<p>Another great gadget is a spider. I didn’t know what it was called – found the name and this description in an article about favorite kitchen gadgets from the SF Chronicle reprinted in the Seattle Times. Aside from the uses mentioned below, dump the last of a jar of peanuts or bag of chex mix into it and the extra salt, crumbs and little bits will fall through; or use it to quicky rinse and drain fresh berries. I keep it in a jug on the counter with other basics (bamboo spoon – doesn’t absorb flavors; wood-handled heat-resistant flexible silicon spatula-ish thing).</p>
<p>Spider. What it is: This is essentially a handheld, portable strainer. Composed of a metal wire basket attached to a long, flat bamboo handle, it can be used to pull blanched vegetables out of boiling water, drain servings of pasta or scoop fried foods out of hot oil. It can also be used to rinse off ingredients when you don’t want to break out the big strainer.</p>
<p>Why we like it: Using a spider saves time and dirty pots — if you have several foods to cook, you’ll have to boil water only once. Plus, it’s affordable — you can buy one for less than $5.</p>
<p>On Iron Chef recently they have been using food sealers to marinate all sorts of things in a short time. Not sure of the proper name, but they suck all the air out of the plastic pouch you cut and then seal it. I bought one today and what fun!</p>
<p>Lake Washington: I have an old iron skillet, but a glass top cooking surface. I don’t think I can use it on glass. If I could, I’d have a gas cook top and use the iron pan. In my next life maybe…</p>
<p>I love our: mango cutter (oxo or something like that). I still chew off the goodies from the pit, but this helps me not make mush from the mango.</p>
<p>Cheepo flimsy cutting boards, I get them at Target, fit easily in the dishwasher and no big deal when they wear out.</p>
<p>Threekids, I have a glass cooktop and use iron skillets all the time. They sit evenly and cook uniformly.</p>
<p>A garlic peeler? The easiest way to peel a garlic clove is to lay a knife across it (flat) and hit it with the heel of your hand. The peel will come right off.</p>
<p>I second the rice cooker, use it constantly for all kinds of grains, not just rice. Never burn rice again!</p>
<p>Speaking of burning, the one indispensible gadget is my little egg timer which I use all day long and not just in the kitchen. I actually clip it onto my clothes sometimes. I’m easily distracted and it keeps me on track. (as well as reminds me when to move clothes from washer to dryer. I’ve had things mold in there, that’s how bad I am.)</p>
<p>Also— there is this great Japanese gadget, a suribachi, which is essentially a small ceramic bowl with grooves cut into it. You put anything you want in there (whole spices, garlic cloves, sesame seeds which is what the Japanese use it for), and using a wooden pestle that comes with it, you can grind anything as quickly as with a spice grinder. And it’s more fun.</p>
<p>I love my KitchenAid mixer and my Cuisinart food processor…after suffering through three or four cheapie food processors I bought the big one in breast-cancer pink. Although it’s heavy and takes up a lot of room, that thing has a bigger, quieter engine than my car and shreds anything in seconds. It’s great.</p>
<p>I can’t believe I didn’t buy a microplane until about a year ago. Running a whole nutmeg across one of those is an immense sensory pleasure.</p>
<p>DH put a Tovolo silicone spoon in my Christmas stocking last year. Seems kind of silly to be impressed by a spoon, until you think about how often you use it. Doesn’t scratch, doesn’t melt, doesn’t conduct heat…it’s perfect.</p>
<p>Threekids: I too have a glass-top cooktop and I use my heavy iron skillet on it. Assuming you’re not sliding the thing around, there’s no problem.</p>
<p>SILPAT! I forgot to mention my Silpat. I love it. Nothing sticks and I can make perfect roast potatoes with just a little olive oil by putting it in the bottom of my roasting pan.</p>