These Kitchen Gadgets Have One Job. Are They Worth it? | Gear Heads



Lisa and Kate break down what ‘Unitaskers’ are and which are worth buying.

Buy the Oxo Good Grips Glass containers:
Buy the Rubbermaid Brilliance Plastic containers:
Buy the Oxo 11lb Digital scale:
Buy the Ozeri Pronto Digital Scale:
Buy the OXO Julienne Peeler:
Buy the RSVP Corn Stripper:
Buy the Weber Original Burger Press:
Buy the Angurello Watermelon Slicer:
Buy the Cuisinart Egg Cooker:
Buy the Grandpa Witmer’s Peanut Butter Mixer:

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46 Comments

  1. I invert my jars of Teddie Super Chunky when I get them from Amazon. The oil then partially works its way back into the peanut butter while stored before I open it. When I open a new jar, I then use a table knife to stir it and don't really have the problem of oil spilling out. Plus, I can then lick the knife! Also, I do hard boiled eggs in my pressure cooker.

  2. I liked you reference Alton Brown, but you kind of failed to make any points in my book. What's the alternative. Can't I just use a spoon to stir up peanut butter? Can't I take a chef's knife to a corn on the cob very easily. Kate does a better job with this.

    Though honestly the bear claws might be added, as I never get a good pulled pork or shredded chicken, and scrapping the forks together never seems to work for me.

  3. I can do soft cooked eggs in about 7 minutes. Cover eggs with cold water, bring up to boiling, then reduce heat to medium and time for 3.5 minutes. Pour off boiling water, cover with cold water. Come out great every time.

  4. alternative for stirring peanut butter– i use my electric hand mixer with one beater attached. mine comes with a unique spiral shaped beater but i've used regular shaped beaters as well. just sink the beater while slowly turning the machine on and holding the jar steady with your other hand. takes just a few mins and works amazing!

  5. I loved my onion goggles until my eyes got so bad I couldn't safely chop without my prescription glasses. Can't wear them below the goggles because you lose the benefit of the foam seal. I tried to wear them outside the googles, but it bent/stretched my frames. Would love a pair that had magnification – similar to readers.

  6. When you buy Teddy's PB, or any other pure nut butter, tahini etc., just inverting the jar for a couple of days is a big help in integrating the oil. Also, check the jar for oil separation, newer stock has little to no separation visible. I check as I'm passing through the isle, and I'll pick up a jar if it looks good (I go through a large jar of Teddy's in less than 2 weeks). Cheers

  7. The best way to cook soft cooked or hard cooked eggs is to use an air fryer, assuming it is already taking up counter space. 11 minutes at 280 degrees F makes perfect soft-cooked eggs. Add a couple more minutes for hard cooked eggs. This is much less work and mess than a steamer basket over boiling water.

  8. Every week I cook about 2 dozen hard boiled eggs because my family wants to grab an egg for breakfast and lunch. I’ve had my Dash egg cooker for many years. So every weekend I let it do its thing while I’m doing some things in the kitchen. Easy peasy

  9. What I was told by my mother-in-law, who came from a family of farmers, that the ‘mandolin-type’ device for corn was designed to make creamed corn, not to take whole kernels off the cob.
    And that is what I use it for.
    It removes ALL the kernel and the juice from the cob: no waste.
    I use a large pot (the one I learned on was my MIL’s mother’s. She used it for batch canning of quart mason jars) so the mess (mostly) stays in the pot. Now I use a very tall stock pot.
    It takes 12 ears of corn to make a quart of creamed corn.
    I can either freeze it or cook it.
    When ready to cook, I put (fresh or hard-frozen) creamed corn in a skillet with a bit of butter.

    [My husband’s family did it at corn harvest & had pickup trucks filled with corn. They baked it in quart batches in the oven, but I don’t make enough at one time to heat an oven in the summer.]

    Stir & cook until it has the consistency of soft ice cream & tastes like cooked corn.
    Put it on the table & watch it disappear.
    I let everyone do their own salt & butter.
    It’s as delicious as the corn is fresh.
    If you didn’t throw away that mandolin thing, then maybe try it again at the next corn harvest.

  10. Hard disagree about the egg cooker. It’s much easier and more convenient than any other method I’ve tried and uses so little water. It takes seconds to get it started, the eggs turn out great every time and takes up very little storage space (and you essentially don’t really need to clean it as it’s not messy to use.) I used to put off hard boiling eggs, even though I really enjoy them, but not anymore since getting my egg cooker.

  11. I am a natural peanut butter guy who has used your stirring device many times. The results were pretty good, but not perfect.

    I found perfection when I scraped my peanut butter into my KitchenAid stand mixer bowl and whipped it into a smooth creamy mixture. Not only is it beautifully whipped, but the oil stays mixed for a very long time at room temperature. That’s how I eat peanut butter.

  12. I'll admit that I have not one, but two sets of the bear claws. They work fantastic for shredding, but also for handling the meat. I use one set for putting the meat into my smoker and rotating and moving it during the process because it saves me the chore of going inside multiple times to wash my hands. I then use the other set for the actual shredding and incorporating some of the sauce before serving.

  13. I have a burger press that has an internal holder and when your done pressing you lift it out and flip over the Pattie. I use this to make sausage patties for my English muffing in the morning. In less than 10min it done.

  14. I do not find Mandoline slicers expensive or dangerous. Not only do they julienne carrots they also thinly slice cucumbers and radishes, make shoe string French fries, thin sliced apples for fruit nachos, dice onions, shave chocolate, and Parmesan cheese. Not a unitasker and a better buy than a peeler.

  15. I have that corn stripper! I absolutely love it! Worth every penny and every square inch of storage. I do a bunch at once, a couple of times per year when local corn is in season, then I have frozen local corn available when I want it.

  16. I wonder if the peanut butter mixer would work to dislodge and stir a jar of roux. A jar of roux is just flour and oil, so I'd gladly use it, but u am petrified that I will break the glass getting the first spoonful out. Please test and let me know.

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