Favorite Non-Traditional Kitchen Gadget (heater, stove, appliance, hurricane)

[steiconi]

Electric pressure cooker, a.k.a. instant pot.

I use it to cook eggs--poached, boiled (so easy to peel!), or cupped, boil water for tea, cook veggies, make potato salad (you cook the spuds and eggs at the same time), make soup, and as a slow cooker.
It will even brown or sauté foods.
I recently came across a recipe for Eggs Benedict, where you poach the eggs, heat the Canadian bacon, and melt butter for the hollandaise all at once.
I'm sure I haven't discovered all the uses yet; there's a metal plate in the top that probably does something clever...

[WRM20]

Originally Posted by xPlorer48

I like this gadget for slicing cucumbers and potatoes:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It has adjustable increments of slice size. You just need to watch your fingers; after one cut, I have been very wary when I get to the end of whatever veggy I am slicing.

Those mandolins can be very dangerous Here's the development cycle for them

[1insider]

Originally Posted by WRM20

Those mandolins can be very dangerous Here's the development cycle for them

At least with a guillotine the pain is short-lived. Those mandolin wounds keep reminding you for days what a careless idiot you were.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by RDM66

Probably everyone's favorite nontraditional kitchen gadget is the citrus zester. Did you know it started as a woodworking file to smooth wood? Some genius highjacked her husband's Microplane wood file from his workshop and used it to zest lemons. The trend caught on. The Microplane company then started a whole other sideline business, making dedicated "woodworking files" for the kitchen, a/k/a "zesters."

It also works well for garlic and ginger!

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by burdell

Curious if you think this gadget would be strong enough to grate horseradish?

Probably not because of the hand strength required but a zester does the trick nicely!

https://www.amazon.com/Microplane-46...857527711&th=1

[burdell]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

Probably not because of the hand strength required but a zester does the trick nicely!

https://www.amazon.com/Microplane-46...857527711&th=1

I was trying it with ione of these: https://www.amazon.com/Microplane-38...5&sr=1-10&th=1


And it was awfully slow going, I wonder if a zester would be better?

[KaraG]

Originally Posted by Formerly Known As Twenty

To be honest, I haven't seen an electric can opener on someone's countertop in years. My mom went over to using a Swingaway when the one that she received as a wedding gift died sometime in the mid-eighties. She and Dad were married in '65, so it had a good run.

My partner prefers to use the Kuhn Rikon type of manual opener that removes the entire top of the can, leaving the cut edges smooth while I prefer to live dangerously (i.e., sharp edges on both removed top and can! ) and use the Swingaway opener that I've had since my college days.

For those who have arthritis, electric can openers must be a godsend as even the OXO Good Grips manual openers are difficult to use for those who have major issues with using their hands.

I finally bought an electric can opener when our good manual ones wouldn't open all the way around some of the cans. Too frustrating to deal with and very happy to have the electric one.

For my non-traditional item, I say kitchen scissors. I use them for a million things, cutting all sorts of food as well as trimming houseplants and of course paper and food wraps. Lived with an Italian who used them for cutting pizza. And they work especially well for trimming extra fat off chicken.

[Luckystrike1]

Mine is our electric can opener that cuts around the outside rim. No dealing with sharp edges on the lid.

[MGS4EVER]

Originally Posted by 1insider

At least with a guillotine the pain is short-lived. Those mandolin wounds keep reminding you for days what a careless idiot you were.

This made me laugh! In the restaurant with the newbies coming in we always cringed when they would pull out the mandoline. When I was in culinary school I think all of us had scars on our palms. Fun times!!

[gentlearts]

Lemon, orange and lime squeezers. I’m not as strong anymore, so squeezing the old fashioned way is hard.