BQ: And which did you buy that looked good but was a total waste of money?
And why did Yahoo! suggest I put this in Paranormal Phenomena?
Chefgrille, thanks for knowing the difference between a basic utensil (bowls, knives, spoons) and a gadget.
Most used - kettle and toaster,
least used - a slicer, it needs one hand to turn the blade a second hand to move the meat and a third hand to catch the slices.
I'd love to say my santoku, but knives are utensils not gadgets. I'd have to say the best gadget is my KitchenAid food processor. Love it and use it almost daily. Waste? The electric skillet probably. We never use it, it was my husband's before we got married and in almost 9 years I've never seen it used.
(I've gotten rid of a mandolin, electric slicer, electric knife, and a rice cooker, none of them worked right.)
Hmm! I'd say my wooden spoon! Whether i bake or cook, i always use my wooden spoon! Second thing is my bowl! Well, i need a bowl to stir things with that wooden spoon! Lolz
Depends what you define as a gadget. I'd say the most useful thing in my kitchen is a sharp chef's knife. I have hardly ever bought things that are supposed to be an easier way of doing what a knife can do. The most useless thing I have bought was a blender. I have had two. I barely used it, or rather them, they didn't last long in spite of that, and I won't buy another.
("Kitchen" would and does appears very frequently in the paranormal phenomena section, and can have a lot to do with experiences associated with that, for a variety of reasons, some very subtle, but would often involve the gadgets in kitchens. But you'd need to know something about the psychology of perceptions(either personally or via the research or both) and something about how people work (personally) to put it all together properly and not incorrectly arrive at "mental illness" instead.)
I have this tiny little knife that I got from Pampered Chef. I use it almost every day for something. It's perfect for getting little eyes out of potatoes, hull strawberries and cutting fruits and veggies in small pieces. For electric, my coffee maker. I make coffee every day.
I bought a really big nice mixer and thought I'd use it all the time. But I tend to get out the hand mixer because it's smaller and easier to clean.