PrintDream Kitchen Gadgets
Last night I was trying to measure some things for a cupcake recipe and i ran into a typical situation in which the recipe called for 3/4 of a cup of something, and I had to use two different measuring cups, just to get that right amount. No, that's fine, but in my dreams I would love to have a set of cups that include one specifically for 3/4, not just 1/2 and 2/3. I don't even know if something like this exists, but it would be great if it did.
What little improvements or gadgets do you dream of when you are in the kitchen, whether or not they really exist?
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32 Comments:
My set came with a 3/4 cup, and a 1/8 cup. Good when your halfing a recipe. I think from Sur La Table?
karenita at 11:11AM on 03/17/08
RoboHunk who cleans and follows commands. ;-D
PerkyMac at 11:16AM on 03/17/08
A machine which would set the table for me and do all the clean up - including the floor (I have two small kids) - after!
More realistically, I like the measuring cup idea.
Stephanie at 11:37AM on 03/17/08
I was surprised when I moved out and had to buy my own cup measuring set that it didn't come with a 3/4 cup. My mom's set did - her's, I'm sure, came from a Tupperware party in the 80s, so it's not much help.
I'm with PerkyMac - a RoboHunk would be perfect!
Peasantwench at 11:38AM on 03/17/08
Here's a set with everything you need. Also check out the odd size measuring spoons set (shown underneath in the Customer's Also Bought section). I can usually find nearly everything I need from Amazon.com. I search everyday for RoboHunk, but he must live in my imagination.
http://www.amazon.com/MIU-Stainless-Steel-7-Piece-Measuring-Cup/dp/B0009VEOGG/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1205768516&sr=8-1
PerkyMac at 11:47AM on 03/17/08
Your friendly neighborhood Williams-Sonoma should have an odd size set of All Clad measuring cups including 2/3, 1 1/2 and 2 cup!
Jennefur at 12:15PM on 03/17/08
pyrex used to make a huge measuring cup that you could theoretically measure and mix batter in, and then pour it. i've been looking all over for one but they don't seem to make them anymore. i would love to have an inexpensive large squatty pitcher because when i make stock, i strain it into a bowl using a colander and cheesecloth, and then lose half of it when i pour it back out.
cybercita at 12:31PM on 03/17/08
I think a kitchen laser would be excellent for quick and precise slicing and dicing. I just haven't figured out how the safety mechanism will work yet.
jlbrach at 12:49PM on 03/17/08
A heated RoboCoupe for making Hollandaise really, really quickly.
SheikBLoco at 12:55PM on 03/17/08
The time is very near for RoboHunk. Apparently he knows how to make sushi, at least.
Robots are already taken for granted in Japanese factories, so much so that they are sometimes welcomed on their first day at work with Shinto religious ceremonies. Robots make sushi. Robots plant rice and tend paddies.
There are robots serving as receptionists, vacuuming office corridors, spoon-feeding the elderly. They serve tea, greet company guests and chatter away at public technology displays. Now start-ups are marching out robotic home helpers.
They aren't all humanoid. The Paro is a furry robot seal fitted with sensors beneath its fur and whiskers, designed to comfort the lonely, opening and closing its eyes and moving its flippers.
From USA Today .
Karen Resta at 12:58PM on 03/17/08
Thanks Karen! Maybe in my lifetime? I want one that doesn't speak. ;0
PerkyMac at 1:02PM on 03/17/08
Mine would be programmed to say what I wanted him to, Perky. :)
With a button I could push to change the accent of his speech to match the food he would cook.
Mostly though the dream kitchen gadget I would most want would be a button I could push (yeah, there go those buttons again) to get a wonderful fresh assortment of groceries delivered to my door and then put away by someone. If the button could also scramble the bank charge to make it less expensive that would be great too.
Karen Resta at 1:48PM on 03/17/08
@Perky - RoboHunk, eh? Good thinking!!
@cybercita - I recently purchased the Pyrex large measuring cups at BB&B.
@Jennefur - You had to bring WS into the mix???? I see a road trip in my future!!
crazyspice at 3:59PM on 03/17/08
I'd really love to get my hands on some very small whisks with solid handles... the sort in which the wires are firmly embedded, so they don't twist and feel as if the entire tool is about to fall apart. I use my tiny whisk a lot, but it is SO flimsy.
mongoose at 4:32PM on 03/17/08
I got a set of measuring cups with 3/4 and 2/3 cup measuring cups at Bed, Bath and Beyond just before Christmas. I am pretty sure they sell them all the time and they are under $10.
I had another set from Sur la Table that I got about ten years ago and was about the same price. I loved them, but I left the 3/4 cup measure at my old job. When I was searching for a new set I looked at the All-Clad set, but they were very pricey.
Calichef at 4:44PM on 03/17/08
This is the whisk set I have, that I received as a wedding gift:
http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-3-Piece-Stainless-Steel-Whisk-Set/dp/B00005EBH9/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1205786719&sr=8-1
The tiny whisk is very solid and I use it almost every day when mixing up sauces or a cornstarch slurry for my Chinese dinners.
mrsbao at 4:46PM on 03/17/08
@mrsbao: thanks, those look really good... what is the diameter on the small one? Only the lengths are given (I need one in the 3/4" to 1" range).
mongoose at 5:10PM on 03/17/08
@mongoose - I think you're across the pond, but this whisk gets more use in our house than any other. It's great and has been a gift I've given many times, too.
http://www.acemart.com/kitchen-supplies/kitchen-tools/whips/whip-stainless-8-each/prod9131.html
Our measuring cup set from Tupperware (in the last 10 years) has the 3/4 and 2/3 cup measures. I need 1/8 cup the other day but it doesn't have that one.
jmoilanen at 7:12PM on 03/17/08
crazyspice, how big was it? the last time i was there they only had 4 cups. i want one that holds two quarts.
cybercita at 8:41PM on 03/17/08
@cybercita........lots of them on ebay, my 2nd source for hard to find items.
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?sofocus=bs&sbrftog=1&dfsp=1&catref=C6&from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=pyrex+measuring+cup+2+quart&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC6&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D2&sadis=200&fpos=18074&sabfmts=1&saobfmts=insif&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&fsop=1&fsoo=1
PerkyMac at 8:58PM on 03/17/08
@cybercita - I just checked and it is 8 cups. My best buy ever! I will check next time I am there and make sure they still have them, but it hasn't been that long.
crazyspice at 8:58PM on 03/17/08
@ mongoose - I am with you! Whisks are never solid enough. Though I am excited to see that your post elicited some helpful whisk ideas.
@ Perky - I am just happy I have one who does dishes when I need him to! ; )
I would love a big extra freezer that somehow fits into my tiny NYC apartment - maybe on the ceiling? Then I could freeze tons of fruits and vegetables from the summertime greenmarket for the sparse winter. And along those lines, a flash freezer - so I could get things frozen and ready to store in seconds, rather than having to spread them out over my entire freezer overnight.
Also an automatic pie crust maker!
producestories at 9:46PM on 03/17/08
thanks, perky and crazyspice! what would i do without my serious eater friends!
cybercita at 9:46PM on 03/17/08
My dream kitchen gadget would be a portal that could surreptitiously transport any particular item I fancied from Sur la Table. I'd convert my microwave into the receiver.
Also, a magical converting box that would allow me to use all my favorite electronics after I move to the UK without blowing them up (or even just the mixer and the fancy rice cooker, but while I'm dreaming, I'd love to take the tv and the Wii, too).
renzata at 2:35PM on 03/18/08
Speaking of strange measurements:
http://www.devonmoor.org/measuringjugs.html
schwartz at 3:58PM on 03/18/08
A kitchen that cleans itself...or the Robo Hunk could do it, I suppose.
wookie at 5:37PM on 03/18/08
I dream about having a Pacojet. I also really would like to have a sturdy waffle iron like my mother had that does square regular waffles and then has plates that switch out to press sandwiches and make a flat open griddle.
Mizbee at 6:36PM on 03/18/08
definately agree with Karen, a button that picks up delivers lugs and puts away groceries!!!!
huney_bumper at 10:45AM on 03/19/08
@mongoose: sorry, I forgot to check back to see if you had any questions on those whisks.
I think the small one is about an inch in diameter. I can measure at home and give you an exact measurement!
mrsbao at 3:35PM on 03/19/08
I received a set from King Arthur many years ago that had a 3/4 cup measure. I also got a measuring spoon set that had a 3/4 tsp. I just checked their site and they still carry it: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/detail.jsp?id=7813
aharste at 4:37PM on 03/19/08
@mongoose: sorry again, I ended up taking an impromptu trip to NYC (from Washington, DC) on Wednesday night and spent a night there and a day eating my way through the city, so I will definitely measure that whisk TONIGHT and post its width!
mrsbao at 3:28PM on 03/21/08
@mongoose - my little whisk is a bit under a an inch wide.
mrsbao at 10:16AM on 03/24/08