Thank you Brook Harding for this guest post. See her bio at the end of the article.
The sun comes up. You roll over. Plenty of room. No one but you to hog the bed.
You love the single life, but admit it – it’s not always as fun as it sounds. You’re constantly playing the dating game, and no one is ever there for you to cook you a hot meal when you get home from work. Fortunately, there are a few kitchen appliances that can make your life a little easier.
Maybe you don’t need a significant other after all.
An Immersion Blender
You probably know this as a stick blender or handheld blender. These things are incredibly for making smoothies, blending puddings, and making single-servings of pretty much anything. And, they’re really easy to clean, too. Stick with name brand appliances only and buy the highest quality you can afford.
An Awesome Blender
Just because you have a stick blender doesn’t mean that you don’t need a regular one. Stick blenders are great for mixing things. But, they don’t actually blend or chop food very well on a large scale. When you need to crush ice, make alcoholic mixers, multiple servings of smoothies, or you want to make your own nut butters, get a premium blender for that.
Of all of the appliances in your kitchen, you will find that a good blender is probably the most-used.
Blendtec and Vitamix make some of the best blenders in the world. Both come with an impressive 7 year, no-hassle, warranty. Meaning, if you break something, they replace it free of charge. For nearly all repairs, they will also cover shipping (which is good, because these units are heavy). But, they cost a pretty penny. But, they also do things that no other blenders can so they’re well worth their high price tag.
A Killer Coffee Maker
Get yourself a good coffee maker. Most single people suffer from cheap coffee in the morning that is either bitter or burnt. Here are 8 facts about single-serve coffee makers to consider before you choose a model.
Basically, money determines the quality when it comes to coffee makers. The more expensive the unit, usually the better quality coffee it will produce. Stick with units that have temperature settings and allow you to control how the water is dispersed. Coffee brews optimally when the water is between 198 and 200 degrees. So, if your coffee maker can’t heat water to those temps (or overheats it), you’re never going to get great coffee.
Rice Cooker
What’s cheaper than rice? Almost nothing. That’s why a rice cooker/steamer should be on your list of appliances. Rather than eat ramen noodle, you can cook your own rice and (believe it or not) save money.
Toaster Oven
Skip the toaster and go for a toaster oven. Why? Because it does everything a toaster will do, and then some, including making English muffin pizzas and reheating foods that don’t reheat well in the microwave.
Microwave
The bane of many people’s existence. It’s really good at turning normal food into rubber. But, if you’re using it intelligently, it’s a great way to reheat food and it can even cook simple meals, like eggs and soups.
Do yourself a favor: get a high-quality stainless steel microwave. The heavy-duty ones will last much longer and give you less grief than the ones you can buy at any big box store. If you’re paying less than $200, it’s probably not going to last long.
Brooke Harding is studying interior design at college. She loves working on the finishing touches the most, and incorporating gadgets for modern living. Find her articles on DIY/decor blogs.
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