List Those Gadgets That You Thought Were Great, But Now Gathering Dust?

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taxlady said:
@Shining Wizard was confusing us with his use of the term blender when he meant what I would call a mixer. Probably slightly different terms in Australia and North America.

I have seen people use mixers for mashed potatoes with good results. I have always done it without power tools since that episode with the thick, gluey mess in my blender - the kind used for shakes and smoothies.

And I'll join you in that glass of wine.
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Sounds good to me ;)
 
Many years ago, I bought a set of steak knives from the dollar store. We're talking over 10-15 years I've had them and I use them for everything, including onions and tomatoes and other produce. They work perfectly, are still sharp and slice right through tomatoes with ease.

One of the cheapest - and best - purchases I ever made. Of all the knives I have, they get probably 99% use compared to other ones I have. I don't use my chef knife for vegetables. I use it mostly for meat, since it cuts right through raw meats super smooth.
 
its per side , most knife's are 20 degree OR they are 30 degree the 20 degree is most common on chefs knife's and knife's that are used a lot , and granted they do stay sharp longer, but knife's such as boning knife's are sharpened to 30 degrees , a while back i got an electric sharpener and changed all ( except serrated ) to 30 degrees
 
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Linda0818 said:
Many years ago, I bought a set of steak knives from the dollar store. We're talking over 10-15 years I've had them and I use them for everything, including onions and tomatoes and other produce. They work perfectly, are still sharp and slice right through tomatoes with ease.

One of the cheapest - and best - purchases I ever made. Of all the knives I have, they get probably 99% use compared to other ones I have. I don't use my chef knife for vegetables. I use it mostly for meat, since it cuts right through raw meats super smooth.
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I bought a bunch of steak knives for probably a dollar or less per knife, probably back in the early 1990s. They were on clearance at a local hardware store. I use them for tomatoes on occasion and for other small cutting tasks. I used to use them for steaks regularly. I only quit doing that when I inherited the sterling silver cutlery from my mum. I prefer the look and it works pretty well for cutting steak. I use them for cheese that I leave under a cheese bell in my dining room. They are still in good condition.
 
pictonguy said:
I use my 8" chefs knife. I always keep it sharp and prefer that to a serrated knife. I use that for breads mostly.
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My tomato knife is serrated. I use it for cutting bagels, etc. I cut tomatoes with a regular knife. Whatever I am using at the time. If all I'm doing is cutting a tomato, I'll use the utility knife, which is not serrated.
 
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when i was looking for an electric knife sharpener i learned a lot about blade angles and there is certainly nothing wrong with a 20 degree edge as it has the advantage of not needing to be sharpened as often
but when it comes to sharpness its hard to beat the 30 degree edge such as is on a boning knife , the newer electric sharpeners use precision angles and diamond
wheels so that once a knife is sharpened and later gets dull the newer sharpeners remove very little metal when they are sharpened again . but a good one is pricy
 
taxlady said:
I sort of disagree about the food mill. I have one. I found it on special for quite inexpensive. The sides are plastic. The rest is metal. The knob on the handle is Bakelite or similar. If I was still canning, I would probably buy a new one.

I use it for potatoes once in a blue moon. I use for apple sauce, but a potato masher is almost as good. I used it for a recipe that wants hard cooked eggs chopped very fine. It was a suggestion from several commenters to use a potato ricer or food mill for the eggs. It would have been simpler to use a potato ricer. I have been considering replacing the food mill with a potato ricer for a while now. It would be simpler to use and take less space.
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Honestly, it has never occurred to me to mash eggs through my ricer! This is a revelation and makes total sense! I will report back ...
 
I’ve got very little in my kitchen drawer for utensils , I hate clutter …I recently binned all my black utensils ….most I had / have are stainless steel…I’ve had for years.
We don’t eat allot of potatoes and when we do it’s usually roasted ..so my potato masher dosent get used much I’ve had it ..prob close to 50 years ( not stainless steel )
I’ve got a colander I bought when I was quite young….so I’ve had that 60 years …still use it but not much as most veggies are steamed in a saucepan steamer / set
 
Potato mashers can be used to break up ground beef or pork when you are frying it. I mostly use my colander for draining various kinds of food.
 
grumpyoldman said:
its per side , most knife's are 20 degree OR they are 30 degree the 20 degree is most common on chefs knife's and knife's that are used a lot , and granted they do stay sharp longer, but knife's such as boning knife's are sharpened to 30 degrees , a while back i got an electric sharpener and changed all ( except serrated ) to 30 degrees
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I'm only talking through my own experience but my boning knife is closer to 10 degrees which when you include both sides, because you have to, it equates to 20 degrees. For removing meat from carcasses a thin blade works better in my opinion but do what works for you. cheers.
 
thats a new one on me , i have never even heard of a knife sharpened at that angle
all i can say is this, when i changed from the 20 degree to the 30 degree angle on our knife's the wife was afraid to use them they are so sharp now we wouldn't have them any other way
 
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grumpyoldman said:
thats a new one on me , i have never even heard of a knife sharpened at that angle
all i can say is this, when i changed from the 20 degree to the 30 degree angle on our knife's the wife was afraid to use them they are so sharp now we wouldn't have them any other way
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A more acute angle, all other things being equal, will be sharper. Edge straightness and evenness can change that. A more acute edge is less sturdy and can roll and chip easier.
 
100 % correct . the more acute the angle the sharper the edge , the trade off is durability . the 20 degree edge will last longer ( stay sharp ) than the 30 degree edge. but the 30 degree edge will slice through meat like butter but need sharpening more often
its all just a personnel preference
 
grumpyoldman said:
100 % correct . the more acute the angle the sharper the edge , the trade off is durability . the 20 degree edge will last longer ( stay sharp ) than the 30 degree edge. but the 30 degree edge will slice through meat like butter but need sharpening more often
its all just a personnel preference
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What makes a knife durable is more than just the edge angle it's also about steel hardness, blade geometry, and intended use. Between a 20 and 30 edge (per side), 30 is more durable but less sharp, while 20 is sharper but more delicate. Basically the more acute or 20 degree will slice through meat easier. 30 is good for cleavers, hunting knives and heavy duty type. imo
 
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