Unused Kitchen Gadgets

It is amazing, @Frank Sanoica !
Kroger, and probably most of the other stores always charge at least $1.49 per dozen, too; but I think that the eggs are one of the ways that Aldi draws in customers.
You have to use a quarter to get a shopping cart, and when you return it to the cart rack, you get your quarter back. You also have to bring your own shopping bags, just like at Sam’s Club or Costco.
However, Aldi has very competitive pricing on all of their food, as well as their own brands of food and other household items that they sell. They also carry fresh fruit and veggies that look and taste great.
I have noticed that the “Baby Wally” (Walmart neighborhood market) also puts their eggs on sale for 28 cents a dozen sometimes, probably to attract some of the customers back from Aldi shopping.

 

The one gadget I got rid of when I moved into my current house was my Showtime Rotisserie. It made great rotisserie chicken. I would roast perfect meatballs in the rotating basket that was made to hold fish, and they would get nice and crusty, and the grease would render into the drip pan. It also made really good shish kabobs, because they would rotate 1/4 turn every cycle around the oven. I just didn't have room for something that large.

I have a lot of smaller in-the drawer gadgets, but I also downsized those when I moved. When I set up my current kitchen, I put one of everything I knew I would use in the drawers: one pancake turner, one slotted spoon, etc,. and held the rest back in a box. As I lived with it for a while and needed things that were in the box, I would pull them out and put in a drawer. At some point I decided I was "done," and I took the box of surplus stuff to Goodwill.

Since I got that dehydrator and have been making fruit roll-ups, the blender has migrated to the front of the storage cabinet. Even though it's an item of rare use, I can't get rid of it. When you need a blender, nothing else will do.

The only thing I may have too many of is the electronic meat thermometers/timers with the corded probes. I have 4 of them, and a small timer. But there are times I'm doing something weird (like baking bread for a party of 50), and I need all those timers for things at their various stages.

@Yvonne Smith ALDI really has eggs for 28¢ a dozen??????? Wow. That's insane.

 

That was 2 years ago. Their eggs are close to 95 Cents a dozen now, but still cheaper than most other stores, and Milk is $1 a gallon. When there was the big chicken flu, or whatever it was, and they killed thousands of chickens, the egg prices went up everywhere, and just never came back down again after that.
We still shop at Aldi’s because they have nice fresh produce, reasonable prices on just about everything they sell, and their checkout is always quick.

 

The farm eggs I get here are $2/dozen. I believe my local Walmart is between $1 and $1.50

I miss the selection of grocery stores I used to have in the DC suburbs (but with selection comes an excess of humans.) The variety and quality of produce here stinks, even driving into Charlottesville and going to Kroeger. I was there the other day replenishing my weekly salad ingredients (the produce is marginally better than my local Walmart) and they had no Romaine. Wasted 55 mile round trip. I'll have to give ALDI a try. The nearest one is 50 miles away, but the one that's closest time-wise (down the 70MPH interstate) is 60 miles away.

I need fix up my garden.

 

Now that Millinocket allows people to keep up to six chickens, although we fought for that change in the ordinances, we decided we couldn't have chickens because we like to go away for a week or so once in a while and, while we have someone who will sit for the cats, I don't know if we could find a chicken sitter. However, as others have chickens now, we're usually able to get fresh eggs, and there is a difference between them and the ones in the grocery store.

 

I want goats and chickens (and maybe guineas) but have the same problem.
It's also why I never got other pets when my dog and cat (both rescues when I was doing volunteer work) passed away in their early 20s.

You have the right idea, Ken. Friends with chickens (or a boat, or a pool) are way better than having those things yourself.

 

I have picked up gadgets at Goodwill, never used them (or didn't like them), and then donated them right back.

One such item was a potato/apple peeler:



Has anybody anywhere ever got one of these things to actually work as advertised?

 

ALDI's just opened a store in Charlottesville! I make the 50 mile round trip to C'Ville 2-3 times a month to buy decent produce at Kroger. I can't wait to check ALDIs out.

Do they have anything special I should try?

 

I like their fresh produce a lot. The selection at our Aldi’s might not be as varied as you would find in a larger store, but the items that they carry are very good.
Aldi also has their own brand of many items, from bread to protein mixes, and any of their brand name items that we have tried compare favorably with regular brands.
When you shop at Aldi’s, you will need to bring your own bags, and also a quarter for the shopping cart. When you put the cart back, you get the quarter back, so it is not actually costing you to use the cart, it is just a way to help insure that the carts are not left out in the parking lot.
Many times, you will see someone who is heading in to shop as you are unloading your bags, and you just exchange the cart for a quarter with them, or just give them the cart.

There is also a selection of household items that is seasonal (probably summer/barbecue/outdoor stuff right now) as well as kitchen small appliances, and the quality and price of those are usually good. It is worth going down that aisle and check out what they have for sale there.
Aldi also has good TP, and it comes in the large rolls sizes; so when we need TP, we often get it at either Aldi’s or Sam’s Club.

The Greek yogurt is one that I like , too. It is a store brand, but as good as the big name brand yogurts.

Here is the link for their weekly specials:

https://www.aldi.us/en/weekly-specials/our-weekly-ads/

 

My dad often had pickled pig's feet too. I thought it tasted pretty good although I tried not to look at it, or think about what it was.