Testing Kitchen Gadgets from WISH | Clever or Never Ann Reardon 

I got your cook book for Christmas! I’ve made your chocolate cake a couple of times and your churros. The cake is the best ever, my mum is continually asking me to make it again. Thank you for making a cookbook full of such wonderful recipes 😁💖

I'm imagining Dave hearing a knock at the door, opening it for dinner, and finding boiled potatoes, melted cheese, scrambled doughnuts, and the grape leaf rolls.

Good job Matt! :) Congrats on Uni x

Here in Brazil the bakers use the pump from the first gadget a lot, not for coloring the cake but for applying a thin layer of edible glitter, it makes the cake glown in a really soft way, perfect for weddings or maybe a 15 year old party

For the cheese melter: Raclette is popular winter dish in Switzerland and the French alps, and you can buy dedicated electric heaters/machines that go on your table top. But virtually all of them are designed for 6-8 people. So the candle based melter is great for a small household of two and in my experience keeps up nicely with the demand of two people having a nice dinner. Ours uses four candles instead of tree and with proper raclette cheese, that is always cut thinner, it takes significantly less time (~5 minutes). So a definite clever from me, having used it plenty of times:) P.S: Gruyère is also great for eating as is! It's just a great cheese all-round.

Glad to hear that Dave is doing fine... He's such an amazing person.. His sarcasm and your sweet giggles😀😀But Matt really filled in for Dave... It was a surprise to see him appear... And yes, we would like to see him in more videos😊Have a great day!

Hey ! As a French girl, raclette is divine ! The device could have melted it faster than gruyère ( not that fast though ) because the cheese is meant to melt quick and is sliced thinner - In France and in Switzerland it is an extremely popular winter dish, the cheese is melted and then put on top of boiled potatoes with a side of charcuterie 🥰

Matt most definitely has his dad's sense of humor! The last doughnut maker would be great for making funnel cakes.

This was so fun to watch. As a smoker I LOVE his “I don’t smoke” hoodie. Keep those lungs healthy Matt! And congratulations on getting into university. 🎊

My mom, who’s a cake artist, uses this “spraying thing” to make galaxy and tie dye cakes. It makes a big mess, but the results are really pretty tho :)

As European, hearing that Raclette (cheese) is not popular in Australia just blows my mind! It's also a dish (I think from Switzerland) where you just melt the cheese and eat it with veggies and potatoes etc. It is also super popular in Germany during Christmas and New Year's Eve! Also I hope Dave is getting better and that you can all leave quarantine soon!

The Potato Express works great as long as you wet the potatoes first; it works by steaming them. I have a kid who asks for fresh mashed potatoes every day, and the Potato Express has been a life saver! It does take some time to figure out the exact right ratio of number of potatoes to amount of water to minutes in the microwave, but once you learn that, yes, you can get perfect baked potatoes in minutes with that thing. Congrats on getting into Uni, Matt! Hope you'll get a chance to be in more videos!

The failed doughnut maker turned out to be a "bolinho de chuva" maker. It's a Brazilian desert and it literally that, a sweet batter deep fried and sometimes rolled into a mix of sugar and cinnamon 😋

I've laughed a bit by seeing you try on the cheese melting one ^^ It's a raclette device ! Raclette is a verry comon festive meal here in France, It is originated from Switzerland, and does require special cheese, which has the funny feature of being WAY tastyer melted than it is "fresh", and melt faster than gruyère (wich makes it easyer to make a whole meal out of it without starving midways). We enjoy it with poatoes and deli meat on festive occasions and we do put that much cheese on something and do so repeatedly (we're all mad here). Traditionally, we used to cut the whole cheese in half and suspend it sideways to the chimney fire or a gaz burner, then scrape big chunks of melted cheese directly on our plate of potatoes and deli meat. That's where the name comes from : "Racler" meating scrapping, so "Raclette" means "scrappy time" (No I coudn't say that out loud with a straight face). Today, electric raclette device are the more popular. They consist on a little oven you put on the center of the table where everyone puts its little pan of cheese to melt. The top of the device also makes for a nice plancha you can cook your deli meat on (It is one of te most decadent meal we enjoy here, and yet, we only enjoy it during the winter xD) But you also find little one person devices, electric or with candles, like the one you bought :) Hope you'll get to enjoy a nice raclette sometime, even tough I think getting your hand on raclette cheese will be an issue in Autrailia ...

Congrats on getting into uni! Traditionally, raclette is a whole thing in Switzerland; it's mostly a winter staple and you'd probably only make guests/tourists eat it in summer :). You have either a large chunk of cheese (like the whole round thing) and the top part gets melted off and scraped onto somebody's potatoes or you have a little table top grill that has cheese melting shovels on the bottom for 6-8 people and a grill for veggies and meat (bacon) on top. It's eaten with a variety of pickles and white wine. It's meant to be a dinner option that is filling, made from stuff that keeps in winter. The whole thing is that it's supposed to be cosy and social and can take a while. So you sit around and enjoy the heat and meltiness with some tiny potatoes and some pepper-nutmeg spice on top of the cheese. Gruyere also makes a good fondue, by the way :) Another heavy winter Swiss dish.

Omg I just realised raclette isn’t known everywhere in the world!!! In France it’s like a family winter dish, I knew I recognised the 1 person raclette machine haha. You should definitely try to cook it one time (with a real raclette machine and good raclette cheese), raclette with mashed potatoes, pickles and charcuterie! Really nice

Happy to “meet” Matt! This was a cute episode, I’d definitely watch more with you both. :)

That first one would be good for making a pretty multi-coloured splatter pattern on the cake. Not something you'd need particularly often, but I think it would work nicely.

Glad Dave is doing well. Congrats to Matt! About raclette, usually the piece of cheese you put on there is about a third the thickness of the slice that you put on there. It takes 2-5 minutes to melt the cheese. This device is used if you are eating racelette on your own. If you're more people, you have an electric raclette oven. 😉

I think number 1 could work if you did it like you paint a galaxy: first add navy blue to the coat and then lighter colours to make galaxy-like patterns (something like Milky Way seen from Earth) :)

Glad to hear Dave's doing well! The isolation stinks, I hope he made it through with sanity intact. I can REALLY see Dave in Matt's expressions at the camera as you try to figure out Gadget 5.

The third gadget is actually not really a gadget, but a very popular "dish" in Germany and Swiss called "Raclette" (and probably other parts of europe). We just use an electric one instead of candles and usually we cut the chesse thinner than you did, so it won't take as long. Every family kind of has different ways to eat it, some even with meat or fruits and so on. Really can recommend it and that gadget looks pretty good actually! Edit: just wanted to make clear, that Raclette is originally from Switzerland. But from what I know it is somewhat different in Germany.

The round little fried blobs look a lot like Dutch "oliebollen". It directly translates to oil balls. Usually topped with powered sugar and/or with raisins inside this little dessert is usually eaten around New year's Eve. Starting from October all the way to January, you can find little stalls freshly baking and selling them all around our little flat country. They aren't the most healthy, but really are tasty in the cold seasons!

For the donut gadget, my folks have one of those and we've used it for our yearly Christmas donuts as long as I can remember - I think it needs a slightly thicker batter than what you used (we have a family recipe that's perfect for it) but it can definitely make good round donuts with practice... and occasionally blobs lol

So glad to hear that Dave is doing well and congratulations to Matt for getting into Uni! My son is in his last semester (becoming a teacher) and has really enjoyed his time there even though he had 2 years of fully remote learning. I admit having him at home with us was an unexpected joy. He was a wonderful housemate during the depths of being stuck at home.

Congratulations, Matt! To those of us who've watched your boys practically grow up online,, Ann, his acceptance to university comes as great news! And what fun to have him sub for Dave in a "Clever or Never." Terrific video, as always. Thanks!

Congratulations on your acceptance into uni Matt!! That's magnificent and so are you kiddo! You should be immensely proud of yourself for you've accomplished a remarkable feat which is just the first of many to come! Also good on you, Ann and Dave, for modeling such responsible and self sufficient behavior for your son! It's incredibly reassuring to know there are still parents on this platform who: raise their children to be decent human beings, steer them in good purposeful directions, and don't use exploitative practices for the main purpose of monetary gain! *Rock on Reardon fam!and get well soon Dave!*

The sheer JOY on Ann's face when the roller worked was so wonderful. : D

This was so cute! Its super refreshing seeing a teenage boy just try some funky gadgets with his mom. I was worried he was gonna try to be all "ugh mom" about it but he seemed to have such a good time! This was just so wholesome and a perfect break from the chaos in our world today.

I love how all us Europeans are just mind blown that not everyone knows raclette. Also the quick donut thing kinda looks like what's called 'oliebollen' in dutch, or 'smoutebollen' depending where you're from. I have never made them myself and have no idea how these ones taste, but they look pretty similar *edit: I learned that raclette isn't so much a European thing as it is a Switzerland-Germany-France-Belgium-Netherlands-and probably other countries I forgot- thing, in contrary to what I originally thought. That is something else I can now be mindblown over... Nevertheless, for those who ever have the chance to try it, you should, it's really good!

Congrats Matt! Also, I think the first one, the spraying on the cake, could be useful for some effects. I'm thinking on getting it, I really liked how it looked

2:22 TBH I would not buy that from Ali as well … for the same reasons I wouldn't buy them from Wish.

Matt did an excellent job as a stand-in Dave! I'd love to see more segments with him, he's very natural on camera. 🙂

I would love for Matt to come back and see y’all test things he would use at college (uni)! Space savers, microwave cookers, recipes! I feel like y’all could have so much fun!

Just in case you haven't found out, Raclette is an entire food experience, hence being slow. You are meant to have many other title bits and pieces on the table, potatoes, meats, sausages, and everyone grills what they feel like eating and dips it into the melted cheese. It's beautiful.

0:47 CONGRATS!

Raclette is much softer than gruyère! Raclette parties are a big thing here in the alps, over potatoes and charcuterie. Also electric raclette machines are much easier than one with candles 😅

New Anne Reardon delicacy: AL DENTE POTATOES!! Can’t wait for that one in the next cook book!

I love how they basically turned the donut maker into a funnel cake maker especially when they used the thinner batter.

Congratulations Matt! Missed you Dave, glad you're getting better. Ann, you definitely have the BEST channel! Love when a new video from you pops up.

Love Matt’s energy, he’s so positive and calming. Would defiantly like him to join you for more videos

Hi ;) I'm from Switzerland and we use Gadget 3 a lot. On New Year's Eve I was at my friends house and each of us had their own little Raclette pan with tea lights, they work really well. So Raclette is a traditional Swiss (and German?) dish and it's really good! Takes a while to digest if you're not used to it and I personally only have Raclette 2-3 times a year. There are different ways of melting the cheese (half a cheese wheel, electric raclette-oven, or the candles) some people eat it with bread, but usually we eat it with steamed potatoes with some pearl onions and pickles. But every family and region have their own traditions around it, some add meat and veggies, a salad, etc. Some people have Gadget 3 at home, because if they eat it alone having an electric raclette-oven with 4-8 inserts is a waste of energy (and space). But I think nowadays Raclette is also a very social meal and we usually eat it with a group of friends/family. When eating Raclette there's no rush. While you're eating your first portion, you already have your second slice of cheese warming up in the pan and usually it's just about ready when you've finished your first serving (sometimes earlier), so time isn't usually an issue. From personal experiance with Gadget 3 your cheese took way too long to melt. I think it could be due to four things: a) you got the wrong cheese, I have never used Gruyère for Raclette b) you cut the slice too thick, in my experience Raclette-cheese is thinner c) the first cheese is always the slowest because the pan needs to warm up a little first d) the item is form wish and the quality might be questionable, leading to reduced heat conduction maybe it's not a single reason but a combination of a few ;) Just a little background ;) I really enjoyed your first video of the year and hope I can learn a lot more from you throughout 2022!

i love when they did the gadget for the pancake donut dispenser thing, the way Ann looked at matt -///- it was filled with so much love my heart melted like the cheese

Love Dave but I'd like to see more of Matt too! Just love the family dynamic. You can really feel the love and it makes me all warm and tingly. 😊

7:27 his face and the sound Matt made is so identical to Dave and it’s hysterical.

Ann's face when she sees the first dolmade is just priceless! Love seeing her and Matt race to make them haha. I would have to say that the cheese dish thing was interesting... I wonder if you could use that pan over a stove at low heat rather than using candles? The BLANKET OF CHEESE looked delicious!

In Turkey, it’s said the thinner the dolmades, the more skilled the cook 😄 When you fill them, they tend to burst open and not hold the shape as well. When you roll them tight and thin, nothing can unwrap them, so if you’re eating them as a hot dish and you want to cut and cool them, they won’t fall apart!

This is so bloody cute! You two obviously have so much love for eachother and watching you just hang out and joke whilst doing this was too wholesome! Congrats on Uni Matt!

I missed Dave, but having Matt there was really fun! He should definitely be in more videos. Congrats to him for getting into Uni!

That first gadget made me think of a space themed cake... Spray with one colour, then another, and another, to give a space/nightsky coloured cake, and make some pop-cake planets to stick ontop. Also congrats Matt on getting into uni.

He did a wonderful job helping with this video and getting into university! You have done a wonderful job as a mother, you have every right to feel proud of him. Your hubby too, you're both remarkable people. I'm glad you are all ok. The loving bond your family has is so rare and is lovely to see, so watching the interplay between you whilst learning is something I think we all enjoy.

Dolmades! I hope my grapevine manages to grow because it would be lovely to have the leaves, even if the grapes don't grow. Do they have to be picked in spring/summer or can you eat them whenever and they just taste best then? Lovely to see you, Matt! If you wanna be in more videos I'd love to watch them. Congrats on uni!

Glad to hear Dave is doing fine after covid, sorry to hear he was ill. Huge congrats to Matt on getting accepted to Uni and doing a smashing co-host job on this episode. 👏

What a treat to watch you and Matt working together. The joy in your faces was heartwarming.

Ann's reaction to for very first dolmade was adorable

I love seeing Ann doing videos with her kids, it’s just so cute seeing the family together

As someone who has had proper Raclette cheese, I'd definitely agree that Gruyere is a reasonably close approximation. Worth saying that using fire is the traditional method for the dish 'raclette', modern versions use electric ovens, which is easy.

Thank you for your service. Some thoughts: 1. The first one *could* have been a clever if the pump action charged up the bottle (or a reservoir) and a separate trigger released the colouring. That way, you could have a constant air pressure for more even spraying. 2. The donut dropper was assembled incorrectly. The end of the plunger is supposed to be on the *outside* so that you press it down and THEN the batter comes out the bottom and pours over the lip in a torus. They are quite clever and work *very* well, actually; you can use a thin batter--that will flow in to fill the hole--for pancakes/crepes and a thick one for donuts. (Proper ones, with the hole in the middle. It all comes down to having the proper batter and technique.) Cheers!

Doughnut blob maker is a hush puppy maker. Been around for literally decades. Hush puppies are usually made with corn meal batter and served with fried seafood in the US south.

I kinda like the first gadget because the kids I babysit love paintball and paint balloon fights, so they would have a blast making a cake that looks like it's been spray-painted. I would just use a bunch of different colors. But, I can totally see it being for more niche uses and not exactly something people would need as a kitchen essential.

Hi Anne! Congrats to Matt in getting to Uni!! Re. Gadget Nr 3: here in Switzerland we have electrical Raclette thingies... it's one of our national dishes (notice the cut-out Swiss crosses on the side of your gadget). The small version with the candles is the "portable" one, or if you want to have some raclette on your own as opposed as 4+ people that the appliance is for. You put a thinner slice of cheese, about 5mm. and you mash the potatoes lightly with a fork before you slide the melted cheese. The raclette appliance has a small grill on the top, where you can grill onion or mushroom slices, and even bacon, to top your cheese with. If you ever get your hands on some Swiss Raclette Cheese, I recommend you give it another go ;-)

The cheese melter looks like something that can be used when the electricity is troublesome or possibly out on a trip, considering how small it is. Candles can get pretty hot, so if it protects them from the elements and depending on the distance of the metal from them it might actually have its use there

Well done Matt. Great job filling in for Dave and congratulations on Uni. Such a relief to hear Dave is doing ok and hope you all will be too. I think the doughnut maker would work for doughnuts without holes like Oliebollen, a Dutch doughnut like delight or, bomboloni, an Italian doughnut filled with pastry creme. I think l would prefer to use a metal one though, or a couple of spoons. Apart from the dolmades roller l agree that the rest were nevers.

Very fun to watch! I think the first one has it's use if you want to make i.e. a galaxy pattern on the cake or something, but definitively not to cover the entire cake in an even coat. With number two I would be seriously worried about it actually being food safe.

I think Gadget 1 might be "clever" only in specific situations. Eg. For horror themes or prank cakes - Use different shades to make the cake look mouldy / mossy or red as blood splatter; for psychedelic effect - use multi rainbow colors; etc. But yeah - agree - its generally not useful.

I'm happy that leaf rolls are recognised everywhere! Here in the Balkan and Turkey we call them Sarma and they can be made with many kinds of leaves and are super tasty!

I'd love to see more of Matt in your videos. I'm glad that Dave is doing well. Much like my siblings to their dismay were locked up with covid as well around the same time crazy enough. I hope your family takes care and stays healthy in these times ❤️

3:18 *Me whos been eating potatoes raw since i was little:* 0-0

Raclette cheese is amazing! My aunt has a raclette machine with the frying surface on top and the little trays you put the charcuterie and cheese in and you then tip that onto some nice bread and I'm hungry now just thinking about it Edit: To be clear, it's a proper machine with a heating element to sit in the middle of the table. Three small candles is no way going to compare!

12:08 - Matt’s little nod here is Dave all over! Matt, just like his brother, is a delight. I’m no mother but even I can see how well you’ve brought them both up 😊

Congrats on Uni, Matt! Ann, love seeing all of you from time to time! You're family is so fun and charming!

Congrats on getting into uni Matt! This was such a fun video, I love how the last gadget was like a special one to match with your son’s unique skillset. Thanks how to cook that family!

OMG look how much Matt has grown up! He's giant! Congrats on uni and I would love to see him in more videos! Maybe some videos teaching young adult cooking/ kitchen/ safety/ shopping skills. Also wishing a speedy recovery to Dave.

The cheese melter makes a fine addition to a cheese platter. Having a selection of hot cheeses for dipping (Gruyère, Camembert, etc) slowly melting during a small get together would be pretty neat!

I have one of the grape leaf gadget and I love it! It does take some playing with to get just right but it is wonderful when you get the hang of it.

Wow... that dolmades maker is amazing. I've made them with my hands... it's not extremely difficult, but it takes some effort. So it's definitely a clever. Congrats to Mark, and we hope to see more of him.

I’m glad that Dave is fine and not seriously ill. Hopefully you can go to the shops again soon. And Matt was great. He can be in as many videos as he likes and has time for with his rigorous uni schedule. Cheers

The round glob pancakedonuts look exactly like traditional "oliebollen" that we eat on New Years in the Netherlands :) May actually be very handy for that. Get well soon for Dave and well done for getting into uni Mat!!

I love that Ann doesn't have misleading thumbnails, yet she also gets her audience interested in the video.

Hope Dave is feeling much better. Can't get over how much Matt looks like both of you!

As a former "victim" of kitchen gadgets that really didn't work well, or did work but were too much trouble, I'm actually impressed with the dolma maker.

Wishing Dave a speedy recovery, and congrats to Matt. That grape leaf roll device was pretty interesting. Around here both this leaf and the cabbage roll version are very popular dishes, especially around holidays - so, it would definitely get used a lot and save time in the kitchen.

I got in to uni as well this year it’s such a relief when you get in. Congratulations to you mat and I hope you do well in what ever uni you choose to go in 😊

I love the vibes of your vids so much. It’s so funny but gentle and just aaaa thank you

Definitely want to see more of Matt, he was so fun! Get well soon, Dave!

At 7:26 you can REALLY see that's Dave's son xD He really went for the same face we love in these Clever or Never videos. Congrats in getting on Uni, Matt. And thanks Anne for bringing us more videos :D

Raclette cheese is a whole thing that I'd never heard of until I was invited to a raclette cheese party and there is a special griddle for the cheese and everyone puts there chunk of cheese on it and when it's done to your liking, you put it on a potato and there are pickles and other things to garnish it with as well. It was quite delicious.

good luck at uni matt! your family is always welcome on the show, we love to see them!

Hey Anne, I want to congratulate Matt on getting into Uni! And I want to also give you a quick tip on making the dolma/grape leaves even yummier when cooking them. My mom adds olive oil, lemon juice and pomegranate molasses which makes them taste extra special and zingy! 🥰

As a scandinavian, the Australian restrictions (especially the phonecall) sounds like something out of a horror movie. Wishing Dave a fast recovery!

I have the vine-leaves roller and it is perfect, I love it

Congratulations Matt! 🥳 I hope Dave is all better now. I love your videos, thank you for sharing. ❤️☺️

Matt is such a vibe! I’d love to see him on the channel more- he radiates an energy that I live for XD

Gruyere, while generally amazing for all types of cheese dishes, is well suited as a table cheese as well. I've eaten it cold so much as a child, when visiting family in switzerland. definitely in my top 5 of snack cheeses.

This was a fantastic video! Loved seeing Matt. Congrats on getting into Uni! Would love to see more videos with you!

I actually have a few different potato bags from various craft shows. They look thicker than the one you had, but they work great! Also, they are amazing for other veggies like fresh corn on the cob!

I've used something like the donut dropper thing before in a professional kitchen and they do work but the consistency of the batter has to be exactly right. There's no margin for error.

Matt is really cool, you can tell he’s a thinker and very intelligent! Congrats to him on uni, definitely have him on more :) All the best to Dave too!

The music on each challenge was PERFECT Ann! How do you find songs with just the right lyrics every time??

You guys are all so adorable 😭 all you guys are just a delight, so wholesome and fun the lot of you