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Kitchen Gadgets - "stocking stuffers"

fifi

By fifi
in Kitchen Consumer

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DRColby

DRColby

Posted
Posted

In my never-ending search for the perfect cup of coffee I got out my French press again. My thinking was to get the water super hot, stir, let it set and plunge.

The result: not very hot coffee that still seemed like camp brewed with the grounds in the bottom. Back to the drip pot.

To heat the water, though, I saw one of these cheepie ($9.99) Rival water heaters that claims to heat water quicker than a microwave. It does.

Bought one, and think that despite abandoning the French press I can use this heater for many things: like heating broth for rissiotto, gravy, milk etc.

Anyone else putning one these to other uses?

Dave

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andiesenji

andiesenji

Posted
Posted

Another note about Fantes.Fantes.com

If you are assembling a stocking or gift box for a baker, do check out the parchment circles sized from 8 to 12 inches and the tube pan bottom liner.

This saves a lot of time cutting these from a roll of parchment and the price is reasonable. I guarantee the giftee will bless you for them.

They also have the liner cups for both mini and jumbo muffins, a hard-to-find item.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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andiesenji

andiesenji

Posted
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I am not sure which Rival water heater you are writing about.

As far as coffee is concerned. I have purchased 6 of the Senseo coffee machines at Costco as they had a 20.00 rebate - and these have the extra large water resevoir. I am giving them to friends who are single and have less than great success with brewing small batches of coffee in a regular coffee maker. And one is for a college student who has been moaning about the awful coffee in the coin-operated coffee machine in his dorm. Since this brews one cup at a time and turns itself off after a period of non-use, it should fit in quite well in a dorm room.

I have been told that it is becoming very popular on campus where many of the students practially live on coffee.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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andiesenji

andiesenji

Posted
Posted (edited)

It is a conical measuring cup similar to laboratory beakers. It was touted as being useful for both wet and dry measuring but I have had one since King Arthur flour first began selling them 7 or 8 years ago and mine is not truly accurate in the ounces/cups, etc. It is off almost 3/4 of an ounce in the one cup measure. Perhaps the newer ones are more accurate, but this one is not. The one ounce marker is off - when measured with a truly accurate graduated laboratory pipette, one true ounce of liquid is well above the one ounce line in the "beaker". So one would be getting less than the specified amount in a recipe. This may not seem like much, but in a baking formula fractions count.

The metric measurements are accurate.

Edited by andiesenji (log)

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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ladyyoung98

ladyyoung98

Posted
Posted (edited)

jensen sorry to report...i went through the entire amco site and could not find fifis ss mushroom....

however..i did call the customer service number that had been provided and spoke with nancy haws over at focus...we spoke at length and finally discovered it had last been in their 2001 catalog..unfortunalty they no longer sell it...however she is going to get with her marketing department to first figure out why amazon or whichever website it was that was putting them on back order is offering it...and also to see what they can do about perhaps selling this item again.....ive explained to her at length about our egullet site..what we do and how far reeaching it is and let her know that there really is a market out there for this item..she is going to get back with me when she finds something out and i will let ya'll know the results...good or bad...keep your fingers crossed and lets all do some praying that they just may get the ss garlic smasher back on the market for us

Edited by ladyyoung98 (log)

a recipe is merely a suggestion

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fifi

fifi

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Posted

jensen and ladyyoung98... You are heros!!!

Linda LaRose aka "fifi"

"Having spent most of my life searching for truth in the excitement of science, I am now in search of the perfectly seared foie gras without any sweet glop." Linda LaRose

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judiu

judiu

Posted
Posted

The best gadgets I've discovered lately are the flexible chopping mats made out of polyurethane. They won't dull a good knife, absorb "off" flavors, or grow bacteria. They're easy to clean, and easy to chuck out when they get old. I gave some to a friend for Christmas several years ago; she thought I was nuts until she started using them and realised how neat they are. :rolleyes:

"Commit random acts of senseless kindness"

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Toliver

Toliver

Posted
Posted
How about a potato masher or ricer? I know that is on my list (I was a bit overzealous with the potatos this year and squished my masher).

I use my ricer quite a bit when making small quantities of mashed potatoes.

There is a caveat, though...make sure you don't use hot food items in this kind of ricer. There's nothing quite like the sensation of having hot riced potatoes squished out onto your fingers as you grip the handle. :angry:

However, this ricer will prevent such burns from happening since the holes are only on the bottom of the ricer.

 

“Peter: Oh my god, Brian, there's a message in my Alphabits. It says, 'Oooooo.'

Brian: Peter, those are Cheerios.”

– From Fox TV’s “Family Guy”

 

Tim Oliver

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Behemoth

Behemoth

Posted
Posted
How about a potato masher or ricer? I know that is on my list (I was a bit overzealous with the potatos this year and squished my masher).

I use my ricer quite a bit when making small quantities of mashed potatoes.

There is a caveat, though...make sure you don't use hot food items in this kind of ricer. There's nothing quite like the sensation of having hot riced potatoes squished out onto your fingers as you grip the handle. :angry:

However, this ricer will prevent such burns from happening since the holes are only on the bottom of the ricer.

I love my ricer for a couple of potatoes but for hot foods in quantity a food mill is unbeatable. Also great for spaetzle. Plus it takes the stringy bits out of veg and bean purees. A little bigger than a stocking stuffer, though...

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andiesenji

andiesenji

Posted
Posted

I've got this ricer. It holds more and has a hook that goes over one side of a pan and with the handle resting on the near side your can push down against something solid, rather than gripping - which is difficult for me because of arthritic hands.

Sur La Table has a smaller one for about half this price. Admiral Ricer

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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Curlz

Curlz

Posted
Posted

I just saw this stuffing holder and immediately thought of this thread! $12.50. Pretty cool...

And I can't believe how many posts I've missed in just a few days (settings are definitely screwy on the new eG), so my apologies if someone already mentioned it--but I can't believe that they have! :biggrin:

"I'm not eating it...my tongue is just looking at it!" --My then-3.5 year-old niece, who was NOT eating a piece of gum

"Wow--this is a fancy restaurant! They keep bringing us more water and we didn't even ask for it!" --My 5.75 year-old niece, about Bread Bar

"He's jumped the flounder, as you might say."

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C_Ruark

C_Ruark

Posted
Posted
Maybe saying this on eG will cause all of you to burst out laughing, but I just bought myself a microplane a few months ago, and it changed my life!!!  Okay, perhaps I exaggerate just a tad...  But it really makes me WANT to zest stuff.  And it would fit beautifully in to a stocking--for about $12!

I agree that your stainless steel shroom is cool...how about a stainless steel sugar pourer that dispenses just a little at a time?  That's what I use for salt...and of course, a quick Google isn't helping me find one so you can see what I'm talking about.  It's 5-6" tall and is one seamless (almost bullet-shaped) dispenser with a spout sticking out the top.  Turn it over and about 1/2 tsp of whatever you put in it (sugar, salt) pours out.  Pretty cool.

According to friends, I'm the gadget queen, so if I think of any other items, I'll let you know!

IKEA sells those measured pourers. I think you can purchase them online if one is not in your area.

- CSR

"There's something very Khmer Rouge about Alice Waters that has become unrealistic." - Bourdain; interviewed on dcist.com
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winesonoma

winesonoma

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Posted

I bought one of these for the car and can't live without it for picnics and snacking. Self contained within it's own sheath, Messermeister picnic knife. http://www.surlatable.com/common/products/...4&PRRFNBR=12226

Bruce Frigard

Quality control Taster, Château D'Eau Winery

"Free time is the engine of ingenuity, creativity and innovation"

111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

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Curlz

Curlz

Posted
Posted (edited)

After a RIDICULOUS amount of searching, I've finally found the sugar pourers!!! For those of you who haven't read my earlier post, I use this for salt. :cool:

Click here

Curlz

Edited by Jason Perlow (log)

"I'm not eating it...my tongue is just looking at it!" --My then-3.5 year-old niece, who was NOT eating a piece of gum

"Wow--this is a fancy restaurant! They keep bringing us more water and we didn't even ask for it!" --My 5.75 year-old niece, about Bread Bar

"He's jumped the flounder, as you might say."

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lovebenton0

lovebenton0

Posted
Posted
fifi, did you include oven thermometers?  I gave them last year to my girlfriends, and all of them were rather amazed how out-of-calibration their ovens are.

I got one just before Thanksgiving -- my mr saved us and brought one home from a store trip. :wub: OMG! the oven was acting so weird I knew I needed it. I didn't realize it had gotten as bad as it was! :shock: It was 50-75 degrees off -- too cold -- depending on what it was set at. I'm much happier now! The old oven has a longer stay of execution. :laugh:

Another Thanksgiving goodie I got -- gift from brother who knows I love this -- Vietnamese coffee maker for single cup pleasure. Usually readily available at local Asian markets too. $3.99

So many good ideas on this thread for others -- and ourselves. :rolleyes: Thanks, fifi, for starting this rampage through kitchen gadgetry.

Judith Love

North of the 30th parallel

One woman very courteously approached me in a grocery store, saying, "Excuse me, but I must ask why you've brought your dog into the store." I told her that Grace is a service dog.... "Excuse me, but you told me that your dog is allowed in the store because she's a service dog. Is she Army or Navy?" Terry Thistlewaite

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ladyyoung98

ladyyoung98

Posted
Posted

udate on the ss garlic smasher....got an email from amco as a result of an email i had sent before i made the call to focus.....Maureen Kivel-Luzar over at amco had this to say:....

"We did once carry the garlic smasher item 265 this item was discontinued in 2003.

The last place we sold this to was cooking.com .You may want (to get (added for clarity) ) with them or scrounge around a T.J. Maxx they also purchase our close outs from time to time."

so here we have tow possible sources but im still waiting to hear back from nancy which may take a few days...meantime we have some hope from another source....

a recipe is merely a suggestion

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judiu

judiu

Posted
Posted
I bought one of these for the car and can't live without it for picnics and snacking. Self contained within it's own sheath, Messermeister picnic knife.  http://www.surlatable.com/common/products/...4&PRRFNBR=12226

Winesonoma, you reminded of MY favorite picnic thingee (I WISH I had a digital camera!) It's called a Leatherman Flair, and it has needlenose pliers (for the bale on the champagne) a corkscrew with assist, several other gadgets such as scissors and screwdrivers, a pate spreader blade, AND a serving fork for the olives or cornichones (sp?)! :wub:

http://www.leatherman.com/products/tools/r...air/default.asp

Hopefully, the link above will work and you can see it for yourself!

Unfortunately, it's considerably more expensive than your little gem, but it's a HELL of a stocking stuffer! :raz:

"Commit random acts of senseless kindness"

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Toliver

Toliver

Posted
Posted
I just saw this  stuffing holder and immediately thought of this thread!  $12.50.  Pretty cool...

Wow, it looks like an S&M device for a turkey. Not that I would know anything about that sort of thing... :raz:

I've mentioned this jar opener in another discussion. It "pops" the vacuum seal on jars to make them easier to open. My mom uses hers all the time.

And I've just ordered this Can Claw for my mom to help open pop-top cans.

And I know fifi will just be upset with me if I don't mention the little green disk thingies you can get from Bed, Bath & Beyond-type stores to help keep your veggies stay fresher longer. I swear by them.

 

“Peter: Oh my god, Brian, there's a message in my Alphabits. It says, 'Oooooo.'

Brian: Peter, those are Cheerios.”

– From Fox TV’s “Family Guy”

 

Tim Oliver

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winesonoma

winesonoma

Posted
Posted (edited)
I bought one of these for the car and can't live without it for picnics and snacking. Self contained within it's own sheath, Messermeister picnic knife.  http://www.surlatable.com/common/products/...4&PRRFNBR=12226

Winesonoma, you reminded of MY favorite picnic thingee (I WISH I had a digital camera!) It's called a Leatherman Flair, and it has needlenose pliers (for the bale on the champagne) a corkscrew with assist, several other gadgets such as scissors and screwdrivers, a pate spreader blade, AND a serving fork for the olives or cornichones (sp?)! :wub:

http://www.leatherman.com/products/tools/r...air/default.asp

Hopefully, the link above will work and you can see it for yourself!

Unfortunately, it's considerably more expensive than your little gem, but it's a HELL of a stocking stuffer! :raz:

I also carry a juice XE6 and a nifty combo Knife fork spoon corkscrew I found at Walmart for $10. http://www.leatherman.com/products/tools/xe6/default.asp :biggrin:

This is similar but mine was $10. http://www.worldknives.com/product.asp?produid=316&manuid=7

Edited by winesonoma (log)

Bruce Frigard

Quality control Taster, Château D'Eau Winery

"Free time is the engine of ingenuity, creativity and innovation"

111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

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fifi

fifi

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
udate  on the ss garlic  smasher....got  an email  from amco as a result  of  an email i  had  sent  before  i  made  the  call to focus.....Maureen Kivel-Luzar  over  at  amco  had  this to say:....

"We did once carry the garlic smasher item 265 this item was discontinued in 2003.

The last place we sold this to was cooking.com .You may want (to get (added  for clarity) ) with them or scrounge around a T.J.  Maxx they also purchase our close outs from time to time."

so  here  we have tow possible  sources  but  im still waiting  to hear back from nancy  which  may  take a  few  days...meantime  we  have some hope from another  source....

I got to a Lucy Devereaux, or at least her answering service. She is apparantly a VP or something so I will keep trying.

Only on eGullet could we get so obsessive about ss mushrooms. :laugh:

Linda LaRose aka "fifi"

"Having spent most of my life searching for truth in the excitement of science, I am now in search of the perfectly seared foie gras without any sweet glop." Linda LaRose

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andiesenji

andiesenji

Posted
Posted
udate  on the ss garlic  smasher....got  an email  from amco as a result  of  an email i  had  sent  before  i  made  the  call to focus.....Maureen Kivel-Luzar  over  at  amco  had  this to say:....

"We did once carry the garlic smasher item 265 this item was discontinued in 2003.

The last place we sold this to was cooking.com .You may want (to get (added  for clarity) ) with them or scrounge around a T.J.  Maxx they also purchase our close outs from time to time."

so  here  we have tow possible  sources  but  im still waiting  to hear back from nancy  which  may  take a  few  days...meantime  we  have some hope from another  source....

I got to a Lucy Devereaux, or at least her answering service. She is apparantly a VP or something so I will keep trying.

Only on eGullet could we get so obsessive about ss mushrooms. :laugh:

I have been thinking of calling a friend of my boss who owns a company that makes things from SS. He has these huge machines that will take a block of SS and carve it into whatever shape the customer wants. He gave my boss a bowl carved from a block of SS on one of the machines when it was first installed, when they were practicing. Then reality set in and I thought of the cost of just starting the machine and putting the data into the computer that drives it.

:blink: whew, :wacko:

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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andiesenji

andiesenji

Posted
Posted
After a RIDICULOUS amount of searching, I've finally found the sugar pourers!!!  For those of you who haven't read my earlier post, I use this for salt.  :cool:

Click here

Curlz

I like your review on Amazon, Curlz.

I use several types of salt, most of which probably wouldn't go through the opening.

However I am going to order one or maybe two. I think they will be great for Splenda.

Splenda is so light that often some blows off the spoon as I am transferring it to the cup from the bowl - especially when the exhaust system is running or one of the doors is opened.

Someone gave me a salt mill from this place for Christmas last year: Peppermills

and I ordered the matching peppermill.

This topic reminded me about it and I have to get them out and fill them so it looks like the salt mill has been in use, just in case the person who gave it comes around to visit.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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