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?

  • BallShapedMan
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    5 months ago
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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!

      • SmokumJoe
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        5 months ago
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        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
        • PazuzuEnglish
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          5 months ago
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          8 minutes? Damn, it takes me that long just to boil water on the stove

          • wild
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            5 months ago
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            As u/usernameblankface said, 8 minutes is the time it cooks while fully pressurized. It can take anywhere from a little over 5 minutes to a half hour or more to heat up everything inside enough to generate the steam necessary to pressurize.

          • Usernameblankface
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            5 months ago
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            Setting for 8 minutes means that it will heat up, build pressure, then start the 8 minute timer. It then beeps loudly when the time is up, so no need to set a separate timer or keep track of the thing.

      • HeyThisIsntTheYMCAEnglish
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        5 months ago
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        5 months ago
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        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
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        5 months ago
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        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-LemmygodEnglish
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        5 months ago
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        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