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Hello Kraft Community, we are very excited to share some great news with you. As loyal Kraft Community members we have heard your desire to do more fun things in the community and we are happy to announce in January 2010 we will be making some changes so you can connect and share food ideas in more ways than ever!
We want to let you know we will not be transferring the existing discussions to the new enhanced message boards so if there are discussions that you would like to save please make sure to either print them or copy and paste into a document that you can save to your personal files.
We will remind you again before the transition occurs but wanted to let you in on the exciting news!!
If you have any questions on how to do this please contact Customer Care at Contact Us
Moderator_Sky
Posts:
1,521
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Re: Favorite kitchen gadget?
Posted:
Oct 3, 2008 9:14 PM
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> All my expensive gadgets were purchased for me as
> gifts. I do buy a lot of the little do dads for my
> self, as $10-15 here and there doesn't seem too
> selfish, but I always hesitate to buy the more
> expensive ones. Especially as I am fully capable of
> making rice on the stove top, I just don't like to do
> it. And though, I have read that the cheaper ones
> work nearly as well as the ones that cost over $100,
> I'm a little skeptical.
I love rice, but I can't see spending so much for something that just cooks rice. The downside is that without a cooker, I hate taking the time to cook it on the stove top - I usually flub it up. LOL
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Moderator_Deanne
Posts:
1,706
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Re: Favorite kitchen gadget?
Posted:
Oct 2, 2008 7:22 PM
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> >Not that I have one, but with all the gadgets you
> have (and clearly enjoy buying!) it make me snicker
> you need to be "talked into" one.
>
> All my expensive gadgets were purchased for me as
> gifts. I do buy a lot of the little do dads for my
> self, as $10-15 here and there doesn't seem too
> selfish, but I always hesitate to buy the more
> expensive ones. Especially as I am fully capable of
> making rice on the stove top, I just don't like to do
> it. And though, I have read that the cheaper ones
> work nearly as well as the ones that cost over $100,
> I'm a little skeptical.
> What surprises me, is that my husband hasn't just
> gone out and bought one. He's the one who doesn't
> hesitate to buy the bigger ticket items. I should buy
> him one for christmas and be done with it.
> We just moved and had gotten rid of our old ironing
> board (it didn't seem fit to transport)- and then
> ended up not having one at our new place. My husband
> who wears a suit to work was complaining about having
> to use the travel ironing board for his shirts. So I
> fixed it by buying him one for our anniversary. 
> He wasn't as excited as I would have guessed.....
Ahahahaha. You sound like us. Sounds like a fine Christmas present.
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Posts:
607
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Re: Favorite kitchen gadget?
Posted:
Oct 2, 2008 4:14 PM
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Hands down - my food processor! I use it for everything from shredding cheese to making salsa to mixing cookie dough! Couldn't live without it!
My slow cooker runs a close second!
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Posts:
939
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Re: Favorite kitchen gadget?
Posted:
Oct 2, 2008 2:18 PM
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>Not that I have one, but with all the gadgets you have (and clearly enjoy buying!) it make me snicker you need to be "talked into" one.
All my expensive gadgets were purchased for me as gifts. I do buy a lot of the little do dads for my self, as $10-15 here and there doesn't seem too selfish, but I always hesitate to buy the more expensive ones. Especially as I am fully capable of making rice on the stove top, I just don't like to do it. And though, I have read that the cheaper ones work nearly as well as the ones that cost over $100, I'm a little skeptical.
What surprises me, is that my husband hasn't just gone out and bought one. He's the one who doesn't hesitate to buy the bigger ticket items. I should buy him one for christmas and be done with it.
We just moved and had gotten rid of our old ironing board (it didn't seem fit to transport)- and then ended up not having one at our new place. My husband who wears a suit to work was complaining about having to use the travel ironing board for his shirts. So I fixed it by buying him one for our anniversary. He wasn't as excited as I would have guessed.....
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Moderator_Jane
Posts:
1,656
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Re: Favorite kitchen gadget?
Posted:
Oct 2, 2008 7:55 AM
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> The one thing I DON'T have is a rice cooker. My
> husband has been bugging me for years to buy one (not
> that he does the cooking, but I think he fancies
> gadgets, too), but I never get around to ordering
> one. We eat a lot of rice, and I must say- despite
> being an excellent cook; I do not make the most
> consistent rice (or coffee). I might have to go out
> and look for one....
Ours was given to us for Christmas maybe 4 or 5 years ago, and I was skeptical, but it has changed us from white rice to brown rice almost exclusively. You just start it about an hour before dinner and it knows when the rice is done and moves to a warm cycle. I just never could get brown rice to be consistently tender before.
There are only three small kitchen appliances I would find it hard to live without: the coffee maker, the toaster oven and the rice cooker. The next two on the list are the slow cooker and George Foreman grill. Everything else could go.
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Moderator_Deanne
Posts:
1,706
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Re: Favorite kitchen gadget?
Posted:
Oct 1, 2008 7:25 PM
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> I have to confess I am well known for "thinking
> outside the box" in my family. [I like to think of
> it as "artistic" thinking  ] but I think it comes
> from being brought up in a "use it up, wear it out or
> go without" family.
We did the same thing, that's why I was sure someone had another use for a tea ball. I hadn't thought of garlic, excellent idea!
On a side note, I can't believe you haven't bought a rice cooker. Not that I have one, but with all the gadgets you have (and clearly enjoy buying!) it make me snicker you need to be "talked into" one.
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Posts:
808
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Re: Favorite kitchen gadget?
Posted:
Oct 1, 2008 3:45 PM
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I have to confess I am well known for "thinking outside the box" in my family. [I like to think of it as "artistic" thinking ] but I think it comes from being brought up in a "use it up, wear it out or go without" family.
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Posts:
939
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Re: Favorite kitchen gadget?
Posted:
Oct 1, 2008 12:52 PM
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>I think st.boisterous has them all, we could go raid her kitchen, she'd never notice.
Oh how right. (I think you're all on to me). I probably have 3 or 4 of them. And funny enough- I use a cylinder insert when I make tea- and generally not the egg! (I feel like the tea doesn't get enough "movement" in the eggs to produce optimal flavor). But using them for garlic or herbs in place of cheese cloth is brilliant. I may have to bring one up to my "very special" gadget drawer" (aka the drawer w/the gadgets that get used on a regular basis).
I have the bear claw utensils that Jane mentioned- and I do like them. Very handy for turkeys, etc... I haven't made the move to a true Y peeler- but I have an adapted one for making fancy cuts in peels that I got from pampered chef. Not crazy about it though.
Like I promised- I went through one of my (many) gadget boxes in the storage room- and I found a few I had forgotten about. I have one that removes corn from the cob, a fancy corer that removes the seeds from a cucumber in one motion, and one of those fancy cutters from pampered chef that makes wiggle cuts (I think I used it once). I also found a couple of rings for making eggs in when poaching- never used them either. Now I feel like I should go through some of my other boxes- who knows what's hiding down there!!
The one thing I DON'T have is a rice cooker. My husband has been bugging me for years to buy one (not that he does the cooking, but I think he fancies gadgets, too), but I never get around to ordering one. We eat a lot of rice, and I must say- despite being an excellent cook; I do not make the most consistent rice (or coffee). I might have to go out and look for one....
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Moderator_Jane
Posts:
1,656
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Re: Favorite kitchen gadget?
Posted:
Oct 1, 2008 9:37 AM
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There is one kitchen appliance we probably couldn't do without and that's our rice cooker. It has made cooking brown rice so much easier and once it cooks, the cooker keeps it warm, so timing and cleanup are much easier.
The gadget that we, especially my husband uses a lot, are called bear paw meat handlers. They make picking up any large piece of meat a snap. For those who haven't seen them, here is a link: http://www.weewillys.com/online-market/cooking-gadgets.html
I also really like my y-shaped vegetable peeler. I didn't think I would like it at first, but now I can't go back.
And Eemma, that's a brilliant idea about the tea ball. I never seem to be able to find cheese cloth to make the herb bundle for soup or stock.
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Posts:
869
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Re: Favorite kitchen gadget?
Posted:
Sep 30, 2008 9:49 PM
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Eemma, BRILLIANT!!! I do have on of those "tea balls" (sterling silver, all antique and quite fancy-WHATEVER! only thing I thought to use it for was when the Antique Roadshow came to my town, NOT!!!), never had a CLUE what to do with it since I am not a tea girl... To use it like one of those "things" chefs tie up herbs and spices in cheese cloth would have never occurred to me.. Thanks much...
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Posts:
808
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Re: Favorite kitchen gadget?
Posted:
Sep 30, 2008 9:34 PM
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I have a son-in-law that doesn't like the texture of garlic or onion in his food. He also doesn't like the pieces of herbs or spices in his food. (Obviously not my child!) So I use my tea ball to hold the garlic and spices when I am making something he will be eating. The flavor gets in but he doesn't have to pick the food over.
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Moderator_Deanne
Posts:
1,706
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Re: Favorite kitchen gadget?
Posted:
Sep 30, 2008 9:26 PM
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Wow, you guys are gadget gurus!
I use my egg slicer and my apple peeler/corer often. Kiwis are another fruit for the egg slicer. =D
Anyone else have an old fashion tea ball? There -have- to be more uses for this.
I think st.boisterous has them all, we could go raid her kitchen, she'd never notice.
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Posts:
15
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Re: Favorite kitchen gadget?
Posted:
Sep 30, 2008 8:18 PM
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I have a few, simple kitchen gadgets that are my absolute favorites! It would be hard to put a meal together without them: My Wusthof-Trident kitchen knife set, a garlic press and heat-proof silicone spoonula. I have many other plug-in type gadgets and a drawer full of others, but the most simple make me happy!
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Posts:
939
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Re: Favorite kitchen gadget?
Posted:
Sep 30, 2008 2:12 PM
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>I seem to remember the mandolins being a big infomercial product. What came first? The infomercial version or the ones the chefs all seem to use?
The chef's version (from France) was first. And that is the type that I have, which is probably why I don't use it much. I have to say... it greatly resembles a medieval torture device and quite frankly scares me a bit. (And I've worked in industrial kitchens!). I might like the informercial one more! But seriously, it does work fabulously once I get up the nerve to use it. I think it makes like 10 different style of cuts. Not that I've figured them all out just yet.
OH! I love my salad spinner, too. Of course the other day I saw a advertisement for the old fashioned style spinner that is a metal basket on a chain that you take outside and spin around (literally) and now I want one of those. GREAT kid job!!!
I must say though, that I have one of those apple peelers, and I'm not a big fan. I do like the apple corer/slicer that I have, except that it doesn't always cut entirely through the apple which I find irritating.
But I do love my strawberry hull remover (which I had totally forgotten about until right now). I think it cost about 15 cents at the local farm and it works beautifully. We pick about 30 pounds of strawberries each year, and for 30 years- I hulled them by hand. Then I found that little do-dad. I can do them in half the time, now! 
I really like this posting. I am remembering all sorts of fun things that I own, that I had totally forgotten about. I have a supply box down stairs- I should pull it out and go through it. Who knows which gadgets I'll find. (If i remember correctly I have a spatula down there that spits into 3 heads with a push of a button, a whisk that looks like a coil and is spring loaded, and some sort of bar do-dad w/four very pointy spikes on the end of a long handle which rotates and provides drink recipes. I have no idea what that last gadget does, but I like it!)
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Posts:
939
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Re: Favorite kitchen gadget?
Posted:
Sep 30, 2008 2:01 PM
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>Sorry for the "*" apparently w/o them that word violates communtiy standards
You're genius. Quite a while back, I too tried to post using that word and it would not let me (nothing dirty). I sat there FOREVER trying to think of a synonym that I could use and wasn't getting anywhere. Never thought to break it up w/asterisks. Brilliant. Now I know!
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