Three Essential, Life-Altering Appliances You Must Have!
Though a number of my purchases have ultimately ended up in the trash heap, stored away with little use, or on eBay, there are three of them at this time that I can’t imagine living without:
1) A New Dishwasher
Perhaps nothing surprising here, but for me, I was amazed by the difference between my old one, which was about 14 years old, and the new one I recently got. I didn’t even go for a high end model, just a standard Whirlpool costing around $400.
Coming from a family in which my mom didn’t believe in dishwashers (to this day, she insists that she can wash them better than any machine!), I too had always been a little leery of them – do they really clean everything off, how do the dishes actually get “scrubbed”, etc.? It didn’t help my perceptions when the dishwasher that was already there when I moved into my condo would routinely leave little caked-on pieces on the dishes and glasses, no matter how much I rinsed before hand. In fact, I was basically using the thing as a drying rack since I really didn’t generate that many dishes each day and was ending up rewashing them anyway.
When the new husband moved in, however, then washing the dishes by hand was becoming a long production at the end of a meal (he’s quite the cook, and I’m sure you can guess who was doing the cleaning and washing after his “masterpieces”!) So, dishwasher shopping took priority over other changes to the condo we wanted to make (we ended up buying a new refrigerator too, but since it’s pretty standard with no fancy functions, it’s not so life-altering, it just keeps everything cold like it should).
Well, I started to gain about an hour each evening. I really can load up this dishwasher with minimal rinsing and, once it’s full, run it on a normal cycle (sometimes using a high temperature water setting if I think things are really caked on) before we go to bed (because it’s quiet too!) and wake up the next day to clean dishes. The technology these days really has caught up to where it needs to be, and, with all of us needing to get more environmentally conscientious, I was really happy to learn that using a dishwasher saves so much water and energy compared to washing the dishes by hand.
2) Dyson Vacuum Cleaner
For years, I had seen the Dyson commercials but been skeptical. And, even if it wasn’t the skepticism, the $400 plus price tag usually sent me in a different direction. Until, of course, it recently dawned on me that I was already spending probably $100 to $150 every few years for a new vacuum, plus the cost of bags, belts, filters, etc. anyway, so why shouldn’t I just go ahead and fork over the money and get what is supposed to be the best vacuum cleaner out there?
Well, I did, and it is. It truly is the best vacuum I have ever used. I got the small D24 model, and it’s compact and easily slides into the hallway closet unlike the other uprights and canister vacuums I’ve had in the past. It arrived two days after I had already vacuumed, but I was so excited to try it that I went ahead and vacuumed again. It was like I’d never vacuumed before! I mean, ewwww, the cup was full. But now I feel so much better that all the vacuuming that I’m doing is actually getting the carpets and floors clean. The machine easily moves from carpeting to hardwood floors and automatically adjusts itself, you don’t have to do anything. The cup is easy to detach, open, and clean out, so no bags to buy or fool around with. The filters can be removed and washed (they recommend that you wash them once a month), so no added hassles or expenses there either. In fact, I do believe, over the long term, this vacuum will cost me the same or less than the others I’ve had in the past. But, more importantly, the suction power is what they say it is, so you really are getting things much cleaner than with other brands.
3) The Nu-Wave Oven
Ok, here is the cheesy infomercial product that actually works and is worthwhile. Meal prep in our household seemed to always turn into such a production. Either we didn’t have all the ingredients on hand, or something needed was frozen. Then, we’d have to go to the store or just give up and go out to eat. We’d gotten rid of our microwave because it was old, and I had been reading a lot about how microwaving is not a healthy way to cook or reheat food. Our oven is old also (I should have gotten a new one when I got the dishwasher and refrigerator, but we thought it could last a while longer, and except for one of the burners, it has so far).
So, one day, I’m watching TV and on comes the infomercial for the Nu Wave oven. I had the remote in my hand and was about to turn it off when they got me – they emphasized that you can put frozen items directly into the oven to cook. And it’s true. I just made frozen scallops last night, and they came out great (though, the steak straight from the freezer didn’t do as well, though it was still fine, just not as great as when we cooked it fresh).
The oven comes with two cookbooks and, even more importantly, a cooking time chart for basic food groups, like meats, vegetables, etc., with suggestions for fresh and frozen items. This oven works more quickly than a regular oven because it combines conduction, convection and infrared technologies. No, I’m not sure exactly what all that means either, but all I know is that the food seems to cook faster than in the regular oven, so you have to experiment with cooking times to get it just right. Err on the side of undercooking because you can always put it back in for a little longer. You can put foil and other containers in it just like you would in a regular oven, but of course, that means no plastic or anything like that. I haven’t tried baking anything in there yet, but so far, it has been a time saver, both in terms of cooking time and clean up (all the pieces, except the motor of course, can be put in that great new dishwasher of yours!).
So, these are the three appliances I’ve used so far that warrant being called “life altering” because they truly have performed their intended tasks the best I’ve ever experienced and have enhanced my day-to-day life. I hope they will do the same for you.
