Kitchen gadgets are all the rage these days! It’s likely you’ve spent quite a bit of time reading “what new in kitchen gadgets” lists, weighing your options, and thinking about the next few purchases that will help upgrade your kitchen.
Kitchen Gadgets, To Buy or Not to Buy?
Since there are several things you need to take into account before splurging on the latest kitchen gadgets, we’ve created this handy guide that will help you choose some that are both useful and inexpensive.
1. Consider how they mesh with your cooking style
Every one of us has a different approach to cooking. Some prefer to eat mostly grilled or fried food; others tend to steam or boil or cook their food in the oven.
No matter how you love to cook, it’s certain that some gadgets may be a waste of money for you if you’re not going to use them on a regular basis.
For example, if you’re not following a vegan or vegetarian diet, it’s not likely you’ll make the most of a vegetable spiralizer unless you love making something like zucchini noodles a few times a week. Likewise, if you’re following a planed diet, it’s more than reasonable to expect that you won’t get your money’s worth if you buy a food thermometer, which is mostly used when cooking meat.
So, before you decide on making a purchase, think of your lifestyle, and make sure that you’ll be using your new kitchen gadget on the regular, for it to be a worthy investment.
2. Ask yourself: How many ways can I use this gadget?
As we mentioned above, the purpose of this article is to help you choose useful kitchen gadgets that won’t break the bank.
Therefore, we couldn’t help but point out that some of the so-called “must-have kitchen gadgets” are not necessarily essential, if you can’t use them in more ways than one.
Take, for example, a pomegranate deseeder. Sure, it’s a very inexpensive kitchen gadget, but how many pomegranates do you eat per year? If you’re lucky and you have a pomegranate orchard in your backyard, then this would definitely fall under “handy kitchen gadgets” purchases. If not, it would likely be frivolous to purchase one, since it’s literally made to do one thing!
In contrast, a smart blender is useful for making anything from smoothies to sauces and baby food. A meatball master can be used for making perfect meatballs, freezing cookie dough, flavored compound gourmet butter, chocolates, pesto, and herbs. See the difference?
3. Do you have enough space?
It’s easy to not think much of small kitchen gadgets with regards to how much space they take up, but, believe us when we say that clutter can accumulate fast.
The last thing you want is to go on a shopping spree, picking up designer or silicone kitchen gadgets that appear relatively small in size, only to come back home to find that you have absolutely no place to store them.
The same applies to every kitchen gadget purchase you are considering to make. Little things tend to add up, but bigger kitchen gadgets can also take up a lot of precious counter space you could otherwise use for cooking or storing your other kitchen utensils or spices.
Conclusion
It’s always great to be ahead of the curve with having the latest and greatest kitchen gadgets. However, as this article demonstrates, you should be mindful of some things that will make it easier for you to discern what constitutes a smart purchase, and what is an impulse buy.
Let us know in the comments: do you love kitchen gadgets? Are you currently in search of a specific kitchen gadget, and, if so, what is it?
