We've all been there. You're walking down a store aisle, minding your own business, when suddenly it leaps out from the shelf and grabs you by the throat: kitchen junk. A chameleon in the world of crap-you-don't-need, kitchen junk comes in all kinds of seductive guises, from banana holders to bread machines to egg crackers. Here are a few of the worst offenders:
1. Electric can opener. Since when did opening a can become such an arduous task that it requires a fancy $49.95 machine?
2. Bread machine. When you're studying the back of the box in the store, a bread machine seems like a brilliant idea. The reality check doesn't come until six months later, when it's collecting dust on the kitchen counter because -- let's face it -- it's fifty times easier to grab a freshly baked loaf from the grocery store.
3. Apple slicer. If you own a knife, you can achieve the exact. same. results.
4. Banana guard. This is an example of how, with the right business strategy, you can create a market for a product that's next to useless. Chances are that your lone banana will do just fine without its own special protective case.
5. Egg cracker, better known as the mother-of-all-kitchen-junk. I know 10 different kids who would not only be thrilled to crack your eggs for free, but would also fight each other for the privilege. In all likelihood, it will take longer to rummage through your cabinet and find the egg cracker than it will to just do it yourself.
6. Juicer. If you have visions of yourself serving freshly squeezed juice on a hot summer day, suppress them; it's the heat talking. The truth is that you'll probably use your juicer twice before abandoning it to languish on your counter, right next to the neglected bread machine.
The list goes on and on. But sometimes kitchen junk redeems itself and becomes ... dare I say the word ... useful. Similarily, one cook's piece of junk can be another cook's treasure. If you're a juice fanatic, the juicer could very well be a wise investment; if you're cooking a dish that requires truffles, a truffle slicer may feel like a necessity.
But an egg cracker? Well, some appliances are beyond redemption.