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Jar pop. It's definately a unitasker. And every time I use it, I'm glad I bought it. I also love the citrus squeezers I have.

I dunno, the whole "unitasker is evil" thing may be the one area I disagree with Alton Brown on. Some unitaskers do what they do very well, and if it's something you need often, or if it's a unique sort of task, it makes sense to have a tool to do that specific job.

I mean, you can use a saucepan to hammer a nail into the wall, but a hammer is made for the task. At some point, it makes sense to have the best tool for the job, rather than trying to do everything with a Swiss army knife.

Among the unitaskers in my ktichen: can opener, corkscrew, meat mallet, blade meat tenderizer...I've got a collection of cookie cutters and fancy bundt and cake pans that don't have any other uses...

And although my kitchenaid mixer isn't a unitasker, some of my attachments are, like the ice cream maker, pasta rollers, meat grinder.

I have a drawer full of gadgets I acquired at parties. You know the kind. You get an invitation, inviting you to come and bring friends, family and women you just met in the rest room at work, to play silly games and buy lots of stuff to help the hostess make money and get something free and resist the tremendous pressure put on you to be a hostess and bamboozle all your other family, along with the ones you dragged along, so you can get something for free and so on and so on. Anyway, I somehow ended up with a bunch of party favors like orange peelers and egg separators. Maybe I won some of them? Yeah, I think so. You name it, I probably have it. I use that little strawberry huller. I use the zesters I actually purchased. I love my silicone basting brush. My egg slicer works great on mushrooms too, as long as I don't soak them too long to remove the dirt (haha Chelley). I'm a terrible whore. Oops, it's spelled hoard. I can't throw that egg separator away because one day, maybe my fingers won't work! While packing, I discovered that I have about 20 pie plates. I rarely make pies anymore. I think I can lose a few, but not the ones that were Mom's. You name it, I probably have it, might use it on occasion and don't really want to get rid of it. Don't tell Alton.

p.s. I need a jar pop.

What is a jar pop?

@iz ~ I swear I have the jar pop on my wish list. I'm saving up for it. I've even researched it, and people love them because they work - help open jars.

http://www.amazon.com/JarPop-Jar-Opener-Crystal-Green/dp/B000GFD0HO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1225661851&sr=8-1

Interesting Perk. Never heard of that one!

I may be most embarrassed by the one made to fit into a can of tuna. It has little holes to let the oil/water escape. I bought it when I was using a can opener that removed the whole lid, so you couldn't push it in and force out aforesaid oil/water. That opener bit the dust. I do wash the can before pushing in the lid, but geez, I really don't need one more thing to wash, you know? However, I think I found another use for it one time - just can't remember what it was at the moment. Better keep it.

@ Perky...I have an egg slicer circa 1950 something. Its beaten and dented and slightly mangled BUT it was my great grandmothers and I just refuse to let it go. Plus, eggs, cooked in any form, make me wretch so if I am forced to deal with a hard boiled egg, thats exactly what I use!

We keep a dewar of liquid nitrogen handy, but I am not sure that qualifies as a gadget.

@Keight ~ "handy" for.........cryogenics? Just wonderin'. ;0

(almost forgot to drop my G for guinness sakes).

i've got a couple of cherry pitters i acquired when i was living with a man who had a major thing for cherry pie. i haven't used them since i left.

@josdean, those grapefruit spoons are also useful for gutting winter squash.

The jar pop may be a unitasker, but it makes me so happy to be able to open a jar of pickles without getting all red in the face. Not to mention that since I don't have to get in a wrestling match with said jar of pickles, I'm a lot less likely to be mopping up spilled pickle juice after I win.

@db, melon ballers are also incredibly useful for gutting things, from cucumbers to squashes to pears!

I'm almost tempted to add the jar pop to my wishlist (in case I need a "filler" to make it to free shipping), even though I normally use an old-fashioned beer bottle opener for that purpose, which btw works just fine.

@Josdean ~ I'm so jealous!!! I've never had a Ron Popeil anything, not even a pocket fisherman, or spray on hair. A friend who never cooked offered me his rotisserie when he was moving overseas, but somebody else grabbed it first. I love the concept, but it really takes up a lot of counter space. I do have one on my Weber, but the plug is on the wrong side.

@mayoxqueen ~ I don't think it's the Magic Bullet or the Silver Bullet, it's just a hand pumped uhhhhhh, never mind. ;) It's probably an oxo. I'll have to check it out a little closer the next time I see him use it.

Parchment paper...I could not live without it. I buy the huge package of half sheets from King Arthur's.

@PerkyMac what you talkin' bout, the Ron Popeil rotisserie is ONLY the width of a toaster oven!! Just set it and forget it! I feel the need to say Bam for some reason.

gosh, i couldn't live without my melon scoop, although never once have i made a melon ball with it. it's my tool of choice for coring apples, which i do quite frequently during the fall for pie and sauce.

One more fan of the Jar Pop. I bought it so I wouldn't have to get married if I didn't want to.

@db-Amen. I don't need 8 million little gadgets, but sometimes a job is much easier with a specialty tool.

Also-I love that infomercial with the lady who makes wraps and corn dogs and cakes in that little machine with two half-circle wells. Anybody know what I'm talking about? I don't want to buy the product, but for some reason I like the infomercial. I can actually picture that lady making thoes weird snacks for her family and the neighborhood kids.

I love the commercials where you just know - TAG SALE Item in about 1 year or less.

You know things like the Salad Shooter, 3 Level Steamer, I saw a potato steamer and masher applicance (where a pot on a stove just doesn't seem enough), hot dog cookers, bread makers and what may be one of this years candidates for tag sale next year - the potato glove peeler.

I've got my share of gadgets that I thought were a good idea, like the mango slicer, and a pineapple corer,slicer, remover, but since I have knife skills and after using it once or twice, I end up giving them away.

I didn't fall for the avocado remover since I can't think of any reason you can't use a spoon or a knife.

Jar Pop - hey, simple and it works by breaking the vacuum and making it a breeze to open a jar.

I don't think you can beat a Swing Away can opener - Heavy duty, lasts for ever, and easy to open any and all cans.

I like finding something simple that you find other uses for such as a Magnaplane for zesting, cheese, nutmeg, chocolate and whatever else you can come up with for fine grating.

Anything that I only use once a year is a candidate for removal from the overstuffed gadget drawer(s).