Five home cooking appliances you never knew you didn’t need
First it was the Happycall Pan, and then the Air Fryer. They were followed closely by slow juicers, yoghurt and soymilk machines, then bread and noodle machines became all the rage.
Home television advertisements, live supermarket demonstrations and the Internet have brought to the fore a whole new influx of fancy kitchen gadgets all promising to save you time, effort and money.
Before you fill up your entire kitchen counter (and floor) with spanking new kitchen appliances, which may soon become white elephants – have a think if you really need them?
Here’s our tongue-in-cheek guide to the five kitchen appliances you never knew you didn’t need.
The banana 'frozen yoghurt' machine
Why you bought it:
The idea sounds great -- froyo (frozen yoghurt) -- without all that sugar and fat. It's even dairy free because you make the yoghurt from bananas, not milk or cream! You can even mix it up with strawberries, chocolate chips and other fruits. The possibilities are endless. Just shove it all into the machine and you get icy, creamy smooth froyo without even walking out the door. Kids apparently love it, and it's nutritious, too.
The reality:
Why would you keep frozen bananas lying around your freezer? Does anyone know how much space they take up? Also, a little research showed that you have to thaw the bananas briefly before they are that perfect smoothness -- if not, your froyo may come out in solid chunks. Now, if you have to wait, why not go out to buy your froyo?
If you have determination, and you and your family really like bananas, then this machine is for you. If you’re short on patience and can’t remember to buy bananas let alone freeze them, then forget it.
The air fryer
Why you bought it:
Imagine -- fried food without the fat, fries without the guilt. It's touted as an oven, a frying pan and a deep fat fryer all combined into one machine. You can bake, fry and grill with it without oil splatter. The possibilities are endless.
The reality:
This machine makes a really mean perfectly grilled salmon – but only after you’ve burnt about eight pieces learning to get the timing and the temperature just right. And don’t go for no grease– those veggies definitely need a brush of good old olive oil if you want them to turn a beautiful colour and get that "crisp on the outside, moist on the inside" consistency.
Also, newsflash – air-frying frozen nuggets does make it less fattening, but does NOT make it nutritious. So if you’re on a healthy-eating spree, this might actually encourage you to eat more of the bad stuff while thinking you’re being virtuous.
You need to be patient enough to figure out the correct permutations for the perfect grill or fry – then it really does help save time, money and effort.
The bread machine
Why you bought it:
Throw in a bunch of ingredients – and you get fresh, hot fluffy buns straight from the “oven” in the mornings. You picture yourself in your gingham apron carrying a tray of homemade, perfectly shaped buns to your smiling children. Honey-milk chia seed bread? No problem. Preservative-free tofu-strawberry wholemeal rolls? Anytime you want it. You can even make healthy homemade pizzas with the thing. Who knew domesticity could be so easy?
This machine is particularly trendy lately as competing brands from China enter the market priced way below market leaders. Almost every housewife has one sitting next to her yoghurt machine and air fryer now.
The reality:
If you didn’t have time to buy bread from the supermarket the night before, you’re not going to have time to bake bread for tomorrow’s breakfast. That said, if you’re already baking your own bread, this machine will be a lifesaver and can do all the kneading for you. You can also try out all kinds of flavours you’d never find outside.
Be prepared, though, for failures before success – but a few simple mistakes later, you should be baking bread like a pro.
The soybean milk machine
Why you bought it:
You were on an organic-food way of life - and freshly squeezed soy milk in the morning (from non-GMO beans, naturally) – was how you wanted to start the day right. Sweetened with agave syrup or muscovado sugar just to your liking. Instant healthy breakfast, what’s not to love about that? It can make nut milks too – almond, pecans, walnuts, cashew. Best part: for half the price you'd have to pay at the shops.
The reality:
If you can find the time to buy organic non-GMO soybeans, you could probably head out to buy a packet of ready made fresh soy milk, too. And what if you got sick of drinking soy milk?
The slow juicer
Why you bought it:
Regular blenders and bullets just can’t cut it anymore. You’re convinced you’ve lost half the nutrient levels of your fruits and veggies because the heat from blending them has destroyed them. No, you need a slow-humming cold pressed juicer. You’re going to make yourself mason glass jars of cold pressed juices using exotic organic vegetables every day and it's going to stop you from getting cancer.
The reality:
Most of the cold-pressed juicers for sale are so heavy you’re panting by the time you’ve lugged it out of your cupboard and onto your counter. And you don’t want to keep them on your counter anyway because they are huge. If you juice every day, expect your grocery bill to double – kale, blueberries and other superfoods do not come cheap. Lastly, the cleaning is enough to burn off whatever you ate for dinner (this may be a good or bad thing). You’ll find pulp and fibres stuck in every nook and cranny – and there are many – of the machine. On the average, it takes a good 15 minutes to get it sparkling again. Don’t get us started on all the chopping before you even start to juice.
