What gadget have you bought that really makes your life easier?

[VerySmallSqueak]

There's so many gadgets to choose from - everything from steam cleaners to slow cookers.

What have you found that has really been worth the money - that saves you time in the daily grind,and gets regular use?

Waste not, want not.

Explain the virtues of a rice cooker, please. Do people really eat so much rice?

Heat up your Rabbit and you can make your rice go all fluffy with that. Nigella told me you can, anyway. It also whips your cream.

Not really a gadget, but an unbreakable stainless steel cafetiere. Cost marginally more than a glass cafetiere but we used to break those far too often...

Nespresso machine
Rice cooker.

A mandolin. Bloody useful and quicker for chopping up bits for salad.
Well, at least I think it's called a mandolin lol.
Also great for potatoes when doing dauphinois potatoes, Yum!

bread maker

at bread maker.

My Kenwood Chef - I love it, I'm going to marry it (see, this is what having kids does to you )

Got a rice cooker, really don't see the point, you can have it Expat but it's not worth the postage. Does anyone in Ealing want one? Or I'll freecycle it.

I NEED a coffee machine with a timer!!! Where do you get them? Are they expensive?

You can make much nicer bread with a Kenwood Chef and an oven...just saying, shapes, flavours, all sorts...

mother (sounds odd calling you mum) argos have 1. i want 1 too so i can wake up to the smells of hot coffee and fresh bread mmm!

DH bought this recently. Now I can have real frothy milk on my instant coffee!
And 5yr old DS can make his own hot choc

My Kenwood Prospero (like a Chef but smaller and cheaper) and my lethal electric slicer.

My breadmachine gets used every day but it doesn't make life easier, just nicer.

I think I would really like a stick blender thingy (- for that day that I know will come when I make hearty soups from scratch and nutritious fruit smoothies for the kids...).

This is the thing,isn't it?

It's knowing when you will actually use something or whether you are getting it to somehow try to chase a lifestyle you want to achieve,and thinking that item can transform your reality

I still can't see any reason why freshly made coffee in the morning shouldn't be on the agenda though,whatever my reality

Stick blenders are good. They're easy to use and clean, and they can do more jobs than they're meant to be able to. DH whips cream with ours.

Oh yes, get one of those Very - I use mine every year and don't have any other blender as it works for everything. If I use the slow cooker and can't be bothered to eat the same thing for day 3 in a row, wazz it up with the blender and stick it over pasta - voila! Takes up minimal space and easy to wash :)

Year was meant to read 'week'! Once you have one you want to try it on everything...well, you know what I mean.

Stove top coffee maker, makes the best coffee and doesn't cost a bomb. It takes 8 mins to come through which is exactly the time it takes me to tidy up kitchen, do dishwasher and make toast.

Shall I start another thread on gagets that are a waste of time and space?

I'd put rice cooker and bread maker but going by this thread lots of people seem to love theirs???

On the crap side I would put on mini fridge, foot spa, bath massager and solar lights for the pathway although that might just be because I bought cheapo ones and the light dies after 40 mins

i'd put bread machine in the waste of time and space thread. Maybe if I had a huge kitchen, but definitely not worth it for me, I've had two and Freecycled both.

I'm anothe one who loves my Kenwood Prospero, I'd forgotten about it.

I really fancied some solar lights along the path....[feels cheated emoticon]

WhoKnows I had a look at your link for your cordless vac - I wonder if one of those ones that are more like an old fashioned carpet sweeper would fare any better? I have to keep my hoover in the shed because of lack of space and it's just too good an excuse not to use it,so I'm really keen on something smaller I can keep indoors for in-between cleans.

Oh and yes - I reckon I will get a stick blender thingy even if it is 'only buying the dream'. I was hoping to find good cause to do so,and the wisdom of MN is good enough cause for me!

Very, you really should look into buying a Roomba!

You don't know how badly I would love a Roomba,Little

Too many ££££ I'm afraid.