What is the best kitchen gadget you have?/Intend to purchase?! (bread, butter)

[Creek Hollow]

A simple, super cheap little orange plastic ring with what looks like a shark fin on it.

It's purpose is for slicing open oranges (or other fruits). Slip it over your thumb and encircle the fruit.

Wala - easily peel off the skin and the orange is ready to eat.

I panic when I can't find this little thing. I've owned it since the early 1980's!!!!! Luckily, they are still available and I stocked up on them about a year ago. I'll die before I run out of them now.

[TKramar]

A question for the cooks here. When chopping things like onions, mushrooms, black olives, etc. I like to use a chef's knife, it's got an 8- or 10-inch blade on it, and tapers from maybe 3" near the handle down to a point, somewhat triangular. My room mate asks me all the time WHY I feel I have to use that instead of a small two inch long knife (she calls it a paring knife). Does it make sense to any of you WHY I use the knife I do, and not the knife she would want me to use?

Were I to use the smaller knife, I would feel compelled to get my other hand WAY too close to the cutting action...and it's a different type of cut as well. The small knife is more of a slicing action, and the big knife I use as a chopper.

[Sizzly Friddle]

Originally Posted by TKramar

A question for the cooks here. When chopping things like onions, mushrooms, black olives, etc. I like to use a chef's knife, it's got an 8- or 10-inch blade on it, and tapers from maybe 3" near the handle down to a point, somewhat triangular. My room mate asks me all the time WHY I feel I have to use that instead of a small two inch long knife (she calls it a paring knife). Does it make sense to any of you WHY I use the knife I do, and not the knife she would want me to use?

Were I to use the smaller knife, I would feel compelled to get my other hand WAY too close to the cutting action...and it's a different type of cut as well. The small knife is more of a slicing action, and the big knife I use as a chopper.

Paring knives are for paring, or for people who are afraid of chef's knives.
Chef's knives are multi-taskers.

[kodaka]

Tongs, which someone said earlier. Much more useful than I thought they'd be.

And a rotary cheese grater.

[Huckleberry3911948]

braun household blending mixer, wand.
great for making smoothies.

[Redrover]

I love my microplane as well but my new favorite gadget is a strawberry huller that just makes cleaning those berries a breeze. It is item #2 on this page: Corers & Pitters

[Redrover]

Originally Posted by DewDropInn

When you check out of the hospital they give you all the plastic items you used. Included in the bag was a rubbery-thingy the nurses used to tie around my arm when they were checking my blood pressure. The nurse said, "These are EXCELLENT for opening jars." And she was right! They are FABULOUS.

But one day I was cleaning out my tool drawer, saw it, thought about the bad memory of being in the hospital and tossed it in the trash.

One of my dumber moves because now I can't get my jars open. Now its, "Honey! Can you come in here please and help me with this?"

Would love to get another one. Without the visit to the hospital.

This is what you need - Round Rubber Jar Opener; look halfway down the page: Openers

$0.99 ea.
#20576
4-1/2" diameter,
Textured rubberized plastic
Made in USA
Assorted colors, our choice

[gentlearts]

Another gadget I have is a shrimp deveiner. It's just a long bent flexible plastic thing with a narrow end that you stick into the top of the beheaded shrimp, shove it down where the vein is, and it gets out the vein and loosens the shell.

[Opyelie]

I have to second the Magic Bullet - use it every single day.

I got a pack of circular texturised rubber jar openers and they're fantastic - they have a "waffle" type texture rather than being flat like those pictured.

[maciesmom]

A flat coil whisk like this:
It is perfect for making gravey or tomato soup....I love it.