Not in the traditional sense of the word, I’m a kitchen gadget slut. I didn’t think my problem was severe, some Calphalon pots and pans, a potato ricer, stuff like that. Non-gimmicky for the most part like Chicago cutlery knives. Last night TheLadyLion and I went to the state fair for rides and fried Twinkies. Don’t knock 'em until you try 'em. We like browsing the commercial vendor buildings and watched the whole dog and pony show the Bamix people put on. We tasted the mayo, the raspberry whip, the fresh ground herbs. It was actually far less expensive than I thought and had a ten year warranty so I thought what the heck. LadyLion had a look of glee in her eye when I suggested getting it as a Christmas present for us. Am I pathetic or what?
I have a Braun hand blender but it doesn’t work nearly as well as this. The whipping attachment is a bitch to clean and the regular mixing attachment is prone to making a hell of a mess unless you use a very tall container. One of the drawbacks is that if you use the mixer in a plastic cup with a slightly domed bottom it will actually cut into the plastic. I made a glass of malted milk one day and got a mouthful of curled plastic shavings, Yeech.
I’m not sure but I may have just become the “it boy” for the bear fetish community. Thanks for the compliment but I’ll stick with LadyLion thanks. Seriously, I’m not hairy enough. Gives me some good ideas though. I think LadyLion might like being chased around with a whisk.
before I was married, I had a frying pan, 2 pots (large, small), bowls/plates/cups/settings for 6, plus a pizza cutter, can opener, and blender, some tupperware, a baking sheet, and casserole dishes.
Life was simple. Now I can’t even identify what half of our kitchen utensils are supposed to be used for.
You know those cylindrical crocks that are used to store wooden spoons, ladles, and other utensils in? I have so many of these utensils that I don’t have room in the crock for all of them.
I spent months looking for a ginger grater, the kind made of ceramic and with lots of sharp little spikes to grate with.
I have 3 kitchen thermometers, assuming that my candy thermometer isn’t broken (it happens a lot, being in the drawer with the other utensils), and not counting the one in the oven.
I have at least 4 sets each of measuring cups and measuring spoons, plus a Pyrex measuring cup and one of those new Oxo-brand measuring cups where you can look down from above and still measure liquids accurately.
Oh, as long as we’re admitting to dallying with bookstores, then I’m proud to be a whore, too. Except, of course, because I have that “we’re still a patriarchal society” thing going for me, I’m more of a stud than I am a whore.
A French kitchenware store opened up in Pentagon City. It’s called Sur Le Table and it is filled with SERIOUS kitchen equipment. It’s got stuff in there that I’ve seen chefs using on shows from Food TV. I’m lucky.
My name is Brenda, and I’m a snob. Not in the traditional sense of the word, I’m a kitchen gadget snob. I didn’t think my problem was severe, a full set of Saladmaster cookware, the saladmaster food processor, Oneida stainless steel flatware, an older model of this blender which is pretty much solid stainless steel (the carafe can be converted into a juice press, that’s how strong the steel carafe is) and has a two horsepower motor that turns the blade at 240 miles per hour, stuff like that. Non-gimmiky for the most part like Zwilling JA Henckels knives, hand selected by my daughter who spent three years in Germany and sent them to us before they started importing them. I’ve seen some of the new ones, the ones we’ve got are superior quality, I think they export the factory seconds. Had to replace one of the knives once because some damn kid used it as a screwdriver and broke the tip. This was after they started importing them and we bought one locally. Not the same at all!
At one point a moment of weakness at a state fair got us one of these Served us pretty well though. We’re happy with our Kitchenaid version of the Bamix. Pretty much all the same attachments, and the critical piece, the wand, comes off and can be thoroughly washed, just like the Bamix. The Kitchenaid has lasted fourteen years so far and is still going strong.
[/mother] GASP
DON’T EVER DO THAT AGAIN MOM! IT’LL BE STRAIGHT TO THE RETIREMENT HOME IF YOU DO THAT AGAIN, I SWEAR!
I finally used the Bamix this evening. Made garlic mashes potatoes in a jiffy and ground nuts for cooking mix LadyLion is packaging to sell at her craft fair. I can’t wait to make perfectly blended chocolate milk with it
While I wouldn’t call myself a “whore,” I can cheerfully admit to spending large chunks of the day at the library and bookstore, sometimes without buying / borrowing anything at the end of it. (yep, I’m bad…)
As for kitchen gadgets, you should meet my mother. She’s always had this thing for them, so much so that whenever our grandmother comes over and sees the shelves full of gadgets in the hall (which my mom never uses), she complains about it. You don’t want to know what she says ehn she sees the kitchen.
