Kitchen gadgets

igCorcaigh · 28-06-2023 08:13PM #1

A thread for kitchen gadgets and accessories.

We already have threads for air fryers and pizza ovens, so this thread is for little kitchen gadgets that you would recommend or are curious about.

I've always wanted to be able to julienne carrots for salads, and this little peeler for €8.34 seems good so far.

Maybe a real mandolin might be better for making thinner carrot strands, but it seems good enough for my needs, and I find OXO a good brand.

con747 · 28-06-2023 08:32PM

I was given one of these years ago and find it useful.

Also use one of these for chopping small stuff and plenty more gadgets!

igCorcaigh · 28-06-2023 08:45PM

I have this chopper, (€38) which is great for chopping herbs, onions, tomatoes, but a couple of pulses is enough.

igCorcaigh · 28-06-2023 08:49PM

When it comes to a small bit of garlic or ginger though, I just chop with a knife, and use the blade and salt to make a paste.

I might look into making my own garlic and ginger paste in bigger quantities to store in a jar in the fridge. I don't like the jarred garlic/ginger paste that you can buy from the Indian stores much.

con747 · 28-06-2023 08:53PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120779827#Comment_120779827

With Ginger your better off storing a knob of it in the freezer and I just use that plate to make it into a paste from frozen and put the rest back in the freezer for the next time.

Masala · 28-06-2023 08:55PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120779827#Comment_120779827

If u find them … can u repost here as to where to get them. I too am using the jar for mine but would love to buy as a cube or like if available. Many thanks

igCorcaigh · 28-06-2023 09:04PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120779857#Comment_120779857

I was thinking of making a fresh garlic and ginger paste and storing it...

Not sure if I should use my chopper or my Nutribullet? 🤔

Larry Bee · 28-06-2023 10:32PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120779827#Comment_120779827

I blitz them and freeze them in cubes and then keep them in a ziplock bag in the freezer

Mervyn Skidmore · 30-06-2023 10:45PM

My wife is Asian and if you want to make a garlic paste or curry pastes just get a biggish stone mortar and pestle. Your local or closest Asian shop should have a variety of them and it will last you years. I think we have ours 10 years now and it's used every daily or weekly.

A rice cooker is so handy if you eat a lot of rice, it takes the guess work out of it and perfect rice pretty much every time.

A julienne peeler like the one linked above is great for Asian salads like som tam.

Good knives are essential too and they don't have to be crazy expensive. Victorinox (the Swiss army knife crowd) make really good affordable knives.

squonk · 30-06-2023 10:49PM

+1 for victorinox. They’re my go to knives. Not crazy expensive but just great and practical.

Gloomtastic! · 01-07-2023 02:15PM

I think my quest for the perfect garlic press will last a lifetime. Joseph Joseph came close but it eventually broke (maybe a metal version might last longer).

IKEA’s garlic press is the longest lasting one so far but a bit of a pain to clean.

My other favourite gadgets are my silicone spatulas, they’re great for scrapping everything out of things, my Braun Hand Whisk and my metal dough scraper.

phormium · 01-07-2023 02:42PM

I love this thing for garlic, I don't have the hand strength to squeeze those press things together sufficiently to get a decent amount out but you can put a lot on weight on this and get a good result. I have a small board specifically for it and it makes it so easy.

igCorcaigh · 01-07-2023 02:45PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120791770#Comment_120791770

I've seen these things advertised on Instagram but was never sure of a good supplier.

Do you have any recommendation for purchasing?

con747 · 01-07-2023 03:01PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120791776#Comment_120791776

I get stuff off these, takes a few weeks but worth the wait for the price. https://www.wish.com/search/garlic%20press/product/632176f5ed96ec5f7b399a3c?source=search&position=0

phormium · 01-07-2023 04:22PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120791776#Comment_120791776

Dunnes Stores, 8 euro if I remember correctly or you can wait weeks from China :)

the beer revolu · 01-07-2023 04:39PM

My favourite garlic crusher 😊

phormium · 01-07-2023 04:49PM

I have one of those too but it just smashes it down and you still have to chop it up, worked in hotel kitchen for a good while and that's how we did it but prefer my little rocker now!

Wisesmurf · 01-07-2023 06:00PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120792273#Comment_120792273

Is that a cleaver?

I have a Japanese knife that looks the same but the blade isn't as thick. It's for cutting veg. I use it from garlic to butterflying chicken breasts and cutting topside thin and veg for stirfry.

My fav purchase and I love kitchen gadgets.

Below is the exact one I have. Bought it in 2019 and still as sharp today.

Mercer Culinary M33220 8-Inch Chinese Chef's Knife with Wood Handle, Stainless Steel, Silver https://amzn.eu/d/eWRCPsv

igCorcaigh · 01-07-2023 07:12PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120792605#Comment_120792605

That looks the job alright, but is currently unavailable. What kind of money would I expect to pay for a knife like this?

the beer revolu · 01-07-2023 08:15PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120792605#Comment_120792605

It's more of a slicing knife, not super fine but not as heavy or thick as a cleaver. It was inexpensive from a Chinese shop. It's surprisingly good for fine work like really thin julienne but heavy enough to chop through a chicken carcass. Nice knife and keeps a edge well.

Wisesmurf · 01-07-2023 09:05PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120793277#Comment_120793277

Sounds the same kinda thing. A must for me now

Thargor · 02-07-2023 09:10AM

A bit of a basic one I don't know how I went this long in life without a decent pair of tongs but there was a set of silicon tipped ones in a knife set someone gave me as a housewarming gift a few weeks ago and I haven't touched a spatula since, so handy especially this time of year when it's too hot for the oven and it's mostly the air fryer we use.

igCorcaigh · 16-09-2023 08:15PM

I've had these salt and pepper grinders for almost a year now, and they stand up to the test. Have gone through so much rubbish ones, especially the fake looking wooden grinders, rubbish. I'd recommend these though, and cheap too, currently €11.31.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07RF6S3K3/ref%3Dppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1

con747 · 16-09-2023 08:22PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121120175#Comment_121120175

I have the taller ones just a different brand but basically the same for a few years now. Great to be able to adjust the grind size easily.

igCorcaigh · 16-09-2023 08:35PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121120212#Comment_121120212

I'm thinking of getting more grinders for those herby salt mixes. So many of them available now..

the beer revolu · 16-09-2023 09:32PM

After years of struggling to find decent s&p grinders and finding quite expensive ones (Peugeot) useless, I found a pair of wooden Oxo Good Grip ones in TKMax for €15 each. They are fantastic and are going a good few years, now. Highly recommend.

Alun · 17-09-2023 11:38AM

I've had various, sometimes expensive, wooden grinders over the years too, with good quality mechanisms, either Cole & Mason or Peugeot, but they all grind far too finely for my taste, and the supposed adjustment on them just doesn't do anything at all. I've resorted to buying the cheap replaceable grinders, Aldi are the best IMO. For reasons that aren't entirely clear, but I suspect has something to with the peppercorn size, refilling them with peppercorns I buy from the local Asian store doesn't work for long and the grinder mechanism breaks.

I'm interested in the Oxo Good Grip ones, have some of their other stuff and it's generally quite good, might give them a try.

the beer revolu · 17-09-2023 05:49PM

My Peugeot pepper grinder was okish if I used particularly small peppercorns! Musgrave ones seemed to be the only ones that worked properly for me. The salt grinder was generally pretty useless.