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Old 21-07-2011, 23:55
Smelly Cat65
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What are the ones you couldn't live without & what seemed to be a good idea at the time but were a waste of money? (not including micro-wave ovens, kettles, toasters)

My must-haves are my Slow cooker....That is a Godsend & breadmaker, they are used several times a week.

My waste of money is the ice-cream maker
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Old 22-07-2011, 02:34
cupovcoffee?
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my smoothie maker is the most frequently used gadget in the kitchen, used most mornings.. il probably say the chocolate fondue(if thats a kitchen gadget!?)prob not..but is left in one ov the kitchen cupboards anyway! is the waste buy but not on mi behalf as it was given as a pressie oh well
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Old 22-07-2011, 07:05
noise747
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Juicer was the one that was a waste of money, I thought it would be a good thing, but it was noisy, gave me very little juice and was a pain to clean. It been stuck in the cupboard for nearly 2 years, i chucked it out to the binmen on Wednesday.

The best gadget so far is my Halogen oven, save me a fortune in gas as I don't need to heat up my main oven for little things.


I don't have a microwave, it went belly up about 8 months ago and I have not bothered to replace it yet.
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Old 22-07-2011, 09:04
aggielane
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My George Foreman rotisserie I use it all the time and they don't make them anymore. I don't know what I will do if it breaks
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Old 22-07-2011, 09:46
Erithacus
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I use my Halogen oven daily and my slow-cooker a few times a week.

I never use my Intellisteamer. It's bulky which makes it hard to clean. It's easier to steam veggies in the microwave.
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Old 22-07-2011, 09:51
kochspostulates
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Best one: Mini chopper, especially when a member of my family had teeth problems and I had to puree everything.


Worst one: Soya milk maker. Went back to buying cow's milk after two days
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Old 22-07-2011, 09:54
I love Ellie
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Best: Potato Ricer.

Worst: sandwich toaster. Does anyone really bother with these on a frequent basis?
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Old 22-07-2011, 10:36
guernseysnail
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Best..George Foreman grilling thing..toasties, paninis, steaks and chicken breasts are all fab.

Worst..Mandolin slicer..I'm scared of slicing my fingers off, so it just sits in the cupboard..
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Old 22-07-2011, 10:45
Porcupine
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Best: Potato Ricer.

Worst: sandwich toaster. Does anyone really bother with these on a frequent basis?
I love sandwich toasters. I probably use mine every month.

I dont really have any gadgets, im feeling a little left out
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Old 22-07-2011, 10:52
burton07
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Best: Breadmaker, Slow cooker, Electric Mixer, Liquidiser, Microwave

Worst: Juicer, Steamer.
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Old 22-07-2011, 12:14
reginald1981
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Best: Kenwood food mixer and my Mum's Vita mixer

Worst: George Forman....didn't like the smell of it, or the cleaning or the uniform taste of everything.
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Old 22-07-2011, 12:59
Watcher #1
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Best: Hand blender, sandwich/panini toaster, good sharp knives

Worst; Breadmaker - gave it away.
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Old 22-07-2011, 13:19
c4rv
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Best: Potato Ricer.

Worst: sandwich toaster. Does anyone really bother with these on a frequent basis?
We use our sandwich toaster at least once a week. Very quick and easy to make a hot snack/meal for the kids and then just wipe clean ready for next time. Also have a greoge foreman for baguettes and paninies.

Used to have a ricer, didn't like the mash it produces, I prefer mine with some texture. Also I find the mash get cold very quickly with one of them.

Other gadgets we use are food processor (we are often cooking for 15 to 20 people) and hand blender.

Worst gadgets is one of those plastic mandalien/slicer things you see on TV. Look good when they demo it, but its useless when you have it.
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Old 22-07-2011, 13:55
degsyhufc
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Two products for the same purpose

Anysharp knife sharpener - Does the job!
Cheap whetstone - Not impressed. I might be using it wrong but it doesn't seem to sharpen the knives very well.
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Old 22-07-2011, 20:10
Smelly Cat65
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Best one: Mini chopper, especially when a member of my family had teeth problems and I had to puree everything.


Worst one: Soya milk maker. Went back to buying cow's milk after two days
I've never heard of a soya milk maker
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Old 22-07-2011, 20:12
Smelly Cat65
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Best: Potato Ricer.

Worst: sandwich toaster. Does anyone really bother with these on a frequent basis?
I use my George Foreman grill for toasties, much better as you don't get that tooth-breaking hard edge.
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Old 22-07-2011, 22:07
Pixie Queen
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My food processor, mini chopper thingie and hand held blender are used every week and they make things so much easier.

We have a microwave that I have never used apart from to store biscuits in but the Slavettes and Himself use it.

The worst thing was the juicer. What a faff it was to use and clean. We used it for about 2 weeks then it went to live in a dark cupboard. It then moved to the shed and then got a new home with a friends daughter.
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Old 23-07-2011, 01:23
bazpa
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Best thing is one of these little beauties
http://www.cookware-online.co.uk/sho...el-623683.html
makes rubbing fat into flour a doddle for pastry or crumble.

Juicer & Steamer are the ones that never come out of the cupboard
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Old 23-07-2011, 15:44
ecco66
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The ones I use the most are my Vitamix (at least twice daily) and Actifry.

The ones which I wasted money on were a juicer and a V Slicer. Gave both away.
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Old 23-07-2011, 18:07
jay sean
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must have - hand blender, mini chopper and george forman

waste of money - pressure cooker only used it once
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Old 23-07-2011, 19:40
badcompany3004
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The ones I use the most are my Vitamix (at least twice daily) and Actifry.

The ones which I wasted money on were a juicer and a V Slicer. Gave both away.
is a vitamix just a blender then?
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Old 24-07-2011, 09:07
ecco66
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is a vitamix just a blender then?
It's a 2 horse power commercial strength whole foods blender (the sort you see in TGI Fridays and Starbucks) but does more than blend. It makes hot soup, houmus, sauces (cheese, bechamel, hollandaise etc), sorbets, ice cream but above all it is fearless and blends whole foods. You can bung in an apple whole, no peeling! I drink a lot of green smoothies which are lots of greens such as spinach, kale, lettuce or spring greens, mixed with sweet fruit, frozen banana and ice.

It's not cheap, but it is a dream to clean and I use it more than any other gadget and it's saved me a fortune in buying smoothies. I never thought I would crave greens but I do now. It's hard to explain how different the Vitamix is texture wise, but everything is such a great consistency.

There's loads of demonstrations on Youtube, or just Google Vitamix Lady for more.
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Old 24-07-2011, 17:19
noise747
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Best thing is one of these little beauties
http://www.cookware-online.co.uk/sho...el-623683.html
makes rubbing fat into flour a doddle for pastry or crumble.
what is wrong with using your hands or are you one of these people that have hands that are too warm?
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Old 24-07-2011, 17:23
noise747
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The ones I use the most are my Vitamix (at least twice daily) and Actifry.

The ones which I wasted money on were a juicer and a V Slicer. Gave both away.
I was thinking of getting actifry, but I don't think I can justify £100 or more on a fryer.

i got a 1 litre fryer from B&M last week, only £14, as long as it lasts. I will only use it about once a week anyway.
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Old 24-07-2011, 17:57
guernseysnail
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Best thing is one of these little beauties
http://www.cookware-online.co.uk/sho...el-623683.html
makes rubbing fat into flour a doddle for pastry or crumble.

Juicer & Steamer are the ones that never come out of the cupboard
I use a food processor for pastry and crumble..
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