my house

jessicad52178 · Jessica Almighty

my house

Moore ideas · Moore Ideas Not More Ideas!

Cute, Jess!! Love all the cheerful colors.

How do you keep your kitchen countertops so clear of "stuff"??? Maybe this is a sign that I have too many kitchen gadgets...

KaeEll · Original Soap Dish Diva

Very pretty, Jess! Thanks so much for those.

I'm also wondering how you keep the kitchen counters so uncluttered. Mine are full of "essentials", lol. In fact the other day I was looking, going crazy, because I couldn't find my garlic squasher thingy. I must have accidentally thrown it out with a big pile of peels. Goes to show how such a silly gadget creeps into our consciousness.

Good for you!!

Moore ideas · Moore Ideas Not More Ideas!

I completely relate, KaeEll. If it's a kitchen gadget, I have it, and (sadly) I have several versions of some of them! LOL...

Jess, if that were my counter, it would be cluttered with the blender, the microwave (I don't have the extra cabinet space to have one built in), the toaster oven, the Cuisinart, a ceramic container (holds extra spatulas, tongs, microplane graters, whisks, ladles, and spoons for quick grabbing), and a wooden Shaker-style countertop set of small drawers. It's really intended to go on top of a desk, but I had a better use for it!

One of my favorite little gadgets is the lemon stripper/zester:

KaeEll · Original Soap Dish Diva

LOL! Moore, yesterday I drove out to the kitchen super store and bought a NEW fancy garlic press, a new collapsible flat bottomed sieve and fancy new kitchen scissors. I had to treat myself after the experience in that blasted Apple Store that was jammed with back to school people, getting the bad news that I needed a new computer (didn't get one but spent a hundred bucks on a new mouse and a gizmo stick for back up) and the general yuck of a really humid day.

I love my zester too! Mine looks just like yours. Do you like your melon baller as much as I like mine, LOL??

Moore ideas · Moore Ideas Not More Ideas!

I hardly ever use a melon baller (don't know why not), but I have a favorite stainless steel juicer that's just perfect for extracting lemon juice (lime, orange, etc.). It's virtually indestructible, it catches all the seeds, and cleans up with a rinse.

I also love my garlic press (could NOT live without it), and my microplaners (different sizes).

I like my injector thingy too. The turkey baster with the needle on the end that you can use to inject melted butter into the turkey, or inject meats with other flavors.

Finally, I ADORE my digital thermometer that attaches to the side of the oven, with a probe that can be left inside meat while it's cooking. You set it at the desired internal temperature, and the thing beeps when the meat's ready.

shellyinphx · Long Lost DiMera Daughter

I really want a meat thermometer like that. It would be awesome

Moore ideas · Moore Ideas Not More Ideas!

Shelly, Jim gave this to me a several years ago, and I wanted to get one for each of my kids last Christmas. Mine is a Pyrex, and I found out that they're really expensive! You can get them on Amazon for $99.00, but otherwise they're about $129.00. I was rather shocked that he'd spent so much on what I'd thought was probably a twenty or thirty dollar gadget!

Anyway, I abandoned the idea last Christmas (didn't have time to search), but recently ordered three of a different brand from Amazon, and it had really great reviews. It's Tru Temp Digital Cooking Thermometer with Alarm, 3518. They look almost identical to my Pyrex, and only cost $18.00! Here's the link:

Tru Temp Digital Thermometer

-- Edited by Moore ideas on Monday 10th of August 2009 01:19:39 PM

KaeEll · Original Soap Dish Diva

How I use my melon baller gadget:

I scoop out little balls of cold butter onto a pretty plate for family dinners.

My gang, unfortunately, only likes that gawdawful Ocean Spray cranberry jelly (that comes in a tin) with turkey dinner. I find it sufficiently repulsive looking that I scoop that out too and pile it up in a little glass bowl.

I haven't made melon balls in years. :)

Moore ideas · Moore Ideas Not More Ideas!

KaeEll wrote:

My gang, unfortunately, only likes that gawdawful Ocean Spray cranberry jelly (that comes in a tin) with turkey dinner.

Hey -- so do we!! LOL... It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without the canned stuff.

Nice presentation idea, though, KaeEll, and it's a nice way to present butter. "Somewhere" I have a butter mold, but rarely use it. Have you ever seen the little sheets of plastic molds that you can get in craft stores, in the baking section? They come in all different shapes, and are primarily for making candy. They're a great solution for making fancy butter shapes, and they pop out easily too!

jessicad52178 · Jessica Almighty

Lol for the longest time I was not even able to pull this thread up. I have 3 counter tops just like that one the other 2 are kinda cluttery, but the beauty of my kitchen is that there is literally a nook or spot of some sort for everything. I have a special place for my Microwave and there is a little place for my blender. My coffee machine dis over b y my dishwasher now. It all fits somewhere