Must have kitchen gadgets

TravellingAbuela

Most definitely pans! Mine cost me an absolute fortune some 30 years ago but they are still as good as new. The very heavy bottoms mean they cook on the lowest heat so saving fuel as well! Also a slow-cooker so that you can use the cheaper cuts of meats and don't have the added expense of having the oven on for 2/3 hours to cook it.

lola34

My pans are Stellar they were a wedding gift 14 years ago and are still like new, I agree with the 'not following fashion' as it can date very easily, but on a seperate take on it, I would rather invest in a good holiday with my family.

Kimitatsu

The thing about OS is not about buying the cheapest but about using things for a lifetime.

So in that vein, I also endorse pans - dont ever ever buy cheap. Bedding, quality cotton sheets are a must (although in their defence Ikea used to do fantastic ones, mine have lasted 15 years so far, and only now are getting to the point that they need to be recycled into something else) a decent hoover, personally I use a Sebo, because it comes with a 5 year motor guarantee as standard. Save up for a good washing machine, or accept that you will be replacing a cheap one soon, my bosch lasted 10 years of babies, toddlers and dogs before the bearings finally burnt out. It cost me on average £1.34 per week as opposed to the £5.75 I am expecting out of the cheap one I am using as a stop gap (which has already had to have a new door seal 3 months in!)

A good quality kitchen mixer or one that does everything like a kenwood chef (christmas is always a good time to ask for this!) mine is used to death, and my mum has had her moulinex for over 30 years and its still going strong.

I tend to work out my cost per use rather than the initial cost, so although some things may be more expensive to buy initially, if I will use them again and again for years to come, in the long run they will save me money.

miecherox

I totally agree that old style means buying quality to last rather than cheap, although this doesn't have to be expensive.

My biggest one is coats and shoes, I try to only buy the children good quality shoes, Clarks, Celt boots, crocs, doodles and good quality walking boots. Apart from washing up better, they're much kinder on their feet plus I quite often get three children's wear out of them! The littlest boy is wearing a pair of crocs this summer that have been handed down with no adverse effects and the oldest boy is wearing a pair of crocs his older sister wore two years ago. The only thing I never hand down is school shoes because they take such a beating!!

As for household stuff, i have a very old Kenwood chef that my mum got off bay for a great price and I use it three times a week at least, I've also got one of the old kenwood liquidisers that I use for grinding coffee beans, smoothies, soups anything like that really. It wouldn't co-ordinate with a modern kitchen but I believe it will need shooting before it packs in!!
As has been said before, good quality pans and cooking utensils. If you can stretch to it and do lots of washing a good quality is a must as has been mentioned before. We have invested in a bosch which has a large load capacity and takes just an hour to do a mixed load, with sometimes 2 loads a day this will pay for itself in electric. It also has a 15 minute load option which is great for freshening school uniform or just a few bits that aren't really dirty.

Other things are good quality carpet especially in high traffic areas we have sometimes seven of us tripping up and down the stairs all day so it was really important we spend out for a wool carpet here but we got a slightly cheaper one in our bedroom. I also think you need to buy good quality sofas and chairs (this isn't always reflected in price!) There is nothing worse than a buckled sofa especially when you haven't even started paying for it! think 0% offers at big stores! So if they don;t let you take the cushions off and jump all over it in the shop don't buy it!!:rotfl:

Good luck with your new adventure

VfM4meplse

lapis_lazuli wrote: »

Pans: get a BIG casserole pan, cast iron and enamelled, that can be used on the stove.

I got a fabulous 40" teflon-coated cast iron stockpot in a Debenham's sale last year, a lifetime purchase for the princely sum of £28! I would recommend these pans, have been looking at them online for a couple of days, popped into my local branch to test their weight and they seem like a good buy. Marked as £65 instore, just £39 online plus free delivery. An excellent investment for your first home.

laloopi

I agree that it's worth buying good quality for all kitchen stuff. I confess to using a lot of gadgets on a very regular basis - slow cooker, blender, food processor, microwave, juicer, bread maker - and I really can't see the point in skimping too much on them. They save me so much money by allowing me to cook everything completely from scratch - I know people once survived without them but I'd never find the time otherwise.

I'm also prepared to pay more for things which are better aligned with my principles, such as organic and fairtrade food, though I can't always afford to be as ethical as I'd like to!

VfM4meplse

VfM4meplse wrote: »

I would recommend these pans, have been looking at them online for a couple of days, popped into my local branch to test their weight and they seem like a good buy. Marked as £65 instore, just £39 online plus free delivery.

Just bought these for £35.10 using the 10% off code: PXLP

Huge thank you to stooby for sharing the love on 25/06/2011! :T

ceridwen

Kimitatsu wrote: »

The thing about OS is not about buying the cheapest but about using things for a lifetime.

So in that vein, I also endorse pans - dont ever ever buy cheap. Bedding, quality cotton sheets are a must (although in their defence Ikea used to do fantastic ones, mine have lasted 15 years so far, and only now are getting to the point that they need to be recycled into something else) a decent hoover, personally I use a Sebo, because it comes with a 5 year motor guarantee as standard. Save up for a good washing machine, or accept that you will be replacing a cheap one soon, my bosch lasted 10 years of babies, toddlers and dogs before the bearings finally burnt out. It cost me on average £1.34 per week as opposed to the £5.75 I am expecting out of the cheap one I am using as a stop gap (which has already had to have a new door seal 3 months in!)

A good quality kitchen mixer or one that does everything like a kenwood chef (christmas is always a good time to ask for this!) mine is used to death, and my mum has had her moulinex for over 30 years and its still going strong.

I tend to work out my cost per use rather than the initial cost, so although some things may be more expensive to buy initially, if I will use them again and again for years to come, in the long run they will save me money.

Yep...agree with that basic concept...its the "Cost per wear" concept from clothes-buying applied to household goods. That is - a £100 dress is a lot cheaper than a £10 one if one only wears the £10 one once and it then falls apart, but the £100 one is worn 200 times (ie meaning that each "wear" costs 50p).

YORKSHIRELASS

Hi, when I first read the title of this thread I was going to say ... shoes. The only thing I spend decent money on. Will buy my clothes from charity shops nowadays but my shoes usually come from Clarks or similar.

As for household stuff, most of what we have in our house is cheap and cheerful and does the job fine. I would prioritise money on a good bed but thats about all. Our sofas are cheap ones from Argos and have lasted 5 years and I have no problems with them at all.

My slow cooker is 40 years old and was second hand when I was given it. It is used regularly and works perfectly. I replaced our sheets last year because they were threadbare but they were 9 years old and werent expensive. Many of our towels are ones that we were given when we were married 15 years ago and wouldnt have been top of the range when they were new.

There is a huge temptation to buy expensive brand name stuff for your home, much of this comes from marketing by the big companies. I am not always convinced that you really do get what you pay for.

sharloid

I have some cotton bed sheets but after a few washes they went bobbley. A few people on this thread have mentioned they are good so am I doing something wrong?!