How many kitchen gadgets do you own? Apparently the average British kitchen now houses seven gadgets – microwaves, juicers, coffee makers and so on. Do we really need all of them?
I’m sure lots of you remember that my latest flat move saw me ditching my microwave. Some of you doubted I’d be able to live without it, but I’m happy to reveal that I’ve coped relatively well.
There have been times when I wished I did own a microwave: to heat up leftover takeaway; to pre-cook a jacket potato; to heat up porridge. But these tasks just take a bit longer on the hob or in the oven. And, to be honest, I’m glad of the extra space on my kitchen worktops.
The kitchen gadgets you don’t need
That’s not to say I don’t own kitchen gadgets others might see as superfluous. I own a Nespresso coffee machine, a mini-chopper that I occasionally use to make pesto, and an electric whisk for a spot of cake baking. Still, I’m some way off seven kitchen gadgets.
According to a survey by Barclaycard’s deals website, British kitchens now house an estimated 163 million gadgets. On average, that’s seven per household. The top 10 list features everything from the aforementioned microwave and toaster, to smoothie makers and juicers. I have to say I am tempted by a juicer, but these words from Which? Convo community member Em have put me off somewhat:
‘Before you could buy a decent smoothie in a supermarket, I used to make my own in a Kenwood juicer which now sits at the back of the cupboard.
‘I came to the conclusion that I just couldn’t compete economically with the commercial product, by the time I had bought all the fruit, carried it home, peeled and diced it, then extracted the juice that would oxidise in little more time than it took to clear up the resultant mess.’
How many kitchen gadgets do you own? How often do you use them? Are there any you wish you hadn’t bought?