Yupsters, we need to talk.
About how so many of us register at
Williams-Sonoma when we get married or move to a new house. About how we might turn the pages of its catalog with such loving fingers, about how we aspire to a certain kind of cook's heaven where everything you could possibly envision doing in the kitchen has a very specific appliance or utensil designed just for that purpose. About how Williams-Sonoma seems hellbent on perpetuating this myth in our lives by trying to sell us more shit we don't need.
Let's get one thing straight -- all you really need to cook a decent meal in the kitchen is 1) a knife and something to cut on, 2) a pan, 3) something to stir with.
I've seen at least 1 or 2 Williams-Sonoma catalogs floating around Garry's apt, and I've been downright appalled at the unabashed waste it so gleefully promotes. I experience similar shock and dismay when I somehow find myself at a
Sur la Table store. I'd like to share some of the more absurd items I found and humbly ask:
why in heaven's name would anyone actually NEED that? I'd love to hear about
a) your favorite unnecessary kitchen item or
b) your argument for their existence.
Williams-Sonoma Products (and what I would use instead)
Salad Scissors $24.00 - it's called regular kitchen shears! or a knife!
Nutmeg Grinder * $25.00 - it's called a coffee grinder, or regular grater!
Brining Bags, $16.00/Set of Four - it's called a ziploc bag! Or a bucket!
Other Products
Cake Tester * $2.50 - it's called a freaking toothpick/chopstick/knife!
Tomato Slicer - it's called a knife!
Ceramic Pie Weights - it's called a can of tuna or something!
* Hint: if the product name ends in an "er," especially the word "maker," you probably don't need it.
