Not Another Kitchen Gadget!

What is it about kitchen gadgets and gizmos? There's always just one more that I 'need' in my culinary toolkit. As many times as I've said 'no more' I've eventually broken down and made that extra purchase. And I use all of them, truly I do. Okay, perhaps I do use some more than others. Some have been used once or twice, with full intentions of incorporating them into my regular repertoire.

As someone who is generally cautious of consumerism and the way clever marketers create needs we never knew we had, I think it might be time to drag this gadget thing out into the light.

Drawing from my long experience with crafting, which predates my time in the kitchen by a decade or so, having the right tool for the job makes a huge difference. Sure, you can make do in a pinch with the wrong type of needle but its usually more awkward, takes longer and often gives a lower quality finish to the work. I could cut patches for a quilt the old fashioned way with scissors but having experienced the ease and accuracy of a rotary cutter, why would I choose to? Sometimes not having the right tool can make me put off doing the task altogether.

In my kitchen, I've gradually built up a collection. The drawers are full, the cupboards are full. There's an overflow into the dining room. I really don't have room for more. Today I bought a manual meat mincer and an electric spice/coffee grinder from Aldi. Electrical appliances are the purchases I weigh carefully in my mind. So many of them are single use only. Rice cookers, ice cream makers, popcorn poppers, crepe and pie makers. The single use ones don't interest me at all. They take up a lot of room for one thing. My electrical appliances that I use all the time in cooking (I'm not counting the kettle and the toaster) are my banquet frypan, crockpot and breadmaker. The sandwich press is popular with hubby and kids and I occasionally use the electric steamer but not as much as I used to. The stick mixer is great for smoothies and purees and has a chopping attachment and I have a hand held cake mixer which I don't use often. Oh, and there's a coffee percolator. I broke the jug and need to op-shop for a replacement.

You would think that would be plenty but I can't make hummus without a food processor. The little chopperI have just doesn't break down the chickpeas. I'm hopeless with pastry and I think a food processor would be just the ticket. I periodically dream about a dehydrator but in reality, I don't think I would use it all that much so I'll continue resisting that one.

I admit, the meat mincer was an impulse buy. I went for the coffee/spice grinder (to grind the beans when I eventually replace the broken percolator jug!). The meat mincer was so...shiny, so.... kind of rustic looking. As if owning it would indicate that this kitchen belongs to a serious cook. Not an ideal reason, is it? But it will be such fun to make sausages! Perhaps we'll use it for homeschool home ec!

On my list of failures/dislikes/waste-of-space-and-money devices in the kitchen are the battery operated milk frother from Avon- it just doesn't work; the Tupperware 'olive spoon' with the prongs that broke off; dozens of cheap can openers until I found a mid-priced one that still works 3 years later and garlic press after garlic press that wastes half the clove.

On my recent favourites list are my thrifted cast iron frypans. L-O-V-E. They cook beautifully with a nice even heat. At the time I bought them I didn't know anything about seasoning them but it has happened naturally over time and they now clean very easily. My MIL and I share her large stockpot- it lives at my place most of the time. I use that for making stock and some soups. A set of stacking glass mixing bowls with lids that I picked up two doors down at a garage sale is coming in very handy for food prep and storage. Eventually I'd like to replace all of my plastic storage with glass and stainless steel. Isn't that interesting? The first few favourites I thought of cost next to nothing! I have a favourite knife too. Its just a cheapy and not as super sharp as some but its a well-known tool that is comfortable in my hand.

Do you have a lot of kitchen gadgets? What further purchases are you contemplating? What are the basics you would hate to have to do without?


(Its late, I don't have a pic relevant to this post so I'll show you what we're picking from the garden currently. I will use some of my kitchen gadgets to peel, chop, process, cook, serve and eat them.)