Kitchen Gadgetry

I like to cook. I like taking advantage of the wonderful foods and stores we have here in the western New York area.  As a result, I have a lot of kitchen supplies and utensils, not all of them are practical.
I tried to open the junk drawer the other day to throw in another menu but it was crammed with so much stuff,  it stuck.  I either had to clean it, or start another junk drawer somewhere else.  I couldn't find a spare drawer anywhere, so I was forced to clean it.    In the process I found some unusual kitchen utensils I forgot I had.  I found a melon baller my daughter and I used to make a melon display for the Fourth of July one year.


Notice the two sizes, capable of varied ball sizes.

  We had made a watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew melon ball tray from some great melons we found at the North Tonawanda Farmer's Market. The hardest part was making sure they didn't roll all over the place.  It hasn't been used since, but remembering those balls made me want to keep it.  I found a herb cutting roller my mother- in-law gave me. I honestly don't know why herbs need their own roller cutter, but some ingenious inventor marketed one and my husband's mother bought it.  I kept it because I didn't want to hurt her feelings.  Enough time has passed that I am sure she has forgotten about it and won't say "Hey, where is that handy herb roller I gave you?"  I threw out 37 menus, the herb roller, old ticket stubs from 1995, baby pictures I no longer recognize, and 700+ twist ties and an unidentified key. Once I realized that  I was able to close the drawer again, I was done with the cleaning thing,  but it started my thinking about kitchen gadgets and their uses.  A quick look around the kitchen revealed a panini/waffle  maker that we used once, a fondue pot also used once and a pickle crock that we use to store newspapers that my husband saves for when he lights up the grill chimney for the Weber in the summer. If I ever decide to make pickles, they'll probably be loaded with ink residue.  We also have an ice cream scoop in the shape of a cow. It's heavy metal and works really well for it's intended purpose, so I'm keeping it.

Anyway, I got to thinking about kitchen gadgets and decided to google "unusual kitchen gadgets" to see the possibilities. What I found made my melon baller look downright sensible.

In less than five minutes I found the following:

 

 

I should call my friend Bonnie. I found this handy inflatable turkey.  She could pass this off to  her family on Thanksgiving. She would surround it with Stovetop Stuffing and dump a jar of gravy over it.  "The turkey tastes like plastic again Mom!"

 

 

 

And a revealing cake topper that if someone chooses to use, might want to think twice about going through with the wedding.

 

 

A cheese slicer in the shape of a camera. "Say cheese"

 

 

 

A microwave S'more maker

 

 

 

And last but not least, this oldie but goodie.  No matter what side of the political spectrum you fall on, who wouldn't think Hillary capable of cracking a few nuts?

 

 

 

 

Over the summer,  my friend Barb, originally from the area, but now living in New England,  came for a visit.  When I asked what she wanted to do while she was here, she said "Eat! I want  all the great food I haven't had in forever!"  We started with lunch at Ted's on Sheridan Drive.  She ordered a foot long hot dog with everything, a large order of fries ("You should get onion rings.") and a large loganberry.  Barb is 5'7, and has never weighed more than 120 pounds. She has to explain to people that she "suffers" from an over-active thyroid. " I have to drink a milkshake every night, just to keep  weight on!"  Barb never receives sympathy for her condition.  Mostly people just want to scratch her eyes out.

Barb ate everything at Ted's,  including most of my onion rings.  She drank down her extra side of hot sauce and said. "Wow. this is sooo good.  We don't have good hot dogs where I live, and can you believe they have never heard of loganberry?"




On our way out, Barb squealed loudly and pointed. "Is that Paula's Donuts?"  I explained that the popular donut shop had relocated to Tonawanda.  "We have to go there right now!" she exclaimed and jumped into the car for the quick drive across the street.  Paula's as usual was packed, which gave her a chance to exclaim over everything.  "Oh wow, a red velvet donut, I just have to try that, and of course the peanut sticks, and the....... . How many should we get?" she asked.  "We didn't have dessert. I'll get us a box."  On our way out to the car, I nodded down the street, and joked, "Hey look. Anderson's is right there.  Maybe we can wash all this down with a beef on weck!"  "Oooh, that sounds good!" she scrubbed the confectioners sugar off her chin. "Let's go there for dinner!"


A few days later, Barb headed home.  Her car was packed with boxes and coolers.  Her haul included Platters chocolate, Watson's sponge candy, Frank's hot sauce, Weber's horseradish mustard and dill pickle relish. She had Sahlens hot dogs and  chicken wings from Duff's.  Another box had Wegmans fruit spread, biscotti from Dicamillo's, Chef's spaghetti sauce, and a spatula in the shape of a Buffalo.  I had gained five pounds and Barb had lost three. ("it was all that walking!" she complained)  We'd had a great visit and both of us were reminded about how much good food there is to be had in WNY.