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Posted at 12:02PM, 18 August 2010 by Sarah Sysum - Assistant editor, Easy Cook magazine

Picture the scenario. You've just bought your latest shiny new kitchen gadget, you've torn off the packaging and are just about to use your appliance for the first time. But before you do, you sit down with a cup of coffee to read the instruction booklet from cover to cover. Do you really?

I'm going to let you into a secret. Whether it's sheer laziness or just impatience to try a new toy, I never do and I firmly believe I'm not the only one. So strongly do I think this that when I'm testing any product for the magazine, I will firstly test without reading the instructions and then (success or otherwise), with.

I've started to think that perhaps reading the booklet is a good thing and, dare I say, I'm possibly missing out

Now I do understand that because of the amount of equipment I get to review, I have a fair idea on how to use lots of gadgets before they leave the box, but lately I've started to think that perhaps reading the booklet is a good thing and, dare I say, I'm possibly missing out.

Take my well-used oven (eight years' service and counting). A quick peruse through the instructions last week and I discovered a slow cooker function I never knew I had. I tried it; it worked wonders and saved me forking out £70 for a separate slow cooker. I found my toaster has an "auto self-centering" function, which explains why the toast was coming out perfect every time, and the weird blade I've never used for my food processor is actually a parmesan disc.

So will I be reading the manual from cover to cover in future? Yes and no. I've found it really hasn't made any difference to basic gadgets such as hand mixers and ice cream makers. However, for more technical appliances like pressure cookers and bread makers, you really can't wing it, unless you want my first attempt at a loaf, which was as heavy as a brick. If only I'd read the instructions...

Comments

German_Connection

18 August 2010, 3:34PM
German_Connection

I can't agree more - as the only one in my family to actually consult instruction booklets, it's amazing how much you can actually get out of appliances if you know how to use them properly! On the other hand there are far too many deatilled instruction booklets for simple appliances.

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Nicola

19 August 2010, 12:28PM
Nicola

Never read them - can't be bothered, they are always too long! Although I do agree that I'm missing out. I can only imagine what additional functions my cooker has that I have no idea about such as switching on the oven with a timer! Not sure if I'd use those functions mind you...

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Zoe

22 August 2010, 11:03PM
Zoe

I always read cover to cover. I love finding out all that my new gadget can do. My husband bounds right on in there and then gets miffed when I can work more of the gadgets features and/or more efficiently than he can. "How did you do that?" is a commonly heard question in our house, especially after a new gadget has been purchased.

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Nat

5 September 2010, 3:26PM
Nat

I'm a bit of a lazy person when it comes to instructions. I like to experiment and see what my new gadget does. It also depends on how the design and the information is laid out. Generally, my other half will read the leaflets cover to cover. Keep it simple is my motto. Too much text in small print doesn't do it for me and I'll only refer, if I am really stuck!

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