What's your favorite kitchen appliance?

[trisherina]

I hate my current dishwasher. It is a Maytag, it leaks, and it's got a broken door spring. It would probably cost roughly replacement to fix, given Rat Man's a GE employee. On the bright side, it cleans dishes pretty well and has flipping prongs so that you can customize it to the things you want to put in, like all plates or some pots and pans. I am not as fond of Smarty of the dishwasher in general. Mind you, I'm not even sure that's possible.

I am not much of a cook, but okay, I'll admit to a lot of fondness for the KitchenAid mixer. After having it a year, I liked it so much that I asked a friend who cooked a lot what would make me enjoy cooking as much as that thing. She suggested knives. After a year of the results of that suggestion, I want to find out what it would cost to cover the island in butcher block.

[amfromme]

What would we do without appliances? I guess it would just be like camping without leaving our own homes.

There's a great coffee system by Miele out of Germany that I think no home or office should be without. I use it every day to make espresso. It grinds the beans just like I tell it to. Take a look at it.

Coffee would like this I think.

They make a great dishwasher too but my favorite is the steam oven.
Isn't technology wonderful?


I have a new outlook on vegatables.

...This last sentance seems so very sad and strange.

[Smartypants]

Originally posted by priceyfatprude
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, you will never have to worry about this if I am ever a guest in your home, hehehehehehe

Hey, it's a reciprocal agreement. I HATE clearing tables and helping with clean up at other people's houses. My policy allows me to sit around 100% guilt free, finishing off whatever's still in the wine bottles, when I eat at friends'.

(This is a holdover from living in an apartment building where to save money and keep each other fed, we rotated meals around four single friends' apartments. Instead of it being a communal effort every night, one person bought the groceries, cooked, and cleaned up, and then relaxed for three nights as a guest elsewhere before it rotated back to him/her.)

[Smartypants]

Originally posted by trisherina
I hate my current dishwasher. It is a Maytag, it leaks, and it's got a broken door spring. It would probably cost roughly replacement to fix, given Rat Man's a GE employee.

That's usually a really simple fix, if you can reach the spring and pull it back in place.

I am not as fond of Smarty of the dishwasher in general. Mind you, I'm not even sure that's possible.

(I'm not a fetishist about it, really. I just really like to cook, but wouldn't eat anything but take-out food straight from its containers if I had to wash dishes.)

She suggested knives.

They do make a HUGE difference. I finally got two nice knives a few years ago, and at last (when I was briefly able to afford it) got some good cookware. I didn't realize it would have such a big effect, but it does.

[Smartypants]

Originally posted by amfromme
There's a great coffee system by Miele out of Germany that I think no home or office should be without. I use it every day to make espresso. It grinds the beans just like I tell it to. Take a look at it.

Cool! I want one of these stoves.

[trisherina]

Smarty, come over and fix my dishwasher!

Good knives are great quality of life improvers. Cooking for the Rushed has good advice in that if you can't afford good knives (at least two, like chef's and paring), a decent alternative is a collection of those self-sharpening jobbies.

[Smartypants]

Originally posted by trisherina
Smarty, come over and fix my dishwasher!

I only did it once on a roll-around model, so I was able to turn the whole thing on its side, but this says the springs are accessible from the front without having to pull out the diswasher from under the counter.

(Which means even if you don't want to do it yourself, it shouldn't cost much to fix it. I think it's a common repair.)

[madasacutsnake]

A big, sharp knife, preferably serrated, with an easy clean handle.

[Aphrodite]

Well, the kids and I lived for a year and a half without a stove. I had a toaster oven and an electric frying pan. I had the microwave and the coffee maker. I had the fridge. I needed the fridge, but the coffee maker was my favourite.

[Audreyvgs]

Oh that freakin Aga. I'd take out a car loan to get one, but they just started puttin in natural gas here. It's in a big pipeline that goes strictly to the foofy communities just now.....I'd of had one before cept that that big tank that they put in not only looks dangerous, but my mom has one in GA and it looks like Oscar Mayer Wiener Wagon is parked in her yard!

[daverbee]

Originally posted by melissa
I think that I load my dishwasher better than my roommate. Also I'm in the habit of putting my dishes in the machine right after I eat, but she's fine with waiting till the next day sometimes. I'm trying not to care that she has a different dishwashing schedule than I do.

I worked as a dishwasher for a while at Florida State, many many many many many many many years ago. I learned *the* proper way to load a dishwasher and have been using that method with some modifications ever since.

[Audreyvgs]

I like that I can throw a cookie sheet or a cooling rack on the top of it all on the top rack after its loaded, and it still gets clean. I love that I don't evn have to rinse. And for so many years I thought I didn't need one. Im a dork.

[chuckie egg]

Originally posted by daverbee
I worked as a dishwasher for a while at Florida State, many many many many many many many years ago. I learned *the* proper way to load a dishwasher and have been using that method with some modifications ever since.

I also have dishwashing experience - at the local hospital! Good isn't it?!

[Audreyvgs]

I did a load of Tennis shoes the other day, hot shit!

no dry cycle, tho, that would ov melted em

[Aphrodite]

I have a dishwasher but we can't use it in the summer. The steam vent sits under the lip of the counter. The humidity in the summer combined with the steam, swells the counter to the point where you can't open or close the door. Its ok though. The girls and I take turns doing the dishes.