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Most kitchen appliances clutter your cupboards, clog your drawers, and aren’t very useful. Basically, buying them is like throwing your money down the drain. I suspect that many people who cook are trying to compensate for poor to middling cooking skills, or worse, laziness.
Many people say that a decent chef needs nothing more than a set of sharp knives, a good pot and pan, and an imagination, and I believe that to be true. The only place you can store your spiralizer is in the trash.
But just because it’s not a necessity, does that mean you shouldn’t get it? I’m writing this at the beginning of my love affair with a £450 ice cream maker that I bought as a present for my other half. Masu.
Many of the finest kitchen appliances serve as gifts for those who have it all. That’s also the reason for the pasta rolls I once gave my parents. It never came out of the box. However, some gadgets are worth paying for. And some of them are worthy of public release. Which ones are worth investing in? With 30 years of buying experience since that takeover disaster, I’ve learned a few things along the way.
I often think that products that are multi-functional are a compromise. I don’t know which of the many machines is technically the best, but I do know that I need a food mixer for the cake I make once a year, or the bread I bake because I bought high-quality flour. Purchase a Kenwood or KitchenAid at the Farm Shop. They are a classic design. Others don’t look right, so they have to live out of sight. There’s no need to worry about higher-spec versions unless you’ve done your homework and think you need add-ons. As for the £1,199 Kenwood Cooking Chef, which has induction cooking capabilities. What do you mean? There are better and more proud products available.
A food processor is a must. Not because I use it often, but if I ever get into a dinner party situation I can pretend to try Nigella Lawson’s recipe for guests who pop in for fizz. Buy Magimix 5200XL Premium without thinking too much. The £490 was well spent. It’s cute and dishwasher safe. Food processors are made for lazy people, so washing them by hand isn’t an option. Most models are so ugly that they have to be kept in a cupboard and are never used.
Currently, there is a trend for high-end brands to collaborate with fashion designers to justify their exorbitant prices. Smeg’s collaboration with Dolce & Gabbana embodies this trend. Their kettle costs £599. Bonkers. Purchase a Quooker instant boil water tap instead. The gunmetal version costs £1,860, but you don’t have to buy a separate tap and the instant boiling water is much more convenient than a kettle cluttering up your worktop. However, please note that boiling water faucets are not suitable as gifts.
Things get ridiculous when you get into the realm of coffee makers. When I remodeled my kitchen, I held my nose and bought a Gaggenau. I think the inside is made by Bosch. Why spend £7,000 on an oven when Bosch’s version costs £399? The simpler it is, the more beautiful it looks. It’s the equivalent of spending £30,000 on an Audi A5 or around £186,000 on a Bentley Continental. Same parent company, similar job. But you can’t show off by driving an Audi A5. Unless you’re 17 and it’s your first car.
At the time, I purchased a unit that included two ovens and a microwave. Someone thought it would be a good idea to heat the plates. stupid idea. You’ll never see £2,000 again.
Back to the coffee machine. That’s amazing. But £3,000 should do it. However, this has a major drawback. It is built-in and must be manually pulled out to fill with water. With frothed milk, you have a cumbersome container that you have to wash after every use, and you can’t get started if you have to change the beans. Since I don’t have a removable container, a stepladder and Henry vacuum are the only effective methods I’ve found. It’s so talkative. A £295 grind, stainless steel, Nespresso compatible pod machine would have been better.
No column about kitchen appliances would be complete without a discussion of air fryers. You’re probably expecting me to choose the Ninja Double Stack XL. It costs 269 pounds. But it’s terrible. I didn’t spend thousands of dollars on a Gaggenau kit to spoil my look with trendy items. So I bought Daewoo for £19.99 and keep it in my pantry. Never seen by guests. And it’s great.
When it comes to items that require display, such as a toaster, it’s worth the money. There are many available, but most are terrible. Unless you live alone, why would you own a toaster that can only toast two pieces at a time? Who would only eat one piece of toast? Must be a 4-slice device. And it has to be dualit. That’s 220 pounds well spent.
What to do with extra devices? A popcorn maker? No, please purchase products that are microwave safe. Cotton candy maker? No, just buy it when you go to the amusement park. There’s no excuse to eat something stupid like that at home anyway.
But what is the ultimate kitchen appliance? Reminds me of the ice cream maker. A smooth and creamy gelato made by Magimix. Or make a proper thick one or even a granita. Don’t worry about anything that relies on ice or requires working in extreme cold. They are good for one thing and one thing only: landfilling.
That’s the point. Kitchen utensils that simply do the job need to be hidden away and make great gifts. Anything that stands out is worth the money. An ice cream maker is not required. But was it a wonderful, unexpected birthday present that will be appreciated every time you use it? And do we love it? absolutely.
James Max is a television and radio host and real estate expert. The views expressed are personal. X, Instagram, Thread @maaaaaaaaaaaaaa
