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2020 kitchen gadgets and knives

5 years ago

I need a few kitchen gadgets and other items that work well. I had plenty that didn't work well. My arthritis is getting worse in my hands. I have brought product after product online at Amazon, W.S., etc, and I keep trashing them.


1. manual can opener that works longer than a month. I have trashed 16 of them this year. Even electric can openers don't last long in my house for some reason.

2. scoops for cookies, meatballs, etc that release the food easily.

3. Citrus juicer for oranges, lemons, limes (not the yellow hand squeezer) Maybe a reamer? Maybe one with a container with a spout? Does it slip around when you are juicing?

4. Grill pan for my gas rangetop. I don't know whether to buy enameled, non-stick or cast iron. Not expensive ones like Staub.

5. Jar opener. The rubber grippy ones are getting difficult to use with my arthritis.

6. Cast iron skillet handle protectors. I have bought many of the silicone ones on Amazon, and they don't work. Some even burned. I want something that can be left on the skillet while on the gas stove. (Not the oven.)

7. Handle protectors for my All Clad skillets and saucepans. I can't lift them when food is in them, unless I choke up on the handle, which gets hot. I am still not sold on All Clad skillets because they are a pain to clean when cooking with oil. I have tried all the tricks that I have found, but I need to make my kitchen cleanup easier.

8. New pot holders. I have silicone trivets and pads, but I need pot holders for removing hot dishes from very hot ovens. 450°-500°. My pot holders are getting really old and are unraveling at the edges. Plus, they are not pretty. They have plastic in between the layers of fabric so water/steam doesn't soak through.

9. Knife sharpener. Manual or electric is fine as long as it has excellent directions with how to sharpen knives. Not one that takes up a lot of space. I have two of the long metal "poles", and I hate using them. I have the gadgets where you run the knife through the metal looking pieces. I think they hurt the knives. I have a gadget with stones that you draw the knife between. They don't seem to sharpen at all. Could be "operator error". ; )


Online reviews are not always truthful, like Amazon. I trust this forum to get honest opinions.

Thanks for your advice.


Comments (18)

  • 5 years ago

    By the way, where do I post kitchen tools guestions? I could not find "cooking".

  • Peke thanked sushipup1
  • 5 years ago

    I thought Garden Web changed to Houzz. Ok. Thanks.


  • 5 years ago

    If you use the gardenweb links, you'll get to the same place, but possibly with slightly different functionality (depending on browser).


    I use the Lodge handle holder thingies. They will burn if the flame gets to them (of course) but don't catch fire if not directly exposed to flame. I still don't leave them on unattended.

    Peke thanked Fori
  • 5 years ago

    Fori, thanks. I will see what Lodge has on Amazon. My burners are high BTU.


    Antiquesilver, do you mean jar grips like these?




    I have a mini plier that I use to remove the paper seal from mustard, mayo, ketchup, etc. Those tabs are to small for my fingers to grip, so I stole the pliers from my husband.. He has stolen them back.


    I have not seen leather BBQ mitts. I need something I can leave on the pan while I cook, but not in the oven. My husband grabbed a hot cast iron skillet the other day without thinking. Ouch! Well, that wasn't the word he used!


    I bet the chainsaw place will sharpen scissors too. I need a stone for normal everyday use.

  • 5 years ago

    I have high BTU as well and I have absolutely burned the ends of my pot thingies. And many other things. :) The kids don't even ask anymore why so many things end up in the sink.


    I have the fabric ones, not the silicon ones. They bring the handle to a usable temp, but you still want a real potholder to get a cast iron skillet out of the oven.


    I have a jar opener kind of like this: https://www.amazon.com/Leifheit-03131-Stainless-Opener-Silver/dp/B00NGMOIX4 It works for most sizes. I am not shy about banging a jar on the counter to crack the seal, though.

  • 5 years ago

    This is the jar opener that I have although it's not ideal. Originally, I bought it to remove the light in my oven which was almost impossible to grip.



    Peke thanked antiquesilver
  • 5 years ago

    My husband used to use one like that to remove the car's oil filter. Now, he pays others to change the oil. I can't remember what those are called.

  • 5 years ago

    I have one of those too. Mine is called an oil filter wrench and I haven't used it since I stopped doing my own oil changes. :P


    (Actually they are good for many things but I haven't tried the small ones mmade for jars.)

    Peke thanked Fori
  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    As far as jar openers go, this one looks like a winner. You can use the strength of BOTH hands because you don’t have to hold the opener (it attaches under the cabinet).

    Found on AMAZON with thousands of 5 star reviews.



    Peke thanked Nidnay
  • 5 years ago

    Thanks, that one sounds good, and it will always be in its place. No need to dig through the drawers looking for it.

  • 5 years ago

    I have this Black and Decker electric jar opener. It works great! It requires only enough strength to push a button down. I’ve had mine more than 20 years. You can find them all over eBay for a lot less than Amazon. I even saw one on Poshmark once.


    I like this OXO manual can opener. I would love to have an electric can opener that works well. I bought one a couple of years ago and finally pitched it. It never opened the can all the way and I was left struggling with trying to find a way to pry it open without cutting off a finger.


    I have this Norpro scoop/portioner in several sizes. I’ve found that the key to making it release easily is to lightly spray the scoop with PAM or something similar.


    I don’t know that this is the exact citrus juicer I have (mine was a gift), but it is certainly similar. I’ve had it for years. It does what it is supposed to do and goes in the dishwasher. You can find similar on Amazon.


    Cast iron would be my choice for a grill pan. I’m partial to Lodge when buying new cast iron. Their grill pan at Walmart is about $20. At W-S, it is $35.


    Several years ago, Cooks Illustrated proclaimed Chefs Choice as the best electric knife sharpener. I can’t recall which model. Like others on here, I send my knives out to be sharpened. I live in a very rural area. Nevertheless, there are 2 places I can take my knives for sharpening, the specialty butcher shop and Ace Hardware.


    My potholders are pitiful. Old and getting thin. DD has a couple of OveGloves that she likes.


    Not being argumentative, just curious, is there some reason you cannot remove the handle cover once your pot is on the eye and then replace it when you want to take the pot off? Is there a reason to leave it on the whole time? I don’t have any and have never used one, so I’m unfamiliar with them. Are they difficult to get on and off the handle?

    Peke thanked bbstx
  • 5 years ago

    I wanted to see if one existed that could stay on the skillet while cooking. I had just turned the burner off, and I knew the skillet was hot, but my husband didn't so he burned his hand...not too badly, but I was curious to see if something existed.

  • 5 years ago

    I just get the silicon cast iron skillet handle covers from Amazon. They can be a little slippery, though. They are cheap, so I just replace if they start to tear. I leave them on while cooking without a problem.

    Peke thanked blueskysunnyday
  • 5 years ago

    I must have bought a bad one, because mine burned the first time I used it. Plus, the silicone got hot.

  • 5 years ago

    Oxo manual can opener-not the perfect one for arthritic hands and carpel tunnel, but better than others on the market. Knives are sent out for sharpening. I've used homemade heavy duty cotton pot holders forever-much better than the silicone. You may want to look at welders' gloves for heavier duty work with 500°F+ items.

    I have an All Clad griddle pan that works very well. The key is to use a miniscule amount of oil, and never use Pam or similar.

    Jar openings are much more difficult, so I've had to resort to inverting the sealed jar into hot water to loosen to seal to a point that I can open it with the rubber, striated openers.

    Oxo food scoops or two (dinner utensil sized) teaspoons/soup spoons.

    Electric citrus juicer and flour sifter (these things are the greatest!).

    Peke thanked ceilsan32
  • 4 years ago

    I use Fixwell knives and love them, though if you need longer ones, i can't advise.

    Beware of counterfeit ones, as shown at their site. There are genuine 3-packs on Amazon for $15. https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/314qrIZy7KL.AC.jpg

    I even have used it as a saw for wood, or to saw the handles of plastic spoons in various sizes to fit inside mayo jars, or other food jars. After sawing, i use a nail-file as a finishing-off sander.


    This review-site for jar-openers looks OK:

    https://www.grayingwithgrace.com/best-jar-openers-for-arthritic-hands/

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