Are you tired of cluttered kitchen drawers filled with single-purpose gadgets that promise to revolutionize your cooking but often fall short? The allure of “As Seen On TV” kitchen gadgets is undeniable, offering quick fixes for common culinary challenges. However, as the accompanying video cleverly demonstrates, many of these ingenious inventions have perfectly practical and budget-friendly DIY kitchen gadget alternatives that you likely already possess within your home.
This article delves deeper into the world of kitchen hacks, expanding on the video’s insights and providing extensive details on how to recreate the functionality of popular kitchen tools using everyday items. We will explore clever ways to make your cooking more efficient and enjoyable without having to spend a single dollar on additional equipment. Discovering these simple solutions can truly transform your approach to daily meal preparation, saving you both money and valuable cabinet space.
Mastering Microwave Bacon: DIY Bacon Boss Solutions
Cooking bacon to perfect crispness without the stovetop mess is a common culinary quest. The Bacon Boss, as highlighted in the video, aims to deliver flat, evenly cooked bacon directly from the microwave, leveraging an angled base plate to channel grease away effectively. This product is designed for convenience, specifying one minute of cooking time per slice and requiring a microwave with a turntable for optimal results. While the concept is certainly appealing, a dedicated gadget might not be necessary for achieving these delicious outcomes.
Creating your own microwave bacon setup is surprisingly straightforward and remarkably effective. All you really need are a large microwave-safe plate, along with two smaller microwave-safe plates that can comfortably sit on top of the larger one. The large plate serves a crucial role as an efficient grease catcher, preventing any unwanted spills or messes inside your microwave. You simply lay your bacon strips neatly on the first small plate, ensuring they do not overlap excessively, then place the second small plate directly on top to flatten the slices. This clever sandwiching technique ensures even cooking and helps produce beautifully flat bacon every time.
Following the universal rule of one minute per slice, you can achieve wonderfully crispy bacon with minimal effort. Remember to always ensure all your plates are genuinely microwave-safe to prevent any mishaps. When the cooking cycle concludes, use oven mitts to handle the hot plates, carefully transferring your perfectly cooked bacon to a serving dish. The significant amount of grease collected on the bottom plate vividly demonstrates the effectiveness of this simple DIY approach, showcasing a healthier way to enjoy your favorite breakfast staple.
Demystifying Pineapple Prep: Coring and Slicing with Ease
The laborious task of peeling, coring, and slicing a fresh pineapple often deters many from enjoying this tropical fruit. Specialized pineapple de-coring and peeling tools, frequently seen in stores and on television, promise to complete this entire process in as little as 30 seconds. These tools typically feature a serrated edge designed to be twisted through the fruit, effortlessly separating the juicy flesh from the tough core and prickly skin. Reviewers often rate these devices highly, with the video noting a 4.5 out of 5-star average for effectiveness, despite their ~$6 price point.
However, achieving perfectly prepared pineapple without a specialized tool is entirely feasible with just a sharp knife and a bit of technique. Begin by laying the pineapple on its side and carefully slicing off both the top and bottom ends, roughly half an inch from each side. Next, stand the pineapple upright and cut it into quarters by slicing straight down the center, then repeating the cut in the opposite direction. This quartering method immediately exposes the core, which can be easily removed by making angled cuts along the 90-degree corners of each piece.
Once the core is extracted, lay each quarter flat and make half-inch slices all the way down to the skin, being careful not to cut through it. Then, make a few lengthwise cuts through the center of the flesh, again stopping just before the skin. Finally, use the edge of your knife to run it between the flesh and the skin, gently loosening and removing all the bite-sized pieces. This method yields perfectly uniform, ready-to-eat pineapple chunks, demonstrating that skillful knife work is often superior to a single-use gadget, preventing kitchen clutter and saving money.
The Egg Piercer Debunked: Achieving Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs
For many home cooks, the frustrating challenge of peeling hard-boiled eggs without marring their pristine surface is a persistent problem. The egg piercer gadget purports to solve this dilemma by creating a tiny hole in the egg’s bottom before boiling, which supposedly prevents cracking and facilitates easier peeling. This small, spring-loaded device reveals a needle that punctures the eggshell, creating a minute opening. The video’s experiment confirms that these tiny holes indeed prevent cracking during boiling, even if the peeling process remains challenging for some.
The science behind piercing eggs is quite simple, focusing on releasing internal pressure. An egg’s shell, though porous, is largely airtight. As an egg heats during boiling, the air pocket at the large end expands. Without an escape route, this expansion can cause the shell to crack. Piercing creates a vent, allowing the air to escape smoothly, thus reducing the likelihood of cracking. While the specialized egg piercer ensures consistent results, you can easily replicate its function with items already found in your home.
A simple thumbtack and an empty egg carton can create an effective DIY egg-piercing station. Cut a small section of an egg carton, ideally with four pockets, and push a thumbtack into the bottom center of each pocket, ensuring the point faces upwards. This setup allows the tacks to act as stable little legs, holding the points securely. To use, simply press an egg onto a thumbtack with a gentle but firm push, creating a small, clean hole without significant damage or leakage. This method effectively replicates the gadget’s primary benefit, ensuring crack-free hard-boiled eggs with zero investment, proving that simple solutions are often the most effective.
The Potato Express: Microwave Cooking Without the Pouch
The Potato Express promises perfectly cooked potatoes in the microwave in just four minutes, often touting its unique insulated design that creates a steam pocket for efficient cooking. This product also claims versatility, stating it works for corn on the cob, day-old bread, and various types of potatoes, holding up to four at a time (though realistically, only three large Russets fit). However, as the video reveals, the four-minute claim often falls short, with most users finding that an additional two to four minutes are typically required for thoroughly cooked potatoes. Despite a price point of around $6-8, its core function is easily replicated.
The concept of steaming potatoes in the microwave is a sound one, rapidly cooking them from the inside out. However, the pouch itself isn’t strictly necessary to achieve these results. A simple, time-tested method involves preparing your potato by pricking it several times on both sides with a fork. This step is crucial as it allows steam to escape during cooking, preventing the potato from potentially exploding due to internal pressure buildup. Without a pouch, you can simply place the potato directly into your microwave.
For a medium-sized potato, microwave it for approximately eight to ten minutes, flipping it halfway through for more even cooking. This direct approach yields results that are just as good, if not better, than those achieved with the Potato Express, and often only takes a few minutes more than the gadget’s *actual* cooking time. Once soft and tender, your perfectly microwaved potato is ready to be topped with butter, cheese, and bacon, or any other delicious accompaniments you desire. Opting for the traditional method avoids unnecessary kitchen clutter and saves the cost of a single-use product, promoting practicality in your cooking routine.
Chef Basket Alternatives: Enhancing Pasta Preparation
The Chef Basket is marketed as a multi-functional kitchen tool designed to simplify boiling, steaming, and straining, particularly for pasta. Its premise is straightforward: place your pasta or vegetables directly into the collapsible wire basket, submerge it in boiling water, and then lift it out easily using its cool-touch handles to drain. The basket features metal prongs for stability and handles that convert into legs for convenient loading. While the concept of a “boil-in-basket” system is appealing for its promise of reduced mess and effort, the video notes that it sometimes requires adding more water to ensure pasta is fully submerged, and its functionality closely resembles a standard kitchen item.
In essence, the Chef Basket acts as an elevated, collapsible colander that fits directly into your cooking pot. This realization immediately points to a simple, effective DIY alternative that most households already possess: a standard metal colander. The key to successfully using a regular colander as a Chef Basket substitute lies in its design. Select a colander with handles that allow it to rest securely on the rim of your cooking pot, ensuring the basket portion is fully submerged in the water while remaining suspended above the bottom of the pot. This arrangement allows for proper water circulation and even cooking.
When using your DIY colander, simply add your pasta or vegetables directly into it and lower it into the boiling water. This setup offers the exact same benefit as the Chef Basket by containing your food during cooking and making straining a breeze. The primary difference arises during removal: the handles of a standard colander will become hot, necessitating the use of oven mitts or towels for safe handling. Once lifted, the colander drains directly back into the pot, providing a remarkably similar and equally efficient straining experience without the need for an additional purchase. This simple swap emphasizes the value of versatile kitchen tools already in your possession.
Clever Cutter vs. Knife & Board: Smart Chopping Solutions
The Clever Cutter positions itself as a revolutionary 2-in-1 knife and cutting board tool, promising to chop and slice food in mere seconds with its “razor-sharp stainless steel blades.” This ergonomic, spring-loaded device features a safety latch and is designed for a firm, quick snap motion to achieve precise cuts. The video’s testing reveals surprisingly good results on various vegetables like carrots, celery, and cucumber, as well as on pepperoni and cheese. While it excels at direct chopping into bowls, the claim of replacing all kitchen knives is an overstatement, and its functionality can be achieved with existing tools.
The Clever Cutter essentially combines the action of a knife with a small, integrated cutting surface, enabling rapid, repetitive cuts. However, the same efficiency, and often greater versatility, can be found in a well-maintained kitchen knife paired with a traditional cutting board. For straight chopping tasks, a sharp chef’s knife and a stable cutting board remain the gold standard, offering precise control and the ability to handle larger quantities or more varied items. Moreover, specialized tools like a pizza cutter can surprisingly emulate some of the Clever Cutter’s quick-slicing capabilities for specific foods.
For instance, using a pizza cutter on a cutting board provides a fast and effective way to slice through softer vegetables, herbs, or even dough. By holding the vegetables firmly on the board and rolling the pizza cutter back and forth, you can achieve quick, uniform cuts with minimal effort. While this method may not be as versatile for every type of produce as a dedicated knife, it certainly offers a mess-free and efficient alternative for specific tasks, saving you the approximately $13 cost of the Clever Cutter. Both methods ultimately prove that effective food preparation hinges on smart techniques and versatile tools, rather than an endless array of single-purpose gadgets.
Ultimately, the world of “As Seen On TV” products, while often entertaining, frequently offers solutions that are already within reach using a little creativity and a few common household items. Embracing DIY kitchen gadgets not only saves money but also fosters a more resourceful and efficient approach to cooking, reducing kitchen clutter in the process. Many of these alternatives demonstrate that true innovation often lies in repurposing and rethinking existing tools.
Beyond the Infomercial: Your Home-Remade Gadget Questions Answered
What is this article about?
This article discusses popular “As Seen On TV” kitchen gadgets and shows you how to create practical, budget-friendly alternatives using items you likely already have at home.
Why should I try making DIY kitchen gadgets instead of buying them?
Making DIY kitchen gadgets helps you save money by avoiding unnecessary purchases and reduces clutter in your kitchen drawers. It also encourages a more resourceful approach to cooking.
How can I cook microwave bacon without a special ‘Bacon Boss’ gadget?
You can cook microwave bacon using a large microwave-safe plate and two smaller ones. Lay bacon on one small plate, cover with the second small plate to flatten, and place them on the large plate to catch grease, then microwave for one minute per slice.
Is there a simple way to pierce eggs for hard boiling without an egg piercer?
Yes, you can use a thumbtack pushed into an empty egg carton pocket. Gently press an egg onto the thumbtack to create a small hole, which helps prevent cracking during boiling by releasing internal pressure.
