Black hand mixer, household appliance for cooking and baking, with dough hook and beater. Studio shot, cropped, isolated on white background. (Black hand mixer, household appliance for cooking or baking, with dough hook and beaters. Studio shot, cu
Want to test drive an air fryer? Want to check out an Instant Pot? Or why not try sous vide cooking without buying expensive equipment? Soon, Berkeley residents will be able to check out the library's fancy kitchenware for free with a valid library card. .
The library's new kitchen arm is an expansion of its already popular tool lending library program, which has offered loaners of ladders, wheelbarrows, rakes, circular saws and more since its founding in 1979.
The addition of kitchen appliances to libraries is the first program of its kind in California, but there are several other similar lending programs that lend out items ranging from metal detectors to microscopes to electric guitars. Library of Things is available at libraries in Sacramento, California, Beaverton, Oregon, Los Alamos, Arizona, and more.
The city of Berkeley plans to launch a kitchen appliance rental program in spring 2020 in response to requests from city residents. More than 4,000 people responded to the survey, indicating an interest in more food-related programming, which is not surprising in a city that's home to one of the nation's best farmers markets and California cuisine quintessential Chez Panisse. At the Berkeley Public Library, cooking classes (and waiting lists) on topics like making cheese and butter and healthy cooking are already regularly full.
Before opening, library staff are seeking more suggestions through a survey about available kitchen appliances, from canning supplies to roasting pans and lemon squeezers. It's an ideal option for those who can't afford to bet on additional kitchen appliances or simply don't have the space to store them (well, the Instant Pot).
