I tend to divide kitchen appliances into three tiers in my head. There's the top tier, the ones you can't live without, that every kitchen should have (toaster oven, crock pot and blender leap to mind). Then comes the second tier, the ones that aren't vital, but do make cooking easier and more fun (stand mixer, waffle iron and indoor grill, for instance). Then there are the ones that are rarely necessary, but are appealing nonetheless. In this category, I group things like ice cream makers, bread machines and fondue pots. I discovered another third tier appliance recently, and while it's not one that I think I'd use much, I can see how it would be fun and useful (provided you're a fan of nut butters). That's right, I'm speaking of the Peanut Butter Machine. It has a blessedly small foot print and whips up freshly ground nut butter at the flick of a switch. I can see how this would be great if you had access to large amounts of nuts or you had health concerns that precluded you from ingesting manufactured peanut, almond or cashew butter.
[via Josh Spear]
Here are 25 ways
we humans show we can't ever be satisfied with the "usual" ways of preparing, cooking and even
eating our food. Make it yourself. Do it yourself. Hack it yourself. There's something for everyone here.
What Can I Get You Folks? - Eating Out for Thanksgiving
In Defense of Guy Fieri
'Top Chef Vegas' - And Then There Were Five
