to wish I'd bought one of these years ago

[NutElla5x]

So I've just made myself poached eggs on toast for lunch using my new microwave egg poacher-which cost me the princely sum of 70p using a voucher-and it did the job perfectly,cleanly and soo quickly. If it hadn't been on special offer I probably wouldn't have bothered to try it out because I think mostly the old fashioned ways of cooking things is best,but I can see me and the kids getting a lot of use out of this thing. What cheap and cheerful gadget have you bought that's made your life that bit easier and made you wish you'd bought it years ago?

MarilynSlumroe - my oven door has 4 screws to take the inside glass panel out for cleaning. I do it 2/3 times a year and it’s easier than you would think to remove it.

hmm, wouldn't work for me, don't like mash with skin on.

It also take minutes to peel potatoes. It really isn't such a big deal!

Love my potato ricer, I only cook for 2 adults and 2 threenagers though

I also use the ricer for lemons - cut off the pointy ends, cut the lemon in half and then cut an X into the flesh so it can flatten out. Wang it in the ricer - Bob's your uncle. No pips.

Those tongs from Ikea are a game changer, especially for non stick pans where you can't use metal utensils

Apple corer whatsit - cores and slices your apple in one fell swoop, ours is used most days

Love my silicone spatulas - not glamorous but how on earth do people that don't have them get everything out if the bowl or pan?

These things are brilliant

This kind of lemon squeezer. I bought mine in America and was SO excited about it. I'd never seen one like it before. Arrived back and went to ASDA a few days later and they had them there . Still it's a great gadget though and my local catering shop has a green one for limes and an orange one for oranges...I am tempted.

Not so small but electric steamer is fantasic. Our hob is very very slow so it's been a life saver for dinners x

Carol I use my lime squeezer for (smaller) lemons, so you can use the lemon squeezer for limes, no need for a specific one.

Oranges are too large :)

I'm a bit embarrassed to ask this, but for those of you who use the chopped frozen garlic, how do you know how much to use? Eg if a recipe says 2 cloves of garlic chopped, how much of the frozen stuff do you use?

It usually tells you on the pack/jar. Like 1 teaspoon=1clove

I judge it by eye and put in what looks like a clove's worth. Not all cloves are the same size anyway.

MarilynSlumroe
Most oven doors come apart. Also, most radiators are secured into wall only by hooks and can be lifted off enough to retrieve items/decorate behind. Apologies if you already know this (or your radiators don’t lift away) but it was years before I realised myself!

@SpoonBlender I know, I know. I just like the idea of having colour coordinated juice squeezers 🍋 🍊

I have THREE kitchen gadgets that I love and use.
-the microwave egg poacher
-a microwave sweet corn cooker
-an electric egg cooker. It cost £6 from Amazon and does hard or soft boiled.
It sounds crazy but it's so much easier than boiling eggs on the hob as it turns itself off when they are done with an 'ding'

Silicone pan scraper, life has been transformed!

Those of you that make mash potato with skins, how do you clean your potatoes well enough? I always find peeling takes less time but maybe I am doing it wrong.

So glad there's someone else knocking about who calls them kitchen tweezers ha!

DH bought this dicer thingy. Looks like a clear shoebox, the lid has interchangeable different sized ultra sharp grids that snap in. You put your veggie/fruit on the grid, slam down the heavy top and you have perfectly diced onions, apples, etc. Saved me a tonne of time at Thanksgiving and Xmas

I bought one of those after a friend had bought one. I don't bother if I'm cooking a meal that only needs 1 or 2 veggies, but it's brilliant if you're doing something like a stew or curry that needs loads of different veg.
I got one off ebay that's a cheaper brand than the one that's sometimes advertised, but looks the same and works the same.

they look like this but mine was only £6.99

I also treated myself to a new garlic press after I stayed at my mum and dad's and used theirs. It does a few cloves at once and has a handy gadget to get out any bits that get stuck so it's not a faff to clean.
I love it.
a bit pricy, but so good

Mostly posting to place mark in case anybody finds an easier way to clean between the 2 pieces of glass in an oven door than unscrewing them.

I love my insulated teapot.
Keeps the tea nice and hot and the kids can no longer exempt themselves from tea making on the ground that the teapot is too hot, ‘cos it’s not!

You can put unpeeled garlic into most crushers?

Mine's a boiling water tap. I love it and I don't know why I waited so long to get one.

@CarolDanvers That is perfectly reasonable. Carry on!

Mine's a boiling water tap. I love it and I don't know why I waited so long to get one.

I can't even watch the ads for those taps - I catastrophise every time, imagining toddlers getting scalded :( How long does it take to boil a kettle????