Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Economics of Appliances

My previous post on fruit tools got me thinking about the economic of household appliances. When I was shopping for a toaster ten years ago, I found a $10 Toastmaster.

The Toastmaster 2 Slice Toaster now costs $20, but it's still one of the cheapest models on the market.

My shopping companions squawked that I should buy something more expensive, that the cheap one would break. I replied that if it broke, I would be out only $10.

Ten years later, it's still making toast.

Similarly, a friend buying a vacuum cleaner wanted to buy the most reliable model. I said that was an old-fashioned way to think about buying an appliance. Look for the least expensive model, I advised. Appliances are so cheap, it's more expensive to repair them than replace them.

I recommended the cheapest vacuum cleaner I'd found years earlier, a Eureka upright model. It was $50 when I bought it (it's $70 now). Mine still works over five years later. If it breaks, I'll buy a new one.

I suppose a more expensive vacuum is important for cleaning huge areas, but most apartments and small houses take about the same time to vacuum regardless of price of the appliance.

I like making pesto, so I recently decided to purchase a food processor. Did I buy one with all the bells and whistles?

Not when Black & Decker makes a food processor for $30. After tonight's pesto linguini, it looks like another great appliance purchase.

My friends who wanted me to buy a more expensive toaster will roll their eyes when they see my latest kitchen appliance purchase. Let's see what they say ten years from now.

Bought a cheap appliance or gadget that you like? Leave a comment!

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Fruit Tools

Every fruit has a tool!

I was at the hardware store yesterday and noticed how many cooking utensils are sold to help devour fruit. It's as if each fruit has created a Darwinian manufacturing niche.

Here are some of the fruit tools I saw.

Meet the Flexicado, a flexible avocado slicer that slices while you scoop out the meat of the avocado. You have to take out the seed first.

Then there is the Apple Corer which also divides the apple in eighths as you push down.

The cousin to the Apple Corer is the Mango Splitter. This device separates the seed from the meat of the mango as you push down. The package shows you how to cut the fruit in a criss-cross pattern, invert the peel and cut cubes of fruit off the skin.

Grapefruit aficionados will appreciate the Grapefruiter which makes it easy to extract sections of the fruit.

The Strawberry Huller removes the stem of the strawberry. With today's perpetual strawberry seasons, this is a year-round helper.

If you eat a lot of oranges or mandarins, a Citrus Peeler turns a messy peeling session into a quick and easy task. Snack away!

I like cooking corn in the microwave and removing the husk as I eat. If you prefer husking your corn first, try a Corn Cutter.

After you've cooked corn, it's much easier to eat with Corn Holders. I prefer multicolored packs because then everyone knows whose corn holder is whose.

Cherry Pitter makes cherries easy to cook. It also doubles as an olive pitter.

What a better way to end the hardware store tour than with a Melon Baller.

I scooped up a couple of melon ballers and corn holders on the way out the door. Not for me, of course, but for panic presents. Any of these would make perfect presents for friends setting up a kitchen or friends who seem to have everything.

Enjoy fruit. It's healthy!