How To Choose Gadgets and Utensils

3 qt. Euro Design Colander 3 qt. Stainless Steel Whistling Teapot

Utensils for cooking can most likely all fit in a drawer or canister on the counter and accomplish all the jobs you need.  I do not consider a knife a utensil, to me it belongs in a category all its own.  I consider utensils as spoons and spatulas of all shapes and sizes.  Buying them in a set usually gives you most of what you need.  Consider your type of cookware and know if you have anything with a non stick coating you will need plastic or nylon so as not to scratch.  Investing in metal will be a set to last you a very long time.

Gadgets are something we all accumulate in the kitchen.  Between impulse buys, gifts, great ideas gone bad, and those things we just have to try, they can begin to overwhelm the kitchen.  Here are a few guidelines to help you in choosing the correct gadgets for you.

Before buying a new gadget ask yourself:

            Do I already have one of these, if so does this one work better and am I willing to get rid of the old one?

            If this something I will use often enough to store it in my kitchen?

            Can I assemble and then clean it easily?

            Does this make my job easier in the kitchen?

            If I buy this, will I really use it?

Gadgets can be basics like can openers, colanders, peelers, graters and slicers. You must consider your own life style and may need a teapot, bottle opener, wine opener, and specialty corers, pitters, peelers, dicers and more slicers. If you ask yourself the above questions fitted with your life and cooking habits, you should not end up with so many gadgets you won’t use them and can’t store them.

Some consider the electric appliances as gadgets; I consider everything that plugs in a category of their own.  These would be things like coffee pot, waffle irons, mixers, food processors, rice cookers, juicers, and possibly many more.  Again, they need to be considered for function, size, easy clean up and lifestyle.  The same set of questions may well fit appliances.