These Are My Appliances

[Young Val]

So, David and I are really hoping to move into a new, roomier apartment come the fall. Although we're hoping to acquire more space, we're trying to pare down our belongings. The key for this, for us, is really in appliances. How many do we have? Do we really need them all? How often do we use them? Do they really make our lives easier? We also JUST went out and bought several new appliances just this week, so obviously this is an on-going issue! I figured this might be a great place to keep track of what we have and how much we use it over the next few months. I'd also love to hear about what appliances you can't live without, and what appliances you've found it easy to get rid of! This is probably the most boring thread in the history of Pweb, but oh well.

I'm definining "appliance" loosely as any tool or machine that exists to accomplish a specific goal or set of goals. Most often electric or battery-operated but not exclusively so. A lamp plugged into the wall would not be an appliace (even though, yes, it fits the above criteria, I guess). A power drill would be an appliance.

So with that said, we currently own the following:

1. Two window unit air conditioners (we inherited one with this apartment and will leave it here when we move).
2. A printer (basic, black and white only, no special features).
3. A desktop computer with a tv screen for a monitor.
4. A lap top.
5. Two external hard drives.
6. A small paper shredder.
7. A drinking fountain for the cat (yes. really).
8. Kitchen Aid mixer.
9. Cuisinart medium food processor.
10. Small two-slice pop-up toaster.
11. Blender.
12. Two coffee grinders (one for spices, one for coffee).
13. A handheld mixer.
14. Stand alone chest freezer (we own that and it's coming with us. The fridge belongs to the apartment and not to us so it's not being included. Ditto with the stove/oven).
14. A speaker/dock for ipod.
15. Two slow cookers and one small "dip warmer" that came with the newer of the two slow cookers.
16. Rice cooker.
17. A foot bath. (This was a well-intentioned, but none the less terrible Christmas gift David gave to me a few years ago. It plugs in and the water bubbles a bit, but it is cheap plastic, doesn't keep the water warm, and I only ever do extensive foot soaking when my eczema flares up very badly. I keep forgetting we even have it. This is almost definitely being disposed of).
18. A dust buster.
19. A small vacuum cleaner.
20. An electric drill.
21. An alarm clock.
22. Electric blanket.
23. Hair dryer.
24. Straightening Iron (for hair)
25. Iron (for clothes).

Although I'm sure there's more, that's all I can think of off the top of my head.

Appliances we do not own:

1. Microwave
2. Toaster oven
3. Dishwasher
4. Coffee maker (we use a french press)
5. Electric kettle
6. Electric Razors.

Appliances we covet:

1. Dehydrator (David)
2. Vacuum sealer (David)
3. Pasta roller (both)
4. Ice cream maker (me)
5. Toaster oven (David)
6. Dishwasher (me)



I think having 2+ slow cookers is a bit ridiculous, but David is convinced we'll use them both (I'm highly skeptical). I am also not super into grinding our own coffee, but again, David is big on that, so the two grinders will probably stay. My Kitchen Aid isn't going anywhere, for sure. The printer and the paper shredder are both very, very recent purchases, and ones David made on a whim. I think we could have done without both, but readily admit that they've been helpful (especially as I can now print my resume from home and will be needing multiple copies in the near future). While the dust buster is useful, I have no idea why (or how) we acquired a vacuum cleaner, as we have all hardwood floors and have had them everywhere we've lived. The handheld mixer is redundant, but it's so nice to have when I'm making dessert at someone else's house and want to whip up some fresh whipped cream! However, that's only ever happened, like, twice. So mostly it just gathers dust.

Obviously I'm justifying hanging on to all this stuff I don't need! Help me be ruthless! What are your must-haves? What do you never, ever use? What are you dying to buy? Help!

[Jayelle]

Hey, you don't own the same things we don't own! Heh.

I am totally the person to ask about this kind of thing, since we just got rid of so many of our appliances.

Since you have a kitchenaid, I'd get rid of the hand mixer. If you can find an old school crank 2nd hand, that can make whipped cream and take up way less space.
I haven't had a slow cooker since we moved here and I kinda miss it, but I make-do with a dutch oven in the oven on low, low heat all day. Are the two different sizes? Do you EVER use them both at the same time??

I would get rid of the rice cooker, but that's probably because I've never had one and so don't really "get" them.


PS. You can make ice cream in your food processor.

[starlooker]

Bear in mind, I am not good at strategic throwing away of things. I may end up on "Hoarders" someday.

Vote to keep the two slow-cookers.

But that's due to coming from a family where all get-togethers involve at least three items cooked in a slow-cooker (generally brought by different people).

Okay, change my mind. Vote to keep the two slow-cookers only if 1) they are both really high quality or 2) they are significantly different sizes.

Keep the printer unless you plan to buy a new one in the near future.

Get rid of the small toaster and make plans to buy a four-slice, state-of-the-art toaster. God, I love my wedding shower toaster so much.

Keep the rice-cooker if it is as good as ours (built in steamer, perfect, perfect, perfect rice without taking up a burner).

Seems like the dust buster could go, depending on the attachments the vacuum cleaner has.

Keep the fountain for the cat. If you don't want the cat to die of dehydration or insist on drinking from running water out of the bathroom sink.

Vote for getting rid of the hand mixer.

Yes, bye-bye to the foot bath.

Also, bye-bye to the electric blanket. Those things scare me. Just 1) get more cozy blankets, 2) get a space heater if that's not enough -- much more useful, as it can warm you when you aren't laying in bed/on the couch, or 3) use a heating pad if you really must.

KEEP the AC unit unless the place you are moving to has central air. I do not know why people in the northern plains states despise central air, but they do, and odds are they place you are moving will make you glad you have it come summer. Heck, keep it even if the place does has central air, because there's no guarantee the place you move after the next one will.

[Jayelle]

I agree with Kirsten about the blanket. I don't really know why you'd need one... although, if you really love it, does it take up that much more space then a regular blanket? Can you get rid of some other blankets instead?

As for me, I dream of someday owning and having the counter space for a kitchenaid. Mostly for the dough hook, because I hate kneading bread (Paul loves it, but has less time then I do for making bread).

My can't-live-without-it item is my immersion blender. I don't have a blender or a food processor, so I just use this. I love it for soup and sauces and anything I want finely blended in a hurry.

I miss my mortar and pestle, but other then that, I'm enjoying being fairly minimalist.

[Luet]

I've never owned a toaster. I use a toaster oven and I use the toaster oven daily for a million things other than toast, especially when I don't want to heat up the whole oven. I don't know how people live without one. It's perfect for reheating pizza! My vote would be to ditch the toaster and get a toaster oven.

[Young Val]

Oh man, I haven't even included our OTHER kitchen stuff! Only things that were electric/motorized! The kitchen is going to be the very worst to cut down because there is SO MUCH STUFF. But I know that there's some of it I never ever use.

The rice cooker can go no problem, but only because we have a stove top pressure cooker that can do rice without any trouble.

The Le Creuset dutch oven is obviously staying.

So many pans! We have:

A gorgeous, large, beautifully seasoned cast iron skillet (keeper).

Three non-stick pans, small, medium, and a non-teflon "green" large. We never, ever, ever use the large one because it is more "stick" than non-stick. The small and medium ones are in regular use.

Two saucepans of varying metals and shapes. Both are used frequently.

Two stock pots, also both in heavy use (we make our own veggie and chicken broth weekly and also use the older, beat up one to pop popcorn and cook large amounts of pasta).

Seriously, about 8 crappy plastic cutting boards of various design, all of which I HATE. If we got rid of ALL of them and got one, really nice, wooden board I would be thrilled.

A humongous wok that David wanted for ages and finally broke down and bought for way too much money that he has used exactly once.

I...I have five rolling pins.

Honestly about 30 to 40 wine glasses ranging from cheap to pricey, from white to red, stemless, with stems, blah blah blah. So many wine glasses!

Two french presses (I can sort of justify this as there are lots of times we use both at once).

I have three baking sheets, two I love, one I hate, but the ones I love are flat and the one I hate has sides, and we need a sheet pans with sides so we keep hanging on to it, but I LOATHE it. It's akwardly shaped and doesn't stack well and it's a mess. But I can't justify getting a new one so I deal. Ugh.

We have more cooking (not eating) utensils than I know what to do with. At least 6 to 8 wooden spoons of varying shapes, plastic spoons I know have never seen the light outside of the drawer they've been crammed in all their lives. 3 flexible spatulas, one I ADORE, and two that annoy me. But the annoying ones come in various sizes and David wants to hang on to them (Can you believe he's the minimalist in the relationship? Then again...I have five rolling pins).

Tons of pinch bowls and mixing bowls for mise en place. A bajillion spatulas (there are only two I ever use).

A tortilla press (talk about a single-use item. I love it though, and we eat a loooooot of mexican in the summer.

I have 2 cake pans, 3 pie pans, 4 spring-form pans, 3 muffin tins (small, medium, large)...I could go on endlessly. And our kitchen? SO SMALL.


As for the electric blanket, it is larger than a normal one. But I sort of love it. We never ever sleep with it on, even. We usually turn it on the bed for 20 minutes or so while we brush out teeth, change, and otherwise get ready to turn in. When we actually go to bed we turn it off AND unplug it before getting in and going to sleep. I'm not totally married to it, but I'd hang on to it if I could. It's FREEZING here and I am always cold anyway. And yes, I have an obscene amount of other blankets as well.

[Eaquae Legit]

Where we are here, we have:

* a pressure cooker - used to be a rice cooker, but the pressure cooker is more versatile
* a combo immersion blender, chopper, and whisk - rarely use the whisk but love the other two
* a slow cooker - really gotta use that more often!
* an electric kettle, which I cannot live without
* mixer beaters - no idea where the mixer itself went, so will probably toss those soon
* and in the communal kitchens, we have a microwave - I do use a microwave, although I can live without one
* in my non-electric essentials, I adore my tava - it's a slightly concave (but sideless) cast iron pan, and I am constantly making tortillas, chappattis, pancakes, and even burgers on it

In Canada, I always had a rice cooker, and I'm not sure if I'll go back to that or not. I also have an iron, which gets used a lot, a coffee grinder, a waffle maker, a big food processor, and a blender. So far I favour my immersion blender, because I shelled out for one with good wattage. We do use the waffle maker, and I ought to use the food processor more, but rarely seem to.

[Luet]

Can immersion blenders handle ice? Because if they can, I'd be all for that over a blender.

[Jayelle]

I think if it's a heavy-duty one, it can. Mine is cheap and can't.

[Eaquae Legit]

I'll let you know when I try it. I don't usually blender ice, but maybe I'll try frappes or margaritas sometime. I know I love smoothies, so it better be able to handle frozen fruit. It does a decent job with lemongrass, which I've always had a horrible time trying to mix into my curry pastes, so I have hope.

ETA: Mine's 500w. I couldn't justify the extra 10-15£ for 600w.

[Young Val]

Ali, I love the idea of a waffle maker, but I know I'd only use it a couple of times a year. I'm jealous if you have waffles frequently; they're delicious!

[Eaquae Legit]

We got it as a wedding present from Rei's sisters. We used it with middling frequency, and would freeze the leftover waffles as homemade "eggos". My favourite memory is the party we had just before leaving Toronto - the "Waffles and Wine and Take Our Stuff" party. Fresh waffles were great fun for all!

I miss the waffle maker.

[Caspian]

Okay, I am a fairly ruthless minimalist by inclination and I'm trying to be generous here.

I don't think you need window unit air conditioners. Drink iced drinks and wear less clothes.

Do you do a lot of printing? If not, you don't really need a printer. You can do printing at a stationary store when you really need it, and otherwise find creative ways around printing, and save paper.

I've never really seen the point of paper shredders.

Does the cat need a drinking fountain? Cats are adapted for the desert and get most of their water from food if you're feeding them wet food, and only need about an ounce of water a day, and no special equipment is needed.

I'm not a coffee drinker, so I'd get rid of one of those coffee grinders, but if you do grind beans and spices I get that you don't want coffee-tasting spices. You can clean a grinder with some stale bread if you don't grind spices as often as you grind coffee, though, and a mortar-and-pestle works for grinding spices too.

It seems ridiculous to me to have two slow cookers, and a dip warmer is easy to make with a small pot full of water.

Lots of people are mad for rice cookers. I've never had one and I've always gotten by.

Do you actually use the dust buster? I'd get rid of it and just use the vacuum cleaner.

Handheld mixer you already know is redundant.

And those are my thoughts, for what they are worth. Which isn't much.

[starlooker]

Does the cat need a drinking fountain? Cats are adapted for the desert and get most of their water from food if you're feeding them wet food, and only need about an ounce of water a day, and no special equipment is needed.

Except for two things.

1. Cat drinking fountains are freaking COOL. I've always wanted one, but never been able to justify the expense. So, if you already have one, keep it! (Plus, really, how much room does it take up?)

2. Seriously. Cats can get ridiculously finicky about where and how they want their water. I've known cats that will flat out refuse to drink from anywhere but cups on bedsteads, water in a bathroom sink, etc. You may have a flexible, happy cat who won't mind switching to a bowl. But, then, he may be idiosyncratic. Desert-born cats may not have had the luxury of humans to train, but domestic housecats can afford to be more eccentric about their desires.

3. Speaking as someone who went through a most hellish experience transitioning cats from one dwelling to another, keeping things as similar as possible for your cat is probably wise. If you're going to get rid of the fountain, I'd get rid of it now so that the cat won't have to adapt to a new home and a new mode of water delivery at the same time.

[starlooker]

I don't think you need window unit air conditioners. Drink iced drinks and wear less clothes.

And this is exactly why you need to keep the window unit. People who have attitudes like this may be renting you a place to live.

Granted, having lived in a third-floor apartment with no air conditioning in Memphis for two years may have made me a little hyper on the subject. The only way I could fall asleep was to spray water on my sheets, aim the fan over me, and try to fall asleep before the water evaporated/warmed up. And I was young and adaptive!

I know Minnesota is not that brutal. But it does get hot enough in the summer to justify it (in my mind.) Also, it's humid, it's sticky, and you cook enough to cause extra heat in the place. (Also, I hate ice in my drinks. And you can only take off so many clothes. And what if you don't have windows that allow a good cross-breeze?)

Funny. I wouldn't advocate necessarily buying a lot of the things that I'm advocating that you keep.

[powerfulcheese04]

Does the cat need a drinking fountain? Cats are adapted for the desert and get most of their water from food if you're feeding them wet food, and only need about an ounce of water a day, and no special equipment is needed.

In addition to all of Kirsten's reasons, while cats are traditionally desert creatures, most cats do not get the water content they need. This makes male cats more prone to urinary stones leading to blockages and all cats more prone to kidney disease.

I actually had to get a water fountain for my cat when she got older and her kidney values started climbing on annual exam.

[megxers]

I own two laptops, a TV, a small vacuum cleaner and an iron (oh! and an unplugged alarm clock). I cook with pots, the oven and the microwave. No wonder I am like, the least inventive cook ever!

Also, I think pretty soon I am going to have to cave in and get a hair dryer. Obviously the laptops are higher priority. Oh, and I want a blender. And maybe a toaster.

[Nehali Sophia]

I think this is an interesting thread!

I have boomeranged back home with my parents, so some things are redundant. However, I won't get rid of them yet, because I hope I'll get my own place in the next couple of years.

Appliances I own
1. Laptop
2. Laptop fan - my laptop gets ridiculously hot without it & then shuts down.
3. Cellphone
4. Digital Camera
5. Laser B&W printer/photocopier/scanner - I love it! When I was in school I printed out dozens of articles because there was only so much time I could spend in front of a screen before I had to work on an assignment. Now, I use the scanning function a lot & still print out articles I need for work.
6. Kettle
7. Hot Water Bottle
8. Glass Strainer & Mug combo - for tea, I love this!

Appliances I have in storage
1. Slow Cooker - I could probably jettison this, as I don't use it as much as I thought I would
2. Electronic Citrus Juicer - (Redundant, as my parents have one)
3. Pressure Cooker - (Redundant, as my parents have one), however I should take this out of storage as I frequently want to make rice & a curry at the same time & don't want to
4. Immersion Blender - the cheap kind

Appliances I want eventually
1. Paper Shredder - I don't like just throwing my banking papers or anything with identifying data into the recycling. I've been keeping those papers aside for when I do get a shredder
2. Coffee Press - I'd like to drink more coffee, specifically coffee with cardamom in it
3. Waffle Maker
4. Macbook pro - the laptop mentioned above is now 4-5 years old. I keep expecting it to die, so I'd like to be prepared when it does happen - in fact I've already started saving for it.
5. Hair Straightener - I had my hair straightened for my most recent convocation ceremony & could not believe how easy it was to have down. My naturally curly hair seems to have gotten frizzier as I've gotten older. That & they've changed the formulation of the cheap drugstore products that used to work very well.
6. Glass Kettle

[Jayelle]

I don't know how people can live without a toaster (or toaster oven). I eat toast/bagels so much!

[Gravity Defier]

Bear in mind, I am not good at strategic throwing away of things. I may end up on "Hoarders" someday.

That's about the only thing I can relate to in this entire thread, I think.

Anyhow. I may be stretching your definition but my appliances:

Laptop
External Hard Drive
19" tv (used twice in about as many months)
DVD player
VCR
Radio (x2)
MP3 Player (x3)
cell phone (that I won't be eager to replace should it die)
Digital camera (that I think I can't live without)

Nothing kitchen related (I donated that when I moved home from my apartment), nothing hair/beauty related, and anything else I may "need" my mom owns.


I have no opinions on kitchen things because even when I had my own kitchen, I lived just fine with a microwave, toaster, blender, pot and pan. The kitchen is not my domain.

[Jebus]

Caspian ruined what was otherwise a shining example of the female need to talk about pretty much anything.

[Eaquae Legit]

5. Hair Straightener - I had my hair straightened for my most recent convocation ceremony & could not believe how easy it was to have down. My naturally curly hair seems to have gotten frizzier as I've gotten older. That & they've changed the formulation of the cheap drugstore products that used to work very well.

Picture!

[Young Val]

Caspian ruined what was otherwise a shining example of the female need to talk about pretty much anything.

Don't be too hard on him, Jeebs.

[Dr. Mobius]

Kelly, my parents have two 4 quart ice cream makers (one of them was originally my grandparents'). I don't know if they'd be willing to part with one of them, but if you're interested I could ask them.

[Young Val]

Josh, that is beyond sweet. Thank you. Seeing as I barely have room for the appliances I own, and that I'm trying desperately to pare down, I'm going to decline your very kind offer. I'm really touched that you'd think of me. Thank you!

[Wind Swept]

I know Minnesota is not that brutal. But it does get hot enough in the summer to justify it (in my mind.) Also, it's humid, it's sticky, and you cook enough to cause extra heat in the place.

The heat's not so bad. It's the humidity that will kill you. Definitely keep the air conditioner.

[Petra456]

Kitchen:

Blender / food processor
Waffle maker
Coffee maker
Kitchen Aid mixer
Crock pot
Small kitchen scale
Two bread makers (one was super cheap and we're missing the paddle for the other one)
I also have a ton of other things like glasses, dishes, pots, pans, and bakeware.

None kitchen:

Cell phones
Digital camera (mine was a birthday gift and Will has a way better one, plus will has four film cameras, he just sold a fifth one.)
Printer
iPod (I have an old nano and Will has a Touch)
Blu ray player
TV
Alarm clock
Space heater
GPS
External hardrive

[adrik]

I think this is an interesting thread!

I have boomeranged back home with my parents, so some things are redundant. However, I won't get rid of them yet, because I hope I'll get my own place in the next couple of years.

Appliances I own
1. Laptop
2. Laptop fan - my laptop gets ridiculously hot without it & then shuts down.
3. Cellphone
4. Digital Camera
5. Laser B&W printer/photocopier/scanner - I love it! When I was in school I printed out dozens of articles because there was only so much time I could spend in front of a screen before I had to work on an assignment. Now, I use the scanning function a lot & still print out articles I need for work.
6. Kettle
7. Hot Water Bottle
8. Glass Strainer & Mug combo - for tea, I love this!

Appliances I have in storage
1. Slow Cooker - I could probably jettison this, as I don't use it as much as I thought I would
2. Electronic Citrus Juicer - (Redundant, as my parents have one)
3. Pressure Cooker - (Redundant, as my parents have one), however I should take this out of storage as I frequently want to make rice & a curry at the same time & don't want to
4. Immersion Blender - the cheap kind

[Corelulos]

I once did some work for a couple who told me that once a year, usually in the spring ( yep spring cleaning time) they would go through everything, and I mean EVERYTHING in their house. If something hadn't been used in the last six months to a year, it went out the door. The job I was doing involved a lot of demolition and they had a large dumpster delivered for the project. They decided to take the opportunity to do the annual cleaning, and during the course of the job I was surprised at what they tossed out. I actually took some of the items they tossed out home and used them. Don't ask me what, that was like 12 years ago, LoL, I have slept a few times since then...
I sometimes wish I had that kind of discipline. I am not a packrat really, but I do have a few things I can't just toss out. Lately though I have been selling a lot of it on eBay.
There's a thought for you, not using something very much, put it up for sale. Sell it and there is money for that want list.
Also, you and my wife have the same want in the dishwasher, the home we are in currently is just too small for even one of those portable ones.