Heroes of the Recession IV: Bizarrely Specialized Small Kitchen Appliances

A bad economy may keep diners in their own kitchens, but it can't make em cook.
The New York Times reported last week that

"in the $3.8 billion category called small kitchen electrics, sales were up almost 9 percent from 2008 to 2009...meanwhile, sales of housewares — that includes knives, pots and pans — were down 11.5 percent."

In case you missed that, I'll repeat - THREE POINT EIGHT BILLION DOLLAR industry.

So of course this month's Heroes of the Recession are the people who spend - what was it again? - oh yeah, 3.8 BILLION DOLLARS - on microwaves with a "smart cookie" button and toasters with bumps for pizza or the ability to poach eggs as they brown bread.


Aaaand....check out this transparent toaster.