BEYOND THE BOOKS # 15

FAVE HOUSEHOLD ITEMS
BEYOND THE BOOKS is a weekly meme where KissinBlueKaren throws out a topic (mostly non-bookish), and we blog about it.

I think you all know what my top favorite, I can't live without, appliance is going to be...

This is my exact coffeemaker. It is a little four cup because I cannot stand coffee that has been sitting around in the pot on the warmer. In fact, I only make two cups at a time. I have a large Cuisinart for when I have company, which doesn't happen very often because we are still living in our postage-stamp-size-college-austerity-budget apartment, and seating is at a minimum.

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Then I have to have my electric coffee grinder...

 because all I will drink is freshly ground Eight O'clock coffee.

French Roast.
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I think my next love in the kitchen is my tiny three cup Kitchen Gourmet rice cooker.I bought this eleven and a half years ago at CVS on 75% off clearance after Christmas for $2.49.

It still works perfectly and makes just the right amount of rice for the two of us. It makes it all... sticky rice, pilaf, wild rice, brown rice, quinoa, faro, and couscous. You can even heat soup in it! You are supposed to be able to steam veggies in it, that is what the little wire rack is for, but I have never tried it.

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Next up is my Black and Decker 1.5 cup mini chopper.

I don't think I have had my big Cuisinart food processor out in four or five years.

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My immersion blender. I LOVE IT! I have not had the big blender, nor our hand mixer out in ages.

Sebastian calls it the boat motor. Ha ha.

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My lovely microfiber cloths. I have these exact colors. I have a color code system. Yellow - dishes, blue - counter tops and appliances, red - floors, green-bathroom. It works out perfectly because they match the color of the scrubbers I buy and the colors mean the same thing. Did you know the fibers are so tiny that they pick up the bacteria on surfaces? I don't use chemical cleaners, so these are the best things. I cannot stand tne smell of vinegar after cleaning with it, so I clean with salt as an abrasive, and salt water as a cleaning spray instead. Salt is a natural antibacterial. I have natural spray cleaners for the bathroom, but they are too heavily scented, so I don't like them in the kitchen. Never bleach your microfiber cloths. It ruins them. They are so cheap I just reassign them as porch cleaners when they get too stained and then toss them.

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Sebastian made me cram all three of these things into one picture because he was hungry and he needed to take the photo with his "better" Kindle camera, that still makes crappy images.

I should have put a quarter in the picture for size comparison, but this is one of my rather large latte cups. I had four, but Sebastian broke two. They were open stock at Wegmans, but they changed the style and they are smaller now, so ugh. Sebastian isn't allowed to use them anymore. My beloved ceramic noodle bowls. I could only afford four and Sebastian has been warned he will be disinherited if he chips or breaks them. We have had them about eight years and so far so good because we use them almost every day. I hope I didn't just jinx it. Heh heh.

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Here is a better image of my prized Faberware santoku knife.

It has a seven inch full tang blade through handle design with three rivets. The blade is as sharp as hades. I had to get stitches, TWICE, because of this baby. It is perfectly weighted. A santoku knife is a cross between a cleaver and a chef's knife. These are only around $15.00, but they are a lot of quality for the price. I would kiss it, but I value my lips.

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My Norpro paleta maker!

The lid is lined with stainless steel so it is super stable putting it in the freezer when the contents are not frozen yet. I love pureeing fresh fruit with my immersion blender and then just dumping it into the molds. It would be a fantastic way to get kids to eat their fresh fruit servings. I also get mango juice which comes in cartons from Mexico that has a lot of pulp in it, and makes quick and wonderful ice pops. This mold makes big gourmet size pops. I bought mine on Amazon. I have made a few fancier ones from this book...

GOODREADS

The ebook is only a $1.99, but this is the book I truly want...

GOODREADS

What do you want to kiss in your kitchen?