KITCHEN GADGET QUIZ; GUESS THE USE OF THISE GIZMOS, CONTRAPTIONS, DOODADS, DEVICES, THINGAMAJIGS, WIDGETS AND DOOHICKEYS

Kitchen gadgets are gaining popularity among America's cooks. You can buy everything from egg separators to tea bag squeezers. Of course, that doesn't include food dehydrators, bread machines and other appliances designed to reduce cooking time.

Pat Parsons, a Tupperware distributor in Cape Girardeau, says gadgets have always been a favorite at parties. Tupperware doesn't sell any of its gadgets but they can always be found at parties or demonstrations.

"Now you can save minutes instead of hours in the kitchen," she said.

Many of the gadgets are so unusual or oddly shaped that it takes a few minutes to figure out what they're used for.

"When people find out what they're for, they realize that they can't live without them," said Julia Nelson, sales clerk at the Kitchen Collection in Sikeston's Outlet Mall.

For example, a pickle fork is used to get pickles, olives and cocktail onions out of jars. "It looks like a pencil with a plunger," Nelson said.

Popular gadgets at the store include Adjustaspoons for dry measurements, orange peelers, and anti-freeze ice-cream scoops. Other favorite gadgets are cheese planes, turkey lifters, egg yolk separators, spaghetti tongs, tomato wedgers and bagel holders.

The Southeast Missourian compiled the following list of kitchen gadgets. How many do you have tucked away in your kitchen?

1. Peeler Plus is a new product from Tupperware that peels potatoes and apples. It can also be used for removing spots or eyes in potatoes.

2. "Butter Up" is also a Tupperware device that makes buttering corn on the cob easier. Place butter in the bottom and salt in the top container and scrape over corn to get evenly melted butter and salt.

3. Tomato slicer. "It looks like a seahorse and people have no idea what it's for," Parsons said. It's actually used to keep slices from losing juice or getting too mushy.

4. Citrus peeler. Although it looks like a crochet hook, this device makes peeling oranges easier. The flat end can also be used to remove the outer membrane.

5. Coffee filter spoon. The rubber-tipped handle makes it easier to separate coffee filters.

6. Grater. The smaller size is ideal for grating chocolate and fruit peels.

7. Lettuce corer-grapefruit knife. It can also be used to section grapefruits.

8. Juicer. It looks like a corkscrew and that's about how it works. Place the device in the stem end of a lemon or orange and twist until the lines disappear. Then squeeze the fruit for juice.

9. Strawberry huller. It removes the stems of strawberries without squeezing any juice.

10. Cheese knife. It slices cheese. The prongs can be used to make cheese cubes.

11. Apple corer-slicer. Place the slicer on top of an apple and press down.

12. Tea infuser. Before the days of tea bags, these gadgets were used to make a cup of tea. Simply place tea leaves inside the infuser, place it in a mug and pour hot water over it.

13. Apple corer. Takes out the core of the apple, leaving the fruit intact.

14. Zester. This gadget peels little bits of fruit or chocolate for cake or pie decorations.

15. Melon ballers are used for decorative salads or desserts.

16. Butter curler used to make decorative butter pats.