"Wayne Boatwright" > wrote in message
.250...
>I can't remember if I reported back on the 2-slice Kitchenaid toaster I
> recently bought after asking for recommendations here. Predominantly the
> Kitchenaid and Cuisinart were those recommended in the price range and
> configuration I was looking for.
>
> We've been using the toaster for several weeks now and it has lived up to
> both the reocommendations posters here and to the manufacturer's promises
> in
> producing evenly browned toast from various breads, as well as nicely one-
> sided toasted bagels. Another nice thing is the consistency from
> sequential
> batches of toast.
>
> The exterior stays cool and the unit is very easy to clean.
>
> The total cost was $50.22, no tax and free shipping. Neither I nor my
> budget
> could rationalize spending $250+ for the Dualit that I coveted. :-)
>
> Thanks all!
>


I'm so glad you like your toaster. Thanks for your report!

I toast sooo much bread that I bake, as I slice and freeze much of it;
and when I want a slice I will toast it to thaw, or to toast stage.

A couple of weeks ago I bought a cheapo "meat?" slicer at Costco ($49.99) to
use only for slicing loaves in a consistent width for each slice and mainly
that I was tired of sweeping up after each slicing session as the crust went
flying around the room like popping popcorn. I have not reviewed this
anywhere, even though Costco has a "review product" session. I feel it is
really unfair to review a meat slicer when one uses it only for bread. I
have to admit, it does want to stall and rev-up a bit when each crust hits
the blade.

Today I am making a loaf of bread in the new Cuisnart bread machine I bought
a few weeks ago and is the best bread machine I've had (I've had my share.)
The receipes really fit the machine's capacity, each given in 1, 1-1/2, and
2 lbs. This recipe today seems to hark back to my San Francisco 70's days
with every grain imaginable, plus poppy, sesame, and flax seeds. I'm
wondering how the slicer is going to take to it. I think I'll bag the loaf
in paper overnight first, so as not to make the crust toooo soft -- as
bagging it in ziplock tends to do.

I did buy a huge amount of brown-paper bags for the project of letting the
bread set-up. I found these correct-sized bags in Bridgeport, CT.

Regarding reviewing products, some person emailed me some weeks ago about a
review I made about some beans I had bought a loooong time ago. The email
was a bit unfriendly and asked me why I hadn't contacted the seller instead
of making a review. I had contacted the seller about the beans, which I
emailed him back. I was relieved that I didn't receive a reply.

The Dualit looks like a fantastic toaster, but a bit Andy Warhol-ish to me.
And on that note, I can see where one could get caught up in collecting
them. - a little larger than cookie jars, but just as fasinating .. ;-))

A touch of winter here feels good,
Dee Dee

"Wayne Boatwright" > wrote in message
.247...
> On Sat 17 Oct 2009 10:34:45a, Dee Dovey told us...
>>


>> A couple of weeks ago I bought a cheapo "meat?" slicer at Costco
>> ($49.99) to use only for slicing loaves in a consistent width for each
>> slice and mainly that I was tired of sweeping up after each slicing
>> session as the crust went flying around the room like popping popcorn.
>> I have not reviewed this anywhere, even though Costco has a "review
>> product" session. I feel it is really unfair to review a meat slicer
>> when one uses it only for bread. I have to admit, it does want to stall
>> and rev-up a bit when each crust hits the blade.
>
> We "inherited" a mid-quality meat slicer when David's father passed away.
> It was actually never used once by us and was finally given up in a garage
> sale. Every time I considered using it to slice meat or cheese, I also
> thought of how difficult it might be to clean it, and reached for a knife
> instead. :-) I wish I had thought about slicing bread, since, while it
> may make crumbs, it's not fatty, oily, greasy, or juicy. It would
> probably
> be the ideal way to get consistent slices from bread.



I had one in the 70's, a Rival I think, bought at Macy's - then, about the
only place to buy appliances. I tried it for meat, and maybe Tillamuck
cheese, popular then. It was a hopeless, labor-intense cleanup. It didn't
last long.


***

>
> I've never been inclined to buy a bread machine. I rarely bake bread in
> loaf pans, preferring a bagette shape or other hand-shaped loaf. IIRC,
> you
> have strength issues with your arms/hands, so a bread machine might be an
> ideal solution to have freshly baked bread without the strain. As I get
> older I see some loss of strength myself, but so far I'm still able to do
> most things by hand.


I like a bread machine for pizza dough, mainly my reason for having one.
However, breads that have loads of different types of stone-ground flour and
seeds which ends up sticky (i.e., rye) will rise and cling together better
for me in a bread machine. However, only a teensy bit of my bread making is
done in a bread machine.

My bread mixer is the heavy, heavy ElectroLux (made still in Sweden) which
DH lugs to the kitchen work table, assembles it with the accessories, moves
the rollers back, washing out that heavy bowl, and putting it all back in
place. He helps pouring the dough into containers to rise, and all the mess
that goes with this. I am the instructor/supervisor; he does my bidding
;-)) I really would HAVE TO HAVE a bread machine if it weren't for him.




^^^^
> We made our bi-weekly round of grocery stores and other shops today, which
> meant at least half a dozen or more stops. With short distances in
> between, the car never really cools down adequately in this heat, and the
> running into really cool stores, then back out into the heat just about
> did
> me in. I have body core temperature issues, and by the time I got home I
> had no choice but to sit for a couple of hours and wait for my core
> temperature to equalize.


That is exactly the way I am. I had an instance a couple of years ago in
the car on a very hot day going from one store to another, not getting the
car cooled off enough, that I must have been near to what you call a heat
stroke; it was the nearest to death I can imagine. A very scary
proposition, I tell you. Watch it! Be very careful.



>
> Today was David's birthday, and I gave him his cards and his gift. I just
> couldn't manage to make his birthday dinner after the events of the day,
> but I did manage to bake and frost his favorite fudge cake. Tomorrow we
> will have his birthday dinner, and I think we will both enjoy it more.
> It's not really anything special, but it's something we both enjoy. I
> will
> be making chicken fried steak, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, fresh
> garden
> peas from the farmer's market, and a anjou pear, walnut, and radichio
> salad
> with a minted vinaigrette.


Admirable dinner!
Fudge cake -- ummmm.

Dee Dee

"Wayne Boatwright" > wrote in message
> Dualit toasters are considered the Rolls Royce of toasters. They've been
> in use in the UK and Europe for many decades, and the styling really
> hasn't
> changed much. They have no gimmicks, as such, and very little to break
> down. Their heating elements are extra heavy duty and, presumably, one
> could buy one for a lifetime of use. If I didn't have higher financial
> priorities, I'd have bought one in a New York minute. :-)

I have no problem spending more money to get more quality or performance,
but spending 3X as much to make toast is not so easy. Compared to the $8
Wal Mart model, many would think the $50 we spent an extravagance, but I do
like the KA. Glad you do too.