The Last Kitchen, Part 5 of 26. Gerzsi and friends are made up; the gear is real and independently tested. This post contains affiliate links (disclosure).
Previously: Hazel showed the crew why bakers weigh flour on a plain scale. Then Wendell the woodpecker crashed in: every tool in his workshop had locked itself, and they were all pointing at the kitchen. Missed it? Read Part 4 · All parts
“They’re not pointing at the kitchen,” said Chef Tamás, after a long look at the blinking ovens. “They’re talking to it. Everything smart in here is passing messages to that ring.”
“Then we make them stop listening,” said Wendell.
He pulled a battered cordless drill out of his tool belt. It was old, scratched and plain: a motor, a chuck, a trigger and a battery. No app. No screen. It had never once asked Wendell how his day was.
“It still works?” asked Gerzsi.
Wendell pulled the trigger. Brrrrrt. “Nobody can switch off a battery and a trigger.”
Tamás explained the plan while Wendell measured. Radio signals pass through wood and glass, but metal mostly stops them. A box lined with metal can block them, the way a microwave’s metal walls keep its waves inside. “We build a metal cupboard,” he said, “put every smart gadget in it, and close the door. If they can’t hear the ring, they can’t obey it.”
So they built it. Wendell drilled the frame from old shelf boards. Gerzsi held the boards, and twice held them the wrong way around. Hazel brought every old baking sheet in the kitchen, and Rufus pressed them flat against the inside walls with one paw. Wendell screwed them down, sheet by sheet, until the cupboard looked like a suit of armor for furniture.
One by one, they put the gadgets in: the smart scale, the smart kettle, the coffee machine that had never made good coffee anyway. Wendell closed the door and drove in the last screw.
The blinking inside stopped. For the first time in three days, the kitchen was quiet.
Then someone knocked on the terrace door. Three slow knocks. Through the glass they saw a figure with a dark metal mask over its face and a belt full of gadgets, all blinking.
“Let me in,” said a muffled voice. “Please. It’s me.”
Next: Part 6, tomorrow. The raccoon in the mask.
🛒 Gear from this part
A simple cordless drill. A good beginner drill doesn’t need an app, just a strong motor, a decent battery and a grip that fits your hand. We sorted the drills independent testers rated best for beginners and as a gift.
Can’t wait for tomorrow’s part?
Gerzsi can’t either. While Chef Tamás’s stock bubbles for four hours, he puts on a sci-fi audiobook and listens with both ears flat against the pot lid (he says it helps). If you’re new to Audible, the free trial is an easy way to start one for the slow-cooking hours.
Free trial for eligible new members; Amazon sets the terms on the sign-up page. Affiliate link: Gerzsi may earn a commission.
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