FWIW, a wide spoon with a sharp edge works pretty well for removing the choke.

I'll have to think about the question...

I would like to have some type of automated leek cleaner.

If I told you, you'd rush out to patent it ....

LOL

Ruthanna, I have a leek washing method that is very quick and easy. After washing off the surface dirt, cut off the end. Cut the leek in half through the long sides of the ellipse. (So the cut is shorter than if you did it the other way.) Holding a half, you can flip through the layers like a deck of cards, while water flows through any gets out all the dirt.

Since I'm not into gadgets I won't go there, but I just have to say also, what - artichokes for breakfast???

I would like a tool that would remove the stem and seeds from a Habanero chili and then mince the chili, so that I would never have to touch the chili.

Mostly, however, I just use the chili sauce that I make once or twice a year, so that I do not have to chop the chilies. It has a different flavor from the fresh chilies, but it is much more convenient to use.

Re chokes, FWIW, they are edible......met someone who had never eaten an artichoke, he understood the leaves, but ate the heart with the choke....I tried it, I am referring to the fuzz....I do not think you will die, it was not unpleasant.

If I am serving large artichokes, I will cut them in half, scoop out the choke (hair) with a grapefruit spoon.

I live in CA, close to artichoke growing areas, maybe size and age matters with the choke.

Jim, I appreciate the suggestion, and I know the choke is edible, but I don't like the texture and unless it's pickled I won't eat it. This particular artichoke was lovely, big and right from the farm. to my home in SoCal :)

I've tried spoons--great for ginger peeling, not for artichokes.

I don't know why artichoke for breakfast is remarkable. I only mentioned the time of day to set the scene. It had been cooked the day before. I didn't get up and spend an hour cooking it. Artichokes are nutritious. FWIW, I think doughnuts and pastries for breakfast are foul--if that's your thing, please don't take offense. I'm only talking my druthers. That much sugar first thing, with no real food value, just is a bad bad way to start the day for me. Artichoke is a good choice!

Lars, I think a magical hot pepper machine is a fabulous idea!! I do love the flavor of habaneros, but once was enough for me, prepping them.

Ruthanna, I clean leeks the way CChristine described, but the leeks have been much cleaner to start with in the last few years, which makes me think the local growers have figured out a way to make them have less dirt. The cut method works really well when there's a lot of dirt too, but it's a still bother. I'd sign up for your magic gadget, too!

grapefruit spoon, has the curved shape of a spoon and has a serrated edge.

Re leeks, they can be grown, commercially, hydroponically.

"I would like a tool that would remove the stem and seeds from a Habanero chili and then mince the chili, so that I would never have to touch the chili."

Amen to that! My hands are so sensitive that cutting even one jalapeno sets my fingertips on fire. Gotta wear gloves and even be careful with that.

I adore artichokes. If you'd never seen or heard of them, I'm not sure their appearance would prompt you to eat one. We used to have a friend in Castroville who would give us huge, gorgeous artichokes.. They were so perfect they looked fake...almost too pretty to eat.

Jim, I've tried grapefruit spoon. Paring knife works much better, assuming one has a sharp paring knife.

Chloebud, the secret to the best tasting artichoke is frostbite. The ones with a little lacy black frostbite scar don't look pretty, but don't dismiss them!

agree about sharp paring knives...remember when one could sharpen paring knives? Today, seems the metal doesn’t like my stones.

I have a supply of victorinox paring knives.....sometime they maybe to sharp for the users....I would like to use the old granny parer vs the dexter, russel and other knives.

Are you interested in knives?

plllog, I agree they can still be good. It's just that the ones our friend would bring were perfect to look at and eat. I've never seen anything like them since, even here in SoCal.

I have a jalepeno pepper seeder makes quick work of jalepeno poppers. For other hot peppers, I put my hands into thick plastic bags and press and roll the peppers around to loosen their seeds and when I cut them open the seeds usually just drop right out. I keep the plastic bags on my hands to get the ribs out, too.

Chloebud, I'm not dissing your delightful bounty! Just saying that the flavor of the frostbitten ones is exceptionally good. :)

Jim, I'm interested in knives to the extent that they suit my purposes. I prefer German style knives, and the right knife for the right job. I revile stamped knives, but that's about as "into" it as I get. My knives were almost all gifts. I only asked for one. I wanted a boning knife and was given a Global. The handle isn't my favorite, but it does the job. My favorites are my 8" Wusthoff chef, and 4"? Wusthoff paring. A lot of "favorite" is about how it feels in my hand. I don't keep them super sharp, but a good compromise between sharp and safe for idiots. I'd call them nicely sharp but not accidentally lethal. No cutting off one's finger in a lapse of attention.

Seagrass, I've never heard of a jalapeño seeder! That sounds awesome! I wonder if it would work for serranos. I always wear food service gloves.

I had a lovely fresh from the farm artichoke this morning...(fresh from shipping). The second one is for tonights pizza. (cooked last night.)

I wish for Pyrex to go back to the drawing board and fix their pour spout. Sure, fine, if you want to pour so slowly you'll snooze. But multi-tasking with stocks etc it pours, dribbles, all over the stove or counter. I have a large 8 cup AnchorHocking that pours beautifully. Too big for some everyday applications. But the lid fits, has never cracked. A nice snug fit and a softer material.

I just want the pyrex set to fall by accident and shatter. DH broke one and felt so bad he ordered a replacement from Amazon. "noo.oo!, let them break and be done with them".

I just use my grapefruit spoon for the choke hair-ball.

Stamped, super sharp...that is where I am now....hazardous.

thanks for letting me know what you have...the old dexter....and a Chicago, time to stone and steel....great thing to do while SIP....thanks.

My Mom used to tell me if I was going to dream, then dream big, so ... A robot to unload the dishwasher. DH offers to do it but then I spend 3 days playing hide-n-seek with utensils. ("Really, you thought that a slotted spoon belongs with the spatulas?!?")

I have an old Chicago that my folks gave me when I lost the roommate with knives in college. They figured it was good enough and not heartbreaking if it was ruined or lost. Neither happened, but it never was really sharp, even when my father sharpened it himself. It's perfect for dividing dough. :) The blade is a little wider than my Wusthoff chef, and it doesn't cut the board. :) I also have a Chicago scimitar cleaver that had been a spare--probably from their trailer. There's a good Zwilling paring knife that was a with purchase freebie, and a number of special purpose knives which all were gifts of whimsy. I bought most of my bread knives, though. One is an ugly one that my mother passed to me because it's ugly and heavy, but it was carried home from Israel by a relative and was passed through several hands in the family before it got to me. It cuts really well, and I don't see ugly when I look at it--I see all the hands of the ladies who had it before me. :)

Jim, how do you have stamped knives super sharp?

LOL, Edie!! It's such a chore, right? I don't know why since they're mostly dry and pretty. While you're asking, why not a full on housekeeper robot who both loads and unloads the DW to your exact specifications? Like Rose from the Jetsons, but with a nicer and more amenable personality. :)

Some people have two dishwashers not so much because of the long cycles and lots of dishes, but because they keep all their clean dishes in one and dirty dishes in the other, so they don't have to put them away. That could never work here. There are way way too many dishes. :) But it's a cute thought. Another version of it has a kitchen (obviously a large one) designed so that all the dishes/flatware go in dishwasher racks. They just take the whole rack out of the dishwasher and put it on a holder frame in the cupboard. Still could never work for me--I guess if the whole family are only allowed to use the particular assigned dishes, from the correct racks... So I think the dishwasheraway robot is the best idea!

Stamped super sharp knives: victorinox. They come super sharp.

I use knives recommended by one of the magazines I subscribe to. I also use a sharpener recommended by a magazine. I also own old knives and stones for sharpening, special oils, gauges.

I think most want a sharp, inexpensive knife...and do not want to invest in the equipment and learning curve to maintain an expensive knife...if you do not want to impress someone with your special expensive knife...

I used Chicago for decades, easy to maintain. Dexter, I think my sharpest kitchen knives...

Interesting about Victorinox.

I don't have need for an impressive knife. Good, yes. Hand forged Damascus steel, no. I've shopped knives recently for others, and learned a little about the bottom of the market. UGH!

I like a well balanced blade that feels like an extension of my hand, which cuts easily, but which will nick rather than hack off unintentionally touched body parts. :) I also expect it to hold an edge, and remain true and straight. I shouldn't have to use a steel just to chop some vegetables, and I shouldn't have to sharpen often.

Sleevendog, I thought it was just me who was having an issue with the Pyrex Pour spout. I have to really pay attention and pour slowly to get all the liquid to its final destination. I also love and adore my Anchor Hocking 8 cup, as a matter of fact I have 2, with covers, and I use them both frequently..

I cant think of a tool that I want....

Plllog, just out of curiosity, how to you eat your artichoke at breakfast time? Don't get me wrong, I come from the home of the cooked breakfast so savoury is no stranger but we eat artis with vinaigrette and I can't see that on my plate at breakfast lol very healthy, though.

The artichoke in question was just steamed and eaten cold from the fridge. Being bleary eyed and in no mood for fuss, I just did a little mayonnaise and mustard. At other hours, I'd make a proper sauce. I'm not really into the drawn butter. Unless it's very salty, to me it just tastes like grease.

Kitchen of the future from the 1950s

I remember seeing something similar on The Today Show in the 1950s - particularly the part about scrolling through photos of what food to have, pushing a button, and then having it magically appear.

Most of that stuff has or does exist, but I want the oven with the spit roast and perfectly clean walls!

Then there's Mon Oncle.

Oh that was hysterical. Looney Tunes even had their own version!