How much "Housekeeping&q uot; clutter is too much?

Love my breadmaker (not bought bread since). Although I use my soupmaker I wouldn't replace it. Love my cordless Dyson. Electric pressure cooker was a waste of money.
I used to love Lakeland. My DH used to call it the shop thar is full of things you didn't know you needed! But we are now moving to a VERY small retirement flat so I'm having to get rid of the unused rubbish.

I love my Ball Jam maker from Lakeland. I can't lift heavy things now, so making Jam the old fashioned way in a jelly pan is a bit risky for me. I have used it over and over again, and the jam is perfect every time. I would replace it if anything happened to it.

There's a smoothie maker taking up space on my worktop. It just seems like too much effort to shove fruit and veg in it for my breakfast. I like my 5-a-day to be solid and crunchy or chewable rather than drinkable. I've been 'meaning to' put it on Ebay for weeks!

I have worked in charity shops and we always had those multi chopper things donated, far too sharp and hard to wash without dishwashers.

My most useful gadget, is my walking stick, use it to hook things out of cupboards, poke things under the beds, as an extention to my arms, makes a fab small small mop with a microfibe cloth on the end...poked some hole for plants I was potting yesterday.......also helps with walking.........

Much prefer making bread in mixer & a good blender makes the soup beautifully as well as many other things.
That oven tray soaking tray has been used for so many things -as well as soaking oven trays that it is one of my best buys ever.

Best gadget I ever got was my Gtech Airam cordless vacuum, love it, I can do my whole house (Granny Annex) without recharging. So good, DD frequently borrows it to do her bit of the house too!
I have one of those multi coloured electric grater/slicer things, the one with interchangeable cone shaped cutters. Used it a bit, but not for years. Can't throw it out because of the way I was given it! My dearly departed soulmate gave me a box at Xmas, in it was this gadget. I was trying to turn my desire to throw it at him, for being a man who can't think of what to give his partner so resorts to kitchen stuff, when I saw something else nestling in the bottom of the box.....a brand new iPad!!

Rubylady W11girl and me both recommend the cordless dyson. They are expensive but worth every penny. Used mine this morning whipped round my three bedroom house in no time. The battery lasts 20 mins which doesn't sound long but I never run right out. My model a V6 has attachment for the stairs which is hand held and another for hard floors. You can fix the charger to the wall but I don't have the room so when I'm done I just recharge it sitting on the worktop. Believe me it will change your vacuuming life.

One person's chuck outs is another's treasure - my brother ran off happily with my unwanted coffee maker.

ruby I would also be lost with out my slow cooker.
Thanks to a lovely GNer I now make bread in mine every week.
Yesterday I made an oat one with bread mix from Aldi
I have also made a ginger bread in the slow cooker
GN has revolutionised my life !!

Cherry tree can you post how to make bread in slow cooker. Or direct me to where it told you. Slow cookers best thing ever!

I wouldn't be without my Panasonic bread maker, I've had it for years and never buy bread.
I make my bread with a mixture of wholemeal and rye flour, rapeseed oil, adding malt and molasses, sunflower and pumpkin seeds and a couple of eggs - amazing.
My white loaf is a mixture of white and spelt flour, and perhaps a little oatbran or toasted soya bran, 2 eggs and always sunflower and pumpkin seeds. This loaf is far from white and it tastes delicious.
And yes, I love my strawberry huller too - a brilliant little gadget.

When I was at secondary school ( late 50's early 60's) our Cookery teacher Miss Hopwood said "all you need in the kitchen is a sharp knife & a wooden spoon"

I use our slow cooker a lot and my back loves our AEG cordless.

Easiyo Yogurt maker - love the yogurt it makes and so easy to prepare. Not cheap but very nourishing.

Icecream maker ,bread slicer, halogen cooker etc the list is endless.
The halogen cooker I used once couldn't stand the blinding light when it was turned on.Easier and cheaper to buy ready made icecream so never used, buying sliced bread quicker and no messy crumbs everywhere, used once..
Will we ever learn?

Forgot to mention.I do have an aga, worth its weight in gold.

Bread maker.

my hand mixer great for cakes x

Two simple things make my life easier: Lakeland Klippets for sealing any bags and Lakeland metal tongs.

I too love my Dyson cordless vac. However the thing that made the most difference to my life was when I got an automatic washing machine - especially after it was plumbed in and didn't have to be attached to the tap!

If there is a simple option use that. For example when a French chef wanted to crush a garlic clove he smacked it with a small pan! A rolling pin is just as good I find. No need for a fancy gadget.

Common sense is the answer. If you can do without don't buy it. You could fill your cupboards with all this unnecessary stuff.

Desdemona We do this all the time. It works a treat. Those dishwasher cleaners are expensive, and the dish washer tablets keep going up in price too have you noticed? Wouldn't be without mine though. Best thing we ever bought apart from the washing machine.

I bought a food mixer with a detachable liquidiser many years ago and it got a lot of use. But now I'm widowed it sits on the top of the fridge gathering dust - I don't use it very much these days but I don't want to throw it away.
Good sharp knives and my little bamboo chopping board (it's light enough to lift easily) are the things I use the most.
I couldn't live without my washing machine, steam iron or sewing machine.

I use my bread maker and slow cooker all the time. The slow cooker will even do things when you sling the ingredients in frozen solid if you give it enough time!

But my very favourite kitchen item is my see through, conical measure. I had one years ago and after the foot broke about five times and I had to throw it out I tried to replace it. Nothing doing. I could only get a tin conical measure or a plastic see through jug. Imagine my joy when I found an exact replacement for my original measure in a junk shop. I foolishly paid a tenner for it and have never regretted my folly.

My best little Lakeland gadget is a ring pull can opener. I no longer have to worry about spilling the can's contents while I struggle to get the lid off. Not to mention nearly cutting my fingers off when a lid gets stuck half way.

Jayanna go on to forums at top of page (I'm on a pad) click on it then scroll down to food thread .
I have checked its right at the bottom under thread about icing.
I am very sorry I cant do links
Perhaps another GNer will be able to help

I now have a bread maker cluttering my under stairs cupboard and it isn't even mine!
My daughter passed to me on permanent loan and although I've tried it a few times with different recipes I haven't yet had a really successful loaf.
I've had three steam cleaners and they all stopped steaming after about a year, on occasional use too. Think the heater just stops heating the water enough.
Halogen oven great.
Ditto Karcher window vac, that's brilliant.
Gtech cordless vac, wonderful.
Ninja smoothie maker, fabulous.
Slow cooker, couldn't live without.
All in all I'm happy with my gadgets and they genuinely make life easier.