I think we had a fight about MY man, Alton last year. He is mine! MINE! :) satylite, don't make me hurt you!

I totally agree with you about RR. Blech. She drives me crazy. So freaking perky all the time and she's so boring. Everything tastes SOOOoo good. She takes a bite and makes that noise. Ugh. Predictable.

I don't like Giada because the show is shot with these super close-ups that remind me so much of porn - which, coincidentally, I watch with the sound off. TMI? :)

myholidayboyz, I have to ask: what's an orange peeler do exactly? I'm just lazy enough that it sounds appealing. I hate getting orange skin under my fingernails.

Also, for those with George Foreman grills (or similar countertop grills) with removeable plates, how easy are they to clean? Because the old grill I have doesn't have removable plates. I hate to scrub it in place with lots of paper towels while it's warm, and I never feel like I'm truly getting it clean, which is annoying. Is it worth it to pitch my old trusty grill and go for a newfangled one with removable plates? Will it make me want to use it more?

SFP, you took the words right out of my mouth!

Ditto on the Foreman grill - even I can cook with it!

It's a little plastic device that cuts only through the skin. Once you score the skin, you can use the handle to lift up the skin. :) It's awesome!! I think I got it for less than $1.00!

Rachel Ray - you either love her or hate her. I tivo her! Sure, she's loud. But she is real. I don't measure - except when I bake!!! She doesn't have the perfect body.
I do think it's funny how she says "a healthy and nutrious meal" then coats the pan with EVOO - she COATS it!!

AND just ONCE I love to see her drop all that stuff she brings from the pantry to the counter top. :rofl: now that would be funny!!

How much do you use your Magic Bullet? I keep thinking about getting one then I read some of the reveiws and change my mind, but it still looks intreging to me. I know it can't really replace all my other stuff...but heck, I keep my KitchenAide Blender in the basement, I use it so little (especially since I got a side-by-side fridge that dispenses finely crushed ice).

Thankfully I've never gotten into the pampered chef stuff or I would be in big trouble. I figure with my 'addiction' to kitchen gadgets that I'm better off not even looking at their stuff :D...though I do need to get a pizza stone one of these days...I like Alton Browns idea of setting at the bottom of the oven to help hold the heat/maintain consistant tempurature, plus it would be good for baking my Irish Soda breads & such on.

http://www.kitchenkitchen.com/cgi-bi...html?E+scstore

My toddy cold coffee maker, the above link is what the thing looks like in case you have never heard of one... What you do is steep a pound of coffee over night, (12 hours) and then let it drip out the next morning. It is then concentrated. Pour a bit of the concentrate into a cup and add hot water and you have coffee that isn't bitter, and taste like star bucks, plus cold brew eliminate a lot of the caffeine that ya get from hot brew... Ya store the rest in the fridge, so it lasts about a week for me...

I LOVE MINE and could not do with out it...

For all you with the GF grill without removeable plates I found the coolest sponge/scrubber at Wallyworld near the grills. It is grooved just perfectly to clean it all out. I'm bringing it with me to work since I got one of the hamilton beach ones with the removeable plates and a timer. I love my new gadget and it was super easy to clean. I hit a couple of buttons and stashed it into my dishwasher ;)

I too love the glad press and seal. Most of my favorite kitchen gadgets I use religiously are:
• kitchen scales
• measure all cup (measure liquids on one side/solids on the other)
• Spatulas
• whisks (work great for mixing my eggs for omelets and I have 3 different sizes)
• I know this one is simple but just about any slotted spoon. If it is filled to the top it is 1/3 a cup and heaping approx. 1/2 cup. really easy to measure out portions without getting out the measuring cup. I still will periodically pour from the spoon into a measuring cup just to be sure.

We just got it for Christmas. I've only used it 3 or 4 times. It's great for making smoothies with! :)

Thanks for the tip, Penny! I had never heard of the Toddy before but it sounds like something my husband and I would really like. After reading a ton of great reviews online I went ahead and ordered one. I can't wait to try it out.

I have a question though. How long do the filters last? I ordered 4 extra to have on hand. Should that last for a while?

That looks like something my Mom would like- she's been known to put leftover coffee in the fridge & warm it up instead of leaving it in the coffee pot. I had a coffee press that she's been playing with (I used for tea- I'm am not a coffee drinking even though I've tried). She's found with the press that she ends up putting 1 part 'coffee' with 2-3 parts hot water for a perfect cup. It was so cute- she had me put her automatic coffee pot away today...something I never thought I would live to see the day.

Do you have an electric kettle? It would be great to heat up water to add to your concentrate I bet. THere are pretty common now- I got my last one at WalMart but when I came back from Ireland in 1997 I couldn't find one I liked anywhere. They were either the hotpot type things you take to live in a dorm or some $80-100 fancy name brand. I finally ended up buying one in Canada when I went there on a business trip- my boss thought I was strange, but I was so excited.

I've been useing the same one for over a year and its fine, I pop it in the dishwasher before I reuse it each time, so I would think you never need to order any more, (grin)...

You will love the thing, the coffee tastes soooo smooth...

I am lucky enough to have one of those instant hot water dispensers on my kitchen sink, so that is how I heat water...

HEY that is another gadget I can't live with out... And they are NOT expensive, you can get them at home depot and it is instant hot water anytime day or night... It goes on the sink where you would have one of those soap dispensers or sprayers...

My husband bought me a cappuccino machine for Christmas just for the frother... So now I have my cold brewed coffee and I froth my skimmed milk and I am in star bucks heaven... (grin)... I also use star bucks brand coffee beans, Did you know that they use cold brewed coffee too? I saw them making it from concentrate and that is what they told me, that its was cold brewed, that is when I started looking for one for me to use at home...

I have found that when I think I need a treat, a cup of coffee satisfies me...

:wave: Hi Penny! I'll have to look into that as well, I love Starbucks, that's become my treat instead of evil things like cakes and cookies!