Kitchen Gadgets.. The brilliant and the useless
fatfrank44
Posts: 11 Member
I'm really intrigued as to what gadgets and supplements the MFP community have found actually worth it in trying to lead a healthier lifestyle.. and what terrible expensive mistakes we've made!
In my experience:
Whats yours? x
In my experience:
- The Good - My 99p Ebay spiralizer, My far too expensive but adored nutribullet & 5Hp (natural seretonin supplement)
- The Bad - My Juicer, I love it but it wastes so much and its horrible to clean. Spiruliana - makes you feel ace but turns everything to pond water
- The Ugly - Vegan protein powder - EVERYTHING IS SADNESS AND LUMPS
Whats yours? x
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catscats222 wrote: »the worst = kitchen aid mixer
things to make in it include white flour, sugar, butter, etc, etc
every house that I walk into and they have this, the person is obese.
This reminds me of the (secretly gay) anti-gay people who blame them for earthquakes and tsunamis.
What's the matter? Are you scared a bit of butter frosting will taste delicious?
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catscats222 wrote: »the worst = kitchen aid mixer
things to make in it include white flour, sugar, butter, etc, etc
every house that I walk into and they have this, the person is obese.
the good - a mixer like vitamix to make healthy soups and green drinks.
Now I have heard it all. It is the kitchenaid mixer's fault that a person is obese? Also nothing wrong with sugar, butter, and white flour, or the delicious combinations you can make with them, in moderation.
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Are you asking about gadgets or appliances, or both?
The best gadgets:
measuring spoons
good can opener
pincers
spatula
vegetable peeler
The worst gadgets:
all of those that clutter up the drawer so I can't get to the ones I need
The best appliances:
crock pot
Kitchen Aid stand mixer (and no, I am not obese)
Microwave
SodaStream
The worst:
Bread machine
anything that slices and dices or spirals
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We are in the middle of a big kitchen project and one of my tasks was to go through and clean out the cabinets and drawers. It was amazing the things I found that I either had forgotten I had or that I never use (hey fondue pots I'm looking at you).
I love my panini press andy crockpots... I want to love my immersion blender and hope to use it more this fall/winter.
Less used because they are bulky but still handy are my food processor and my apparently evil kitchen aid stand mixer.
I'm scared of my mandoline and never use it...
Smaller gadgets: I have a three in one vegetable peeler that does julienne, regular peel, and something else that I never use. I haven't needed a spiralizer.
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I use my vitamix to make mass quantities of butter that I then melt onto my grilled steak which is sitting on a bed of mashed potatoes mixed with more butter, bacon and ranch thanks to my vitamix!!!! LOVE my vitamix!!!0
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Best
Food scale
George Foreman grill
Crockpot once in a while (for soups, chili, pulled pork. Don't like the texture of meat in the crockpot otherwise)
Worse
Vegetti. Yup, I know people love it, it's a pain in the butt to use and a pain to clean. I hate it now. Better just sautee some zucchini slices!
I have a kitchen aid that was gifted to us second hand but I have no idea how it works, lol.0 -
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Haha! I am so alone in my spiralizer love!
I also love my George Foreman.. but must remember is for quick oil free veggies not delicious delicious halloumi...0 -
I like the Vitamix and the Kitchen-Aid mixer. We've gotten rid of the useless stuff, except maybe the pineapple corer, which the daughters like more than using a knife.0
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The good
- citrus peeler
- hand held grater (grating citrus, nutmeg, etc.)
- pampered chef juicer (gets every bit of juice out of citrus)
- little tool that gets the tops off of strawberries
I don't have any bads. I use my juicer occasionally but agree it's a pain to clean. I want to buy a kitchenaid to make bread dough. I currently make them by hand.
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The best - spiralizer, crockpot, food processor, box grater
I don't think I have anything that I don't like. I just toss it.0 -
Non-electric stuff:
Knives and my big-*kitten* cutting board would be the most used, most expensive and most loved.
Rachael Ray dough cutter - not good for cutting, but has edges, so nice for moving things from the cutting board to the stove
Egg slicer
Salad spinner
Steamer basket
King Arthur bread pans - worth their weight in gold, those things!
The 5-wheeled cutter (I don't know what it is called) is my favorite gadget that I don't need. Since I got that, all of my crackers are the same size.
Tervis tumblers for ice water
Electric stuff:
-Thermometer - love that thing
-microwave
-spice grinder
-food processor
-stick blender (not sure if that's the right name, but it love that thing!)
-stand mixer, which mixes and kneads bread dough and makes pasta, with the pasta attachment
Don't need:
-mandoline - thought I'd use it, but don't care about perfection, so almost always just use the knife
-Garlic press. Tried it once, chopping is easier and better
-The thing that pokes holes in eggs
-Stainless steel plate that's supposed to rid your hands of stinkiness
-Many stupid things designed to alert you when water boils
-Fancy-schmancy oil bottles
-all the other gadgets that sit in a drawer. I should just throw them out.
The tortilla maker, ice cream maker and waffle iron get little use these days.
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I love my vegetable julienne slicer, my olive oil mister and my Starfrit garlic press! I've had that thing for years and it's so easy to grind the garlic, plus easily cleans up. I don't think there's anything I have that I don't like, as of now. But I'm keeping in mind some of the things mentioned here!
EDIT: I'd love to have a KitchenAid mixer! But I have a tiny kitchen.0 -
I don't think any of my gadgets have helped with weight loss, though I have some that I like.
food processor for hummus.
immersion blender to make my soups smooth and creamy.
electric wine opener is the most useless gadget that I use regularly and love.
Kitchenaid mixer (I've never been obese) is used for grinding meat.
meat thermometer is indespensible and used regularly
mandolin is used occasionally to make vegetable chips
Gadgets I thought I'd like but rarely use are my blender and spiralizer.
My favorite thing in the kitchen isn't a gadget but my island, on which the entire surface is butcher block cutting board.0 -
As clumsy as I am, this might become my new favorite kitchen gadget.andrikosDE wrote: »
The most useless gadget was a Slapchop someone bought me a while back. It didn't do jack.
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andrikosDE wrote: »
I have one LOL. One. Two hands though.
. I need to use it more. I would probably be less scared of it if I used it.
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WinoGelato wrote: »catscats222 wrote: »the worst = kitchen aid mixer
things to make in it include white flour, sugar, butter, etc, etc
every house that I walk into and they have this, the person is obese.
the good - a mixer like vitamix to make healthy soups and green drinks.
Now I have heard it all. It is the kitchenaid mixer's fault that a person is obese? Also nothing wrong with sugar, butter, and white flour, or the delicious combinations you can make with them, in moderation.
You know, come to think of it, when I no longer had a Kitchenaid, I did lose weight...
But that has a lot more to do with my ex-husband getting the mixer in the divorce (my biggest mistake!) and me having space to explore my relationship with food guilt-free. I actually bake more and in greater variety now. I just do it without the stand mixer.
***
ON TOPIC:
Food scale: by far the best thing added to my kitchen, both for weight loss, recipe accuracy, and funsies.
Food processor: a Christmas gift that I will cherish basically forever.
I actually find the immersion blender pretty useless. Maybe it's just the one my roommates own, but I find it makes more a mess and gets clogged more often than it helps. Or maybe I'm just using it wrong.
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Herb scissors - you'll thank me in the summer.0
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Favorites: pressure cooker, crockpot, pineapple corer, small food chopper with immersion blender attachment - use chopper part for salsa, hummus, etc and the immersion attachment is a plus for soups.
Not so favorite: juicer (agree with other person - waste plus big and bulky); large food processor
So so: spiralizer. It's pretty cool but after newness wore off I didn't use as much. Meat grinder attachment to kitchen aid. I really like it but time consuming.
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Got rid of the crock pot, bought a ninja food system which bakes, crock pots and stove tops. Three appliances in one. Can take it with me in the RV or use on the patio in summer so I don't heat up the house.
Food scale, stainless steel measuring spoons and cups in all sizes, good knives, silicone whisks, spatulas, pot holders, a meat thermometer and a good cutting board.
A Ninja Blender.
Electric Instant Pot Pressure cooker. Use for rice maker, grains, beans and quick meals. Again many appliances in one.0 -
Badger_Girl99 wrote: »Herb scissors - you'll thank me in the summer.
Oh yeah. Scissors. A good pair of kitchen scissors is probably the best thing a kitchen can have next to a good sharp knife.0 -
catscats222 wrote: »the worst = kitchen aid mixer
things to make in it include white flour, sugar, butter, etc, etc
every house that I walk into and they have this, the person is obese.
the good - a mixer like vitamix to make healthy soups and green drinks.
Lololol, yup, this almost always gets used for foods that aren't doing me any favors.
I asked to have my fiance's mother's Sunbeam Mixmaster as I now cook for her. My mother has a Sunbeam as well. Hers was a wedding present, so is over 50 years old.
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I've never had a Kitchenaid mixer but found my way to obesity anyway by eating too many calories just the same. A lot of obese people live in houses and have refrigerators.
I didn't really buy a bunch of gadgets or supplements for weight loss or health.
Best gadgets/tools-
The internet has been a great tool. MFP wins, You Tube for lots of great workouts comes in second, Pinterest or food blogs for recipes comes in third.
My Kindle Fire. I can check my food diary, read a book, play music, etc while moving around more. Moving around is healthier.
Good-
Spiralizer. It is a fun way to eat vegetables but I don't use it a ton.
Food processor
Food scale
Good shoes
yoga mats
Regular food- not shakes, bars, packaged meals
Bad-
stretchy elastic resistance bands that I never use
Broken treadmill that takes up space
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catscats222 wrote: »the worst = kitchen aid mixer
things to make in it include white flour, sugar, butter, etc, etc
every house that I walk into and they have this, the person is obese.
the good - a mixer like vitamix to make healthy soups and green drinks.
Yeap... thats the mixer's problem for sure lol hahahaha
I know, right? I didn't realize that hunk of metal on my shelf was making me gain weight. (I should probably keep an eye on those mischievous muffin tins and springform pans I've got.)
In all fairness, I will acknowledge that people who will make such an investment tend to like food and to be relatively adventurous (in that they make it themselves, instead of relying on buying it), and that can put them at a risk of eating more than they should. Although the same can be said for just about anything else in the kitchen.
Good:
Knife Sharpener: Mine isn't electric or anything automatic, but it's something people don't always think about. As you might expect, knives work a lot better when they've got a good edge.
Food Scale: Pretty self-explanatory. But it also helps for things like making shakes because, if you can convert all the ingredients to the same unit of measure, you're not worried about dealing with ounces, grams, scoops, etc. at the same time.
"Perfect Drink" app and scale: I know there are those who avoid alcohol, altogether, and that's fine, but it's not for me. Similar to a food scale, this lets me prepare a drink and have a more accurate picture of what's in it, making it easier for me to incorporate into my daily calories. Because it includes recipes for the drinks, it also lets me pre-plan instead of having to log it after the fact.
Cast Iron Skillet: Completely unexciting, but it works on the stovetop, in the oven, and even over campfires. Plus, no worries about non-stick coatings coming loose.
Silicone baking mat: Not only makes cleanup easier, but it makes baking go faster because I can just swap out the mats and get the baking sheet back into the oven without having to wait for the items on a given sheet to cool enough for removal before getting the sheet back into circulation.
Not-so-good:
Kitchen Basics Fruit and Vegetable chopper: It's not bad, and it may be safer if you're letting your kids help you, but by the time you've pre-cut the vegetable down to a size where you can press it down through the chopper's blades, then made another approach with whatever didn't go into the container, etc., you could have simply done it with a knife.
Mandolin: This isn't to say mandolins, in general, aren't good, but mine was the cheap kind you get in the grocery store. You definitely get what you pay for. If you're going to be slicing lots of fruits and vegetables, don't be cheap like me. Get a good one.
I haven't come across much that I find to be outright "bad".
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I use my Cuisinart food processor several times per day. It's easier to clean than my blender, so I use it for smoothies as well as normal stuff.
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Badger_Girl99 wrote: »Herb scissors - you'll thank me in the summer.
I bought poultry sheers and only used them for this once so they are now for cutting herbs and flowers.
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catscats222 wrote: »the worst = kitchen aid mixer
things to make in it include white flour, sugar, butter, etc, etc
every house that I walk into and they have this, the person is obese.
the good - a mixer like vitamix to make healthy soups and green drinks.
Yeap... thats the mixer's problem for sure lol hahahaha
I know, right? I didn't realize that hunk of metal on my shelf was making me gain weight. (I should probably keep an eye on those mischievous muffin tins and springform pans I've got.)
In all fairness, I will acknowledge that people who will make such an investment tend to like food and to be relatively adventurous (in that they make it themselves, instead of relying on buying it), and that can put them at a risk of eating more than they should. Although the same can be said for just about anything else in the kitchen.
Good:
Knife Sharpener: Mine isn't electric or anything automatic, but it's something people don't always think about. As you might expect, knives work a lot better when they've got a good edge.
Food Scale: Pretty self-explanatory. But it also helps for things like making shakes because, if you can convert all the ingredients to the same unit of measure, you're not worried about dealing with ounces, grams, scoops, etc. at the same time.
"Perfect Drink" app and scale: I know there are those who avoid alcohol, altogether, and that's fine, but it's not for me. Similar to a food scale, this lets me prepare a drink and have a more accurate picture of what's in it, making it easier for me to incorporate into my daily calories. Because it includes recipes for the drinks, it also lets me pre-plan instead of having to log it after the fact.
Cast Iron Skillet: Completely unexciting, but it works on the stovetop, in the oven, and even over campfires. Plus, no worries about non-stick coatings coming loose.
Silicone baking mat: Not only makes cleanup easier, but it makes baking go faster because I can just swap out the mats and get the baking sheet back into the oven without having to wait for the items on a given sheet to cool enough for removal before getting the sheet back into circulation.
Not-so-good:
Kitchen Basics Fruit and Vegetable chopper: It's not bad, and it may be safer if you're letting your kids help you, but by the time you've pre-cut the vegetable down to a size where you can press it down through the chopper's blades, then made another approach with whatever didn't go into the container, etc., you could have simply done it with a knife.
Mandolin: This isn't to say mandolins, in general, aren't good, but mine was the cheap kind you get in the grocery store. You definitely get what you pay for. If you're going to be slicing lots of fruits and vegetables, don't be cheap like me. Get a good one.
I haven't come across much that I find to be outright "bad".
Yes! Cast iron skillet and grill pan. Great list!0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Badger_Girl99 wrote: »Herb scissors - you'll thank me in the summer.
Oh yeah. Scissors. A good pair of kitchen scissors is probably the best thing a kitchen can have next to a good sharp knife.
And WHY do they always go walks??
Loving this thread guys 0
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