Are there any household gadgets you found unexpectedly useful after you'd gotten them?
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?
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Sharpener or edge-straightener?
Explain please. I use a work sharp electric sharpener which has basically sandpaper bands. I guess I have one of those metal rods with grooves but i don’t use it.
Nice! That's a great system. I have one too, but I only use it if a knife is really bad, or I have a lot of knives to sharpen. I usually use their diamond rod system. As you use your knife the edge gets folded over and malformed at a microscopic level. The honing steel doesn't actually sharpen (remove metal), but it re-aligns the edge so that it is straight again and cuts better. Ideally you should pass your kitchen knives over the honing rod before each use, which will get you more life in-between sharpenings, and provide better cutting performance.
Doesn't a honing steel also remove burrs?
It does not.
Ideally both, but I meant an actual sharpening system. Either a series of progressively finer stones, some crock sticks, diamond rods, or whatever works best for the individual.