Kitchen Wall Clocks Are A Kitchen Essential
Are you in the market for a new kitchen clock? You're not alone -- most folks find that, although kitchens can differ greatly in features and design from home to home, all kitchens MUST have one essential item: a good kitchen wall clock.
Actually, kitchen wall clocks are just one type of kitchen clock. There are kitchen clocks that simply sit on a table or countertop, or mount under-the-counter. These are useful and beautiful, but when most people think of kitchen clocks they still think of kitchen wall clocks.
For the most part, kitchen wall clocks came to be popular only after the introduction of electricity. Before then, kitchen clocks had to sit on a table or countertop. With the advent of electricity, clocks could be mounted on the wall in the kitchen.
Early models of kitchen wall clocks were very boring and traditional in shape and design - conservative tastes prevailed, and ladies of that era were in no mind to tolerate anything else. In the postwar years in the U.S., all that changed. A more lighthearted approach predominated in kitchen decorating, and it was at that time that kitchen wall clocks appeared that were almost like novelties: rooster-shaped clock, kitty-face clocks, etc. Today's clocks are available with all sorts of accessories and features. You can buy kitchen wall clocks with built in CD players, or a clock radio, or even an LCD TV (perfect for not missing your favorite soaps when you are busy in the kitchen). You can also get kitchen clocks that incorporate dual timers -- for timing an item baking in the oven, for example, as well as some stew simmering on the stovetop. You can also get kitchen wall clocks that are also functioning weather monitoring radios, for use in areas prone to hurricanes and tornados. What To Look For In Kitchen Wall Clocks When you are looking at various models of kitchen wall clocks, you should realize that the primary need of any kitchen clock is functional. In particular, your kitchen wall clock MUST tell accurate time - because you will be relying on it for timing your cooking and cleaning. Along with accuracy, make sure that the display of your clock is easy-to-read, even from across the kitchen. Avoid kitchen wall clocks with teeny-tiny numbers, or moving hands that are hard to track. And since your clock will be located in your kitchen, you need to make sure that any kitchen wall clock you buy can be easily cleaned. This is because the clock will become caked with grease and grime, carried by the hot steam, in the normal course of cooking. Some kitchen wall clocks are made from materials - such as cheaper plastics, that may 'fog up' if you try to clean them with harsh cleansers. In general, I find that a clock with a glass face on the dial will clean up best. Also, it can be handy to select a kitchen wall clock that has a battery backup, as you will not need to reset the clock if your house electricity fails. In fact, many kitchen wall clocks run entirely on battery power, eliminating the need to mount them near a wall outlet.
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