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Multi-Tasking Equipment


Kim Shook

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I have a large splatter screen that has feet so it can be put on the counter and the screen won't mess the counter.  It also works great as a cooling rack for cookies, extra pancakes cooked for another meal, etc.

Hey - that's a great gadget. I've never seen one like that.

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

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Does using an offset spatula to mud drywall count?

Only if using a pancake turner to smack kitty butts (when said butts are up on the counter, where they KNOW they're not supposed to be) counts, too. (Don't worry, this particular kitty has long, thick fur, and he barely feels it.)

One of those pasta things, you know the spoon with the teeth on it?, makes a great back-scratcher. :laugh:

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Does using an offset spatula to mud drywall count?

One of those pasta things, you know the spoon with the teeth on it?, makes a great back-scratcher. :laugh:

I cleaned out the utensil drawer and found I had an extra pasta thingie, and offered it to my sister.

She said, "Great--I'll take it. The boys used mine to scratch the dog, and I tossed it."

The dog apparently really enjoyed it. :wacko:

sparrowgrass
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I am adding to the list as things come to mind or hand.

I use a denture brush to scrub tiny veggies like fingerlings and other miniature potatoes.

I use the jar lifter from my canning kit to take ramekins out of a water bath.  This will only work on ramekins with a slight rim or a slight flare at the top.  They will not work on straight-sided ramekins.

I use my long, spring-loaded tongs to reach items on the top shelf of my cabinets.  With the tongs I can drag items to the front of the shelf and once there, I can just safely reach them.

The jar lifter and tongs are both brilliant! I'll have to try them both. I also use dental floss to torte (slice them into layers for non-cake folks) cakes.

Pamela Wilkinson

www.portlandfood.org

Life is a rush into the unknown. You can duck down and hope nothing hits you, or you can stand tall, show it your teeth and say "Dish it up, Baby, and don't skimp on the jalapeños."

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Use a hemostat for loads of things - what comes immediately to mind is grabbing that darn cartilage in chicken filets to get it out and holding on to the silverskin when prepping pork tenderloins.

Absolutely! It's also great for taking seals off bottles, getting bones out of fish, and when plating, placing or removing things.

And after service, I put them away. Really.

"Oh, tuna. Tuna, tuna, tuna." -Andy Bernard, The Office
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I couldn't begin to enumerate the things we've used hemostats and our pickle plucker for in and around the house. Retrieving tiny objects that have fallen into crevices, mostly, but occasionally for culinary uses as well.

I think it's telling that I always return the hemos to the same small tool drawer and can find them in an instant. I vaguely recall spending hours or days searching high and low for them when we were younger, and finding them in the strangest places. :rolleyes::wacko::laugh:

Judy Jones aka "moosnsqrl"

Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly.

M.F.K. Fisher

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I too have hemastats around the house, and great little medical scissors, rounded one side, pointed the other, valuable in and out of the kitchen.

A very useful item I also have and use for measuring etc, is the little scoop that goes with a precision lab balance. Great when I am measuring pectin for fruit jellies, pink salt for curing, etc.

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I have a large splatter screen that has feet so it can be put on the counter and the screen won't mess the counter.  It also works great as a cooling rack for cookies, extra pancakes cooked for another meal, etc.

Hey - that's a great gadget. I've never seen one like that.

I'm pretty sure I got it at Bed Bath and Beyond. It's not so much separate 'feet' that are attached, it's more like the heavy, rolled steel frame that's bent down in about 3-4 spots so you can set it on the counter. The screen is a rather heavy, fine-meshed one, so even really small items won't go through. It's a good 12" or so across, and it holds up well in the dishwasher too. Hmmm... now I'm wondering if it could also be used as a really fine-meshed strainer.....

"Fat is money." (Per a cracklings maker shown on Dirty Jobs.)
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I use my long, spring-loaded tongs to reach items on the top shelf of my cabinets.  With the tongs I can drag items to the front of the shelf and once there, I can just safely reach them.

Me too! Very handy for that!

"Fat is money." (Per a cracklings maker shown on Dirty Jobs.)
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use my long, spring-loaded tongs to reach items on the top shelf of my cabinets
They are truly the friend of the petite.

I use one of my whisks to mash ripe bananas for banana bread. Then use it to blend the rest of the wet ingredients.

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use my long, spring-loaded tongs to reach items on the top shelf of my cabinets
Mr. Duck laughs every time he sees me doing that.

Bamboo chopsticks make great toaster tongs.

Edited by I_call_the_duck (log)

Karen C.

"Oh, suddenly life’s fun, suddenly there’s a reason to get up in the morning – it’s called bacon!" - Sookie St. James

Travelogue: Ten days in Tuscany

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A strawberry huller (the type with the small bowl with sharply serrated edges) makes an excellent tool for hollowing out small tomatoes prior to stuffing them. Just cut a small slice from the top and scoop out the seeds, veins and pulp with the huller - fast, easy and elegant.

And I just used my hemostat to pull out the string from a roast. The damn string was really imbedded.

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

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The rolling pizza cutter is also handy for finely mincing small amounts of fresh herbs.

"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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I have a large splatter screen that has feet so it can be put on the counter and the screen won't mess the counter.  It also works great as a cooling rack for cookies, extra pancakes cooked for another meal, etc.

Hey - that's a great gadget. I've never seen one like that.

I'm pretty sure I got it at Bed Bath and Beyond. It's not so much separate 'feet' that are attached, it's more like the heavy, rolled steel frame that's bent down in about 3-4 spots so you can set it on the counter. The screen is a rather heavy, fine-meshed one, so even really small items won't go through. It's a good 12" or so across, and it holds up well in the dishwasher too. Hmmm... now I'm wondering if it could also be used as a really fine-meshed strainer.....

Cooking.com has them in two sizes, 13 inch and 15 inch.

and always brilliant has a square one and a domed one in addition to the round.

Amazon has one but I don't recommend it. I had one but I attempted to use it as a trivet - a suggested alternate use - the sauce pan tipped and spilled liquid onto the counter because the mesh did not support it on the side away from the handle.

"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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  • 2 weeks later...

I just found another one - my panini press which is electric and opens up to be grill makes a great space for keeping things like sauces warm and frees up the 4 (crowded!) elements on my range. Mine is adjustable from low to high. I wouldn't put my best china on there to warm but for keeping a side dish or sauce at serving temp for a short while, it's brilliant.

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

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I have used a ramekin to catch flies in a zenlike manner and then let them go outside. Contrary to Brooks' method of insect removal.

I confess I am a scissors abuser. I have been known to use the scissors to debone a fish, cut filo dough into fancy shapes, cut a chimney in a tourte or clip the tops of yeast rolls, cut bacon into little pieces for tartelettes, mince herbs, trim cabbage leaves, remove bay leaves from the bunch hanging by the stove, cut open dried mexican chile peppers to remove the seeds, get that icky tendon, and loosen chicken skin from the bird. I then use the same scissors to cut articles from magazines, cut paper, cut fabric, and even cardboard for various projects around the house. All scissors reside in the kitchen. I abuse them daily.

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I have used a ramekin to catch flies in a zenlike manner and then let them go outside.  Contrary to Brooks' method of insect removal. 

You let flies go? How do you know they don't just fly right back in?

One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.

Virginia Woolf

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I have used a ramekin to catch flies in a zenlike manner and then let them go outside.  Contrary to Brooks' method of insect removal. 

I confess I am a scissors abuser.  I have been known to use the scissors to debone a fish, cut filo dough into fancy shapes, cut a chimney in a tourte or clip the tops of yeast rolls, cut bacon into little pieces for tartelettes, mince herbs, trim cabbage leaves, remove bay leaves from the bunch hanging by the stove, cut open dried mexican chile peppers to remove the seeds, get that icky tendon, and loosen chicken skin from the bird.  I then use the same scissors to cut articles from magazines, cut paper, cut fabric, and even cardboard for various projects around the house.  All scissors reside in the kitchen.  I abuse them daily.

Right on, Lucy! I have so many pairs of scissors in the kitchen that I have lost count but I am forever reaching for a pair. I, too, clip bread and rolls, cut pizza into serving size pieces, snip chives and cut up canned tomatoes.... the list goes on and on.

Oh and I don't rescue flies but I do rescue spiders! My six-year-old granddaughter believes I have a pet one named George since I will never let her harm a spider and she often asks where he is!

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

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  • 3 weeks later...

Sheesh - where are all our innovative and imaginative cooks? There must be loads of things we use to do things other than intended.

My latest - I have a Zyliss salad spinner which comes with a lid and it is working great for me as a receptacle for dough that I want to retard overnight in the 'fridge.

I was making baked apples a week or so ago and after a frustrating time using my apple corer, I reached for my melon-baller - it did a great job digging out the core and making enough room for loads of yummy stuffing.

Then I needed a load of jalapenos seeded - voila - the serrated strawberry huller to the rescue - a quick swipe down each half of the split peppers and seeds and ribs begone!

So come on - what have you used (or misused) to get a job done?

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

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This might not count, but I use an empty, glass coca-cola bottle to tenderize meat. there are redges on the bottom of the glass and it is very comfortable to hold. I hope it never breaks, as it is hard to find these bottles these days. FWIW, coke out of the glass bottle tastes so much better than it does out of plastic or cans.

Preach not to others what they should eat, but eat as becomes you and be silent. Epicetus

Amanda Newton

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I use a metal milk shake cup to hold my disposable pastry bags while I load them with the filling for chocolate centres. Then I use my foodsaver to seal the top. Sealed this way I can use them immediatly or place them in the fridge for storage until needed.

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Does using an offset spatula to mud drywall count?

Done that. And in a reversal of that theme, I've cleaned the mortar off my biggest trowel (used a disc grinder and a wire wheel) and used it as a fish spatula.

Oh, and my brother-in-law built an attachment for his drill press so he can use it to stuff sausages. He's also got a forge and it's been known to be used for burgers on sunny afternoons. They cook in about 2 minutes flat.

This whole love/hate thing would be a lot easier if it was just hate.

Bring me your finest food, stuffed with your second finest!

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Reefpimp et al - I am LOL and ying with laughter with all of these posts. I would confess using my kitchen scissors to death too. When my mom came over to visit me from the Philippines, she was appalled at the way I would use my scissors to cut:

noodles

chicken

pieces of seaweed wrapper

meat into bite-size pieces for my 5 year old

etc. etc...

Then when she left Korea, she brought home 2 exact replicas of my kitchen scissors so she could do the same things that I have done.

Doddie aka Domestic Goddess

"Nobody loves pork more than a Filipino"

eGFoodblog: Adobo and Fried Chicken in Korea

The dark side... my own blog: A Box of Jalapenos

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Does using an offset spatula to mud drywall count?

Done that. And in a reversal of that theme, I've cleaned the mortar off my biggest trowel (used a disc grinder and a wire wheel) and used it as a fish spatula.

Oh, and my brother-in-law built an attachment for his drill press so he can use it to stuff sausages.

Next time he does this, please do be present and take a photo.

Today's accomplishment. The teen has long hair. It clogs every drain. I used the vise grips to bend the end of a skewer so I could fish ths hair falls (YUK; there's a reason I have really short hair) out, then bent the skewer flat again.. Also, a layer of dishtowel (flour sack) doubled over a skewer gets into that skinny slice that holds the dryer vent and gets the wads of hair out, too. Skewers. Can never had enough of them.

Now, if I could just figure out a kitchen use for my Leaf Hog.

Susan Fahning aka "snowangel"
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