I was recently regaling some writer friends, including LoveCat, Michelle Douglas, with details of a terrific Christmas gift I received from an old friend in the UK. For years we've been swapping gifts, usually including something useful for the kitchen but with a definitely odd twist. Don't ask me how it started, but over the years we've got into the habit of searching for the silliest, most eye-catching kitchen implements we can find. And you know what? It turns out that some of these are absolute gems. So at Michelle's urging I thought I'd share just a couple of my favourites.
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| The Ice Queen Scoop |
OK, so the Ice Queen ice cream scoop I got in the mail a couple of years ago is just plastic. But it's outlasted not one but two heavy duty metal ice cream scoops and still it works. Perhaps it's got some sort of royal blessing?
The same year I received the scoop I also scored the most amazing whisk I've ever seen. Every time I open the kitchen drawer and see it I giggle. Here's why.
Yes, that's right. Not only does it have a metal whisk it has the added bonus of a flock of little yellow rubber ducks! I've never seen anything like it. I long for the day when some Aussie kitchen store keeps these in stock. Till then I have to live with the suspicion that the English have a better sense of humour than we do. And what's even more amazing is that it's a brilliant whisk! It does the job far faster than my normal metal whisk.
Another favourite? How about my egg timer. Not the boring turn-the-hourglass timer or even a clicking alarm. Mine is an egg shaped one that you put in the boiling water with the eggs. It tells you when your egg is soft boiled by beeping out the tune 'Killing Me Softly'. Personally, I prefer to wait for hard boiled so I can hear it play 'Carmina Burana'. I'm sure my egg consumption has gone up since I received it!
So, what did I receive from my friend this Christmas? A snail made of silicone. Cute, eh?
Here's the side view.
But wait, there's more. Pull on the back and hey presto, suddenly you have a funnel.
Cute and useful too. I can't wait to use this. In the meantime, if ever you happen to visit me and find me chortling as I cook, you'll understand why. Maybe if there was more sending of kitsch gifts across borders there might be a little more international harmony. It couldn't hurt.
How about you? Do you have friends who send you silly or even embarrassing gifts? Do you have any favourite kitchen gadgets? Something you wouldn't be without in the kitchen? Or do you prefer to leave the cooking to someone else?
