There are any number of kitchen gadgets out there. Sit down and watch television for an hour or so, and you’ll see any number of advertisements for some new item that makes cooking or food preparation easier. 
Some even claim to make you a chef right in your own home.”But, wait, there’s more. If you order now, we’ll send you a second…whatever it is…for a small shipping and handling fee.” I cannot even begin to imagine how many times I have heard that line in just the past year. Do they really make you a better cook? Probably not. Can they make your preparation time a little shorter? Maybe.
Are These Fancy New Gadgets Worth the Money?
In response to that question, I have to say, sometimes they are, often they are not. Many of the gadgets you see on T.V. are some new gimmick that is supposed to make your life easier, cut your prep time down, help you make more nutritious meals, and on and on. The reality is often that they are just a sleeker form of something already out there. I’ll give you an example. There is an item that makes chopping onions, vegetables, cheese, and other stuff so much easier. You simply choose the cutting insert that is the size you want (one of only three different sizes), put it in the device, place your food item on top of the cutting grid, and lower the handle or lever…voila…perfectly diced whatever it is. All you have to do is call 1-800…right now, and we’ll include…yeah, yeah, yeah. You know what? A decent chef knife and a couple of minutes…which you will spend anyway trying to fit the cutting grid in the gadget, and you can have pretty decently diced onion. I guess it is ultimately up to you whether it is worth the money or not. I personally prefer the chef knife and a couple of minutes of time. The results are pretty close either way. Plus, the knife takes up a lot less cupboard or drawer space than that fancy gadget. All that being said, it is completely up to you. I do have one of the gadgets I was describing. Yes, it does work. However, I rarely use it. It’s just taking up drawer space most of the time. That particular gadget cost me, I believe, $19.99 or so. I have a couple of beautiful Faberware chef knives that cost me about the same amount of money per item, and they work amazingly well.
Do These Gadgets Really Make Your Life Easier?
Again, that question is kind of a judgment call. Most of them really do not save you a lot of time, and actually require just as much effort as doing it the old-fashioned way. They often do look much cooler though. Take a garlic press for example. Yes, you can put your garlic clove in there, squeeze the handles, and get essentially minced garlic. It is much faster than mincing it with a knife. However, it is harder to clean, leaves some garlic caught in the tool, and depending on the quality of the item, may not last very long. A decent chef knife, paring knife, etc. when taken care of properly, will be around a lot longer than you are. I’m not knocking all of these new gadgets that come out every day it seems. Many of them are probably very useful. I tend to lean toward the “old-fashioned” way of doing things, and often discount the newfangled gadgets that do the same thing. I guess it all comes down to how much money you want to spend, how much time you want to put into something, and what you are trying to do.
If I am Just Starting, Should I Spend My Money On This Stuff?
Well, you can. Should you? I cannot honestly say yes or no. Sometimes they do make things a little easier. On the other hand, you do not learn to use maybe more traditional methods which can cause difficulties later on. At the end of the day, it is completely up to you. I personally do not jump on these fancy new gadgets that do the same thing as what is already out there. Here is an example. We have the blender, which has been around for a long time. We also have the mortar and pestle, which has been around in one form or another since the dawn of time. Now we have all these fancy gadgets that do the same thing, but they look a little sleeker, fancier, or have a catchy name. But does it really do anything special compared to what I already have? Again, it is completely up to you. If you come to my house, and I am making fresh pesto, I can promise you I am not using any fancy new gadget. I am using a mortar and pestle, and doing it the old-fashioned way…and I can promise you it is going to be delicious when I am done. In my opinion, learn the old ways of doing it, and then decide if you want the “latest and greatest” gadgets.
Figure Out What You Want To Do First…
Do you really want to learn to cook well, or do you want to look cool attempting to cook? That is kind of how I think about it. Yes, I want to look cool doing it. But, I want to look cool by doing it the old-fashioned way first. Once I figure that out, then maybe I try something new and fancy…or maybe I realize that the old-fashioned way is still around for a reason. Now, as you probably know, I am a history guy. So I do tend to do things the way they did “back then”. I prefer the old ways. Are there easier ways to do it? Yes. Keep this in mind though. All these newfangled gadgets are designed to short-cut something. Can they make things a little faster? Yes, they can. Are they really worth the money? That is up to you. In my opinion, often they are not. You do what you feel you need to do. There are a lot of cool gadgets out there. I have a few myself. Do I use them often? No, I do not. There is a reason so many of the old school methods are used by so many professional chefs.