Making Cooking a Little Easier: A few of my Favorite Kitchen Gadgets

I made Split Pea and Ham Soup this week, so no new recipes for now, unless the Taco Casserole I'm making later this week turns out.  While making the soup and my fruit salad for the week, I used just about all of my kitchen gadgets, and I immediately thought of sharing them with my readers.  I don't know about you, but I love these little things.  Some of them are so simple, yet they make cooking much easier and faster so I can spend a little less time in the kitchen.  Don't get me wrong, I obviously love cooking, but let's be honest, parts of it can get tedious.  Some may say it's the lazy way out, but hey, I get my meals cooked a lot faster, and they still taste the same.  With that being said, I present to you, some of the little fun gadgets you'll find in my kitchen!  Warning: This may be a long post, there are lots of pictures!  :) (To see them full size, just click on them!)

So far, my most favorite gadget is the Vidalia Chop Wizard.

The first time I cut an onion, which was last year making a meatloaf, my eyes were watering out of control and the smell had me gagging.  Needless to say, it's my least favorite cooking related task. I've alleviated the problem somewhat by using sweet onions, which are a lot more mild and coined as being mostly "tearless," but this little gadget has helped to take my hatred of onion chopping down a few notches.

You can get it online, but I picked mine up at Bed Bath & Beyond for the same price, and it comes with everything pictured.  I originally wanted the Progressive Onion Chopper, but couldn't find it in the store when I went.  This one looked exactly the same, and the price difference was only a few dollars.  It comes with two different size blades (very sharp, so be careful handling them!) and the little cleaner tool, which I believe I've already managed to lose, since I can't find it in the usual places.  The catch bay has measurements on the side so you can tip it up and see how much you have if you need to measure, eliminating the need for another extra step.

It's also great for other fruits and veggies.  I've used it to chop up potatoes for the pea soup or mashed potatoes.  They boil a lot faster in smaller pieces, again saving me more time.  I've also used it for making an apple dessert (which I will post up next time I make it!).  It takes some getting used to as far as how hard you have to push down on it, and sometimes it's a lot.  But again, it's still faster than chopping everything by hand.

Any gadget that can help me deal with the smellier cooking tasks, especially ones that tend to linger on your skin, is on the top of my list.  My next favorite is the Chef'n Garlic Zoom.

I have the one pictured, but the website shows that it now comes in a few different colors, and it also now comes in an XL size, which I may need to add to my arsenal for when I cook double or more batches of things!  I got mine at a local foodie shop, but I'm sure it's available at the usual cooking store, and through the website.  

All you have to do is peel your garlic cloves, put them in, and roll back and forth a few times.  I usually roll a few times, bang it on the counter to loosen it all up, and roll a few more, just to make sure it got everything.  Depending on the size of the cloves, you may be able to fit a few into the chamber.  You put them in through a hatch on the top and click closed, but when you're ready to dump them out, the unit opens in the middle. 

Top hatch open, 2 large cloves already chopped

Just be careful because the extremely sharp blade is not locked down in any way.  So just be cautious when opening the unit and removing it.  Once it's out, you can just dump the garlic out to wherever it needs to go.  Sometimes it sticks to the edges so you have to dig it out, but it's still better than chopping by hand!  I've also noticed that your cooking surface needs to be dry, or the wheels won't catch very well at first, during the initial rolls.  Other than that, it works perfectly.  It's also top rack dishwasher safe (minus the blade), but I prefer to just wash it by hand.

On top of one or two weekly meals, I make a fruit salad for the week for myself that I portion out in tupperware containers, but there is always plenty of extra, which I leave for the husband if he decides he wants some.  My current mix is strawberries, pineapple, kiwi, and concord grapes.  I portion a half cup of each for my mix, and this current combo ends up being a little over 100 calories total!  It's a very healthy snack, that is actually very filling.  So, as you can guess, my next two gadgets are for the fruit.

First up is the Chef'n Stem Gem Strawberry Huller.

This little gadget pulls the cores right out of the strawberries, leaving you with more edible fruit as opposed to cutting the tops off.  I hull them one by one out of the carton and line them up on the cutting board for cutting.  The cutting still takes a little time, but I suppose I could use the onion chopper if I really wanted to.  Chef'n also offers the Strawberry Slicester, which I just discovered while finding links for this post.  I think I know what my next gadget purchase will be! 

The Stem Gem simple to use.  Push the top button down with your thumb, opening the prongs as wide as needed, depending on the size of the strawberry.  It will take a few tries to learn how to gauge the size.  Push the prongs into the top of the strawberry, it pretty much naturally closes itself around the stem, twist to cut, and pull the stem out.  This is also top rack safe if you choose.  This tool takes a few tries to get used to.

My last gadget for today is the Pineapple Slicer.

I picked mine up at Crate and Barrel, but they can be found at lots of places, and there are also stainless steel versions.  I also discovered today while Googling, that there is one that has 3 different size bases.  

To use, start by cutting off the top of the pineapple.   Try to cut off as little as you have to, but it needs to be wide enough to fit the whole base of the slicer, and try get it as flat as possible, or the slicer will go crooked and it will break through the side of the pineapple instead of all the way down.  I speak from experience!  Line the hollow middle up with the core as best as you can, grip the handle, and start twisting, pressing down as you go.  You'll know when you hit the bottom, since you'll feel like you can't push any farther, that the slicer is just spinning, or you may even break through the bottom of the fruit, which results in the core getting stuck in the middle of the slicer, which is not ideal if you want to use the shell as a dish/decoration. Pulling the fruit out can be a little difficult because it is a pretty tight vacuum, but with a little work, it will come out, leaving you with perfectly round pineapple slices, even though I chop them up for my salad.  (Just a side note, this can be messy.  I started doing this in the kitchen sink, and tipping the fruit to drain it before extracting, otherwise, juice gets EVERYWHERE.)

To get the fruit off of the slicer, the handle clicks right out, so take that off, flip the slicer upside down, and remove.  If the core is stuck inside the middle, I use the handle of a wooden/plastic cooking spoon to poke it out.  It is usually lodged in there pretty tightly, so be careful.  Once you have your cored fruit, cut up to your needs, and enjoy!  Use the shell if you want/need to, or discard.

So there you have it folks.  I told you this was going to be a long one!  I appreciate it if you read through it all.  I have a few more little gadgets, but I will save those for another time.  It may have taken some time to read this entry, but if you end up with these or any other little gadgets, it will save you a lot of time in the kitchen.  Enjoy, and Happy Cooking!