# What do you consider the single most useful kitchen gadget?



## baking fool (Jun 19, 2007)

What's the single most useful piece of kitchen equipment (besides a heat source)?  I nominate a non-stick frying pan. I could use it every time I cook something.


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## GotGarlic (Jun 19, 2007)

Funny - the only time I use non-stick is when I'm cooking eggs   I nominate a good chef's knife.


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## Katie H (Jun 19, 2007)

I think we had a thread similar to this back during the wintertime but I don't recall the name of it.

At any rate, I think G'Garlic has the right idea.  I don't know how many times a day I use my good sharp chef's knife.  Over the years, I've already worn one out from sharpening.  By the time I replaced it, it was thin, thin, thin.

Yep, count me in with my knife.


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## kitchenelf (Jun 19, 2007)

Yep - it would have to be my favorite knife.


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## middie (Jun 19, 2007)

I say a can opener.


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## JoAnn L. (Jun 19, 2007)

I love my "big" red plastic spoon. It's got BETTY CROCKER written in white letters on the handle. I got it at Goodwill for 50 cents. I must use it just about everyday, for stirring something.


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## obiwan9962 (Jun 19, 2007)

my wok
i use it to stirfry
to saute
to steam
to dry roast
to deepfry
to smoke
to boil
to braise
to bbq
to panfry


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## Andy M. (Jun 19, 2007)

My fork.  It gets the food to my mouth.


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## obiwan9962 (Jun 19, 2007)

Andy M. said:
			
		

> My fork. It gets the food to my mouth.


lol
i use chopstix


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## Constance (Jun 19, 2007)

DH bought me a 12" Calphalon dutch oven, that I think could do anything from frying eggs, to making soup to cooking pasta. It's non-stick, but has a newer, different type of finish than my older pieces. 
Like JoAnn, I too have a favorite spoon. Years ago, someone left a big, institutional type, stainless steel spoon at one of my parties. It has a flat edge on the front instead of a pointed one, which makes it great for stirring and dipping. No one ever claimed it, and if they tried to now, they would out of luck!


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## BreezyCooking (Jun 19, 2007)

I don't consider regualr pots/pans/knives as "gadgets".

That said, I guess the 2 "gadgets" I've purchased that I use the most are:

1) My good old Ron Popeil "Showtime" rotisserie, &

2) Several non-stick perforated pans (absolutely fabulous for toasted appetizers, pizzas, french fries - anything that benefits from both bottom & top toasting.


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## middie (Jun 19, 2007)

Andy M. said:
			
		

> My fork. It gets the food to my mouth.


 
Dang it... I thought thats what my fingers were for


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## Andy M. (Jun 19, 2007)

middie said:
			
		

> Dang it... I thought thats what my fingers were for


 
That's my other favorite.


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## ironchef (Jun 20, 2007)

A gadget is something that is useful, but not something normal or something that would be found in the majority of home kitchens. Most knives, pans, etc. do not fall into the "gadget" category unless it is one that would be considered unique or unusual. 

With that being said,  is the point of this thread to find out what is someones favorite gadget like the thread title states, or is it ANY piece of equipment like the first post states?


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## goodgiver (Jun 20, 2007)

It would be my one certain wooden spoon. In fact it has been used so much and since I am right handed the left side of the bowl part of the spoon is wearing off flat. I WILL NOT GIVE IT UP. Hubby says he will bury the spoon with me .


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## Jeekinz (Jun 20, 2007)

GotGarlic said:
			
		

> Funny - the only time I use non-stick is when I'm cooking eggs  I nominate a good chef's knife.


 
Ditto


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## Corey123 (Jun 20, 2007)

It's hard for me to say at this point, since I own so many of them.


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## YT2095 (Jun 20, 2007)

since I don`t consider knives/forks pots/pans as "Gadgets" I guess the kitchen sink and Tap would have to me my most used.

oh yeah and that little clicky thing that lights the Gas on my cooker


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## Corey123 (Jun 20, 2007)

Gadgets are usually such things as can openers, mandolins, peelers, veggie cutters, cooking utensils and whatever else have you, things of that nature.


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## YT2095 (Jun 20, 2007)

not to me, things like "can openers, mandolins, peelers, veggie cutters" as you stated could be, but pots/pans and utensils don`t fall under "Gadget" catagory.


btw, did you Know the Screwdriver was invented BEFORE the screw?   

quite true!


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## kitchenelf (Jun 20, 2007)

Well, now that "gadget" has been clarified to all of us I will change mine from knife, which is not a gadget, to......................well, I'd say that most of my favorite kitchen gadgets would be found in most kitchens - so I guess I can't really put my finger on one.  

I do like my mandolin though - nice thin cucumber slices for cukes and vinegar and nice thin potato slices for Dauphinois.


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## Corey123 (Jun 20, 2007)

Never said they did.


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## SurvivorGirl (Jun 20, 2007)

The pannini press and the food processor.


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## Andy M. (Jun 20, 2007)

YT2095 said:
			
		

> ...btw, did you Know the Screwdriver was invented BEFORE the screw?
> 
> quite true!


 

This needs further explanation.  I can imagine some twit grinding and whacking away in a workshop to create this tool.  When asked what it was for, he replied, "I really don't know.  I suspect sometime in the future, someone somewhere will invent something that will require this device."

...or are you talking about the type of screwdriver that uses orange juice?


Help us out here, YT.


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## YT2095 (Jun 20, 2007)

"Rybczynski discovered that the screwdriver is a relatively new addition to the toolbox, an invention of the Late Middle Ages in Europe and the only major mechanical device not independently invented by the Chinese. Leonardo da Vinci was there at the start, designing a number of screw-cutting machines with interchangeable gears. Nevertheless, it took generations for the screw (and with it, the screwdriver and lathe) to come into general use, and it was not until modern times that improvements such as slotted screws came into being. Rybczynski spends some time discussing the underrated Canadian invention, the Robertson screwdriver."

as you can see, the ideas coincided, but it took a while before the screw itself was invented


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## JoAnn L. (Jun 20, 2007)

Me again. I guess my favorite kitchen gadget is my small food processor, I keep it out on the counter all the time. Very handy.


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## GotGarlic (Jun 20, 2007)

BreezyCooking said:
			
		

> I don't consider regualr pots/pans/knives as "gadgets".



I thought the same thing when I first saw the title of the post, but the original poster said: "What's the single most useful piece of kitchen equipment (besides a heat source)? I nominate a non-stick frying pan. I could use it every time I cook something."

So my "most useful piece of kitchen equipment" would be my knife.


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## OnlineCooking (Jun 21, 2007)

I'd have to say, my chef knife.  Its my most used tool.  My saute pan and stock pot get e run for their money as does my hand whisk.  Man I hate playing favorites, I love all my kitchen gadgets and tools equally.


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## skilletlicker (Jun 21, 2007)

baking fool said:
			
		

> What's the single most useful piece of kitchen equipment (besides a heat source)? . . .


A water faucet.


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## OnlineCooking (Jun 21, 2007)

Good one!!! LOL!!!


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## buzzard767 (Jun 21, 2007)

It's a tossup between my Messermeister peeler and the garbage disposal. lol


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## Robt (Jun 21, 2007)

I guess the most important/ best gadget in my kitchen would be that which is most used by the most people.  In our kitchen that would be the kitchen shears.  Somebody has them out of their place and gone all the time- or a least every time I wish to use them.

I also like my Roselle side cut *can opener*​, mostly used for canned tomatoes.


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## MexicoKaren (Jun 21, 2007)

Hmmmm...I guess my most treasured gadget is a lime squeezer that works sort of like a pair of pliers. I use it almost daily - we always have a pitcher of limeade in the frig and use limes often in cooking. I've never seen one like it in the states, but they are everywhere in Mexico.


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## TATTRAT (Jun 21, 2007)

Hands, have hands been said yet?


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## Unclechili (Jun 21, 2007)

Despite the true meaning of gadget, I would still have to say my french knife. It's because of this knife that I don't need a million other doo-dads and what-nots in my kitchen. 

However, I'd have to say my portable propane stove comes in a very close second. I use it at least 3 or 4 times a week during the summer (and sometimes the winter). It doesn't make sense to have a full size BBQ for two people, and it's a heck of a lot cheaper to run.


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## skilletlicker (Jun 21, 2007)

MexicoKaren said:
			
		

> Hmmmm...I guess my most treasured gadget is a lime squeezer that works sort of like a pair of pliers. I use it almost daily - we always have a pitcher of limeade in the frig and use limes often in cooking. I've never seen one like it in the states, but they are everywhere in Mexico.


 I have one I bought for two or three dollars at the local Mexican grocery.    It works great for small limes.  I wish I had one a little larger for large limes and lemons.


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## expatgirl (Jun 21, 2007)

A pair of very sharp surgical scissors that I bought over 30 years ago as a nursing student and now dissects poultry and trims fat  and skin off other meats.  That baby can help me skin and debone a whole chicken in about 20 minutes with no trouble.  It was made in Germany.  It goes whereever I go.


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## Dina (Jun 21, 2007)

My knives and cutting board are used for everything I cook.  Often, I'd rather wash a knife and board than all the gadgets in the food processor when chopping veggies.  Plus I like to chop veggies and munch on them while cooking.


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## college_cook (Jun 22, 2007)

It's got to be the knife.  It performed most kitchen tasks before any popular kitchen gadgets were invented.

One of the restos in town has a chef who is super-hardcore about proper French style and technique, from what I hear.  Apparently, vegetable peelers are not allowed in the kitchen, because they bruise the veggies.  All fruits and veggies are peeled with your knife.


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## Uncle Bob (Jun 22, 2007)

I don't know what you call this contraption, but it is just a little wooden tool that you use to juice a lemon, or an orange after you cut it in half. it does a good job for what it was designed to do.


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## `mishimasan` (Jun 22, 2007)

I'd have to say my preferred tool in the kitchen is the medium size knife.


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## MexicoKaren (Jun 22, 2007)

Skilletlicker - that's it! I also have a larger one for lemons, but you need big hands to make it work well...


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## Andy M. (Jun 22, 2007)

Lemon and lime squeezer


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## Jeekinz (Jun 22, 2007)

Does a cork screw count as a gadget?  I have one of those quick lever jobs.


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## Harborwitch (Jun 22, 2007)

I have got to nomiate 2 - they are a pair and without them nothing would ever get done in the kitchen; the coffee roaster and the burr grinder!  No coffee no workee. 

Of course the Automatic 4 Pug Floor Sweeper is pretty handy too - don't have to sweep quite as often.


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## mudbug (Jun 22, 2007)

first choice - dishwasher
second choice - hands

Uncle Bob, that thing is called a reamer.


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## Uncle Bob (Jun 22, 2007)

mudbug said:
			
		

> first choice - dishwasher
> second choice - hands
> 
> Uncle Bob, that thing is called a reamer.


 
Thanks Miss Mud! Thats exactly what it does, and very well thank you


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## Corey123 (Jun 22, 2007)

I'd have to say my Chinese cleaver is the best.

It makes quick work of onions, bell pepper, snow peas and celerys, especially for stir frying!


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## Unclechili (Jun 28, 2007)

My supplier has a cleaver I've been eyeing up for some time. I love the idea, but I haven't ordered it yet because I'm not really sure how often I'd use it!


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## MexicoKaren (Jun 28, 2007)

I'm not sure if I have the skill to use a cleaver! Sounds wonderful, and I've seen them used, but I would hate to part with one of my fingers.....


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## wysiwyg (Jul 9, 2007)

For tools, to me it is a tie between a knife and a mandoline.


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## mitch_the_chef (Jul 15, 2007)

Put it this way, you cant do jack without a sharp knife.


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## Chipotle Tom (Aug 22, 2007)

I'm going with the more restrictive definition of gadget.

My favorite is my food processor.  I couldn't make holiday meals without it.


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## llvllagical_llkook (Aug 25, 2007)

For me, a tie between a nice knife and a large pot. You can use a pot over a camp fire or grill, so a stove isn't up there. Without a knife, what can you do? Use an axe to chop an onion finely? Without a pot, there's no where to put the food to be cooked. It cant be heaped on a pile of wood to be cooked, so a draw between a large pot and a knife. With a large pot, soups can be made, roasts can be made, anything. With a knife, food can be cut to a desired size, fish can be filleted, etc... .For stirring the pot, shake the pot and if necessary, use the knife as a spatula. All that's missing is a heating source (fire can be made) and food.


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## Nicholas Mosher (Aug 25, 2007)

Hahaha... yeah I would have to say my 8" Chef's Knife and 8qt All-Clad Pot.

But for a "gadget"... I'd have to say one of my swiss army knives... the "Big One" that has a corkscrew, knife, scissors, can opener, bottle opener, etc.

The two items I'm never ever without are my pressurized lighter and pocket knife.  Fire and a cutting edge can get you out of a lotta' tight spots.


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## Robo410 (Aug 25, 2007)

really excellent ventilation (to the outside)


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## Bridge (Dec 10, 2007)

My Vacu-Seal, I just bought it and can't stop vacuum sealling I have done nearly everything in the fridge and freezer and I'm starting on the pantry this weekend. The main reason I like it is it is a handheld model that fits into the drawer and all the bags are reusable. The old countertop I use to have just took up too much room. What a neat gadget!


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## Corey123 (Dec 10, 2007)

Sounds like the Reynolds Handi-Vac Vacuum Sealer.


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## DrThunder88 (Dec 23, 2007)

I'd say my favorite gadget is either my infrared thermometer or my Pepper Ball.  The stand mixers and food processors would have topped my list, but given their large sizes and broad range of uses, I don't really call them gadgets any more than I'd call a knife or pan a gadget.  "Gadget" seems to connote something small, single-purposed, and mechanical or electronic (though electronic gadgets may also be "gizmos", in my opinion) in nature.


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