Small appliances

I didn’t get into coffee until I was 28 years old, but I’m really making up for lost time. I’m such a fan that when the De’Longhi Dedica Pump Espresso machine and Burr Grinder showed up at my door for review, I felt like I was unwrapping a Christmas present. It’s been giving me the gift of great coffee every day since.

I’ve gone through a serious appliance drought after living through a 5 month renovation, and now that my kitchen is finally ready for tile/paint and I can almost start really cooking and baking again, I was ready, willing, and so happy to try out all of the amazing KitchenAid attachments. This week I tried out 4 of KitchenAid’s most popular attachments, and I know these would make a great holiday gift for any KitchenAid fan.

If you’ve ever tried to make homemade risotto, you know that to achieve the right consistency, you need to stir almost constantly for 20 or more minutes–time that could be better spent prepping other parts of your meal, or sipping a glass of wine and flipping through a magazine. That’s where the Breville Risotto Plus comes in. Not only does it make perfectly creamy risotto without the need to stir, but it also functions as a rice cooker, steamer, and slow cooker.

As crazy as it sounds, a new school year is just around the corner. How did that happen? I haven’t even started my New Years resolutions yet! But there’s no getting around it, September will be here before you know it, so if you’re heading off to university this fall, now is the time to start collecting everything you need to make your dorm as comfortable as possible–including these essential dorm room appliances.

There’s a little known fact no one told me about being a parent: when you finally have some dedicated free time, your creativity goes into overdrive. When all my kids go back to school I pull out my favourite appliances and create all of those great dishes I stopped making when it warmed up outside. Read on for my favourite appliances for back to school.

Back to school is just around the corner and if you’re living in dorms the prospect of eating dorm food all the time might be less than appealing. There are some great small apppliances that can do much more than their names entail. This week I’m checking out what else a rice cooker has to offer besides boring plain old rice, and you just might be excited to see what they can do.

With wedding season near again, there’s never been a better time for the release of the brand new Cricut Explore Air.

There is something about pasta that’s comfort food to me, especially in a cream sauce with mushrooms and asparagus. Pasta is a family favourite at my house, and because it’s my go to for entertaining and so easy to make on a busy night, I make it often. Fresh pasta is better than store bought pasta any day, so when given the opportunity to test the Phillips Pasta Maker, I was all in.

James Dyson launched the world’s first cyclonic bagless vacuum cleaner 21 years ago after 5,127 prototypes. Dyson engineers thrive on invention, are driven by frustration and achieve remarkable outcomes through perseverance. That said, not everything works out! Dyson recently turned 21 and uncharacteristically, decided to unlock the vault to reveal three of their inventions that didn’t make it. 

The Philips Multicooker is a one-pot wonder that's perfect for busy weeknights. You can make almost anything in it, and clean up is a breeze.