A friend on a very large social network recently posted this question: "Is an asparagus pot a necessary kitchen item, or am I being seduced by more gadgets?"
I guess I'm not a "foodie" after all. I've never even heard of this contraption!
This makes me wonder: what are some of the useless kitchen devices we have in our cupboards? I had a difficult time answering this question because, to be honest, I don't usually bring kitchen utensils into my home unless I need them. That marble mortar and pestle? Hardly mere decoration, I've been grinding spices with that thing for almost 15 years. And my bread maker is just as useful today as a rice cooker. Don't even get me started on all the ways I use my strainer.
The closest one I could come up with was my over-the-flame sandwich pie maker. Perhaps this was a more useful a device, oh, 90 years ago than today. Apparently my mother's grandmother had the one resting in my kitchen. It's a device that looks somewhat like two sticks each with half a flying saucer stuck to the inside, so that when you press it together it looks like a flying saucer stuck between two sticks.
See? Flying saucer between two sticks.This seemingly useless device was used to turn plain old sandwiches into delicious flame-roasted pies. Just lightly butter each side of a sandwich - say, apple butter - and roast it in this device over an open flame for about five to ten minutes, equal time on each side. You will get a warm, delicious and gooey sandwich pie for your troubles. Today it might be a new and different way to make a grilled cheese.
The only other thing I could think to put on this list is my pasta maker. You may wonder what rube would put such a wondrous device on such a list. This one. I bought it at a markdown when Linens & Things shut down. Yet, I haven't had the chance to use it yet. I know, I will, eventually. But for now, it's still sitting in its box, waiting...
How about you all? Do you have any kitchen gadgets that actually are useless? Or maybe ones you want to get some more use out of?
3 comments:
I have an electric juicer that I got as a gift 20 years ago and I've never used it.
The pasta maker we got as a wedding gift was not opened until I was hard on the deadline for thank-you note writing. I didn't want to say how much we loved it if I'd never used it, so I hauled it out. And now I love it and use it regularly.
I have endless useless kitchen gadgets that I can't bnring myself to get rid of. The pizza pizzazz, the quesadilla maker, 3 forms of food processors, the electric juicer my husband wanted so badly and has used once. I do however love the pasta attachment for my kitchen aid.
An electric juicer!?
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