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SephieG · Last edited by SephieG on Tue Aug 07, 2007 3:48 pm; edited 1 time in total

I loved "The Pedant in the Kitchen" by Julian Barnes and he mentions the drawer where useless kitchen gadgets collect when you can never quite throw them away. You know, where the chopsticks lie entangled in the ancient egg whisk. You've mentioned your useful gadgets - what about the useless?

I bought a garlic peeler from a glossy brochure which did nothing of the sort. After totally mangling the clove, it shot the garlic across the kitchen and under the fridge.
Someone gave us one of those expensive, elaborate bottle openers but it's such a palaver we're back to the basic 99p supermarket version.
And I still have my Ronco or K-Tel salad cutter - the one that cuts tomatoes etc in half with pretty serrated edges. It also has a thing that cuts carrots and cucumber into spirals (allegedly) but it's still in the drawer, it might come in useful one day, but I did cull the chopstick collection!
What other "useful" gadgets have you abandoned?

Nannyp · Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:42 pm Post subject:

Oh dear...I don't think I want to look in the drawer q12

I have one of those runner bean slicers which is bloody hard work, so I don;t bother using it...that's in there. Sorry, I can't look, I'd have to empty it and then, you know what would happen, the very thing we want to use finally would be gone! q21

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dingsy · Moderator Joined: 29 Apr 2007 Posts: 931 Location: Devon

Surprisingly, I can't think of anything, as I had a proper clear out before we moved house last year, and the charity shop benefitted quite well from all my bits.

salt n pepper · Commis Chef Joined: 26 Jun 2007 Posts: 103

I havnt looked in mine for a while and after reading this i dont think i want to i am now horrified what i would find

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Jerseygirl · Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 11:28 am Post subject:

Funnily enough I did mine last week as it wouldn't open as somethingf was jammed.
I binned : loads of chop stinks (why do we alll have them?)
a hard boiled egg slicer
several blunt knives
half burnt birthday cake candles
endless cocktail sticks
2 plastic ice cream scoops
a pasty crimper!
and lots of bits from things that I don't have anymore!

dingsy · Moderator Joined: 29 Apr 2007 Posts: 931 Location: Devon

Noooo, Angie-I love my hard boiled egg slicer. Great for salad sandwiches. I remember you used to be able to get one that sliced tomatoes-I'd love one of these again.

sparkymarky · Celebrity Chef Joined: 29 Apr 2007 Posts: 154

can i suggest the wife as a disappointing kitchen gadget...lol

dingsy · Moderator Joined: 29 Apr 2007 Posts: 931 Location: Devon

shanzi · Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2007 7:40 pm Post subject:

Gotta think whats in my drawer - I try to keep it tidy. I know I got a carving knife and and odd shaped fork on my bedroom window sill, wondering whether I will ever use it after winning 30 years ago for the funniest teapot competition.
Well now lets see, I have a plastic box of all nick nacks to do with wine, like stoppers, hip flask (don't ask), a trimmer to get that naster plastic paper thing over the cork of the wine bottle, some corkscrews of varyintg sizes, styles, and rust level.
And in the main cutlery tray, the usual knives, forks, spoons - but the spoons of all odd shapes and sizes, some very old can't use now, but still won't throw away. Some Courage bottle openers (two sorts) when they used to give them away, egg whisk the handle one with the wheel, the hand whisk which knocks your wrist about when you flip it back and forth.
Numerous little knives, that are really useless for anything. Oh boy, probably a bit of dust and fluff lurking about as well.
Do we start on the container that sits on the side with all the gadgets now........no best not...getting a bit boring, eh. Those are the ones I use most
q15

SephieG · Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2007 3:01 pm Post subject: Ah yes - the cutlery drawer!

Where do all the teaspoons go? and a very strange thing happens in my cutlery drawer. Various items disappear but are mysteriously replaced by mismatching ones. There are only the two of us in the house (and the dog, but he can't reach the drawer). 'Him Indoors' denies all knowledge of course. I also have a drawer which seems to grow biros. I keep taking bunches of them to charity shops, but they always seem to come back. q25