7 small kitchen appliances you don't need

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This "writer"

obviously does not bake.

Also, the "editor" is an idiot, there was a photograph of a toaster, which was not on the list. If there had to be a photo, it should have been one of the items on the list.

I do agree with her about the contact/"George Foreman" grill. People have given me two, and I've given both away. Neither one had detachable grids.

Lawrence/Maytagbear
 
This Is Not an Article:

This is a rant, and a bad one at that. It's one person's highly subjective opinion about what she doesn't need, and she's extended her own needs and preferences to the rest of the human race - if she doesn't feel the need for a stand mixer, why then, no right-thinking person on Earth has any business wanting one.

Her reasoning is also hinky in a couple of places. Yes, you can pop popcorn in any pot you happen to own. You can also burn the bejabbers out of its bottom when you do that, leaving black carbonized spots in it that are Hell to remove. Having a popcorn popper is a kindness to any cookware you care about.

And I notice she hasn't anything to say about an appliance that really is unnecessary for most people - the electric can opener, which I personally won't spend money on. A Swing-Away hand or wall-mount opener does the job for me just as well, with very little more effort; I personally can't see why anyone without an impairment would want to devote the budget or the counter space to one.

But they do, which is their privilege. P.S.: I would like to see this lady whip up enough egg whites for a couple of angel food cakes by hand. Unless she's a gym rat, EMT's would be involved before she got through; that's hard work.
 
Cooks applauded the arrival of the electric mixer. It made uniform baking results possible. Batters could be mixed at a set speed for a set time, not just until the arm felt like it was going to fall off. I agree that the thing she makes most for dinner is reservations. She's another stupid idiot with a keyboard. I hope she is not getting paid for this. Her article is the equivalent of "butt dialing" a cell phone. Love that terminology of mashing and mixing by hand. Hell, anyone can mash potatoes by hand with a potato masher or mash bananas by hand, but mixing a cake is something altogether different, not that this idiot would know. As for control over the process, that's why mixers have different speeds and the users of mixers should have eyes and brains.
 
Since when is Oprah a domestic diva/goddess, everyone knows that's the Polish Princess, aka Ms. Martha (or Katrina of the Waves). Wonder what Gwynneth would say?
 
I'm with Malcolm on this one: The article was written by someone for whom the most-used kitchen appliance is the phone. The idea of a kitchen without a stand mixer or blender is outrageous to those of us who cook daily. And I use my Breville panini press at least once or twice a week.

frigilux++10-18-2013-18-34-26.jpg
 
Wow, after reading that article I feel like my IQ dropped.
I did however find humor in the comments that someone stated" the writer of this article should be added to the list of seven people we don't need"

I personally couldn't be without my MixMaster or my Lady Kenmore blender.

I do agree the baby food maker is un needed, since a blender, food processor, or foley food mill can do the same thing
 
OK, let's turn this around

Haven't we all purchased fun appliances that turned out to be something we really don't need?
I'm going to add some of my dubious finds.
(Feel free to vent at me if you disagree with my suggestions. However if you have a good use for these items please advise freely.)

Here are the appliances that I will never need. Some I did own. I omitted the brand names. You know who made these units:

The 1960's "Party Grill". (I had a fun time one night using this unit per the instructions however the results weren't pretty even after several tries. I wasted LOAVES of white bread ).

The 1970's COLD-lather machine. (It had a bar of soap in the hopper and an electric brush whipped up teaspoons of glorious suds. We gave them away at the bank. Many were returned.)

The iron with the headlight. (Uber-cool but... a headlight?? )

Another bank giveaway I got to play with was the electric hairbrush. It wasn't a detangler but was a 1960's era device that looked like a sticky lint-roller with teeth that spun at the end of a handle. I won't mention the maker even though I think they are defunct.

Your ideas?
 
My Two Duds:

One was the Dazey Seal-A-Meal. Nothing against this product; the fine folks at Dazey meant well and built a good product.

My problems with it were: 1) It took for-freakin'-ever to seal up a few portions of something, particularly when food got on the portion of the bag roll where you were going to apply the heat sealing. 2) What took a fair amount of time to seal up took only moments to microwave and consume; I could never get ahead to the extent the ads made it seem like I should. 3) The pouches were slick and slippery in the freezer, and did not stack well. Avalanches of frozen pouches were a common occurrence.

The other was the Wear-Ever Chicken Bucket, a pressure fryer that allowed you to make the same sort of pressure-fried chicken you get in places like KFC. After one use, the thing was put away, and then eventually given away; that single use made the whole house smell like a KFC location. For days. It was an object lesson in the fact that a huge part of whatever small value fast food possesses is the ability to walk away from the smell of its cooking.
 
How is someone else going to determine what appliances I need or don't need.A stand mixer is one of my more frequently used kitchen tools-and same with a GOOD blender such as a Blendtec,Vitamix or older Oster or Waring.I can go along with Foraloysius-a food processor CANNOT do the job a good blender can do-each machine was designed to do diffrent jobs.I have a food processor-Cuisnart-it isn't used as much as my Sunbeam mixer or VM,Blendtec blenders.To make a GOOD smooothie or shake-the blade of a food processor doesn't spin fast enough for the job.And the drink will be lumpy.To top it off would not want that Dumbard writer using my food processor to crush ice!Great way to damage or blunt the "S" metal chopping blade.You can use the grater-shredder disc blade to "crush" ice if needed.Waring includes a blunt,metal "S" blade for mixing or crushing ice-does work pretty well.For control--that is why you have eyes,ears,hands,and a brain.Any of these machines usually has an "on-off" button and speed controls-as well as other blades and attachments for control of your work.Someone else put it right another DOPE at the keyboard!!
 
okay-- now here we go!!!

First off-- someone needs to let Angela Colley (author of said ducky lil snippet)know that "OPRAH DOT COM" is not the holy grail of have's and have not's for one's small appliance kitchen needs.

I agree with the thought that you should have a appliance provided that it isn't something that ends up being stored 99% of the time and gets buried and lost in your cabinets. (ie- elec. kettle- to a tea lover as Martha would say -"it's a good thing", for a coffee drinker-- wasted space, don't need one).

If it's something that you use frequently by all means...have at it. Just be aware of those kitchy specialty appliances that make you think you can't live without! Be wise and sensible.

And finally- why is it.... I have a feeling....that if she has to boil a pot of water on the stove...she may feel frustrated and panic....and go for the drawer nearest to the telephone that's just stocked full of take out menu's!!!

;-X LOL
 
I know this is a big appliance but---

First I see the Thor Automagic POD the other day and think how unique a clothes/dish washer and now I just saw this and thought....O.M.G.!!!!!

I know that for many...your w/d's were back in the day, or also..are part of your kitchen "décor".

Since today's P.O.D has the possibility of having a bonnet attachment for your hair, I wonder if this item would have made Angela's top seven! I mean come on now...It's an appliance that can do more than one thing... dry your clothes and dry your hair. What more could you possibly ask for?

lol ;)
 
As a tea-drinker, I enjoy my Sunbeam Hot Shot that heats about 12 oz. of water to boiling in about 90 seconds which can then be dispensed into the waiting cup or mug under the heating chamber. Tea needs to be hit with boiling water for best flavor extraction. It is a product that was based on Sunbeam's filter drip coffee maker which was marketed in the early 70s. The Hot Shot stayed on the market longer.
 
Electric Kettle

I really use my electric kettle more than I do the microwave. As Tom said, you have to have boiling water for making great tea. I would guess that it takes less electricity than turning on the stove to boil water which takes longer.
 
Boiling water in the microwave can also be very dangerous

Sometimes the meniscus of the water will not break and the water will become superheated and then when the water is jiggled the meniscus will break and the water will fly all over and could severely burn you..My 1956 GE Speed Kettle can boil a quart of water in just a couple of minutes and my Dormeyer HurriHot ElectriCup can boil 2 cups of water faster than the microwave can....the author if that article is a brainless moron.......PAT COFFEY
 
Built-In Instant Hot Water Dispenser

Solves the problem of a space consuming , but very useful electric tea kettle. An Instant Hot built-in and connected to a good water filter is easily one of my top 10 useful kitchen appliances. I use it many times every day for speeding up many cooking operations and one of its best uses is for cleaning counter-tops and anything else, all it takes is a cotton cleaning cloth dampened with very hot water and maybe a drop of dish detergent. Using very hot water really does the job without spraying cleaners all over the place.

 

I would dare say that the writer that did this stupid article is not much of a cook.
 
Pat-- I've seen water in a Pyrex measuring cup "explode" a in the microwave a few times. Happened with butter, once, too.

It usually happened when, after heating the water to boiling I let the vessel sit in the microwave for awhile, then had to reheat it. Luckily, just opening the door of the microwave was enough to jostle the water, sending most of it flying in all directions. Quite a thing to witness, but was glad my hand wasn't in the way!
 
Yep ...

... the most-used appliance in this chick's kitchen is the TELEPHONE to order delivery!

Purchasing a stand mixer was a life-altering event for me. I held out for so many years before finally buying one. When I first used it, it was absolutely revolutionary; like having an extra set of hands! Now I can leisurely measure and add ingredients while the unit is mixing, rather than the constant on/off/set down/pick up/on/off repeat repeat repeat madness I'd become used to!

Electric kettle? I don't have one of those, but one of the most-used devices on my countertop is my trusty Sunbeam "Hot Shot". Same principle, but different design; more like a mini Mr. Coffee; the little unit holds up to 2 cups of water (you put in ONLY water), and heats it to boiling in 90 seconds! Yes, faster than a microwave, and certainly faster than a pot on the stove (which I use only when making an entire POT of tea).

Popcorn maker. Depends on the method. Hot air is the healthiest and cleanest way to make popcorn. Pops in less than five minutes, and there is absolutely no cleanup.

Blender. SERIOUSLY? Don't buy a BLENDER? Funny, the author says her food processor does a better job of crushing ice and blending fruit. I've found my high-quality blender does a better job of chopping and mincing food than my food processor. And its variable speed and more powerful motor enables me to do a hell of a lot more than what my food processor can do. If anything, I'd recommend chucking the food processor and getting a really good blender.
 
While I love my instant hot dispenser and use it for many things, it does not produce boiling water for tea. An induction unit is faster than the Hot Shot, but the Hot Shot is part of the tea ceremony that occurs on non-work mornings when time is not of the essence. It got a workout during the shutdown.

If I ever have a cough or sore throat, the Instant Hot is very useful for making a mug of my favorite flavor Jell-O which I sip as a very soothing pain-reducing and phlegm-cutting drink.
 
Fantastic design ...

... on the "quooker"!

But I'm far too high-maintenance about my drinking water. No tap water for me -- it all has to be filtered through my Berkey.
 
I would swear by my Saeco 50 oz electric kettle It is selectable for 105, 150, 200 or 212F. I find the 200 setting best for tea. It will hold that temp for 2 hours. The 212 setting is basically a boil, and the machine will shut off after that temp is reached. I often use it when a recipe calls for hot water, or I need to add more boiling water to a pot that has something that needs more cooking.

Yes, you can get buy with a minimal complement of kitchen appliances and gadgets - if you have nothing else to do and don't care that the results may be inferior. Hand beating cake batter, or hand kneading bread? Nice work if you can get it, but most of us don't have the time for that.
 
There is the least useful countertop appliance there is. The red West Bend electric wok. Guaranteed that no matter which thrift store you go in, no matter where from the arctic to the gulf, from the atlantic to pacific there will be one of these on a shelf. LOL

petek++10-22-2013-23-08-3.jpg
 
We've got a lot of these. No electric kettle; my wife loves her Melitta single-cup coffee maker, and we seldom drink hot tea. Two of my favorite gizmos are my Mr. Coffee Iced Tea Maker, and my West Bend Stir Crazy popcorn popper (air popped popcorn is as dry and tasteless as rice cakes IMO). I agree that those George Foreman-style grills aren't worth the trouble; you can do the same thing in the oven or on the stove top, and they are hard to clean. We had a waffle maker that we used the heck out of for a while, but it too was very hard to clean. When the thermostat quit working, we tossed it and haven't bought another. My wife also had one of those egg cooker things; same deal. It's still in the back of a cabinet somewhere, I think.

But my "favorite" useless appliance was the battery-powered bug vacuum. It sucked -- which is to say, it didn't suck!

http://cars
 

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