Best budget gadgets & tools

I'm upping the stakes to any gadget or tool under £20 or $25 US

I wouldn't be without this culinary blowtorch. It cost under £15. Fantastic for getting a char on steak, chicken, slices of lime or lemon, pizza crust etc. And it really does burn a long time before it needs refilling.

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morning glory said:
I'm upping the stakes to any gadget or tool under £20 or $25 US

I wouldn't be without this culinary blowtorch. It cost under £15. Fantastic for getting a char on steak, chicken, slices of lime or lemon, pizza crust etc. And it really does burn a long time before it needs refilling.

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I have an Iwatani kitchen torch that I use a lot. It uses the same butane canisters as my camp stove. I have cases of them in the garage.

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My other torch is a Searsall. It is propane and a lot more than 25 bucks. Searzall — Booker and Dax

CD
 
The mandoline is one of my essential tools. Mine cost about $25. I use it whenever I want to do a large volume of sliced things. Since I like pickling things so much, this is something I use on a weekly basis.

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The other item is the box grater. Mine cost maybe $10. This is another time saver for high volume things, like shredding a block of cheese or grating carrots.

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The Late Night Gourmet said:
The mandoline is one of my essential tools. Mine cost about $25. I use it whenever I want to do a large volume of sliced things. Since I like pickling things so much, this is something I use on a weekly basis.

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The other item is the box grater. Mine cost maybe $10. This is another time saver for high volume things, like shredding a block of cheese or grating carrots.

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I agree re the mandolin. I use mine loads - but I never really got on with box graters. Give me a microplane (or rather several microplanes for different tasks) any day.
 
caseydog said:
My most used small kitchen tools are my tongs. I have about ten of them, in a few different sizes. I have found that OXO (Good Grips) make the best tongs. They are very rigid, so I can use them on just about anything, up and including a decent size roast.
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I can see why you have so many of them. I have three tongs, and it seems that I have to wash one off in the sink from time to time because they always seem to be used. I should pick up more, and I'm sure I'll use them.
 
morning glory said:
I agree re the mandolin. I use mine loads - but I never really got on with box graters. Give me a microplane (or rather several microplanes for different tasks) any day.
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I also use my microplane(s) when I just need to grate a clove or two of garlic...no need to use a whole box grater for a small volume job.
 
Pretty much everything.
Microplane - use it LOTS
Mandolin
Tongs
Heat proof spatulas
Box grater and a flat grater with the same large grate as a box grater
Silicon oven mitts
I have a squeeze juicer but prefer the one similar to this
rascal said:
Tongs, we just bought two more, always in the wash. We have about 6 tongs. And an Asian tool I bought about 25 years ago? From Hong Kong. Cost about 2 dollars. Used about once a week. Does about 6 different things. I'll get a pic. Lemon squeezer is being used here twice a week, lemons are in season, we have two trees, I squeeze and freeze into ice cube size. Lime tree has only one lime on it.


Russ

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I use a microwave cloche but still cover most plates/dishes with a damp paper towel.
Immersion blender - The one I have was not expensive but it does a great job.
Want - a kitchen torch - which is better propane or butane?
I like this tool
rascal said:
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I would probably hurt myself.
 
The Late Night Gourmet said:
I also use my microplane(s) when I just need to grate a clove or two of garlic...no need to use a whole box grater for a small volume job.
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I use a microplane cheese grater for cheese. I've found it works better than a box grater. The advantage of the box grater I think is that it captures the cheese in its box.

ElizabethB said:
I use a microwave cloche but still cover most plates/dishes with a damp paper towel.
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I've never done that. What sort of things and and what does it do?
 
ElizabethB said:
Want - a kitchen torch - which is better propane or butane?
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The one I have is easily filled with butane used in cigarette lighters. It lasts up to an hour. Given that to char something takes seconds or maximum a minute that is a lot of uses. I honestly don't know if it makes much difference whether its butane or propane.

I haven't seen a cigarette lighter for a long time. The no smoking message must be getting through.
 
I'd like a torch, mainly for creme brulee, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

Another thing I'll second are my microplane graters. I use those nearly every day, for everything from cheese to nutmeg to garlic to onion and beyond.

How about a vote for a good multipurpose thermometer? I use mine for testing meat and deep-frying mainly.

And one last thing we should have in our kitchens...a fire extinguisher. Hope you never need it!
 
TastyReuben said:
How about a vote for a good multipurpose thermometer? I use mine for testing meat and deep-frying mainly.
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Good one! I use one like this frequently:

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I also have a remote probe that I can sync with my iPhone; it's essential for deep frying turkey. But, it exceed the $25 limit for this thread. :)
 
morning glory said:
The one I have is easily filled with butane used in cigarette lighters. It lasts up to an hour. Given that to char something takes seconds or maximum a minute that is a lot of uses. I honestly don't know if it makes much difference whether its butane or propane.
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I had one that filled like a cigarette lighter, but it was a PITA to fill, and never fully filled. It also didn't have an adjustable flame. My new one has more power, and is fully adjustable. The canisters may be a bit wasteful, but they are quick and easy to change.

As for butane vs propane, propane packs more BTUs, so they can get quite a bit hotter. Butane torches are easier to use for delicate work like Creme Brulee because they are not as hot.

My propane Searzall is for big jobs, like searing a sous vide steak, or even a whole sous vide roast.

CD
 
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