Unused kitchen gadgets

rachbc

I hardly use my bread maker - but I do make bread by hand that is better!

Everything else gets well used

snoozer

I forgot, my favourite gadeget of all time is the boiling water tap in the kitchen. Instant boiling water all the time, it's fantastic.

I've given away my 3 tier electric steamer, it's much easier to steam over a pan. Over the years we've had quite a few items that are used intensively for a few weeks and then consigned to a dark cupboard.

longhotbath

I have a proper pancake maker - a cheaper version of the ones in John lewis / markets. It doesnt use oil, and makes really yummy pancakes. (perhaps its to do with dh being dutch). The cheese and bacon ones with syrup on are fabby!!

I have just cs'd a butter curler. Now WHY did I ever have that??

misskool

Most useless gadget was a morphy richards intellisteam. got it from oh's sis at christmas. It's still in the box and will stay there a long time. We've got a bamboo steamer that sits over the large pan.

Everything else gets used but the list isn't very long. toastie maker, cheapie one from argos, every weekend more or less. stick blender, makes smoothies or soups. kenwood food processor, chops, grates and really useful when there's gluts in the garden to sort.

are we counting toasters and kettles as gadgets?

greenbee

Triker wrote: »

Been having a clearout and erm...:o...have numerous gadgets I don't use and wished I'd never bothered with. Here's my list so far;


Yogurt Maker...it doesn't make yogurt, it makes sloppy gone off milk.

Rice cooker..it stuck together and was too mushy...no use.

Juicer....I've got 2 and mixed the bits up so can't use either unless I can figure them out.

Buffet server...hate to admit it but it's huge and I used it at christmas and thats it, despite telling myself I would use it regularly.:o

Health grill...it doesn't really heat up enough and is relegated to the back of the cupboard.


I have been good so far and got rid of the pasta making machine, whatever possessed me to think I'd actually make pasta...gawd only know?:rotfl:


Anyone else have stuff lurking that is of no use and you regret buying?

You see, I think about what I'm buying, and I use it all:
liquidizer for soup/mayonnaise
magimix for almost anything - mixing/blending/chopping/grating/whisking - makes great hummous, pesto etc, and has been fab for baking but is how supplemented by
kenwood - baking/making icing
stick blender - for odds & ends that need blending
mini chopper - for herbs & stuff
hand whisk - sometimes you need to whisk egg whites and find that both the kenwood and magimix are in use....
pasta maker - doesn't get used that often, but has earned it's keep over time
lots of cast iron pans - inherited from godmother/parents and use them lots
a selection of knives collected over the years - I don't believe in buying sets. each knife has been acquired as I needed it
cake leveller/slicer & icing turntable (and lots more cake decorating gadgets!)

Probably most useless thing is the toaster - it sheds crumbs everywhere

hex2 wrote: »

Good job Greenbee is away

And you thought I wouldn't find out :p

Triker wrote: »

:j:j:j I see le creuset cast iron pans do very well on the thumbs up list....I'm very partial to cast iron pans...:rotfl::happylove

I'm undecided about the Breville Pie makers...I'm intending to use them more often, honestly I am.:o

Either use them or dump them. Youre trying to clear stuff out!

The_Thrilla

I was watching once one of those Ken Hom programmes, and I was amazed at how few tools the Chinese chefs use. It's quite sobering. I have seen kitchens with different sizes of whisks hanging on the wall. A Chinese chef will whisk with a pair of chopsticks. And you have a knife for everything, whereas the Chinese chef will use the cleaver for everything. I did find a Ken Hom cleaver (reduced of course), and I use it for heavy duty stuff like cauliflour, melons etc.

The following articles I still have but seldom use:
sandwich toaster
breadmaker
Braun hand blender (But I would not be happy getting rid of this.)
Steamer
popcorn maker
juice extractor (An ordinary handheld juicer is faster with oranges. And easier to clean.)


The following items I use very often:
Pressure cooker (No, they will not blow up.)
microwave oven
slow cooker
electric coffee grinder
cafetiere (In my opinion, the only way to make coffee - makes great tea, too.)

If you have an ordinary grill you will not need a...
George Foreman grill
Toaster (Now these do blow up. We have had two, and both finished up bursting into flames.)

If you have a blender you will not need a...
smoothie maker

If you have an airing cupboard you will not need a...
yoghurt maker

Recently I was telling myself I must get myself a lemon zester. I was searching for something else, but in among the kitchen equipment we had inherited from my mother-in-law, I found we already had one: it was a melon scoop at one end and the zester was on the other.

angeltreats

The_Thrilla wrote: »

I was watching once one of those Ken Hom programmes, and I was amazed at how few tools the Chinese chefs use. It's quite sobering. I have seen kitchens with different sizes of whisks hanging on the wall. A Chinese chef will whisk with a pair of chopsticks. And you have a knife for everything, whereas the Chinese chef will use the cleaver for everything. I did find a Ken Hom cleaver (reduced of course), and I use it for heavy duty stuff like cauliflour, melons etc.

I used to love Ken Hom. I don't have a cleaver, I wonder if I'd use one. I use a big, very sharp 8" cook's knife for almost everything, a flexible fish knife for filleting fish, a serrated bread knife for slicing bread and that's about it.

Nicoll

Not sure if there's already a thread covering this but I haven't seen one.

I thought it might be useful to put down things we've bought that seemed like they would be used but have since either not done what you hoped they would or have been stuck in a cupboard after just one use.

I recently bought a Window Wizard which is supposed to clean both sides of windows at the same time. I didn't buy it direct at full price (of course) but got it cheaper off Amazon. I got the one that's supposed to work on double glazing and to be fair to the company it does say that if your windows are wider than a certain ammount then it might not work but I just assumed as I have standard double glazed windows that it wouldn't be a problem.

I thought I'd found a way to clean the outside of my upstairs windows without having to pay a window cleaner but doesn't work on mine, the magnets that hold the outside bit onto the window aren't strong enough.:(

However it is great for cleaning one side of windows or big mirrors so not a total waste of money but not money saving like I thought it would be.

Anyone else got things loitering in cupboards not earning their keep?

rachbc

Bread machine - used it for a few weeks and in fairness it got me into baking proper bread which I now do by hand but I find it quicker and easier to make it myself

Pink.

Hi Nicoll,

For me it's bread machine (although it was useful for a while as it was my introduction to breadmaking) and the George Forman which I only use to make toasted sandwiches.

This earlier thread should interest you:

Unused kitchen gadgets

I'll add your thread to it once you've had some more replies to keep the advice together.

Pink