Kitchen gadget roundup: CBS Blogger Mixer

Last night, I was invited by Brittany Gilbert from Eye on Blogs (favorite gadget: George Foreman Grill, although she recommends the one with removable plates, which sadly she does not have) to a blogger meet-up in San Francisco, at the KPIX studios. Ooh, the fun! The food! The adult beverages!

Alas, I find these events difficult, as I am by nature an introvert.

No really. I am. Honest.

So, to avoid cowering in the corner like a loser, I walk around and meet people and ask them about their favorite kitchen gadget. Here is my roundup from last evening:

Laura from The Smart Moms Network pulled her favorite gadget out of her purse (folks, that is dedication!) – a Double Hinged Wine Opener (looks just like a parrot when it is closed). And Analise, who I met towards the end of the evening, is a big fan of her Crockpot (me too! I am drooling over this slow cooker from Cuisinart).

Andy from Jook Warrior, who I met while talking with Biggie of Lunch In A Box (favorite gadget: Rubberized Shelf Liners) is a fan of Henckels Take Apart Kitchen Shears. Andy uses them for everything from cutting apart chicken to snipping herbs. Samantha, who was also talking with Andy, but has no blog (the horror!) loves her Cuisinart food processor.

Do you need a color consultant who cooks? Rachel of Hue Consulting, is a big fan of her Double Sided Melon Baller with the grippy handle. I have one of those too, my kids love all kinds of round foods. While talking with Rachel, I met Patrick of Housing Crash News, and he likes his Zyliss Salad Spinner. Rachel and I both agreed spinning lettuce in the Zyliss is a lot like starting a lawnmower!

Alison, representing her sister’s Texas Word Tangle blog, loves her Onion Goggles. And Mario, from Bay Area Investment Real Estate (who worked at Taco Bell in high school, cutting tomatoes) recommends his Serrated Tomato Slicer. Perfect timing, given that tomatoes are everywhere in the farmer’s markets now.

Jessica from It’s My Life, wanted me to know that her most used kitchen gadget is a KitchenAid Stand Mixer, but her new favorite is really her Panini Press. And Danielle from Apartment Therapy is wild about her Silpat (note: these come in many different sizes). She also gave me a crazy recipe for a spread to put atop peanut butter that I am eager to try out!

Sharon, the Blogger Queen, gushed about the Magic Bullet, an infomercial-based kitchen gadget (Really? Sounds suspiciously like something else altogether!), a device that claims to do “Any job in 10 seconds or less”. Wow, does that come in a husband model? Seriously though, Sharon said it is her favorite as she can whip up personalized smoothies on the fly for her family.

I met the two founders of Lookiloos, a super-popular website and blog devoted to sneak peaks inside local homes. Sheila loves her Apple Corer (a secret favorite of several other bloggers) and Desiree counts on her Electric Food Slicer to feed her 4 boys.

And last but not least, I went all the way to the City just to chat with a couple of moms from my neighborhood, Charlene of Shine and Crazed Parent, who is a big fan of her Mini Cuisinart Chopper, and Beth of TechMamas who claims that she is loves her very low-tech, old-time Rice Cooker, and is afraid of pots and pans. And stupid me, I totally forgot to ask Stefania from CityMama her favorite kitchen gadget. Ah well, there is always next time!

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Photo courtesy of Egan Snow