When I moved into my tiny, three-room apartment, I knew storage space was going to be an issue. While the bathroom, living room, and bedroom were fine space-wise, my kitchen left much to be desired. Here I had storage bins filled with kitchen gadgets; meanwhile, my kitchen had one drawer and four cupboards. Kitchen gadgets can only make your life easier when you have the space for them. So without space to keep them, I narrowed down exactly what tools I needed. Here's a list of stuff you don't need in your home kitchen.
1. A Garlic Press
You absolutely don't need this. There is no real advantage of having one. Mincing garlic can be a pain, but the real pain will come once you have to clean a garlic press. Trying to scrape out the remains of a smooshed garlic clove so you can press another is unnecessarily difficult and a waste of garlic. Just use a knife.
2. A Rolling Pin
Unless you are a contestant on The Great British Bake Off, you don't need a rolling pin. Do you have an empty wine bottle? Yes? You have a rolling pin. I've been using the same old bottle of riesling to roll out shortbread for roughly 5 months. You'll be fine without one.
3. Knives That Cut One Thing
The only exception to this is a bread knife. In my opinion, you need very few knives in your kitchen. You should have a standard chef's knife for chopping, a few serrated knives for cutting meat, and a paring knife. If you love to bake bread, then keep a bread knife around. But don't buy a lettuce knife or an avocado knife or a grapefruit knife. You will not need these things for your kitchen.
4. An Egg Slicer
USE. A. KNIFE.
5. An Electric Wine Bottle Opener
My main issue with this one is it's never compact. They take up so much space, and I would rather just throw something in my drawer when I'm done with it. If opening bottles of wine is something that doesn't come easy, by all means, purchase this. But if you can open a bottle of wine with a wine key, then save your money and your space.
6. A Mandolin
This is a great tool if you are cooking in a professional kitchen. In fact, most of the things on this list would do well in a professional kitchen. But at home, you can use a knife. A sharp chef's knife will do the job, I promise.
7. A Thing That Chops Vegetables for You
I own this, and I hate it. Here's why: it's harder to press down the dumb plastic lid on half an onion than it is to just chop the onion. I always end up spraying vegetable chunks all over my counter or accidentally pressing so hard the thing comes apart. It's supposed to take less effort than chopping, but it hurts my hands so much more.
8. An Industrial Mixer
The dream of so many young bakers, this kitchen tool is meant for bakeries or pastry chefs. I know it comes in pretty colors. I understand it has cool attachments. I get why you want this. Bottom line is you don't need it. Countertops don't need expensive decorations. Just buy a handheld mixer.
9. A Ricer
I want this thing so badly. I want to be able to squish potatoes into a fluffy pile so I can make delicious mashed potatoes. The problem is why do I need it now? I've spent the last 7 or so years mashing potatoes the old fashion way. It makes no sense to have this, and it will for sure end up like my garlic press.
10. More Than One of the Same Thing
You need one cheese grater. You need one knife sharpener. You need one can opener. I cannot tell you how many times someone comes over and ends up leaving with something I had two of. Take inventory of your kitchen. A lot of people give me gifts of things I already have. So every once in a while, I clean it all out like I do my closet. Sometimes, it's okay to just have the basics.
A well-stocked kitchen doesn't always include the latest in kitchen-tech. You don't have to go crazy, even if your dreams are to become a chef. A sharp knife and some wooden spoons can be your best friends. Don't look at professional chefs and think "I need this so I can be like them." Don't be intimidated by crazy kitchen stuff. As long as your food is tasty, you'll be just fine.
Comentarios