Thank you… yes… this is definitely a need. Mainly, I’m just cooking for two; the big oven uses so much electricity and makes the kitchen quite hot (which in the desert makes a difference).
A convection oven just makes more sense and even my 12" Lodge Cast Iron pan fits in there.
It is going to be the work horse for about 95% of my cooking/baking.
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Congrats. I was looking at one of these at retail the other day for my beach house (which has no “real” oven). It would replace a sputtering Breville 800. I would gladly buy one, but it would have to be installed under the counter, which would require extensive shelf and storage modification.
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Congrats! I also am in the desert - Arizona. I use the short winters to make stock and other heating-up-the-kitchen stuff, when possible. In the summer, I cook a few servings at a time, and then freeze the excess. I use the microwave a lot.
The bread machine lives in the laundry room, which is away from the living area, and there is a closed door to it.
Some of my neighbors have full kitchens outside on a patio, not just a bbq grill. That is not for me, as I don’t like the well-fed rat population hanging around.
What other hot desert cooking tips could you share? I am extremely motivated to find ways to keep cooking cooler when the temp is over 110 F.
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Similar to you, I try to use the microwave and avoid using the big oven. I do a little bit of grilling outside on an old Hibachi, but not that much.
I’ve been flirting with the idea of a solar oven. I want to try that concept by doing a DIY (simple) enclosed solar oven before investing money into a professional one. My theory is let the sun slow cook dinner outside.
I agree with you, I don’t want a full outside kitchen.
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We dont get that much air temperature hot, but 95 degrees with 90% humidity means keeping the temperature in the kitchen manageable means everything.
I use a countertop oven all the time too.
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Got this Sunbeam Vista (VT-40) today for $5.40, in beautiful condition and toasts bread perfectly. People on eBay etc. are selling the same anywhere from $175-$235.
No matter, my 3rd daughter needs a toaster. The only problem is the last ~ 6 inches toward the plug get too hot (IMHO) when toasting so I’ll probably replace the cord. That’ll kill resale value but I’m not looking to sell it anyway; just want it to work safely.
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Great score!
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A thing of beauty indeed!
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A friend pointed me to this guy’s channel. He’s got various tech reviews etc. but this one focused on repairing Sunbeam toasters, including some tips on replacing the cord, and how to adjust tension if the auto-lower/raise feature isn’t working properly.
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if you got the same Zyliss garlic press I have, it’s worth the $10 by itself. I love those things. Sturdy, effective, easy to clean…
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At first, I was disappointed about the thrifting scene in Hawaii compared to Washington, but it turned out to be decent once I found out where to look.
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You raked in all those Fisslers on one trip? You Win The Internet!
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Yeah that was exciting! Facebook marketplace, $20 for the pair. The Demeyere was from offerup - the seller was asking $29 but I had to pay an additional $40 for shipping, so I’m not sure that really counts as a thrift buy. The rest were from thrift stores for pretty cheap.
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Holy grail! Good day. Props to ya! Look to be in great shape.
On Kaua’i?
Honolulu.
Wouldn’t be near Kahala, would it?
Oh yeah, probably a 10-15min drive from here
I have a dear friend with a house in Black Point, who clued me in to a Goodwill in the high rent district (maybe technically outside Kahala). I remember it having lots of scarce Tori Richard cotton lawn Aloha shirts.
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That’s the one I used to go to, but they shut it down during covid. They’re rebuilding that building and there are Goodwill posters on the site, so hopefully it’ll be back at some point. The best place I found here so far is a store called Savers in kalihi.
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