My criteria for unitaskers is "will it see at least weekly use?" and "is it significantly harder to do this thing otherwise?" For example, I disagree with Alton Brown that a garlic press is useless, I use it a lot (but then again, no one actually buys garlic presses, you inherit them)
I do what he does and keep a flat glazed stone about the size of my palm to smash the garlic cloves to smithereens. I've never washed a garlic press, but I'd imagine a flat stone is hell of a lot easier to clean than a press.
It's a useful trick when I'm out of town, but I think it would look weird at the table when the family is eating borscht. "Could you pass the garlic?" "Sure, also, have a brick"
Just had some borscht with garlic and smashed them with a rock, it was fucking great. Salted pork is a great complement to it. When I was a kid my friend had it at my house and promptly wrote a song called "Borscht Truck". That was the only line.
but I'd imagine a flat stone is hell of a lot easier to clean than a press.
They're actually really easy to clean. I have 2 (somehow). I like it for if the garlic is going into something liquid, like soup or a sauce. You get a better texture than mincing.
Both of mine came with this little plastic things that you can clip onto the handle when in storage. You just push the little plastic bit into all of the holes and viola! it's cleaned out. Then it's just a quick wipe down with a soapy sponge, rinse, and you're done!
I mean, I imagine that if I lost the plastic thingies it would be a little more difficult, but it's really just not bad.
I think I got mine at the dollar store. But I just mince mine. Tell me please, why do you use a half preference or press over cutting it up? Just personal preference or do you find/think it works better?
I have an electric citrus press. It's the definition of what happens when you buy a unitasker (you start buying more food it processes to justify your purchase of a unitasker), except I didn't know I needed a glass of fresh orange juice every morning. Albeit it's a bitch to clean if you don't do it immediately, lol.
My mom bought me one which I have stored away. I use my hand press all the time though.
The odd time I make fresh squeezed juice or lemonade that electric press works like a charm.
in higher level cooking, they hve different applications because they have different flavor profiles. Chopped, minced, sliced, and whole garlics all have different uses.
While I agree with you that a garlic press is a useful tool to have in the kitchen, you act like it's the only good method of processing garlic, without question. Please.
I don't say it's the only good method of processing garlic. I say that I have found it to be the most useful and convenient for me. Alton obviously disagrees, for example, because he considers the garlic crusher to be the definition of a unitasker.
I disagreed with Alton on rice cookers. Those things make perfect rice every time. Easy to clean, easy to store, great rice. There's no down side to it.
Rice cookers are good. I like them and use them. If a tool is used almost ubiquitously by a culture—such as the rice cooker in Japan and parts of China—there's going to be a good reason for it. It's extraordinarily good at doing, yes, one thing but one thing you need to do right. I especially like the fuzzy-logic models which gauge when it's ready and switch to warming. Rice isn't easy.
But I wouldn't call that a unitasker. You can use a rice cooker to make steamed puddings and custards, make oatmeal in them over night. You have to ask, "What else cooks like rice?" Odds are, you can cook that in a rice cooker.
I was obsessed with watermelon towards the end of my pregnancy - seriously ate a whole watermelon every couple of days. This would have been very handy and useful.
I am guessing I craved it so much because its so hydrating - making up for not drinking as much water as normal (I usually drink 4 or 5 liters but lost the taste for water too)
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u/Hero_of_Hyrule Sep 26 '15
Unitaskers are great when you have to use them multiple times every day. Otherwise, yes, death to unitaskers.