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What’s the best gadget you’ve ever bought?

(204 Posts)
Chrisks Thu 14-Oct-21 11:09:14

For me it’s my soup maker and a sellotape dispenser! Couldn’t do without either of them!

jocork Tue 28-Dec-21 10:52:46

HannahLoisLuke

Forgot to mention my ratchet secateurs, cut through quite thick branches without breaking my wrist.

I bought a pair at the ideal home exhibition years ago and it is great!

Grantanow Tue 28-Dec-21 10:58:00

Robotic lawn mower - saves a lot of time and lumping a manual one up steps to our lawn! I take it in for the winter when I clean it and fit new blades.

Ladyinspain Tue 28-Dec-21 12:05:40

Oh I agree about the neck fan !!! My daughter bought me one as I was always looking for a fan in my bag-we live in Spain and it can get HOT!! Love the new neck fan !!

Mummer Tue 28-Dec-21 12:25:54

Air fryer,! Got first one for £40 fromB&M now have a posh one -now iknow how much we use it! And no more smoky t kitchen from grill/fry bacon/chops etc also does fries dry and crisp onion rings, sausages, anything usually fried or grilled, zero fat in fact any fats drop into tray under basket.I would never fry anything and missed out on some yummy stuff as result.
Silicone steaming basket/mini chopper/and some micro pots, plastic with lid look like little plastic saucepans! for heating up anything in micro. Fits tins beans spaghetti or I use to heat Swedish meatballs for 90seconds only! Great pans saver. And my best yet, veg steamer for microwave, boils spuds in 8-9minutes veg from frozen in 3-4mins. Saves so much time and power!

grandtanteJE65 Tue 28-Dec-21 12:38:36

These two: and I didn't buy either of them. My grandmothers did.

The pastry blender was bought by Grannie when she took her new DIL (my mother) to a Good Housekeeping Exibition in Bradford in 1947. It has done yoeman service ever since and is as good as new.

The other implement, which I have never seen in Britain, is called a hakkekniv in Danish and was part of the kitchen utensils that my Danish grandmother bought for my mother while she and Daddy were engaged, so it is very slightly older than the pastry blender.

You can chop anything you like with it from almonds to cooked or raw meat. It takes a little longer than using a mincer, but it is far easier to wash up afterwards. As far as I remember it didn't evem need sharpening until the mid 1980s.

Gwenisgreat1 Tue 28-Dec-21 13:05:15

I love my Robot vacuum cleaner - saves so much time
I love my Kenwood mixer (approx 50 years old)
I love my ring pull opener
and many more

lizzypopbottle Tue 28-Dec-21 13:39:04

Insinkerator near boiling water tap. I would never go back to having a kettle. Other brands are available but this one is a fraction of the price of others and I'm not after a tap that dispenses cold, filtered water and everything in between. My tap is the best thing ever!

lizzypopbottle Tue 28-Dec-21 13:45:05

GrandtanteJE65 Mine is called a mezzaluna and is beloved of Nigella Lawson. Mine came from 'Jamie at Home' and the blade is legally sharp. I'll try for a photo but my ancient Kindle Fire often cites low memory....

lizzypopbottle Tue 28-Dec-21 13:46:36

M

lizzypopbottle Tue 28-Dec-21 13:47:57

Lethally not legally!

sandelf Tue 28-Dec-21 14:03:01

Braun epilator. www.braunshop.co.uk/braun-silk-epil-9-9-985-beauty-set-white-rose-gold/12519372.html

Kali2 Tue 28-Dec-21 14:14:13

My Kenwood Chefette - got it about 51 years ago- Greenshield stamps, lol!

And a great pair of Swiss quality secateurs! Not a gadget person, actually.

Lincslass Tue 28-Dec-21 14:50:01

grandtanteJE65

These two: and I didn't buy either of them. My grandmothers did.

The pastry blender was bought by Grannie when she took her new DIL (my mother) to a Good Housekeeping Exibition in Bradford in 1947. It has done yoeman service ever since and is as good as new.

The other implement, which I have never seen in Britain, is called a hakkekniv in Danish and was part of the kitchen utensils that my Danish grandmother bought for my mother while she and Daddy were engaged, so it is very slightly older than the pastry blender.

You can chop anything you like with it from almonds to cooked or raw meat. It takes a little longer than using a mincer, but it is far easier to wash up afterwards. As far as I remember it didn't evem need sharpening until the mid 1980s.

Seen these many times in the U.K., even had one once, gave it away as couldn’t get on with it, it’s called a hacoir, can be used to chop many things as you say.

Forsythia Tue 28-Dec-21 14:55:03

Slow cooker and my blender. Can’t be without either.

ruthjean Tue 28-Dec-21 15:41:29

The food processor!

Sloegin Tue 28-Dec-21 19:25:01

It's a toss up between Magimix food processor and, also Magimix, bread slicer. I make my own sourdough and slicing it was difficult. I make two loaves at a time, slice them in nice, thin, even slices and freeze them for toasting. Excellent gadget.

Freedom2017 Tue 28-Dec-21 19:52:18

The best kitchen appliance I’ve ever bought is a Ninja Foodi Grill, since purchasing it my cooker is almost redundant, its so versatile, definitely money well spent, I love it.

Sharina Tue 28-Dec-21 19:53:49

I’m a gadget queen. Love my soup makers, breadmachines etc etc. but … my latest “discovery” is a Danish whisk! It’s a simple thing that stirs and lifts and cuts through the doughs and mix. Also, for scraping and a million little jobs - my grapefruit spoons!

Nannagarra Tue 28-Dec-21 21:22:02

The device on the right which acts like a pencil sharpener preps carrots for coleslaw and is invaluable. To cut chives for potato salad I use a pair of scissors with five blades. The garlic/ginger chopper on the left at first didn’t fill me with hope - how wrong I was! I also love my mezzaluna.

Marmight Tue 28-Dec-21 22:03:13

A boiled egg shell topper called a ‘cuisine queen’. I’ve had it for over 40 years. Chops off the top of an egg with no mess.

Oofy Wed 29-Dec-21 02:09:24

MadeinYorkshire, don’t think pce612 came back to you on this, unless I missed her post.
I think the little metal bits are meant to grip the edge of the lid to lift it off. The two opposing bits come together when you close the handle, over the lid

Diggingdoris Wed 29-Dec-21 09:27:14

Wouldn't be without my:-
slow cooker
Smart phone
Electric carving knife, bought 30 years ago for 20p from a jumble sale!

narrowboatnan Wed 29-Dec-21 20:22:33

This is going to sound completely daft, but my very recently bought electric toasted sandwich maker is my wonder gadget! We are now living in a marina with electric hook up and can now have such luxury items as an electric toaster, automatic washing machine, microwave and the toastie machine! No more running the engine for hours while I slave over a twin tub without killing the batteries. No more cooking toast on a belly button height grill. It’s absolutely wonderful! And next week I’m going out to buy a cordless vacuum cleaner!

Yay! Go me!

NotTooOld Wed 29-Dec-21 21:34:48

Llamas99

Hello! Pretty new to this forum and I am enjoying it very, very much. Live in the U.S., Germantown TN. Formerly there was a forum called Gardenweb; I didn't post a lot but there were myriad topics from cooking to health. Houzz bought the forum and it has never been the same. I'm 75 a mother and grandmother. And Lonely! Thanks!!

Hello Llamas99! Nice to meet you.

Hetty58 Wed 29-Dec-21 21:42:20

An Oxo Good Grips apple corer/slicer - just push down on the apple and it's done!