5 Kitchen Gadget Fads Through the Ages (Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time)
Rachel Presser does it again. With biting wit, she sets out 5 kitchen gadget fads through the ages that were popular and seemed like a good idea at the time but now nobody really cares about or uses except for a few diehard fan
As holiday shopping season has descended upon us like a toad on an earthworm, you might be thinking about upgrading some of your appliances with those deals. Or perhaps you’re looking for a quirky yet practical gift for a spouse, friend, or co-worker. Whatever your needs are, the array of kitchen gadgetry to behold nowadays is overwhelming. You can get a $400 coffee maker that was featured in Refinery 29 or just opt for “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” and get a drip machine at a drugstore for less than $20.
But it’s not just about the seemingly endless choices. Why do some kitchen gadgets and stay and get improved over time, and what gets relegated to junk stores and unused wedding gifts that wind up on eBay if we mostly laugh at them now? Is this an anthropological study or a holiday gift guide? You decide!
In no particular order, here’s our roundup of interesting boom and bust cycles among kitchen appliances.
1. Electric Can Openers
2. Spiralizers
3. Fondue Sets
4. Pasta Makers
5. Juicers
Rachel Presser is a crazy toad lady from the Bronx who was exiled to New Jersey, spending a significant chunk of her youth where all the hideous 1970s couch covers and avocado shag carpeting went to die. Upon escaping the sea of brown and founding Sonic Toad Media, she decided to devote her time to writing from the fantastically-preserved Googie artifacts in LA and former speakeasies in Chicago, to forging new game worlds in the tea lounges of Taipei and Tokyo. She can be found at game jams, hardcore shows, vaporwave dance parties, and petting amphibians on a sensible corner loveseat.
Reference: Rachel Presser December,2019 "5 kitchen gadget fads through the ages (seemed like a good idea at the time)" Available from https://www.homestratosphere.com/kitchen-gadget-fads/
