Popular Mechanics Names Breville Tea Maker #1 "Amazing But Completely Unnecessary Kitchen Gadgets"
I was quite shocked to see the Breville Tea Maker make the news/internet headlines in this way. Yes it isn’t necessary, but then again if you want to get extremely basic, no kettle even is.
First of all, that toaster is awesome…
There are a lot of unnecessary gadgets that people have. The computer, for example, isn’t necessary. But it sure makes life easier and more interesting. Televisions and Cell-phones aren’t necessary, but they make life a lot easier and interesting. Even cars aren’t really necessary – there are other ways of getting around! Most of the items we have around us each and every day are modern conveniences that we (as the human race) survived quite well without until these conveniences were invented.
The Breville is a convenience – that is why I want it. I make a lot of tea. As it is, with the exception of the refrigerator, my electric tea kettle is the most used appliance in the kitchen. It is used more than the stove and more than the microwave. So, while I don’t absolutely need the Breville, it will save me a lot of time. Plus… it will be so awesome. :)
I agree… but the way the article was written they seem to equate unnecessary as “a huge waste of money”- but then again maybe it was because I was really exhausted when I read it and I REALLY want it lol:P
HECK! If you want to get right down to it – Magazines (like Popular Mechanics, for example) are completely unnecessary. But, for those who choose to read it, I am sure it makes life a bit more interesting.
Yes, that is the way I read the article too… it was like “gee, these are really cool, but, why would you spend all that money for this?” In addition, in looking at the other items… they do seem quite frivolous. But, for me, the Breville just doesn’t seem frivolous. It seems like a time-saving, useful tool that I personally will use several times a day, every day! I will end up using it more than I do the toaster, the microwave, the dishwasher, and even the stove. Heck, if any of my kitchen appliances are “unnecessary” I would say that my food processor and my mixer would fit in that category, because I don’t use them but maybe once or twice a week at the very most… but, that doesn’t mean that I would want to rid myself of them either.
And the Breville is much more “necessary” in my opinion than either of them.
While I’ll stop short of saying that cars are unnecessary for everyone, I couldn’t agree w/ you more. Like cars, certain products are less unnecessary for certain people than others. Now maybe I’m just trying to rationalize this again (LOL!), but I think the Breville would be quite practicle for people who, like myself, are in wheelchairs and/or who are short statured- especially if, like mine, their kitchen isn’t very practical.
The thing I’ll say about the knives that they mention is that a well sharpened knife is safer than a dull one. A dull knife is more likely to cut you (since you’re going to use more pressure and thus, you’re more likely to slip). Good quality knives are worth the money!
Yeah, I’m with you on the knife thing; a well-crafted, well-cared-for knife will last you a looooong time and will save you a lot of frustration and possibly some pain.
On another note, I think I agree that the Breville doesn’t fit into the list all that well since it makes precision tea-making a lot easier – which leads me to believe that the article was written by a person or persons unaware of how much of an effect water at the proper temperature has on the end tea result.
I mean, the toaster does exactly what any other toaster would do except with special effects and the trashcan is just a neat (expensive) thing so you’re basically paying for trimmings. The effect of the Breville can’t really be mimicked except by expending more of your own effort by sticking a thermometer into the pot of water you’re heating and watching it like a hawk, so you’re paying for convenience. The value of convenience is, I think, pretty subjective.
Honestly, I don’t care whether someone wants to call it unnecessary or not. Many things I start out thinking are unnecessary become indispensable to my life eventually. Like TiVo for one.
I heart my Breville and I use it all the time. For something unnecessary, it sure is useful. :-)
A bit off-topic, but the husband and I are getting ready to purchase new good-quality knives shortly. (My line of thinking is tea people = maybe cooking people = would own nice knives + it was mentioned in the topic.) We currently have Henkels, which we like, but we’ve had for a long time and they were one of their lower priced lines and we’re having a hard time keeping them sharp for lone anymore. So we’re looking to upgrade a bit. We were thinking about Wusthofs, or more Henkels. Specific lines/series within a brand would be most helpful to know. Thanks for any help!
Chrine, Did you notice those Cut Brooklyn knives on the popular mechanics page? I am so drooling over those right now!
I am currently using Chicago Cutlery and don’t think it is as good as Henkels but it does depend on the line you (price point) of the brand you pick.
I like the Global chef knife- very lightweight. Some of those Germans seemed too heavy for me. Prior to purchasing, I would go to a store and try them out or at least get a feel for the knife….
You also need to hone the knife each time you use it…
Also I would not necesarily purchase a full set- I get by on a paring knife, chef’s knife and a serrated edge bread knife (Forscher via Amazon- very cheap).. I LOVE the serrated eadge bread knife….
SMom ~ I hadn’t actually gone to the page of the article. Now that I have, those DO look really nice. There were these Japanese knives at the local pricey kitchen store that the metal of the knife is patterned irregularly like a wood grain. So pretty and felt so nice.
Lori ~ I will check those out. I do like a heavier knife. The husband and I have handled a few different brands/lines while we’ve been in kitchen stores recently. I’m definitely planning on making sure I get to hold the ones we decide to buy. I’m planning to buy a small to mid-sized set on Amazon (SO much cheaper than the kitchen stores) and/or fill in the knives I need individually. I’m also planning to throw out the majorly of my current knives.
I have some of each of Wusthof and Henkels and both are really good, but I prefer Wusthof because of how they feel in my hand. I don’t think you can go wrong with either brand, it’s really how they feel when you hold them. Wusthof has a nice weight, nice balance, nice handle feel. I think you need to go to a store and hold them like you’re going to use them to really know which you like better.
Yeah, we’re leaning that way (towards Wusthofs). We liked the feel of them. We just have to figure out which line we want. The husband was getting close to deciding, trying the knives again, finding a good price, and purchasing before the car accident a few months ago. He’s been doing most of the knife shopping. lol He does cook though.
Yeah, when we went knife shopping we each handled EVERYTHING. I let my husband make the final choice (he does most of the cooking; I’m the queen of leftover reheating), and he picked the Henkel Pro S. They’ve held up pretty well for us for 3 or 4 years so far! They need to be professionally sharpened this year, though (I think you’re supposed to do it every year).
Personally, I prefer a Yxing teapot.
But this article is way off base comparing the usefulness of this tea maker to a toaster.
After watching this demo I understood what it really did.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoZeeogblr0
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