I was thinking about how I missed having an indoor thermometer that measures humidity. It’s such a small specific thing, one I’d never think of getting unless pushed to it (which I was by one particularly dry winter). But I like having one now.

What are your small, “random” or “junk drawer” type of gadgets that you actually use or like having around?

  • mikyopii@programming.dev
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    6 months ago

    I got a carbonization machine. I’ve been drinking way more water these days. I always thought I liked soda because of the sugar. Actually I liked the fizziness. It gets fizzier than anything else I’ve ever drank.

    • Asclepiaz@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      I can’t agree more! I have tried both soda stream and drinkmate and would recommend the drinkmate. It’s just better, you can fizz juice and non-water drinks. Soda stream is also a consumer boycott target if you don’t want to support the genocide in Palestine. 😬

    • marx2k@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      I’ve had a hacked up sodastream for over a decade. I get a 20lb co2 tank connected to it. Seltzer all day for months for like $30/refill

      • renrenPDX@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        Ide recommend an in line filter for that co2 tank. Had a 20# set up for my kegerator (had a tank just for carb water) The gas should be clean but there was definitely an odd taste to it until I installed a filter. A bit expensive at <200USD but highly recommend.

        • marx2k@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          Interesting. I haven’t noticed any weirdness and the place refilling it advertises it as ‘food grade co2’. I also use it for my beer kegs. No issue. I used to get refills from a wedding shop. That was a bit sketchy but also no issues with taste.

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            6 months ago

            I was under the impression that my source was food grade as well, but I noticed it when coming from soda stream to kegged carb water having a slight bitter taste. Disappeared with the filter and subsequent refills for both soda and beer. It could very well be how strong I made the carb water too.

    • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      We used a soda stream for a little while until we realized how stupid expensive they are. Then we donated it and went to the local beer brewing shop and asked how we can make our own carbonated water. He hooked us up with a 5 lb canister of Co2, a valve, a hose, and a connector that goes on 2 liter bottles. Now we can make carbonated water in larger quantities for pennies on the dollar compared to soda stream. It costs about $35 to refill the Co2 canister and it lasts 6-8 months worth of constant use.

  • fievel@lemm.ee
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    6 months ago

    A bit on the costly stuff but I find the vacuum cleaner robot (not sure it’s called this in English) very useful. The house is cleaner to be vacuumed every day (even if it’s not as efficient as manual vacuuming or cleaning). Especially with pets and children.

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        6 months ago

        It’s indeed noisy, we schedule it to run when we’re not at home.

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          6 months ago

          I would do that, but we’re never not home on a schedule, since we work remotely. I suppose I could always just manually start the thing when we’re leaving the house.

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            6 months ago

            I automatically set to start at a time I am likely to be away.

            In case I am at home I just override the cleaning run and command it to return to the base. In my case it’s rare.

            Maybe you can set it at the time you typically go to the supermarket?

            • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet@lemmy.world
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              6 months ago

              We live an hour outside of town, so we do most of our shopping in big runs once per month. I’ll just manually start the thing whenever we’re leaving the house. Thanks for the ideas! I get to start using my Roomba again now!

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                6 months ago

                As a European city dweller the concept of leaving 1h outside town is impossible to wrap my head around 😅

                But okay fair enough in the absence of a routine no much of a choice:).

                • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet@lemmy.world
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                  6 months ago

                  We’re city transplants and honestly, I can’t see us ever moving back to the city unless we are forced to. I’m so glad to be away from the noise, the traffic, the crime, and the filth. I wake up in the morning, open my bedroom window, and look out at a beautiful forest. I walk outside to have my morning coffee and listen to the birds chirping, watch the rabbits and the deer, and completely love every minute of it.

                  We’re also very glad to have some space to spread out on, an abundance of gardening options, and we like being mostly off the grid. Our only external connections are electricity and Internet, and we’re talking about getting solar, or a residential wind turbine. We have a backup generator for when power goes down, but that definitely can’t meet our needs long-term.

                  We thought the long drive to the city and reduced access to easy amenities might be a major concern, but it ended up being totally okay for us. The drive is pretty, and relaxing, unlike my commute in the city was, so I don’t even really mind it. There is a small 20,000 person city about 25 minutes away, and that has most of the stuff we need. We do still have to go to the big city if we want high culture experiences, or want to shop at fancy places, or even just Costco, but it has just become part of our lifestyle and we don’t mind at all. This would have never worked for me as a young man, but as a middle aged couple it’s just our speed.

  • Rob T Firefly@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    If you like boiled eggs, you need a boiled egg timer.

    It’s a clear “egg” made of heat-tolerant plastic with a color-changing temperature gauge visible inside. You throw it into the pot when boiling eggs and it lets you know when the eggs are soft boiled, medium boiled, or hard boiled. It’s very readable even in boiling water, and the results are always perfectly accurate. These things are totally worth the few dollars they cost.

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      6 months ago

      I dunno. No matter how “heat tolerant” plastic claims to be repeated exposure to high heat seems like it’d increase the chance you’d be dosing all your foods with micro plastics and other plastic related chemicals.

      Like I’d never put anything made of plastic that touches food in the microwave myself, heat resistant or not :#

    • Player2@lemm.ee
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      6 months ago

      May I suggest an actual timer? Almost all of us already have one, it’s even more precise, and does not require additional plastic waste. 7:30 makes a perfect medium egg every time.

    • PineRune@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      I got an egg cooker that came with a small measuring cup for water, which told you how much to put in for soft/medium/hard-boiled. It’s about $10 and cooks up to 7 at a time. Others can do more. I’m never cooking eggs in a pot again, as long as I have this.

      • ggtdbz@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        6 months ago

        I’ve seen those, and while the appeal of something I can set and not have to turn off at an exact time is there, I always felt like cleaning it looks like a bigger hassle than cleaning a small pot.

        The one I remember seeing had you puncture the base of the eggs, and then they sit on a plastic tray over a heated metal pad. The metal pad is attached to the heating element so you can’t just scrub that with soapy water if any egginess sticks to it. The plastic tray also looked like it had a lot of nooks and crannies where all sorts of eggy proteins can get stuck.

        That and single-purpose appliances don’t really appeal to me as I don’t have much space. Not to discount how helpful they are for people with different physical needs than me, but I don’t know.

        I eat enough hard boiled eggs that I consider getting one every so often, which is why this comment is as unnecessarily long as it is.

        • PineRune@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          If you’re just hard-boiling, it shouldn’t get dirty at all. It just steams the eggs, and I keep the side with the hole facing up so nothing has come out. I’ve only scrubbed it once, and that was from the hard water buildup I got.

    • marx2k@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Got a few cheap ones from Amazon Each one worked once and the egg still came out harder than was supposed to

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    6 months ago

    Safe Cut Can Opener, traditional can openers should be extinct. It unrolls the original seal so there’s no sharp edges. It also doesn’t leave a lip, so none of the insides get stuck on the ledge. Then, if you don’t use all the can, just plop the lid back on and throw it in the fridge.

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    6 months ago

    I got a set of metal picks from Harbor Freight for like 3 bucks. They’re similar to the pick tool that a dental hygienist uses. I use these things nearly every day to scrape stuff out of a crevice, retrieve something out of a narrow hole, pull stuff out of a tube or straw, precision clean corners of things, etc. I love them.

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      6 months ago

      Indeed, being Belgian and an adept of the real French fries (double cooked) I was not convinced at all. In the end, I still prefer real fries but I find the air fryer very practical to cook (or warm up quickly - unlike microwave oven it does not make stuff soft) all sort of food.

      • NateNate60@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        I’m an American, so I can’t say how they’re cooked in Belgium, but I can say that boiling them in water for ten minutes before frying reduces the workload significantly and produces similar results.

        • evasive_chimpanzee@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          Belgian fries (and any good fries in America) are fried once in low heat for a little while to cook the potato through. Then they are allowed to cool, and they can be frozen to use later, or you can fry them again at higher temp to crisp them up.

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            6 months ago

            I’m aware of the double-fry technique, I’m just saying that similar results can be obtained by boiling in lieu of the first frying step

    • dingus@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      I was gifted an air fryer a while back. While it’s generally useful, cleaning if after each use is really obnoxious imo and so I hardly ever use it.

      It’s a lot easier to clean a pan I used in the oven because I can just pop it in the dishwasher. I can’t pop the air fryer in the dishwasher. It would destroy it.

        • UllallullooA
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          6 months ago

          Thank you for this knowledge. This will honestly help me eat more chicken instead of less-messy frozen meals.

        • dingus@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          I recently found out about these and they have been a huge help, but I found that food still manages to make it’s way into the rest of the basket, even if it’s not as much.

      • pHr34kY@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        My kitchen has a solid ban on any product with the word “maker” in the name. They’re all junk that take up space and do a worse job than conventional methods.

        An air fryer though. That was money well spent.

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    6 months ago

    A night light that turns on automatically as it gets dark. No more stumbling around when I have to pee in the middle of the night.

  • Etterra@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Seriously the most useful thing I ever bought for around the house is barely even a gadget. It’s literally just a screwdriver where you can flip the tips and the shaft so that it has four tip sizes; two Phillips and two flatheads. Oh and also a tape measure. That tape measure will save you literally all of the headaches when it comes to purchasing furniture. A good socket set of Allen wrenches for assembling set furniture too.

    • gamermanh@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      6 months ago

      . A good socket set of Allen wrenches for assembling set furniture too.

      I’ll push back and say that the 3-pack of imperial, metric, and SAE hex wrenches you can get these days are better than a socket set

      Sure, ratcheting is nice, but the ability to rapidly service ANY hex item without dicking around with my sockets or having to memorize which exact size a specific screw has been amazing

      Just grab the matching collection of wrenches (idk what to call them, Swiss army wrench?) for the size you’re working in, or all 3 if you’re unsure, and you’ll be done in no time!

      • Etterra@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        For me ratcheting is way more important. Trying to get one of those stupid little Allen wrenches to turn in the space you’ve got to maneuver is oftentimes a pain in the ass, and of course the thing gets tighter to turn with that silly little no leverage piece of crap as you drive it in.

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          6 months ago

          I don’t think I’ve encountered one that’s hard to reach with my folding set, actually. Probably the one time I’d want to get my socket set, so fair enough if you encounter it more often

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    InstaPot. I hate gadgets and things that have limited purpose so when this was gifted to me I planned to regift it. I use it so often I got an upgrade model. Totally worth the counter space!

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        6 months ago
        1. Put a layer of frozen meatballs on the bottom. I use Trader Joe’s party sized balls.
        2. Add dry pasta
        3. Pour sauce over dry pasta.
        4. Fill sauce jar with water and dump that in.
        5. Put the lid on set it to go for 8 minutes on high pressure. Wait for it to finish and then release the pressure.
        6. Yum yum in the tum tum
      • HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        We mostly use ours to make rice, potatoes, and artichokes. Not all at once but I guess we could. Oh, and for hummus we get the perfect chickpeas in like 45 minutes from dried. It’s amazing.

      • BallShapedMan@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        On top of the other reply, soups, chili, ribs, whole chickens, the filling for chicken pot pie, pulled pork, shredded chicken for tacos, and so on.

      • Semi-Hemi-Lemmygod@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        On top of the other two replies: Mine has a setting to make yogurt. You just add milk and about a tablespoon of active culture yogurt

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    6 months ago

    I have a few motion activated lights in my house and really love how convenient those are. One is an in wall light switch and another is a screw in one in a ceiling light socket.

    I also use my pour over coffee set daily. And my coffee grinder.

    I bought a cheap little wire cutter and keep it in my junk drawer. Great for cutting zip ties and twist ties on packaging.

    I keep a water bottle in the fridge. Always have cold water and hardly use glasses. Bring it to the table when you eat.

    Lazy Susan on the dining room table for salt, pepper, toothpicks, pencils, sticky notes, etc.

    Long plastic dollar store shoehorn by the door.

    I get big packs of 3M clean removal hooks from Costco and use them all over the house to hang keys, pants, hats, string lights, jackets, etc.

    • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet@lemmy.world
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      I have a few motion activated lights in my house and really love how convenient those are.

      I thought about installing a few of these, and then I realized that I don’t always want lights to come on when I’m in a room, especially in the evening. How do you deal with that? I did install one in my wife’s closet though, and she loves it. The light comes on as soon as she opens the door, and she feels oh so fancy with that feature.

      Lots of other great ideas in your list too. About the cheap wire cutters, I had the same for years. I needed to cut something really rigid for a custom job on my truck and bought a good, American-made set a few weeks ago. They’re sooo much better than the cheapos I was using. I recommend splurging and getting a good set of cutters, even if you don’t need anything heavy duty. They’ll perform for any job, last a lifetime, and be more of a pleasure to use.

      • guyrocket@kbin.social
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        6 months ago

        My motion switch in the main floor bath also senses light so it does not turn on when it is sunny.
        My motion switches in the basement laundry and garage might also be light sensitive but it is always dark there so I always want them to turn on.
        I think to do what I think you want, I would investigate X10 or other home automation hardware. That stuff lets you program switches so you could set it to never come on during certain times (for example). X10.com
        X10 used to be much cheaper than most other home automation hardware/software.

        I agree that spending more gets better quality tools but I don’t want or need great quality in my junk drawer. Nor do I want to use expensive tools on packaging. The expensive tools go in my tool bag to get used and abused on “real” work.

  • weeeeum@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Extendo arm. It’s goofy as hell but it’s a god send when there’s a bunch of random crap on the floor. They also have deceivingly good grip strength too.

    Hand held vacuum. I don’t think this is that niche anymore but it works really well for cleaning tables, random tight corners and I park it next to my clothes dryer to easily clean the filter. I also use it a TON for sucking up bugs. Buy a corded one since battery operated ones die fast (I went through 2 or 3 of these personally)

    Bench scraper. Easily removes 90% of any grime on hard surfaces. Honestly more effective than a rag and detergent. When I bought mine I decided to try it out on my “thoroughly cleaned” kitchen counter and removed a disheartening amount of grime. Afterwards I use some detergent just to sterilize everything.

    • DaCrazyJamez@sh.itjust.works
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      Having worked in restaurants I am amazed that more people dont use scrapers to clean counters etc. It does such a better and quicker job than scrubbing.

      I bought mine as a paibt scraper at a dollar store. Works just fine.

    • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet@lemmy.world
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      Hand held vacuum

      We splurged on a Dyson battery powered vacuum that can transform between a floor vacuum, and a hand-held vacuum. I thought it was going to be a goofy novelty, but my wife really wanted it, so we got it. It’s awesome! We completely stopped using our corded vacuum, and eventually donated it. It was just such a hassle compared to the Dyson. The Dyson is expensive, but it is so very useful and convenient.

  • evasive_chimpanzee@lemmy.world
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    I bought a variety pack of scouring pads and brushes that I can attach to my cordless drill. Super handy for cleaning stuff that would otherwise take some major elbow grease. Probably bad for my drill, but it’s worth it to me.

    • invertedspear@lemm.ee
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      I made one of these years ago with a round dish brush and a long bolt. One of the most effective cleaning tools in the house. That plus “barkeepers friend” cleaner will take care of any hard-to-scrub grime.

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    The idea of getting something before I know its usefulness confuses me. Do you mean finding that something is more useful than you expected?

    If that’s the case, I once had an alarm clock which curiously had a thermometer in it to measure the temperature in the room. I was able to use it - for years - to hold my landlord to account for being shitty on the heat during the winter.

    • Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.world
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      Sometimes its a gift. My bread maker was a gift, and it brings me a lot of value, but I prob won’t pay for it.

      Other times it’s something pushed on you for fun. My wife made me buy a thermostat gun and now I love it. I test it on the kids too for fun.

    • Dicska@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      I have a digital clock with thermometer feature and a dedicated thermometer. I’ve been logging the measurements every half an hour for months. The clock is ~1.5-3 degrees off (or the other way around, who knows). Just be aware they are not always super accurate.

    • GrayBackgroundMusic@lemm.ee
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      The idea of getting something before I know its usefulness confuses me.

      My spouse buys things because they seem neat. Uses them once or twice, then not again.

  • PineRune@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    A good pair of titanium scissors. They aren’t very expensive, but cut things far better than cheap scissors. They last a lot longer, too; I’ve had mine for a few years, and they’re still sharp enough to cut my skin if I get a little carefree. I got a two-pack and keep a pair with my lunch box for foodstuffs I need to open at work. I even carried a pair around at work for a while when I needed them to cut zip ties, shrink wrap, and banding.

    • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Alternatively, a good pair of hand-forged, high carbon, Japanese steel scissors. They are very expensive, but they cut like a dream and I feel like a bad-ass every time I cut something.