Confessions of a Gadget Queen | Main | Glad my kid is out of High School
January 24, 2004
Gadgets worth the money
Here are some of the gadgets/ small appliances that work as advertised, or close enough that they were worth the money.
Now, don't laugh - some of these are those obnoxious "As Seen On TV" kinda things, but heck, I travel a lot, and sometimes those infomercials are the most interesting TV I get.
My favorites:
1. Kitchen Aid Mixer. Oh, my - this is my very favorite kitchen appliance. Get the 5 quart one - I had the smaller (4 qt bowl) version for years, but when John bought me this, well, I never touched the smaller one again. I think I gave it away. It is great for cakes, frostings, cookies, mashed potatoes, whipping cream, beating egg whites, lots of stuff.
2. For the smaller jobs, this gadget performs way above my expectations. It is the Braun Multiquick Professional Hand Blender. I use it to chop nuts, onions, green peppers, garlic and fresh herbs. It does a great job of beating a couple of egg whites for smaller recipes, and it has enough power to whip up some potatoes - but not too many, and with milk, cream or butter added. It's also great for mixing drinks quickly. The only drawback is that it is difficult to store.
3. The Rabbit Corkscrew.
I have tried a lot of fancy corkscrews, ones that pump air thru a needle, etc., and this is my preference. For one, I'm not going to stick myself with it! It is very easy to use. I highly recommend it. I give them as gifts.
4. The Cuisinart Food Processor. In the past, I have tried all the inexpensive ones - Sunbeam, GE, Hamilton Beach - I found that you get what you pay for - this cannot be beat for power.
5. This is one we use every day. Again, I have tried a lot of other coffee makers through the years, but this one, the Capresso Coffee Team, makes the best freshly ground coffee of any of them. We had a Cuisinart combo coffee maker/grinder, but it did not last more than one year. I paid more for the Capresso, and again, I got what I paid for. It is great, and I highly recommend it.
6. Okay - here is one you can laugh at. I got sucked in big time a couple of weeks ago when I was watching an infomercial. I bought one. It came in last week, and I have been trying it out this weekend. The Scunci Steamer. Go ahead and laugh. It shoots out a powerful bunch of steam and does clean a lot - not quite like you see on TV - but enough to make it worth the cost. I was able to steam out stuff that is in the corners of rooms, and clean the part of the toilets that gets really icky - where the hinges are and down around the floor. It also works wonders on any faucets, door handles, anything metal. I even 'dusted' some resin figures with it, and it did a superb job.
That's all for now. I'll do some more at a later date.
Posted by Beth at January 24, 2004 4:00 PM
Comments
I want a Kitchen Aid desktop model. Talk about a power tool!! And I'm very glad to hear your review of the Hoover Wind Tunnel, because that was going to be my next vac...! Thanks! :)
Posted by: pam at January 24, 2004 5:17 PM
Well, the Wind Tunnel that is not bagless is a very good vaccuum cleaner. The bagless one - well, it's a pain. Why have a hepa filter when you get all the dustmites, dust and allergens when you empty the damned thing. I don't know *what* I was thinking when I bought it!
Posted by: beth at January 24, 2004 5:37 PM
Personaly I like the older stuff I have a late 1960's Sunbeam Mixmaster, while not quite as powerful as the Kitchenaid it is built solid as a rock (I could probably mix a small batch of concrete with it :-) )
Posted by: R.L. Hunter at January 25, 2004 9:36 PM
I'm quite happy with my Black & Decker standalone coffee grinder, and a simple stovetop espresso maker or frenchpress.
On the other hand, I can sure see how an all-in-one would be oh-so-convenient. But I like to make espresso or turkish coffee, so...
Posted by: Sigivald at January 27, 2004 5:07 PM
I just tried the scunci steamer - I found it not worth the storage space (or the $84 my mom paid for it)! Makes a ton of steam, very impressive-looking, but I get better results from my bottle of 'greased lightning' ($8/gal at BJ's) and a little elbow grease! I tried it on my stovetop, my oven and my BBQ grills, my kitchen sink, the toilet, and a ceiling tile with water stain(didn't work at all).
I sure wish it worked, she is now eating the $25 S&H they charged, plus whatever it costs me to ship it back to the company.
Ugg.
Posted by: kris at February 24, 2004 4:15 PM