Food news: Gadgets to splurge on and proof Americans are cheap

Two more fun food news articles came out in the past 24 hours. The first is that U.S. restaurants are most likely to feature California wines that are less then $39 per bottle. This study conducted by Winemetrics LLC and the article doesn't comment on the voracity of the claims. This is an interesting finding because we know that Americans are drinking more and more wine, with Slate claiming that this is because wine has a better reputation. In 2005, U.S. consumers spent $24.3 billion on wine, $11.8 billion of that in restaurants and bars.

Apparently, the largest amount of wine consumed in eateries cost between $25 to $39 per bottle, which means they would retail for $13 to $19 per bottle. This isn't all that surprising because when I was researching a segment for Chicago Unzipped, retailers and sommeliers alike agreed in interviews that I conducted that it's not necessary to sink $300 into every bottle you own. One trained sommelier that I interviewed at Dolce Restaurant in Lincolnshire, Ill., for a food feature for The Lake County News-Sun told me that his favorite bottle of wine was a cabernet that cost $18. If it's good enough for his highly trained palate, it's certainly a stable start for the rest of us.

Another interesting story that I saw was this one about what items in your kitchen are worth splurging on. For me, there weren't a ton of surprises. After reading Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential (you can read my review here), I knew that knives and cookware is worth the cash. After meeting with Jennifer English at her Flavorbank spice shop, I knew the importance of a quality pepper mill, as well as a salt grinder, which this article didn't mention. But what did surprise me is that this article wants you to spend $30,000 on cabinets. I rent, I don't think so. They also say you should scrimp on your fridge. It's too bad, I really like those double-panel models with the freezer drawer. Oh well.