Monday 3 January 2011

Do I really need this?

My gas oven is rubbish. You know those careful cookbooks that explain that you should always fill your oven when you bake, and even get extra shelves just in case? It doesn't work. My oven will cook in the top third only.

This oven formerly belonged to my late Mother In Law, and worked fine for her. Apparently there is some oddity in the pipework which means that the oven is getting a lesser gas supply than it needs.

I don't really use my oven that much. I use my electric slow cooker, my electric remoska, my microwave etc. However every now and then I want to do something in the oven. And I am so frustrated that it is so hard to judge the temperature of the oven, that the times can't be relied on and that cake making is so hit and miss. I have been considering buying a new cooker.

Then I start humming and hawing. Do I really need a new cooker? My strategies are working, it could be worse, I can manage... I love a gas hob, and I don't really trust little bear around electric hobs. And if I got a new cooker then I could perhaps get new gas pipework or something. Besides, our cooker has an eye level grill which is like hens' teeth and I don't like a built in grill like we use at Pickering.

Dithering is the most constant exercise I get.

However I did see something in the Argos catalogue - a mini electric oven. What is more, it is an acceptable price (well, less expensive than a new cooker!). I checked on ebay (my friend) and I saw this. Item no 190458850546 An oven described as being able to grill, roast and bake up to 220C for £25.

I don't really need it. Not at all. Must not look for other ideas...

2 comments:

Ian said...

Now I have a table-top oven that grills, roasts and bakes. It cost £50 and is worth it. I got mine from T J Hughes.

If I were to get an ideal cooker then it would have an electric oven and a gas hob. I never liked eye-level grills. The concept of gas burners springing into life at eye level always intimidated me.

In Liverpool the council runs a service that renovates and restores the electrical goods, particularly white goods, that it picks up and sells them at a reduced price. There's also a warehouse that sells items at a reduced price that have been returned to Comet and other stores of that ilk. They repair any faults. It might be worth checking out to see if there's a similar place in Leeds.

Morgan said...

You are encouraging her, Ian!! ;-)

WS, could you experiment a little more with the Remoska and the Slow cooker before you add more clutter to the kitchen? There are LOTS of things you can do in those that you might presently be trying to do in the oven - cakes, especially.

IF you must get one of these, do you have room for it in the kitchen?

And if you do, please don't tell us all how good it is, or I might be tempted as well!!


Hugs anyway!!