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Christmas Food Gadgets

 
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kgb1001001



Joined: 21 Dec 2005
Posts: 108

PostPosted: Mon Dec 25, 2006 2:49 pm    Post subject: Christmas Food Gadgets Reply with quote

OK everyone, what's the neatest (most far out, wildest, strangest) food-related gadget you've received from your (wife, husband, mother, father, aunt, uncle, brother, sister, significant other, etc...) this Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa?

I'll go first -- I received a Rival 3-quart electric fondue pot -- I've had my eye on this for a while -- I've been wanting to make Shabu-Shabu at home since my last trip to Tokyo two years ago and this should make it possible!
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IndyRob



Joined: 17 Dec 2006
Posts: 77

PostPosted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 2:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hah! I was going to start a thread with the same topic....

For me it was the Ove' Glove. It looks like a knitted winter glove, but is made of Nomex (a flame retardent material used to make suits for race car drivers) and Kevlar (not sure what that brings to the party). It also has lines of silicone for added grip.

I haven't used it on cookware yet, but family members immediately grabbed it to test on light bulbs (as depicted on the packaging). Yes, you can use it to unscrew a hot, lit, light bulb. But holding one for 10-20 seconds or so proves unbearable.

The jury remains out, but it looks promising for things that would require some dexterity with something moderately hot.
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opqdan



Joined: 25 May 2006
Posts: 43

PostPosted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 4:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I got a spaetzle maker from my fiancee's (althought she'll be my wife in exactly a week) grandmother.

Some of you from the Alton Brown school of Kitchen Gadgetry are probably calling out "Unitasker!" right now, and normally I would agree with you, but I have wanted a spaetzle maker for a long time.

I know that spaetzle isn't too difficult to make using a spoon, and normally I do it by poking a bunch of holes in an aluminum pie pan and pressing the dough through with a silicon spatula, but both of those options take forever and are very boring.

The spaetzle maker consists of a flat piece of stainless steel with holes in it and a funnel that slides across the top, forcing the dough to drip out of the holes into the boiling water.

I haven't used it yet, but I think that it will prove to be a very useful single-use gadget.

I also received some mesh strainers, but there isn't anything weird about that.
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IndyRob



Joined: 17 Dec 2006
Posts: 77

PostPosted: Sat Jan 06, 2007 12:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Update on the 'Ove' Glove:

I'm sold on this thing. I've been heating a cast iron skillet on my grill to sear steaks at 700 degrees (F) and then putting it in the oven to finish. With an oven mitt and pot holder combined, I had a hard time getting the pan 15 ft to the oven before becoming extremely uncomfortable from the heat in the handle. With the 'Ove' Glove and a pot holder it's much more comfortable.

And it's so much more nimble. Pulling a lid off a pot in the oven is so much easier with five useful fingers with silicone gripping powers.

My only complaint is that the glove is white - which means in time it's going to start looking pretty bad.
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SirSpice



Joined: 04 Dec 2006
Posts: 95

PostPosted: Sat Jan 06, 2007 3:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

opqdan wrote:
Some of you from the Alton Brown school of Kitchen Gadgetry are probably calling out "Unitasker!"


I bet there are some other uses one could find for it.
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kgb1001001



Joined: 21 Dec 2005
Posts: 108

PostPosted: Sat Jan 06, 2007 3:55 am    Post subject: Yup. They're great. Reply with quote

My wife got me something similar at Bed Bath and Beyond called the "Super Glove" that has the same construction and heat rating. It's wonderful. I wish I had two of them -- it makes a big difference to be able to use your fingers to grab things.

And by the way -- haven't tried Shabu-shabu yet but I made an off-the-shelf cheese fondue kit and a homeade steak and shrimp fondue in court bouillon that turned out wonderfully. Here's the recipe I used for the court bouillon in case anyone has a fondue kit:

Court Bouillon for Fondue. "Just like The Melting Pot"
Yield: "8 cups"
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:45

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
4 whole carrot -- roughly chopped
2 bunches celery -- roughly chopped
2 whole leek -- white and light green parts roughly chopped
2 whole onion -- roughly chopped
5 cloves garlic -- peeled and crushed
2 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs tarragon
2 sprigs parsley
20 whole peppercorns - lightly crushed
2 whole lemons -- sliced
4 teaspoons salt
2 cups white wine
8 cups water

Combine ingredients, bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain through colander and cheesecloth. Use in fondue pot at 375, bring to second boil before cooking meats.

Prepare raw quartered red bliss potatoes, bias sliced carrots, easy-peel shrimp, and top sirloin marinated in Ken's Steakhouse teriyaki sauce and marinade.

Serve with Curry sauce for vegetables, cocktail sauce for shrimp, and Ken's Steakhouse teriyaki sauce and marinade for steak. Cook steak for 3 minutes, shrimp for 2 minutes, vegetables for 5 minutes or more.
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