Inexpensive kitchen wonders/gadgets?

[clemette]

Evening all.
People keep pestering me as to what I want for Christmas and I genuinely can't think of anything I need. My "to read" pile is approaching 100 so I can't even ask for more books which would be my perfect present.
So - I was wondering about getting something fantastic to assist my new year's resolution of spending more time in the kitchen. My gift buyers haven't masses to spend (under £20) - what would you recommend?
Thanks,

cookery books?

Thank you. I was really wondering what gadgets people can't live without...

I have a nicer dicer and it's fantastic.. would highly recommend one

Do you have an electric whisk (dual beaters)? A standard Kenwood for well under £20 does the job fine, and is great for cakes, whipping cream, egg white etc. You could become the Queen of Fairy Cakes, especially if you had a lovely deep melamine bowl to go with it.

cookery book holder, the perspex type from john lewis. a really good knife.

I like my pepper ball and second the perspex cookery book holder.

I have a little mini whisk which I use nearly every day. Nigella does one with a ceramic handle but mine is good old sturdy stainless steel.

Pepper balls are good too - one handed grinding!

A serrated spoon (with a kiwi at the end but this is optional!) great for scooping out kiwi fruit.

Braun Multimix is fab. I had a big food processor given as a present a few years ago but was advised by a friend to return it and get the Braun. It's great because it's small but very powerful - can even grind coffee beans. The whisk isn't great but the other features are - but my Braun is 10 years old - maybe newer ones are better.

A cake slice is incredibly useful. Also a very small hand whisk is great to have if you don't have one already.

Have you looked at the Pampered Chef website? Pricey but the quality tends to be good. I was given the cake slice and the Food Chopper. The latter is useful but only if you want things really fine - like herbs or nuts - and is a bit fiddly to clean by hand. My friend swears by this - uses it every day and puts it in the dishwasher.

A microplane grater

I asked ds for one last year, but he thought he was helpful and got me the "box" version - but I still want a hand held versin. Much easier to use for small amounts/every day use. Plus the box only has course and fine graters - whereas the best mulit-use one os the mdeium one.

I'll just have to be more specific this year!

Brilliant - thanks everyone!

Anything from Lakeland.....
My latest bestest buys from there have been the singularly unromantic but marvellous potato/mushroom/cheese/onion bags!
(I believe there's a Lakeland near you....

Silcone bun/bread tins

flexible chopping board

Decent knives

I want a remoska but they're £80.
Life changing though...apparently.

Do you find it hard to clean silicone cake tins, Primark? I have a rose shaped one and can never get the crumbs out of the crevices. I assume they have to be hand-washed?

Got it from Lakeland, of course. I like their 2-packs of adhesive backed dishcloth holders in steel, but maybe that's too prosaic.

Oh I don't have a dishwasher, so it is soaking in hot water and a good scrub with a brush.

A really good spatula - Pampered chef do a spatula spoon, and sad as I am, I wouldn't be without it.

Also, if you haven't one, an old fashioned electric hand mixer - cake, mash, cream, egg whites, home made dips - all much easier and all you have to wash are the two beaters. Not too pricey, either.

A stick blender for sauces and soups.

How about ask for some REEEEAAALLLLLY good, eye-wateringly expensive olive oil/balsamic, something you maybe wouldn't buy everyday.

ooh, this garlic squasher/crusher is great here I use mine every day.

BTW I think Pampered chef are really expensive, you can usually find the same thing at Lakeland for half the price. I bought a ceramic baking tray thingy (ideal for fishfingers) but only because I was at a friend's party!

Florence - is the garlic squasher easy to clean? I always find it really difficult to get the last bits of garlic out of a conventional garlic crusher.

Fantastic - keep 'em coming

fionnann - the pampered chef one is easy to clean - goes in dishwasher anyway, but I've never had any problems with bits stuck - and you don't have to peel the clove before putting it in. it also does ginger - you get all the pulp and juice out and are left with the stringy bits inside.

Re Pampered chef/lakeland - really don't think that there is much in it price-wise and the quality is fantastic from pampered chef.

potato ricer , you don't even have to peel the potatoes.

well, the one I linked is just a big stainless steel cylinder with a ridged edge. So it does clean very easily. You squash it with the flat edge (like using a knife blade but easier), remove the skin and then use the ridged side to mince it. So it is messier than the ones that you squash through little holes but to my mind a lot easier - most of the time I just squash it a bit and finish off with a knife. then you wash the crusher under the tape and the stainless steel takes the smell away from your hands.

Lemon zester! Sounds stupid, but is BRILLIANT.
Microplane graters (get the kind with stainless steel handles) also fantastic.
Measuring cups.

Lakeland vs pampered chef: zyliss at £14.67 vs food chopper at £25

and spatula recommended by delia at £3 or even more upmarket ones here: spatulas vs Pampered chef spatula at £12

Can you use the Lakeland one in your saucepans on the hob? Doesn't say that you can or that they are silicon so I doubt it. I use my Pampered Chef one for making scrambled eggs, cheese sauce etc.