The Mother of all Kitchen Appliances
As I sit here in the kitchen typing the post, I am looking at the countertops and begin to wonder why it is we have so many appliances. I love kitchen appliances. They are in some way like tools…for the kitchen. I know you all are thinking, “they are tools for the kitchen.” But seriously, why so many, so big?
Let me take inventory. I have a Christmas gifted Toastmaster toaster. It is the kind where you can stick your pet rock in it if you decided to, not the catapult kind of toaster. This toaster is less than stellar. It toasts (which is the purpose) but it is really slow. I have the backup catapult toaster in the corner cabinet.
Next is the KitchenAid standing mixer. This mixer was handed down to me from my Mom. It is about 40 years old and when it was bought, it was considered the bakery edition (because we owned a bakery). I would never get rid of the mixer. I will pass that down to my kids.
I have 2 knife blocks (because 1 wasn’t enough). I am not sure what to think of having so many knives in the house. When that time of the month comes around, I notice that both of the knife blocks are always empty. What in the world do they do with those knives?
The microwave is mounted above the stove. The fridge ends the line on that wall. Oh wait, the new roaster is on top of the fridge. The roaster; I …err Santa made this for my wife because my wife asked Santa for this a while back. Well, now when we buy a turkey, we buy the Jenny-O oven ready turkey. Out of the package and into the oven. It is very easy, and very good.
The next set of counters hold the coffee pot, tea pot and the bread machine (a gift for my wife, QueenSuchandSuch). When I say tea pot, this means a Mr.Coffee specifically not allowed to have coffee in it. We drink a LOT of tea in this household. The bread machine has not been used as of yet…hint, hint honey!
That is it for the countertops. It is what is UNDER the countertop that really boggles my mind.
We have stored in the corner cabinets…why is it we store the heaviest, most awkward, kitchen appliances in the corner cabinet? The following is a “small” inventory of what is in there:
Coffee grinder
Catapulting Toaster
Coffee Maker (backup)
Blender
Big crock pot
Little crock pot (LOL…almost typed crack pot)
Electric Skillet
Belgian Waffle Maker
Regular Waffle Maker
Food Processor
Sixteen total kitchen “tools.” We are missing a few as well. We don’t have an electric can opener, a convection oven, or a George Foreman grill…but I am sure they will show up some day.
This brings me to my point (as I almost always have one). Why is it with all of this technology, we can’t figure out a way to combine them all? The George Foreman grill has the same theory of using a clamshell type of technology, like the Belgian and regular waffle irons. The electric skillet has the same heating style as the large and small crock pots.
Let’s make the Swiss army knife of kitchen appliances! Let combine them all into one unit so we reduced the amount of storage and cupboard space. We are somewhat there already with the blender/food processor combo, or the convection oven/microwave combo even the laundry room has been updated with the washer/dryer combo. This is a clothes washer that also dries. At what point does the kitchen get easier to maintain? Instead of the old days of the stove, a mixer, a fridge and a sink, now we have to have so many electric and electronic gadgets just to make a meal.
Oh, and I need my $1 million consultation and idea fee.
Let me take inventory. I have a Christmas gifted Toastmaster toaster. It is the kind where you can stick your pet rock in it if you decided to, not the catapult kind of toaster. This toaster is less than stellar. It toasts (which is the purpose) but it is really slow. I have the backup catapult toaster in the corner cabinet.
Next is the KitchenAid standing mixer. This mixer was handed down to me from my Mom. It is about 40 years old and when it was bought, it was considered the bakery edition (because we owned a bakery). I would never get rid of the mixer. I will pass that down to my kids.
I have 2 knife blocks (because 1 wasn’t enough). I am not sure what to think of having so many knives in the house. When that time of the month comes around, I notice that both of the knife blocks are always empty. What in the world do they do with those knives?
The microwave is mounted above the stove. The fridge ends the line on that wall. Oh wait, the new roaster is on top of the fridge. The roaster; I …err Santa made this for my wife because my wife asked Santa for this a while back. Well, now when we buy a turkey, we buy the Jenny-O oven ready turkey. Out of the package and into the oven. It is very easy, and very good.
The next set of counters hold the coffee pot, tea pot and the bread machine (a gift for my wife, QueenSuchandSuch). When I say tea pot, this means a Mr.Coffee specifically not allowed to have coffee in it. We drink a LOT of tea in this household. The bread machine has not been used as of yet…hint, hint honey!
That is it for the countertops. It is what is UNDER the countertop that really boggles my mind.
We have stored in the corner cabinets…why is it we store the heaviest, most awkward, kitchen appliances in the corner cabinet? The following is a “small” inventory of what is in there:
Coffee grinder
Catapulting Toaster
Coffee Maker (backup)
Blender
Big crock pot
Little crock pot (LOL…almost typed crack pot)
Electric Skillet
Belgian Waffle Maker
Regular Waffle Maker
Food Processor
Sixteen total kitchen “tools.” We are missing a few as well. We don’t have an electric can opener, a convection oven, or a George Foreman grill…but I am sure they will show up some day.
This brings me to my point (as I almost always have one). Why is it with all of this technology, we can’t figure out a way to combine them all? The George Foreman grill has the same theory of using a clamshell type of technology, like the Belgian and regular waffle irons. The electric skillet has the same heating style as the large and small crock pots.
Let’s make the Swiss army knife of kitchen appliances! Let combine them all into one unit so we reduced the amount of storage and cupboard space. We are somewhat there already with the blender/food processor combo, or the convection oven/microwave combo even the laundry room has been updated with the washer/dryer combo. This is a clothes washer that also dries. At what point does the kitchen get easier to maintain? Instead of the old days of the stove, a mixer, a fridge and a sink, now we have to have so many electric and electronic gadgets just to make a meal.
Oh, and I need my $1 million consultation and idea fee.
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