Not So Gadget Crazy, But Crazy For This Gadget

As a cookbook author and cooking school teacher, my kitchen drawers are filled, over-stuffed really, with kitchen gadgets. Some I have purchased, some I have acquired as gifts, and some have been sent by manufacturers for me to preview.

I was teaching a class in Eugene, Oregon at Cook's, Pots, and Tabletops and at the end of the class, after the students had left and I was organizing myself to leave, the owner, Kathy Campbell, noticed me smirking at the collection of "onion goggles" sitting by the cash register. It's true, I picked up the sleek looking vinyl package of what looked like a cross between sports glasses and chemistry goggles with a wonkish tilt towards geeky eyewear. These were black frames with a lime green center band running down the length of the eyeglasses' stems. The curious part was the black dense foam framing each lense on the inside.

Kathy has a quick laugh and dry wit and thought it would be amusing to have me try them on. I did. They looked riduculous in a pith-helmet wearing, biker-chick sort of way. "Here," said Kathy, "I want you to have these as a present from me." "OK, I'll give'em a trial run." And I set them in my bag.

About a week later, I was cooking and needed to chop several onions. I remembered the onion googles and pulled them out of the drawer. What Kathy didn't know, and actually my students never know, is that I cry buckets of tears when I chop onions or mince shallots. My eyes well with tears, my nose runs, I'm a mess by the end of an onion or two. Secretly, it's the task I always give to my assistant at the cooking schools. Prepped ahead and ready for the class, onions or shallots are transferred from prep bowl to saute pan with neary a tear shed.

I donned the googles and with knife in hand I cut the onion in half--down the center, right through the sulfurous root end--and peeled back the papery, brown skins. I proceeded to coarsely chop the onion. NO tears. Then I chopped a second onion and there were no tears and no sniffles, no runny nose to stop and wipe. These worked with shallots as well.

Who invented these? A clever chemist? A dedicated cook? They work! They're amazing! And, yes, I look ridiculous wearing them, but it beats the red, wet eyes, runny nose and smeared mascara.

A keeper of a gadget!