WHOAH, SLOW DOWN!

Many people, some readers, a reader complimented me recently on my posts, saying that they are 'edge of the seat' gripping and a thoroughly good read. He/she said though that they are a bit too fast paced and it would be good to get back to the style of those series I did some time ago - the Window Series for example.*

This was in my mind when preparing dinner this evening. The Old Girl made a chicken curry and I cooked brown rice. I used the trusty Sunbeam Steamer & Rice Cooker that we have.

Not exactly the same model as the one we have but close

The Old Girl and I have been together for 29 years and she had this rice cooker when we met. It's still going strong even though the lid has a crack in it. It's so good when cooking rice to trust a machine that will cook it perfectly and to know exactly how long it will take to cook.

I looked about the kitchen at our various machines and contraptions and thought about how useless and with built-in obsolescence a lot of modern electrical gadgets are. The sort that are forever on sale at Briscoes. We do have however some contraptions that have stood the test of time and look like they'll keep going for a while yet. Invariably they are appliances that cost a little bit more at the time but have proven that quality pays off in the end.

Here are a few that I saw in our kitchen:


Ralta Crockpot slow cooker.

This one is great. It's another of The Old Girl's 1970s appliances from when she was 'married alive' as she likes to say.

It's heavy ceramic unlike the crappy lightweight cookers of today and it cooks with a long, slow and gentle heat. This thing is ideal for stews, casseroles, corned beef, chickens, soups - whatever. It has a chip out of the lid but this hasn't harmed its effectiveness. We are careful with this as we know it will be difficult to replace.


Next is the Sunbeam cake mixer.

This is another of The Old Girl's appliances and must be 40 years old now. It still works very well and makes perfect souffle mixtures, meringues and fluffy cakes.


My own oldest appliance is the Braun blender and juicer.

This is a very robust, scary and powerful item as you'd expect the krauts to make - sort of like the Tiger tank of the kitchen. I bought this in the mid 1980s before I hooked up with The Old Girl. It's had lots of use yet still goes like brand new.


A more recent item is the Espresso Vita coffee machine. We've had this for about 10 years and have never had a problem with it.

If the Braun is a Tiger tank this is like a Maserati. All Italian style and class. I can make exquisite espressos and flat whites with this and, for guests, cappuccinos and other coffee variants. I'm looking forward to making Richard a coffee on this machine if and when he and Shelley visit.



I discovered the joy and the practicality of bread-making when we bought our first Breville bread-maker about 9 years ago. I don't buy ready-made bread anymore unless a craving for Vogels or pumpernickel gets the better of me.

This machine is great. A few weeks back the bread pan that goes into the machine broke and needed to be replaced. Instead of ordering and buying the expensive part I found an identical machine in the local Op Shop. It cost me $21. While my original machine (sans bread pan) is still in great working order, the second hand one I bought is in even better nick and is making excellent wholemeal bread.


Another relatively recent purchase and one that is still going strong is the  Sunbeam toaster.

We've only had this for about 10 years but it looks like it might go for a few more. Having experience of cheap toasters only lasting for a couple of years before they short out and, with modern appliances usually being sealed units that are difficult and costly to repair we've made sure that when it comes to toasters, kettles, microwaves etc. it's better to pay top dollar at first (although after looking around for sale bargains or 'Black Friday' deals).


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Well that's just a few of the appliances that we have in the kitchen. We've got other items in cupboards, the shed and the other kitchen at the end of the house but I can report on those later if you like.

I've written this post on my trusty Apple iMac 24". We bought this in 2008. I upgraded this recently using a cheap downloadable programme ($24 I think) and the free on-line upgrades. It works like a new one. We have never had problems with this machine as opposed to the various  non-Apple computers and lap-tops we've owned. The iMac was fairly expensive at the time but has more than proved itself over the years. Long may it last.

* Actually I just made this up.