What’s your favorite kitchen gadget?

Daily | November 19th, 2008 by Carrie McCarthy

Culinary gadgets and gizmos that make life just that much easier.

Carrie says: A hand-held cheese grater we use for cheese, lemon, nuts. I love discovering a product that has a surprise use: fabulous for spooning out poached eggs!

Danielle says: I bought THE most ridiculous stocking stuffer for my hubby last Christmas and every time we use it, we laugh about how much we love it. It’s a plastic kind of “pocket” shaped like a lemon, with small holes in the bottom. (Sorry, I can’t find a name on it.) Insert cut lemon and squeeeeeze. Out comes the juice, and in stay the seeds. Genius. I also really like the OXO vegetable peeler. The fat handle makes all the difference.

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pearl_mattenson 11/19/2008 01:50 AM 1 point
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My JarKey (google it and you will see a picture) it is an easy to hold jar opener. Works a little like a can opener to break the seal. No more rubber 'things' that supposedly give you a better grip on the handle to twist and I have stopped banging my counters.

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debbierodgers 11/19/2008 05:19 AM 1 point
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Being able to open jar easily is GREAT. The JarKey looks really handy - I use the under-the-cabinet opener from Pampered Chef and love it.

When we moved half-way across Canada my husband decreed that everything that was ATTACHED to anything in our Ontario house had to stay (eg electric can opener) But I drew the line - I wasn't leaving without my Pampered Chef Jar Opener (that's the 'official' name, as far as I can see)!

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marn 11/19/2008 08:14 AM 1 point
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LOVE the JarKey, by far my favorite too!!!!

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Karen 11/19/2008 02:48 AM 1 point
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potatoe masher. I have a new one now, but it took me years to give up the one I took from my mom's drawer when I first moved out on my own. Mashed potatoes are a comfort food, along with the memories associated with the original masher.

Plus, I have found it invaluable when I am canning and need to pulverize fruit, tomatoes, pumpkin or the like.

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CarrieM 11/19/2008 11:17 AM 1 point
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Ditto, mashed potatoes are cozy comfort food, made them last night!

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Kristin_The_Goat 11/19/2008 03:20 AM 1 point
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My favorite kitchen gadget is...my Zyliss Susi Garlic Press. It has a hinged presser foot that makes quick work of garlic crushing. I've had my garlic press for about 20 years and it still works & looks brand new. I also really like my OXO veggie peeler.

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lifecoachsandy 11/19/2008 03:53 AM 1 point
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I love my Cuisinart Food Processor. It has taught me some life lessons: 1) Don't buy cheap imitations, they don't work as well and you end up spending more in replacements 2) If you don't love a job, find a way to make it easier or stop doing it altogether. My 20 year old just discovered the joy of cooking. When she comes home from college on the weekends, I get to take a break from cooking because she is so excited to take over! When I go back to making meals on Sunday, I have much more creative energy that I can devote to the task.

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Frances 11/19/2008 04:07 AM 1 point
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I agree with life coach sandy - always buy quality.
I bought a Victorianox French Chef's Knife 25 years ago.
Flash forward 10 years and watch my husband use it as a cleaver and break it. I was so disappointed, I wrapped it in a napkin, unwilling to throw it out. Several moves later and the rise of the internet brings me to a place where I get the Canadian Victorianox number and call them. Within moments (it seems) of me sending th eknife to them, a courier truck pulls up to my kitchen door and the driver hands me a new one.

Just like the original it is perfectly balanced, holds an edge and makes me feel like a French Chef.

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finola 11/19/2008 05:41 AM 1 point
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ooh, I know that pain! I had that happen with a knife I bought in Japan - handmade - at a village where they're known for knife smithing - wish I could get it fixed or replaced!

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Chantal 11/19/2008 04:20 AM 1 point
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My grandmother's mortar & pestle. Great for grinding fresh herbs and spices. And it's well seasoned too.
Another one is this contraption I bought in Bali a few years ago at the outdoor market. It's really a hand grater but made of simple wood and nails. Yes, tiny little nails that have been hammered into it. It's the best grater I've used (but maybe not too health conscious). So, mostly it sits but I still love it. It's so unique.

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Jess 11/19/2008 04:44 AM 1 point
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Does the toaster count because that's about all I can use haha!

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Linda Borland-Fitzgerald 11/19/2008 05:18 AM 1 point
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My Kitchen Aid food processor and stand mixer both in butter yellow, though now I wish I'd chosen white, or stainless, or robin egg's blue? But, the other favourite that I found a gazillion years ago through Lee Valley tools, is the grater long, skinny grater. It seems to be everywhere these days but with a handle now. It's actually a carpenter's rasp so the edges can be sharp without that handle. It's brilliant for grating everything fine, and especially garlic - much better than bursting a blood vessel with a press - in my opinion.

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Natasha L 11/19/2008 09:12 AM 1 point
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Ditto on the grater! I have a great uncle who makes violins and actually uses this tool for its' intended purpose (woodworking) but I use mine for grating orange/lemon zest, hard cheeses, nutmeg, garlic and ginger...and love that it doesn't take up too much space.

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CarrieM 11/19/2008 11:19 AM 1 point
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Lee Valley is where I'm buying all my Christmas gifts this yea! Love it.

http://www.leevalley.com/home.aspx

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finola 11/19/2008 05:39 AM 1 point
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not so much a gadget, but I love the big sharp knives with holes in the blade so you potato or whatever you're slicing doesn't stick to the blade, falls away nicely.

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Leah Graves 11/19/2008 05:58 AM 1 point
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A plastic spoon that came with our first apartment. We joke all of the time what we would do if it ever broke (we use it to stir everything on the stove top pretty much).

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lisaohhh 11/19/2008 06:01 AM 1 point
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my crock pot! i don't know why it took me so many years to get one, how did i live without it. being someone who spends as little time in the kitchen as possible, and with ADD-like tendencies, i love being able to start dinner and FORGET about it for hours. before the crock pot, i'd do this and the results were disastrous. now, i can forget about dinner and we have a delicious, hearty meal! :)

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Meredith 11/19/2008 06:33 AM 1 point
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Although not a kitchen gadget per se, I cherish the heavy, bistro-red dutch oven my father gave me for Christmas one year. It perfectly matches the detailing on the dining room table he made me as well. It reminds me so completely of him and how he takes joy in great meals with great people - something he has passed down to his children. Meals don't happen at his home without the glow of candle light, great tunes, some "plucky" red wines, and lots of laughs. I used to love to sit on the radiator at the end of the kitchen and procrastinate my homework by watching him make puttanesca, coq au vin, stuffed pork roast, among other wonderful meals in his repertoire. Every time I use my dutch oven, I feel like a chef and remember to take joy in creating and how nice it is to create joy for those I love. Cooking = love!

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CarrieM 11/19/2008 11:21 AM 1 point
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what wonderful memories and wonderful father.

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donna Frazier 11/19/2008 06:39 AM 1 point
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I have rectangle wire mesh stanless steel strainer that has handles that extend so it fits any size sink. It even fits over my very large stock pots. I use it for rinsing and drying veggies and fruit to draining pasta or hamburger meat.

Second to that I'd have to say it is a tie between my Cutco chefs knife and my favorite wooden spoon.

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Wazzy 11/19/2008 07:01 AM 1 point
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my garlic press. i love using it. It's swedish.

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Luckier 11/19/2008 07:17 AM 1 point
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My wand mixer. Until I had it, every time I made my favorite soups (green pea with ham or my olive oil soup) I had to plan ahead so the soup would cool enough that I could run it, in several batches, through the food processor to blend it. Now, I plug in my magic wand and zip zip zip it's soup.

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Lori_from_Texas 11/19/2008 11:58 AM 1 point
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I want one! You have rescued me from the "batch" method. Thank you!

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Luckier 11/19/2008 12:02 PM 1 point
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Christmas is coming - put it on your list.

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Melinda 11/19/2008 06:59 PM 1 point
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YES! My stick blender is my favourite thing ever. Perfect for making quick smoothies and vege juices, hummus, pesto, thick sauces for meat, dips... the list goes on and on. I use it every day.

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Kim 11/19/2008 07:41 AM 1 point
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Yes, I agree my chef's knife is indispensible in the kitchen. I prefer the 10" blade. If you keep it sharp it will cut anything from hard parmeson to the thinest slice of cucumber. I just love the way you can smack a clove of garlic with it. I could never be without my knife.

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Lori_from_Texas 11/19/2008 08:06 AM 1 point
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A simple wooden spatula that a favorite uncle handcrafted as a wedding gift. I use it when I'm making soup and it feels like stirring in love.

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CarrieM 11/19/2008 11:23 AM 1 point
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mmmm stirring in love, beautifully said.

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stella 11/19/2008 08:28 AM 1 point
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It goes without saying....my KitchenAid Mixer rocks!! Baking is now a dream.

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laurie_matthews 11/19/2008 08:57 AM 1 point
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Mandoline for slicing. Frosting tips for hors d'oeuvres.

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Daniel Gibbons 11/19/2008 09:07 AM 1 point
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It really isn't a gadget, but it's my current kitchen obsession... I bought an enormous (13.4 liter) saucepan on the weekend so I could make huge stews and pots of soup to freeze. Made a classic bouef bourguignon on Saturday - braising steak, smoked bacon, shallots, garlic, thyme and a bottle-and-a-half of red wine for good measure. There's enough for three more meals in the freezer right now.

The pot is oven proof and has copper sandwiched in the base for good heat distribution. Classic example of how buying relatively expensive things can be "frugal" in the long run, since it will last forever and encourage us to make food for the freezer rather than eat out all the time.

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Ellen 11/19/2008 09:28 AM 1 point
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I love kitchen tongs.

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Colette 11/19/2008 09:38 AM 1 point
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My auto coffee maker? LOL! I'm not much of a gadgeteer. but I am all about razor sharp knives, (and lots of very careful practice).

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fabuleuxparis 11/19/2008 09:51 AM 1 point
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The microwave. I could live without almost everything else in my kitchen, but I love the microwave.

:)

Fashionable Fun

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Liz 11/19/2008 10:21 AM 1 point
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Microplane graters--long, narrow, hand held graters that grate anything from cheese to citrus to nutmeg. For me they are much easier to use than traditional graters, prbobaly because they are very sharp.
My other favorite is my champagne re-corker. It's a spring-loaded stopper that clips around the bottle's neck and preserves the bubbles. Great when the rest of your family doesn't like champagne.

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Celise 11/19/2008 10:22 AM 1 point
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The microwave. LOL. My husband has been doing the cooking lately and it thaws things out pretty quickly.

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sharon grace 11/19/2008 10:56 AM 1 point
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hands down my salad spinner. nuff said.

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Constance 11/19/2008 11:14 AM 1 point
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My hard boiled egg smasher or potato smasher. I use it to make the best egg salad.

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K. 11/19/2008 03:44 PM 1 point
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It's pretty low-tech, but I love my blender. Smoothies, soups, crushing ice -- I put it to good use!

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alligator_kate 11/19/2008 04:27 PM 1 point
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Good stainless steel bar blender. I use it every day for making smoothies. It blends almost instantaneously, and is much MUCH easier to clean than glass.

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Angela 11/19/2008 10:11 PM 1 point
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It's a toss up between my toaster oven and my stand mixer (my christams gift to myself last year).

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Cobby 11/23/2008 11:21 AM 1 point
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Tongs are the BEST kitchen gadget ever made.

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Tao 11/24/2008 12:14 PM 1 point
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Breville Blender. The last blender you will ever need. It blended beautifully and quietly. Love it.

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kellikat7 11/30/2008 08:46 PM 1 point
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How to choose??? As a certified "foodie", it's like saying which child is your favorite. Or maybe not, lol.

Vitamix blender--amazingly powerful and wonderful for smoothies and soft-serve "ice cream" that's really frozen banana. (Keeps me healthier!)

Kitchenaid Stand Mixer--the classic! Owning one has been an ambition of mine since I helped my Gran make pear honey at age 9 using the grinder attachment on hers, which is older than I am and still works great!

Salad spinner by OXO--no more soggy greens and watered down dressing! And fun, fun, fun to use.

Salad servers--my aunt owned a fancy home accessory store for a while, and one Christmas she gave me the most beautiful real silver, wood-handled salad server set. I try not save them only for special occasions since I believe I could waste my whole life waiting for a perfect occasion and never use them.

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What’s your favorite kitchen gadget?

Culinary gadgets and gizmos that make life just that much easier.

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