good job. 

I love my Cuisinart.  It's large enough to do a double pie crust recipe.  MIne is an 8 cup, I think it was around $75.

I would love to get a smaller food processor for smaller jobs.  Sometimes it's silly to drag out the big one when I just need one half the size or so.  Any suggestions?

[Mondrianyone]

I'm embarrassed to say that I now have three food processors in three different sizes:  the full-size (13-cup?) Cuisinart I've had since dinosaurs roamed the earth (but I bought all the blades, and the motor has a lifetime guarantee, so I'll use it till the universe explodes), the tiny Cuisinart Mini-Mate, almost as old as the big one, and I recently bought this one (because I liked all the colors that it came in).  Kidding aside, it's very useful to have one that's smaller than the behemoth, not only because it's easier to handle but also because it does a better job when all the ingredients don't just go flying off to stick to the sides of the bowl because there's too little stuff in a too-big container.

I bought mine on eBay for about the same price as the one on Amazon.  It's very basic, but if all you need is to chop things up, it's perfectly fine.  You can't beat the price.  And it's a pretty color.

ETA:  Well, I guess you can beat the price.  I just saw Ninja and Proctor-Silex models at Target that are under $20.  So a lot I know.

On an unrelated gadget subject, I'm just about to cave in and finally buy the Butterball electric countertop turkey fryer.  There's a long sad story about how we never get turkey leftovers at Thanksgiving, but I'll spare you.  I've watched a ton of YouTube videos and read even more Amazon reviews, and everyone seems to love this thing.  Has anyone here had any experience with it?

Edited October 21, 2019 by Mondrianyone
Original post not wordy enough.

[chessiegal]

I've asked this before with no responses, but I'm seeing ads for a Fridgedaire oven that has an air fry function. Has anyone used air frying? My Breville countertop oven has an air fry function, complete with a special basket as seen in the oven ad.

[larapu2000]

On 11/11/2019 at 8:12 PM, chessiegal said:

I've asked this before with no responses, but I'm seeing ads for a Fridgedaire oven that has an air fry function. Has anyone used air frying? My Breville countertop oven has an air fry function, complete with a special basket as seen in the oven ad.

I've been using an air fryer for work functions (corporate food shows), and I've only used it for tater tots, but it does get them nice and crispy, even if they do require a few basket shakes during cooking time.  Easier to mess with a pan and preheating an oven, for sure!  I haven't tried it with anything else, but my boyfriend wants to try out some other foods on it, so I will update if he does!

[Rescue Mama]

On 8/22/2019 at 11:39 AM, biakbiak said:

I have had a SodaStream for so long that I  don’t even remember when I got it, it was a gift so I don’t use it a ton and mainly just use it to make soda water for cocktails because I never remember to pick any up at the store but it works well for that and has held up. I like that it doesn’t have to be plugged in or anything so you can put it anywhere. I would probably buy a new one if it broke so I guess that’s an endorsement! 

[AuntiePam]

On 11/11/2019 at 7:12 PM, chessiegal said:

I've asked this before with no responses, but I'm seeing ads for a Fridgedaire oven that has an air fry function. Has anyone used air frying? My Breville countertop oven has an air fry function, complete with a special basket as seen in the oven ad.

I have a Cosori air fryer, the smaller model, via Amazon for $100.  I use it almost every day.  Fish, chicken (wings, legs, thighs), pork chops, tater tots, carrots, etc. -- so far the only disappointment was a pork cutlet.  The cut was too thin for air frying and was overdone.  I'll never do pork chops another way though -- they were tender and juicy and the fat was just crisp enough.

I do ribeyes in it too, and the fat could be a bit more crispy but the meat itself is juicy and tender.  In winter, when we can't grill, the ribeyes will be in the air fryer.

Still have lots of recipes to try.  I'm really surprised that everything gets crispy but is still juicy. 

[chessiegal]

9 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

Do any of you own a reliable kitchen scale?  Can you recommend one?   I have been looking at them for a long time, and there are so many to chose from.   However, it seems like reviewers can't come to an agreement on one that they like the best.

I have this Oxo Good Grips scale and like it very much. The readout panel pulls out if you have a larger container on it. I remember ATK giving it a thumbs up once. I got mine at BB&B using a 20% off coupon.

Oxo Good Grips digital scale.

[Mondrianyone]

10 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

However, it seems like reviewers can't come to an agreement on one that they like the best.

Here's a list of somebody's 8 Best.  It seems like a good resource for figuring out what features are most important to you and basing a decision on that.

I've had this scale for about ten years.  I switched from a bigger, more cumbersome one when I didn't need to pack up and weigh manuscripts to ship anymore (that's all digital now!).  I actually have two--the second one I got on sale for $15, and I use it in my project area for weighing nonfood items.  It would be nice to have the pullout panel that chessiegal mentions, but this Escali has a hold button that fulfills the same purpose.  I love all the colors it comes in, and it takes up almost zero storage space.  I just lean it against the backsplash when it's not in use.  Also super easy to clean, just swipe off the glass.  I do wish it had a light-up function, though.

P.S.  This shows range of colors, but the price for the green one is much lower at Amazon.

Edited March 9, 2020 by Mondrianyone

[KnoxForPres]

The  Cook's Essentials Multi Use Strainer w/ Two Bowls & Lids has been a game changer for me. I bought a set for my parents, sister and a good friend for Christmas. 
 

That seems like a paid advertisement but it’s just copy/pasted from QVC. 
 

I was never good at getting grease out of ground beef etc.  This thing is awesome. You get all grease off and there’s a pour spout to get rid of. It’s got lots of uses but that’s to me by far the best. 

[Ranger Bob]

On 3/9/2020 at 1:55 PM, chessiegal said:

I have this Oxo Good Grips scale and like it very much. The readout panel pulls out if you have a larger container on it. I remember ATK giving it a thumbs up once. I got mine at BB&B using a 20% off coupon.

Oxo Good Grips digital scale.

That's what I have and I love it!

And yes, ATK rated it as the best.  Almost everything in my kitchen comes from their equipment reviews.  Don't think I've ever been disappointed.

[chessiegal]

Anyone have or have used a countertop ice maker? Our ice maker in the fridge keeps freezing up, which requires taking the hair dryer every other day to get it working again. My husband says I won't be happy with the ice they make - they melt quickly, plus once the ice is made, it has to go into the freezer (well, duh).

[justspiffy]

On 6/3/2020 at 12:28 PM, chessiegal said:

 

Anyone have or have used a countertop ice maker?

 

We had one briefly. It made small cubes, and not a lot, but maybe better than your fridge ice maker, if you have to keep defrosting it.

[shapeshifter]

Is there a food processor/blender/whatever-it's-called-these-days that all y'all would recommend for a single person to use to mostly make smoothies (or whatever they're calling smoothies these days)?

[Trini]

7 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Is there a food processor/blender/whatever-it's-called-these-days that all y'all would recommend for a single person to use to mostly make smoothies (or whatever they're calling smoothies these days)?

Do you plan to blend ice or frozen fruit/etc.? That might narrow the choices down a bit.

I recommend a Vitamix for nearly everything (smoothies in less than 30 seconds, woo!), but I realize they're kinda pricey.

[shapeshifter]

8 minutes ago, Trini said:

Do you plan to blend ice or frozen fruit/etc.? That might narrow the choices down a bit.

I recommend a Vitamix for nearly everything (smoothies in less than 30 seconds, woo!), but I realize they're kinda pricey.

Wow! "Pricey" is right!🤑😲
Probably yes to frozen food. 

[Spunkygal]

3 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Is there a food processor/blender/whatever-it's-called-these-days that all y'all would recommend for a single person to use to mostly make smoothies (or whatever they're calling smoothies these days)?

I bought a Magic Bullet at Big Lots and it has worked very well for smoothies for the last couple of years. I signed up for their emails and got 20% off so I think the total at that time was around $10. I don’t know if they still carry it. It processes frozen fruit just fine! 

[EtheltoTillie]

Continuing the garlic discussion over from Pet Peeves. years ago one of my classmates gave me a wooden garlic crusher (as she called it) from Puerto Rico, where she grew up. It was like a mortar and pestle but the container part was tall and thin.  I wish I could get another one. It worked very well but you still had to peel the garlic first. 

Edited August 31, 2021 by GussieK

[MargeGunderson]

10 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Wow! "Pricey" is right!🤑😲
Probably yes to frozen food. 

@shapeshifter, I have this blender. It is a little pricey (but not as much as the Vitamix) but it works great for smoothies with frozen fruit. No overheating or difficulty pureeing.

[chessiegal]

1 hour ago, GussieK said:

It worked very well but you still had to peel the garlic first. 

I got an Oxo Good Grips device for peeling garlic cloves. It really works - so much better than smash and peel.

Oxo Good Grips Garlic Peeler

I signed up for Blue Apron April last year when it was hard to find fresh protein, and have kept it because it makes meal planning so much easier. Almost every recipe uses garlic, so I get a head of garlic every week. I take a head and peel the cloves, keep them in a small container in the fridge, and they stay fresh for weeks.

[EtheltoTillie]

1 hour ago, chessiegal said:

I got an Oxo Good Grips device for peeling garlic cloves. It really works - so much better than smash and peel.

Oxo Good Grips Garlic Peeler

I signed up for Blue Apron April last year when it was hard to find fresh protein, and have kept it because it makes meal planning so much easier. Almost every recipe uses garlic, so I get a head of garlic every week. I take a head and peel the cloves, keep them in a small container in the fridge, and they stay fresh for weeks.

Someone else mentioned this too. I’m going to try it. 

[shapeshifter]

Wow. Back in the 80s when I used a blender to make soymilk (before you could readily buy it in stores) I think it was about $25. According to the U.S. Inflation Calculator, this would be about $63 today.

Would this 400-Watt $34.16 Ninja be junk? 
amazon.com/Ninja-400-Watt-Processor-Blending-QB900B/dp/B003XU3C7M

[Mondrianyone]

As promised, with luck, the notorious Garlic Gang (I forgot to add in the peeler tube):

 

[Mondrianyone]

I couldn't edit for some reason. So here's the lineup:

Left to right: a mincer with a built-in container, a fancy mincer that doesn't really work, a grater like the one @theredhead77 posted, a sliding slicer that the Goodfellas might appreciate, a medieval torture device that pushes out garlic worms, something with a crank and a spiralizer that I don't know what it does, and a smoosher that resembles what the kids use to grind up weed.

Edited August 31, 2021 by Mondrianyone
name correx

[chessiegal]

I like the Kuhn Rikon garlic press. At one time, ATK rated it the best.

 

[Mondrianyone]

I have one of those as well, but the gang didn't think he was cool enough to pose with them, so he stayed in the drawer.  🧄

[possibilities]

Strong endorsement for that Kuhn Rikon garlic press.

I have an ancient Osterizer blender with a glass cup. I like it, but it's not very powerful. You can make a smoothee, but not if it's too thick or you want anything to really be smooth. I don't mind some pulp, but still-- it's not as strong as I need for everything. I have never tried putting ice in it. I don't really like things that cold.

But I still can't bring myself to spend a fortune on an expensive thing with a plastic cup. 

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, chessiegal said:

I like the Kuhn Rikon garlic press. At one time, ATK rated it the best.

That's the one I have.  (I usually just mince with a knife, but if I'm mincing a lot of garlic, I use the press to save time.)  My mom and best friend both have the Pampered Chef garlic press and I like it just as well.  In fact, that one is easier to clean.

[EtheltoTillie]

12 hours ago, Mondrianyone said:

As promised, with luck, the notorious Garlic Gang (I forgot to add in the peeler tube):

 

So that slicer is a teeny tiny mandolin?  Cool!

[Mondrianyone]

Yup, that's exactly what it is. Pretty clever, no?

[supposebly]

Coming over from the Pet Peeves thread, I was wondering if anyone here has experience with kitchen composter/food dehydrator gadgets. My city still(!) doesn't have a way to recycle or compost food waste. I live in a condo apartment and I'm sick of the amount of garbage I throw out because of that.

I've been looking at a few things, most are still in the money-raising stage, but there are a few that are already on the market.

I like the ones that grind and dry but they don't really seem to make actual compost. Not that I care (I have no plants). I'm just not sure what I can do with it. If it goes back in the landfill, I'm guessing the methane issue is still there. I am thinking of donating to the community gardens around here if what comes out of the gadget is actually usable.

 

 

 

[possibilities]

Have you considered an indoor worm composting system?

"Worms Eat My Garbage" (book) explains it.  

There are a bunch of different set ups to do it. I used simple 5 gallon buckets for years, and recently have been trying one of these: https://shop.epicgardening.com/products/urban-worm-bag

But you really don't have to spend that much money. I just got tired of my bucket system. 

There are quite a few other bin style options if you want something else, I just haven't tried them all. 

 

 

[EtheltoTillie]

On 8/31/2021 at 2:31 PM, chessiegal said:

I like the Kuhn Rikon garlic press. At one time, ATK rated it the best.

 

 

On 8/31/2021 at 2:03 PM, Mondrianyone said:

I couldn't edit for some reason. So here's the lineup:

Left to right: a mincer with a built-in container, a fancy mincer that doesn't really work, a grater like the one @theredhead77 posted, a sliding slicer that the Goodfellas might appreciate, a medieval torture device that pushes out garlic worms, something with a crank and a spiralizer that I don't know what it does, and a smoosher that resembles what the kids use to grind up weed.

Garlic mavens:  The silicone peeler has arrived, and it is everything you all said.  It really works!  But here's my problem.  How am I going to clean it?  It seems like a lot of work to keep it clean/or rid it of the garlic odor.  Or should I just keep it in a special case?  Like people who have a kimchi refrigerator in the garage? 

[chessiegal]

11 minutes ago, GussieK said:

 

Garlic mavens:  The silicone peeler has arrived, and it is everything you all said.  It really works!  But here's my problem.  How am I going to clean it?  It seems like a lot of work to keep it clean/or rid it of the garlic odor.  Or should I just keep it in a special case?  Like people who have a kimchi refrigerator in the garage? 

I rinse it with warm water and wipe out the interior, and keep it in the little case that comes with it.

[Mondrianyone]

11 minutes ago, GussieK said:

How am I going to clean it?  It seems like a lot of work to keep it clean/or rid it of the garlic odor.

Congratulations on your new gizmo!

Cleaning it is no work at all. Just rinsing it under running water usually washes out all the papery stuff. If something sticks, I guess a bottle brush might be useful, but I've never needed one. And I've also never noticed that it holds any kind of odor.

Happy peeling! (My husband is counting on your vote for that Nobel Prize nomination.)

[EtheltoTillie]

On 9/3/2021 at 2:50 PM, Mondrianyone said:

Congratulations on your new gizmo!

Cleaning it is no work at all. Just rinsing it under running water usually washes out all the papery stuff. If something sticks, I guess a bottle brush might be useful, but I've never needed one. And I've also never noticed that it holds any kind of odor.

Happy peeling! (My husband is counting on your vote for that Nobel Prize nomination.)

I'm back with a garlic update:  I decided the silicone peeler was too hard to clean.  But I suddenly had a brainstorm.  I always smashed the garlic clove with the knife to peel it, and I disliked having to dislodge the leftover peel. The knife never applied enough pressure to remove all the peel.  Today I decided to try my small frying pan.  It's heavy enough to have some clout.  It works perfectly.  It really smashes the clove completely and all the peel pops off.   Now I can easily mince the clove with my knife.  I do have good knife skills.  

[Mondrianyone]

Oh, you definitely don't need perfectly peeled garlic if you're going to chop it or grate it or mince it. But if you're using whole cloves or if you plan to slice it (with my teeny guillotine), then it's really nice not to have to deface it to get the papery bits off.

And I'm not at all jealous of your good knife skills. I can do British cryptic crosswords. Everybody's got some kind of talent. Even me.  😉