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Appliances Travel

The $50 life-changing appliance: the Kambrook handheld garment steamer

I’m heading to Dubai next week and it reminded me I lost my trusty garment steamer on our big Europe trip. I have just ordered another because I simply cannot travel without it and it’s worth every dollar!

It’s a big statement, I know, but the Kambrook Swift Steam Garment Steamer is a bit of a life changer. OMG I am in love with it. And the good news is, it’s less than $50!

Kambrook Swift Steam Garment Steamer (KSS20)

I’ve ALWAYS wanted one of those garment steamers but they tend to be bulky and pricey. I really hate ironing. And anything laundry-related in fact. In the division of labour at our house, laundry is Damian’s domain (he may not thank me for revealing that) but that doesn’t (sadly) include ironing. Where possible, I’ll avoid it. This includes ignoring plenty of lovely clean clothes in favour of others, made more appealing by the fact they either don’t need ironing (or I can get away with it). It makes for a limited wardrobe but luckily I work from home and wear a lot of jeans.

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Interiors Addict

If you want a stylish kitchen, how your appliances look can be as important as how they function

Sponsored by Fisher & Paykel

I’m currently helping my aunt with some design ideas for her new kitchen and while cabinetry, benchtops, flooring and tiles are some of the more obvious elements to choose, there’s no denying appliances are a really important part of the mix. You don’t want your shiny new kitchen let down by ageing appliances or new ones that stick out like a sore thumb or don’t match. The good news is, you don’t have to completely hide and integrate everything behind doors to ensure the finished look is cohesive. Brands like Fisher & Paykel are going beyond simply manufacturing appliances, and taking a more holistic approach to product design that also considers the aesthetics and ‘matchability’ of individual appliances as important pieces that fit together to create the kitchen look.

Years of experience working with architects and kitchen designers have given Fisher & Paykel valuable insight into kitchen design and the importance of offering functionality without sacrificing style. Their ‘Designed to Match’ philosophy underpins the way they design their products and translates into a coordinated look across its entire family of kitchen appliances. Rather than a conflicting mix of styles, the brand boasts one of the only ranges of appliances that are truly designed to match. And when I say match, I mean down to the smallest detail; everything from handles, dials, materials and proportions – across the range of refrigerators, dishwashers, ovens, rangehoods and cooktops.

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Sleek, contemporary and minimalist styling means they’re unlikely to date, which is important when you consider how much a new kitchen (often the most expensive room in the house) can cost. It’s even more important when you consider how many kitchens are now open plan and extending into the living space.

And you don’t have to follow the traditional advice that your fridge, oven and sink absolutely must be laid out in a triangle (frankly, this has always seemed a little too rigid to me as everyone uses their kitchen differently, right?). In fact, Fisher & Paykel have pioneered a movement away from the traditional work triangle, allowing homeowners to design their kitchen to suit the way they live their life and how they use their appliances. Their unique DishDrawerTM (literally a dishwasher in a drawer), means you can place a dishwasher close to your entertainment area for glasses and one near the sink for pots, pans and plates. The options are endless.

Fisher & Paykel are renowned for their appliance, having been awarded prestigious international Red Dot Awards for three of their latest offerings – induction Touch and Slide cooktops, three-burner Gas-on-Glass cooktop and 60cm Built-In Oven – in the last 12 months alone.

If you’re considering a new kitchen, Fisher and Paykel’s national Designed to Match Kitchen Promotion is running until 12 October 2014 and rewards you based on your total spend on eligible kitchen appliances. Customers who purchase eligible Fisher & Paykel refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, ovens, freestanding cookers, rangehoods and/or cooktops in a single transaction to the value of $3,000 or more, receive a bonus Essteele five-piece cookware set worth RRP $800. Customers who spend $5,000 or more on eligible products will be rewarded with the Essteele cookware set as well as an RRP $230 voucher from Organic Meat Online.

For more information.

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Categories
Appliances Kitchens

Electrolux’s Expressionist Collection makes breakfast easy

If you’re anything like me and find early mornings a serious struggle, the new Electrolux Expressionist Collection of appliances may just be your ticket to having a nutrititious breakfast and getting to work in time. It features a 1.7L kettle, a 2-slice toaster and a tabletop blender – the first standalone blender for Electrolux.

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The blender is your first morning saviour, with its titianium-coated blades and toughened glass jug meaning it can take anything you throw at it. TruFlow technology also pulls all of the contents towards the blades so there is nowhere for ingredients to hide. Making a smoothie is as simple as pressing one button!

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Your next little helper is the 2014 Good Design Award winning Expressionist Collection Kettle, which knows that you don’t have the time to wait for a full kettle to boil just for the one cup of tea. Its OneCup Turbo function heats up just enough water for one cup of tea in no time at all and will keep the water warm for 40 minutes so you don’t need to re-boil.

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Finally, the toaster is the perfect companion for even the fussiest toast connoisseur. It features Fabulous Toast sensor technology that ensures the same perfect browning results toast after toast, while the extra wide slots makes it versatile for toasting thick cut bread, as well as buns or bagels. The Digital Countdown Timer function lets you know exactly how long is left until your toast is perfectly golden, while the Lift and Check function lets you pause to check browning and then resume toasting without having to restart. The ingenious crumpet function will even toast your crumpets to perfection; crispy on the top and perfectly warm on the bottom.

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Electrolux’s new Expressionist Collection combines smart innovative features with timeless design. Available in stores from August 2014.

Categories
Appliances Kitchens

Making roasted beetroot dip with the Kitchenaid Artisan Food Chopper

Here at Appliance Addict we like to put the latest gadgets to the test by actually using them when we get the chance. Luckily, Kitchenaid sent us a lovely dip recipe to give a go with their new Artisan Food Chopper, so I gave it a whirl and it was so delicious I thought I’d share it with you.

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I’m happy to report that the chopper was a breeze to use, and everything about it impressed me, especially for something that costs less than $100. Here’s the recipe if you’d like to have a go yourself, with this, or a similar appliance, at home.

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Appliances Kitchens

Kambrook X Blade KSB100: The guy test

If there is one thing that keeps people, especially men, away from home cooking, it’s difficulty. There are plenty of simple meals to create, but many of them need a kitchen gadget or 2 to bring the difficulty down a notch or speed up the process. Take Jamie’s 15 Minute Meals for example. All great and simple meals, but most require a blender or a mixer or something like that.

Kambrook X Blade stick mixer

No drama, but that requires actually buying the mixer/blender (hudnreds of dollars) and the time to sit down and figure out how to use the damn thing. Without wanting to cast gender stereotypes, this is particularly difficult for guys. The majority of us have little patience for kitchen gadgets at the best of times. That rule also goes for appliances but that’s another story.

It’s been a while since I have done anything more than a chop and pan fry in the kitchen, so using the new Kambrook X Blade KSB100 was going to be interesting. There is one strict rule I have when it comes to appliances: if I am going to use it regularly, it needs to be simple. I shouldn’t have to read the instruction. So I didn’t. Also, it shouldn’t slice my finger off, which is why I’m now extremely cautious around knives and baked bean cans with ring pulls.

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Interiors Addict

Help send Interiors Addict to Italy & win new kitchen appliances

I realise this is a big ask. But just think of the fabulous design, interiors and architecture I could photograph and blog about for your viewing and reading pleasure! Plus, you might win a set of De’Longhi Icona Vintage kitchen appliances for yourself, and they are rather gorgeous.

Interessato?

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This isn’t one of those crowdsourcing scenarios. I don’t want your cash, just your inspiration! And I’d love to source that via Instagram and Twitter. Here’s the deal: I recently partnered with De’Longhi on a fun event down at Moore Park Supacenta where we gave readers free fifties makeovers (so much fun!). Two other bloggers had their own events too. Now we get the chance to win a holiday for two to Italia. One in three odds aren’t bad! I would of course take the future husband with me. If possible, I would love the trip to coincide with the Milan Furniture Fair, where I have always wanted to go!

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Interiors Addict

Introducing my new blog, Appliance Addict

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I’ve been (annoyingly) hinting at it for a little while and today I’m delighted to reveal that my new blog is all about home appliances. A sister site to this one, for those of you who are also interested in the latest gadgetry for your lifestyle (and to save annoying those who aren’t by keeping it separate), you now have Appliance Addict too. We have a great launch competition to win a Bodum BISTRO stand mixer in a colour of your choice.

I’ve been wanting to launch a new site for some time, it just took a little while to work out the perfect little sister for Interiors Addict (exteriors definitely aren’t my forté!). That’s the beauty of the online world and indeed self-employment; if you have an idea you can just go for it and move quickly. I’ve had some wonderful support from my friends and my web developer behind the scenes, for which I’d like to thank them. They know who they are. When you work on your own it’s great to have people to bounce ideas off and to get excited with you.

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Interiors Addict

Welcome to Appliance Addict!

Hi there and welcome to Appliance Addict! If you love the latest gadgets and home appliances, you’ve come to the right place. If you want things explained in a straight talking way without too much technical jargon, this is the site for you. Appliance Addict is brought to you by Jen Bishop, the blogger behind the successful Interiors Addict and Damian Francis, who has years of experience writing about consumer technology. Between them they have two decades of journalism experience (and now they feel old)!

Jen bishop Damian Francis Appliance Addict

Jen knew many of her readers at Interiors Addict would also love to read about the latest coffee machines, stand mixers and vacuums but didn’t want to alienate those who just wanted the gorgeous rooms, furniture and homewares. So it made sense to set up this sister site. Here you’ll find appliances that help make life easier and more fun, that help keep your house clean, your caffeine levels up, your smoothies smooth, your food cooked and your bread toasted!

Categories
Appliances Kitchens

The latest colourful kitchen appliances

The trend for colourful kitchen appliances isn’t going anywhere any time soon and I have to admit, they’re becoming quite tempting! Red is apparently the best selling colour of these products, but personally, I really don’t like using red in my home AT ALL. Clearly I’m in the minority!

It’s not just red these days though; there are plenty of colours from pastels to brights, whatever your personal palette. Here’s my roundup of some of the nicest out there at the moment. Which are your favourite?

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De’Longhi’s latest Icona Vintage collection is inspired by the brand’s Italian heritage and is an extension of their existing 1950-styled Icona range. There’s a set of matching manual coffee machine (RRP $299), kettle (RRP $149) and 2 or 4-slice toaster (RRP $149 & $189) with curved silhouettes, accentuated by 5 new shades which take their colour cues from the 1950s: tan leather, cream and mahogany, olive green, sky blue (pictured) and black velvet. So there’s something for everyone.

Bosch Miracle Blue MUM5 Kitchen Machine MUM54530AU (without accessories)

Later this month, Bosch is introducing pastel colours to its Styline Kitchen range with the MUM5 Kitchen Machines (RRP $699). Two new models will be available in vivid Miracle Blue (pictured above) and cheerful Yellow Passion. They’re complemented by silver and chrome trims, appealing to both classic and contemporary kitchens. Each comes with a stainless steel bowl and accessories, including a fitted lid, continuous shredder, blender, kneading hook, beater, whisk and citrus press.