Kitchen appliances chat

“ This is because the photos you have provided us with show signs consistent with overheating, rougher utensil use and dishwasher wear and tear.

That was me, I got my 2 stainless steel pans replaced recently, with exactly the same wording and follow up advice. There was also a comment saying that they are dishwasher safe, not dishwasher proof, I didn't know there was a difference between the two.
I did feel it necessary to reply back accepting the replacement, but also pointing out that I used it with wooden / silicone tools and rarely touched a dishwasher.

It would be nice if I'd had a more reliable experience, but cannot fault Le Creuset's lifetime warranty.

-Le Creuset cast iron Wok, cast iron handle snapped off, they suggested it could be impact (which it wasn't), but replaced anyway
-Le Creuset marmitout, non stick was the older flaky style, they replaced the whole thing with an enamel version of the fry pan
-Le Creuset TNS deep fry pan, non stick was not in good nick, though largely my fault for treating it terribly. - replaced no issue, I think they improved the coating on newer versions
-Stainless non stick milk pan - lifting non stick
-Stainless non stick chef pan - lifting non stick - they sent a non stick frying pan by mistake, and when I called to inform them, and offered to post back so that they could send the correct item, they told me to keep the item as it was their error, and they will issue the correct one when in stock.

The le creuset casseroles I have have been absolutely bombproof however.

Cheers all for the various thoughts. Breadmaker is tempting but probably not enough to justify the cost and another large unit.

Saute pan I'd probably be looking at some form of toughened non-stick (not the Le Creueset stuff, that seems a bit shit and I also need to return a pan, but the Circulon one or Procook have been decent for me) or stainless.

I already have a 28cm saute pan but for most things it is too big and a bit heavy. 22cm would be an ideal smaller size but most stuff seems to be 24cm and I'm not sure if that will be a big enough difference from what I already have (but maybe).

Looking at ProCook it would be a 26cm frying pan to get 22cm base so back to it being a bit unwieldy, think I may just be looking at saute pans.

On pans, I bought three Judge stainless pans 23 years ago. Daily use since then and washed in DW. I reckon they will outlive me.

I wouldn’t buy non stick again, but my strainless pans I expect to outlive me as well.

Don't use your expensive pan with olive oil? I'm sorry but what nonsense ...

Difference in cooking area between 22cm and 24cm is approx 1/5th.

22cm to 28cm is almost a doubling in cooking area.

Wow if le crueset are dishing out free pans like that what are their profit margins?

Pretty high for premium kitchenware I expect.
Though it’s good to know that their lifetime warranty is legit, which goes part of the way to justify the higher price.

Ohh good to know, I have gone through 3 milk pans because the non stick has come off…never even thought of this

ikr

Did either you or @hippy end up buying a robovac thingy? I'm also considering it but don't really want to spend Megabucks so the eufy ones are a consideration.

Alternatively I might spend on a dehumidifier for clothes drying but I'm not convinced either are going to make a huge difference to either a); getting the hoover out b) drying clothes on a rack near the radiator.

Are there any evangelists for either robovacs or laundry drying dehumidifiers to help me make up my mind?

I'm an evangelist for both (within reason).

Robovac is really good for regular cleaning. We do the kitchen floor most nights for instance. You'll still need to go round with a regular vac or a duster every so often though to get the bits it can't reach. They also need the floor clear to do a decent job. Wires, shoelaces, small toys and stuff are all bad news.

I'm in a victorian end of terrace that doesn't get that warm during the winter. Using a dehumidifier gets heavy clothes dry overnight rather than in a few days (and obviously also cuts down on the moisture). If you're in a warm house with decent ventilation it may not be as worth it.

Yep, I have a nice spreadsheet for that.

The hob is fairly tight on space, 22cm I can quite comfortably get something next it. 24cm is encroaching a bit.

Can’t speak for the robo vac but dehumidifiers do their thing pretty well. You will notice a difference in the speed of washing drying. Also all that water from your washing doesn’t and up as condensation somewhere else in your house.

Heat pump tumble dryer is more efficient and quicker than a dehumidifier for drying clothes plus you have the added benefit of not losing a room just for drying.

Initial outlay is a fair bit more so not sure how they'd balance out cost wise over the long term but as someone who used dehumidifiers to dry clothes I'd never go back after getting a heat pump dryer.

That would be the ideal but we don't have kitchen space for that and we needed a dehumidifier anyway.

Funny you should ask as I am both now.

I got a Eufy G30, which is is fantastic for our needs.
Maps by inertial navigation (two gyros and a floor tracking sensor). So knows where it's been and where it's dock is, but doesn't upload a 3D map of your house to some random cloud storage. (But I did put it in an isolation VLAN so it can't see anything else on my network)
Suction seems great for our hard floors, I got mine from the Anker outlet on eBay, £130 refurbished with 12 months warranty.
We run it every morning after breakfast when we are in our respective standup meetings. Takes 40mins to do the 30²m of the downstairs of our house.

We have had a meaco dehumidifier for 10+ years and I couldn't be without one.
The two best ways to use them are either;

• put it in a small room like a bathroom, with the laundry
  Or
  
• load your laundry on a rack, and throw a fitted sheet over the rack and dehumidifier to keep the dry air recirculating.
  
  

Ideal for older houses or flats with limited room/no outside space.

If either broke tomorrow I'd replace them without thinking.

Nah, seems like a waste of money. That podcast suggests the best robovac is like 70% whilst the best upright is over 90%. So you need both. So if you only want one, buy the proper corded vac.

On the dehumidifier, I've run one flat out since forever.

You don't need a special room, you just run it. Although we only heat one room and run the dehumidifiers for the rest.

I would have agreed with this before kids. Agree you need both, but think the plan is more like

• robo vac runs daily to pick up all the stuff your kids drop every day
  
• you do a big hoover like once a week
  
  

Robo vac saves you from the daily floor sweep that you'd do by hand every day otherwise

I'm in this camp as well, picks up crumbs and random daily bits for you without effort

We have 4 vacuums.

Robot - once a day does the whole of downstairs (Eufy same as @spotter )
Miele C3 - For carpets upstairs and rugs/mats etc 1-2 times per week
8yr Old Dyson hand held - stairs & awkward to reach places
Eufy handheld - For car, stairs, coffee area, desk etc

The Eufy is actually really handy because it's so small, light and relatively powerful + just lives in a cupboard.

Just got a Maeco dehumidifier and it's great, wish I'd gotten one sooner

Seems to be the problem is the kids, not the vac. Remove the problem.

;)

Try looking for 24cm chef pans. Base will vary depending on the curve of the sides , though most retailers don't give the base measurement.
Some are more flared than others, but I prefer to the curved edge to the straight ones found in saute pans.

Taller sides mean you can use as a sauce pan, less splatter for frying, and use like a wok when needed.

Netherton Foundry do a spun iron 23cm:
https://www.netherton-foundry.co.uk/Chef's-pan?product_id=632

I very often use my Tefal Ingenio (detachable handle) stainless 24cm saute pan. Its more of a chef pan because of the height and flare.
Base is approx 21cm.

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Don’t fry with olive oil, which is good advice.