Gimmicks (crap made to sell, that doesn't work)

[MisterTinkles]

What are some gimmicks that you have spent money on, or have seen, that are just pieces of crap made to sell that do not work the way it is advertised to work???

Here is one I fell for--



EGGIES

Luckily, I got these at the dollar store, so I did not pay full retail for them.
They work, but NOT like they advertise them!!!! FALSE ADVERTISING ALERT!!!!

Each eggie comes in 6 parts: the cap, the top, the bottom, the ring, and 2 gaskets.

You have to grease the inside of each eggie before you put it together and fill it up, regardless of the fact that they claim it is non-stick.

While cooking, you have to make sure there is enough water in the pan so the eggies dont touch the bottom of the pan while boiling, otherwise they can melt.

The eggies dont cook even, most of them tilt from side to side. You usually, but not all the time, get a flat surface one one end of the egg. So some eggs wont turn out the way they are advertised like they will.

Cleanup is a bitch, because you have to unscrew ALL of the parts of the eggie and then wash them well enough that ALL of the oil or grease, and egg bits, are cleaned off the plastic. And you have to make SURE you haven't lost any of the gaskets (they are hard to see and look for). You cannot just place these in the dishwasher, you may lose some parts, unless you have a small wired, closed in basket you can put these in.

For the time it takes to oil/grease these things, put them together, cook the eggs, and then clean them up afterwards.......and then prepare the eggs the way you want..........you could have boiled a dozen eggs the regular way, peeled them, made your food item from them and gone on to do something else.

A waste of time, money, and plastic.

[Lilitu]

Electric pepper mills!!!!

Six bloody AA batteries! lasts 2 weeks. -_-

Never falling for that shit again. Any person who's too lazy to grind pepper by hand shouldn't be cooking.

[Bowyn Aerrow]

I don't fall for crap products. I prefer tried and true methods to say crack open an egg, or beat an egg, or to grind pepper....

One of the reasons why I handed needed dough for over a decade before using the hook on my kitchen-aide is because I thought the hook was a gimmick. After my ulnar nerve transposition I wanted bread but wasn't able to knead dough for 12 minutes - so used the hook. I was surprised it worked.

I don't buy plastic crap either. I get industrial/restaurant kitchen gear - yes I shell out a bit more, but it lasts far longer.

I don't even have an electric can opener. I have an old (like 1970's old) hand crank job that opens cans very well.

Gadgets - bah - I don't need them.

[MisterTinkles]

I don't fall for crap products. I prefer tried and true methods to say crack open an egg, or beat an egg, or to grind pepper....

One of the reasons why I handed needed dough for over a decade before using the hook on my kitchen-aide is because I thought the hook was a gimmick. After my ulnar nerve transposition I wanted bread but wasn't able to knead dough for 12 minutes - so used the hook. I was surprised it worked.

I don't buy plastic crap either. I get industrial/restaurant kitchen gear - yes I shell out a bit more, but it lasts far longer.

I don't even have an electric can opener. I have an old (like 1970's old) hand crank job that opens cans very well.

Gadgets - bah - I don't need them.

Hmmm, thats not what the guy at the sex toy shop said about you!!!!
LMAO



As far as attachments are concerned, I dont consider those "gadgets" themselves, they are just attachments to the gadget you already have. My bread machine is versatile though. I can make bread in it, pudding, cake, jams and jellies, anything that can be mixed an baked in the same container. Ive only made bread in it so far, but I do want to make jam next spring.

I usually dont buy into the plastic gimmick crap, but these were at the dollar store....I figured, hey, its only a buck.

I prefer the hand method of cooking as much as possible. I do have a food processor, but I rarely use it. I also have a juice machine I never have used (no I didnt buy it, it was my mommas). I did have a juice machine once of my own, and it was ok. I wanted to start making my own carrot juice, but it took a HELL of a lot of carrots to just get a half a cup of juice!!!!! And I tried using the pulp left over for breads and cakes and stuff, but there was just too many leftovers of pulp for me to use. Gave the juicer to a friend who was on a diet.

I think I only used the dough hook on my stand mixer once, to make dough for cinnamon rolls. Other than that, I dont usually use any attachment to my mixer besides the regular beaters. And I have to say, I have 4 hand mixers.

[MisterTinkles]

Here's another one that doesn't work........

Veggie Slicers

I bought a cheap one, and the damn thing not only was dull and blunt, it fell apart from the pressure it took to hold the damn thing while slicing!!!!


I did have a high quality one though....I forget what brand it was, but I left it over my sisters one time and she lost it when she moved.

That sucker was SUPER SHARP, and it sliced EVERYTHING perfectly!!

If you ever use one of these, DO NOT get the cheap crap, it is definitively worth the money to spend on a good one.

[Lilitu]

I've never heard of an electric can opener before! That's odd... I wonder why ordinary people would need that. Same reason for the electric pepper mill I guess...


As for dough hooks and bread machines... I had it forced on me by my brother who when I went to christchurch, on the day I was leaving, went out in the morning and came back with a giant box that I couldn't take on the plane, and then the airport lost it and I had to make several trips to the airport with my mum to retrieve it.

however... I do love it. It makes doughmaking so much tidier. I just use it when I'm making like chapatti or pizza dough, I never use it for real yeast breads. For Brioche I always use the dough hook on my electric mixer, which works really well.

[Lilitu]

Here's another one that doesn't work........

Veggie Slicers

I bought a cheap one, and the damn thing not only was dull and blunt, it fell apart from the pressure it took to hold the damn thing while slicing!!!!


I did have a high quality one though....I forget what brand it was, but I left it over my sisters one time and she lost it when she moved.

That sucker was SUPER SHARP, and it sliced EVERYTHING perfectly!!

If you ever use one of these, DO NOT get the cheap crap, it is definitively worth the money to spend on a good one.

Exactly! You should NEVER buy a cheap mandolin slicer. You'll slice your fingers off! It's actually dangerous to cheap out on mandolin slicers.

I have a really nice one, the Benriner brand. It slices stuff in seconds, I can't believe how well it works. It's not even the V shaped either. I use it to make potato strips for rosti and to make homemade chips and salad ingredients.

[Drew]

OMG, the Eggie! My cousin, who was visiting us for the summer of 2005, was watching tv with me when this commercial came on. He said, in his broken English, "people buy these things?" And I was like "....welcome to America!" XD XD XD

Here's a David Cross bit that explains how I feel about these junky products better than I ever could:

[davearoo]

Let's not forget the most suggestive gimmick of all, the Shake Weight:

[EvenOlderButWiser]

Electric pepper mills!!!!

Six bloody AA batteries! lasts 2 weeks. -_-

Never falling for that shit again. Any person who's too lazy to grind pepper by hand shouldn't be cooking.

I love my electric salt and pepper mills. Freshly ground pepper and rock salt, just adds that zing.

Mine even have a spotlight attached (wtf LoL) 4 x AA's, and they last 12 months.

ObW
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