Smart Feeder - Light sensor values

[Janty]

Pity we don't all live closer to each other. If we did, we could swap all our useless gadgets for ones that we would like. I am about to order a new breadmaker yet others have said how much theirs is a waste of space. I envisage a sort of grown up Swap Shop.

 

[chick wiggle]

and yet, still, no-one wants rid of a waffle maker! *tut*

 

 

 

 

 

[bluekarin]

microplane grater but they keep breaking and bending and they are not cheap so this is a sort of love/hate thing

 

I am with you on these. I had a co"Ooops, word censored!" grater which my mum bought me for christmas. The plastic edging started cracking and then broke and everytime I used, sorry, Tried to use it, it would bend in half. So in the bin it went. They are quite pricey so I was very disappointed I quite like the ones the tv chefs use now with the metal frame and they have a sort of built in stand, if you know what I mean. Like this linkydink

[majorbloodnock]

I must admit I've little time for gadgets per se, so all my "must haves" are very basic.

• Heavy non-teflon cast iron saucepans (so happens they're Le Creuset).
  
• Heavy non-teflon cast iron frying pans (set of three).
  
• Kenwood Chef mixer and Gourmet food processor. Not even sure the latter is still made, but both take the same attachments, so I can swap around. That said, most of the attachments are irrelevant to me most of the time. Particulaly important, though, is the Chef's bread hook, since that plus an oven is almost as convenient as a bread maker yet gives far better results.
  
• Preserving pan
  
• Saucepans with steamer tops to them. I have two, and they're both lovely big saucepans, so allowing me to heat enough water to cook pasta properly, or to boil a joint of bacon, or make a big pot of soup, or, or, or....
  
• Crock pots and Marmites. Fill 'em up, chuck 'em in oven and wait for wonderful casseroles. Who said cooking needs effort.
  
• Decent knives and a diamond sharpening steel. I hate using blunt knives.
  
• A wok, once again non-teflon

 

Don't use list:

• Since I only cook chips less than a dozen times a year, I've no need whatever for a deep fat fryer. I do the chips in the wok, then can reuse the oil for other things.
  
• I won't use anything non-stick. If I'm heating something enough that it might stick, I'm heating it high enough to damage the teflon. All my cast iron frying pans are well seasoned, and I've never had anything stick to them, so for me teflon is a complete (and restrictive) waste of time.

[sage]

Love

Bread maker

mini chopper

stick blender

food processor

Slicing machine (great for the bread , if I cut a loaf with a knife we only get 4 slices per loaf)

 

waste of space

Mouli (got it to make purees for my DD but it was too much hassle to clean)

smoothie maker

pasta maker (in loft)

George Forman (Not used in years)

Pressure cooker (used as a large pan)

 

Sage

[craftyhunnypie]

Used a lot

 

Vitamix

Kenwood chef

Stone ware square baking dish (Pampered chef)

Rectangle pyrex dish

Expensive cake tins

Tefal jam maker

decent corkscrew

 

Not used much or at all.

 

Panini press

Sandwich toaster

George foreman oven ( not grill)

George foreman grill

Popcorn maker

Easiyo yogurt maker

silicone baking trays or muffin trays

Microwave omlette maker / egg poacher

Marble mortar & pestle. ( why)?

 

Emma.x

[C&T]

Love:

Bread Maker - although not used all the time as not good for waist line!

Good non stick frying pans (sorry Major!!)

Large Jam Pan

Good Sharp knives & Sharpener

Steamer

Food processor / Liquidiser

My Nan's old hand held electric whisk - who knows how many years old and still working!

My Nan's old cake tins - again years old - great cakes every time!

 

 

Waste of time:

Sandwich Toaster

Old set of cheap knives OH won't throw away

Silicone bake ware (no matter what I do it sticks and I get a pile of crumbs)

My naff cheap Rolling Pin. Rubbish. A new one is on the Christmas List!

 

 

Undecided:

My new Dehydrator - dried fruit great, but the strong smell of the dried fruit was bad for Morning Sickness... Will try again when not pregnant!

10 tonnes of tuberware - no idea where comes from, or why there is never a matching lid/box combo when I want one - but never gets thrown, and just lurks at the bottom of the cupboard, jumping out when least wanted.

[Lavenders_Blue]

Couldn't live without

 

Food processor

Electric hand whisk

Lakeland yoghurt maker

Coffee grinder (manual - I have a strong right bicep! )

Ancient victoria sandwich tins 'borrowed' from my Mum

 

Like... but not used a lot

Juicer

3 tier seed sprouter

Panini press

 

Waste of space

Rubbish stainless steel victoria sandwich tins - result, leaden cake

Onion chopper thingy with mandolin attachment both of which are totally blunt

[chickencam]

Couldn't cope without

 

My Le Crueset casseroles and frying pans.

Huge stainless steel preserving, stock pan

Silicone spatulas, but I love my small wooden spoon for white sauce and custard making.

Kenwood Chef Major for bread and pastry making, prefer a hand held mixer for cakes.

6 slice Dualit toaster, we have had it since last Christmas and at last we can toast bread for 5

Gaggia coffee machine

Stick blender, so much easier than a liquidiser and so easy to clean.

Toasty maker, lovely toasties for lunch or supper in the winter

Large deep roasting tin, only problem is that the handles stick up and take up a lot of room in the oven, it looks lovely and cooks food really hot and fast though.

 

Smaller must haves

 

Victoinox speed peeler, I hate holiday cottages because they never have good knives or peelers.

Victorinox paring knives, I also have a lovely large Victorinox knife that my OH bought for me as an anniversary present a few years ago. He said that real love is buying your partner a large knife.

Spice grinder, it is actually an ancient Krups coffee grinder that we bought for 50p at a car boot, but it grinds spices very finely.

My new Egg Clacker, it actually does work to top an egg

 

Use occasionally but wouldn't part with

 

Ice Cream maker basic frozen bowl type

meat slicer, for slicing thin gammon or beef. I hate cleaning it but OH usually uses it, so he cleans it.

slow cooker, very useful if you want a hot meal but haven't got time to supervise it. Otherwise I prefer casseroles cooked in the oven.

Pasta maker.

Microwave, hardly use mainly for quick defrosting or a quick bowl of porridge.

 

Should get rid of.

 

Juicer, too fiddly to clean and not fussed on the juice that it makes.

[Looney]

Hmm, electrically things....

 

Used all the time:

 

Tefal slow cooker / rice cooker - use this several times a week, absolutely brilliant!

Toaster

Breadmaker

Braun stick blender

Actifry

 

Not used very often:

Spare slow cooker!

 

Once owned but long since disposed of:

Juicer. It was cheap, hard to clean and started to smell a bit like it was going to explode when I used it. Wouldn't bother with another one.

 

There isn't a great deal of stuff I have that I don't use. I've just inherited a load of kitchen stuff - not quite sure what yet! - including a Kenwood chef that is probably about 30 years old. Looking forward to getting my hands on that!

[Space Chick]

I LOVE this thread

 

My top loves:

 

My kenwood food processor

Breadmaker

Vacuum sealing machine

Water bath for Michelin style cooking

Professional knife set

Pasta machine

A load of old vision (glass) saucepans, have bought loads on ebay too which live in the loft in readiness for the inevitable breakages

 

My other loves:

 

Egg poaching pods

Sonic blade electric knife

Proper pizza baking stone, about 3cms thick and stone

The ice machine on my freezer

Wide necked thermos flasks for soups and stews for work

 

Waste of time:

 

Popcorn maker (although OH loves it)

Deep fat fryer, bought a tiny one to do chips for OH but find they are better made in a frying pan

[sadietoo]

loves: Morphy Richards twenty year old four slice toaster; Sabatier Knives (also 20 years old) ; Cutco vegetable peeler (yes also 20 years old - I think I would actually fade away if I ever lost this lovely thing). A very old tupperware salad oil mixer thing. A zyliss salad spinner -although current one not as good as the old one it replaced! Swiss gold coffee filter thing that sits on top of a mug (from Whittards a long time ago) and makes excellent filter coffee.

A cheap stick blender.

 

waste of space: Ice cream maker (so annoying because my oH told me it would be!) slow cooker (gone to the tip - everything tasted the same) an extremely expensive egg poacher gadget, that I bought from Steamer Trading can't remember the make, also relegated to the tip

 

I have a Panasonic breadmaker which isn't used very often because my son doesn't like the bread it makes and I have given up eating bread. However, I will use it over Christmas whilst my DD is home from Uni.