Pet Please #141: The Microwave Cover

When I was home for the holidays this year, I discovered an interesting contraption in my parents’ kitchen.

Now, before I reveal the contraption (spoiler: it’s in the title of this blog post), I have to note that my parents are the kinds of people who have a device for everything. They have a special grater for garlic, a special peeler for oranges, special spoons for grapefruit, etc.

Me, I like to keep things simple. Just tonight, I used a fork to stir a puff pastry filling, deposit that filling in the puff pastry, spread egg yolk on top of the puff pastry, and then eat the puff pastry when it came out of the oven. There are special devices for the first three activities, but I went with fork. 

So when I saw the Tovolo microwave cover in my parents’ kitchen, I thought, “Who needs that?”

Then I used it. And it was awesome. I immediately bought one.

You can see it in the photo–it’s a raised plastic device that covers your plate in the microwave. It contains food explosions, it’s dishwasher friendly, and it’s only $8.

When my Tov0lo arrived, I spent a good 20 minutes cleaning out the inside of my microwave. I don’t relish that task, but knowing that I may not ever need to do it again made me happy to make it pristine. It’s stayed that way ever since.

Do you have a Tovolo (or similar device)? What’s the oddest, most specific device in your kitchen?

7 thoughts on “Pet Please #141: The Microwave Cover”

  1. Is that collapsible?! I have a similar contraption that needs to be replaced (I learned about a month ago that when my oven is on, the stove top can get hot enough to melt plastic, and melted mine).

    One kitchen “gadget” I use all of the time that I initially thought was an unnecessary item is a pastry cutter/scraper. It’s essentially a flat piece of metal connected to a handle. The “blade” is used to cut dough, but it can also scoop up things that need to be transported from the cutting board to a bowl, pan, etc– much safer than using the blade a knife to move things.

    As far as odd devices that only have a single purpose, I’d have to go with the orange peeler. I don’t remember ever using it, but it lives in my kitchen gadget drawer. https://www.amazon.com/Tupperware-Citrus-Peeler-Colors-vary/dp/B005M7B82U

    Reply
    • Katy: It is collapsible! Though I haven’t collapsed mine since I got it.

      Thanks for recommending your pastry cutter!

      Reply
    • Katy: I have used that citrus peeler! One of my friends also has it and use regularly because she doesn’t like have the scent on her fingers after peeling. When she handed to me to peel an orange, my eyes grew wide with fascination as asked, What in the world is this!? She explained, I tried out, liked it, but didn’t want one because I don’t need one. However, $10 something for 10…. I can be like Oprah. “You got one. And you get one. You. You. And youKaty: I have used that citrus peeler! One of my friends also has it and use regularly because she doesn’t like have the scent on her fingers after peeling. When she handed to me to peel an orange, my eyes grew wide with fascination as asked, What in the world is this!? She explained, I tried out, liked it, but didn’t want one because I don’t need one. However, $10 something for 10…. I can be like Oprah. “You got one. And you get one. You. You. And yoKaty: I have used that citrus peeler! One of my friends also has it and use regularly because she doesn’t like have the scent on her fingers after peeling. When she handed to me to peel an orange, my eyes grew wide with fascination as asked, What in the world is this!? She explained, I tried out, liked it, but didn’t want one because I don’t need one. However, $10 something for 10…. I can be like Oprah. “You got one. And you get one. You. You. And you!”

      Reply
  2. Jamey,

    I have a more pragmatic approach to the kitchen and I love cooking…but I like to keep it simple. My out-laws (former in-laws) are folks, like your parents who have kitchen drawers full of one-off items. It became a source of humor if hey cooked at our house and asked, “Oh, why don’t you have a [fill in the blank]?” to which my response was often, “Because I have a spoon [or fork, or knife] to do that.”

    anyway, my girlfriend has something akin to the Tov0lo and she loves it. I usually cover my plates with either a paper towel or another plate/bowl. For me, my favorite item is a “muddler” which I use to both muddle mint for my mojitos and for crushing ingredients when making guacamole.

    Cheers,
    Joe

    Reply
  3. That wounds incredibly useful for either tinned or reheating leftover soup – No need to precariously balance a piece of kitchen roll over the bowl that’s probably going to dunk into the soup when you lift it to stir.

    Reply
  4. Jamey: I have three of those at home. Not fancy collapsible ones, but they are treasued in the family. They are 20 something years old and when relatives moved we inhereited at least one of them.

    Sorry about spamming the comment above. This is what I get writing with my phone.

    Reply

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