Gadgets

I am trying to do more things by hand and purchase fewer single-use kitchen devices to reduce clutter and just have a more soul-satisfying product.


My current possessions:


Hamilton Beach Panini Press - This is an okay panini press. There aren't any noticeable hot spots and the flexible top is a nice thought although not flexible enough to prevent squishing some of the innards out at a slope if you don't have the sandwich pushed back far enough. Hard to clean though and after a few uses some of the nonstick on the bottom flaked off but it doesn't appear to be worsening.
Rival Electric Fondue Pot - I love this for fondues and warm dips.  I don't like the boiling oil part of fondue cooking so I only use it for fondues and dips and it keeps a temperature pretty well once you figure out where it should be for that specific dip.  The fall-away cord is a nice feature that helps for easy cleaning.
Crockpot Smart Pot - This is a nice large crock pot that has a removable cooking basin that is great for easy cleaning. No complaints here.
Kitchenaid Pro Line 6-Quart Stand Mixer - The unit I have whines more than I expected it to but it could be a slightly older model than the one on the website, or I could just have a too-small kitchen that traps the noise.
KitchenAid Stand Mixer Attachment - Grinder, Slicer, Strainer - I just received this for my birthday and I have yet to use it but I expect great things from it.
Nesco Dehydrator - I use this several times a year to make dried strawberries and watermelon (it's like candy!) and no-sugar chicken and beef jerky.  It's a little bit of a pain to clean the grid of the plastic trays but the dehydrator itself does a great job.
Cuisinart Smart Stick - This is an amazing godsend. It works like a charm and I am especially thankful for it because my current blender is a POS.
Hamilton Beach Ice Cream Maker - This does its job nicely. It  doesn't make as much ice cream as I'd like or as some recipes will make but it's generally okay.  I have this older model seen on amazon, the newer one looks more sleek. However the next ice cream maker I get will be an auto-freezing one because having to freeze the bowl beforehand is a pain.
SodaStream Soda Maker - Fantastic! I love being able to have soda with less waste, and make practically anything carbonated. I have yet to see if it is a good refresher for flat champagne but I will report back when I do.
Oster 16-Speed Blender - This is terrible. It was good for the first few uses and then the plastic ring at the base got warped or something and it just smells like spinning gears when I use it now. I rarely used it to begin with but it still sucks to have something crap out on you when you want it.  I don't really want to fork over the cash for a Vitamix but I would like something that crushes ice decently.
Black and Decker Mini Chopper/Food Processor - I have something similar to this that I got at Target but it has a high and low speed and it's pretty crappy but what do you expect for a small food processor for less than 20$?  I just expected it to get things finer than it does.
Chef'n Veggiechop - This thing is GREAT! Manual, easy to clean, and better than the cheapy Black and Decker food processor.  I was inspired to get this after I saw a demo for something similar at a Tupperware party but there was no way in hell I was going to pay like a hundred dollars for it (granted it had a whipping feature and was larger but still). I love this.
Mr Coffee Programmable Coffee Maker - I have this but in white, which is not featured on their site? It's a regular coffee maker, kind of a pain to clean the inside but it makes coffee and it does program. It even has a "strong brew" and "regular brew" setting but I don't think I notice a difference between them.
Calphalon Hard Anodized Cookware - This is the only cookware I use, with the exception of a few copper-bottom pots that my mother got me one year because they are pretty large and I can boil lobsters and steam brown bread in them etc. Back to the Calphalon, I love the regular hard anodized and the contemporary nonstick with all-metal handles so that I can pop them under the broiler no problem.  I would probably also use Circulon but pretty much all of their pans have plastic handles.
Mandoline - I have a cheap mandoline from Target that works pretty well. I do however want to upgrade to a cool one with different settings and slicers so I can make waffle chips and stuff. This thing has lasted me a couple of years of dehydrator slicing and it's just near starting to wear out in the center. I don't think I can exactly sharpen it because it has zigzaggy teeth but that is okay, I will either get the same one again or finally do my upgrade.
Salad Spinner - Another cheap purchase from Target, I think this was three dollars. It works pretty well as long as everything is lined up or it is a real bicep workout to spin your greens.
Swissmar Peeler Set - I love these! It is a set of peelers where one juliennes, one is a regular peeler, and one has jagged teeth for soft skin things.  I use the julienne one the most because as a primarily low-carber and vegetable lover I can peel long strands of zucchini for a "pasta."
Ginsu Kotta Series - I got this for christmas one year and they are really really sharp. However it claims to never need sharpening but the giant knife is the one I use the most and it has definitely dulled. I don't know how to sharpen it, I go a knife sharpener but it doesn't help.
Taylor Digital Food Scale - I prefer to bake with a scale rather than with measuring cups and this is vital for making french macarons not to mention for general portion control.  I think this works pretty well and is easy to clean.
Emile Henry Pizza Stone - We got this as a wedding gift and it is fantastic.  Using it correctly is important to not break it and to make the food come out right so if you have a pizza stone put it in the oven before you start to heat the oven, then place you items on it, bake, and then leave the stone in there while the oven cools down! This makes great bread bottoms and incredible dough. I will never use a baking sheet for pizza dough again.
Delonghi Cool Touch Deep Fryer - It's actually a mortal sin that I have not used this yet.