ATTACK of the Orange gadgets!

I was doing some washing up the other day when I noticed as well as an orange chopping board, there were quite a few orange items sitting on the the kitchen counter so it felt like a kitchen takeover of orange.

Orange is not even my favourite colour however some of the orange things on the counter are my favourite items that I can’t get by without. I probably should have named the post ‘Orange Gadgets Attack Difficult Tasks’.

I’m sure most of you have seen a jar popper or own one.

I think they are a must have item for every kitchen even if you don’t have joint problems.

I find the design of this jar popper one of the easiest to use to get jars open.

All you have to do is place the jar popper on the rim of the jar lid

Lift the handle until you hear a pop which is the vacuum seal being released

The lid should be very easy to take off now

You should be able to find this style of jar popper in a home-ware store or online
 

I was a bit dubious about the plastic bottle opener below my friend bought back for me after a trip to Asia. I thought it might be flimsy and break off in my hand.

As it turns out, I LOVE this bottle opener. It’s one of the handiest things I own and I make sure it’s in my bag whenever I go out. (I’ve been in the the embarrassing position many a time where I’ve had to ask strangers or shop staff if they could open my bottle of water).

This bottle opener gives you a nice wide gripping surface which is especially useful on those cartons that fruit juice and soy milk tend to come in.

You can also use it to flip up a tab on a can instead of using your fingernails.

I managed to track down this style of opener at Daiso on a visit to Sydney last year.

Daiso is a Japanese variety store with stores world wide. Check to see if there is one near you.

If you live in Singapore or are travelling through there,  Japan Home stocks this item.

There is also a similar product which I haven’t tried yet called Beverage Grip or Jokari Beverage Buddy.

In Australia, check with your local Independent Living Centre for stockists. In Perth, it is available at The Good Store.

I don’t like to bag items online however in Australia, Mt Franklin’s water bottles are impossible to get open if you have joint problems in the hands (even with gadgets) so avoid buying them if you want to avoid tears and frustration.

This little thing came with a bag of oranges I bought.

Unless you own a mechanical orange peeler I think peeling an orange is always difficult and might be the hardest fruit to tackle if you have sore hands and wrists. (Well maybe a pineapple is the hardest but I always buy that pre-cut)

Using this gadget did make things a little bit easier if you peel the orange in the way illustrated in the pictures. If you love oranges as I do, it’s well worth having in your kitchen drawers.

insert the sharp point into orange and draw a circle

use the flat rounded end to assist you to lift the peel away from orange

With the sharp point, draw segments into the orange and use the flat rounded end to assist with peeling

The beauty of all these gadgets is they are portable so you can carry them in your bag or take them on holidays with you.

Do you have a favourite gadget? I’d love to hear what it is.