As Seen on TV... Are You Kidding Me?

Did you know that some of those "As Seen on TV" kitchen products are actually pretty decent? Okay, stop! Before you click off on this page, hear me out.  I am not a sales or spokesperson, just a curious individual.

My daughter (a.k.a. the Kid) and The Hub love those "As Seen on TV" commercials. In fact, they both say the same thing, if they win the lotto, they are going to buy whatever "As Seen on TV" products they want to try out, just for the heck of it. I use to just laugh it off, until one day I saw the commercial for the Pasta Boat. It caught my attention because there is nothing that I just hate more than filling a pot with water, lugging it to the stove and then lugging a pot that now weighs even more and has boiling water in it, back to the sink to drain.  Plus, my thumb muscle thingy (yup, I said thingy, that's the official medical term for it) sometimes just gives out for no reason and I can lose my grip on what I am holding.  I don't know about you, but having a pot of boiling water just tumble on over me just doesn't tickle me pink!  Anyway, I digress. So I told my daughter I wanted to get the Pasta Boat, and instead of a kindred spirit, she laughs and makes fun of me. I was flabbergasted, speechless even, here's the "As Seen on TV" enthusiast just giggling away. A few months later, guess what I got for  Christmas from The Kid? Yup, the pasta boat! And the results? I have to tell you, I was surprised at how well it worked.  No more lugging boiling water, no big pot to clean, no strainer to clean, no heat in the kitchen. Simply said ... it works. Guess what? A few months later The Kid got one too.

What other "As Seen on TV" kitchen gadgets do I have? The Titan Peeler. I always wanted a julienne peeler, and when I saw the commercial for it, I knew eventually I would get one. I found and bought a julienne peeler made by joseph joseph for about $3 on clearance at Home Goods and it didn't feel comfortable when I used it. Cool design but I didn't like it, the grip was off. I couldn't figure out how to move the blades around, put it back together, I just couldn't be bothered. I've never been good at nor had the patience for puzzles! Finally, I got the Titan Peeler at Bed, Bath & Beyond. It came with a regular peeler, the julienne peeler and the slicing board attachment (great for slicing truffles, garlic, ginger). Both peelers feel comfortable to the grip and peel effortlessly. The julienne peeler is exactly what I was looking for. I didn't have to lug out the food processor or loose a digit on the mandolin. It's great for small or even large julienning jobs, but mostly I wanted it for small jobs, where all I had to wash was one little peeler. In case you are wondering, nope, I don't have a dish washer, my kitchen is small but efficient and I can't justify sacrificing the cabinet space.

The point of all this is that you never know where your new favorite kitchen gadget will come from, sometimes it will come from the most unexpected place ... like an "As Seen on TV" commercial. You just never know. Cheers!