Gadgets: what you got / want?

[Silly Car]

I’m a sucker for a kitchen power tool so have the following lurking in cupboards:

2 x waffle makers (we thought one was lost in the house move, found it after receiving replacement as Christmas gift)
1 x stand mixed (with another on its way as I won a Smeg one in a raffle)
1 x Sousvide machine
2 x slow cooker (small & large) five if you count functions on other machines
1 x Thermomix
1 x Instant Pot
1 x meat slicer
1 x mincer/sausage machine
1 x deep fat fryer
1 x liquidiser
1 x juicer
2 x stick blenders
1 x old school food mixer
1 x raclette grill
1 x ooni pizza oven

Some of the above is an amalgamation of two households, some is as a result of upgrading and not chucking out the old kit.

I keep toying with a NinjaFoodi which could replace the sous vide, Instant pot and slow cookers, but I’m yet to be convinced...

[Trinity765]

Food dehydrator. My Mum has one somewhere that I'm planning to TWOC

I'd like to try making some beef jerky though I anticipate that it's not easy making something I'd actually enjoy chewing on. She used to dry fruit and apart from it being really nice to eat it made her house smell great.

[Mussels]

I’m a sucker for a kitchen power tool so have the following lurking in cupboards:

2 x waffle makers (we thought one was lost in the house move, found it after receiving replacement as Christmas gift)
1 x stand mixed (with another on its way as I won a Smeg one in a raffle)
1 x Sousvide machine
2 x slow cooker (small & large) five if you count functions on other machines
1 x Thermomix
1 x Instant Pot
1 x meat slicer
1 x mincer/sausage machine
1 x deep fat fryer
1 x liquidiser
1 x juicer
2 x stick blenders
1 x old school food mixer
1 x raclette grill
1 x ooni pizza oven

Some of the above is an amalgamation of two households, some is as a result of upgrading and not chucking out the old kit.

I keep toying with a NinjaFoodi which could replace the sous vide, Instant pot and slow cookers, but I’m yet to be convinced...

Does it do anything else? If not isn't it a pointless waste of money?
I looked at the Ninja stuff and it seems to be an expensive jack of all trades so I assume also a master of none.
I've tried many gadgets but most of the cooking ones don't really do any more than my cooker does already, the only one that still lives on the worktop is an air fryer because it can cook smaller amounts much quicker than the main oven and it's useful when cooking a lot as the main oven lacks power for a full load. I think the only gadget I can't reproduce with a stewing pot is a pressure cooker and I've never felt the need.

[Silly Car]

I keep toying with a NinjaFoodi which could replace the sous vide, Instant pot and slow cookers, but I’m yet to be convinced...

Does it do anything else? If not isn't it a pointless waste of money?
I looked at the Ninja stuff and it seems to be an expensive jack of all trades so I assume also a master of none.
I've tried many gadgets but most of the cooking ones don't really do any more than my cooker does already, the only one that still lives on the worktop is an air fryer because it can cook smaller amounts much quicker than the main oven and it's useful when cooking a lot as the main oven lacks power for a full load. I think the only gadget I can't reproduce with a stewing pot is a pressure cooker and I've never felt the need.

That’s the rub, it doesn’t appear to do anything extra to the kit I’ve got (except maybe do the oven on the counter top thing) but it ‘could’ replace various other machines but at £XXX versus keeping the same, and it is pointless trying to sell the existing stuff as they are relatively easy to pick up.

We’ve also toyed with getting an air fryer but find that the oven is always on for something so it takes nothing to shove in a tray of Iceland Ridiculously Crispy Straight Cut Chips* in as well

*Current oven chips of choice in Chez Silly.

[Noggin]

I don't have space for very much so some of it is in a cupboard (soon to be moved to under the sofa) -

Stick blender - old and very cheap! (Would love another Bamix, had one in my 20's and no idea where it went , but the old cheap works so its staying

Cream whipping thingy - the hand held whatsit with two 'blades' that beat up cream and other stuff

Whizzer - Lidl special! Like a baby magimix (only one set of blades) - it's awesome for making pastry (mixing the butter and flour - something I really struggled with before the USD op and still isn't comfortable!) and probably blending stuff but the stick blender will do all but pastry so this will probably live under the sofa soon

Bosch Mum5 Mixer with various mixer thingies and grating/slicing blades - this is awesome. A 50th pressie from my mum! Has a few attachments and others that I can save up for. There's a meat mincer so I can make sausage meat or minced meat of other flavours than beef (and probably better quality than that I can buy in the valley!). And a blender. Other things are available - one day if I make enough space/earn any money!

Instant Pot 3ltr - LOVE this. Perfect size for a single person. Can make a big enough recipe to freeze two or three portions. Big enough to make yoghurt for me. Prove bread mixture (first prove). So much I haven't done yet that I need to try!

Deep Fat fryer - necessary evil when I decided to learn to cook Chinese takeaway - but really don't like it. Too smelly in such a small studio!

Instant Pot 5ltr - had this since I moved here and love it but it's too big for me except the odd occasion I'm making something like beef stock


Current plan (well, in a few months!) is to sell the deep fryer and the large Instant Pot (already got a friend that wants the IP!) and save up the balance to get an Instant Pot Duo Crisp - so a pressure cooker but swap the lid and have an air fryer. After deep frying spring rolls and chicken balls I'm 'over' the mess and smell and the amount of oil that comes out of both!!

Also I am guessing that if I do this, the chances are I'll use the actual oven less and less (single portions of chips, sweet potato chips, anything that would normally be fried, sausages/bacon etc). If that is the case, then one day when I can finish the refurb on the apartment I can put in a smaller oven and have more shelf space for the bits that go with the gadgets!! For now tho it would be way cheaper than running the oven!


I do have a wire thingy that is supposed to make separating eggs easier. But TBH, I don't have issues just separating with the shells!

I used to sell Pampered Chef kitchen stuff, so have a couple of flat stones and a couple of stone baking dishes too. (Think that's where the egg separator came from).
I've got a lemon squeezer too that rocks - much more juice than using the normal 'press down on the ridged pointy thing'!

But being in such a small space I've really tried to reduce what I had and not get too much more!! Anything else I get needs to be more than single function! LOL

If I had a big kitchen and loads of money, I'd have so many more useful gadgets though!! LOL

[Mr Moofo]

I have never understood the thermomix ... my work colleagues in Germany swore every labs had to have one. Don’t they just do everything in a mediocre fashion?

[Mr. Dazzle]

I'm really not a gadget person...I take an almost perverse pleasure in doing things "the old fashioned way"

I do have to say though, the one little nifty doodad I love is my garlic peeler. Its a little rubber tube you put the clove in, rub it back and forth between your hands and VOILÀ!...peeled garlic clove.

[wheelnut]

A decent stand mixer, and that’s about it apart from a good set/selection of knives. I’m a sucker for good quality pans but can resist gadgets quite easily as I know they’d never get used.

[wheelnut]

I'm really not a gadget person...I take an almost perverse pleasure in doing things "the old fashioned way"

I do have to say though, the one little nifty doodad I love is my garlic peeler. Its a little rubber tube you put the clove in, rub it back and forth between your hands and VOILÀ!...peeled garlic clove.

Crush it under a knife blade just right and the skin just falls off.

[Cousin Jack]

Have I come to the wrong place?

I thought this was a motorcycle forum, I seem to have stumbled into Mumsnet.

[wheelnut]

Have I come to the wrong place?

I thought this was a motorcycle forum, I seem to have stumbled into Mumsnet.

Real men cook. It’s ok if you can’t though

[Mr. Dazzle]

I'm really not a gadget person...I take an almost perverse pleasure in doing things "the old fashioned way"

I do have to say though, the one little nifty doodad I love is my garlic peeler. Its a little rubber tube you put the clove in, rub it back and forth between your hands and VOILÀ!...peeled garlic clove.

Crush it under a knife blade just right and the skin just falls off.

That's what I do when I want 'crushed garlic'.

If I want 'sliced garlic' then said method is no good.

Amateur.

[cheb]

Rubbing said cloves between your hands may also work. If helps to have manly outdoorsy hands, rather than soft office worker hands.

[demographic]

I'm really not a gadget person...I take an almost perverse pleasure in doing things "the old fashioned way"

I do have to say though, the one little nifty doodad I love is my garlic peeler. Its a little rubber tube you put the clove in, rub it back and forth between your hands and VOILÀ!...peeled garlic clove.

Crush it under a knife blade just right and the skin just falls off.

That^.

Hold the side of the knife against it on the chopping block and give it a bat with the heel of yer hand.
Skin just falls off. Then continue to slice the slightly crushed garlic with the same knife and using the back of the blade (scraping with a good edge on a knife quickly blunts it) scrape it into whatever you're cooking.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Still gives you slightly crushed garlic

You need to see how amazingly quick the rubby tube thing is too! You'll be converted for sure.

[Cousin Jack]

Real men cook. It’s ok if you can’t though

I can, but I don't get excited over the millions of kitchen gadgets, mostly designed to part fools from their money. Most things can be done with a knife.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Most things can be done with a knife.

I'd like to see you pipe icing with one, but I'll be really impressed if you can fry an egg.

[Asian Boss]

I'm about to pop the toasted sandwich maker in the bin. I mean appropriate WEEE recycling route.

I'd like an ice crusher and a fancy arse beans to cup coffee machine. That'd do.

[Horse]

Real men cook. It’s ok if you can’t though

I can, but I don't get excited over the millions of kitchen gadgets, mostly designed to part fools from their money. Most things can be done with a knife.

My two offerings to the thread are:

- electronic temperature sensor/ timer for cooking meat. You could prod a chicken with the knife to see whether juices run clear.

- breadmaker.

[Ditchfinder]

Meat thermometer - this is what you want https://meater.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA6t6AB ... JZEALw_wcB

Spendy but very very good, we have a range cooker so temps can sometimes be a bit hard to be exact with - this solves that perfectly