Who'd a thunk it?

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Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 2:19 pm

It's well known that I like to cook, so people often give me cooking gadgets that for whatever reason, get tossed in a drawer and never used.

When it comes to chopping stuff up, I'm a bit of a purist and use a 10" chef's knife for just about everything.

Anyway, someone gave me this thing last year for Christmas:

It's an herb mincer from OXO. Until last night, it has been living in a the graveyard drawer with the zester, melon-baller, and the olive-pitter. I had a bunch of cilantro I wanted to chop up and on a whim, I decided to drag this out and give it a shot. Fully expecting to be disappointed, I was surprised to find it made short work of it, and it was pretty fun to use. I went through half of the produce drawer testing it out on all kinds of stuff. Laughing

Just thought I'd share Very Happy

.

Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 2:22 pm

I love to cook also!
I knew it existed, but never used one Very Happy

So it's good ya think?

Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 2:31 pm

This year I had to pack up the contents of my house Crying or Very sad

and the room that hurt the most was the kitchen Crying or Very sad

, I now live in a shared house with a horrid kitchen and a lack of decent utensils, pots/pans etc Crying or Very sad

. I long to have a graveyard drawer full of gadgets.

I am pleased you have rediscovered your drawer and hope that you use its contents wisely and often Very Happy

Quote:

10" chef's knife for just about everything

Baiting Guru Joined: 19 Mar 2007 Posts: 2628

Looks like a fancy pizza slicer.
I love to use fresh herbs so bought a mezza luna but old habits die hard so I usually use a knife and wee chopping board. Which also saves on washing up as they can go in the dishwasher.

Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 2:44 pm

I agree on the 10" chefs knife! The only thing I use as well. I did get a funny visual when you mentioned how fun it was to use, though. I envisioned rabid infomercial types hacking at whatever produce was left out for them by their handlers! Laughing

One missed Billy Mays!

Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 3:21 pm

So is that your real hand, or a stand in hand?

Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 3:27 pm

Stunt hand!

Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 3:32 pm

It's my hand. I had to chop it off with my 10" chef's knife so I could get the shot. Wink

Actually, I snagged it from Amazon. Very Happy

Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 9:52 pm

Ah....kitchen gadgets. I think I have OCD when it comes to them. Yes the 10' chef's knife I use for absolutely everything.

There could be a free solid gold something or other at a garage sale but I'm after that odd looking garlic crusher that I'll never use. I wish I hadn't seen this one now Laughing

Baiting Guru Joined: 03 May 2007 Posts: 18313

luckey wrote:

Actually, I snagged it from Amazon. Very Happy

They sell hands? Shocked

Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 10:30 pm

I'm another kitchen gadjet collector, but along with the pasta machine (which does get used often), the 5kg stone mortar and pestle, olive pitter, various garlic crusher/slicers I have these

http://www.svord.com/SvordMainFrameset.htm

I bought my daughter a full chefs set when she finally finished her apprenticeship and Master Chef Certification. 10 yrs later she is still using them with no problems.

The only thing I've had replaced was a handle on the 20cm which split, replaced and posted back free.

Baiting Guru Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 3193

Ima Baeder wrote:

luckey wrote:

Actually, I snagged it from Amazon. Very Happy

They sell hands? Shocked

They sell everything Laughing

Has anyone got a zester to work? I see the TV chefs use them no problem, but I've never got so much as a shaving off with one. A good sharp knife seems to work fine if you're careful, and gets closer to 100% coverage too. (not 10 inches though.)

Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 2:58 am

I used to use the chef's knife all the time, too. Then I didn't cook for several years. Now that I'm back doing the cooking, I'm just a wee bit afraid of the thing. But I think it might be better for me than the smaller knife I've been using - at least I can certainly SEE the big one! Wink

Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 3:04 am

I'll have to find one of those, luckey!

Thanks for the tip. Wink

Not quite a Newb Joined: 14 Jul 2005 Posts: 41

Quote:

I snagged it from Amazon.

Seems to me as if Luckey is hiding behind anonymity and <strike>admitting to</strike> boasting about actually stealing that hand.

Master of Master Baiters Joined: 26 Sep 2008 Posts: 689

Our favourite kitchen gadget is the electric carving knife we were given as a wedding present .... in 1973! It still works fine and gets used most weekends for carving the Sunday joint. It's the only surviving item in our kitchen. A couple of casserole dishes (from Embassy cigarette tokens) didn't survive the last major cull of old stuff being thrown out.

Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 9:27 am

I had an electric carving knife, the plug didn't last long, I only ever used it for motorbike DIY like cutting foam and fibreglass.

I bought my wife a mezzaluna for chopping stuff:

You rock it backwards and forwards, its great on herbs and stuff.

I spotted it watching Nigella Lawson, who Hayley watches for the cooking, I watch for her bounteous norkage.

Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 10:07 am

^^^ I've got one of those (a mezzaluna, not a bounteous norkage)

If you want the very best zester then get yourself one of these beauties:

http://store.microplaneintl.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=35002E

Also works a treat on garlic and releases loads more flavour than if you shove it through a garlic press.

Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 11:11 am

Quote:

bounteous norkage

hahahaha

Baiting Guru Joined: 03 Mar 2006 Posts: 7103 Location: Yes

Corona wrote:

I'll have to find one of those, luckey!

Thanks for the tip. Wink

A hand??

Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 12:33 pm

^^^Yes!

Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 2:38 pm

That is most definitely NOT a hand. Its THING, a famous movie and TV star.

Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 2:51 pm

I have a cleaver weight chefs I use for most everything, and an 8 in Santuko for everything else. Except for a good rocker style pizza cutter, the only other "gadget" is a mandolin. Not that there's not a drawer full of crap, but I actually USE the above!

Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 2:58 pm

@ Hitchiker 'Thing' was very underated as an actor in the Adams Family, but always signed autographs for his fans. He later wrote a autobiography, 'Single Handed'.

However, this what what's inside those Amazon hands:

@ Floridabaiter, how do you use a mandolin in the kitchen?

Posted: Sun Jul 19, 2009 2:22 am

I'll have to pick one of those up. My wife made me zest a lemon a while back and it sucked.