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Kitchen Gadgets You'll Actually Use and Love

Ranked #18,635 in Food & Cooking, #330,549 overall

As lazy as I am, I actually use and love these!

For the longest time, I hated cooking, and I was horrible at it. I could screw up macaroni and cheese, believe it or not. Lately, I've become quite domesticated, as I've taken on the challenge of cooking for my grama, my boyfriend, and his three kids.

Here's a short list of things I own and love. I hope you will too!

Can Colander

Most people cut the lid off the can and use it to drain the contents, but it isn't always effective. The contents get squished and liquid from the center doesn't aways make it out. Introducing, the can colander! This nifty thing fits over the top of regular cans, such as veggie and fruit cans, and inside cans of tuna and salmon. Since you're not pushing on your veggies, they won't get squished. Since the holes are spread out, you drain more water or oil from your tuna and salmon.
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Flexible cutting board

For years I had a wooden cutting board, and my grandma brought glass ones when she moved in. I recently got a flexible board for veggies and it's great!

You can use it to roll out dough. When you're done chopping, just funnel your food into the container or pot. Scraps don't fall over the floor when you scrape them into the garbage, and runny food doesn't drip all over. My plastic one quickly wipes clean and stores anywhere. Get several for veggies, meats, poultry, and baking.
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Scoop and Stirs

I think the Scoop and Stir is technically a Pampered Chef name, but the idea is a spatula that you can use as a spoon as well. It's thicker and stiffer than a scraping spatula and comes in handy for folding nuts into batter and other big jobs.
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Trigger Style Ice Cream Scoops

I put off buying one for a long time because they're a big more expensive than the cheap plastic scoops, but they're incredibly handy for cooking and baking.

I use the larger ones to scoop perfect batter sizes into muffin tins and bar forms, and the smaller one to dollop sour cream over diced potatoes and other tasks where spreading would be a challenge.
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Magic Bullet Blender System

I love this gadget! Check out my lens to learn why.
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Do you use the kitchen gadgets you buy?

Some people are famous for having a house full of late-night infomercial purchases they never put to good use. Are you guilty of this? Do you use the kitchen gadgets that are supposed to make your life easier? Or do they sit in cabinets and closets?

Do you use your gadgets?

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I actually do. Honest!

BizGuides says:

Best investment I made for the absolute highest measure of ultimate emotional satisfaction one individual can experience in a lifetime is:
The ice cream spade! If,...if you do not have one get one.
Then, and only then will YOU know.
BG

Victoria_Neely says:

I don't have many kitchen gadgets. At all. But I definitely use the ones I have, such as a pastry blender--great for biscuits. Does it count as a gadget?

Pfft! Course not!

 

Microwave Cover

This $3-5 investment keeps your microwave clean. Nuff said.
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Mitt Style Pot Holder

I used the little square ones for so long before finally just getting two mitts. What was I waiting for? No more burned fingers or flaps in the food.
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Pasta Pot

A pot and a colander in one. Who can argue? I use it for spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, vegetables, and potatoes.
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George Foreman Grill

While cooking bacon and burgers on the stove or grill seems easy enough, I CAN and have screwed them up. But on my little George Foreman grill I've cooked bacon, salmon patties, panini sandwiches, grilled cheese sandwiches, hot dogs, venison steaks, and more.
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How often do you cook?

Most people are in the bad habit of cooking "real" food only one or two days a week. Or less! Out of seven dinners a week, how many do you make at home? Leftovers of "real" food counts. Frozen pizza doesn't.

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Utensils with big rubber handles

My grama has a hard time using regular utensils because she can't get a good grip on them. Paying a big extra for the large rubber-handled utensils proved to be a great investment for me as well as her.
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Stand Mixer with Detachable Hand Mixer

I got my grama a small, inexpensive stand mixer for Christmas, not realizing the top comes off to be used as a hand mixer. That makes it even more awesome!
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What do you think?

Do you use and love any of these items? Do you have others to suggest? Say hi!

  • Victoria_Neely Apr 12, 2008 @ 2:55 pm | delete
    I'm most interested in those flexible cutting boards!
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KimberlyDawnWells

I AM: Kimberly Dawn Wells I've done a great many things in my life and I'm always trying something new.

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