Gadget Girl

Gadget Girls Goodies, starting top left of photo and moving clockwise.
Microplane by Graco: Love this thing, great for lemon, lime and orange zest...gives you super-fine zest for everything from salad dressings to orange zest for creme brulee.
Wire Cheese Slicer by Leifheit: I've had a lot of cheapie wire cheese slicers, this one I splurged on at Williams Sonoma and don't regret it one bit. Dairy Farmer Girl loves this thing for soft cheeses that absolutely must be sliced with a wire cuz they stick to a knife and make DFG verrryyy cranky.
Peeler by OXO: Best peeler ever, throw your old one away and go get this one, nuff said.
Egg Slicer by Farberware: Cheap and slick, I've broken other brands but this one is hanging in there pretty good...and yes darlings...I am a little rough on equipment...but I'm good for the economy because I buy replacements.
Ice Cream Scoop by ?: This little cutie has no brand name on it but it does have a sticker that says Made in China, it has a little lever that pops out the ice cream scoop. If the ice cream is too soft it doesn't wanna play nice but otherwise it's a nifty toy.
Slidey Thing?: Sorry, I don't know what to call this thing but I bought it a couple of years ago and have grown quite fond of it. It's stainless steel and it's great for when you're chopping a lot of stuff. It's easy to grab and it slides along the cutting board really good. I've seen some versions of this thing in plastic and the way they're shaped... I don't think they'd be as easy to grab if you have messy hands. I use it almost every day when I'm chopping onions and other vegs.
Whoa..almost forgot. These winner gadgers are on a griddle pan that I picked up at Macy's for less than twenty bucks. I really like this thing, I use it all the time. I've seen them advertised for a lot more money, I picked this one up on a whim and am so glad I did.

Ok kids, I'll admit it...I'm a little bit of a gadget junkie. Kitchen gadgets, bar/cocktail gadgets, painting, gardening, wood shop...you name it gadgets. I can be a sucker for a groovy gadget. Not infomercial gadgets or appliance gadgets, they don't intrigue me much at all.
So, yesteday I was making dinner and I was using some of my fave gadgets. As I rustled through the drawer of winners and losers I thought to myself...gee...I wish somebody had warned me about some of these loser gadgets. I also looked fondly upon some of my fave gadgets and thought ..golly...sure wish I had known about that groovy gadget a long time ago.

Here are the souper-dooper loser gadgets, the "I want my money back" gadgets, the "why am I such a sucker for stupid gadgets", space wastin', farm girl frustratin', crapola gadgets.

Whewww...I feel so much better now that I got that out.

First off, the lovely losers are displayed on a cutting board that Martha Stewart is responsible for. This is a BAD THING, it slides all over the counter unless I put a paper towel or kitchen cloth under it. It warped right after I bought it and not cuz I put it in the dishwasher, I don't have a dishwasher! I have a cutting board very similar to this that Martha didn't make, it's ten times better cuz it hasn't warped and has grippers on it, so it doesn't slide around. Okay...enough about that.

The loser lineup, left to right:

Knife Sharpener by Emeril: Mmm hmmm sure, it sharpened knives for about two and a half days. Then it got dull and boring, maybe it went off to do a TV show somewhere.

Herb Chopper by OXO: OXO is good, but not at everything. This thing is supposed to chop herbs as you roll over them with the chopper. Yah right. It smashes the herbs and then they get caught up in the roller cover, this thing qualifies for the Super Loser category.

THE GARLIC MACHINE: I'm embarassed that I bought this, I saw somebody use it on TV.

Pastry Blender: My cheapie broke and when I got a new one I thought this one looked better. I don't like this thing, the wires are flimsy. My old one had rings that looked more like flat metal bands, next time I'm at the kitchen shop I'll get another one like that.

Cracker by OXO: Sorry OXO, you do a lot of things right and this is pretty, but pathetic. It doesn't even have a spring like the super cheap ones I have, so cracking crab or nuts is an exercise in frustration...grrrrrrr. It is pretty, but "pretty is as pretty does" my friends.

There you go, a little kitchen drawer gadget roundup. I hope I've saved you some money on bad gadgets or inspired you to go out and support the gadget gurus of the world by spreading the word about the good ones.

Every project has the potential to be a lot more enjoyable if one has the right gadgets!