Single-use gadgets are the best. I mean, why wouldn’t you want an ice-cream maker? Or these pizza shears? Or this corn stripper? But I’m going to go with some onion goggles, thank you very much.
What kind of single-use gadgets can you find in Spain? I wondered. As with the above-mentioned items, these tools are usually found in the kitchen, coincidentally one of my favorite places to be.
- Jamonero—According to all Spanish jamón-lovers I know (and let’s be real, that’s about 99% of Spaniards), ham must always be cut using a jamonero, a ham stand, and with a special ham-cutting knife I found at SharpenedKnife.com. (See a video.)
- Paellera—A paellera is—you guessed it!—a pan in which to make paella. I don’t profess to know much, or anything really, about paella preparation, but I do know it is possible to buy paella pans in order to make your paella on Sundays. (See here for controversy on what the paella pan should be called. If you read Spanish, that is.)
- Sárten Tortilla—If you don’t want to mess with finding a “vuelve-tortillas” (i.e., a plate with which to flip your tortilla), try getting a special pan. I have one, thanks to my brother and sister-in-law. Now, I haven’t used it yet … but I plan to!
- Churrera—Churreras are used to make churros! What a surprise, I know. What are churros, you ask? Well, you should already know this, but churros are a fried, pastry-like snack. In Spain, they are generally plain and served with hot mugs of thick chocolate. I doubt many Spaniards have this gadget in their kitchen, but I’m sure someone does.
- Flanera—Flan is a popular Spanish dessert consisting of whole eggs, milk, and sugar. I’ll confess, it’s not my favorite Spanish dessert, but my mother-in-law does know how to make a mean one! Flaneras are a tool to make this dessert, using the water bath method.
Do you know of any more single-use gadgets in Spain? Do you own or use any of them? So far, I’ve only got a tortilla pan! Next on my list is the jamonero.
Neat idea!
I own a paellera! I love it! I also love my American waffle maker! Single use gadgets are cool…but they take up soooo much cabinet space.
Haha this is such a fun list! One of my friends in Sevilla has a five-knife set for his jamón, plus a special jamón-cutting glove that goes with it.
Sarten Tortilla?? Never heard of it, and I don’t really have a clear idea of what it is. How does it work?
It’s like a pan that has two sides http://www.clubcocina.net/tienda/images/sarten_tortillas.jpg. And instead of having to find a plate to flip your tortilla, you have a built-in tool to flip it.
Ha! I like it! Although I do turn my tortilla with a plate and have no problems with that, this is a great tool! :)
Kelly nailed it, single-use gadgets are cool but they really have to be something you use a lot in order to justify the room they take up in the kitchen. I have several (espresso machine, milk-foam-steamer-thing, waffle iron, ice cream machine) and use precisely none of them at the moment :/
Cheers,
Andrew
I need those gadgets! Actually, I just need to go back to Spain to eat! Will be there next year :D
Good list. I hadn’t thought about the single use tools in Spain but you’re right. You’ve got me thinking, if there are others!
Thanks for sharing the ham cutting video. Very interesting!