Tea's up or your tea's out? Pic: H is for Home
Imagine the scene. It's Christmas morning and you've already been up since the fart of the turkey to stuff aforementioned bird into the oven and to deal with wails of delight/bickering from excited children.
Then your beloved hands you a carefully (professionally, in the shop) wrapped package and waits for your little face to light up with joy.
Only it's a new iron. Surprise.
And that's where it all went wrong and you can fill in the ensuing debate about domestic roles and sexist assumptions. But imagine the same scene, only in the box is a fancy chrome coffee machine or a very exciting gadget that creates the latest trendy technique. The outcome's totally different.
The territory is treacherous though. A good appliance adds pleasure to life on a daily basis - often unexpectedly, while a bad one only irritates and clutters (bye bye sticky juicing machine and smelly deep fryer).
Here are the appliances that make my heart sing:
Cheese grater. This one was the surprise success. It's actually Boy One's - he got it as a pressie during his cooking phase. It's so quick to grate cheese (obviously) to make toasties for hundreds of starving kids.
Toastie machine. Obvious progression. And worth getting a good quality one as they're easier to clean. One of Boy Two's friends says my toasties are the best and I'm easily flattered.
Chargers. Eventually I learned that the best place to put the chargers is on a socket extension thing in a biggish space on the kitchen counter. Many things full of power and nothing gets lost.
Tassimo coffee machine. Sorry environmental folk, I'm just not listening on this one. Real coffee in an instant with no mess. I love it.
Slow cooker. But I make up for my eco failure by using my slow cooker as often as I can. Bung food in and it's ready for supper. What's not to love?
George Foreman-style grill. It's not his, but you get the picture. This one was another surprise. I thought it would be faddy, but it's quick and it elevates ordinary burgers and sausages into something a bit more interesting.
What are your favourite kitchen gadgets? And which would you love to find in the carefully-wrapped package?
