Photo of German catalogue – similar to UK promotions.

As you’ll know if you’re a regular reader, I do like spotting benefits – or mocking products that fail to state their benefit.

I see Tchibo have been thinking up nifty kitchen gadgets to help me cook my autumnal mushroom harvest. May I introduce you to the “Electric Salt or Pepper Mill“, a state-of-the-art must-have item in today’s electronic cooking environment. Not their words, mine. Tchibo is a bit more down to earth and, predictably, give us features. Leaving it up to us to work out the real benefits.

So what are the benefits? Maybe the “ceramic grinding mechanism”? No that’s a feature. Perhaps that it’s “continuously adjustable, harder than steel and non-corrosive.”. Nope, pass on that one too (especially as I’m totally baffled by what “continuously adjustable” is).

Aha! Maybe the fact that it offers, “Single-handed use: grinds at the touch of the button.” Now we’re getting there. It’s electronic, so I can grind pepper and salt directly over the pot while I mix with the other hand. So WHY NOT FLIPPING SAY THAT?!?!

No, judging by the picture spotlighting the base of the grinder, the must crucial benefit while I’m concocting creative cuisine seems to be, er … the “illumination“. Pardon? It has a light in the base? What, in case I’m secretly grinding my peppercorns in the night? Ha ha.

Sadly, I need illuminating on this one. I fail to see the benefit. Unless you know differently…