The Most Useful and Least Useful Gadget Bought

[magnusfide]

I'll confess I've bought several useless ones. The one that comes to mind: Table cloth weights that blew away with the cloth - both never to be seen again.

Most useful: Surge protector for dodgy electrical ports at campgrounds. It's saved my electrical system on several occasions.

[NYCgrrl]

Naio wrote:
What?! My cat is the Most Useful! He will tell you that himself :).

Proof positive!

[Naio]

What?! My cat is the Most Useful! He will tell you that himself :).

[dewey02]

Two most useful:

Power Bellows - really gets the fire going...and I'm too old to do all the blowing on the fire that I did as a youngster.

Fire tongs - because even though I'm old, you are never too old to constantly play with the fire.


Least useful:

[Naio]

What are you people doing peeling your potatoes?! The peel is where all the flavor is! Just give them a good scrubdown, cut them up if desired, and cook them!

Best gadget: A kitchen faucet threaded to fit a garden hose, no adapter needed. I use it with the 'fish sink' it came with, or with a smaller, deeper sink on a coleman stand. either way, it's great to have an outdoor sink.

Worst: The scissor jack that came with my van. Well, the jack is fine, but the setup to turn it is ridiculous. Finally got a new bottle jack and I am in love.

[old_guy]

downtheroad wrote:
I'm an RV gadget junkie.

I'm not going to follow this thread because if I do I will end up learning about and buying even more gadgets.

My marriage has survived many decades, but it may not if I buy any more RV gadgets.

lol I don't think you can actually carry any more gadgets

[AJBert]

Favorite: Camp Kitchen table from Cabela's (only paid $10)
Least: I don't have a log of "gadgets" but I'll say the manufactured wiener roasters that were given to me. A willow branch just does as well for both hot dogs and marshmallows and the grandbabies like using them so much more over something they didn't make themselves.

[DutchmenSport]

Halmfamily wrote:
This is why I love this forum. OP starts off what is your favorite and least favorite gadget and we are now at two full pages of potato dealers. ...

OK, I'm REALLY going to stoop to a new LOW here! I'm posting these photos just so you can see how important a good working, proper potato peeler really is! As I do almost all the food preparation when cooking (the husband), my wife just kicks back and let me have the fun! I'm now appealing to your taste buds! I know... I've reverted to a new low here, making your eyes experience the torture of seeing just exactly what the results of that potato peeler are!







Hash browns made from real hand pealed potatoes:




More Hash Browns made from scratch:



OK, just for a little variety, here's something we fixed without potatoes (once)....



So ... are you all ready to run out and get a new potato peeler now?

(I'm so bad... ain't I...)... For some reason, I think I'm hungry again!

:B

[NCWriter]

Most useful - blow poke for campfire. It's a regular steel poker for the campfire but with a hollow tube running the length, and a brass mouthpiece to blow into when the fire needs encouragement.

Least useful at least so far - a maxiscan diagnostic code reader. I know other people swear by them, but DH bought and never uses.

[Halmfamily]

This is why I love this forum. OP starts off what is your favorite and least favorite gadget and we are now at two full pages of potato dealers.

Favorite Welding gloves for turning logs in the campfire.
Least favorite grill thermometer, it never shows correct temp.

[NMDriver]

Most useful=Credit card, I use it everyday in all kinds of situations for all kinds of things.
Least useful=insurance, I used it once in 54 years of driving when a tree fell on the truck in a storm.

I was going to say a pocket knife as most useful and corkscrew as least useful since I only drink liquids with a screw top cap or a pull tab.

[NYCgrrl]

magnusfide wrote:
Here's our favorite peeler. American-made, has never rusted. Rada has an entire line of knives and utensils. We like them better than any other brand, even the most expensive. Their prices are very reasonable to boot.

DutchmenSport wrote:

NYCgrrl wrote:
I'm tired of buying potato peelers that rust, lose their sharpness in a nanosecond and have loose rivets. Got a recommendation for a former Woolworth purchaser?:D

They use to make good potato peelers, like the picture above, but then in the last 15 years or so, they just don't make them good any more. I fussed and complained to my wife when she tossed out the only good old-style potato peeler we had and replaced it with a new-fangled one. Oh was I disappointed. After using it, even she didn't like it either. So we attempted to buy a normal old-style peeler that actually worked! ... you know? It took us 10 years to find one, and we tried many, many, and threw many, many away!

Finally, one day at the local grocery store they had one on an end-cap. Not very noticeable, but it caught my attention, and after try three-thousand six hundred, I thought, "Oh well, what's one more!" It had a red rubber coated handle, but still was old style.

Got it home and ... OMG! It worked!

I immediately drove back to the store (right there on the spot), and bought all they had left hanging! I got 4 more! Put 2 in the trailer, put 3 in the house! I even made a tube they fit in with an plastic (long) prescription pill bottle, stuffed with tissue paper, in a sleeve. None of them get washed with the regular dishes. They all get washed by hand and put up immediately in their makeshift sleeve. We do the same in the trailer.

We had these for about 4 years now, still sharp, still working good, no rust, and I treat them like gold and honey! A bit over-protective here? Yep... sure am! But I know I'll never find another one like it again. They just don't make them like this any more. Really sharp and really last, and the blades are angled just right!

Most used in our camper? Yea... it's definitely the potato peeler.

Think I'll get one for the man this coming Fathers' Day.
Yes. I KNOW I'm wicked but he's retired now, no longer needs ties and is cutely clueless when it come to ratchet and screwdriver sets. Howevah he's a wiz when it comes to being a "commis de rang" (easy translation= chop and mince person) even though he thinks i don't know he nevah washes anything before he starts prepping (dirt is natural yanno...uh huh)and I wuv him good for that;).

[Gdetrailer]

DutchmenSport wrote:

NYCgrrl wrote:
I'm tired of buying potato peelers that rust, lose their sharpness in a nanosecond and have loose rivets. Got a recommendation for a former Woolworth purchaser?:D

They use to make good potato peelers, like the picture above, but then in the last 15 years or so, they just don't make them good any more. I fussed and complained to my wife when she tossed out the only good old-style potato peeler we had and replaced it with a new-fangled one. Oh was I disappointed. After using it, even she didn't like it either. So we attempted to buy a normal old-style peeler that actually worked! ... you know? It took us 10 years to find one, and we tried many, many, and threw many, many away!

Finally, one day at the local grocery store they had one on an end-cap. Not very noticeable, but it caught my attention, and after try three-thousand six hundred, I thought, "Oh well, what's one more!" It had a red rubber coated handle, but still was old style.

Got it home and ... OMG! It worked!

I immediately drove back to the store (right there on the spot), and bought all they had left hanging! I got 4 more! Put 2 in the trailer, put 3 in the house! I even made a tube they fit in with an plastic (long) prescription pill bottle, stuffed with tissue paper, in a sleeve. None of them get washed with the regular dishes. They all get washed by hand and put up immediately in their makeshift sleeve. We do the same in the trailer.

We had these for about 4 years now, still sharp, still working good, no rust, and I treat them like gold and honey! A bit over-protective here? Yep... sure am! But I know I'll never find another one like it again. They just don't make them like this any more. Really sharp and really last, and the blades are angled just right!

Most used in our camper? Yea... it's definitely the potato peeler.

Potato peeler?

Yeah, you NEED to step up to higher quality brand.

Perhaps try one of these..



By RADA Cutlery..

Can buy from HERE for $6.41

RADA was the only Cutlery that my MOM ever liked, good quality stainless steel blades that take and hold a sharp edge and aluminum handles (don't run these through a dishwasher as that will mess up the aluminum handles)..

Carry on of those RADA peelers in my TT along with several at my sticks and bricks..

Least useful gadget is the mountain pie iron, used once, goes with us every year in the TT for 15 yrs now, made black toast with cold filling.. :M

[Campfire_Time]

The best thing we ever bough is the Automatic Chef. We cook over the campfire. I've tried a lot of different tripods and other gizmos to cook on but none come close to this.

I think the worst thing was a cooking tripod. Really a pain to use.

The single best peeler we've ever bought was an Oxo Good Grips. At $8-$9, pricey but worth it. We just replaced one that lasted about 10 years.

[magnusfide]

Here's our favorite peeler. American-made, has never rusted. Rada has an entire line of knives and utensils. We like them better than any other brand, even the most expensive. Their prices are very reasonable to boot.

DutchmenSport wrote:

NYCgrrl wrote:
I'm tired of buying potato peelers that rust, lose their sharpness in a nanosecond and have loose rivets. Got a recommendation for a former Woolworth purchaser?:D

They use to make good potato peelers, like the picture above, but then in the last 15 years or so, they just don't make them good any more. I fussed and complained to my wife when she tossed out the only good old-style potato peeler we had and replaced it with a new-fangled one. Oh was I disappointed. After using it, even she didn't like it either. So we attempted to buy a normal old-style peeler that actually worked! ... you know? It took us 10 years to find one, and we tried many, many, and threw many, many away!

Finally, one day at the local grocery store they had one on an end-cap. Not very noticeable, but it caught my attention, and after try three-thousand six hundred, I thought, "Oh well, what's one more!" It had a red rubber coated handle, but still was old style.

Got it home and ... OMG! It worked!

I immediately drove back to the store (right there on the spot), and bought all they had left hanging! I got 4 more! Put 2 in the trailer, put 3 in the house! I even made a tube they fit in with an plastic (long) prescription pill bottle, stuffed with tissue paper, in a sleeve. None of them get washed with the regular dishes. They all get washed by hand and put up immediately in their makeshift sleeve. We do the same in the trailer.

We had these for about 4 years now, still sharp, still working good, no rust, and I treat them like gold and honey! A bit over-protective here? Yep... sure am! But I know I'll never find another one like it again. They just don't make them like this any more. Really sharp and really last, and the blades are angled just right!

Most used in our camper? Yea... it's definitely the potato peeler.

[obgraham]

potato peeler.

Here I thought I was the only one!

The little 89 cent ones from Wally peel, but don't last very long before something snaps.
Every peeler I've seen that's beyond that level of fancyness won't peel a spud worth squat.