16 Jun 2003 | Graham Hicks said...

The firm I work for actually designed a bunch of Zyliss' kitchen gadgets, although the garlic press wasn't one of them.
Zyliss' pizza wheel always seems to be a favorite. It lets you put pressure directly above the wheel, but then opens up for easy cleaning.

16 Jun 2003 | dirk said...

the systems by german kitchen manufacturer bulthaup are excellently designed. they worked with german design guru otl aicher, who wrote a book called "the kitchen for cooking" about, well, a kitchen one can really use.

expensive stuff, so for now, this will do.

16 Jun 2003 | Cade Roux said...

I always liked the Screwpull - you just keep turning and it pulls the cork all the way up - cheap and effective.

16 Jun 2003 | steve said...

Taking a page out of Alton Brown's book, the digital roasting thermometer has truly changed my life. No more guessing to figure out if chicken, roasts, or burgers are done. And when it comes to Thanksgiving turkey, youll get the best results if you brine that bird in a food-safe 5-gallon pail.

16 Jun 2003 | mike m said...

I completely agree with Steve above about the Digital Thermometer... It makes cooking roasts a joy! :)

Some other cool gadgets that I have around my kitchen that I really love are my electric knife (although it makes a truly annoying sound when in use, but cuts those roasts you just perfectly made with your digital thermometer like "buttah") and my Global Knives. They are a work of art and are designed "very" well.

16 Jun 2003 | bah said...

I have both the Rabbit, and Garlic Press. They are both wonderful little gadgets!

I have to say that those two top my favorite list. A few of my other favorites are the Viansa Ahso Salute. It is a nice little wine opener gadget that never actually punctures the cork.

I love my Digital Roasting Thermometer and Timer that alerts you when your meat is within 10 of doneness.

Finally I can't live without my Clip on Grill Light. I grill all year round, and this comes in super handy when you decide to start grilling at midnight!

16 Jun 2003 | Eamon said...

The OXO Good Grips angled measuring cups are the greatest things ever. Ingenious. I'm a big fan of most of the OXO line, especially their locking tongs, grippy knives, and lemon zesters.

Oh! We really love our Anolon Titanium pots and pans. Non-stick and dishwasher-safe! DISHWASHER-SAFE, people! Highly recommended.

16 Jun 2003 | hurley #1 said...

Oxo's stuff is pretty good, but avoid their tea kettles. They look sort of cool, but they are truly awful to use -- the water gushes out sloppily from the spout, the harmonica-like hum only starts up after half your water has boiled away, and they're way overpriced. Can't say enough bad things about them.

In general I eschew kitchen gadgets except the really weird ones that I buy for times when a party is going awkwardly and a diversion is needed ("okay folks, guess what this thing is supposed to be used for?").

For garlic, I whack the cloves with the flat end of a chef's knife to make it easy to peel, and then do a quick chop-chop lengthwise and crosswise, holding the tip of the knife with my left hand while rocking the handle with my right. Does the job in less than 30 seconds and cleaning a knife is easier than cleaning a garlic press.

16 Jun 2003 | Benjy said...

After seeing every chef on FoodTV constantly using them, I too discovered the joys of spring-loaded tongs, like those you might find on your local salad bar. I bought one 9" pair last year and soon decided to to add a 12" pair. Don't know how I lived without them!

16 Jun 2003 | jeremy said...

It's difficult to explain, but the Microplane Grater/Zester is an amazing piece of hardware, and I can't imagine not having it now. Use it to grate any hard cheeses (parmesan, assiago, romano, etc.), and you'll be amazed by how silky the texture is in your pasta. I would even go so far as to say the taste is better for it. It's also perfect for grating citrus zest and fresh nutmeg (always, always, always use fresh nutmeg. it is a woderful thing).

16 Jun 2003 | Bill Brown said...

Thank you steve for pointing me to that digital thermometer. I've seen Alton Brown use it a number of times, but I had no idea where to get it.

16 Jun 2003 | Bill Brown said...

Hmm, except that it's not the one that he uses. The one he likes seems to have a magnetic backing and a less complicated interface.

16 Jun 2003 | Ry R. said...

It might be under-appreciated and not high-end, but the spork is definetly a great combo utensil. It works great for breakfast, switching between corn flakes and eggs over-easy has never been easier.

17 Jun 2003 | jupiter said...

I just love the Applemaster - it's not a fancy design hitech-gadget but works amazingly smooth and even can remove the kernels.

17 Jun 2003 | Dan August said...

Could one possibly imagine are more elaborate and superfluos design for a simple task than the Rabbit Corkscrew? To me it seems like complete overkill.

Imagine if the same designer made a fork. He/she would surely add some fancy hydralic lift system to open the user's mouth.

17 Jun 2003 | jupiter said...

Dan, have you ever used it? And how many bottles do you open on an evening? It's surely more romantic to use the good old french wooden corkscrew for the one fine bottle with your girl, but if youre giving a party and folks are thirsty, you will praise this achievement of modern industrial design - I promise!

17 Jun 2003 | Chris said...

For wine, I use a Screwpull Pocket - easy ,quick and simple. To be honest, most of the time opening a bottle is cutting the foil.

My other recommdenation is a Chatsford teapot, which makes proper tea easier to use (and to clean up).

Another is the Orka oven mitt.

Kitchen gadget crack is available at Lakeland Limited

17 Jun 2003 | Timo said...

I second the Global Knives (extraordinary objects) and add Hackman Tools to the list.

There is something oddly consistent about both Finnish and Japanese design.

17 Jun 2003 | Don Schenck said...

RE: Cutting the foil on a wine bottle.

The trick is, don't bother trying to cut around underneath the collar at the top of the bottle.

Instead, using the knife part of your opener, cut the *bottom* of the foil, on the neck of the bottle, with an upward scraping motion. Then, simply peel off the foil.

Works flawlessly every time. I should know *wink*.

17 Jun 2003 | Steve said...

I get by just fine with my wing corkscrew. I am going to have to use Don's technique for dealing with the foil, though. That sounds much easier.

I don't have a can't-live-without gadget, I don't think, although there are lots of things I find myself using frequently. Nothing substitutes for a good set of knives. Spend the money on Henckles or Wuesthoff or Global. They're worth it. And get a good wood board, like one of the John Boos ones.

Also spend the money on good cookware. Get something that's aluminum, either in the core like All-Clad, or where the hole thing is aluminum, like Calphalon. Use non-stick pans only for eggs. You simply cannot make a good reduction sauce with a non-stick pan, since little bits of meat to do not attach to the surface and therefore there's nothing to deglaze.

Gadgets well worth having: the crank-style cheese graters. Much easier to great very hard cheeses like Parmagiano-Reggiano (and spend the extra for real Parmagiano, not imitation, non-Italian stuff; they're not remotely the same cheese). I use a blade-style coffee grinder as a spice grinder. You cannot have enough tongs and whisks.

17 Jun 2003 | BL said...

In regards to screw caps for wine. It's obviously a better sealing solution than a piece of wood. I think it is a bold step for those wineries that are trying them. I do think though that it will take a French winery using them to make it acceptable to wine snobs.

17 Jun 2003 | Don Schenck said...

My kitchen gadget: my Cuisanart Grind And Brew coffee maker. Dump in the beans and water; it, uh, grinds and brews. Nice in the morning.

My very best kitchen gadget, however, is my wife, my "personal chef". :-)

17 Jun 2003 | hurley #1 said...

I do think though that it will take a French winery using them to make it acceptable to wine snobs.

Tradition dies hard, and there is so much folklore about the importance of the cork that I think there will be a lot of resistance to screw caps in France (and Italy for that matter) for years to come. Evidence, rationality, and logic don't stand a chance against tradition and long-held beliefs. Besides, I think something is lost in the experience if you just screw off a cap rather than go to the effort to pull out a cork. That satisfying "pop" is part of the experience of wine for me.

17 Jun 2003 | ratsy said...

Got a handy cheese wire on a marble base that slices perfect cheese slice everytime.
Fantastico

18 Jun 2003 | Darren said...

My OXO swivel peeler. It's actually a joy to peel carrots. The handle is brilliantly designed, with little rubber nubs in all the right places. That sounds kind of dirty, but it's not what I mean at all. DB.

18 Jun 2003 | Paperhead said...

almost every wine waiter in the world carries something like this in their pocket good enough for me.

19 Jun 2003 | Don Schenck said...

That's what I use, Paperhead -- "server's friend", my wife calls it.

But when I run out of wine, I'm forced to drink a mixture of Aqua Velva and pickle juice.

June 19 -- I'm in one of "those moods" today.

22 Jun 2003 | -b- said...

We dig Clip-n-Seals and use them on our chips, cereal, and coffee.

http://clip-n-seal.com/

(note: we invented them)

27 Jun 2003 | JF said...

Clip-n-Seals arrived. We'll check 'em out. Thanks!

11 Jul 2003 | scottb--RTP said...

In The 3 that make a kitchen complete ($), Amanda Hesser mentions Microplane zester, the OXO vegetable peeler and the Silpat mat. I have the first two, and love them. I also use two Polder digital probe thermometers when smoking Copper River salmon or pork butt, one for the meat and one for the smoke temperature (175-225 F)

14 Jul 2003 | Spooner said...

I like the Spoon Rest, myself.

04 Aug 2003 | The Gadget Queen said...

I love gadgets. In fact I live for them. Pretty sad, eh? Unfortunately I have a bunch. Gadgets, gadgets everywhere. Where's the food to cook? I have found a great place for more information on Gadgets. Information from how good they work to how to get a hold of your special gadget at a good price. Here it is:

http://www.housewarereviews.com/Kitchen/Cooking_Tool/Baking_Tool/

I hope you enjoy as much as me,
The Gadget Queen

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