oasisowner - All I use to clean my cast iron pans is paper towel and lots of salt. I pour the salt into the still hot, dirty pan and rub the salt round and round with a small ball of paper towel. The burnt on crud mixes with the salt and leaves the pan smooth and clean. Works like a charm. I clean up with a clean sheet of paper towel and a bit of oil, rub that on and I'm done.

JAVIWA ... you can sharpen those old peelers. Rub the blade on any knive-sharpening whetstone, keeping it flat to the stone.

I've had all kinds of peelers and keep going back to that style too. The others are too clunky in my hands, or don't swivel well.

Friedajune Yes, multifunctional. In a pinch, you can even use it to move food from a plate to your mouth.

lazy_gardens: Ya don't say! OK, dumb question: keep the blade flat against the stone, and hone along the length of each blade? Thanks so much for this tip.

Before the fork, there was the spoon. It's good for scooping up both solids and liquids.

If we're going low-tech... the most useful, most used kitchen 'gadget', wins hands down... (pun intended)

OK, I always thought a nut chopper was standard kitchen equipment until a friend of mine was fascinated with mine a few years ago. Love mine/use it often.

Confession time. I did succumb this weekend to some gadgets on clearance including a watermelon knife.

However, I took photos of these which I thought were ridiculous.

I flipping love this post. I have tons of gadgets collecting dust, like my silicone pie crust protectors and a spiralizer. I love my mandolin slicer, has made my food processor stay in the back of the pantry. I have a food mill still in the box.

"This one was the funniest. Turning your citrus into a mister. I can't see how that can get juice from throughout the lemon."

Actually, my sister has one and it does a pretty good job if you roll the lemon first (between your palm and table top) to break the cells and loosen the juice. It's not the most efficient at extracting ALL the possible juice, but it's not a bad idea if you are looking for a spritz of lemon juice.

I don't know when I'd be looking for a spritz of lemon juice, but I think she does it to add to juice-based drinks.

I don't know when I'd be looking for a spritz of lemon juice

That's what I thought when I saw it.

OTOH... "Suction your yolks" I dunno, but I'm pretty sure you can get flagged for that kind of language... beachem.

Next time some idiot swerves in front of me, I'm gonna yell "suction your yolks!" at them.

I just became aware that you can use a small plastic water bottle to suction your yolks.

There's You Tube videos on it. One demonstrates 5 suctions with one bottle.

My DH loved the Super Chopper, beacham and 2ManyDiversions. He pointed out that since he had experience starting lawn mowers AND chain saws, he wouldn't even have to read the manua

I just came across this. Is anyone familiar with it? Looks like it could save me a lot of work.... (and forgive me if already posted, I have not read the whole thread!)

Kale & Herb Razor

Never seen it and it hasn't been discussed on the thread.

Ok, thanks, beachem.

ETA I tried finding other reviews but couldn't on this particular one. However, I found a youtube presentation of a much less expensive version. Thought I'd post for anyone interested.

btw, she does not look old enough to have been a chef for 10 years! Must have started when she was 12. lol

I am enjoying this thread as well! I will say I tried "suctioning my yolks" this week using the silicone bulb of my baster. Awesome. Best tip ever, IMHO.

weedyacres, your nut chopper made me so nostalgic... The instant I saw yours I remembered my Mom's old nut chopper which we used frequently together. Today I was tossing out any old items from my kitchen before packing it up and found it! It's old, discolored, and I've yet to clean it up and try it (most likely I'll find my knife skills have improved since then and will use that instead) but I'm keeping it!

You can see the little teeth that are used to grind the nuts, and the yellowed plastic holder caught the chopped nuts...

2Many: My MIL gave me a similar chopper (GEMCO ca. early 1980s), but it had plastic 'gears' for chopping. We're still not moved back into our not-yet-completed kitchen, so here are pics off the internet:

The upper chamber's capacity is only ~ 1/2 c., but I love that the 'nut mess' is contained (vs chopping a batch by hand).

Does anyone have this gadget to stop spillovers?

cpartist, I don't, but sure need one. So many things that are 'bring to a boil, then simmer' and I tend to get busy with something else in the kitchen during the boil stage and don't notice until I hear the 'ssssssss' of a spillover.

When in doubt, I check out Amazon for similar and reviews... and sure enough HERE it is, better price, too. Seems to work well.

2ManyDiversions

I have my mom's old nut grinder as well. Many a cake was decorated with walnuts that passed through its teeth.

cpartist

My mom always laid a wooden spoon across the top of a pot. I never did as I'd always had a gas range and was afraid to start a fire, but I can't recall her ever boiling over anything.

mabeldingeldine, isn't it wonderful how this gadget thread has reminded some of us of fond past memories?! While at the same time... I now have 12 new items on my darned Amazon wish list... grrrrr!

Re: spoon across the lid... might have to try that for now. I know you can supposedly place a thin straw across an overfilled drink to keep it from spilling while carrying, but that never helped me!

I have heard that if you run a stick of butter around the rim of a pot, it wouldn't spill over. I have not tried it yet, but would love to hear if it works!

I have heard that if you run a stick of butter around the rim of a pot, it wouldn't spill over. I have not tried it yet, but would love to hear if it works!

Hmmmm. Perhaps I could line the rim with bacon, because DH would be on that like white on rice, and then maybe he'd turn the heat down if it started to reach the bacon?

But seriously, I am getting the spillover lids on Amazon after our reno is done.

I use these things to keep the lid open just a little - enough to allow a little air circulation to keep things from over heating and boiling over.

Love this post.

Although it always reminded me of a medieval torture device, I do own a Pampered Chef apple corer/peeler. I don't need sliced apples that often, since I rarely cook, but it really does work as advertised, so I've held on to it.

I grew up using a hand-held peeler just like javiwa posted above. I didn't know that people peeled things with knives until I was in college LOL! I've upgraded to the OXO peeler now, much easier to hold the fatter handle.

Ok a bit of a long story. The only real useful gadget I have is my thermomix. Just about does everything. I use it almost every day. However, my downfall is potato chips/crisps whatever you call them. Each afternoon with my wine I have a little bowl full. I decided they weren’t very healthy so I would try and make my own. Purchased a mandolin slicer for the task. Got it out, did a couple of slices with the gadget you put the potato in and thought oh this is stupid, it’s wasting half a potato. I will take the top off and just slice the potato myself. Yes yes, the first slice took off the end of my finger. That mandolin gadget went into the bin the next morning. I would have done it that night but spent so long at the drs I went straight to bed when I got home. Six weeks later my finger had recovered. So then my daughters bought me a Nutri bullet vege slicer instead. I’ve only used it twice. There are six items to wash each time you use it. Not for me I’m afraid. It’s back to the packet chips haha

" I decided they weren’t very healthy so I would try and make my own."

LOL....Been there, done that. Every now and then I come across something that I think is too unhealthy, expensive, or difficult to find and that I could make myself. And then I discover why it's unhealthy or expensive (or hard to find), and I go back to buying them. I have a few successes (pretzel buns), but more often not (taralli).

When my OXO peeler broke, I got a Cutco peeler and it is my absolute favorite ever.

My 60-year-old nut chopper is still going strong.

Btw, OXO changed their handles and I'm not so enamored of the change.

I have a Zyliss mandolin - an older model with several slicing and julienne inserts. I don't use it often - only when I need something precisely cut such as my apple torte, french fries, cucumbers for a special salad, garlic for garlic chips (yum), herb infused chips for special occasions, pommes anna, or similar. Having worked with wood-working tools I know to keep my fingers, knuckles, out of the way. Tried one of those protective gloves... carefully, it failed. When I get to the end of an apple, potato, or garlic clove I remove the top protector and go slooooow. Not everyone finds them useful though.

Bargainhunter- my mandolin wastes very little of the veggie...the holder is a slightly concave surface with small metal spikes that spear the veggie. The unsliced part is about a 3/8 inch thick bit.

Back to the mandolin: it's a great for slicing up veggies! Zucchini, carrots, potatoes, all fast and evenly sliced. Even better, a mandolin is easy to wash up, unlike, for instance, a food processor. Yes, mandolins are a hazard to your fingers and that plastic "guard" provided isn't as helpful as one might like. Simple solution:

You really only need one for the hand doing the slicing. This particular glove comes in small which is small enough for my short fingers, no flop over at the ends - a miracle. Just throw it in the washer as needed.

https://www.amazon.com/NoCry-Cut-Resistant-Gloves-Performance/dp/B00IVM1TKO/ref=sr_1_4?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1512323657&sr=1-4&keywords=NoCry%2BCut%2BResistant%2BGloves&th=1

I'm getting a pair of those gloves for my 12yo son. He wants wood carving tools for Christmas - the gloves are a must!

That's the exact glove ^^ I bought to use with my mandolin... it failed. Also failed with knife work. Sliced a hole in a fingertip with mandolin, cut into the palm with my knife. I actually used a carrot inside the glove to test it on the mandolin, and for the knife I put a yukon potato inside and made my knife 'slip' onto the palm area (I test this stuff because I hate deep cuts!) I just try to be very careful now.

Wow, that was pretty clever of you 2Many! And thanks for the heads up, or thumbs down rather. ;)

Friends, don't be jealous! Check out what I just got for the first night of Chanukah from my kids! We have taco Tuesday every week and I always whine about the onions ruining my makeup, LOL!

Lo and behold, I present to you the ONION GOGGLE!

Rebecca your kids are so sweet and thoughtful. I bet they enjoyed presenting you with these goggles..

So mine is a kitchen gadget only because it's in the kitchen:

It's one of those mice preventives that you plug in and electrical impulses run through the wires of your house, deterring mice. Well, at least the little light blinks, providing a little red blinking night light. The mice? I think they enjoy the electric impulses tickling their little toes. They all flock to the kitchen.

Now, the thing I love I admit, I ordered an extra one at a job I had. It's a little thingy that stuffs olives with (in my case) blue cheese! YEAH!

I love gadgets, but I had to remind myself I no longer cook much at all. Gadgets started to translate into power tool type stuff.

I do like that bottle funnel thing. I might just need this, given the fact I marry everything into something else. I currently have a big jar different creams I dumped together, so I could just stick my hand in rather than trying to push a pump!

I did it. I ordered 3 sets of the farm animal lid lifts for my daughters from Sur la Table. They come in cats and dogs also. Promo right now- 3 sets for the price of two. $6.95 I did not have to pay the shipping fee because I was able to add it to an order I placed yesterday which was still being processed. So it is all good. Here

@rebeccamom lol love those goggles.

So no video yet but I can vouch for the egg cracker. It took nearly few to get the hand of it especially removing the shells but it does crack faster than me manually and no little egg chips.

I wouldn't replace manual with it but when you're cracking 28 eggs at once for breakfast burrito construction, it really shorten my time. Crack.. Dump.. Crack .. Dump.

I bought the pull and chop and it's a freaking game changer for dicing prep. THANK YOU. And all my friends thank you too - because they are all gettin' 'em for Christmas!

I bought the pull and chop as a present and tried it- now I have to get one myself!! Thanks beachem!

I don't know if it is kosher to post here but I saw that bargainhunter above posted about how useful the Thermomix was. I am now selling my older model Euro Thermomix TM21 including the 240V transformer (to allow it to work on North American 120V circuits) on our craigslist if someone wants to try out the Thermomix abilities at a bargain price and is driving distance to Baltimore. It works well and I am including several Thermomix cookbooks. You can pm me if you want to see the listing.

I also have a small electric egg cooker that I no longer use since I get consistently perfect hard boiled eggs on my induction cooktop so any gardenwebber is welcome to that if they can pick it up. Also several slow cookers that I don't use since I got my instant pot- just pm me.

Would be great if someone could arrange a gardenweb kitchen gadgets or equipment swap /giveaway date some time!

Wow beachem, can't believe this thread's still active! Just now told another friend about the pull n chop (recruiting more unsuspecting gadget lovers like yourself!) and wondered how I'd find my original link... and voila!

Would be great if someone could arrange a gardenweb kitchen gadgets or equipment swap /giveaway date some time!

scrappy25, wouldn't it be though? Especially handy for those 'extra' pieces we sometimes lose or wear out, or like what you've got, something unusual which may be hard to find, or find for a good price. Good luck!

Does anyone have this tool? Is it worth it?

https://goalshopper.com/products/magic-trio-peeler

I don't have these so can't answer. The cantaloupe scoup wouldn't thrill me (sharp edged spoon would work better I think). They're not even rated on Amazon. The only thing similar I found with high reviews (on Amazon, to compare) was showing a different photo than what people originally purchased.

I think maybe for soft veggies, like zucchini, but perhaps not so much on carrots and such. Would like to have something like this too...

...bump.

I have a new kitchen with all those empty drawers. I need to fill them with useless gadgets. LMAO.

I kinda figured you were ready to find something to fill up all those lovely drawers! Me? I'm still pulling stuff outta plastic storage bins in my temporary kitchen... and yet, I've bought an Instant Pot, an Anova sous vide, (where will I put all that?!), and silicone cups for poaching eggs. Stop me!!

If you get those... or something similar, let me know how you like it please!

Cpartist, I think a simple julienne peeler would do as much as the trio peelers with only one gadget.

Of course it's worth it.... why else would it be 70% off? LOL. Seriously though, I wouldn't buy it. I've had all sorts of similar tools and keep going back to my old t&t favourites (or store bought zoodles). They look really uncomfortable to use (at least to me.... I like to have something to grab onto!!)

Resurrecting this thread - a favorite - since it's the time of year to start thinking about stocking stuffers. I pretty much want every "useless gadget" mentioned here (there are 174 posts!), but will have to narrow it down to 1 or 2.

I will submit my own that I am considering buying: grapefruit saver and tomato saver. Don't know how well they work, but the title of this thread is after all "useless gadgets".