4 replies to this topic

[JulyJames]

I would like to know what your favorite kitchen gadgets are.

[Lawrence Wheeler]

JulyJames, on 16 March 2012 - 09:24 AM, said:

I would like to know what your favorite kitchen gadgets are.

I use my knife for quite a lot. That and my small whisk, which I use almost daily. It's the perfect size, strength for so many things. It's compact, the whisk portion is maybe 3-4 inches, thin - not bulbous, solid stainless handle. I make my own salad dressings, so it's pretty much constantly in use. I never make enough dressing to use a blender, immersion or otherwise.

Hmm, not much gadget wise, just kitchen stuff. Salt and pepper grinders, spatulas. And good old wooden spoons. I have many, but there are two that I think were my grandma's. They work the best.

[MuffinLover]

My XO spatula that I bought at BB&B..rubber type of handle, and the spatula is soft and bends easy..Gets under the food, and flips eggs great. Have two regular, and two wider ones.
old Wooden spoons, the longer thin ones.
My favorite knife is one I have had for years, called MAC! with a wooden handle, I have no idea where it came from , but I like it better then any of my J.A. Henckels, and wusthof knifes.
Jar-Key, to pop open jars..
Henckels kitchen Sizzers..
Kitchen Tongs..
This is new, a Silicone tube to get the skin off of fresh Garlic. Bought on ebay, it was cheap, and I do not know what I did with out this before!!

Thanx..

[JamesVixen]

Good Cook: I Love those old wooden spoons. I have one of those and a wooden spatula that I use all the time. Fish tacos: I am from San Diego, so I love fish tacos and have eaten them most of my life. Mine were never anything special, so I stopped making them. Finally figured it out. At least for my taste. It takes a couple of specific kitchen items and a Costco and Trader Joes. I bought frozen Mahi Mahi fillets and a bag of Avocados from Costco. I am very picky about avocados as my mom has 40 trees in San Diego. Costco's are great. Then I bought (and this is key) the handmade corn tortillas from Trader Joes. Nothing flavored or fancy. Just their handmade corn tortillas. I marinated the fish in soy, garlic, ginger, balsamic vinegar, honey and a little olive oil for 30 minutes. You could add some lime instead of or with the balsamic or soy. I know that marinade has nothing to do with mexican food, but I think it added moisture and flavor to the fish. That marinade is actually what I use for fish when I grill or bake it. Then I reduce left over marinade and it becomes a nice glaze. Back to tacos. I also use clilantro, finely chopped white onion and the best jarred salsa I can find. Or make your own, but for these, I prefer a cooked, jarred salsa. I use Frontera brand Chipotle. I grill the mahi over med heat on the weber for exactly 6 minutes. You don't even have to flip it, although, I did to get it crunchy on both sides. Then heat a cast iron skillet (again, this is key) over a little over med heat. When it's nice and hot, place the corn tortillas in one by one if that's all that will fit. It takes 45 seconds on each side. I cooked 2 6oz mahi and it made enough for 8 tacos. You want to do the tortillas at the end. Don't put any oil in your well seasoned pan. I got that tortilla idea from my fav mexican stand here in Portland. They cook their homemade tortillas on a cast iron comal. It makes the tortillas kind of crunchy on the outside and nice and tender on the inside. For leftovers I stirred a little of the salsa into the fish to make it moist and then heated in the micro for 45 seconds to take the chill off of it. For crunch you can add very thinly sliced napa cabbage. I just used baby lettuce. You can also make a traditional white sauce with sour cream, mayo and a little milk to thin. Serve the tacos with fresh lime. So delicious. ENJOY!!

[Lisaw Lucy]

In my case, we do not have a fancy Western kitchen. In my kitchen, my scissors are the most used item. I use the mostly on the food packages I buy at the market, where everything is put into plastic bags and tied and knotted. since I can never untie them, this ia why I have my Scissors