What item(s) do you own which you balked at, price seeming high, but has turned out to be a great tool?

Me: Rubbermaid high heat rubber spatula.
Bread machine

In article >,
says...
>
> What item(s) do you own which you balked at, price seeming high, but has turned out to be a great tool?
>
> Me: Rubbermaid high heat rubber spatula.
> Bread machine

The first kitchen tool I ever bought, in 1966, which was a stainless
steel cheesegrater. It cost 7/6 old money (in UK, before
decimalisation). That was 40 pence UK new money, or 63 cents US.

I was a student, struggling with my conscience; could I really afford
to splurge a quarter of the weekly rent, on a cheesegrater? I passed
that shop window cheesegrater every day for weeks until I finally
weakened and bought it.

It was a great grater but after only 45 years of frequent use, it
went blunt so I had to buy a new one.

Janet UK

In article >,
Kalmia > wrote:

> What item(s) do you own which you balked at, price seeming high, but has
> turned out to be a great tool?
>
> Me: Rubbermaid high heat rubber spatula.
> Bread machine
>
>

<http://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-Varia...ic-Gooseneck/d
p/B005YR0F40/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1435338972&sr=8-13&keywords=electric
+water+kettle>

Electric kettle.

Use it every day. 208° for tea, 200° for coffee or 105° to proof yeast
for bread or pizza crust.

Great spout for pouring over coffee grounds.

On 6/26/15 10:51 AM, Kalmia wrote:
> What item(s) do you own which you balked at, price seeming high, but has turned out to be a great tool?

The Ditting coffee mill and Jura 1750 automatic espresso machine, at
$1200 each. 20 and 10 years old respectively; both still like new and
going strong.

The mill, in particular, will outlast both of us.

-- Larry

On Friday, June 26, 2015 at 7:51:57 AM UTC-7, Kalmia wrote:
> What item(s) do you own which you balked at, price seeming high, but has turned out to be a great tool?
>
> Me: Rubbermaid high heat rubber spatula.
> Bread machine

Vita Mix

On 6/26/2015 1:00 PM, ImStillMags wrote:
> On Friday, June 26, 2015 at 7:51:57 AM UTC-7, Kalmia wrote:
>> What item(s) do you own which you balked at, price seeming high, but has turned out to be a great tool?
>>
>> Me: Rubbermaid high heat rubber spatula.
>> Bread machine
>
> Vita Mix
>

Rovco Bass-o-matic.

On Friday, June 26, 2015 at 3:00:43 PM UTC-4, ImStillMags wrote:

> Vita Mix

Darn, I wish you hadn't said that. Vita Mix has been tempting me for years.

On Fri, 26 Jun 2015 13:15:14 -0700 (PDT), Kalmia
> wrote:

> On Friday, June 26, 2015 at 3:00:43 PM UTC-4, ImStillMags wrote:
>
> > Vita Mix
>
> Darn, I wish you hadn't said that. Vita Mix has been tempting me for years.

Borrow one before you decide to buy it. Give it a week, but a month
would be better.

--

sf

On Friday, June 26, 2015 at 1:37:00 PM UTC-7, sf wrote:
> On Fri, 26 Jun 2015 13:15:14 -0700 (PDT), Kalmia
> > wrote:
>
> > On Friday, June 26, 2015 at 3:00:43 PM UTC-4, ImStillMags wrote:
> >
> > > Vita Mix
> >
> > Darn, I wish you hadn't said that. Vita Mix has been tempting me for years.
>
> Borrow one before you decide to buy it. Give it a week, but a month
> would be better.
>
> --
>
> sf



I think that is a good idea. Every December for the past few years my niece buys a Vitamix and gets a gym membership. January finds her returning the Vitamix and at the gym convincing them to cancel her membership. We do love her anyway!

Seriously, though, I make smoothies three-four times a week and my ~$20. blender works just fine.
Could somebody explain the reason for the Vitamix?

Nellie

On Fri, 26 Jun 2015 13:53:50 -0700 (PDT), Nellie
> wrote:

> Seriously, though, I make smoothies three-four times a week and my ~$20. blender works just fine.
> Could somebody explain the reason for the Vitamix?

I think it's for the ones with a lot of fiber in them. I don't make
that kind, I don't even do oatmeal - so I don't care. I do know I
think they're a PITA to clean. DD and DIL both have one, so I've had
personal experience trying to get the crud out of the container and
I'd rather have a regular blender with a removable bottom.

--

sf

On Fri, 26 Jun 2015 12:21:07 -0500, Mark Storkamp
> wrote:

>In article >,
> Kalmia > wrote:
>
>> What item(s) do you own which you balked at, price seeming high, but has
>> turned out to be a great tool?
>>
>> Me: Rubbermaid high heat rubber spatula.
>> Bread machine
>>
>>
>
><http://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-Varia...ic-Gooseneck/d
>p/B005YR0F40/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1435338972&sr=8-13&keywords=electric
>+water+kettle>
>
>Electric kettle.
>
>Use it every day. 208° for tea, 200° for coffee or 105° to proof yeast
>for bread or pizza crust.
>
>Great spout for pouring over coffee grounds.

Digital food scale. I couldn't do without it for baking.

Doris

"Kalmia" > wrote in message
...
> What item(s) do you own which you balked at, price seeming high, but has
> turned out to be a great tool?
>
> Me: Rubbermaid high heat rubber spatula.
> Bread machine

Circulon pans.

"Kalmia" > wrote in message
...
> On Friday, June 26, 2015 at 3:00:43 PM UTC-4, ImStillMags wrote:
>
>> Vita Mix
>
> Darn, I wish you hadn't said that. Vita Mix has been tempting me for
> years.

Me too but it's out of my league.

"Nellie" > wrote in message
...
> On Friday, June 26, 2015 at 1:37:00 PM UTC-7, sf wrote:
>> On Fri, 26 Jun 2015 13:15:14 -0700 (PDT), Kalmia
>> > wrote:
>>
>> > On Friday, June 26, 2015 at 3:00:43 PM UTC-4, ImStillMags wrote:
>> >
>> > > Vita Mix
>> >
>> > Darn, I wish you hadn't said that. Vita Mix has been tempting me for
>> > years.
>>
>> Borrow one before you decide to buy it. Give it a week, but a month
>> would be better.
>>
>> --
>>
>> sf
>
>
>
> I think that is a good idea. Every December for the past few years my
> niece buys a Vitamix and gets a gym membership. January finds her
> returning the Vitamix and at the gym convincing them to cancel her
> membership. We do love her anyway!
>
> Seriously, though, I make smoothies three-four times a week and my ~$20.
> blender works just fine.
> Could somebody explain the reason for the Vitamix?

Raw foodists love them for juice, soup and ice cream.

On 6/26/2015 3:28 PM, Julie Bove wrote:
>
> "Kalmia" > wrote in message
> ...
>> What item(s) do you own which you balked at, price seeming high, but
>> has turned out to be a great tool?
>>
>> Me: Rubbermaid high heat rubber spatula.
>> Bread machine
>
> Circulon pans.

far better value can be found in the Analon brand.

On 6/26/2015 9:00 AM, ImStillMags wrote:
> On Friday, June 26, 2015 at 7:51:57 AM UTC-7, Kalmia wrote:
>> What item(s) do you own which you balked at, price seeming high, but has turned out to be a great tool?
>>
>> Me: Rubbermaid high heat rubber spatula.
>> Bread machine
>
> Vita Mix
>

I was at Costco with my daughter and she was very interested in a
VitaMix which seems to be an industrial grade blender. At $500, it
better be well built. Well, she can take the one we inherited from my
father-in-law. It's one old machine but it still can kick-ass. That
thing occupies too much room and it's too noisy!

On 6/26/2015 3:29 PM, Julie Bove wrote:
>
> "Kalmia" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On Friday, June 26, 2015 at 3:00:43 PM UTC-4, ImStillMags wrote:
>>
>>> Vita Mix
>>
>> Darn, I wish you hadn't said that. Vita Mix has been tempting me for
>> years.
>
> Me too but it's out of my league.


http://www.walmart.com/c/kp/bullet-blenders

On Friday, June 26, 2015 at 2:09:07 PM UTC-7, sf wrote:
> On Fri, 26 Jun 2015 13:53:50 -0700 (PDT), Nellie
> > wrote:
>
> > Seriously, though, I make smoothies three-four times a week and my ~$20. blender works just fine.
> > Could somebody explain the reason for the Vitamix?
>
> I think it's for the ones with a lot of fiber in them. I don't make
> that kind, I don't even do oatmeal - so I don't care. I do know I
> think they're a PITA to clean. DD and DIL both have one, so I've had
> personal experience trying to get the crud out of the container and
> I'd rather have a regular blender with a removable bottom.
>
> --
>
> sf



Ahhh, the only 'fiber' other than fruits and veggies that I put in my smoothies is ground flaxseed and chia seeds. It does a great job of pulverizing kale, even the rib parts.

Thanks for the info re yucky cleanup

Nellie

On 26/06/2015 3:27 PM, Doris Night wrote:
> On Fri, 26 Jun 2015 12:21:07 -0500, Mark Storkamp
> > wrote:
>
>> In article >,
>> Kalmia > wrote:
>>
>>> What item(s) do you own which you balked at, price seeming high, but has
>>> turned out to be a great tool?
>>>
>>> Me: Rubbermaid high heat rubber spatula.
>>> Bread machine
>>>
>>>
>>
>> <http://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-Varia...ic-Gooseneck/d
>> p/B005YR0F40/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1435338972&sr=8-13&keywords=electric
>> +water+kettle>
>>
>> Electric kettle.
>>
>> Use it every day. 208° for tea, 200° for coffee or 105° to proof yeast
>> for bread or pizza crust.
>>
>> Great spout for pouring over coffee grounds.
>
> Digital food scale. I couldn't do without it for baking.
>
> Doris
>
Same here!
Also a Bosch mixer. Itll handle 5kg of bread dough without getting even
warm!
Graham

--

On 26/06/2015 2:53 PM, Nellie wrote:
> On Friday, June 26, 2015 at 1:37:00 PM UTC-7, sf wrote:
>> On Fri, 26 Jun 2015 13:15:14 -0700 (PDT), Kalmia
>> > wrote:
>>
>>> On Friday, June 26, 2015 at 3:00:43 PM UTC-4, ImStillMags wrote:
>>>
>>>> Vita Mix
>>>
>>> Darn, I wish you hadn't said that. Vita Mix has been tempting me for years.
>>
>> Borrow one before you decide to buy it. Give it a week, but a month
>> would be better.
>>
>> --
>>
>> sf
>
>
>
> I think that is a good idea. Every December for the past few years my niece buys a Vitamix and gets a gym membership. January finds her returning the Vitamix and at the gym convincing them to cancel her membership. We do love her anyway!
>
> Seriously, though, I make smoothies three-four times a week and my ~$20. blender works just fine.
> Could somebody explain the reason for the Vitamix?
>
> Nellie
>
My son and d-i-l burned out a couple of blenders making smoothies - a KA
and a Cuisinart. So they bought a Vitamix, a professional level machine.
Graham

--

On 26/06/2015 8:51 AM, Kalmia wrote:
> What item(s) do you own which you balked at, price seeming high, but has turned out to be a great tool?
>
> Me: Rubbermaid high heat rubber spatula.
> Bread machine
>
My Bosch oven is poorly designed and the
Bosch dishwasher became very noisy after the warranty expired.
I wish I had bought Miele.
Graham

On 6/26/2015 4:15 PM, Sqwertz wrote:
> my serrated vegetable peeler.
How many women have you stalked to misery?

You subhuman REFUSE!

>> Omelet wrote:
>
>> He hates me 'cause I never slept with him...
>
> He hates himself because he is all he has to sleep with
> I don't know, sometimes he used to seem normal, then he went petty
> trough vindictive and now I just shun contact. I have enough crazies to
> deal with in my world without encouraging those who refuse to take their
> meds.

For the record, I never once even considered sleeping with you. And
you know that. You're the one who somehow got the idea that I was
going to move in with you - and you posted that to RFC just out of the
total blue.

After having met you twice at casual austin.food gatherings 2 or 3
years ago and not giving you any indication that there was any sort of
romantic interest in the least, you somehow twisted that into MY
MOVING IN WITH YOU?

That was just way too Psycho for me. I sat there at stared at the
screen for at least 15 minutes wondering, WTF? That was just way too
spooky. I've met weird, semi-psycho women before but you win, hands
down. Mapi of austin.general still holds the male title, but at least
he announced his psychosis right there lying on the floor of the bar
at B.D. Reilly's rather than romantically obsessing over me for 2
years.

Needless to say, you need to come to terms with what happened and why
your mind works that way and stop making up excuses for your fixation
and disappointment before we become the next Yoli and Michael. I'd
prefer you use a sniper rifle on me from a few hundred yards away.
There you go - a reason for you to buy yet another gun and ammo.

And Jeremy, I was just tired of your decade of bullshit and visions of
grandeur about all these things you're "working on" or have not done
in the past. Even posting a call for meetings with imaginary people
about imaginary projects of yours at "the normal time and place", as
if you are somebody important with a life. I'm pretty sure you're
manic depressive mixed with habitual liar.

Sorry I don't fit either of your Ideal Psycho Pal Profiles.

-sw

On Fri, 26 Jun 2015 16:17:09 +0100, Janet > wrote:

>In article >,
says...
>>
>> What item(s) do you own which you balked at, price seeming high, but has turned out to be a great tool?
>>
>> Me: Rubbermaid high heat rubber spatula.
>> Bread machine
>
> The first kitchen tool I ever bought, in 1966, which was a stainless
>steel cheesegrater. It cost 7/6 old money (in UK, before
>decimalisation). That was 40 pence UK new money, or 63 cents US.
>
> I was a student, struggling with my conscience; could I really afford
>to splurge a quarter of the weekly rent, on a cheesegrater? I passed
>that shop window cheesegrater every day for weeks until I finally
>weakened and bought it.
>
> It was a great grater but after only 45 years of frequent use, it
>went blunt so I had to buy a new one.

Only 45 years? What a piece of junk

On Fri, 26 Jun 2015 07:51:53 -0700 (PDT), Kalmia
> wrote:

>What item(s) do you own which you balked at, price seeming high, but has turned out to be a great tool?
>
>Me: Rubbermaid high heat rubber spatula.
> Bread machine

The one item I have that probably fits that description is my Rancilio
Silvia espresso machine... although IMO is excellent value for money
and not all that expensive (probably around AUD$1200 now at a guess).

I bought mine second hand, but the quality is such that even after
making at least two double lattes each morning for the past 7 years,
it has never missed a beat. I have had to replace the group gasket,
but that's all and any machine would need a new one after that amount
of use anyway.

It is all stainless steel and brass construction, and you can buy
every single part online. Built old school style, easy to work on and
fix if necessary. And it produces coffee the equal of any other
machine out there. It's hard to find quality products built this way
these days, especially for the price.

On Fri, 26 Jun 2015 17:27:21 -0400, Doris Night
> wrote:

>On Fri, 26 Jun 2015 12:21:07 -0500, Mark Storkamp
> wrote:
>
>>In article >,
>> Kalmia > wrote:
>>
>>> What item(s) do you own which you balked at, price seeming high, but has
>>> turned out to be a great tool?
>>>
>>> Me: Rubbermaid high heat rubber spatula.
>>> Bread machine
>>>
>>>
>>
>><http://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-Varia...ic-Gooseneck/d
>>p/B005YR0F40/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1435338972&sr=8-13&keywords=electric
>>+water+kettle>
>>
>>Electric kettle.
>>
>>Use it every day. 208° for tea, 200° for coffee or 105° to proof yeast
>>for bread or pizza crust.
>>
>>Great spout for pouring over coffee grounds.
>
>Digital food scale. I couldn't do without it for baking.
>
>Doris

I'll agree with that statement.
Janet US

On Fri, 26 Jun 2015 16:12:08 -0300, wrote:

>I love my black kitchen sink, it was double the price of any of the
>others and I pondered it a bit then decided it would be stupid not to,
>I would always regret anything else. It is manufactured from granite
>that has been ground up and treated. Nothing shows on it or the
>black tap, not red wine or anything. I have even dropped a big pan in
>it and it didn't even chip.

That sounds interesting, I don't suppose you can take a pic for us or
have a link? Tnx.

On Fri, 26 Jun 2015 17:44:52 -0600, Janet B >
wrote:

>On Fri, 26 Jun 2015 17:27:21 -0400, Doris Night
> wrote:
>
>>On Fri, 26 Jun 2015 12:21:07 -0500, Mark Storkamp
> wrote:
>>
>>>In article >,
>>> Kalmia > wrote:
>>>
>>>> What item(s) do you own which you balked at, price seeming high, but has
>>>> turned out to be a great tool?
>>>>
>>>> Me: Rubbermaid high heat rubber spatula.
>>>> Bread machine
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>><http://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-Varia...ic-Gooseneck/d
>>>p/B005YR0F40/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1435338972&sr=8-13&keywords=electric
>>>+water+kettle>
>>>
>>>Electric kettle.
>>>
>>>Use it every day. 208° for tea, 200° for coffee or 105° to proof yeast
>>>for bread or pizza crust.
>>>
>>>Great spout for pouring over coffee grounds.
>>
>>Digital food scale. I couldn't do without it for baking.
>>
>>Doris
>
>I'll agree with that statement.
>Janet US

I also suffer from a touch of OCD, and am in the habit of weighing my
food. The scale comes in handy because it weighs in grams.

(My husband says that when I make a sandwich, it's a science
experiment.)

Doris

On 6/26/2015 4:54 PM, wrote:

>>
>> Darn, I wish you hadn't said that. Vita Mix has been tempting me for years.
>
> I think it would depend how much you use a blender, my neighbour
> bought one and feels it was worth every cent, for me, maybe once a
> year, a dud.


Same here. I have a jar that works with it and I use it to grind a lot
of pepper a couple of times a year. Maybe once a year I'll make some
froaen drinks. Least used appliance we have.

Kalmia > wrote in
:

> What item(s) do you own which you balked at, price seeming high, but
> has turned out to be a great tool?
>
> Me: Rubbermaid high heat rubber spatula.
> Bread machine
>
>

1. KitchenAid stand mixer and a bunch of accessories

2. FoodSaver vacuum packager

"Doris Night" > wrote in message
news
> On Fri, 26 Jun 2015 12:21:07 -0500, Mark Storkamp
> > wrote:
>
>>In article >,
>> Kalmia > wrote:
>>
>>> What item(s) do you own which you balked at, price seeming high, but has
>>> turned out to be a great tool?
>>>
>>> Me: Rubbermaid high heat rubber spatula.
>>> Bread machine
>>>
>>>
>>
>><http://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-Varia...ic-Gooseneck/d
>>p/B005YR0F40/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1435338972&sr=8-13&keywords=electric
>>+water+kettle>
>>
>>Electric kettle.
>>
>>Use it every day. 208° for tea, 200° for coffee or 105° to proof yeast
>>for bread or pizza crust.
>>
>>Great spout for pouring over coffee grounds.
>
> Digital food scale. I couldn't do without it for baking.

Oh yes! I use mine every day for one thing or another and of course
especially for baking! The other thing for me was my grinder/grater.


--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

On Fri, 26 Jun 2015 16:24:14 -0600, graham > wrote:

> On 26/06/2015 8:51 AM, Kalmia wrote:
> > What item(s) do you own which you balked at, price seeming high, but has turned out to be a great tool?
> >
> > Me: Rubbermaid high heat rubber spatula.
> > Bread machine
> >
> My Bosch oven is poorly designed and the
> Bosch dishwasher became very noisy after the warranty expired.
> I wish I had bought Miele.
> Graham

I love my Bosch dishwasher, which is getting to be older than the
hills now. DD has a current model Bosch that's super quiet and it's
not even the most expensive one, but I prefer the design of the bottom
rack on mine so I'm not tempted to replace mine yet.

Not sure what you mean by a poor oven design. Ovens are empty boxes
with racks. The only design element they have is an interior light,
which I have to say is such a bear in mine that I had to call an
appliance repairman to change it, so when the light went out this time
- I decided a flashlight would work for me if it came to that.

The next set of ovens I get will have a steam assist. Other than
that, I'm hoping they expose the elements again, due to the burn out
factor. I'm hoping it's sooner than later because that's what I call
a poor design - but it's a universal feature in electric ovens so
switching brands won't solve that problem.

I do have kitchen items I figure I wasted my money on. Back in the
days when donut makers were all the rage, I bought a two donut model
when I should have bought the four. It took too long between batches
to make eating them fun (best eaten warm), so I put it in a cupboard
and there it sits.

The other two items that I never use and are just taking up cupboard
space are a french fry cutter and a mandoline. Both were big wastes
of money.

Oh, I forgot my ice cream maker. It's the kind that you have to
freeze the bowl first. I bought it when I still had a stand alone
freezer, but it hasn't been used since that freezer died and it wasn't
replaced.

--

sf

On Sat, 27 Jun 2015 08:44:33 +0100, "Ophelia" >
wrote:

> The other thing for me was my grinder/grater.

I have one where you put the cheese in a basket and then twirl a
handle to rotate a drum. That's sitting in a drawer somewhere too.
Never use it.

--

sf

I have a Vitamix and I don't find it hard to clean at all. As soon as you're done using it, squirt a little bit of dish detergent and fill halfway with water then turn it on. It'll clean itself. Take it to the sink for a final hot water rinse, run a dishcloth around the inside and it's done. I love it for my smoothies. I use whole frozen strawberries, whole cored apples with skin, red grapes and any other kind of fruit I have in the house, also flax or chia seeds and almond milk. It's great for making peanut butter, I like using honey roasted peanuts. Cleaning up after making peanut butter takes a few more swipes with a dishcloth, though. It makes great soup too.. Mine came with a "dry" container too, for making flour, but I haven't used that feature yet.

My favorite appliance that was worth the money is my pressure cooker/steamer/browner/slow cooker. All in one.

Denise in NH

Kalmia wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> What item(s) do you own which you balked at, price seeming high, but
> has turned out to be a great tool?
>
> Me: Rubbermaid high heat rubber spatula.
> Bread machine
>
>

Agreed on the bread machine. Changed my habits completely! The first
one was early days of them and I lavished looks at them for a year or
more then a Kmart Bluelight special happened. 99$!!!! You couldnt
touch them for less than 200$. Got it and read every inch of that book
then went out and got the right flour, a matched measuring set of cups
and spoons, yeast and so on.

First time, total success. Second time, oh well, learning curve to be
expected. As machines got better and my learning curve was overcome, I
replaced as needed (the early ones didnt last long). By 1994 I was
making most of our bread. 2001-2007 I made almost all of it and would
freeze it for the family when I was at sea. I even made our own dog
food/kibble/treats in them over the years.

Next was a little Japan brand blender in 2005. It still rocks today.


--

l not -l wrote in rec.food.cooking:

>
> On 26-Jun-2015, Kalmia > wrote:
>
> > What item(s) do you own which you balked at, price seeming high,
> > but has turned out to be a great tool?
> >
> > Me: Rubbermaid high heat rubber spatula.
> > Bread machine
>
> Microwave
> Breadmachine
> Rival 1101E electric meat and cheese slicer
> Any and everything OXO that I have bought.

Agreed on the OXO.

I left one off my list. Genuine TASIN grinder. Awesome piece. More
than paid for itself and keeps on grinding, even bone in bits for dog
feeding.


--

In article >,
says...
>
> On Fri, 26 Jun 2015 17:27:21 -0400, Doris Night
> > wrote:
>
> >On Fri, 26 Jun 2015 12:21:07 -0500, Mark Storkamp
> > wrote:
> >
> >>In article >,
> >> Kalmia > wrote:
> >>
> >>> What item(s) do you own which you balked at, price seeming high, but has
> >>> turned out to be a great tool?
> >>>
> >>> Me: Rubbermaid high heat rubber spatula.
> >>> Bread machine
> >>>
> >>>
> >>
> >><http://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-Varia...ic-Gooseneck/d
> >>p/B005YR0F40/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1435338972&sr=8-13&keywords=electric
> >>+water+kettle>
> >>
> >>Electric kettle.
> >>
> >>Use it every day. 208° for tea, 200° for coffee or 105° to proof yeast
> >>for bread or pizza crust.
> >>
> >>Great spout for pouring over coffee grounds.
> >
> >Digital food scale. I couldn't do without it for baking.
> >
> >Doris
>
> I'll agree with that statement.
> Janet US

Yebbut, it had to be something we "balked at the price". My electric
kettle and digital scale are invaluable tools but neither carry a price
that made me think twice before buying.

Janet UK

> wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 27 Jun 2015 06:06:49 -0700, sf > wrote:
>
>>On Sat, 27 Jun 2015 08:44:33 +0100, "Ophelia" >
>>wrote:
>>
>>> The other thing for me was my grinder/grater.
>>
>>I have one where you put the cheese in a basket and then twirl a
>>handle to rotate a drum. That's sitting in a drawer somewhere too.
>>Never use it.
>

Mine is electric and I can mince/grind meat (3 sizes of plates) etc. If I
change the attachments (of which there are 4) I can grate all kinds of
things. I use it regularly because I won't buy ready ground meats etc. I
like to know what is in my food.


--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

On Sat, 27 Jun 2015 05:55:06 -0700, sf > wrote:

>On Fri, 26 Jun 2015 16:24:14 -0600, graham > wrote:
>
>> On 26/06/2015 8:51 AM, Kalmia wrote:
>> > What item(s) do you own which you balked at, price seeming high, but has turned out to be a great tool?
>> >
>> > Me: Rubbermaid high heat rubber spatula.
>> > Bread machine
>> >
>> My Bosch oven is poorly designed and the
>> Bosch dishwasher became very noisy after the warranty expired.
>> I wish I had bought Miele.
>> Graham
>
>I love my Bosch dishwasher, which is getting to be older than the
>hills now. DD has a current model Bosch that's super quiet and it's
>not even the most expensive one, but I prefer the design of the bottom
>rack on mine so I'm not tempted to replace mine yet.

Shop carefully and you can get a model that uses the old bottom rack.
The old upper rack won't fit the newer models.
>
>Not sure what you mean by a poor oven design. Ovens are empty boxes
>with racks. The only design element they have is an interior light,
>which I have to say is such a bear in mine that I had to call an
>appliance repairman to change it, so when the light went out this time
>- I decided a flashlight would work for me if it came to that.
>
>The next set of ovens I get will have a steam assist. Other than
>that, I'm hoping they expose the elements again, due to the burn out
>factor. I'm hoping it's sooner than later because that's what I call
>a poor design - but it's a universal feature in electric ovens so
>switching brands won't solve that problem.
>
>I do have kitchen items I figure I wasted my money on. Back in the
>days when donut makers were all the rage, I bought a two donut model
>when I should have bought the four. It took too long between batches
>to make eating them fun (best eaten warm), so I put it in a cupboard
>and there it sits.
>
>The other two items that I never use and are just taking up cupboard
>space are a french fry cutter and a mandoline. Both were big wastes
>of money.
>
>Oh, I forgot my ice cream maker. It's the kind that you have to
>freeze the bowl first. I bought it when I still had a stand alone
>freezer, but it hasn't been used since that freezer died and it wasn't
>replaced.
Look for a Simac if you are in the market for a great ice cream
maker. If you want to put the bowl and ingredients in the freezer to
cool it off a bit you can but it processes it just fine going from
kitchen counter to maker. That means that all I have to make sure of
are the ingredients.
--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral,
48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974)

A Thermos-Nissan insulated stainless french press.

On 6/27/2015 10:18 AM, wrote:

>>
>> I have one where you put the cheese in a basket and then twirl a
>> handle to rotate a drum. That's sitting in a drawer somewhere too.
>> Never use it.
>
> I had one of those for parmesan so you could grate it over the top of
> the spaghetti on your plate. Wasn't tough enough to handle much
> parmesan, the handle broke off.
>

I'll nominate ours for "worth the money" Had it for a few years and
many pounds of cheese. We use it frequently, on pasta, some veggies,
scrambled eggs, salad, etc.