I suspect every avid cook has a bunch of gadgets that are well loved but not well used.
There are lots of things in my kitchen that collect dust yet will never get the heave-ho.
Some aren't that useful but have sentimental value. Others come in very handy, but only every once in a long while.
In honor of them all, I present this week's Top Ten Tuesday list:
Top Ten most loved, least used kitchen tools
No. 1: Crank pasta maker
My simple Atlas pasta maker is forgotten for months on end. Then we rediscover it, make delicious fettuccine and wonder, "Why don't we use this more often?" The answer lies in the flour-y mess on the counters and floor. But every now and then, it's so worth it.
No. 2: Monroe "Is Your Car Safe?" coffee maker
My late great-Uncle Donald loved anything free or on sale, which accounts for why he painted his house a discounted shade of purple one time, an electric everything-must-go green another. He picked up a coffee maker -- who knows why or when -- that must have been made for a shock-absorber showroom. In blue and yellow, it reads, "Monroe -- Let us check your shock absorbers now!" If also inquires, creepily, "Is your car safe?" The thing still works. And though I rarely need its 30-cup capacity, I proudly display the coffee maker on my kitchen counter in tribute to one of my wackiest relatives.
No. 3.: Grandma's ravioli cutters
The art of ravioli has eluded me. The last time I gave it a shot was five years ago, as an insanely ambitious Thanksgiving appetizer. (I'd moved into a new house less than a month earlier, was six months pregnant, had a not-quite 2-year-old and was hosting my first big family holiday. Pumpkin ravioli? No sweat!) Even if I never get the hang of filled pasta, I'll never part with those wood-handled cutters.
No. 4: Juicer
A yard-sale find, my juicer gets used about once a year, in winter, when clementines are on sale. The clean-up -- you need a toothbrush to scrub the pulp out of the machine -- is a pain. But I'll hang onto that machine for my annual clementine-carrot juice fix.
No. 5: Accusharp knife sharpener
It only comes out of the drawer when the knives get dull, and it sharpens almost too well, judging by all the steel shavings that result. Best part: it was under $10.
No. 6: Immersion blender
I only recently overcame my fear of this gadget. I'm just a little too easily distracted (read: flaky) and the blade is just a little to available for slicing off flesh. I used to summon my husband if I wanted a pot of soup pureed with it. Not very liberated of me, but what's more important to keep intact: feminist standards or fingertips? I started using it myself only a few months ago, when our regular blender died and math-hubby desired not to be brought in on my every fruit smoothie.
No. 7: Henckels meat cleaver
Another tool I fear. And for good reason. It's heavy enough to hack off a hand. I only use it when I make stock, which is often in winter, not so much the rest of the year.
No. 8: The family quote book
This spiral-bound notebook has nothing at all to do with the official business of preparing food and everything to do with recording what else goes on in the kitchen. Like the game of catch that prompted my daughter to exclaim, "Gravity is awesome!" The book can languish in the cabinet for weeks, but sooner or later a kid says something so funny("How fast does the current in a toilet go?") or a grown-up says something so dorky ("Amending soil is my favorite part of gardening") that it must be recorded for posterity.
No. 9: Ice cream maker
With the weather warming, this gizmo is about to come out of hibernation. One of our favorite flavors: Honey Lavender-Ricotta. Yum!
No. 10: PIzzelle Maker
At Easter, my husband's aunt gave me a beautiful antique pizzelle maker that goes directly on a stove-top flame. (She can't use it anymore because she just got a new stove with a glass top.) I can't imagine we'll give it a regular workout, but we're already wondering if we can use it to make ice cream cones.
Sun photo by Kim Hairston