Unitasker Wednesday: Onion ring holder

All Unitasker Wednesday posts are jokes — we don’t want you to buy these items, we want you to laugh at their ridiculousness. Enjoy!

It is rare that I am at a loss for words, but this week’s unitasker has changed that:

Thank you, reader Kimberly, for introducing me to what may be the most unitaskery unitasker of all time: the onion ring holder.

Posted by Erin on Oct 14, 2009 | Comments

60 comments posted

  1. Posted by Wendy - 10/14/2009

    A favorite restaurant of mine actually uses this.

  2. Posted by JC - 10/14/2009

    Does it come with a special plate to keep grease from staining the table linens?

    Aside from being spotlighted as this week’s unitasker, I am impressed that it appears to be well made, and is chrome finished stainless steel — not plastic.

  3. Posted by Sara - 10/14/2009

    This is how they serve the onion rings at Red Robin. It’s a fun presentation in a restaurant, and since you linked to it on a restaurant supply company website, I think that’s all it’s intended for.

  4. Posted by Dawn F. - 10/14/2009

    …maybe you could set it on a chest of drawers and display bracelets!

    …maybe you could put a half-used roll of paper towels on it in the kitchen!

    …maybe you could fill up the rod with donuts at breakfast time!

    J/K

    I like my onion rings in a basket – the old-fashioned way – from our favorite local burger joint!

  5. Posted by Michael - 10/14/2009

    Indeed, this is strictly a restaurant thing. If you offer real, homemade onion rings — rather than flash frozen in a bag — then why not show them off?

    The impulse to declutter is noble, but it shouldn’t be at the cost of your sense of style and/or humor…

  6. Posted by Angela - 10/14/2009

    Clearly it can double as a paper towel holder and then you could put salt and pepper in the side things. Great utility at a BBQ/smokehouse/rib restaurant.

  7. Posted by Jessica - 10/14/2009

    Can we just agree that many of the things restaurants would use would be a unitasker in our own homes? Pancake makers, onion ring holders, and so on.

  8. Posted by marie - 10/14/2009

    The Works in Ottawa uses this for their legendary onion rings appetizers and various house sauces. I agree that using this at home would be weird, but not for a restaurant.

  9. Posted by JM - 10/14/2009

    I agree with Jessica, Unitasker Wednesday isn’t funny or outrageous when you constantly post about items specifically geared towards the restaurant industry.

    What’s next, a cash register…because clearly it is an outlandish way to track transactions.

  10. Posted by Rue - 10/14/2009

    I have to agree with Jessica – many restaurant items (and kitchen items, I’ve found) are very unitaskery.

    That being said, I’d rather have my onion rings in a basket than on a rod, thanks. :) At least the basket has a paper liner and I don’t have to worry about whether or not that rod’s been washed…!

  11. Posted by Kathryn - 10/14/2009

    It holds not only the onions rings, but two…count ‘em, TWO!…dipping sauces. That makes it a tri-tasker in my book.

  12. Posted by Kari - 10/14/2009

    And when you aren’t using it for rings, it can hold a roll of paper towels!

  13. Posted by Lose That Girl - 10/14/2009

    Yep, I’ve been to a restaurant that had a Tower of Rings on the menu and this method is how they were served.

  14. Posted by Colin - 10/14/2009

    Not meant for home use. While it may be a unitasking device, many things like that are especially in the food service industry, it is still useful.

  15. Posted by Seth - 10/14/2009

    Usually I’m on board with Unitasker Wednesday, but picking things from a restaurant supply store just doesn’t make much sense unless it’s REALLY crazy. Work environments, by their nature, are filled with unitaskers, because people are doing the same tasks over and over again all day long.

  16. Posted by Soporte para servir aros de cebolla - 10/14/2009

    [...] en: Unclutterer. [...]

  17. Posted by Meg - 10/14/2009

    This one works really well when you’re at a restaurant. If you make lots of homemade onion rings at home, I could see the point even then. It sits nicely in the middle of the table, where everyone can grab them.

  18. Posted by Matt - 10/14/2009

    I agree with Jessica. Restaurants use unitaskers.

  19. Posted by Celeste - 10/14/2009

    Our Red Robin uses this. CON: The rings have to be giant and thick to hold up the weight. I like thinner ones in a basket, where you can choose the one you want. PRO: the item takes up less real estate on the table with its small footprint.

    A pancake maker might be a unitasker too, but I really want one and I’d also try to use it for dispensing muffin batter.

  20. Posted by Jessiejack - 10/14/2009

    I’m with Dawn F on this one–a great way to serve donuts!

  21. Posted by Sue - 10/14/2009

    What if I want one of the rings near the bottom?

  22. Posted by Bea - 10/14/2009

    Regardless of whether it’d used by restaurants or individuals, it’s still designed for a single function. It’s unlikely that Red Robin or any other restaurant is using this for anything besides serving onion rings in an inconvenient fashion. Personally, I’d be annoyed if my tasty onion rings showed up impaled like this. But I dunno,…maybe some people like it. :]

  23. Posted by Peter - 10/14/2009

    Get three and play onion towers of hanoi.

  24. Posted by Steve - 10/14/2009

    The Onion Rings Tower is one of my favorite things to order at Red Robin. I like that there’s no waste compared to serving onion rings in a paper-lined basket, as the holder and sauce dishes can be tossed right into a dishwasher. :)

    Definitely a ridiculous unitasker in the home though…

  25. Posted by Pat - 10/14/2009

    My vote goes to Peter for today’s best alternative use of a unitasker.

  26. Posted by Anita - 10/14/2009

    Agree with Jessica and others. Most specialized environments will have very specific one-use tools that the vast majority of people would never need/want in their homes. This does not make the tool laughable, just very targeted.

    I bet the restaurants that use this found it to be an innovative way to present their food, and something that makes them stand out from the competition. And guess what – it works, since so many people here can name the one restaurant in their region that uses this!

    Speaking of dining-related unitaskers, the most pointless common dining table item I know of is the napkin ring. I know people who ave 5 different sets of them, and my question is always: WHY, when there are so many ways of folding/displaying a napkin without the help of any other device?!

  27. Posted by Maega - 10/14/2009

    Now I’m really hungry for onion rings…

  28. Posted by Pammyfay - 10/14/2009

    Aw, c’mon, guys — you KNOW there are many people who’ve seen this at restaurants and are itching to get one for their own kitchen table! Just like they bought those “onion blossom” cutters for their Big Daddy deep-friers, two other things that once upon a time were restaurant-only.

    But Unitaskers don’t have to be just things meant for the home. Just like the photos seen on this website of great-looking work setups: not everybody’s environment is a desk for computer, pencils and filing cabinets. Expand your dictionaries! (And for this onion ring tower, funny is just FUNNY! Thanks, Kimberly and Erin)

  29. Posted by Stephanie - 10/14/2009

    I can understand why this would get good use at a restaurant, but I would still prefer my onion rings or other ring-shaped foods be served in a basket. I much prefer to eat my foods in the order I choose! I always save the best looking ones for last, y’know?

  30. Posted by Karyn - 10/14/2009

    When I saw the title on my RSS feed, I thought, “Ha! There’s a Unitasker no one will defend!” Just goes to show you there’s no such thing as a Unitasker no one will defend. :-P

    Even if it’s designed for restaurant use, it’s still stupid. ;-) And it’s still, as others have pointed out, a Unitasker. Why does it “make more sense” to use this to serve onion rings in a restaurant than it does to use it at home? It doesn’t, really–especially if you want your onion rings to stay warm while you’re eating them. I think they’d stay warmer piled in a basket, or on a plate.

    (For purposes of analysis, I’m ignoring the fact that I personally don’t like greasy deep-fried foods, and particularly don’t like greasy deep-fried onion rings.)

  31. Posted by sue - 10/14/2009

    Oooo, a bagel holder!

    Or stack cored apple slices!

    You could hang your plastic food bags –or “skins” from yesterday–on this to air dry!

    I like the bracelet idea–use the cups for tiny stud earrings.

  32. Posted by Anita - 10/14/2009

    Hmm… I seem to see a trend to Unitasker comments. There are those who read the articles, think about it, and post an opinion, and those who berate the former for overthinking it because “it’s just supposed to be funny.”

    To which I’m always tempted to respond: what’s so funny about it? Would a photo of a paper towel holder also be considered hilarious? Do you laugh at it because you’re told, in italics, that Unclutterer wants you to laugh at this?

    What I used to like about Unitasker posts was not just the ridiculousness of the products featured, but also Erin’s witty/sarcastic remarks about it. Often, when the “unitasker” itself didn’t seem funny to me at all, Erin’s commentary made me giggle, but recently even that’s gotten progressively sparse. In cases like this, I’m really at a loss for what I’m supposed to find funny; and when humour fails to reach me, and evidently others on this page, we turn to analysis. When two thirds of the commenters fail to see the funny, I don’t think it’s entirely our failing.

  33. Posted by Karen - 10/14/2009

    I would seriously buy this and use it for paper towels…if my husband weren’t anti-paper towels.

  34. Posted by Karen - 10/14/2009

    Wait a minute…the way the rod swirls at the bottom would make this useless as a paper towel holder. (Which is also, in a sense, a unitasker, so there ya go).

    I agree, it’s a restaurant thing. But there are a lot of catalogs with unitaskers in them, like the Lillian Price catalog that my parents used to get. I think posting restaurant-grade items is a bit of a cheat for a Unitasker Wednesday, but i’m willing to give Erin a pass because of the new baby and all. :)

  35. Posted by Karyn - 10/14/2009

    @Anita – Wait a minute: Are you saying that only people who *object* to the Unitaskers are “read[ing] the articles, think[ing] about it, and post[ing] an opinion”? I can only speak for myself, but I read, I thought, and I found it stupid and ridiculous, even for restaurant use.* :-P And frankly, I find a lot of the comments objecting to the various Unitaskers to be rather nitpicky and decidedly un-funny. It’s not a lack of thinking on my part or anyone else’s; it’s just a difference of point of view.

    *Yes, I realize some restaurants get specialized items for purposes of “presentation,” but… COME ON!! They’re ONION RINGS!!! This isn’t exactly five-star territory, eh.

  36. Posted by Nancy - 10/14/2009

    Whatever happened to Matt? Why isn’t he posting unitaskers anymore?

  37. Posted by WilliamB - 10/14/2009

    Hey, guys, cut the poor restaurant a break. They could remove the ball on the top, sharpen the end, and impale chicken strips on it, too.

    (Actually, I feel badly for the poor kitchen staff who have to stack the rings tidily and in size order. So much easier to put them higgledy-piggeldy in a basket. OTOH I imagine they get the rings that don’t fit, a perk I would enjoy.)

  38. Posted by STL Mom - 10/14/2009

    Has anyone watched “Kitchen Nightmares?” Gordon Ramsay does not have kind words for chefs who focus on goofy serving gadgets instead of tasty food. One restauranteur served kebabs hanging from big wire stands (think of the onion spike upside-down and swinging) which Gordon referred to as “donkey dongs.”
    I’m with Chef Ramsay on this one. Unitasker!

  39. Posted by Karen - 10/14/2009

    From a restaurant perspective, this is brilliant! These increase profits in a very inconspicuous way. They reduce the footprint of the food item, thus allowing more food to fit on the table and/or smaller tables to be used for the same amount of food. Also, onion rings cool much faster on this, so people will unconsciously eat them faster. The faster patrons eat, the more money the restaurant makes. Serving anything in a fun new way will also get people to eat faster.

    Re: napkin rings, they traditionally were napkin markers. Each one of a set was slightly different. Family members or house guests placed their used napkin in their ring at the end of the meal. At the next meal, they could be certain they were getting their own napkin. Using a fresh napkin for each person at each meal, especially before washing machines, would have been a laundry nightmare.

  40. Posted by L. - 10/14/2009

    I’m impressed with how many people are willing to defend this thing. I love (!) my onion rings, and I like them (1) hot, and (2) crispy. This monstrosity would just cool them off as fast as possible. Ick.

  41. Posted by Gabe - 10/15/2009

    Opinion following:
    Those should be renamed onion wheels – LOL.
    While they are indeed ring shaped and made of onion… Thick slabs of fried onion are just not appealing.
    Onion rings are best when sliced as thin as possible and coated with a thin batter that will fry up light and flaky.

    Been to Red Robin… not impressed… it’s like a burger-oriented Applebee’s…

  42. Posted by Scott - 10/15/2009

    Agreed that it’s too easy to grab stuff meant for an industry. Wait until you see this in Target…then post it.

    @Bea: impaled? Um, onion rings already have a hole in them…no need to impale them…they fit nicely over the rod…

    And I have to agree I like my onion rings in a basket, sometimes. Other times, I like the presentation here. Not EVERY restaurant has to present their food like a greasy spoon. And no trash paper results from this presentation either.

    But yes, IF this was being marketed to individual consumers…it would classify for a unitasker.

    Maybe Unitasker Wednesday doesn’t have to be an EVERY Wednesday thing…

  43. Posted by H.Mann - 10/15/2009

    @ Erin,

    Items intended to be used as: toys, art, specialty novelty items, commercial/industrial use, etc… Stop using these for Unitasker Wednesdays.

    Read the comments – the majority of your readers have common sense and agree every week – the things you pick on are ill chosen. Drop Unitasker Wednesdays or find some genuinely ridiculous items. You are losing credibility as a perceptive person.

  44. Posted by Bea - 10/15/2009

    @Scott: Impaled can also mean to render the subject helpless as if by impaling or piercing through. Those rings look pretty helpless to me! :D

    I enjoy Unitasker Wednesdays, and have never (to my memory) seen one that was not in fact a Unitasker. Yeh, the degree of their Unitaskeryness varies, but the point is always the same. Even if it’s something as arguable as this onion ring holder, it’s still a lighthearted reminder to maintain perspective on products and their uses. We can’t have SnackDaddy’s and Spin the Bottle games every week.

    On that note, maybe it’s a good sign that Erin is running out of easy to find ridiculous products. Maybe there’s just fewer of them, and that can’t be bad. Or maybe readers should help out and contribute more. We’re all here because we love this site. Consider being constructive rather than derisive. :]

  45. Posted by Karyn - 10/15/2009

    Just because something is targeted for restaurant use or some other “specialty” focus doesn’t make it any less a Unitasker. ;-) Why do people think that restaurant clutter is any more acceptable than residential clutter???

    Erin: Please DO NOT listen to the naysayers. I’ve been afraid that the negative, fartly comments from the disparagers of your chosen Unitaskers will discourage you from posting future Unitasker entries. Please don’t let that happen!

    I’m not being a sycophant, here; I genuinely enjoy Unitasker Wednesdays. Some of them make me laugh more than others, but they’re all in good fun. If people don’t like these posts, I’d rather they just skip over them and focus on the posts they do find relevant–just as I, and others, skim over the uncluttering tips that don’t apply to our own lives.

    LONG LIVE UNITASKER WEDNESDAYS!!!

  46. Posted by Erin Doland - 10/15/2009

    @H.Mann — I don’t care if anyone agrees with me or not, this is funny to ME! Can you imagine going into someone’s house and having them serve you onion rings on this?? Riotous. I would start laughing, have the hostess pose with me in pictures with it, and probably make up songs about it and serenade the guests. If you don’t see how funny this is, I don’t know what to tell you. I don’t think I’m the one who has lost her perspective. Unitasker Wednesday columns are about having fun and enjoying the more humorous side of organizing and uncluttering — there aren’t “rules” about what is funny and what isn’t. Things are just funny.

    I’ve often thought about renaming the Unitasker Wednesday column “Sh*t That Makes Me Laugh” … but since I try to keep this a family-safe blog, I likely won’t change it.

  47. Posted by Gabe - 10/15/2009

    Ditto @ Karyn’s last post

    LONG LIVE UNITASKER WEDNESDAYS!!!

  48. Posted by Nat - 10/15/2009

    Guess I’m in the minority. I still think this is a unitasker if a restaurant served this up to me instead of on a basket or a plate. Plus, IMHO, I think the presentation is ugly. I love eating onion rings, but I would never call a stack of brown fried food great design. However, in fairness, I guess you could put donuts on it instead and then it would have to be a multitasker.

  49. Posted by Bella - 10/15/2009

    My opinion on whether or not it was a good unitasker choice aside, I’ve been CRAVING onion rings for two days now!! It wouldn’t hurt me to resist an impulse every once and a while, but this has been excruciating for me! Let’s not even get started with the donuts… Thanks Uncluttered! :)

  50. Posted by zig - 10/15/2009

    I just showed the picture of this thing to my dh and he said “Uh, why would you buy that thing??”. So I guess he thinks that this thing is a total waste to.

    Zig

  51. Posted by Maura - 10/15/2009

    Again with the donuts — (or even bagels, as one suggested)… Unless all of the donuts were the same variety, I would NOT use this to serve donuts.

    I’d like the chocolate coated one, second from the bottom, please.

    Ah – no.

  52. Posted by JM - 10/16/2009

    “I don’t care if anyone agrees with me or not, this is funny to ME! Can you imagine going into someone’s house and having them serve you onion rings on this?? Riotous. I would start laughing, have the hostess pose with me in pictures with it, and probably make up songs about it and serenade the guests. If you don’t see how funny this is, I don’t know what to tell you.”

    @Erin,
    I think you are missing the point some people are trying to make here. The point being that no one is probably going to buy this for their house because it is designed for the restaurant, hotel, and buffet industry (the web site even says so). I mean, the company is called “Dine Art”. Obviously something might appear funny if it was put in an environment it wasn’t designed for. Pizza ovens with conveyor belts make sense for pizza joints, but would obviously seem strange in a residential kitchen. Single purpose items abound in the restaurant industry, but they make sense for presentation, space saving measures, or because they are making a TON of one item.

    The onion ring holder is not funny, hardly outlandish and definitely not “Riotous”.

  53. Posted by Erin Doland - 10/16/2009

    @JM — As I’ve said before, there are no “rules” to Unitasker Wednesday. No checklists. No guidelines. No creeds and no laws. It’s just clutter that we find funny. That’s it. We don’t care who manufactured it or why. We don’t even care if we own the items. It’s just for fun.

  54. Posted by Marie - 10/18/2009

    This could also be a receipt holder for someone with a serious shopping problem. :p

  55. Posted by Tabatha - 10/18/2009

    i think this item is riotous, the first thing that came to mind when i saw it, was that it was ridiculous and funny, even for a restaurant. i think people are letting these posts bother them a bit to much. like someone else suggested, just skim over it if you don’t like it.

  56. Posted by Linda - 10/19/2009

    it holds onion rings, ketchup AND mustard?
    No really.. this is a must-have! ;)

    greetings from the netherlands!

  57. Posted by Lorne - 10/19/2009

    You could use three of them to play Towers of Hanoi.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_Hanoi

  58. Posted by Amy - 10/20/2009

    This IS a unitasker even in a restaurant, and, HELLO… I would like my food faster and would rather not think that my order is being held up by the cook having to stack 15 orders of onion rings. I’d love to hear the opinion of a busy fry cook!

  59. Posted by Dale - 10/25/2009

    I hate to say, only because I hate a unitasker about the same as most of the people that view Unitasker Wednesday, but with the right salt & pepper shakers or condiment bottles, couldn’t this item also be used as a tabletop paper towel dispenser with convenient condiment or s&p holder?

    At a last min glance, maybe it could be used as one of those ground stakes to keep your dog on a leash. I’d only suggest this use if you own a teacup dog of sorts. You could even put a tiny snack sized amount of food and a “sippy” of water in the ramekin holders on the side, perfect for that dog with the owner on the go.

  60. Posted by Ring Holder - 02/03/2010

    It’s creative way to serve onion ring at the restaurant. It can be used to serve donut.

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