Whats the most useless kitchen item you`ve bought?

moo2moo

• A raclette so you too can cook on your dining table rather than in the kitchen
• A cooking stone with naff gel filled heaters more normally used in indian restaurants which needs heating in oven prior to transferring to table to allow you to cook your dinner whilst you wait
• ice cream maker - produces flavoured solid lumps of ice whilst making it sound like the freezer is about to die
• mandolin - OH insists on using it every x-mas and every x-mas I end up attempting to reattach the tips of his fingers before throwing away a bowl of blood splattered vegetables
• deep fat frier - splats fat everywhere, makes the whole house smell and is too big to go in a cupboard
• one cup instant boil kettle - such a pain when you have a house full of thirsty people

lapis_lazuli

moo2moo wrote: »

• ice cream maker - produces flavoured solid lumps of ice whilst making it sound like the freezer is about to die

Sounds like a recipe problem. If there isn't the correct balance of sugar and fat, you either get hard lumps or the mixture won't freeze at all. From personal experience, the solution is to purchase Caroline Liddle and Robin Weir's "Ices: the definitive guide." Use those recipes and you'll never look back. They are utterly delicious and foolproof. Oh, and the authors know what they are talking about: they had the same problem as you and spent three years researching ices, resulting in an explanation at the back of the book of how to calculate the correct balance of sugar and fat for yourself, so you can make any flavour of ice you choose. The book is worth every penny for the recipes alone.

telboyo

Practically every gadget I have had for my kitchen has been rubbish. I will list the things I have that I consider useful.

Sharp Cook's Knife
Traditional Cheese Grater
Cheap y shaped peeler
Mandolin
Pestle and Mortar
Cast iron frying pans/skillets. (much more non stick than any non-stick pan I have ever used.
Cheapo Steel WOK from Chinese supermarket.

Swan_2

hotcookie101 wrote: »

I agree on the slow cooker-I bought it after reading on here how amazing they were, but everything tasted the same from it. Was OK for stock, or cooking a ham, but it has now left my kitchen :cool:

I did have a wee pang of regret when I wanted to keep some mulled wine warm, then realised my tabletop induction hob would do the job just as well

HelenYorkshire

Worst:

Juicer
Food processor (only because I loved my stick blender, and this replacement doesn't work so well for me)
GF type grill
Steamer (electric)

Best:
Induction hob + halogen oven, instead of a proper oven/cooker/hob
Microwave steamer - I thought this would be a wasted impulse, but it's quick, easy, hasn't yet stained, and you can use the base to do "omelette" etc in microwave too

Functional:
Microwave (at the minute getting more use with the wheatbag!)
Slow cooker (does what it does well, but when I have time to supervise the hob I prefer the flavours from that method)

catch_me_if_you_can

Worst: Milk frother (luckily it was a freebie) it's been used once and is now in the drawer. Along with a doohicky you put on your finger to make cucumber into curly tendrils. :huh:

Best: Steamer - we use it daily. Even taken it camping :rotfl:
Corkscrew is also pretty useful That also gets frequent usage :rotfl:

anguk

Swan wrote: »

I've had a few but the worst was a slow cooker, which is only just about OK for making soup, but a pressure cooker is way better

I was inspired to buy it by the OS forum ... disclaimer, I do not intend to sue ... but everything cooked in it tastes like ready meals or institution food _pale_

& just don't get me started on 'roast' chicken done in it, falling off the bone??? no ... vile, slimy, tasteless slop, not to mention the disgusting smell in your home

anyway, I 'gifted' it to my Ex husband

I must admit I feel the same about my slow cookers (I have a big one and cheap little one). I use them all the time to cook gammon joints, chilli and rice pudding but casseroles and stews all taste the same in them, I much prefer to cook slowly in the oven.

I read the slow cooker thread on here and I'm envious of all the lovely things people make because the stuff I make in it always seems to taste a bit samey.

Norma_Desmond

I've got 3 different gadgets bought over a number of years for making the 'perfect' poached egg.

None of them do, and they make a terrible mess into the bargain.

Stuff it - I've just decided to never attempt poached eggs again.

Swan_2

anguk wrote: »

I read the slow cooker thread on here and I'm envious of all the lovely things people make because the stuff I make in it always seems to taste a bit samey.

me too, everything I made reminded me of ready meals, & I can't stand them. but ready meals are very popular, so it might just be down to differing tastes & if you actually made up some of those dishes you possibly wouldn't find them very appealing

look at how the slow cooked chicken always polarises opinion, one person's delicious falling-off-the-bone is another's tasteless slimy mush



another kitchen gadget I charity-shopped was a set of pasty makers they looked like a good idea, but were far too fiddly & time consuming

Swan_2

Norma_Desmond wrote: »

I've got 3 different gadgets bought over a number of years for making the 'perfect' poached egg.

None of them do, and they make a terrible mess into the bargain.

Stuff it - I've just decided to never attempt poached eggs again.

have you tried silicone poach pods?

technically you get a steamed egg, but it's close enough for me