…and I agree. We use a food processor when we make pickles. A LOT of pickles. Then the extra clean-up time is worth it. “Rate limiting steps” is indeed a good term if you include the extra setup (minimal) and cleaning (PITA) time. Economies of scale.
Sweet spots are a good term also. If I’m slicing cucumber for a salad I use a knife. If I’m making cucumber salad I use a mandolin. If I’m making cucumber salad for 20, or even 12, I’ll dig out a food processor. The better one’s knife skills the higher the tip-over point.
A friend of mine asked me last year to help cater an event for about 250 people. I was really there for service but I arrived early and he put me to work on prep. Now his knife skills make me look like a cub scout with a dull knife. Still, he was happy with the extra hands and in his experienced eyes the machine out in the van wasn’t merited. On the other hand my math and engineering are better than his and a process suggestion slightly increased my output and due to his skill significantly increased his. Maybe that’s why he likes me. grin
Hmm. I can work in a boat story. Customers who race often ask me what they should buy for their boat to win more races. My answer is always the same: “lessons.” This directly applies to cooking. One of my cooking mentors Cosmos Club Executive Chef Bernie Meehan said “a good chef can cook anything anywhere with anything.” The message there is that stuff is no substitute for skill. Compare the human Cuisinart https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMA2SqaDgG8 to someone capable but more pedestrian like Alton Brown. Practice, attention to detail, ‘la technique’ make a bigger difference than stuff.
