New Gadget(s) in our homes
Not knowing exactly where to put this thread. It could be on three boards from what I can tell, but since the outcome is like being in heaven, I will put it here.
Last month, my wife and I installed an induction range. Our gas range had given out. Since it was over thirty years old, we could not find parts for it. Turned out we were able to purchase the induction range for less than a new gas range. We also decided to go for induction because. 1) our state government wants its residents to reduce fossil fuel use as much as possible, 2) we will eventually sell this place and modern appliances make it more attractive, 3) gas ranges give out methane and a bit of carbon monoxide with each use, and 4) we had just gone through a four day gas interruption in November--a farmer had cut through the feeder line to the whole area, but that is a different story.
Anyway, here is my review of the new induction range:
Using a magnetic field, the surface does not heat up directly, but it allows the pot to heat up quickly. Things fry up in no time. Water boils quickly. We are still trying to find the sweat spot for frying eggs, though.
The one downside is the glass shows fingerprints. We have solved that by keeping a Barkeep Spray Cleaner near the stove.
While the surface of the range does not heat up directly, it will absorb the heat from the pan. There is a warning light to show which area may be hot, though. The other day I had used a frying pan. When I was finished with it, I moved the pan to another area on the range that I had not used. Low and behold, the warning light for that area lit up only because of the hot pan. As far as I can tell, there is little change in our utility use.
Induction ranges use about 1/3 electricity as a regular electric range. Since our previous range was gas, it seems like a wash cost wise.
When you install an electric range, you just have to plug it in to a standard American 240 plug, but the induction range had a European style plug, so we had to direct wire the unit.
Conclusion: it's a keeper.
What new gadgets have you gotten recently?
Last month, my wife and I installed an induction range. Our gas range had given out. Since it was over thirty years old, we could not find parts for it. Turned out we were able to purchase the induction range for less than a new gas range. We also decided to go for induction because. 1) our state government wants its residents to reduce fossil fuel use as much as possible, 2) we will eventually sell this place and modern appliances make it more attractive, 3) gas ranges give out methane and a bit of carbon monoxide with each use, and 4) we had just gone through a four day gas interruption in November--a farmer had cut through the feeder line to the whole area, but that is a different story.
Anyway, here is my review of the new induction range:
Using a magnetic field, the surface does not heat up directly, but it allows the pot to heat up quickly. Things fry up in no time. Water boils quickly. We are still trying to find the sweat spot for frying eggs, though.
The one downside is the glass shows fingerprints. We have solved that by keeping a Barkeep Spray Cleaner near the stove.
While the surface of the range does not heat up directly, it will absorb the heat from the pan. There is a warning light to show which area may be hot, though. The other day I had used a frying pan. When I was finished with it, I moved the pan to another area on the range that I had not used. Low and behold, the warning light for that area lit up only because of the hot pan. As far as I can tell, there is little change in our utility use.
Induction ranges use about 1/3 electricity as a regular electric range. Since our previous range was gas, it seems like a wash cost wise.
When you install an electric range, you just have to plug it in to a standard American 240 plug, but the induction range had a European style plug, so we had to direct wire the unit.
Conclusion: it's a keeper.
What new gadgets have you gotten recently?
Comments
As for my new gadget, the background is that I’ve never been much of a coffee drinker. I’ll sometimes have it if I’m out for breakfast, or maybe with dessert in a nice restaurant. My wife doesn’t drink coffee at all.
Then in the fall, we found ourselves staying in an inn in the mountains, and I found I really enjoyed a cup or two of coffee in the morning, and started thinking about ways to maybe have coffee at home—counter space is limited, and since my wife doesn’t drink coffee, a space-occupying coffee maker made little sense.
So, for Christmas my wife gave me a pour-over, and our son—the true bean fiend in the family—gave me a grinder and whole-bean coffee he considers good. And now, on the cusp of turning 63, I spend a little time every day learning how to best use the pour-over.
And yes, @Lamb Chopped. Those rituals matter.
I get Mr Heavenly an obscure cooking gadget every Christmas and this year it was a spaetzle maker. I was very impressed with the results of his first attempt at making spaetzle and I expect it to now be a regular feature of his meals.
Oh... we could have given you our spaetzle maker, given to us by a kind German friend. It has been used once.
Having got the thing, I confirm that it is indeed the Rolls Royce of hairdryers. Faster, quieter and less hot than a regular one. It has a fancypants smoothing attachment, but I haven't tried it yet.
Any one have recommendations for a decent one not made by Mr Arse Dyson?
...and pretty indestructible. You can kick them around the room and run them all day, every day, and they just keep on going.
I once did a stint cleaning with one in an Elderly Care Home, and it is all the good things listed in the previous posts.
Saves a lot of money in oven running costs though.
They both rather like gadgets. They've a complicated coffee machine that both grinds and then makes the coffee in various permutations. My granddaughters who don't drink coffee yet seem to have mastered some of its mysteries but I daren't touch it. Even their kettle throws me a bit.
Henrys have a hepa filter I think.
There's a sweet spot where they are well suited; and it probably relates to both people living in somewhat smaller households and making one/two dish meals.
They aren't great if you need to cook multiple things in sequence/multiple batches, as they'd spend a lot of time heating up, but part of making them work is finding things they make well and fitting them into your diet.
There is a cordless Henry stick vac called a Henry Quick, that’s a Which best buy - but it’s not cheap. Sometimes you can good used deals on eBay though.
The only thing we cook in it now is salmon, which flames up too much on our outdoor gas grill. And that isn't very often. Mostly we don't eat fried foods much. It likely would not have remained in the kitchen except that it fit back behind something else where it is too hard to get out.
Most of my meals are now made with air fryer or microwave plus a pan for green veg. I am still not too sure on timings and temperatures though. I was given an air fryer cookery book but it is full of things I avoid, being pre-diabetic: flapjacks, foods coated with breadcrumbs etc.
Mine resides on a wooden board, to protect the worktop, and easily slides out of the corner when I want to use it, back into the corner out of the way when not in use.
The 'fryer' moniker is somewhat misleading, as they are basically small convection ovens. So essentially anything that you can do inside an oven of that size is fair game - including oven variants on fried recipes, aforementioned roasts, but even small desserts or casseroles (assuming the container you make them in will fit in your air fryer).
Any curries/dishes where you might want to brown the meat separately can also make use of an air fryer for that stage and I've seen a videos of people making biryani in them and using the air fryer instead of a dum.
Oooh, that sounds like I need to try it (trying to squish a cheese sandwich into a toastie bag & thence into the toaster tends to have.. mixed results). Time & temp?
I have a Micro Munchy toastie maker that you put in the microwave for toasted cheese sandwiches. It has metal plates that fit into a silicon casing. Easy to wash and just a little bit fiddly to put plates back in afterwards.
We're eating more vegetarian meals because they are very easy to prepare. The Instant Pot also does an amazing job of cooking rice and potatoes (without the constant boil-over onto the stove). It also cooks boiled eggs beautifully.
It might even have cooked the humble pie I now have to eat. I had sworn I would not buy such a trendy item, and I certainly wasn't going to find it useful!
My mother used a pressure cooker every day but I didn’t really get on with it. Microwave and air fryer for me. Occasionally I use the slow cooker but it is heavy and my hands are painful.
🙂
Mieles come with lots of attachments, a long lead and are relatively compact.
An air fryer is simply a very small fan oven.
When I was a child, my mother had an old burr grinder that she almost never used. I wish she still had it so I could ask for it.
We also have an air fryer which has been great for pies and nuggets. We mostly use it for weekend food. Last weekend I did a piece of salmon cooked from frozen and some chips and vegetable balls (From the Swedish shop) All done in 15 mins from frozen and freed up the oven for son to cook pizza. We've not regretted purchasing, though I hate that we have so many appliances out in the kitchen - air fryer, toaster, kettle, fizzy drink maker. No room, so ice machine lives in the garage.
We originally bought an ice machine for my Dad when he was on fluid restricted diet. Sucking on ice seemed to keep him happy. After he died sister took his machine and we decided to buy our own as husband and kids all like ice in their drinks.
We also have a Dyson vacuum that lives on a charger in the linen cupboard. We had a power point installed there for that purpose. We have never had a better vacuum cleaner, particularly as we have two cats and one with long hair. I'm always stunned about what comes out of the carpet, particularly as it never looks dirty. I whoosh it around normally twice a week. Being one with a small canister doesn't bother us, we empty every time we return it to it's base. It sounds ridiculous, but it has been lifechanging and because it's lightweight I don't find it onerous to use. Previously we've had both upright and barrel cleaners and I would never go back to either.
I thought we did until Mr Boogs brought home GREY kettle.
Is Outrage!
I think I'm going to start planning and researching for replacement stuff now, rather than have to get stuff willy nilly as things die. And yes, first world problem and I'm a bit of a pain re stuff like this!!