This summer I’ll celebrate my 10th year at my current place of employ. As a show of (their) thanks, I get to choose a gift from a list of things like watches, toaster ovens, and multitools. I’ve narrowed down my group of potential selections to the following:
- Calphalon Stainless Steel Specialty Multi Pots. Includes 8-qt covered stock pot, steamer, and pasta insert. Impacted bonded heavy bottom for even heating. Dishwasher safe.
- Brinkmann Gourmet Charcoal Smoker/Grill. Features double-grill heat indicator, separate base-pan design, and two chrome-plated steel grills. Includes a sample of wood chunks.
- Shop-Vac 3.0 HP QuietPlus Series Wet/Dry Vacuum. Includes 7′ hose, reusable foam filter, five nozzle attachments, two extension wands, and onboard tool storage. Capacity: 6 gallons.
- Bear Jaws Multi-function Tool. Features knife, pliers, saw, can opener, three screwdrivers, metal and wood files, stainless steel construction, compact 4.5″ design, and nylon sheath.
- KRUPS Toaster/Convection Oven. Features four-slice capacity, bake/broil/reheat functions, and timed auto shut-off. Includes non-stick baking and broiling pans. 9.5″ x 17″ x 8.5″ (HxWxD)
All the rest of the stuff is jewelry or clocks, pretty much. Not interested. The kicker is that I already have a smoker, a Shop Vac, and a multi pot set like the Calphalon one. But the smoker is old and not in great shape; the Shop Vac doesn’t have the cool attachments this one has; and wouldn’t it be cool to have two large-ish steamers? Our oven has a broiler, of course, but lots of times we’re just doing stuff like 10 tater tots or a single English muffin with tomato sauce and cheese for Ava. Maybe it would be handy to have a standalone toaster oven for this kind of stuff? We’d have to store it, of course. It’s probably last on my list right now. I have all sorts of tools. In fact, separate tools to do everything this multitool does. But I’ve always heard that these things are really handy, so long as you remember to take them out of your pocket before you get to the airport.
So I’m torn. What would you choose, were you lucky enough to be me?