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Who needs most of this crap? I have a knife. It is a simple piece of metal that peels carrots, apples, and many other things with great reliability. It also pe

Who needs most of this crap? I have a knife. It is a simple piece of metal that peels carrots, apples, and many other things with great reliability. It also performs other functions that a "carrot peeler" could not. It has done so for 20 years and can be expected to remain functional for several more decades. "Coffee grinder"? how many iterations of the idea of the blender does one kitchen need? (I count a half dozen in my kitchen without trying. 4 more if you add in the lab gear)

zenexer 4y ago
It depends. You probably have a typical coffee brewer. Those aren’t too picky about their grind, but they take up a lot of space and only do one thing. Most don’t last long. You could instead get a V60 for about $10 and a nice hand grinder, neither of which take much space. Combine those with an electric tea kettle, and you’ve got nicer coffee in a smaller footprint. The tea kettle still takes up space, but it’s a tea kettle. The grinder is the size of a pepper mill, and the V60 is an indestructible little plastic cone. Tired of cranking the grinder by hand? Hook it up to a drill. You could use a blender-style grinder with a V60, but you’re going to run into trouble getting it to work right. Everything is a compromise.
thesaintlives 4y ago
I tried grinding coffee in the blender just after my divorce. Did not work so great...
wincy 4y ago
I mean I use a peeler because my kids like to help cook and I don’t want to give a four year old a sharp kitchen knife. I don’t drink coffee but a nicely built hand powered coffee grinder is great at home or even on a camping trip for people who are really into coffee. But you’re probably right, I bet my $400 Vitamix could grind coffee. Actually, I just googled it, and Vitamix helpfully sells a coffee grinder attachment! Haha, the gadgets never end.
robinsonb5 4y ago
I had a knife. It wasn't a simple piece of metal - it had a nicely sculpted handle with that horrible tactile silicone coating which gets gross and sticky over time and is really hard to clean (mild abrasive such as bicarbonate of soda will either clean it or remove it - and frankly I'm good with either outcome!) A few months back this knife fell to pieces when the handle split, causing the blade to do an interesting backflip maneouvre that I'd have preferred to spectate from much further away. While I'm ranting about kitchenwares, I'm getting tired of saucepans with a life expectancy of less than two years - they're another item I'd expect to last decades. But again the existence of the cheap crap makes it harder to find the better stuff, and certainly hard to have any confidence that what you're looking actually is any better, and not just the same crap with a higher price tag.
lentil_soup 4y ago
well, using a peeler (not just for carrots) is a way faster way to peel things and it's tiny. Mine has lasted years and peeling potatos is just so so fast. I understand what you mean, but in this case I think it is a pretty useful tool

zenexer 4y ago

It depends. You probably have a typical coffee brewer. Those aren’t too picky about their grind, but they take up a lot of space and only do one thing. Most don’t last long. You could instead get a V60 for about $10 and a nice hand grinder, neither of which take much space. Combine those with an electric tea kettle, and you’ve got nicer coffee in a smaller footprint. The tea kettle still takes up space, but it’s a tea kettle. The grinder is the size of a pepper mill, and the V60 is an indestructible little plastic cone. Tired of cranking the grinder by hand? Hook it up to a drill. You could use a blender-style grinder with a V60, but you’re going to run into trouble getting it to work right. Everything is a compromise.

thesaintlives 4y ago

I tried grinding coffee in the blender just after my divorce. Did not work so great...

wincy 4y ago

I mean I use a peeler because my kids like to help cook and I don’t want to give a four year old a sharp kitchen knife. I don’t drink coffee but a nicely built hand powered coffee grinder is great at home or even on a camping trip for people who are really into coffee. But you’re probably right, I bet my $400 Vitamix could grind coffee. Actually, I just googled it, and Vitamix helpfully sells a coffee grinder attachment! Haha, the gadgets never end.

robinsonb5 4y ago

I had a knife. It wasn't a simple piece of metal - it had a nicely sculpted handle with that horrible tactile silicone coating which gets gross and sticky over time and is really hard to clean (mild abrasive such as bicarbonate of soda will either clean it or remove it - and frankly I'm good with either outcome!) A few months back this knife fell to pieces when the handle split, causing the blade to do an interesting backflip maneouvre that I'd have preferred to spectate from much further away. While I'm ranting about kitchenwares, I'm getting tired of saucepans with a life expectancy of less than two years - they're another item I'd expect to last decades. But again the existence of the cheap crap makes it harder to find the better stuff, and certainly hard to have any confidence that what you're looking actually is any better, and not just the same crap with a higher price tag.

lentil_soup 4y ago

well, using a peeler (not just for carrots) is a way faster way to peel things and it's tiny. Mine has lasted years and peeling potatos is just so so fast. I understand what you mean, but in this case I think it is a pretty useful tool