The knife dilemma: Do we really need all those kitchen gadgets?
Earlier this summ tion between a d who had purcha and one of the m tomer service representa really need to replace th The blade of a knife pur yuan (US$103.87) broke its handle when the custo garlic cloves for cooking
The customer contacted Xiao Quan, via their onli hotline, and received the “smashing garlic is not r their knives. The frustra posted a screenshot of th where befuddled and p across the country expr ings about the incident.
Much of the sentimen simple point — people using kitchen knives to for generations. In year used much less expensive no issues, so why should knife split in half when simple, common task?
The company’s general terview on camera in an situation and quell diss brand, but he ended up fire. He informed consum Chinese habitually use t incorrectly when cutting and they should learn fr chefs who cut the “prop use high-caliber knives l This, predictably, did n In my view, netizens an mentators around the w overboard expressing ou tion, especially over pet to be fair, the manager’s a bit absurd.
As it turns out, this pa has higher carbon conte most, making it harder, t and also making it less p time. Its drawback, thoug zontally in a slapping or knife becomes susceptib shear force across the fa shouldn’t be used in this
It likely would have be ny’s manager to explain t admonish the kitchen s of China! Let’s just call relations gaffe.
The episode led me to th ods I use to crush garlic knife. I have a garlic-min the task. In my kitchen, th a bit of an outlier. I don’t of widgets and gadgets d specific jobs in the kitch garlic crusher, I have a r cutter, and that’s about i
mer, a digital interacdissatisfied customer ased a kitchen knife manufacturer’s cusatives went viral (we hat term, by the way). rchased for over 700 off completely from omer used it to smash g. d the company, Zhang ine customer service simple response that recommended” with rated consumer then that response online, perturbed netizens ressed their misgivnt
It must be said, though, that most of these specific tools do their designated jobs more precisely. They do exist for a reason, after all — at least in theory. It’s up to consumers to decide whether they prefer a small quiver of trusty, multi-purpose tools or a huge arsenal of contraptions for each individual task.
boiled down to a in China have been smash garlic cloves rs past, people often e knives to do so with a pricey, name-brand n performing such a
l manager gave an ineffort to explain the satisfaction with the pouring fuel on the mers that, in general, their kitchen knives meat and vegetables, rom Michelin-starred per” way in order to like theirs. not go over well. nd social media comworld sometimes go outrage and indignatty issues. However, s comments do seem
articular knife model ent in its alloy than thinner and sharper, prone to dulling over gh, is when used horir patting motion, the ble to breaking from ace of the blade, so it s manner. ehooved the compathat point rather than skills of the entirety l it a serious public
hink about the methc cloves. I don’t use a ncing tool specific to though, this gadget is have a cupboard full designed for different chen. Other than the rounded-blade pizza it.
This is generally the case for most home kitchens in China. The basic necessary tools are used for a variety of tasks without the need for things like apple-corers, potato-mashers and garlic-mincers. When thinking back to the kitchen in my childhood home, though, we had all of those and more. Orange juicers, steak hammers and salad spinners occupied drawers and cupboards, only seeing the light of day a couple times a month.
While these devices certainly have their uses, how necessary they are is an open question. Are they really worth the money they cost and the space they occupy? The answer, of course, is different for every household, depending on differing budgets, culinary habits and penchants for consumerism.
Is a whisk necessary? Perhaps in years past I’d have answered yes, but now I’m fully aware that a chopstick or two can mix eggs or batter (or do myriad other tasks as well) if used deftly. But it’s true that a cheese grater, on the other hand, performs its job perfectly and is tough to replace with a regular knife.
The kitchen gadget debate also reminds me of a content creator who recently gained popularity online called “Uncle Roger,” a character played by a UK-based Malaysian comedian. In his videos, he pokes fun at TV celebrity chefs who bungle Asian-style cooking by misusing ingredients and incorporating all sorts of unnecessary gizmos. In his first video to go... viral (ugh)... online, he looks on in horror as a chef on the BBC Food channel washes and drains cooked rice through a pasta colander, something unheard of in this part of the world. He laments how the rice is ruined (and puts his leg down from his chair), which viewers found hilarious.
A recent TikTok video also surfaced where a man shakes his head in disbelief watching demonstrations of a tool specifically designed to grab pickles out of pickle jars purchased for US$25.89 and a bagel slicer with a price tag of US$39.95.
I can’t help but share his incredulity. Common knives, forks, chopsticks, or in the case of the pickle-picker-upper, a washed hand could easily do the job.
It must be said, though, that most of these specific tools do their designated jobs more precisely. They do exist for a reason, after all — at least in theory. It’s up to consumers to decide whether they prefer a small quiver of trusty, multi-purpose tools or a huge arsenal of contraptions for each individual task.
Personally, I’m more of a minimalist. I find that a few knives, some chopsticks and just a few other basic tools can adequately perform most culinary tasks. Chopsticks, especially, are wonderful in their utility despite their simplicity.
Physicist Hugh Everett theorized in the 1950s that there may exist an infinite number of parallel universes over which all things that could possibly exist, do. But I still have a hard time imagining that there’s a universe in which I’d pay US$7 for a “cookie dipper.”