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Dream 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?

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?

RoboHunk who cleans and follows commands. ;-D

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.

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!

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

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!

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.


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.

A heated RoboCoupe for making Hollandaise really, really quickly.

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 .

Thanks Karen! Maybe in my lifetime? I want one that doesn't speak. ;0

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.

@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!!

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.

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.

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: 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 - 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.

crazyspice, how big was it? the last time i was there they only had 4 cups. i want one that holds two quarts.

@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.

@ 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!

thanks, perky and crazyspice! what would i do without my serious eater friends!

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).

A kitchen that cleans itself...or the Robo Hunk could do it, I suppose.

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.

definately agree with Karen, a button that picks up delivers lugs and puts away groceries!!!!

@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!

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

@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!

@mongoose - my little whisk is a bit under a an inch wide.

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