The implements section of any supermarket or homewares store is loaded with kitchen gadgets. There is a tool or utensil for every task in our modern must-have-everything kitchens. Sometimes, there's multiple replication of similar devices in different materials, or there's the addition of a 'soft' handle or funky texture moulding.
The broad choices and range is designed to attract attention and generate sales. All of the items in the large stores are mass-produced ... almost excluselively in China and mostly are inexpensive or appearing to be 'affordable'.
Why then, would anyone consider purchasing a hand-made item of something so mundane as a kitchen utensil? Why would a person buy a cooking stirrer for say $35, when he or she is confronted with a range in the supermarket made of wood, plastic or stainless steel and priced uder $10.
The answer lies somewhere rooted in our experiential expectations. This discussion really applies to all things in life, I guess.
A lot of people are pretty much happy to use anything ... as long as it 'does the job' ... which is perfectly fine.
A small number of people, however, have a conscious expectation of design and quality of experience which surpasses that of the wider community. These are the group of people who would actively seek out hand-made items for their home or work.
A well designed and constructed custom kitchen utensil is more than a funky spoon shape drawn on a piece of wood. There are quite a few design and function aspects which have been considered by the maker.
First, the maker generally has to be an active 'cook' to understand intimately how kitchen utensils need to function in their various tasks. Like using an angle grinder or power saw ... the maker ... the cook ... needs to be totally fluent in the language of utensil use. When that's true, then the ultimate design is fluid and useable ... like an extension of ones own arm.
Secondly, the maker needs to be able to recreate his or her design in a form which is not only functional, but visually and tactilly pleasing to use. The tool needs to be comfortable in the hand and not be a strain to use. A hand-made kitchen utensil needs to 'beg' to be held and caressed even while it's just lying on the bench.
Finally, the utensil maker chooses quality material like stable hardwood and finishes the product in such a way that it will maintain it's qualities for a long time, age gracefully ... and, of course, adhere to our modern society's politically correct food and environment safety best practices and standards.
With regard to just wooden utensils, mass-produced store bought tools are almost exclusively made from soft woods .. pine ... which are easy for replicating machines to process. They generally have no protective coating whatsoever and, they have little in the way of visual or tactile refinement. Store bought tools are made to a mass-production lowest price model.
The advantages of purchasing a hand-made high quality kitchen utensil lie chiefly in the quality of design, construction and material and in the care and attention to detail in which the maker has engaged.
Hand-made utensils in hard woods will last longer physically than mass-produced gadgets ... they are much less likey to crack or break. They will not grow black mould because the cell structure of hardwood is finer and more closed than that of soft woods and they will generally not change their appearance substantially either, especially if the wood is sealed to begin with.
Hand-made tools will deliver an experience more pleasureable with less strain. The comfort and 'ease of action' that hand-made kitchen utensils deliver helps make most kitchen tasks a more rewarding experience.
As related in my posts elsewhere, I've been making custom kitchen utensils for around 10 years. The views I've discussed in this article are borne out of both my own usage and the countless comments I receive from my regular customers ... both amateurs and professionals.
All of this makes me realise that there is something important in the whole design quality thing which is popular at present ... and, I think it's a bit more than just 'product snobbery'. Perhaps an appreciation of quality and a yearning to incorporate this in our daily lives and endeavours results in a better life experience after all ... even if only in tiny bits.
