May 30th, 2012 by Keri Algar

Sunbeam is enjoying the spotlight this week with a couple of accolades from Choice and the Australian Women's Weekly. The Cafe Series Planetary Mixmaster has been selected by the Australian Women's Weekly Magazine as the Product of the Year for offering the best quality and value for money, according to Sunbeam. More than 800 entries were rated by the magazine, which has 2.2 million weekly readers. The SecretChef ... Read more

May 28th, 2012 by Keri Algar

As the Laura Star disappears, awake she sheds a silent tear A blood red dawn begins to rise, and reflects the fear in Rinnai's eyes, For through old promises to Omega She has sealed her Bromic's demise. (Have you read part one?)   The brave little kettle shouts out his warning As Bromic dives for his Sharp sword, The piercing whistle Brevilles out through the morning 'Til St George slays Morphy and the blood starts to pour.   Rinnai looks Delonghingly as ... Read more

May 28th, 2012 by Keri Algar

We were going to suggest sticking an iPad to the fridge...but then we discovered a gourmet version of what we had in mind, Qooq. It sounds like Australian for kook, but foolishness is far from this tablet's menu. Qooq is a robust 10-inch tablet specifically designed to handle the heat and spills of kitchens. Made in France however, where there is no such thing as function over fashion, ... Read more

May 25th, 2012 by Mark Bristow

Here’s a hypothetical for you – how would you go living in a garage? Not just hanging out for a few hours, or camping in there overnight, but turning it into a proper home.  Would you still be able to cook and eat well, or would you have to survive on takeaway food? One couple in New Zealand have proven that healthy garage living is indeed possible.  When ... Read more

May 24th, 2012 by Mark Bristow

Slow cookers are pretty great, aren’t they? We think so, and so does Choice.com.au, which tested 25 slow cookers priced under $200. Here are four reasons why we love slow cookers, paired with four of our favourite picks from the Choice's Top Nine: Slow cookers are convenient It really doesn’t make sense to cook a big, elaborate meal in the evening, when most of us are tired after a full day ... Read more

May 17th, 2012 by Richie Black

So you had a quite a lot to drink with your mates last night. You were feeling pretty peachey at the time. It was the advent of a new era of peace, love and understanding. You may or may not have spent at least an hour talking to a tree. And it was only decent and right to have those tequila shots. Hell, if you had refused, ... Read more

May 16th, 2012 by Sofia Fernandez

You had better get their number sooner than later, because the cute barista at your favourite coffee shop could have a bit of smart competition on the way: a robotic coffee machine that takes orders by texts. Textpresso is a Jura espresso maker that has been adapted with a robotic arm and cloud-texting software to be able to receive a SMS and deliver a pre-programmed coffee. Since reporting ... Read more

May 16th, 2012 by Mark Bristow

For breakfast this morning, I ate toast.  It wasn’t particularly exciting. Perhaps this is because my toaster is a fairly basic stainless steel model, without much personality. If you ever wished that your toast could be more exciting, here are a few wacky toasters to try: Watchmen toaster Remember the movie?  Or the graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons?  Well, now you can add a bit of deconstruction ... Read more

May 10th, 2012 by Sofia Fernandez

Following up on last week's post about a stay at home Dad's arsenal of appliances, this week we turn to the The Manly Housekeeper to see how he deals with tricky domestic duties. The Manly Housekeeper is a blog by Mark Evitt. As he puts it, "Man. Evolved." While his wife is at work as a lawyer, Evitt documents his escapades cooking, cleaning, gardening, and housekeeping. Not only is Evitt ... Read more

May 8th, 2012 by Sofia Fernandez

Keen coffee lovers can be a particular bunch, if not peculiar. With tastes and requests so specific it's no wonder Philips Saeco has taken this on to develop an espresso machine as unique as a fingerprint. The Philips Saeco Xelsius with digital ID actually uses fingerprint recognition technology to determine who the drinker is before it prepares coffee exactly how they like it, from bean to cup. Perhaps James ... Read more

May 2nd, 2012 by Mark Bristow

I've recently returned from an adventure through several Asian countries, where I checked out the local history, culture and cuisine.  Even the odd appliance! Here are a few of the local delicacies I sampled on the road, and a quick guide on how you can prepare them yourself. No passport required; just a few handy appliances. Cambodia: Fish Amok Phnom Penh and Siem Reap are amazing destinations.  The first has ... Read more

May 1st, 2012 by Sofia Fernandez

If a cook is only as good as their appliances then Sunbeam will be hoping this year's MasterChef contestants create masterpiece after masterpiece. It will be the third year running that Sunbeam is the small appliance sponsor of MasterChef, having recently had a similar deal with rival reality cooking show, My Kitchen Rules. My Kitchen Rules drew 2.6 million viewers during the finale and Sunbeam is hoping for ... Read more

May 1st, 2012 by Richie Black

We're probably going to sound a little prejudice here, but we don't like cockroaches in our appliances. Okay, cockroaches are a fact of life - hey, in Sydney's Inner West some of our best friends are cockroaches - but if you see one walking out of your microwave it's enough to put you off your reheated left-overs. Cockroaches dig warm, moist hiding spaces - hence, they ... Read more

April 30th, 2012 by Keri Algar

A recent coffee machine survey has uncovered some surprising ideas about Australia's latte love affair. The survey set out to pitch a few popular espresso coffee machine brands against each other, measured by customer satisfaction of their ability to make a good cup of coffee, ease of use, reliability and value for money - pretty stock standard metrics. What the surveyors at Canstar Blue  found however, was that only a ... Read more

April 25th, 2012 by Sofia Fernandez

They say that caffeine charges one's cognitive ability. Perhaps that's what happened to the legends at ThinkGeek who have blended their scientific know how with coffee making for the ultimate brew. It's called the Vacuum Brewer, and it is supposed to make an exceptional cup of joe without sacrificing an iota of aroma, which all stays within the two glass containers. According to ThinkGeek, vacuum brewing avoids the ... Read more