Kitchen Gadgets - "stocking stuffers"

[ladyyoung98]

...fifi...i just love it...yes eg is the only place where we can get obsessed by something like this.... ...then again were we not so obessesed with food to begin with... we would not be here either...but isnt it wonderful that we all have a place where we can go to express our obsession with cooking?....and congrats for at least getting her answering service...yet again do we show...if you want something bad enough you take it as far up as you can go..congrats..im sure that through our singlemindedness on this..somewhere out there is the garlic smasher of our dreams..... ...oh what a lovely time in gadget history to be a foody..... Edited December 1, 2004 by ladyyoung98 (log)

[Curlz]

...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. 

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VERY good call, Andie!!! I've had the same problem with Splenda.

[fifi]

OK. . . The nice lady VP at AMCO called me back. I think the weirdo factor worked. Anyway, she did confirm that they discontinued them in 2002, and, no, they didn't have a box of them lurking in a dark corner of the warehouse. She did say that if a "customer" (read Sur le Table, or W-S type) wanted to order 2000 or 3000 or so that they would get them.

[Curlz]

How many members are there on eG these days...?

[marie-louise]

How many members are there on eG these days...? 

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To take it a step further-perhaps they could donate them to our new eGullet Society. Sign up as a paying member & get one free (think pledge drive!) In exchange for a little discreet advertising, of course.

And they DO make nice utensils-W/S used to sell their cooking spoons & spatulas. I've had a set for over 10 years and they still look great. I usethem all the time.

[ladyyoung98]

what a bummer huh fifi...but i think marie may have a real good idea there...signing up doing a pledge drive..... ...not long ago i got an email asking if ui wanted to bea society donor and ive been debating it simply because my fiance is already a society donor so the debate concerns two in the same household...have not made any progress with that thought yet.....

however...if one looks at the numbers next to our names when we post something..it does give us the member number that we are...and unless im seriously mistaken...i think they just may have a market with our members..so long as we can get enough of us interested in purchasing this little beauty...i know id love to have one...so how de we go about contact with other members abotu this?..you are a froum host fifi....any ideas?...by the way...congrats on getting to talk with a person who could tell us more and what to do about it.... ...

[andiesenji]

I have been trying to remember where I saw one of the SS hand deodorizers that was also an interesting shape and finally remembered it was on the "gizmo" site.

Kitchen Gizmos which has all kinds of unusual and hard to find gadgets by uncommon manufacturers.

The thing I recalled was this WMF egg shaped odor eater.

[Curlz]

Thanks a lot, Andie...just what I needed--another site for kitchen stuff!!!

[andiesenji]

Thanks a lot, Andie...just what I needed--another site for kitchen stuff!!!  

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Sorry! However I have hundreds of them in my bookmarks. I am addicted to kitchen gadgets and utensils new as well as the old ones I find on ebay. (And at auctions, estates sales, antique stores, etc.) I get emails from dealers all the time who find something rare or unusual. It has to be in working order though.

Edited December 2, 2004 by andiesenji (log)

[andiesenji]

I ordered a set of these after I signed off of eG last evening.

A friend sent me the link and suggested it might be something quirky enough that I would like.

Naturally, once I got into the site I managed to find a couple of other things that piqued my interest. and which I couldn't resist.

Heh, heh, heh!

I ordered this

and

this

for a friend who needs some organization in her kitchen. I was wondering what to get her for Christmas when I came across them and they would be perfect in her kitchen.

Edited December 2, 2004 by andiesenji (log)

[Anna N]

I ordered a set of these after I signed off of eG last evening. 

A friend sent me the link and suggested it might be something quirky enough that I would like.

Naturally, once I got into the site I managed to find a couple of other things that piqued my interest.  and which I couldn't resist.

Heh, heh, heh!

I ordered this

and

this

for a friend who needs some organization in her kitchen.  I was wondering what to get her for Christmas when I came across them and they would be perfect in her kitchen.

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Now those are some fine ideas - how does one get on your Christmas list?

[gingerpeach]

Speaking of Ikea and coffee upthread, how about a moka pot? There's a great thread over on Coffee and Tea about the "pleasures of moka." I think they'd look so pretty with a big red bow tied on the handle. Of course you can get them other places than Ikea, but they're pretty darn inexpensive there.

Might be a bit big for a typical stocking, but after reading this thread, I think it's time to upgrade my own stocking...

[andiesenji]

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Now those are some fine ideas - how does one get on your Christmas list?

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[andiesenji]

Speaking of Ikea    and coffee      upthread, how about a moka pot? There's a great thread over on Coffee and Tea about the "pleasures of moka."  I think they'd look so pretty with a big red bow tied on the handle. Of course you can get them other places than Ikea, but they're pretty darn inexpensive there.   

Might be a bit big for a typical stocking, but after reading this thread, I think it's time to upgrade my own stocking...

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If you take a look on the kitchen gizmo site, you will see one of the vendors, Villaware, has the traditional type moka pots.

[M. Lucia]

Speaking of picnic accessories, I always have my Opinel on hand. I actually recieved it as a stocking stuffer, and it's carbon blade has served me ever since.

I think an oil dispenser/sprayer is a great tool. For when you don't want to drown things in olive oil, I can just spritz something like vegetables for roasting and pop them in the oven. It saves time and mess.

[fifi]

I think an oil dispenser/sprayer is a great tool. For when you don't want to drown things in olive oil, I can just spritz something like vegetables for roasting and pop them in the oven. It saves time and mess.

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I completely agree. I would love to have an olive oil sprayer. One that actually WORKS!!! I think my last one was a Misto or something like that. You would pump and pump, get a couple of sprays then . . . drizzle. I got replacements at Bed Bath & Beyond twice and finally gave up.

[ladyyoung98]

i bought one of those at the chefs sale last february fif and have the same problem with mine...fine idea but the results hardly seem worth it.....

[andiesenji]

Okay, here is the photo of the various whisks I use. There are no duplicates here, although I have multiples of several of the whisks or whips.

The one at the far right is the Danish dough whisk which is ideal for mixing quick breads, scone, thick batters, as it mixes well without working the dough too much. Great for arthritic hands/wrists.

[BettyK]

Okay,  here is the photo of the various whisks I use.  There are no duplicates here, although I have multiples of several of the whisks or whips. 

The one at the far right is the Danish dough whisk which is ideal for mixing quick breads, scone, thick batters, as it mixes well without working the dough too much.  Great for arthritic hands/wrists.

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Very impressive collection. Some of them I've never seen before. Care to share what's the name of #1, 5, 6 from left to right and the top left one and their usage? How do you like the ball whisk compared to the flat whisk?

[lovebenton0]

Honestly the best oil sprayer I've found has been to use one of those spray margarine bottles filled with EVOO. It's so cheap it doesn't even matter if you use the original product. Of course this is a bit OT, sorry, since you can hardly use that for a good stocking stuffer.

And now I've found way too many things on MK site, Andie, to add to my own wish list! The pull down spice rack (no more trying to focus up into that cupboard and constantly re-arranging jars into order!) and the adjustable pan organizer are just what I need to help me manage and locate those things more easily.

Most are not good stocking stuffers but these SS smidgen measuring spoons are a cute and practical idea. I've lost track if they've already been listed by someone else.

[Curlz]

Well, I just placed my order for kitchen gadgets, thankyouverymuch! Some for gifts, some for me. Fwiw, they have a 4-pack of the flexible cutting boards for $2.99!!!

Thought I'd alert you all to a discount for Miles Kimball...you can get free shipping on orders of $45 or more...the offer expires in 5 days (12/07/2004). Just enter this coupon code when you're at checkout: 3940582I.

Happy shopping!!

[andiesenji]

Okay,  here is the photo of the various whisks I use.  There are no duplicates here, although I have multiples of several of the whisks or whips. 

The one at the far right is the Danish dough whisk which is ideal for mixing quick breads, scone, thick batters, as it mixes well without working the dough too much.  Great for arthritic hands/wrists.

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Very impressive collection. Some of them I've never seen before. Care to share what's the name of #1, 5, 6 from left to right and the top left one and their usage? How do you like the ball whisk compared to the flat whisk?

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the one on the far left is a Mexican chocolate whisk. You use it just as your would the carved wooden ones with the loose wooden rings, that is, you put it in the container of chocolate and roll it rapidly between your palms.

#5 is the palm spring whisk I mentioned in an earlier note. It is used interchangebly with the heart spring whisk # 3 from the left and the, #9 vintage spring whisk, and the #12 "gravy-master" whisk. These all do very nicely for getting the lumps out of sauces and gravies. Sometimes I have two or three sauces going at once and this way I don't have to stop and wash just one utensil when going from one to the other.

#6 is also known as a "standing" whisk as it will stand on the end. It also gets right into the corners of straight-sided pans, but is useful for stiring things which include lumpy ingredients which you want to stay that way, because they don't get caught up in the more open wire design.

I have some others that are made of hard plastic or silicone for use in the more fragile non-stick pans, however these are all wire or metal based. The black one is wire coated with some hard plastic which so far hasn't chipped off and it has had considerable use.

The one at the top left is an "antique" egg whisk, it is designed to be used in a shallow bowl to whisk egg whites or whole eggs just enough to break them up but not to whip them until they are completely emulsified. It was my grandmother's.

I have several more even older ones but they are hanging up very high in my pantry and I can't get at them right now.

The one that has the tape on the handle is actually a Danish pastry blender I found in Solvang. I have a couple and one is used for cutting fat into flour, but this particular one I use as a whisk as I can put it into a deep mug and roll the handle between my palms, to mix cocoa, etc. It works quite well, better than some of the others for this particular job.

My housekeeper has told me that there are several others, different styles, stuck here and there in various "junk" drawers, but these are the ones I use most often.

I have one huge one that wouldn't fit in the picture - it was a joke gift from a friend a few years back and one I don't recall ever using.

I forgot to mention the ball whisk. It is great for whipping very thick stuff, I use it for whipping my homemade cream cheese, which is softer than regular cream cheese, but it has to be whipped to make sure there are not lumps of cheese curd. Beating it with an electric mixer makes it watery.

I took some to the L.A. potluck, it is quite different from the 'Philly' stuff.

Edited December 3, 2004 by andiesenji (log)

[ladyyoung98]

wow i must have missed the posting on the pull down spice rack.... ..i wonder how that happened..currenlty ive got five spice racks and still have more herbs and spices in the cupboard that need a spice rack of their own...any time my fiance and i go into a kitchen store or anyplace where they have any kind of spice racks.....i have to beg him to keep me away........ ...but if i could just find one really good and roomy spice rack for all that i have..that would make me very very happy...not to mention the fact my fiance wont have to roll his eyes when he knows im going to look anyway......

Edited December 3, 2004 by ladyyoung98 (log)

[hillbill]

Calling all kitchen gadgetphiles!

I'm looking for a better nutcracker. Something better than the standard cheapo "V" shaped nutcracker, something less messy, less frustrating, and less likely to mush the nuts while cracking the shell.

I saw this in a magzine, it looks intriguing, potentially a better nutcracker:

Rotary Nut Cracker by Trudeau

Any feedback? Any other suggestions for a reasonably priced, better than mediocre nutcracker?

Thanks!

[andiesenji]

Get one of these Rocket nutcrackers

and you will never look for another.

I have tried them all, and this one works.