Standing and collecting dust: top 5 household appliances that you don’t use in vain

There is a joke: “I don’t use a vacuum cleaner — it just sits there and collects dust.” However, in every home there is an appliance that is not used but takes up space. It’s a shame to throw it away, but the sale ad has been hanging on Avito for years to no avail. Usually this is either a gift or the result of an impulsive purchase. We conducted a short survey and found out which devices are most often “collected dust”, how you can use them profitably and why they often end up forgotten and abandoned.

Old glass round tabletop convection ovens, known as convection ovens, really aren't very stylish and waste countertop space. They usually lack modern control functions. However, they do their job perfectly and can be excellent helpers for quickly cooking vegetables and meat at the same time. In addition, the useful volume of most of these air fryers can be increased using an expansion ring, which is their advantage over modern air fryers, which are now called air fryers.

“Everything dries in it,” “everything gets wet in it,” “takes up space,” “the body gets very hot.”

If you can’t do anything about the last two shortcomings (except remember that the device also takes up space when stored), then you can try to correct the first two. Food dries out, as a rule, due to the wrong temperature and blind faith in advertising promises “cook without oil.” Products must be lubricated with oil if they are not very fatty in themselves. If the food turns out wet, you should increase the temperature, even if the instructions indicate otherwise. Unfortunately, our tests have repeatedly shown that the power levels and temperature conditions and programs of cooking appliances declared by manufacturers often do not correspond to reality.

Perhaps when you got your air fryer, there were no marketplaces where you can buy useful contraptions that improve its use for pennies. For example, for an air fryer you can buy a ham maker — a device for preparing homemade meat delicacies: ham, rolls, etc. If used correctly, they will be neither dry nor wet due to the device: it all depends on the filling of the ham maker. Professionals recommend choosing ham makers with four springs for reliability. Manufacturers of these devices allow their use in a convection oven. The cooking method is as follows:

1. Line the inside of the ham pan with foil (do not use the thinnest one).
2. Pour a glass of hot water, beer or wine into the bottom of the air fryer flask, set the fan speed to high and the temperature to 260 degrees.

It did not overtake the air fryer in terms of anti-popularity only because it was not advertised so actively, and not everyone had time to buy it. However, many who purchased an egg boiler never use it. It’s interesting that in our country, egg boilers immediately fall into the category of unnecessary “elephants,” while in the West they are very popular. This may be due to the desire to manage your time as much as possible, especially in the morning. You don’t need to watch the eggs in the egg cooker, and you can get the expected result without unnecessary manipulations, like Lev Evgenievich Khobotov in “Pokrovsky Gates.”

“It’s faster to cook in a ladle,” “it takes up space,” “scale has appeared on the heating element” (citric acid will help).

Essentially, an egg boiler is a miniature steamer. Modern models, in addition to a compartment for shell eggs, are equipped with forms for preparing omelets, portioned steam casseroles and other dietary dishes that can be quickly steamed.

Egg cookers make excellent steamed poached eggs and dietary omelettes, for example, with tomatoes. Try making a pan-Asian omelette: mix two beaten eggs, 40 ml of milk, 1 dessert spoon of soy sauce and finely chopped green onions. Cook the mixture in the egg cooker form for 5 minutes, and when serving, drizzle with sesame oil or sprinkle with sesame seeds.

And by the way, a life hack from our testers: eggs, pierced and steamed, do not need to be immersed in cold water in order for them to clean well. Because these eggs clean amazingly.

Often a steamer is bought with the goal of losing weight, but in the end it becomes just another item in the kitchen. Changing eating habits is a big stress for the body, and it is important not to limit yourself to tasteless “chicken breast” and broccoli. Look for meat that's flavorful and not too lean (fat is good in small amounts and if you don't fry it), and try a variety of vegetables, including those that attract color, since we also eat with our eyes. You shouldn’t immediately switch to steamed breakfast, lunch and dinner. Start with dinners, and in a month this will certainly affect the scales.

“Everything is tasteless, watery.”

Pay attention to flavorful and not too lean meat (fat is good in small quantities and if not fried), try a variety of vegetables, white and red fish. It is important to choose vegetables of different colors, as we “eat with our eyes”. Season steamed dishes with aromatic oils — truffle, sesame, pumpkin, herbal olive, as well as fresh and dried aromatic herbs. For oils, it is best to use special spray bottles so as not to pour them in large quantities and not increase the calorie content of dishes.

The main secret to the success of a slicer is not to put it away until a special occasion, such as a party with a large number of guests or a children's party. She needs to have a permanent place in the kitchen and use it regularly. It seems that there is nothing to cut, and it’s faster with your hands, but this is only if you have sharp knives and skill. As for the first, this is a controversial issue if you have culinary imagination. If she’s a little tired, you can always turn to the Internet for ideas.

“Takes up space”, “rarely needed”, “cuts poorly”

If the reason it “cuts poorly” is due to insufficient power of the model, there is little that can be done. However, if the problem is dull knives, they can be sharpened or replaced, which is not difficult. Another reason for unsuccessful slicing is incorrect speed and thickness of slices, which comes with experience.

You can argue with “rarely needed.” The slicer cuts quickly and creates slices of the desired thickness without requiring complex assembly and disassembly like food processors. For example, many people use a food processor to cut cabbage, then take them apart and wash the bowls, pushers, lids and discs. However, cabbage can also be perfectly shredded using a slicer, which is much easier to assemble and disassemble. The second argument is related to the first — many people think that a slicer is only needed for slicing sausage, cheese and bread, but its capabilities are much wider.

A slicer not only simplifies slicing cabbage, but also allows you to cut thin slices of zucchini and eggplant for rolls, as well as create circles for grilling; adjust the thickness of cheese slices to maintain calorie content; and also thinly slice frozen fish and meat for carpaccio (with sufficient power and according to the instructions). Thus, a slicer can greatly facilitate the preparation of healthy dishes, not limited to just sausage.

In addition, a slicer is necessary for preparing the crop before drying: it is capable of quickly and efficiently cutting fruit, which makes it an indispensable assistant in a dehydrator.

Unexpected, right? And not to do anything special, if only for a couple (just kidding). The unobvious reasons for using a dishwasher, even if “it’s more convenient to wash by hand,” have already been mentioned. However, this device often remains unused even after it has been purchased, installed and in good working order.

“It doesn’t wash well”, “white residue”.

Very rarely is this the fault of the dishwasher itself. The main reason is improper use or lack of special salt for PMM, which is necessary even when using all-in-one salt tablets. Salt not only improves the quality of washing and prevents the appearance of white residue on dishes, but also protects the machine itself.

The second reason is clogging of the sprinklers and filter with food debris. Residues can be quickly removed with a paper towel (this is especially true for saving water and eliminating the need to pre-rinse dishes). The filter also needs to be washed periodically, which does not require much effort. Proper installation of the dishes is the third important component. Dishes should be placed upside down and not overload the machine, although if other rules are followed, the load can be maximum and everything will be washed efficiently.

We have no complaints, unless you have a mini-cafe and need to cook constantly large volumes. We mentioned earlier that there are many healthier ways to make French fries at home.

Many household appliances have been invented to make household work easier, but not all of them live up to expectations and become useful assistants. Perhaps not all equipment is to blame for the fact that it sits idle. Perhaps its owners simply missed something important.