Are there any household gadgets you found unexpectedly useful after you'd gotten them?

IonAddis@lemmy.world to Ask Lemmy@lemmy.world – 194 points –

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?

210

You are viewing a single comment

yep. Just drop a bit of butter in and let it melt while you put some coffee on and mix together the milk and pancake mix, drop it in for 2 cycles, and enjoy. It's almost as easy as microwaving.

I.. how.. huh? I must try this. I use my rice cooker all the time, but for rice

Please report back to us, we're ALL curious. Lol

I am choosing to interpret the instructions as dumping a full bottle of pancake mix into the rice cooker, cook twice, then tip out the resulting pancake-cake and slice it up thinly like a pressed ham. I guess slice extra thinly for crepes?

Yeah we really need some more details here.

Ok ok ok, I'll explain in further detail.

HipsterTenZero's shitty mega pancake

Serves 1

Place 1 tablespoon of salted butter in the rice cooker and flip the switch.

Mix together ~3/4 cup of store-bought pancake mix (I like the cheap kind!) and ~1/3 cup of milk.

Dump the batter in on top of the liquefied butter.

Wait for the first cycle to be done by taking the dog out (important step: pet dog)

hit the switch for a second cycle.

Make coffee or something. Put on some pants if you haven't already (optional).

Once the second cycle is done, poke the top of the 'cake with a fork to ensure it's fully cooked through.

If done, rotate the rice cooker 180 degrees vertically to dispense the delicious mega-pancake. Otherwise hit it with a cheeky 3rd cycle.

it looks like this!

Top with whatever garbage is around.

Someone mentioned slicing it up, but I just say scarf it down as-is. Who is gonna judge, eh?

It works! In the pot On the plate

Not bad! Though I used Bisquick, for better flavor, and for the work involved dirtying bowls and measuring cups I'd rather just use a pan.

In fact I made extra and made three pan sized pancakes in the time it took to make one big fluffy potcake.

Don't get me wrong, it's a great Idea and it totally works. If I were gonna do it again seriously, I'd get a dedicated pancake mix that uses just water, to maximize the simplicity, which is the goal I think.

It was fluffy and delicious, though I will say a lot of pancake flavor comes from the crispy edges and the thinness of the cake and you lose some of that with the thick potcake.

Glad I tried it, thanks to op for the idea!