484125 Mon Jan 28 20:10:46 -0800 2008 26 41 Cookware 0 3343022 I really used to be an addict for anything with a cord that went into the kitchen, until one day looking at the overloaded shelves in the basement, kitchen and bomb shelter, I realized that most were nothing but a fancy shell with a calrod element. I purged most everything, but kept a few of things because they do things better than any other - like the (multiple) toastmaster grills that were the precursor to the Foreman series - when doing any sort of strip meat it just looks better coming out of them when you don;t want the cleanup of the (inside ancient built in gas grill). The cusinart pull-apart waffle maker (for cub scout breakfasts). The (please don't hurt me!) electric omlet maker some woman was promoting on TV (Bought a couple at goodwill - unused - just fantastic when I have to pre-prep 100 omlets for cub scouts), the older sunbeam steamer/grill that has a well in the center for liquid flavors and trapping fats (Great for fish), The Ronco showtime for when I am short on time and have to multi-task (I gave a dozen of these for an xmas a few years ago when rebuilts showed up on Amazon for $30) (And yes, I do have in indoor gas grill with a rotisserie, just have to stand there and watch due to drips), and as much as I don;t like it, the nu-wave oven that I keep at my father's so he can have fried foods without the frying. The American Gourmet vacuum marinator/tumbler that I stripped every store out of units when they were closing out for $20 to give as xmas gifts - makes all the difference in the world when doing (cheaper) cuts of beef (for cub scouts & Little league). The last one I am sure folks will hate me for - but the westinghouse electric mashed potato maker - I leave it at my father's who is an addict for mashed potatos so I can stop by and cut potatos and leave. I'm leaving out the more expensive ones, just mentioning the cheaper ones. So what electric vice gadgets do you have that you can't get rid of? Mon Jan 28 20:10:46 -0800 2008 151284 exvaxman 1 3346033 Well, nothing you like you have! But I was given an electric wok, which could never get hot enough to really be a wok. And I was given, another time, a funny, large electric pot which took forever to heat up, and which thermostat did not hold the temp so it was always heating up or not heating at all. I gave both to Goodwill. I have also cooked on ancient waffle irons, relics of ancient coffeemakers, and really old Wearever cookware. Not any more though. I've reformed. Tue Jan 29 15:49:54 -0800 2008 3343022 134265 sueatmo 1 3351672 NOthing THAT Interesting, but.. Electric Popcorn Maker (The Dome One...) bulky, annoying, hard to clean. Ice Cream Maker - Sorry, I would rather go out for it! And portion it out. But, it sits in my basement. Mini-Deep Fryer - scares the life out of me Thu Jan 31 08:33:15 -0800 2008 3343022 88683 stellamystar 2 3351706 Yep, I bought a deep fryer that I used once or twice. I don't deep fry very often and when I do I just use my le creuset oven. Easier to clean, etc. I don't know what possessed me to buy that thing - I don't make many mistakes like that. Thu Jan 31 08:40:33 -0800 2008 3351672 63569 flourgirl 2 3359928 Ditto everything you mentioned. My 5 Quart Le Crueset makes great popcorn! Sat Feb 02 19:08:01 -0800 2008 3351672 124734 peachtart 2 3366336 now would that be a fry-baby or the fry-daddy, stellamystar? try it, you'll like it! Tue Feb 05 07:50:49 -0800 2008 3351672 105717 alkapal 1 3352829 I've been given an ice tea maker, deep fat fryer and a salad shooter. I don't drink ice tea, don't deep fry and use a knife. Thu Jan 31 12:32:45 -0800 2008 3343022 39874 chowser 1 3352868 This is absolutely a true product that jfood took to college. It was an electric hot dog cooker in which you electrocuted 4 hot dogs at a time (yes Gary Gilmore). It was in the shape of a "U" with four prongs on each of the parallel sides. You placed the dogs in the prongs (similar to using holders with corn on the cob). Then you plugged it into the wall. The hot dogs each plumped from the two ends (like blowing up a long baloon) and when the two plumping ends met in the middle, they were done and you unplugged from the wall. So jfood's entry is a hot dog electrocution cooker. Unfortunately it did not do well and dropped out of school after freshman year. Thu Jan 31 12:43:32 -0800 2008 3343022 11290 jfood 2 3355405 Hey jfood -- we had that one too! My mom bought it when I was in college and she went back to work. Fearing that my two younger brothers would starve to death without her, she bought the hot dog cooker, a hamburger maker and a crock pot. The hot dog maker would actually end up steaming the hot dogs when you tried to electrocute more than one or two of them at once, so we only used it a few times. We really hated the texture. It was easier to boil hot dogs because we were at home and had access to a stove. I am not sure what happened to the hamburger maker -- I think it was a precurser to the George Forman grill, but it worked fine. We just never used it because the hamburger patties were always frozen and they would just burn on the outside and then fall apart. The crock pot was used precisely once by mother, who never figured it out (BTW, I use mine all the time) and claimed that her beef stew resembled cat food at the end of the day. I will personally nominate two items that I refuse now to have in my kitchen: An electric knife, because I feel like I am carving a roast with a hedge cutter instead of a knife, and an electric can opener. You can imagine why I might hate to use an electric knife. I hate the can opener because they are always sitting on the counter taking up space while looking dirty. Until my arthritis makes it impossible to use a manual can opener, this and the e-knife are banished from my kitchen. Fri Feb 01 08:33:05 -0800 2008 3352868 87837 RGC1982 3 3359685 I have always refused to own an electric can opener as well. Why would you want one? And I don't own an electric knife, either. We don't eat enough meat to justify it. However, if I did upholstery work, I'd want one to cut foam cushions. Sat Feb 02 17:30:12 -0800 2008 3355405 134265 sueatmo 4 3365584 That's about the best suggested use I have ever heard for an electric knife! Mon Feb 04 20:30:12 -0800 2008 3359685 87837 RGC1982 3 3367443 2nd the can opener. Tue Feb 05 12:15:53 -0800 2008 3355405 12873 OCAnn 2 3364180 >>>So jfood's entry is a hot dog electrocution cooker. Ohmigod. Laughing aloud. Thanks for the contribution. Perhaps there's a subset of kitchen gadgets that employ torture, i.e. electricity, guillotine, etc. Mon Feb 04 12:46:05 -0800 2008 3352868 18222 maria lorraine 3 4291854 OMG! There was a movie some years back in which a character's hand was thrust into a garbage disposal unit....grisly to put it mildly. Does anyone recall the name of the film? Did Quentin Tarantino direct? Sat Jan 03 05:16:03 -0800 2009 3364180 11069 fauchon 2 3364430 That was probably the Presto Automatic Hot Dogger. It tended to char the ends of the hot dogs while the middle stayed cold. And was impossible to clean. I still treasure mine. http://www.neighborhoodvalues.com/nv/kitchen/misc/35kc.htm Worst electric device that I've had was that ultra-mini cuisinart pint-sized food processor thing. Absolute crap in every respect. Mon Feb 04 13:51:09 -0800 2008 3352868 21333 uh ... art 3 3364637 Nope, that was not it. Jfood's only had the capacity for four dogs, and was not flat but curved. Thanks for trying though. What a stupid gizmo. Mon Feb 04 14:37:02 -0800 2008 3364430 11290 jfood 4 3365588 Yes, it was curved and the cover was clear, right? The ends got positively rubbery while the middle stayed cool. Yuk! Mon Feb 04 20:32:12 -0800 2008 3364637 87837 RGC1982 3 3366344 oh, uh ... art: i have a mini food processor from black and decker -- the handy chopper. it is so handy, indeed. http://www.epinions.com/hmgd-Mixers_Food_Proc-Black_and_Decker-HandyChopper_Plus_MINCER_CHOPPER/display_~reviews sorry about the cuisinart. handy chopper bowl is easy to clean, and is great to use when you don't have to process much volume. for example, it makes a quick pate of liver or salmon; easy minced onions (and i CAN chop by hand with my wusthofs), bread crumbs, pesto, nuts, etc. Tue Feb 05 07:53:50 -0800 2008 3364430 105717 alkapal 1 3353788 Cotton candy maker (or depending on where you live, a candy floss machine). If you're going to buy one of these, do yourself a favor and buy a semi-professional one. Thu Jan 31 17:06:43 -0800 2008 3343022 103787 ThreeGigs 1 3359993 A Ronco Showtime Rotisserie given to me by my sister. Worthless junk. I feel the pain of all your friends and family who've received this, or the marinator/tumbler (thank god I never got that one!). Sat Feb 02 19:38:28 -0800 2008 3343022 53530 Zeldog 2 4291138 I've had my Ronco Rotisserie for about 7 or 8 yrs. now and I LOVE it. I use it for roti chickens, cornish game hens (2 at a time) and bone in half turkey breasts - not the phoney boneless kind. My husband says that I bought it just to watch the poultry go around! With the right seasonings and timing, the poultry is fantastic and easy to make. I clean it up immediately while the poultry is resting and then being carved. I bought it at Bed and Bath as I would never buy something like that from TV, in case I didn't like it and wanted to return it. It's used about once or twice a month - much more often than a lot of my other plug-ins. I also love my George Forman for salmon fillets or steaks, 3 min. 20 seconds for two, moist and done to perfection. Fri Jan 02 18:03:38 -0800 2009 3359993 175667 Canthespam 1 3360003 This takes the cake, IMHO. Right around the same ranking as the molten chocolate .fountain: http://www.frontgate.com/jump.jsp?itemID=12820&itemType=PRODUCT&iProductID=12820&path=1%2C2%2C602%2C1784 Sat Feb 02 19:41:39 -0800 2008 3343022 18981 Jimmy Buffet 2 3360566 Ah come on JB, jfood would have thought a person with your handle would have a soft spot in your heart for a product for people who also bought the Multi-functional Margaritaville Frozen Drink Maker. Get one of those and a Cheeseburger in Paradise and you have the makings for a good weekend from one of your earlier alboms. Sun Feb 03 05:49:41 -0800 2008 3360003 11290 jfood 3 3365594 He can then have card parties and use his automatic card shuffler! OMG -- I actually understand the stupid justification for the Margaritaville Frozen Drink Maker, or even the drink fountain, but unless you had an arm in a sling and were still expected to tend bar, I don't understand the automatic martini maker. LOL! Mon Feb 04 20:34:47 -0800 2008 3360566 87837 RGC1982 1 3360632 Didn't buy it when I saw it but I would nominate a battery powered rotary cheese grater as a candidate for the most foolish electric gadget. Sun Feb 03 06:42:39 -0800 2008 3343022 112335 mexivilla 1 3366349 i have one but have never used it: has anyone ever actually used a salad shooter? i just saw an upscale version (kitchen-aid? cuisinart?) at williams-sonoma last week! Tue Feb 05 07:56:01 -0800 2008 3343022 105717 alkapal 1 3366614 How's this...A miniature, functional kettle popcorn popper. Looks (and functions) just like the ones at the movie theater, but is only about 12" x 12" x 24". The problem is that the kettle is so small (holds ~ 2oz of unpopped corn) that a LOT of unpopped kernals escape the kettle with the popped corn. The popper is now in a closet and the space is now occupied with an AeroGarden. Tue Feb 05 09:02:09 -0800 2008 3343022 73013 LabRat