A Moratorium on the Appliance Wasteland

Truth be told, I did ask for the panini press.

It’s always so enticing to leaf through the latest catalog from Williams-Sonoma or Sur La Table and ogle all the new cooking gadgets. You daydream about how wonderful the house will smell with fresh bread baking in the breadmaker (it’s been on the fritz for over a year), delighting your friends with your kitchen-turned-creperie (that was a once-er) and grazing all summer long on homemade ice cream (where’s that component I’m supposed to keep in the freezer?). You start with the best of intentions, but inevitably these wonder-tools find themselves a permanent home on your pantry shelves, staring back at you every time you go to reach for a granola bar. At least it’s true in my pantry.

Last year Oprah announced the Breville Ikon Panini Press among her “Favorite Things” and, like any good Oprah devotee, I decided I had to have it. I “asked Santa” (my sister) for it for Christmas and it arrived last week. Yes, that’s quite a bit after Christmas – so popular it was backordered. On Amazon, several other models of panini presses were completely sold out as well! Clearly, I wasn’t the only one giving this gadget a go.

Now that the press is here, I’m determined not to allow one more inhabitant to take up residence in the appliance wasteland that is my pantry. This time will be different. I’m going to experiment a bit and see if I can have some fun with this new toy. I’m going to get “panini happy”!