Cookware stores, wedding registries, and celebrity chefs promote the glory of kitchen gadgets. Their mantras claim that these single-purpose tools improve efficiency with great results, but when the new design excitement fades, do I really need an avocado masher and a lettuce knife?
It's not easy to resist advertisements and product placements. My crème brulee torch and gravy separator are guilty proof that I can't resist—I wanted both, and I've used neither. The money that they required and the space that they need remind me of kitchen gadget consequences.
So I would like to suggest a quiet rebellion. We will not ban these inventions or berate the companies that sell them. Instead, we will simply make a personal commitment to the cutting board, bowl, plate, fork, spoon, and knife. Most gadgets can be replaced by these six items and time.
The initial investment of time may seem exhausting. However, after a bit of practice, you won’t need a “stainless steel veggie grip” to “hold small vegetables and fruits securely in place as you cut them.” The novelty of kitchen gadgets will no longer tempt you, and you can focus your spending on good ingredients, meals, and friends.
My commitment to the kitchen gadget rebellion:
I like to live simply, and I like to eat well. Rather than amusing myself with numerous gadgets and gauging my kitchen skill by the gadgets I own, I will give myself the time to use a cutting board, bowl, plate, fork, spoon, and knife.
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1 comment:
So true about the gadgets! This reminds me of a slotted spoon that hangs in my mom's kitchen. Her mother used it for everything -- all food prep as well as serving for her family of seven children. The legend is that she really used almost nothing else to prepare all those thousands of meals, for years and decades. It's all worn on one edge, and when you hold it you can see that the wear is on that side because my grandma was left-handed. Hear hear for the multi-use kitchen object!
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