What's your favorite kitchen gadget? And the most worthless one?

What's your favorite kitchen gadget? Two people I asked nominated their garlic presses and two also said their lime/juice squeezers. One said a vegetable peeler; one named a cookie dough scoop as well as his Microplane grater, lemon zester and pastry blender ('Do NOT tell me to grab two knives and do anything.')

One asked, 'Does a cocktail shaker count? If yes, a full cocktail shaker.'

Another person said her favorite gadget is a battery powered wine opener. It was a gift, and she and her husband thought it was ridiculous at first, but now they use it all the time.

My favorite kitchen gadget is a pair of heavy-duty kitchen shears. I could not keep house without them. I use them all the time to cut up herbs and to open packages of all kinds. Despite the abuse, they stay sharp.

So what's your favorite? First, let's define 'kitchen gadget.'

It's non-electric; if it has to be plugged in, it's an appliance. It's not a pot, saucepan or skillet. Or a knife. Gadgets are most often hand-held. Kitchen gadgets are used to do a task in the kitchen.

Are we clear?

While we're on this topic, we have to talk about the flip side of the coin. What's the most worthless kitchen gadget, in your opinion?

This banana slicer at left was in a store recently. OMG. If it was my job to prep peanut butter-and-banana sandwiches every day for a house full of rowdy preschoolers, maybe it might be useful. Just maybe. Mostly, I think it's stupid.

The worst kitchen gadget I ever threw away was a rubber tube that was supposed to peel garlic. It didn't. And the few pieces of papery garlic peel that did yield invariably stuck to the interior. It was impossible to clean.

Maybe you love your banana slicer and you couldn't get along without a rubber tube garlic peeler. Whatever. It's a free world. A kitchen gadget does the job you need done. Your bananas are all one size and begging for even slicing.

Please nominate, in the comment stream below, your favorite and least favorite kitchen gadgets to help you cook. And share your thinking behind your noms.

Next week, we'll talk about kitchen tools, trends, what's new and more.

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