I have them all too it seems... but I recently purchased a cupcake pan from Williams-Sonoma that produces cupcakes that look like the cones used in making ice cream cones. I love it and have enjoyed making "fun" desserts with it.

My only problem is how to keep the cupcakes upright after they are out of the pan and frosted (using a large star tip to have the frosting swirl around to look like soft ice cream on top). I need some sort of form.

I also have a great chopper/grinder/slicer/dicer gadget made by WestBend that I think is called the Kitchen Kutter. It's stainless steel and has several different attachments that can be popped onto the end and give you whatever kind of cut you want. Its easy, doesn't require power, really reduces waste, and requires very little clean up. Love it!

Thanks for sharing barb. Those cupcake pans look so neat! My kids would love them. Williams Sonomas is a VERY dangerous store for me! I have to NOT GO IN to avoid going bankrupt!

That Kitchen Kutter Looks interesting. I'm curious, does it take a lot of arm work. I mean, what if you need A LOT of grated carrots? Do you just use this for smaller jobs?

Sarah Z.

I love gadgets but by far my favourite is my Mrs. Tea. You've probably heard of Mr. Coffee, well, they used to make a Mrs. Tea too. I found it new and in the box on Ebay and i use it every day! It brews my tea at the strength i like (you can adjust how long it steeps) and then it dribbles into the teapot. No more boiling the water, waiting, then adding the bags, waiting and then removing them. This is a one step process so when i come back in 10 minutes it's all done. It even came with a red tea cozy :) I LOVE it (and my organic green tea) every day!

AWESOME! I used to have a Mrs. Tea too. One time my friend grabbed the tea cozy & put it over her head. She looked like a character from 'Little House on the Prarie' and started saying "Aw...but Pa!' -- I was rolling on the floor. As you can see, I remember it to this day.

I have been a serious tea lover for years! There is an excellent Tea Podcast at http://www.tealoversroom.com if you're interested. On episode 18 the host told my tea story!

If you ever want to move into loose tea territory there is an great 'Mrs. Tea-Like' machine at adiago tea. You can see it here: http://www.adagio.com/teaware/triniTEA.html?SID=d5703608f4d036d9df0f2515eafbd090

Enjoy!

Hi Sarah --

As for the Kitchen Kutter one of the awesome things about it is that even though it's manual (meaning you have to turn a handle) it's almost effortless. You can use it to grate, julienne, make carrot chips (wedges) etc. It's very handy.

I actually like to use it for big jobs because you can just keep adding more into the top to grate and when you finish with one veggie, you can just start on the next.I make coleslaw with this, a summer squash/zucchini slaw with it, etc. The produce just drops into the bowl you place beneath the spout.

Did I mention the very easy clean up?

Another plus is there is very little waste with the Kitchen Kutter. I got mine as a bonus when I bought my Lifetime stainless steel pans last year. I use it all the time. It sits right on my countertop.

If you ever think you might be interested in Lifetime pans, the rep will come to your house and cook a meal for you and some friends while doing a demo. It's very cool and they are great about not pressuring guests to buy. The pans are expensive but worth every penny (no aluminum!)

When my child was younger and eating mashed-up or pureed foods, I liked the BabySteps Food Mill with Carrying Case. You could grind food easily, on-the-spot, anywhere you go, no batteries needed. And it is diswasher-safe!

P. S. You can see the Kidco Baby Food Mill with Carrying Case on:

Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006G9LI/002-6488801-8694404?redirect=true

Kidco site here (once at the site, click on step one, preparation): http://www.kidco.com/main.taf?p=2 .

Thanks Dulcita. I had that too & I used it ALOT!

I haven't bought any kitchen gadgets in a really long time...but today I splurged and bought one of those as-seen-on-tv Nicer Dicers after reading the reviews on infomercialratings.com I do a lot of cooking for my sabbath & I think it will save me a lot of chopping time!

I bought a rice cooker. Put the rice and water in, push the button and that's it. It cooks the rice to perfection every time and keeps it warm until the meal is ready. It's so much easier than paying attention to one more pot on the stove!

Oh yes! I had a great rice cooker and lost it in a fire over a year ago -- I miss it. Mine had settings for brown rice & mixed rice as well. I also used the quick cook setting to me quinoa. It IS easier than watching something on the stove!