Over the years we have moved into houses with progressively bigger kitchens, so I haven’t been forced to pare down my gadgets, tools and appliances. I did, in deference to my husband’s inexplicable loathing for it, get rid of my college toaster oven several years back. (I think he only hated it because I used it to make cheese sandwiches with mayonnaise, which sounds gross until you try it.)
The gadget problem began with a mixer: my first Kitchen-Aid stand mixer (ah, the memories). I had coveted this mixer for years, and one Valentine’s Day, hubbie surprise me with it. His friends all though he was crazy, as in “you’re-giving-her-a-household-appliance-are-you-insane!?!?” But, he knows me well. It was the best Valentine’s present ever.
And so it began. Every major holiday, birthday or anniversary, I would receive something for the kitchen. Small things (pan scrapers, spoon holders, ramekins). Medium things (grind-n-brew coffee maker, espresso machine, immersion blender). Big things (set of All-Clad pans, a 14-cup food processor, a bigger Kitchen-Aid mixer). Some of these I cannot live without. Here are the dust-catchers:
- The fajita set. This was a very well-intentioned gift from my sister, who doesn’t cook. (Her kitchen cabinets—I am not kidding—have decorative books and silk flowers inside!) I’m not even sure I am calling it the right thing. It has a plug, a tortilla warmer and a “cooktop” that only gets hot enough to keep things warm (not the cast iron restaurant-style fajita pan). While it is cute, its functionality is limited to serving things requiring a fajita-sized tortilla after they’ve been warmed using another method. We do eat our fair share of tortillas, but not enough to merit a special apparatus.
- The crock pot. This is my most recent gadget purchase, bought solely to shuttle jambalaya to work for an office Mardi Gras cook-off (yes, I work in a cool office). I’ll use it for the chili cook-off later in the year, I suppose, but I don’t actually cook either of those things in the crock pot; I put them in there when they’re done (my favorite chili is vegetarian, so it doesn’t require all-day simmering). I have a really good beef stew recipe that takes about 3 hours, but that works best on the stove, where I can adjust the heat incrementally, vs. high or low. The only thing I’ve cooked successfully all day in this crock pot is pulled pork. We just don’t eat a lot of “big hunks of meat.” Maybe I’m missing something… any veg-head crock pot lovers out there?
- The espresso machine. Like the next normal person, I cannot function fully before having at least half a pot of black coffee in the morning. Sort of like my stir fry (until the good one, anyway), I just can’t make a decent espresso myself. It tastes much better in a small Italian café, served with lemon zest and biscotti, some tiramisu and a rakish waiter. (OK, so maybe I’m just in it for the tiramisu… a girl’s got to have some vices!)
- The bread maker. This one’s not actually mine to give away. It was my husband’s before we met. Eight years ago. (A gift from his mother, which he swears he really did use.) When I don’t have 24 hours and still want fresh bread, every so often I am tempted by this little seductress. Fresh bread with one push of a button? Now that I’ve tried hand-kneading, I just can’t go back. The machine might be good for quick breads or breads with heavy add-ins like cheese. Or realtors who want that “fresh-baked bread” scent.
- The grill pan. We have a nice heavy non-stick one. I like to cook with it. The problem? Smoke detectors! Unless you have an industrial-grade exhaust fan, it is nearly impossible to use a grill pan indoors without alerting the neighbors. In Maryland, it’s not too cold most of the year to grill outside, and it’s easy enough with a gas grill (I know, I know, charcoal-grilled food tastes better… but I am rather attached to my eyebrows, so I’ll stick with the gas grill for now, thanks).
Even if I did have a yard sale, I’d still have cabinets full of gadgets, or my husband would buy me some new ones to fill the void. So, for now, I will keep them and try to find new uses for these lesser-appreciated gadgets. Ideas welcome!
OK, I may have to eat my words on #4. Got back from vacation late Sunday with no food in the house, and no energy to go to the store, much less make bread. Dusted off the bread machine and made whole wheat sandwich bread with about 5 minutes of effort so my daughter would have bread for her PB&J on Monday morning. Wasn't bad as toast for breakfast either.
Posted by: April F. | July 07, 2009 at 09:38 AM