Most useful/useless thing?

[Angela]

What would you say is the most useful domestic appliance in your house -what would it be hardest to live without? (not including your other half, if you have one [lol] and not including your cooker or boiler either)

I'm torn here between my computer and my washing machine...but the least useful item I have is a juicer I was given as a present and which lies unused at the back of a cupboard.

Do you have things like that which you feel guilty you don't use, but can't quite bring yourself to give away? :confused

[Solus]

Got to be the PC, be lost with out it!!
most useless is the chocolate fountain my missus got as a prezzie once, brill to look at as the melted chocolate runs down over the three plates in a fountain type display, great to dip stuff in !! ( steady )
but a pure sod when it comes to cleaning !! and its usually me that has that dubious task !! hence i dont allow it to make an appearance often.

[Rheghead]

After the puter it has to be my breadmaker, I love fresh bread. My most useless thing was probably the electric knife which I used to cut the bread with until I used it so much that it burned out. I get along ok now with a good old bread knife and wouldn't go back to electric. Strangely, mrs rheg can cut bread perfectly now but with the electric there was some weird shaped slices to be had. It was probably a 'bloke power tool fascination' when all said and done.:Razz

[henry20]

I love my chocolate fountain - although it only appears at new year or special events (not had 1 of those yet though). Was a bit annoyed when hubby started dipping pizza in it though [evil] (and he doesn't drink!)

I have lots of useful gadgets - omelette maker, slow cooker, mini chopper, carving knife, hand blender, food mixer ............ the list is endless and I wouldn't be without any of them. Although I would have a lot more cupboard space!!

[emb123]

I'm with Rheghead, the breadmaker is the most indispensible item - just can't beat superb homebaked bread (even more indispensible when the nearest bakers is a 63 mile round trip, or you need to take out a bank loan to buy a squidgy little 400g loaf at the local shop) although my breadmaker is closely followed by the PC. (I wouldn't be without my Kenwood electric can opener either btw)

Most useless has got to be the Breville toastie maker. I love toasted sandwiches but it always makes the sandwiches into tooth-breakers on the outside edges and is a complete nightmare to clean for pretty much any combination I've tried.

[Angela]

Most useless has got to be the Breville toastie maker. I love toasted sandwiches but it always makes the sandwiches into tooth-breakers on the outside edges and is a complete nightmare to clean for pretty much any combination I've tried.

I had one of these too! My fondness for banana & brown sugar toasties eventually made it impossible to clean ...and so it was binned. (At the same time I became allergic to bananas :eek: )

Sometimes I think it's once I put a small appliance into a cupboard, it can just be too much trouble to get it out again...:confused

[Solus]

If you got a foremam grill, use that for making your toasties, no hard edges !! and loverly !

[newpark]

microwave and computer would be lost without I have a slow cooker I got and it is now in loft along with 2 fondu sets

[emb123]

microwave and computer would be lost without I have a slow cooker I got and it is now in loft along with 2 fondu sets
I had a wonderful top of the range fondue set - solid marble stand, large cast iron pot etc etc. I bought it maybe 25 years ago - cost a lot of money. Gave it away about 6 months ago. I suspect I had about 4 wonderful fun fondues in all that time.

They're great if you have the space to store it and you get it for free, or you have regular large groups of visitors (and you remember you have it). A really wonderful, highly sociable and fun way to break the ice and have a very different sort of meal - but a lot of prep work goes into having a fondue - and there's an awful lot of wasted cooking oil afterwards.

[j4bberw0ck]

I love my chocolate fountain

I honestly had no idea such a thing existed........ (http://www.chocolatefountainwarehouse.co.uk/chocolate-fountains.html?gclid=CMCWucPnzosCFShEEAodBjSxBQ)

What a sheltered life I've led. Is there no limit to human ingenuity? :lol:

[BRIE]

the kettle!! cant live without my tea.
most useless has to be my slow cooker & egg poacher ive never used them.

[Max]

Most useful has to be my washing machine I can't cope without it - don't know when I needed it more when the kids were babies or teenagers - hyper ventilating at the sheer thought of it breaking down!! Useless - mmmm - don't really know - probably my blender - hardly ever used.

[golach]

Most useful, my George Forman beeg grill, a surprise present from a wonderful cousin.:lol:
Most useless a beeg food processor we never use:~(

[mums angels]

Have endless useful household applainces....george foreman,microwave,hoover, laptop to name but a few

most useless an ice cream maker thats never been out of its box that was bought for us as a gift

[henry20]

You can't beat home made ice cream - I used to have an ice cream maker, but the bowl for it went awol. If I was to get a new one, it would have to be one that freezes as it rotates the mix. but don't tell hubby I'm thinking about it :eek: He thinks we've enough appliances as it is!! :lol:

[cuddlepop]

I've got my original knive set that I bought for catering college,best blades yet .There over twenty year 's old and still sharpen well:)
We.ve got an electric can opener,juicer and a toastie maker that has never been used.Really should put them in the next car boot.:eek:

[badger]

Kettle and microwave every time. My juicer hasn't been used since the last housemove but one, in fact don't know why I kept it. Nightmare to clean. Miss my slo-cooker though. Gave it to an aunt and have regretted it ever since so if anyone wants to give their unloved one a new home :roll: Great for cooking whole chickens, casseroles, soups.

What I'd really like is a robot to do the housework. I'm sure if more men had to do this they would have invented one long ago (that's going to get me into trouble ;) )

[Lolabelle]

Apart from the usual kitchen appliances, microwave, kettle etc, the most used appliance in our house is the vacuum cleaner, having 2 large dogs wandering around, it is a daily if not twice daily necessity.
What I don't use is the kenwood chef mixer (too big), electric frying pan (use BBQ out side and have less cooking smells), Slow cooker (always forget it's there until it is too late). Kitchen wizz (hate cleaning it). :D

[Tristan]

I'm with cuddlpop, you can not beat a good quality set of cooks knives.

[Ancient Mariner]

The Wife!!

[jekyll n hyde]

The Wife!!
tut tut to that comment but you never stated useful or useless...choose yours wisely...lol
My useful item is my hoover cant be without it....i cannot abide a messy carpet.
My useless item(s) can i have 2? if im too greedy sorry....but theres no comparison between them....my juicer only ever used once sits in a corner of my kitchen gathering dust..lol......the other is a coffee machine i dont drink the stuff (yuk)...although my husband would disagree...lol

[Angela]

tut tut to that comment but you never stated useful or useless...choose yours wisely...lol
My useful item is my hoover cant be without it....i cannot abide a messy carpet.
My useless item(s) can i have 2? if im too greedy sorry....but theres no comparison between them....my juicer only ever used once sits in a corner of my kitchen gathering dust..lol......the other is a coffee machine i dont drink the stuff (yuk)...although my husband would disagree...lol

Tut tut indeed, I ruled out people choosing their Other Half in the OP..... but since oldmarine has chosen his wife I'm hoping he finds her the most useful :roll:

[jekyll n hyde]

Tut tut indeed, I ruled out people choosing their Other Half in the OP..... but since oldmarine has chosen his wife I'm hoping he finds her the most useful :roll:
i did notice your request of not including your better halfs.....on that note he either didnt read it properly or was being funny??.....having said that i was pleased to read that you had said this other wise it could of started a quite different thread other than you intended...lol...phew

[Angela]

i did notice your request of not including your better halfs.....on that note he either didnt read it properly or was being funny??.....having said that i was pleased to read that you had said this other wise it could of started a quite different thread other than you intended...lol...phew


There there, calm down, don't worry! :lol: [lol]

I'm pleased to see that your juicer, like mine, is the most useless object!

I'm considering a George Foreman grill and I see there are a couple of recommendations for that so far ....any more?

[Solus]

Smoothie maker !! brill for those warm summer days, make your own smoothie !

[Blazing Sporrans]

Our most useless electrical extravagance is the breadmaker. A waste of space quite frankly, yet Mrs BS desperately wanted it at the time! I love my electric rice cooker to death. Put in the required amount of rice and water and switch on - hey presto - perfect rice every time!! And it switches off the cooking heat to a continuous warm setting when the rice is ready. I also love the kettle for my tea, love the George Foreman (for toasties too), love the PC and love my 40" telly. Watching sport on that is almost as good as being there....

[htwood]

Useful....must be my thermos jug. In the summer, keeps ice cold lemon squash collllllddddd brrrrrr. In the winter, keeps piping hot coffee steaming for hours...ahhh.

How does it know.......how..does..it..know?