Confession of A Kitchen gadget Addict

Hello, my name is Sunflora, I am a kitchen gadget Addict.

Reading Ailin’s blog entry about her kitchen blender I was forced to access my own kitchen gadgetry.

A neighbour once remarked upon entering my kitchen, “Wow! You have almost all possible kitchen gadgetry possible.”

I smiled. Although in my heart I was saying, not really! I still don’t have that KitchenAid mixer that Nigella used, or the Dualit toaster I drooled over, or a pressure cooker.

Yes my name is Sunflora, and I am obessed with my kitchen gadgetry. Well to be honest, I am into all sorts of gadgetry but with kitchen gadgetry somehow it was easier for me to justify its purchase.

As it happens, I just bought a fruit juicer last night myself. Of course being an addict, I would have to deny responsibility purchasing it! I squarely and shamelessly put all the blame on my husband dearest. After attempting to extract carrot juice using a blender and a muslin cloth, he decided that we needed to purchase a juice extractor after all, and offered to drive me to the nearest home electronics store to purchase the juice extractor.

Here is the list of all my kitchen gadgetry:

1. Magimix food processor – which I insist on purchasing after seeing Jamie Oliver and Gary Rhodes using it to make all sorts of things. (Very successful marketing.)
2. Rice cooker
3. Deep fryer
4. Ice cream maker
5. Toaster
6. Electric kettle
7. Coffee Maker
8. Microwave oven
9. Hand chopper
10. Electric steamer (which I haven’t used)
11. Soya Bean drink maker
12. Blender
13. Fruit Juicer
14. Crockpot
15. Citrus juicer
16. Battery operated salt and pepper mill
17. Blender
18. A hand mixer


Yes Kakteh, I can already imagine you saying that a pestle and mortar would do all the possible jobs that all the machines promise. But I have another confession to make, I don’t have the patience nor the skill to use the “batu lesung.” The last time I used one, I can clearly recall was when I was trying to be a good “menantu,” helping my mother in law make some sambal or other. Possibly sambal belacan with some ikan billis. Yes the sambal was delicious but I think I asked my MIL at least 5 times, “Ni dah boleh ke belum Mak?” only to be greeted with, “Sikit lagi.” Hahahaha and all the time I was pounding way I was thinking, if I used the Magimix it will only take one blitz and it will be all done! But of course, Sambal belancan connoisseur would tell you that the texture of the end product would not be the same. The taste would be different and the volume of which you have to make it would be different as well.

I don’t disagree but, err my excuse has always been, “Mana nak beli batu lesung kat sini! Kekadang kat Malaysia pun susah dah nak carik batu lesung.”

I remembered just recently, a Kakak is packing up to return to Malaysia. So I offered to buy over her batu lesung, hopefully lessening her load. Surely she’s be happy to buy a new one in Malaysia.

Boy her answer surprised me. “Eh tak boleh jual batu lesung akak. Batu lesung akak, akak ni turun temurun punya, ni Mak akak punya akak ambik ni.”

Uh-uh, batu a batu lesung with a legacy. After all her batu lesung has been her trusty companion as she travelled from country to country, so I understood her attachment to her batu lesung.

Batu lesung aside, I do confess that I indulge in my obsession when I travel. When I was backpacking in Germany, I managed to acquire a WMF and a Zwilling J A Henckels knife. Surely a knife is a knife is a knife you say. My answer to that is, you need to try one to know. I had wanted to buy a good Japanese sashimi knife in Japan, but my inability to read Japanese and the fact that my bag was already too heavy with other Japanese gadgetry stopped me from doing so. Instead I acquired a sesame seed pepper mill, and a Japanese version of the batu lesung which has a wooden lesung, used to grind the sesame seeds in to paste.

During my trip back to KL last year, I actually acquired enough stickers to enable me to buy a WMF cooking pot at a discounted price from Parkson! Funnily enough this pot is so well used now and it has become my favourite pot since. I almost cried when I accidentally burn some pulut hitam at the bottom of the pot because I had answered a phonecall while I was cooking the pulut hitam. Thanks to hubby dearest, he managed to scrape off most of the burnt pulut without ruining my favourite pot.

Will my obsession ever end? Surely it should reach a saturation point soon. But just yesterday, hubby dearest was looking for ‘an ice cream maker which you don’t have to prefreeze.’(See! Its not just me!) Why would you need an ice-cream maker if you can buy ice cream easily and even cheaply at the shop, you’re probably thinking.

Our excuse is, its different when things are home made. When we make it lovingly together, knowing exactly what ingredients was used, no preservatives, no E numbers.

But often, the biggest challenge is finding the time to make them in the first place. :)

What kitchen gadgets do you have in your kitchen?