June 4th, 2012 by Keri Algar

A new USA system called Leafully aims to measure how much energy household appliances are using so that home owners can work out their carbon footprint. Got an energy intensive fridge? Plant more trees! Leafully is a Seattle start up and it has the backing of the US Department of Energy. It is based on an application that measures power use by accessing information from a houshold's energy provider. ... Read more

June 4th, 2012 by Keri Algar

If you're drinking a Bloody Mary in the morning the thought of tiny, salty fish swirling around in it will surely be enough to tip that hangover from barely bearable to lurching for the loo.  What in the world am I talking about? I'm talking about the Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce commonly added to cocktails such as a Bloody Mary or meals like Welsh Rabbit, Caesar Salad, Oysters Kirkpatrick, chili con ... Read more

June 4th, 2012 by Keri Algar

Whenever Canstar Blue conducts a consumer research survey it manages to come up with some odd facts, some generational others between the sexes. But when recently it measured dishwashers it uncovered some unusual ways in which people use the kitchen cleaners. This blog has already looked at weird and wonderful ways to use our appliances including steaming fish in the dishwasher. But what about shoes? "Our latest survey ... Read more

May 30th, 2012 by Keri Algar

Two bright sparks from the University of Sydney have come up with a smart plug that keeps track of individual appliances and could offer significant savings on power bills. The MyPower Energy Platform has been designed for the continuous monitoring of home appliances such as washing machines, microwaves, and fridges through the plug, which has an embedded GSM unit. It means households will be able to identify specific appliances ... Read more

May 30th, 2012 by Keri Algar

Freida Cocks is 93 years old today. Born in Kurow in the desolate deep south of New Zealand's South Island, Freida has witnessed the invention of every modern home appliance since her birth in 1919. As a child nothing in her house was electric, let alone automatic. In the 1920s in remote NZ  her principal home-keeping chore was gathering firewood, an essential energy source for cooking and ... Read more

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 29th, 2012 by Keri Algar

Maggie Beer, John Torode, Rick Stein, George Calombaris, and Manu Feildel...the menu is set. What about the chance to win dinner and paired wines for four on the Thursday prior to the Good Food & Wine Show...is the apetite whet? The Fisher & Paykel ‘Dine with a Chef’ competition will offer the winner and their three friends a meeting with a celeb chef plus a night’s accommodation at a city hotel, VIP ... 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 Keri Algar

When the dishwasher went unexpectedly on the blink there was no time to wait for a sale to pick up a bargain. Wash the dishes by hand? No way! But despite the rushed purchase, there were three essential things that Lois Cocks would not compromise on. How to buy a dishwasher based on efficiency: For Lois, eco modes and fast washes are important, but not essential. "Yes, this new dishwasher has got ... Read more

May 25th, 2012 by Keri Algar

"Hello, long time no see," says Cocorobo, a robotic vacuum cleaner with a little "heart engine". Cocorobo, named after the Japanese word for ‘heart’ which is ‘kokoro’, is Sharp's foray into the floor cleaning market. Button shaped and sensitive to boot the Samsung NaviBot look-a-like can communicate with its owner in three languages: Japanese, Chinese and English, as well as the Kansai dialect of Osaka where Sharp is based. The ... Read more

May 22nd, 2012 by Keri Algar

"She can't stand her toaster," says Annabel about her Mum. "It only ever toasts one side of the bread. I can't understand why she doesn't just go out and get another one." Appliances are designed to lighten our loads, yet they often make us tear our hair out in despair. Complicated to read manuals, dodgy switches, shrieking kettles... "Oh, and then there's the pot handles that fall off ... Read more

May 22nd, 2012 by Keri Algar

Of all the tragedies ever told There is none more sad nor chronic, In legends new or those of old Than that of Rinnai and Bromic.   The lusty passion between the two Heated kingdoms far and wide, And no happier was the day When Bromic asked Rinnai to be his bride.   But lo! Receival of this news Sent Omega into a spin, The angry God frothed, his cycle stopped For Rinnai's heart should belong to him.   A Whirlpool of warriors, St ... Read more

May 21st, 2012 by Keri Algar

A spate of house fires has spurred the ACCC to re-issue a warning for people to check their electric blankets. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is reminding people to look out for faulty electric blankets on its dedicated product recall website, a month after officially recalling an electric blanket distributed in Kmart and BIG W. "A number of recent house-fires and a fatality apparently caused by faulty electric ... Read more

May 16th, 2012 by Keri Algar

You'd be forgiven for assuming that a disgruntled housewife must have invented the dishwasher in the 1950's. And you'd be partly correct. It was in fact a man who patented the idea even a hundred years earlier but yes, it was because of a woman that the dishwasher as we know it came to fruition. Not because she was tired of doing the dirty dishes, Josephine Cochran was ... Read more