Gadgets and Appliances

My gift hunting did not go well the other night. I just could not make up my mind as to what to get. My cousins run a gift shop so, I should get something that they do not already sell at their store. Probably I will get a small appliance that they can use.  After all, they can always exchange it if what I get is redundant or if they need something else.

There are two types of kitchen appliances I think: 1. Really useful ones and 2. Stuff that occupy valuable counter space.

I have a small toaster oven, a sandwich maker and a food processor. I also have a regular cooktop and a regular size oven. These are all I need and everything is used very often. 

I do not have or need a microwave oven. I do not need a coffee machine. I used to have one and gifted that to a friend who owns a bed and breakfast. I have a small plastic contraption in which you can fit a filter and pour hot water over a single cup. 

I once thought, I needed a bread maker but, 100 years ago when women made their own bread, they did not have bread machines, right? Besides there are good "no knead bread recipes" out there so, I will give them a shot when I feel like baking my own bread. I would like to make real whole-wheat bread not the fancy stuff that gets gobbled up like cake.

My mom uses a small electric chopper but I find chopping with a knife easy and less messy. I hate cleaning up the electric chopper. Besides, I certainly do not cook as much as mom does.

Some kitchen gadgets are also useless for me. I never needed an an egg separator or a melon baller. I can successfully separate the eggs and cut up melons with a regular knife thank you very much! I hardly ever use the potato peeler although I own one. A few good knives are well worth the investment on the other hand. 

I do not like clutter in the kitchen and I do not have enough counter space so, I try to do without many of the fancy appliances out there. From a frugal point of view, I do not think you can ever re-coup the investment for many of the fancy appliances and gadgets.