June 19th, 2012
In the land of deep fried samosas, papadums, bhajis, pakoras, poori and bananas, a new deep fryer has been released that requires no oil (no oil!) at all. Philips India has launched a product it calls the AirFryer. For roughly AU$265 the small appliance combines fast-circulating hot air with a grill element to help fry food with air instead of oil. It's called 'rapid air technology' and reaches up to ... Read more
June 19th, 2012
"We bought a Whirlpool Duet Sport washer & dryer. And we found the stack kit to be pretty expensive for all that it is... And I'm wondering if we REALLY NEED this kit? My boyfriend said he was going to just use heavy duty industrial strength velcro?" asks Sadie's Mummy on Yahoo Answers. Best answer? "Get the kit and prevent a BIG safety issue and the possibility of ... Read more
June 18th, 2012
Combined with a robotic vacuum cleaner the device could see chore day becoming a much more pleasant experience. We love Bosch. The stylish and functional range of European appliances are a popular choice at Appliances Online. But Bosch produces more than appliances, the company also makes car parts, power tools and now a robotic lawn mower. In the tradition of robotic vacuums like the Samsung NaviBot, the Bosch ... Read more
June 18th, 2012
Kidding - we don't really think that Spiderman sucks. It's just that recently our favourite sucking device has been used to help people scale walls like a superhero. One of the home's more neglected appliances has come up trumps in an US Air Force sponsored competition. It asked groups of engineering students from 17 universities to come up with a design that would allow a four-man team ... Read more
June 18th, 2012
At long, long last Homer Simpson's silent prayers have been answered as his favourite daily essentials become available in two vending machines: one for beer, the other for pizza. For the beer, Homer will have to travel to Argentina where the more liberal South American bars now have Rugbeer, a vending machine for beer that requires it to be tackled before it releases the can of brew. It ... Read more
June 18th, 2012
The Evantair Electric Flame Effect Heater has been officially recalled due to the effect of fire becoming reality. The flame effect heater is being taken off shelves due to the chance of it catching fire. It is the third heater to be recalled this winter. According to the recall notice there is a chance that a high resistance joint in the fuse holder will overheat and catch fire. The ... Read more
June 13th, 2012
Cooking is all about timing. Soft boiled eggs, past al dente, souffles and pavs all require precise timing. Now, thanks to the fellas at ThinkGeek there is a new kitchen timing device called the Safe Kitchen Timer, which comes in the shape of a combination-style safe lock. It's magnetic and can be popped onto the fridge, for example, as a back-up timer when cooking in the kitchen. The 3.5-inch clock ... Read more
June 13th, 2012
In the hope of boosting construction and the NSW housing market, the lovely Mike Baird in his new state budget has opened up an extra $8,000 for new home owners on new homes only, offering a total first home buyer grant of $15,000. But it's a case of double or nothing. The flip side is that anyone buying an existing house lucks out as the $7,000 first home buyer grant, ... Read more
June 12th, 2012
Three natural and affordable ingredients will keep the house sparkling clean. Before the days of heavy duty vacuum cleaners and turbo charged chemical cleaners the house was just as spick and span as it is today, says my 93 year old Nana. She would know too, having pretty much witnessed the birth of every modern day appliance and cleaner. Without vacuums a bit of extra elbow grease with ... Read more
June 11th, 2012
Cheap As Chips hot water bottles have been recalled due to serious safety issues. The 2-litre hot water bottles by discount variety store Cheap As Chips have been recalled by the nation's official consumer watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). According to the recall notice, the PJ436 hot water bottle may burst if it is over filled or filled with boiling water, and may cause "severe ... Read more
June 11th, 2012
So much for the emerging Chinese military threat. One of the home's most humble appliances has been discovered to be the cause of a blaze aboard a nuclear submarine in the US, causing damages of over $400 million and injuring seven people. The fire was caused by an unplugged vacuum cleaner that sucked up a "heat source" and caused other dirt and refuse within the vacuum's catchment to ... Read more
June 6th, 2012
In 1952 the average middle aged women's waist measured 28 inches and the average calorific intake was 1818 a day, at least 1,000 of which were burned off doing the housework. Today, a middle-aged women's waistline measures 34 inches, she consumes an average of 2,178 calories a day and instead of lugging around a heavy vacuum a robot does the hard work for her. So says a survey ... Read more
June 6th, 2012
Yesterday's blitzkrieg-like storm in Sydney and up the Central Coast has served as a slap-in-the-face to many of who may have been in any denial that yes, it is definitely winter. A drop in the mercury and howling winds encouraged many a Sydneysider to don scarves, Ugg boots, rummage in cupboards for hot water bottles and crank up the heater. At the same time, the NSW Fair Trading Commissioner Rod ... Read more
June 5th, 2012
Anna's daughter Mackenzie already has her talk on - she's babbling away as I chat to her mother on the phone. This means that Mackenzie definitely has her walk on and at least three times during the conversation I'm told to "hang on" as Anna looks to see where her daughter has got to. Speaking on an old land line with a cord Anna and I also get ... Read more
June 5th, 2012
Hot on the heels of the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDCP) remarkable statement that "there is no zombie apocalypse" and following on from our highly successful blog, Appliances for surviving a zombie apocalypse, we bring to you a set of knives for fighting zombies. With the catch phrase "Blades don't run out of ammo" and blade names such as 'pestilence chopper', 'death dagger' and ... Read more