My life is full of screens. Most of my screen time comes from the typical tech trifecta: my phone, laptop, and television. But it creeps in from elsewhere: If I want to queue up a song in my car, I do it on the infotainment system. Going somewhere? I\u2019ll plug the address into my GPS, and if that doesn\u2019t work, Waze and Google Maps are back up. Even things that used to require a brief in-person conversation with a human being\u2014signing in at the doctor\u2019s office or ordering a coffee\u2014require tapping, swiping, and scanning.<\/p>\n
My kitchen, once a retreat from all that, has followed suit. I\u2019ve always been a recipe-follower, but now instead of opening a cookbook, I pull up recipes on my computer. I\u2019ll scroll through Apple\u2019s podcast library to find something to listen to while I prep. Then, I\u2019ll tell Siri to set a timer, then move on to texting or scrolling Instagram while I wait. What used to be a totally analog activity has gone almost entirely digital.<\/p>\n
So when I got a pitch about a new mechanical kitchen timer from Caraway, I was interested for reasons that had nothing to do with timing. The tiny timer looked so simple: No screen. No Bluetooth. No app. Just a solid, weighty dial to twist, and a ticking sound that gently marks the passing time.<\/p>\n
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<\/picture><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nNow, the five seconds it takes to set a timer on my phone is not the core<\/em> issue behind my screen dependency. But I got one to try anyway out of curiosity. Baby steps, you know?<\/p>\n The design is clean but very old-school, like something you\u2019d see in Mad Men:<\/em> a smooth circular shape, easy-to-read numbers, and a satisfying resistance when you turn the dial. The stainless steel timer comes in Caraway\u2019s core colors, including a classic cream, sage green, and mustard yellow. I chose the navy to match my favorite teapot (which also happens to be Caraway). It\u2019s heavy enough that it doesn\u2019t slide around the counter, or in my case, on the top lip of the kitchen stove, and small enough that it takes up barely any space at all.<\/p>\n
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