Tuesday, May 15, 2018

5 Kitchen Tools I Will Never Buy Again

Photo: tabla-restaurant
When we set up our kitchens we try to anticipate what will make our lives easier, better and effortless. But hindsight is 20/20. When we know better, we do better. For fun, I'll share a few of my purchasing mistakes.

5 Kitchen Tools I Will Never Buy Again:



1) Coffee bean grinder - When I rise in the morning, I never want to grind coffee beans so I can drink a cup of coffee. Although it doesn't require much time or work, it's an extra step I resist before having a shot of caffeine. And, ground coffee from a can tastes fine.

2) Hot air popcorn popper - Sits idle in my cupboard since I began the microwave-in-a-paper-bag method of making popcorn. Turns out the microwave pops 100% of the popcorn unlike the hot air popper.

3) Large capacity food processor - When this space hog died, I replaced it with a small 3 cup food processor. Cheap, compact and ample!

4) Crockpot - People rave about the convenience of cooking meals while they are not home. But, I worry about unforeseeable accidents preventing me from returning home as expected. It happened to me once. While the heat is on, better to be home. Moreover, the same slow simmering meals can be stewed on a stove top or in the oven while you are at home to check on them.
5) A set of pots and pans - A full set of pots and pans may be the biggest waste of all. You never use all the sizes. Finally, I donated the huge stock pot and mystery size to Housing Works (a charity), and I don't miss them! More space in the cupboard! Go to Home Goods/TJ Maxx and buy only sizes you need.

Since I have no spot for an ice cream maker, bread maker, pasta maker, tomato slicer, apple peeler, etc., etc, etc., Manhattan saved me from making a slew of specialized gadget mistakes! Bread is so simple to kneed and bake in the oven.

How about you? What kitchen tools have been a waste of your money?

Stay tuned: the next blog, Essential Kitchen Tools, will publish on Thursday! Watch this space to see if you agree with me.😊


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5 comments:

  1. Ha ha this made me smile Debbie. I too have passed on the crockpot, and a slow cooker, for similar reasons to you. And started out with a full set of saucepans - some barely used. Along the way I have scaled down to only what we actually use. There have been egg cookers and odd sandwich makers too, never replaced. I like to keep it simple in the kitchen these days.

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    1. Oh yes, several year's ago, the sandwich maker got my interest too. Again, a lack of storage space saved me from buying many of these specialized gadgets. One gets hooked on the idea of making perfectly grilled sandwiches with delicious perfectly melted cheese ... until you realize it's easy to use a skillet and not much work to flip it over. Plus, in a skillet you can make 4 sandwiches at one time. :)

      I notice chefs use good quality, basic tools, and they know what they are doing. Simple is good!

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  2. How funny. Most of the things you found space-consuming and not very useful were exactly the things I have discarded over the years. My coffee grinder, although small, was never used. I just order my coffee on line from La Colombe in nearby Philadelphia and it is roasted, ground and sent to me w/in two days.

    The crock pot I got as a shower gift for my wedding 40+ years ago is only used to reheat already prepared food and/or keep it warm for large gatherings. I have never bought a "set" of cookware, only purchasing the pots I use. I prefer Cusinart cookware for every day. The skillets and sauce pans and Dutch Oven are all used regularly. They were expensive, but I'm still using the ones my husband gave me for our first anniversary. Doesn't sound like a romantic gift, but since I love to cook, I was thrilled.

    Oh, and BTW, the air popper we bought when my husband was diagnosed with high cholesterol got discarded very quickly. Too much space, not enough taste.

    Great post with excellent advice.

    Cheers, M-T

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    1. Marie-Thérèse,

      Great minds think alike. I always enjoy hearing your thoughts and point of view! Perhaps you will share a few of your recipes on your blog. I'm sure I'd attempt them.

      I like Cusinart cookware too. Great heat condutors that last for years. Oh, if only we didn't have to learn so much through trial and error!

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  3. Well, perhaps you are right. :) Thanks for your visit, Anixo david!

    ReplyDelete