Why Gadgets?
All Amazon links are affiliate links and help me support my gadget habit. Links to other outside sites are simply to be helpful and don't offer me any perks.
If you know 10 vegans, in real life or online through forums and groups and all the techno-goodness that brings like-minded people together, then chances are you know AT LEAST one person who has taken their blender on vacation with them. Chances are also good that if you decided to discuss the "best blender" with these 10 people, you are going to have a heated argument.
Gadgets, like a high speed blender (I don't claim to know the best, but I cannot tell a lie- my Vitamix is a family member), make life a bit easier for anyone, but since vegans often have a harder time finding options when eating out or wanting to grab something on the go, gadgets become a really important tool in the arsenal of staying vegan and living vibrantly. Even for someone who loves cooking, like me, I rely on my gadgets to keep my from getting bogged down in the monotony of making every meal for my family for 3 meals a day (vegan convenience foods also help- don't judge, or at least don't come here and attack me about it). Without my slow cooker, I'm not sure I could have survived the first few months as a new mom!
In college, I had a friend who had no job other than school and no kids and a lot of free time, and this friend got really into this idea that "a proper chef's knife is the only kitchen tool you need." I get that perspective, and I can even agree to agree. I am not too shabby in the kitchen, and can get by with very little. Is that my optimal life? Nah brah.
I mean, Steven Wright says it best, "Anywhere's walking distance if you have the time." Well, do you have the time? I don't. I also have an appreciation for ingenuity and progress of doing things better and in new ways. I used to read Real Simple magazine and flip right to my favorite section first: New Uses for Old Things. I loved the idea of repurposing gadgets and tools and even waste to make it useful again. Alton Brown likes to mock "unitaskers" (kitchen gadgets with only one use), but if you find many uses for that gadget, then it becomes really helpful. I regrow carrots from their tops- I'm into reusing. I lie in bed at night thinking about how I want a cherry pitter, but cherries are only in season for a short while, so how could I use a cherry pitter for other purposes and justify the space it takes up? The stuff you lie in bed thinking about at night is the stuff you are supposed to write about, right? I think that's the deal.
Does this mean I think every gadget is a winner? NO! I've gone through over 5 methods of making coffee in the last 3 years, and ended up back with a one button drip Mr. Coffee! It's what works for me. That doesn't mean that cold brew, or French Press, or K-Cups don't make good coffee, it just wasn't right for me. So, I don't want to be a Negative Nelly, but I will share some items that I've found are just Not My Bag, Baby (NMBB). Does this mean it won't be your bag? No. I'll explain why some gadgets just haven't been something I'm into, either specific products or general tools. I don't want to put down products, but I do what to be informative, so hopefully I won't ruffle too many feathers- that's certainly not my intention.
If you have a gadget you want me to review, know that I will be honest, and that I'm mostly enthusiastic and Polly Positive when it comes to new things.
Okay, I better get to the dishes... The dishwasher is a great gadget, but why won't it load itself?
Happy Cooking!
Erin
If you know 10 vegans, in real life or online through forums and groups and all the techno-goodness that brings like-minded people together, then chances are you know AT LEAST one person who has taken their blender on vacation with them. Chances are also good that if you decided to discuss the "best blender" with these 10 people, you are going to have a heated argument.
Gadgets, like a high speed blender (I don't claim to know the best, but I cannot tell a lie- my Vitamix is a family member), make life a bit easier for anyone, but since vegans often have a harder time finding options when eating out or wanting to grab something on the go, gadgets become a really important tool in the arsenal of staying vegan and living vibrantly. Even for someone who loves cooking, like me, I rely on my gadgets to keep my from getting bogged down in the monotony of making every meal for my family for 3 meals a day (vegan convenience foods also help- don't judge, or at least don't come here and attack me about it). Without my slow cooker, I'm not sure I could have survived the first few months as a new mom!
In college, I had a friend who had no job other than school and no kids and a lot of free time, and this friend got really into this idea that "a proper chef's knife is the only kitchen tool you need." I get that perspective, and I can even agree to agree. I am not too shabby in the kitchen, and can get by with very little. Is that my optimal life? Nah brah.
I mean, Steven Wright says it best, "Anywhere's walking distance if you have the time." Well, do you have the time? I don't. I also have an appreciation for ingenuity and progress of doing things better and in new ways. I used to read Real Simple magazine and flip right to my favorite section first: New Uses for Old Things. I loved the idea of repurposing gadgets and tools and even waste to make it useful again. Alton Brown likes to mock "unitaskers" (kitchen gadgets with only one use), but if you find many uses for that gadget, then it becomes really helpful. I regrow carrots from their tops- I'm into reusing. I lie in bed at night thinking about how I want a cherry pitter, but cherries are only in season for a short while, so how could I use a cherry pitter for other purposes and justify the space it takes up? The stuff you lie in bed thinking about at night is the stuff you are supposed to write about, right? I think that's the deal.
Does this mean I think every gadget is a winner? NO! I've gone through over 5 methods of making coffee in the last 3 years, and ended up back with a one button drip Mr. Coffee! It's what works for me. That doesn't mean that cold brew, or French Press, or K-Cups don't make good coffee, it just wasn't right for me. So, I don't want to be a Negative Nelly, but I will share some items that I've found are just Not My Bag, Baby (NMBB). Does this mean it won't be your bag? No. I'll explain why some gadgets just haven't been something I'm into, either specific products or general tools. I don't want to put down products, but I do what to be informative, so hopefully I won't ruffle too many feathers- that's certainly not my intention.
If you have a gadget you want me to review, know that I will be honest, and that I'm mostly enthusiastic and Polly Positive when it comes to new things.
Okay, I better get to the dishes... The dishwasher is a great gadget, but why won't it load itself?
Happy Cooking!
Erin
