Six of the best gadgets and gizmos on a theme. This week: Six top gadgets for better chips.
By Peter Jenkinson
To keep up-to-date with all the National Chip Week celebrations, follow @thepotatogirls or #chipweek on Twitter
Chips away
Andrew James Potato Chipper - £14.90 from amazon.co.uk
Don't put your digits and patience through the pain of carving each chip, let this marvellous machine do all the hard work for you. Complete with an uber-sharp 36-hole cutter for standard 'gran' style chips or a 64-hole one for more slender fries, all you need to do is slide and glide.
Small fry
Tefal Actifry Mini - £169.95 from johnlewis.com
Released to much fanfare, the original Actifry fundamentally changed the perception of frying, using just a spoonful of oil to create a whole dish of chips. This new mini version is more compact, so the 'whole dish' is a little less whole, but it can still create your tasty treat quicker (and healthier) than ever - an impressive 20 minutes.
Peely perfect
Cook Potato Peeler - £29.99 from amazon.co.uk
It's hard to place enough emphasis on how much difference a good potato peeler can make to your daily life. Here is a case in point. Place your potatoes inside the drum along with a little bit of water, switch on and wait a few minutes. A stainless steel blade inside sets to work, relieving you of possibly the most monotonous task known to man.
Party time
Fish & Chip Party Stand - £13.95 from luckandluck.co.uk (Available from mid-March)
Create a very British gathering at home with this traditional stall. You get the stand, a dozen newspaper print chip cones, a sign (to show your prices, of course) and stickers to personalise it all - simple seaside fun, with the added bonus of still being inside in the warm.
Taste twist
Bacon Salt - £4.99 from firebox.com
Seasoning is, by definition, never meant to be bland. But this humble herb jar contains something to take 'not bland' to a whole new level. Yes, it's bacon flavoured salt. The genius invention comes from America, and they also have jalapeno and cheddar variants to make your chips taste unique (or strange, depending on your view).
Old school updated
Kozoil Peeler - £8.50 from kozoil-shop.co.uk
The ultimate kitchen helper, this quirky peeler comes complete with a smile - and the ability to stand up when not in use. They also have a ceramic blade and so won't go all nasty looking after a few turns in the washing up. Sleek, simple and sharp.
App of the week
Linkee App - free on iTunes and Google Play
Designed to put your lateral thinking to the test; each level features four questions, and the objective is to work out the Link between the answers. For example, if the answers were 'Mercury', 'Pluto', 'Earth', and 'Venus', the Linkee would be 'planets'. Don't worry (or do...), the questions do become more challenging as you progress.
Top 10 paid for apps for Android phones
1. The Chase
2. Plants vs Zombies
3. Minecraft - Pocket Edition
4. Snail Bob
5. Angry Birds
6. Cut the Rope
7. Garfield Kart
8. Fruit Ninja
9. Birds of Britain
10. Candy Quest - Match 3 Candy Game
Top 10 free apps for Android phones
1. Flappy Wings
2. iBeer HD
3. Candy Crush Saga
4. Run
5. BBC iPlayer
6. BBC Media Player
7. Apple Shooter
8. Netflix
9. Dumb Ways to Die
10. BBC Weather
(Both charts courtesy of Appstore on amazon.co.uk)
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