What kitchen tools do you seldom use but know you can't get rid of? (ingredients, freeze)

[Happy in Wyoming]

Originally Posted by no kudzu

I forgot the pastry blender. Can you use a food processor to do that job? Never thought of that.

I'd hate to try. A pastry blender does an accurate and precise job.

i don't believe that we can ever have too many tools. I believe that I have every tool here that people have mentioned but a couple more come to mind. An olive/cherry pitter is a unique item for a task whether you use it everyday or every year. Mortars and pestles for small tasks are a godsend. And what about an ice cream scoop that cuts spherical scoops? I can't imagine not having egg cups and coddlers. The list goes on and on. One more: all the various thermometers we use in the kitchen.

[mainebrokerman]

Originally Posted by mr bolo

a very large antique 1880's meat cleaver

ohhh i like these i collect them...many of the larger ones from 1860-1890 are called plumb cleavers
if you have a mallett that goes with it,,save that too-you have an antique- some butcher shop would love to have one of them,,,even if they just hang it on the wall

dont be throwing that out!!!

[mainebrokerman]

i am kitchen gadget/appliance man,,,, tough to throw any of them away

i have an electric meat grinder- use this for wild game and sale items like 1.79lb bnls chicken breasts- in minutes its ground chicken
a hobart 403 electric cuber-meat tenderizer - great for tough cuts and wild game,,
a tumbler- meat marinade machine- vacuums out the air,,,,and rotates on rollers- meats and marinade in a drum- these are awesome gadgets


i have knives and more knives, and knife sharpeners...

[weezycom]

2 vegetable peelers -- these are for friends who come over and want to help in meal prep. I just use a paring knife myself.

covered clay cooker -- found a large, never-used one at a yard sale for $2, talked them down to $1, and turns out I've never used it either!

ramekins -- only used 1-2 times but I won't get rid of them.

I have a red-banded w/ gold good china set for 8, everyday cobalt blue-and white china set for 8, and a set of Japanese Imari china with reds and gold and cobalt blues to blend the two sets together when I've got a big crowd in. Otherwise, the Imari would get used maybe 2x a year when I was getting fancy serving asian take-out instead of eating out of the containers!

[hey teach]

1. Electric Griddle and Waffle Maker. Use them once a year at Christmas when the kids and grands are here.
2. Food Processor and Blender. I just can't remember when I used them last.
3. Fancy china, crystal, and silver. Never use it, but got it when I married and am saving it for my granddaughter.
4. George Foreman Grill. Use of this runs in cycles. Currently it is under the cabinet. We got tired of it.
5. Tea strainer. I still have one in the drawer, I'm not sure I can still purchase loose grain tea.
6. Sugar bowl and cream pitcher, juice pitchers, water pitchers.
7. Electric can opener. Takes up too much counter space. I put it in the closet and got a hand held.
8. Popcorn popper. Waste of time.

[don1945]

We have a Mr. Coffee coffeemaker on the kitchen counter and neither my Son nor I drink coffee. I think I keep it there because a kitchen seems to always need one of those on the counter, and we might get a guest who wants some (but we have no coffee or cream, so not sure about that theory. )

I also have this stupid crock thing that you soak in water and then put something like a chicken in it to cook. I have had it for years and haven't used it for probably 10 years, but I can't seem to dump it in the garbage for some reason. Who knows, I may make a chicken in it some day.

One thing that I do use a lot is the Oven Gloves I got for Christmas a few years ago. Those are pretty cool and sure beat pot holders.

Don

[no kudzu]

I'd be hard pressed to fix coffee for somebody as we don't drink it either. DD brings some little coffee packets from Starbucks when she visits.

Love my waffle maker and go in spurts keeping it on the counter. Same with the George Foreman.

How many sets of china do I have? Let me count....2 sets of 12 servings from my mother, my everyday , my fine china, my everyday christmas, my fine china for christmas and a set from my grandmother. Just as many sets of silver plate and Sterling Silver and of course all the servings pieces. I just can't bring myself to get rid of my mother's china. She loved it so much but didn't get to use it very much. I also have her fine crystal dishes as well as stem ware. Never used .

One thing I know is younger generations don't want our stuff. So don't plan on passing anything down. I also have about 12 sets of bridge linens. Who uses that anymore?

And hand embroidered kitchen towels made from feed sacks from my rancher grandmother in Oklahoma. Priceless to me.
Bundt pans, cake pans, pie plates in every size, cookie sheets, cupcake and mini cupcake pans, cornbread castiron pan, devil egg server...on and on it goes. The funny thing is I have enough for 5 homemakers but I've never had a cast iron pot or pan and can't handle the weight now!

[Jukesgrrl]

I only use them once or twice a year but I would never get rid of my:
-melon ball maker
-spring-form pan
-cake pans
-a pretty footed cake plate I put birthday cakes on
-the little tools to serve appetizers and cheese
-big trays and a couple of huge platters
-that thing that turns my lasagne pan into a turkey roaster
-the tubular metal press used to make spritz cookies
-an apple corer

Kitchen things I use shockingly often even though my mother never had them:
-a pizza stone (ok, we eat and re-heat a lot of pizza ... sue me)
-expensive knives (yes, $ really does make a difference but you really only need two)
-heat-resistant silicone scrapers
-that thing that makes fancy lemon peels or chocolate curls
-a small hand grater specifically for citrus
-a citrus reamer
-a bundt pan (easiest dessert to make and a good thing to take to other people's homes)
-the electric coffee grinder I reserve for grinding spices
-a big stirring spoon made out of some kind of indestructible plastic (I've broken every wooden spoon I've every had)

[Lost Roses]

I worked in a department store Housewares area years ago. I think I have everything they sold.
I haven't seen a pasta machine mentioned. Have that but haven't used it since my kids were little, same with the Romertopf clay casserole. I may have actually gotten rid of a Foley mill - one of those things you put potatoes in and turn the crank to make mashed potatoes. At least I haven't seen it in about 20 years.

With that said I don't think I have any of the more recent innovations in kitchenware like silicone bakeware. But if there's ever a need for a Charlotte pan, springform pan, cathedral-shaped bundt pan, tartlet pans and the like you can count on me. Also, don't let me near Sur le Table (they just opened a store near me.)

[TheotherMarie]

In 1992, my parents put their house up for sale. We had to be out of the house during an open house, so my mom and I went shopping. I bought a garlic press, simply because we didn't have one. I have moved numerous times since then, lived in two countries and four states since then, and still carry the stupid thing around. I've used it maybe 3 times.