Speaking of graters, the Microplane products are terrific for grating/zesting, etc…
it is very good and the butter, sugar and cherry juice ends up making a sticky toffee-like residue in the bottom of the tray. Needless to say there is a mad scramble to scrape it off and scoff it.
Some carnivorous plant YOU are; you never heard Audrey II complain about a little underdone beef. Or humans. 
I have a box grater which we use all the time. I also have a http://www.braunhousehold.com/global/products/food-preparation/hand-blenders/multiquick-1-hand-blender-mq-100 which us great for smoothies and blending soups and making pureed vegetables. (I also have an electric hand beater)But if I am going to have to chop many veggies very finely to be able.to eat them raw or process them smaller for blanching or steaming etc. I tend to prefer hand tools rather than large fancy gadgets (that’s why when my blender died I never replaced it and use my Multiquick for almost everything the blender did. I almost wonder about upgrading to the ones that have the food processor attachments.
By the way the multiquick is awesome. I love it.
You need some non-stick aluminum foil, the greatest culinary invention of the 21st century (so far). Your lovely sticky residue will just p-e-e-e-e-l off. Oh yum.
It’s not nearly as useful as the Micra, but I don’t leave home with one of these things. I’ve never had a problem with airport security, and it’s saved my butt many times. It’s cheap enough that I wouldn’t really mind if it did get lost or seized, but that’s never happened.
Sorry, but…you know those automatic apple corer/peelers/slicers? They usually have a vacuum base so that they can stick on the counter and you shove the apple on a prong and turn the crank? Like this? They cost maybe 20 bucks and they work the bomb. They’re fun and you can prep apples for apple crisp like nobody’s business.
This is the least convincing argument I’ve ever read here. 
Hmm, I love me some kitchen gadgets…
Aero-Press, Microplanes for grating, Silicone spatulas, Sil Pat mats for baking, KitchenAid hot air popper (only one I’ve used that gets almost every kernel everytime),
Hardwood muddler- I use this for not only mojitos but mashing things generally like avocados for guacamole.
Non-kitchen wise the best tool in the garage is my ROSS. I use that for all manner of smoothing things and light grinding.
You can get them a LOT cheaper… And, unless you’re muddling in the actual glass, the stainless ones with the plastic end work fine for most purposes.
While we’re on the subject of cocktails/drinks, I find those little 1/4 cup measuring cups to be drastically more useful than that antiquated jigger/half-jigger thing that most bar sets come with. I can actually accurately measure quarter oz amounts easily in the same measurer that I use for everything else.
Have you done much spurtles? QVC sells these
http://www.qvc.com/Mad-Hungry-2-Piece-Bamboo-Spurtle-Set.product.K39434.html
but I was more familiar with the round kind:
http://www.auravita.com/OriginalImages/frnd/frnd10712_2_OI.jpg
Has anyone tried these and have feedback? Silicon covers for pots when they are bubbling:
http://www.qvc.com/Kuhn-Rikon-Spill-Stopper-11.5-Silicone-Pot-Lid.product.K35509.html
All three of these links took me to black screens with one white pixel in the middle. The address at the top of the screen said they were gifs. This has happened with several links that people have posted in the last few days. Is it just me?
And I so wanted to see a spurtle… 
I’d love a link to this thing, or at least a name so I can google it.
This is awesome. I hope you didn’t pay the original price… Now it’s at $19.99, which is much more reasonable than the $100+ pricetag they have on it.
This is very cool, and I can’t imagine it would get yanked from your keyring at the airport. Two things already in my amazon basket.
^^^^^^^^^
My contribution to this thread. I picked up an infra-red thermometer at Lowes. This thing works great. You point it at an object, and you get the temperature reading in a second.
This comes in very handy when you need to check then temperature of just about anything. just don’t point it at someone’s eyes… And keep it out of reach of your children.
I have been able to get the temp of the air coming out of my air conditioner, the temp of my engine, my dryer, anything at all really. $19.99 (on sale!)
I have not tried it on myself yet, but that’s coming. The laser will hurt your eyes, but not your skin. I’ll try it right now and see if I can beat the edit window!
http://www.lowes.com/pd_73790-56005-IRT207___?productId=3136869&pl=1&Ntt=infrared+thermometers
not sure where I needed to point it, so I closed my eyes and pointed it at (I think) my forehead. 94.4 F, which is close. I am not sure if I pointed it at a spot that would accurately reflect my body temp, but it was close for a first try.
Not that I am pushing QVC, but qvc.com and look for product K40934
The Scottish one I have seen before is
based on the thistle.
Links work for me (iPad using safari).
I’m on a Dell laptop-- 2 yrs old, Windows 7, 8 GB of RAM, 1 TB hard drive. <shrug>
I had no trouble with the inks either. (HP, three years old, W7, IE)
I couldn’t find the one I actually have but it looks very similar to the one pictured. I think I paid about $5. I second the whole jigger thing.
Also, Spurtles! My next kitchen gadget! Fun to say as well!
Spurtles sound like the name of the clown in a porn rodeo.