What gadgets/appliances have you bought but never used?

[Justsayno]

Those of you who swear by stick blenders, which make/model do you have? I’ve fancied one since I saw Mary Berry making good use of hers, but couldn’t work out which one she has.

I don't know if you have Black & Decker, but mine is going strong

 

[Snowdrop]

I bought a Bamix in a fit of extravagance. Its party trick is making icing sugar from granulated.

It is a wonderful appliance but has no guard on the blade or any sort of emergency stop mechanism. It’s enough to give me nightmares. I don’t touch the blade unless I have unplugged the appliance first. Mr MoR is not allowed to even go near it.

 

[NotSorry]

I’ve got a Bamix too - had it 20 years +- I like the fact I can buy bits separately - on more than one occasion I have broken the lid of the grinder thingy

 

[Otters]

I have a pasta maker which I have hung onto with the thought that I could use it for making thin sheets of sugar paste or flower paste. Never used it. Rolling pin worked fine for the quantities I used it for!
(Had idea of starting a cake business many years ago before it became the rage.)

Chocolate fondue machine - not the extravagant tiered fountain type (a present). Never used it as I don't have parties and never work with chocolate in large quantities. Stuck it in the back of a cupboard next to the pasta maker.

Vegetable mandolin. So rarely used. Bought with the idea it would be handy for mass processing carrots for carrot cakes...

In fact, there are many items that sit lurking like silent reproaches in the depths of the cupboards. Invicta cake tins in all shapes and sizes, anyone?

 

[Planthedgeandtree]

I have a coffee bean grinder with a small container which I thought I would use for spices and for coffee... which I did, once! Had it for 20 years!

 

[Otters]

I had my Mum's mini grinder - used it once for blitzing hazelnuts to make the pastry for Tonille aux Peches and that is tucked away in the back of another cupboard.

And I haven't used my most recent purchase (airfryer) and wonder if I will. I do have some grizzled parsnips but they're probably too dehydrated to slice for vegetable crisps. Wonder if they'll plump up like carrots do if I stand them in some water. Just off to try that.

 

[Planthedgeandtree]

Hmm, this thread is inspiring me to contemplate using the coffee grinder.
Highlight of my day!!! ... covid boredom is getting to me...

 

[Snowdrop]

I’m a bit of a sucker for Lidl’s WTF aisle. They often have kitchen gadgets. I have managed so far to resist the raclette grill, dehydrator and vacuum sealer. I was, however, seduced by the egg boiler and rice cooker. The egg boiler was no better at guessing whether an egg was perfectly cooked than I am, and the rice cooker dribbled. Both given away.

 

[CakeO'clock]

Stick blender (Braun) - given to me by my dad when I had my daughter (for pureeing, which I could never be bothered to do). I think we freecycled it in the end.

Soup maker - was a product test and we don't really eat soup. Looks like a giant kettle. It's in the garage so I should freecycle it really.

Ice cream maker - James someone brand. It actually makes nice ice cream but the base needs pre-freezing so takes up room in our freezer and it makes such a small portion for all the effort. I like it and I do use it but I keep thinking I should get rid of it (but then I make one last batch of ice cream, enjoy it and then keep the machine!)

Electric carving knife - given to me my mother in law. We don't use it as we slow cook all our meat so it really doesn't need cutting with an electric knife.

Electric pressure cooker - another product test. We've used it a few times but I prefer the slow cooker. It's quite big too so taking up quite a bit of room in our cupboard. Another one to freecycle

Electric fondue machine - was a gift and unused. Maybe we would use it though and as it's still boxed it doesn't take up much room. Off to retrieve from charity bag. It's one of those bowl ones, so probably not too wasteful and probably easier to clean than the fountain ones.

 

[Otters]

I've christened the air fryer (which isn't really an air fryer); cooked a lamb steak... and it was lovely.

 

[DinosaurChickens]

A 4kg kettle bell/medicine ball. It's a doorstop now that I keep stubbing my toe on.
A massive site sized cement mixer.

Both going on freecycle next week.

 

[Kasey & her Sunshine Band]

I nearly chopped the top of my finger off with a vegetable mandolin the first time I tried to use it so it's probably in the back of the cupboard somewhere

 

[DinosaurChickens]

I nearly chopped the top of my finger off with a vegetable mandolin the first time I tried to use it so it's probably in the back of the cupboard somewhere

I did that shoving Comfrey down into a mixer with my bare fingers when I was 27, such a dummy move. Took the end off my forefinger, but learned.

 

[RomanesEuntDomus]

I did that shoving Comfrey down into a mixer with my bare fingers when I was 27, such a dummy move. Took the end off my forefinger, but learned.

I've told this story several times, but I ended up having a tendon in my left index finger reattached after a serious argument with a stick blender. My daughter was five months old, I was sleep-deprived and somehow managed to put my thumb on the 'on' button as I stupidly cleared the blades with the other hand...

The doctors told me they got at least two or three of those kinds of injuries a week.

 

[Hanid27]

A pancake hob!! I knew when it was reduced in Aldi it would be rubbish and a complete waste of £15

 

[Koala]

A stick blender. I have no idea why I got it - I don't like soup, and I already have a proper food processor that I use for so much!

 

[Givingitlarge]

All the attachments on my Kenwood blender except the blades. I bought a halogen oven once but it looked so complicated I never even tried it. Then yesterday on my government-approved walk (yawn) I saw one working in someone's kitchen, it looked all warm and glowy in the otherwise dark kitchen and I regretted chucking mine out.

What else? Coffee maker (I hate coffee, it's mystery why we got that), iPod ( a few years ago, couldn't get to grips with the little bugger).

Microwave. We only ever used ours for jacket spuds and heating baby bottles (shoot me, I know it's verboten), but when it broke we bought another. Within a week our daughter put metal foil in it and blew the bloody thing up so we didn't bother getting another and we don't miss it.

So much wasted cash.

 

[Buzzcat]

People say that about Halogen Ovens and I really don’t under understand why. To me it’s a case of set the temp and set the time, and let it get on with it. I love mine. I have to work really hard to burn things in it.