Power To The Kitchen - Power To The Kitchen

What Kitchen Appliances Do You Really Need? Top 10 Most Important Appliances!

When it comes to kitchen appliances the choice can seem virtually endless. But what kitchen appliances do you really need? In this article we’re going to take a look at just that and see which of the myriad of appliances could help make a real difference in your kitchen.

From fridge freezers to blenders and food processors, it could be quite easy to fill your kitchen with an appliance for every single job but there are some that are more impactful then others. And then there are some that you could simply do with out.

What Kitchen Appliances Do You Really Need?

Let’s now take a detailed look at what kitchne appliances could be deemed essential if you were planning out your kitchen from scratch.

Pressure Cooker

What Kitchen Appliances Do You Really Need?

It probably goes without saying that you need a pressure cooker of some description in the kitchen. There are 2 kind of pressure cookers available in the market;

Stove-top (Gas) Pressure cooker
Electric Pressure Cooker (Multi-purpose)

With a cooker you actually potentially remove the need for a whole load of other kitchen appliances for example a rice cooking, slow cooking, cooking beans, lentils, vegetables if you really wanted to but most important purpose is to quickly cook all kind of meat especially Red meat. Pressure cooker work as a replacement for meat Tenderiser and comes very handy when it comes to cooking Red meat and save hell lot of time.

Whether it’s making something from scratch or warming up premade food, a cooker does neatly fall into the essential kitchen appliance category as your kitchen’s main job is to keep you fed and it would be difficult, though not impossible of course, to do so without a cooker.

There’s huge difference between cook-top pressure cooker and electric pressure cooker in terms of usability. Electric pressure is definitely more safe, intuitive, user friendly and offers variety of cooking options with single-button. Electric pressure cooker is sometimes quicker than gass cooktop cooker.

We recommend Instant Pot 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker which makes cooking as simple as just plug-n-play:

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Fridge Freezer

At the top of the list surely it has to be a fridge freezer. There’s not much you would be able to preserve for a substantial period of time in the kitchen without a fridge freezer unit in there. In fact a number of other kitchen appliances on this list rely heavily on items from your fridge freezer for them to fully do their job.

It would be difficult to do much in the kitchen without it.

Microwave

This may be a slightly contentious appliance do add to the list because as long as you have a cooker, you can get away without a microwave. But if you have a cooker but no oven then a microwave may well be something you do really need.

The majority of microwave users have them for reheating food. Using a microwave rather than the stove or oven to reheat your food can save you a lot of time. If you’ve ever had to wait for the oven to heat up to warm up some leftover lasgna then you’ll know exactly why.

Blender

If you like to make nice and smooth soup or have a taste for smoothies then a blender is a must for your kitchen.

Having a blender is a great way to mix lots of vegetables into one bowl of soup for example or tons of fruit into a hearty smoothie.

You can definitely survive without a blender but once you get one you may quickly find it’s something you cannot live without.

Kettle

A kettle is another appliance that exists to illustrate just how useful kitchen appliances are. The way we see kitchen appliances is that they should make your life noticeably easier either by saving you time or effort or both whilst enhancing your experience. A kettle most definitely saves you time and arguably effort.

For example we spent a few weeks without a kettle when our old one broke and we certainly noticed it. Whether it’s a cup of tea or water to get your pasta boiling, it’s easier and quicker with a kettle then without.

Strictly speaking you can more than survive without a kettle but if you value your time then it’s definitely worth considering.

Something to consider when it comes to kettles is the fact they help avoid having large volumes of hot water sitting boiling on the stove.

Toaster

This is a simple one; if you or anyone in your home likes toast then a toaster is clearly a must. Can you survive without one? Most definitely but if you like to eat bread and make it more interesting then toasting it is one of the best ways.

Whether it’s straight toast with butter or a toasted sandwich of some kind, a toaster offers you excellent versatility.

What Kitchen Appliances Do You Really Need?: Honourable Mentions

In this section we’ve included a few appliances that are due worthy consideration even if they don’t make the list of essentials.

Dishwasher

Do you really need a dishwasher? The short answer is no, you do not. You could easily survive without one and simply handwash all of your dishes. However, having one in the kitchen is really a game-changer. A dishwasher helps to save you oodles of time and can also help keep your kitchen tidy when you don’t have the time to wash up; you can place dirty dishes directly into the machine until it is full keeping your counters clear.

Rice Cooker

Rice cookers make it onto the honourable mentions list as you can definitely survive without one. But when you do have one they can make life a lot easier when it comes to making rice.

Though they may not necessarily save you any more time than cooking rice on the stove (or microwave) they will more than likely mean you recover more of your rice grains as they won’t stick to the pan as much.

If you are also like some of us, you may struggle with producing rice that’s too soft or maybe not soft enough. A rice cooker can typically help you with this issue as, so long as you get the water amount right, it will help make near perfect rice every time.

Slow Cooker

We are deep into “is this really necessary” territory here but we’re big fans of slow cookers here . It may be the fact that you can simply chuck a whole bunch of ingredients into a slow cooker and come back hours later to find it’s magically softened into a delicious meal. Or perhaps the way it can help to elevate a roasted meat dish. Whatever it is, a slow cooker is definitely an appliance to consider if you like variety in the way your meals are made.

Conclusion: What Kitchen Appliances Do You Really Need?

So, what kitchen appliances do you really need? Once you’ve got a cooker and fridge freezer out of the way, everything else is pretty much debateable as to whether you really need it or not. Often it comes down to how much time and effort it can save you relative to the costs. The great thing today is that with pretty much any job in the kitchen, you can find an appliance to make it easier.

What Kitchen Appliances Do You Really Need?: Tell Us What You Think

Blender Or Food Processor

So you’re looking for that new appliance to help deal with your fruit and vegetables. But with so many choices which way do you turn; blender or food processor?

Blenders or Food Processor: Blender

Blenders are most suited for making liquid mixes like smoothies and soups.

They operate with a relatively dull but effective blade that typically afixes to the bottom of a jug. The jug is shaped almost like a cone which encourages the ingredients to head downwards towards the blades to be cut up and blended together.

Best For

Blenders are typically best suited to making:
Smoothies
Purees
Soups

They can also sometimes be put to use to try make dips as well as helping with mixing dough for baking but they are not really designed for these tasks so results can be mixed at best.

When it comes down to getting a blending, it really depends on what you think you’ll be using it for the most. If you’ll rely on it to make smoothies on a regular basis and the occasional soup, then a good blender is probably all you need.

If you intend on using it for more intricate tasks like chopping up vegetables then you may want to look at a food processor. Having said that though, there are many models out there that now come with various attachments meaning you could get blender that can handle a lot more than just smoothies and soups. The highly rated Vitamix 065860 for example can do a whole host of jobs in addition to blending smoothies including grinding nuts and coffee as well as mixing batter and dough.

Blenders typically come with a jug that can sometimes also be used for storing the mixture in the fridge once you’re done. However, this very much depends on size as some units may be too large and tall to fit comfortably in your fridge.

There are other models like the Kenwood Smoothie 2 Go models that have jugs that are designed for being taken on the go and being drunk directly out of the same jug.

When it comes to choosing a blender though there are plenty of inexpensive options, if you know you’ll be making frequent use of it, it pays to go for something that will likely last. If you’re for example going to be packing in fruit every day for breakfast smoothies then you want something durable and capable of blending lots of ingredients without too much bother. The last thing you want is for the motor to be overwhelmed when trying to mix your favourite breakfast smoothie.

It’s a tough question especially when from the outside they seem so similar. But in this article we will try take a look at each one in turn and help you to decide which one would be most suited to yoru needs. So blender or food processor; let’s take a look.

Blenders: Potential Options

Vitamix 065860 E310 Explorian Blender

★★★★★

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Vitamix is a household name in the world of blenders reportedly used in restaurants and smoothie spots. Though expensive the Vitamix 065860 E310 Explorian Blender comes with a 5 year warranty which bodes well if you intend to use this daily.

Philips HR3652/01 Blender

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When it comes to reliable kitchen appliances there not too many more well renowned names than Philips and their Philips HR3652/01 Blender fits the bill. With a hefty 1400 watt motor and a significant 2 litre glass jug, the Philips HR3652/01 Blender is also equipped with parts that are dishwasher safe.

NUTRiBULLET 600 Series

★★★★★

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It seems difficult to talk about blenders or smoothie makers these days without mentioning NUTRiBULLET. The NUTRiBULLET 600 Series is said to be the original in the line and one of the best selling ones.

Blenders or Food Processor: Food Processor

Food processors may look similar to blenders in many respects but they perform different roles.

Food processors are more typically geared towards chopping up fruit and vegetables as well as shredding produce and mixing dough for baking. They are designed to make tasks that would usually require a bit more effort in the kitchen easier and quicker.

Food processors are typically equipped with large flat bowls designed to hold fruit and veg once it has been processed.

In many instances food processors will come equipped with various attachments to help you make the most of the appliance. They can also come with various speeds to help you get through different types of fruit and vegetables.

Food Processors are typically best for:

Chopping fruit and vegetables
Slicing fruit and vegetables
Grating and shredding fruit and vegetables
Kneading dough
Mixing ingredients (without completely “blending” them)

As food processors can also mix ingredients, the temptation may be to try use them to make smoothies. If you let a food processor run long enough it may well result in a smoothie like consistency however, it is unlikely to have the same smooth finish to it.

Food Processor: Potential Options

Let’s take a look at some of the best potential options if you’re after a food processor.

Ninja 3-in-1 Food Processor

★★★★★

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The Ninja 3-in-1 Food Processor comes with high ratings from users and provides a food processor, multi-serve blender and personal blender all in one machine. With multiple attachments to help you get the most out of each setting, this Ninja comes with a powerful 1200Watt motor.

Kenwood KE-FDP301W Food Processor with Blender

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Kenwood have a long history of making great kitchen appliances and their KE-FDP301W Food processor with blender appears to follow that line. Equipped with an ample 2.1 litre food processor bowl and a 1.2 litre blender jug, the KE-FDP301W is well suited to getting various types of jobs done in the kitchen.

Sage the Kitchen Wizz Pro Food Processor

★★★★

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Sage have a track record of producing high quality build products and the Kitchen Wizz Pro (BFP800UK) appears to follow that tradition. With an extra wide chute and 4 way chopping blades, the Kitchen Wizz Pro is well equipped to tackle the jobs you need in the kitchen. Quite helpfully the Sage Kitchen Wizz Pro comes with a stylish and useful accessories storage box to help maintain a clean and tidy feel for this high-end model.

KitchenAid 5KFC3516 Classic Mini Food Processor

★★★★★

BUY NOW ON AMAZON

If you need a food processor for everyday tasks but don’t want it too take up too much counterspace then the compact but impressive KitchenAid 5KFC3516 Classic Mini Food Processor may be one to look at. With an 830ml bowl with pour spout the KitchenAid Classic Mini Food Processor is well equipped to deal with the needs of a kitchen serving a smaller household.

Blender or Food Processor: Can’t Decide?

If you can’t quite decide between a blender or food processor as you’ll have seen above there are options that allow you to get the best of both with combined food processor and blender combinations.

Conclusion: Blender or Food Processor

When it comes to deciding between a blender or food processor there’s plenty of choice on the market. If you need something that will regularly help you turn your fruit and vegetables into smoothies and soups then you may be best placed to go for a reliable blender. Remember to keep in mind how often you’ll be using it when deciding on the type and quality you want to shell out on.

If on the other hand you need an appliance to help you through some of the heavy lifting involved with making bread dough, slicing and chopping as well as a host of other actions then a food processor may be the way to go.

Of course, if you can’t decide then you have plenty of options available that cater to both sets of needs with combined machines also available.

Food Processor or Blender: Tell Us Your Thoughts.

How To Bake a Potato In The Microwave

How to bake a potato in the microwave? As with most things in the microwave, it’s pretty straightforward. Potatoes are one of those foods that seem to be particularly well suited to being cooked in a microwave.

Indeed once you’ve figured out how to bake a potato in the microwave you may find yourself opting for this method rather than the oven a lot more frequently than you otherwise would. This is mostly because when it comes to a baked (jacket potato – i.e. potato with the skin left on) it can be genuinely difficult to tell whether it’s been done in the microwave or in a conventional oven in terms of taste.

How To Bake a Potato In The Microwave

So let’s get to work on how to bake a potato in the microwave.

Firstly let’s quickly cover what you’ll need in terms of ingredients.

Ingredients

1x Potato
Your choice of seasoning
- Pepper
- Salt
- Grated Cheese

Method

As with any cooking method, the first thing you want to do with your potato is make sure it is clean. So give it a good wash and scrub it down.
After cleaning, be sure to dry it well – this will help to avoid it steaming up too much in the microwave.
Next you’ll want to poke the potato with a fork.
Place it on a microwave safe open dish and place in the microwave on high power for 5 minutes.
At this stage you may want to turn over the potato. Be careful when opening the door and dealing with the potato as it will be very hot. Use some microwave safe tongs or wooden cooking spoon to turn it over. If you need to remove the dish from the microwave, be sure to use suitable oven gloves.
Microwave for another two minutes and then check to see if it is soft enough in the middle. You’ll know if it is soft enough as the middle should be piereced quite easily with a fork or knife. Be sure to use suitable goven gloves when removing the microwave safe dish out of of the microwave.
If you find it is not soft enough, pop it back in the microwave for another 45 seconds to 1 minute at a time until it is soft enough for your liking. Be sure to use suitable goven gloves when removing the microwave safe dish out of of the microwave.
Once you are happy with it, leave it to rest and cool down. You can then split it down the middle and add your choice of toppings e.g. salt, pepper, grated cheese or butter. Be sure to use suitable goven gloves when removing the microwave safe dish out of of the microwave.

How To Bake a Potato In The Microwave - sub image

More Than One

The great thing with the steps above for how to bake a potato in the microwave, is that you can use the same method whether making one or more potatoes in the microwave.

You’ll just find that it will take longer of course to bake them as you need to in the microwave.

Baked Feel

One thing you may of course notice is that when it comes to potatoes baked in the microwave, they will not have that crispy and golden brown feel you’ll get from a conventional oven. If you want that golden brown look then you’ll need you oven handy for that.

One method that could still work well for you especially if you are in a rush but still want the traditional oven look is to cook your potatoes in the microwave and then finish them off in the oven or grill. This works particularly well if you split them after they’re cooked and then add your favourite toppings like grated cheese and paprika over the top and then place them in the grill or oven for a few minutes.

With this method, you get the convenience of the microwave but the look and feel of an oven made potato dish.

Poke Them Well

It may seem odd, but poking your potato before putting it into the microwave does help to make sure it cooks as you want it. It will allow steam buidling up inside the potato to escape during cooking. It also helps to avoid the potato popping in the microwave and leaving your appliance in very messy state.

Poke the potato all around with a fork for the best results.

Let Your Toppings Do The Talking

Just because your potato has been conveniently and quickly baked in the microwave, doesn’t mean its flavour has to be lacking. One of the best ways to jazz things up with a baked potato is to let loose with your favourite toppings. These could be:

Grated cheese (cheddar works well)
Melted butter
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Chilli
Crispy bacon or pancetta

What Are The Best Potatoes For Jacket Potatoes?

What are the best potatoes for jacket potatoes? The best types of potatoes for jacket potatoes are usually those labelled as “baking potatoes”. These tend to be reasonably sized and come with a floury but moist like texture. In terms of specific types King Edward and Desiree potatoes are said to work quite well for baked potatoes.

How To Make A Breakfast Smoothie

How to make a breakfast smoothie? It really couldn’t be any easier. We regularly (4/5 times a week) make our favourrite breakfast smoothie in our house as its delicious, packed full of goodness and very easy to make.

Smoothies can be made to look complicated and sophisticated from the outside but really it’s just a mixture of your favourite fruits and a few other bits bunged together in the blender.

Our favourite breakfast smoothie is a wheat biscuit based (Weetabix) one but the beauty of the smoothie is that you can tailor it to your own needs.

How To Make A Breakfast Smoothie

How to make a breakfast smoothie? Let’s get to it. Below we’ll show you how to make a breakfast smoothie using our Weetabix breakfast smoothie as a guide.

Ingredients:

For this breakfast smoothie you’ll need the following ingredients

Weetabix Biscuits x 2
Branflakes x 1 handful
Banana x 1
Avocado x 1/2
Apple (royal gala; braeburn or your favourite) x 1
Your choice of milk (we use goats milk) x 1 glass
Grapes x 1 palm full
Mixed seeds x1 tablespoon

1 – Firstly grab your glass full of milk and tip it into the blender. It’s best to get started with the milk as it will make it easier for your ingredients to mix. Having said this we often put the milk in at the end as there’s less splashing to deal with but this is clearly a minor point.

2 – Next add the wheat biscuits, branflakes, banana, chopped apple, avocado and grape.

3 – Lastly add in the mixed seeds into the blender.

4 – Once everything is in, close the lid and then blend the mixture until it looks smooth and creamy. If you want to make the smoothie thicker you can add some more avocado.

Alternatively you can add some yoghurt. If on the other hand it’s too thick for your liking you can always add in some milk or even water.

That’s really all there is to it. The above recipe is just one way to make a hearty breakfast smoothie; you can always mix things up with your favourite foods.

As long as you have at least the following ingredients, your breakfast smoothie should be good to go:

A liquid (milk/juice/water) to help mix it all together
Cereal of some kind like Weetabix or oats to make it feel substantial so you don’t even up feeling hungry too quickly
Fruits like banana and avocado to thicken the texture and add some sweetness

Do You Put Milk or Water In Smoothies?

If you’re wondering whether you put milk or water in smoothies, it really depends on your preference and also what a recipe may call for. With our breakfast smoothie we typically use milk but sometimes also add some water if the mixture ends up to too thick.

With milk smoothies typically end up with a more creamy texture and perhaps a more interesting taste.

The thing is though when it comes to smoothies, you can simply experiment and see what works for you.

Can I Blend Banana and Milk?

Can I blend banana and milk? We definitely think you can blend banana and milk. We routinely do so and there lots of recipes available that call for milk and banana.

When it comes to making breakfast smoothies, banana and milk is a very common combination and provide an excellent base. Not only does banana help to thicken your smoothie mixture but it also ensures that it will also have a sweet taste.

How To Make Smoothies In a Blender

Smoothies can be a delicious and nutritious way to start the day as well a filling snack throughout the day.

In this article we’re going to look at how to make smoothies in a blender.

I regularly make breakfast smoothie and often end up coming back for the leftovers throughout the day as a snack.

How To Make Smoothies In a Blender?

Base Liquid: To get started it’s a good idea to have a liquid to act as the foundation of your smoothie. There’s plenty of options in this category anything ranging from milk; yoghurt; coconut water; alternative milks eg almond. The other option is fruit juice if you don’t mind the sugar levels.

Later on you can always top it with water to alter the consistency of your smoothie. To get started though try one of your favourite liquids.

Main Base: Next you want to add in something hearty to give your smoothie some real depth. This might be some substantial fruit like banana, mango or avocado.

For our favourite breakfast smoothie recipe we like to use Weetabix and Bran flakes as the main base to give the smoothie a real hearty and filling centre.

If you want to add in some greens like kale or spinach, now’s a good time to toss some in.

Fruits: Next add in any othe fruits that you feel could add something to your smoothie. At this stage in our breakfast smoothies we typically add in apple, grapes, blueberries or something of this nature to give it some more depth of flavour.

When adding in fruit it can be fresh or frozen. Indeed some people like to always have frozen fruit on stanby for making their smoothies. This is a good way to save your bananas from getting too ripe and spoilt in your fruit bowl. The riper your bananas are the sweeter your smoothie will be but you may not want it to be too ripe as the smell can be quite strong in your smoothie.

Nuts and Mixes: Lastly, you can add in any extras like chia or sunflower seeds at this stage. If you think it won’t be sweet enough for you, you could consider something like honey but the great thing with smoothies is that you can always try a bit at first and then alter it as you need to.

Blend It: Once you have everything in, blend it all together. With our blender we typically start on the lower speed setting to get the mixture going. At this stage make sure that you have enough liquid in the blender to allow it to get to work. You can add more liquid as you go.

Once the mixture has started to blend well, we typically kick it up to the high speed to really get at all the ingredients. Keep it running until you can see the consistency of the smoothie is nice and smooth.

If at this stage it looks too dense, add in some of your liquid. If on the other hand it’s too runny for your liking then you can try adding in something to thicken the texture and making creamier; bananas, avocados or yoghurt can work quite well for this.

What Is The Best Blender For Smoothies and Soups?

Blenders can work quite well for both smoothies as well as soup. The blender in our kitchen gets used 4 or 5 days in a week to make breakfast smoothies and blend our soup. The one we have is a simple but very reliable Philips similar to the HR2106/06 model here.

There are plenty of great options available on the market. Vitamix for example have some of the most well renowned blenders on the market for example their Vitamix 065860 E310.

NUTRiBULLET is another brand with some high quality options behind it like the NUTRiBULLET 600 Series.

Whichever blender you go with, try to get the best you can. This is especially important if you will be making use of the blender regularly. My breakfast smoothies for example are needed quite frequently so it helps that my blender is reliable and quite powerful. It takes me only a few minutes from beginning to end which is priceless when there are so many other things I need to do.

What Is The Best Liquid To Put In a Smoothie?

So now that we’ve covered how to make smoothies in a blender – what is the best liquid to put in a smoothie? This really depends on your taste preferences. As we’ve outlined above there a few good options we like to play with:

Milk – Cow’s milk or goats milk work well
Almond milk and other dairy alternatives
Coconut water
Coconut milk
Pressed fruit juice

Yoghurt is also another good one though bear in mind that you’ll typically need to add in something that’s runnier to allow your blender to be able to mix in all the ingredients.

The other liquid that can come in very hand is simply water. This can be useful if you need to make the mixture less dense though you may not necessarily want to just use water as your base liquid. It may not give your smoothie that creamy texture that can help make them so satisfying.

So what is the best liquid to put in a smoothie? You’ve got plenty of options – that’s the beauty of smoothies, you can make them based on your own unique preferences. They’re also so quick and easy that if one liquid doesn’t work out for you today, you can always try a slight variation another day.

With our breakfast smoothies we often use goats milk but can easily switch to cows milk if there’s none available.

What Ingredients Can You Put In a Smoothie?

When you’re first starting out you might wonder ‘what ingredients can you put in a smoothie?’. The simple answer pretty much anything you want that your blender can handle.

But of course you may want to make sure that whatever you’re putting in will work well as an overall recipe. Nonetheless you can definitely experiment with smoothies quite easily.

Generally speaking though relatively soft fruit and vegetables tend to work very well in smoothies. These might include

Fruit:

Apple
Avocado
Pear
Mango
Passionfruit
Banana
Melon
Grape
Blueberries
Raspberries
Strawberries
Pineapple

Vegetables:

Spinach
Kale
Mint

The other category that can work quite well with smoothies to give them a nice kick are nuts and mixes such as:

Chia seeds
Sunflower seeds
Cashew nuts

The other main ingredients are of course the liquids described above and here the choice is as wide as your palette can stand. Ranging from milk to juice, yoghurt and simply water.

Are Smoothies Better With Milk or Yogurt?

When you are trying to decide on a base one question that might pop up is – are smoothies better with milk or yogurt? The answer depends on what type of texture and consistency you are looking for.

From what we find, our smoothies made with milk tend to be runnier and will need other ingredients like avocado or banana to give them a more creamy texture. With milk however, we will tend to find it doesn’t need another liquid like water to help the blender getting going. This is not always the case with yogurt especially the thicker variety like natural greek.

With yogurt on the other hand you may find your smoothie is creamier than it would be with milk depending on the type of yogurt. Our breakfast smoothies with yogurt in them always taste like they have a bit more depth in terms of their texture. Yogurt can also work quite well if you want that creamy texture but don’t necessarily have all of your favourite ingredients for the job at hand .

With some yogurt based smoothies do keep in mind that you may still need to add in another liquid to make sure the consistency is not too heavy. Sometimes with some types of yogurts you may find the blender needs a bit of help from some additional water or juice to help it move.

So, are smoothies bettwer with milk or yogurt? That very much depends on your taste preference and what you are looking for in terms of consistency. In some instances, it may even make sense to mix the two together.

How To Make Smoothies In a Blender: Tell Us Your Thoughts

Do I Really Need A Microwave?

You’re thinking about getting a microwave or perhaps replacing one but every so often you catch yourself thinking “do I really need a microwave?”.

It’s a fair question and one that deserves to be asked before spending money on what is essentially a luxury. Microwaves seem to have been around for so long that you might start to think its an automatic choice to have one.

Below we’re going take a look at our own view as to whether or not you really need a microwave by looking at a few critical reasons on both sides of the argument as we see it.

Do I Really Need A Microwave? – Yes

DO I Really Need A Microwave? Photo — Do I Really Need A Microwave?

Here’s why we think you might need a microwave.

#1 – It Will Be Quicker To Warm Up Meals

Perhaps the main benefit of having a microwave is the fact that it will be quicker to warm up your meals when you need to.

Rather than having to rely on the stove heating up or conventional oven coming on, you can just whack your food straight into the microwave and a minute later (depending on the food), it will be piping hot and ready to eat.

When you have a busy life, this convenience can be quite helpful when you are trying to squeeze in as much as you can.

#2 – It May Save More of Your Leftovers From the Bin

Another potential bonus of having a microwave is that it may result in more of your leftover food actually being consumed rather than being thrown away.

It is estimated that 70% of the 9.5 million tonnes of food wasted each could have been eaten. Part of the issue with food being thrown away at least in our own household is that leftovers aren’t always quick and easy to warm up. For example a lasgna ideally needs to be warmed up in the oven if you want it to maintain its feel from the night before. However, this is where having a microwave can prove to be useful as it can potentially help save more of this leftover food waste.

#3 – It Gives You A Quick Way To Make Food If You’re Tied For Time

As well as saving you time with reheating leftover or cold food, a microwave can also help you make food quickly and conveniently when you need to.

This can be particularly useful if you’ve forgetten something e.g. peas with your dinner.

It can also serve as an extra cooking appliance when you’re stove is fully loaded. Some foods such as jacket potatoes and rice are particularly straightforward to cook in the microwave.

Do I Really Need A Microwave? – No

Here’s why we think you may be just fine without a microwave.

#1 – It’s Ultimately A Luxury

Let’s get it straight – a microwave is a luxury good. It might not seem that way but from our perspective a microwave is most certainly an appliance you can certainly live without and not feel it.

Perhaps if you’ve had one before and no longer have one you may miss the convenience but there are plenty of people around the world who’ve never used one and get on just fine.

If you have a conventional cooker and oven you’ll be able to cook and reheat your food. Perphaps where you’ll miss a microwave is when you need to quckly reheat your food as you’ll need to more than likely pan heat your leftovers but the point is it is possible.

#2 – Saves You Money

If you don’t already have one, choosing not to buy a microwave can save you some money.

Rather than spending that cash on another appliance using what you already have in place at home can save you money.

The trade-off you may need to consider is how much money are you saving vs the additional time you’ll spend reheating food in a different way but the point is there may be an opportunity for you to savecash.

Conclusion: Do I Really Need A Microwave?

So, in our view there’s plenty of good reasons on both sides of the debate if you are asking yourself the question ‘do I really need a microwave?’.

A microwave can offer you convenience and the potential to save you time when it comes to reheating food however, it is certainly not an essential item.

There are plenty of people who get on just fine without one and if you decide it’s not for you it’s money that you are not having to spend.

Do I Really Need A Microwave? Tell Us What You Think.

What Is Better Juicer Or Blender?

When it comes to kitchen appliance battles the juicer versus the blender is right up there alongside microwave vs oven and kettle vs pot. They both offer some great features but what is better juicer or blender?

That’s what we want to try find out as we delve into:

Functions
Types of Fruits and Vegetables Can Be Used
Pricing
Ease of Use and Cleaning

What Is Better Juicer Or Blender?

So what is better juicer or blender? To help us make that call let’s take a look at some of the main distinguishing features between juicers and blenders as we try to understand which may be best for you.

Functions

When it comes to functions there some key differences between juicers and blenders.

Juicers are designed to extract as much liquid as possible from fruits and vegetables to give you great tasting juice.

They are typically categorised into 3 types; (i) centrifugal (ii) masticating and (iii) citrus. They are designed to seperate the fruit fibres (so the bits or flesh) from the actual liquid.

Blenders on the other hand are specifically designed to turn everything that goes into them into liquid form by breaking them down with their rotor blades. Whereas juicers separate, blenders combine everything together.

What will work better for you depends on what you prefer in terms of liquids.

The key advantage of blenders in terms of functions is that they allow you to make use of pretty much the whole fruit or vegetable. Whereas juicers will typically leave a chunck of your produce as waste pulp after the liquid has been extracted.

The other advantage of blenders is that as well as making smoothies they can also be used for a range of other tasks in the kitchen including making soup whereas only some juicers can do so.

Winner: Tie – In terms of function, it is difficult to call a winner because it really depends on what you’re after. If you want a smooth liquid beverage then you are best going for a juicer. However, if you like the idea and textures of smoothies as well as being able to make other things like soup all in one machine then a blender could be best in this regard.

Types Of Fruit and Vegetables They Can Take

When it comes to the types of fruit and vegetables juicers and blenders can handle, there are some key differences to note.

A lot of juicers can take both hard and soft fruit and vegetables to give you the ability to mix together all kinds of produce. For example you could easily make a juice with apples, carrots, ginger and spinach. Some even have the capabilty to take slightly harder food like nuts.

Blenders can also take both hard and soft fruits but only up to a point when compared to some juicers. For example you could make a smoothie with apples and spinach but you may struggle to get something a smooth as you might like when you toss in the carrots and ginger.

But on the other hand most juicers would not be able to take a fruit such as bananas as they’re fibres are too soft to be able to extract any juice from them. These are perfect for blenders and indeed tend to offer a great way to make smoothies sweet without adding sugar.

Winner: Juicer – In this regard although blenders offer great versatility, we think

Price

When it comes to price you have a range of options for both blenders are juicers though at

You can get a hold of well rated juicers from around £40 – £50. There are various models available with varying features all the way up to £500+. These come in different capacities and lots of different colours as well.

Blenders start off a lot cheaper with some very highly rated models coming in from around £20 – £30 from some well known brands like Kenwood and Morphy Richards. Blenders also have significant range with some going well north of £500.

Winner: Blender – In terms of offering cheap but well rated options as well as a range of different price points, we’d have to say blenders are better. However, it’s pretty close as juicers are not far off in terms of the range of budgets they cater for.

Ease Of Use and Cleaning

With any appliance you want to know how easy it is to use it. If you’ve ever bought something with good intentions to use it and make it a part of your daily routine, you’ll know how disheartening it can be if it turns out to be difficult to use. A key factor to consider from what we’ve seen from using both a blender and juicer consistently now for over 5 years is how easy it is to clean.

Juicers are typically fairly straightforward to use. Most just require the fruit and vegetables to be chopped and dropped into the feed chute after switching on the machine. The juicer we use is a single speed and has one button, for on/off control. It doesn’t get much easier than that.

Where a lot of juicers, including ours, fall short of blenders is how tricky they can be to clean. A juicer can have as many as 5 different parts to its system, most of which will need to be cleaned after use. This is one area that may put some off when it comes to regular usage. Thus looking out for how easy it is to use and clean when searching for a model is something to think about.

Blenders on the other hand typically have very few parts (blade, jug and lid as well as the motor base). Crucially they are normally quite easy to clean especially the jug. Though the base of the blades can sometimes be tricky to reach especially if it has bits stuck to it, they are typically not as difficult as trying to clean strainer in a juicer.

Winner: Blender – For ease of use and especially ease of cleaning the winner for us has to be the humble blender. Though both juicers and blenders are very straightforward to use, the extra bit of effort needed to maintain a juicer means in this regard they come a close second.

Conclusion: What Is Better Juicer Or Blender?

So, what is better juicer or blender? In reality despite the blender taking 2 out of 4 categories and tying one, what is better will really depend on your own preferences. There are benefits and drawbacks to both appliances.

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What Are The Best Juicers?

Let’s take a brief look at some possible juicers to consider.

Philips HR1836/01 Viva Collection Compact Juicer

★★★★★

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The Philips HR1836/01 Viva Collection juicer offers a sleek and attractive design alongside an easy to use system. Boasting a 1.5litre juicing capacity as well a nice wide feeding chute, the design of the Philips HR1836/01 means you can juice straight into your glass as well as a dedicated jug.

Sage BJE520UK Nutri Juicer Plus

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The Sage BJE520UK Nutri Juicer Plus looks a classy and a highly user rated act when it comes to juicing. With an 84mm wide feeding chute you’ll seldom have to worry about chopping up your fruit and vegetables saving you time and effort in your juicing endeavours. With a variable speed system, the Sage BJE520UK Nutri Juicer Plus will help you make the most of both soft and hard fruits and vegetables.

What Are The Best Blenders?

Let’s take a look at some of the best blenders around.

NUTRiBULLET 600 Series

★★★★★

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One of the most popular blenders around the original NUTRiBULLET 600 Series is a compact and effective blender that comes highly rated by users. Perfect if you need to blend in a hurry, the NUTRiBULLET 600 Series offers welcomed convenience and a 600W motor that can process soft and hard fruits, vegetables and nuts.

Tefal BL435840 Blendforce II

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The Tefal BL435840 Blendforce II offers a classic and highly user rated jug blender that would make a great addition to the kitchen. With a variable 2 speed system as well as a pulsing option, the Tefal BL435840 Blendforce II offers versatility as well as convenience.

What Is Better Juicer Or Blender?: Tell Us Your Thoughts.

Is It Worth Getting A Juicer?

Juicing seems to be more popular than ever these days and having had an excellent Philips juicer for 5 years now we can understand why.

But it is yet another appliance to spend your money on. So is it worth getting a juicer?

If you know you’ll be using it regularly then it’s definitely worth considering.

Below we are going to take a look at some of the pros and cons of getting a juicer to help you decide whether it makes sense for you.

Is It Worth Getting A Juicer?

Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of getting a juicer.

Is It Worth Getting A Juicer: Pros

Great Way To Get More Fruit and Vegetables

The first major advantage of getting a juicer machine is that juicing is an excellent way to get more fruits and vegetables into your diet. As you can combine pretty much whatever fruit and vegetables your juicer will take into a juice, you are able to get a wide range of fruits and veg quickly and easily.

For those who try to get their 5 fruit and veg a day this represents a great way to cut to the chase and get that done first thing in the morning or as a snack during the day.

Juice hard and soft Fruit And Veg

Unlike most blenders and smoothie makers, typically juicers can take hard as well as soft fruit and vegetables. This gives you the option of turning vegetables such as carrots, beetroot and ginger into ingredients for your juice.

Lots of Choice of Machines

A major plus for juicers in general is the wide range of choice you have when selecting a model.

There are three main types of juicers (centrifugal, masticating and citrus) as well as those that come with a number of added features and technology.

Good Way To Get Kids Drinking Healthy Juice

One of the best things we’ve found with juicing is that it is a great way to introduce tasty yet healthy beverages to our young children. They enjoy the fresh taste of a carrot and apple juice as well as being fascinated with the actual process of making the juice.

It also means from a very young age they now know what high quality, fresh and healthy juice looks and tastes like hopefully showing them what a good alternative it is to the processed options available elsewhere.

Is It Worth Getting A Juicer: Cons

Some Can Waste Fruit and Vegetables

One of the drawbacks of juicing is that it typically takes a lot of fruit and vegetables to get a decent amount of juice. This is primarily because the juicer has to extract the liquid from the produce and so how much juice is squeezed out will depend on its efficiency. It also depends on how easy it is to actually extract from a given fruit or vegetable.

With our juicer, we like using carrots and apples as a base because we know the juicer does quite well with getting a lot of liquid out of those.

This is in contrast to a blender or smoothie maker which can take whole fruits and turn them into liquid form.

Lots of Parts and Can Be Tricky To Clean

One of the main drawbacks of a juicer, especially when compared to blenders, is the fact they can be tricky to clean. They typically have lots of different parts that combine to carry out the function of the juicer and cleaning these can be bothersome. This is especially the case for the main extractor section of the juicer which can end up with bits of pulp.

Keep a look-out for juicers that offer machine washable parts to make things a bit easier for yourself.

Best Juicers

Now that we have an idea of some of the pros and cons of getting a juicer, let’s take a brief look at some of the best available.

Sage BJE520 Nutri Juicer Plus Centrifugal Juicer

★★★★★

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If you want a truly high end juicer that will juice first and ask questions later, then the Sage BJE520 Nutri Juicer Plus centrifugal juicer is worth looking at. The extra wide 84mm chute means there’s less need to go chopping up your fruit and vegetables before you get started.

Philips HR1836/01 Viva Collection Compact Juicer

★★★★★

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The Philips HR1836/01 Viva Collection compact juicer comes highly rated by users and offers a great way into the world of juicing. Simple to operate as well as offering up to 1.5litre of juicing capacity, this juicer offers some great features from a well respected brand.

Braun J500 Juicer

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The Braun J500 offers another feature packed juicer. Offering the capability to juice both hard and soft vegetables as well as a dedicated jug, the Braun J500 is certainly one to consider if you’re in the market for a new juicer.

Blender Or Smoothie Maker May Work Better

If you’re main driver is getting more whole fruit and vegetables into your diet and you don’t mind whether this is in a smooth juice form or more a smoothie then you may be best to consider getting a blender instead.

Is It Worth Getting A Juicer? Tell Us Your Thoughts.

What Is The Best Juicer For Carrots?

Carrots make for great juice options. They’re full of vital nutrients and vitamins. But it’s not always easy for juicing machines to process them, some do a great job others not so much.

So, what is the best juicer for carrots? We’ve taken a look around to find the best juicer for carrots and presented the top contenders below.

What Type Of Juicer Is Best For Carrots?

There are two main types of electric juicers on the market (i) Centrifugal and (ii) Masticating.

Centrifugal juicers are machines that work by slicing through fruit and vegetables at high speed. Whilst masticating juicers grind down fibres slowly and drawing juice under pressure.

When it comes to carrots, both types are capable of doing a good job so you will have plenty of options. The fast spinning blades of the centrifugal machines means even the toughest of fibres can be shredded efficiently. Whilst the grinding power found in many masticating models is perfect for celery sticks.

What Is The Best Juicer For Carrots?

With types of possible juicers now clear for a our carrots, lets now take a look at the 3 top models we have selected.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This does not affect how much you pay for the product.

1 – Philips HR1867/21 Viva Collection Juicer – Best Value

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Equipped with a powerful motor perfect for shredding tough fibres and two speeds, the Philips HR1867/21 would be a great choice for juicing carrots

With a comfortably large 7.5cm loading tube, there’s little prep needed for your fruit and vegetables. This will mean you can fit juicing into even the most tight of morning schedules.

For even more convenience the sieve has smooth surfaces al round which makes it easier to clean the leftover fibres after your finished.

At 3.47kg this machine is easily moved in and out of cupboards.

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Take a look here for a full review of the Philips HR1867/21 Viva Collection Juicer

2 – J500 CENTRIFUGAL JUICER BY BRAUN – Best All-Rounder

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This Braun Juicer is a great all-rounder and will do the job of juicing carrots perfectly. With 2 speeds capable of tackling even the hardest of fruit and vegetables, this will make light work of most recipes.

The large 7.5cm feeding tube ensures you never have to do much to your carrots before dropping them in. It also means you can use this machine if you’re short of time in the mornings. The anti-drip and anti-spray features will also help with quick clean up.

This juicer is capable of producing a glass within 15 seconds which is great if you’re in a rush. It also comes with 1.25m jug.

The only real issue for you to consider with this machine is the 6kg weight which could make it tricky to move around the kitchen.

Otherwise, we think this is a great pick if you’re looking for juicer for your carrots and more.

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Take a look here for a full review of the J500 Juicer

3 – Sage BJE520UK the Nutri Juicer Plus

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If you’re looking for a more high-end option for your carrot juice then this may be it. This Sage machine will extract every last bit of goodness out of your carrots and whatever else you stick inside it.

An extra large 8.4cm feeding tube means you can insert most fruit and vegetables whole which saves time on prep.

This machine comes with an impressive 2 year repair and replacement promise plus a 5 year motor warranty. The motor is a 5 speed model meaning you’ll easily be able to process those carrots and more.

Weighing in at 7.5kg however, this machine is quite heavy so you will need to consider whether that would be an issue for you.

All things considered however, we think this is a great addition to any kitchen and one the best juicers for carrots.

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Take a look here for a full review of the Sage Nutri Juicer Plus Juicer

What Is The Best Juicer For Carrots?: Tell Us What You Think

What Is The Best 2 Slice Toaster To Buy?

There are not many better things in life than 2 perfectly cooked slices of toast. No matter what style you need to fit into your kitchen there’s probably a brand and model out there for you. But what is the best 2 slice toaster to buy?

We’ve worked to compile our list of the contenders for the best 2 slice toaster to help you decide on which machine would be best for you.

What Is The Best 2 Slice Toaster To Buy?

Let’s take a look at what is the best 2 slice toaster to buy.

1 – Dualit Classic 2 Slot Toaster

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As well as getting an excellent toaster with the Dualit Classic 2 Slot toaster you are also adding a beautifully hand-crafted piece of design to enhance your kitchen.

Each Dualit Classic is hand made in the UK (you can find the name of the engineer at the bottom) and it really shows in the quality and sophistication of the finish.

This model combines excellent functionality and high-end design to give you perfectly crisp toast on the outside but fluffiness on the inside with every use.

Dualit have over 60 years of experience in making high quality toasters and it definitely shows with the Classic. Your toast will come out evenly cooked especially once you’ve figured out how long you like yours done. To toast your bread you turn the mechanical dial to the time you want and wait for it to rotate.

Unlike many other toasters on the market, this model has a manual lever which allows you to lift the toast and check its progress without interrupting the process.

Quite usefully the toaster also has bagel setting in a addition to reheat and defrost functions.

To save you on energy, you can opt to only have one slot on.

We like the copper finish on this model but it also comes in silver, black, white, red and cream.

Adding to the unique characteristics of this toaster is the fact it is specifically designed for easy self-maintenance. The screws are located in easy to reach areas meaning DIY repair is relatively straightforward. Quite helpfully Dualit also sell spare parts on their website should you need them. The idea being that your machine should last a several years without you needing to replace it entirely.

At £126 (on Amazon at the time of writing) it is certainly not the cheapest option on the market however, if you’re budget can stretch that far then you’ll be getting a highly durable machine that should last you many years.

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Key Features

Manual lever allow you to check progress without interrupting cycle
Bagel setting
Defrost setting meaning you can toast from frozen
Reheat function allowing you to warm up toast if needed
Dimensions: 26 x 25.5 x 25 cm

2 – Morphy Richards Dimensions 2 Slice Toaster

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We love this Morphy Richard Dimensions 2 slice toaster as it combines an excellent product that looks expensive at a great affordable price.

The controls are nice and easy with a 1 -7 setting meaning you can easily get your toast to the perfect level of brown for your needs.

The defrost function makes a great addition to this model meaning you can make your toast straight from frozen. This is particularly useful as it means you can afford to freeze your bread when you buy it – handy if your bread tends to go off before you finish it.

This model is also equipped with a reheat function, great if you ever need to warm up your bread quickly if you didn’t get a chance to eat it whilst it was hot.

Usefully the Dimensions Black 2 also comes with a cancel button allowing you to interrupt a program part-way through; this is really useful when you want to get your bread to specific shade of brown.

To make your life as easy as possible, this toaster has a crumb collector at the bottom making clean up as stress free as can be.

As well as being easy to clean, the Dimensions 2 slice toaster comes with cord storage leaving the machine with a real clutter free look on your counter.

This excellent Morphy Richards appliance is available in black, white, grey and cream. It can also be partnered with a matching kettle.

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Key Features

Defrost bread straight from the freezer with the defrost function
Reheat toast whenever you need to
Cancel button for interrupting cycles
Variable browning control to cook your bread just right
Dimensions: 25 x 22 x 18.5 cm

3 – Breville VTT529 Impressions 2-Slice

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The Breville VTT529 Impressions 2 slice toaster delivers quite a punch for the price you pay.

The high gloss finish with chrome detailing gives this toaster a real high-end feel to it. To make things even better you can pair this up with a matching kettle to complete the look and upgrade in your kitchen.

The VTT529’s looks are easily matched by the functions it offers. With settings between 1 to 9, you will always be able to find the perfect browning level for your toast.

A cancel button which is always a must is included with this model giving you the opportunity to easily abort your cycle whenever you need to.

Another feature you would expect to find is its reheat button which is quite handy if you ever forget your toast and need to warm it up quickly.

What makes this toaster an extra edge over many at this price range is its Lift and Look lever allowing you to raise the slices to monitor progress without having to cancel the cycle.

In addition, its high lift facility means smaller slices of bread can be pushed out without having to risk burning your fingers.

It also comes equipped with a defrost button allowing you to take slices straight from the freezer and keep your bread for longer saving you money along the way.

To make cleaning a hassle-free affair, this toaster comes with a pull-out crumb tray.

Another nice bonus with this model is the variable width bread slots for both thick and thin slices.

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Key Features

Lift and Look lever to check progress without cancelling
High lift facility for taking smaller bread out without burning your fingers
Easy pull-out crumb tray to make cleaning easy

4 – Dualit 26205 2-Slot Lite Toaster

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Dualit toasters are nothing short of iconic in the world of toasters. It is not just the superior nature of their designs but also the durability of their machines which is so admired.

The Dualit 26205 is no exception. Its sleek chrome gloss finish gives it a sleek look. The classic look is combined with several modern features meaning you get a lot of value for what you pay.

The peep and pop function means you can easily check up on the progress of your toast without stopping the cycle.

One of the features that really sets this toaster apart is its patented browning technology. This will essentially ensure your toast is perfectly golden brown every time by calculating cooking time by checking the temperature of the toast and its surroundings. This removes the trial and error involved with a lot of toasters whilst you try find your perfect cycle.

As well as bread, this model also has a bagel setting. In addition due to its extra wide slots it can also toast thicker slices and great toasties in a Sandwich Cage (sold separately). This extra capability is a real bonus and means you potentially do not have to spend extra for a toastie maker.

The removable bread crumb tray makes it really easy to clean the machine whenever you need to.

A high lift lever means you can avoid burning your fingers when you want to take out smaller items like crumpets. Whilst the defrost function allows you to defrost items straight from the freezer which is great for keeping your bread fresher for longer.

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Key Features

Peek and pop function means you can check up on your toast without stopping your cycle
Extra wide slots meaning you can toast thicker slices
Bagel setting for the perfect bagels
Dimensions:17(w) x 27(d) x 20(h) cm

What Features Should I Look Out For?

Keep Warm: A useful button to keep your toast at a warm temperature and ready for your butter when you are. This is usually a 30 second or one minute cycle to heat your cold bread.

Defrost: A great feature if you like to keep your bread fresh for longer by freezing it. This feature will defrost your bread and depending on the model get the process of toasting started.

Reheat: This is handy when you get distracted and come back to cold toast.

Cancel: A fairly standard setting that will allow you to cancel a cycle mid-way, quite helpful if you need to add just a little bit of brown after a first run.

Bagel: This will typically toast your bread on one-side, useful for bagels, English muffins, crumpets and the like.

High Lift: This can be particularly useful if you’re not toasting full length bread as it will bring the bread well above the rim of the toaster saving your from burning your fingers.

Crumb Tray: A crumb tray will catch the bits of bread that fall off during the process. They can prove to keep very useful when it comes to cleaning the toaster.

How Much Should I Pay?

Spending in the range of £25 – £60 should comfortably get you a functional as well as sleek looking toaster. Of course if you are able and willing to spend more there are lots of options on the market for high-end toasters that would your house look great.

What Is The Best 2 Slice Toaster To Buy?: Tell Us Your Thoughts.