The main point about kitchen gadgets is that something that one person considers very good value for money and extremely handy will be about as useful as a chocolate teapot to the next person. It all depends on how you use your kitchen and what you do in it day to day.
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Useful Kitchen Appliance or Novelty Kitchen Gadget?
As an example the most radical change to the nation’s eating habits has come about from the invention of the microwave oven. Thirty years ago a kitchen appliance where you pressed a button and steaming food emerged just seconds later was the stuff of science fiction and now we take it all for granted.
In a busy modern kitchen with family members coming and going left right and centre, all wanting hot meals in seconds, the microwave can be a godsend. It can be almost permanently in use as meals go from freezer to stomach via the little white box. For others, who prefer to prepare meals from the basic ingredients, and have the time and inclination to do that, the microwave might sit unused for days on end, until it’s time to defrost something in an emergency, or heat up a cup of coffee that’s gone cold.
When Kitchen Gadgets Become Normal
Of course, the time it takes for a kitchen gadget and become a normal part of every modern kitchen is also governed by the speed at which the price of an item drops after it is unveiled. Devices which rely on electronics, as microwaves do, will become cheaper very quickly, as companies in developing countries compete with each other to push out the cheapest circuit boards.
With some other kitchen gadgets like food processors, mixers and espresso machines, the reliance on components like electric motors and moulded plastic or cast metal components means that the prices will not drop so rapidly. After the fad element has faded, they will stabilise at a certain price and not go very much lower.
The Smart Way to Buy Kitchen Equipment
What does this mean for the consumer? Well, it means that unless you have enough money not to worry about such things, the smart thing to do is to wait a year or so, perhaps longer if a particular kitchen gadget that you want has lots of mechanical components.
Then you can buy the kitchen gadgets you want once the novelty value has worn off and the price has come down. But if you don’t want them once the novelty has worn off, you want them immediate they come out, then you have to pay the top price.
Some Current Kitchen Gadget Trends
One current hot kitchen gadget trend is for coffee makers for which you have to buy individual capsules of pre-prepared coffee. Easier for the consumer, but if you are at all eco-conscious, consider first that there’ll be lots more guilt, with all those capsules going in the landfill instead of coffee grounds that can be composted.
For the chefs, on the kitchen equipment side there are electric induction hobs which are cool to the touch when a pan is removed from them. They work by magnetic fields and would be a wise investment if you have small children around, but also if you can afford a hob that’s a good deal more expensive than an ordinary one.
And a Frivolous Kitchen Gadget to End On
Finally, from the sublime to the ridiculous, who can resist a chocolate fountain-cum-fondue? These were the province of top-notch caterers until a couple of years ago when cheaper and smaller models came onto the scene. Now no party is complete without one.
