A Case for Less Cooking Appliances

One of the most interesting rooms in Henry’s VIII’s Hampton Court palace is the Tudor kitchen. The room is expansive, daylight sifting through high windows, and features an old fireplace, the upper wall permanently scarred black from years of continual heat damage. Though I was a child at the time, something about the place kept me interested. Here there were no appliances grander than a wooden spoon, yet Tudor cooks prepared elaborate royal feasts the same way cooking had been done centuries and eons before: by hand. 

When I think of a modern kitchen, I see primarily metal. If your kitchen is anything like mine, there's little counter space left, most of it taken up by some machine, or additional appliances I haven't found the storage space for. Almost all these tools market a ‘hands-off’ approach. The less muscle you use, the better, and as happens over time, our acceptance of these tools has led us to think of them as essential.  

The more I cook however, the less I use them, not because I don't appreciate their functionality. Rather, in the hustle and bustle of using, cleaning, and storing it, I find there's often more benefit to doing things old-school. Of course there are instances of appliances that prove to be genuinely useful, though ones I wouldn't necessarily use all that often (my Zoodle spiralizer comes to mind here). However, most take up far too much space and cost a small fortune to boot.

What’s worse, novice cooks these days are led to think they need these items to cook. This is a gross lie and one worth dispelling. Good cooks need only a few things to make magic in the kitchen: space, their own two hands, and a good sense of what makes food good. Here are a few ways to achieve just that:

1. Get rid of things you can do by hand. 

It might surprise you to know I've never owned a food processor. The reason? I just don't need it. Okay, and there's no more space to put it, but the first reason is no less true. Touted as a remedy for speeding up what can be an annoying part of cooking, food processors are now a common household item. Nothing about them is essential. In fact, whenever I've used one, I find it to be too powerful, difficult to clean, and frustrating to maneuver.

The same could be said for bread machines. Instead of mixing the ingredients yourself, kneading by hand, proofing, and baking your bread in an oven, these machines collect the ingredients and do it all for you, pumping out a loaf that fits whatever pan you use. Though undeniably useful and simple to use, I somehow feel empty when I use them.

There are a whole host of kitchen gadgets, both small and large, designed to make cooking less of a hassle. While my hat goes off to the designers, for the better part of our history as humans, we never needed these devices to make tremendous food in the kitchen. What happened to make us suddenly incapable of chopping food or kneading a good mound of dough with our own two hands? 

What makes our food so diverse is based in part on the unique skills we have as individual cooks. For centuries, our ancestors used their hands not only because they had to, but also to test for temperature, cohesiveness, size, and a multitude of other aspects we now use tools for. This allowed for several variations of favorite foods that we now enjoy (example: pizza, lahmacun, zapiekanka, tarte flambée, etc.). The more machines we use, the less inventive our food becomes, destroying those aspects of cooking that make it fun and creative. Personally, I almost always prefer a little creative license when it comes to chopping my veggies, grating cheese, or kneading dough. That’s what makes it fun, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

2. Chuck your microwave

I’ll forgive you raising your eyebrows. Microwaves have become so useful as to be almost synonymous with modern cooking. Supermarkets have aisle-long sections dedicated to microwaveable meals that are ready in less than ten minutes. Most modern kitchens come with a microwave already built into the wall. And when it comes to reheating food, our first thought is to zap it.  

Convenience aside, speed does not good food make. Almost all food that is good for you will take time to prepare. Like salt, heat is a crucial aspect of cooking, one that will affect the texture, composition, and flavor of your food. The process of heating an ingredient or leftover food takes a certain level of finesse that is impossible to replicate in a microwave, one we shouldn’t be hurrying. In fact, by hurrying along the process, we have the potential to ruin the texture of the food enough to make it unappetizing.

Neither are microwaves as indispensable as we’re led to believe. Take it from someone who's not owned one in four years. Most leftovers can (and sometimes should) be reheated in an oven or on the stove. Though microwaves are marketed as machines that will magically allow us to spend less time cooking and more time focusing on our other numerous tasks, rarely do I find myself with buckets of extra time.

Perhaps most importantly of all (and this should go without saying), food shouldn’t be reduced to individual, frozen Red-Baron pizzas you nuke for five minutes. It should be a process that brings you joy and leaves you feeling fulfilled. Though the temptation to heat food quickly and eat now, time makes food that will keep you satisfied much longer than any microwave-meal could.

3. Be creative with what you already have 

As a descendant of Norwegians who loves her lefse around Christmastime, I own a lefse grill. It's a circular, flat grill that plugs into the wall, and heats to 500 degrees Fahrenheit in the span of ten minutes. It's perfect for making lefse; not so perfect for storing afterwards. Thankfully, though it's called a ‘lefse’ grill, I've discovered it can be useful for other lefse-esque flat breads and foods (tortillas and pitas just to name a few). What was once a device that would only be used once a year is now something I use quite frequently, and for a whole variety of foods.

With a little creative thinking, there's almost certainly a device or utensil in your kitchen that will suffice for what you’re trying to make. Below are some ideas that might prove helpful: 

· To make a paella, use the biggest sauté pan you have. Paella pans are great, but expensive and enormous. A sauté pan on the other hand will prove much more useful.

· Though convenient, panini makers aren't hugely necessary, so long as you have a good griddle. A griddle is much more useful for a wide variety of foods. Unless your stove comes equipped with one, I'd suggest a portable two-sided griddle. 

· Sticking with the griddle theme here, if you can't afford or don't have the space for a grill, a portable griddle can be heated in your oven to mimic the effects of one. It's great for when you really want that special 'grilled' flavor, but don't have the means or if the weather isn't on your side. 

· Don’t have space for a blender? Don’t fret. Immersion blenders are perfect for about 90% of the meals that call for one. Much smaller and easier to store, it’s also less expensive and more useful.

· Stand mixers are great for the baker. They are not so great for the once in a blue moon baker. For that person, I’d recommend mixing by hand, or if you insist, a hand-held electric mixer which won’t take up counter space or cost a small fortune.

· Proofing baskets are great but take it from someone that regularly bakes each week: a regular bowl will do just fine.

You might be reading this and thinking there’s no way in hell you’re getting rid of your microwave. Honestly: fine! My goal in writing this is not to force you into chucking genuinely useful appliances, but rather to make you think more mindfully about your tools.  

I also hope you learn to trust yourself in the kitchen. You won’t become a Michelin star chef the more appliances you buy yourself. Your stew won’t be perfect because your vegetables are evenly chopped. You aren’t saving more time by microwaving your ingredients. And for heaven’s sake, you don’t need a quesadilla maker to make the perfect quesadilla! Chuck the kitchen appliances you aren’t using and use ones that allow you to achieve artistry in the kitchen…starting with your own two hands.