Miele among the vacuum options on MSE

Avantra has asked,

“We are after a new vac as ours is now used solely for clearing debris in the house refit. We have a large ever-shedding happy lab […] what is the best overall vacuum that can do dog and general dirty polypropylene carpets?”

As ever the Money Saving Expert community has jumped in with advice with Ali-t going for Miele,

“My Miele cat and dog is a godsend and the extra guarantee also includes a pack of replacement bags that cost nearly the same as the guarantee making the 10 year guarantee nearly free!”

Also discussing Miele is CKDesigner – specifically the technology involved in the production of the bags, although he sums up his opinion succinctly,

“No other manufacturer in the world takes domestic vacuum cleaners as seriously as Miele!”

And then finally there is SuisideVW,

“Go Miele everyday.”

Click throught to read the the full Money Saving Expert vacuum related debate.

The Strangest Kitchen Gadgets Ever Invented

The kitchen is usually the place you will find a few select items that are functional rather than funky, but inventors are always attempting to create new products that push the boundaries of what we traditionally associate with food preparation. Here is a quick overview of some of the most interesting and odd kitchen-related gadgets ever to fly from the drawing board into cupboards and drawers around the world.

The Spork
Sporks are as famous for their delightfully silly name as much as their supreme practicality and it is believed that the first attempt to patent a device, which combined multiple bits of cutlery into a single unit, was made back in the 1870s. In the UK the term Spork was registered as a trademark back in 1975 and an unsuccessful challenge to this claim occurred in 1999. To this day, people ‘on the go’ use sporks to eat meals and lunch times would not be the same without it.

The Egg Cuber
Some people are just not satisfied with the shape of an egg after it has been hard-boiled and the natural curved appearance can be modified if you buy this entirely strange kitchen gadget. The Egg Cuber does precisely what its name implies, which is to cook eggs in a manner that produces a square three dimensional cube of solid egg at the end of the process. You can then slice it or eat it as a normal hardboiled egg and presumably this process also makes it easier to slot the cooked egg neatly into a lunch box.

The Freshness Sensor
If you do not want to rely on your nose or the sell by date stamped on your shop-bought food, then this little gadget will automatically detect when something is still ripe and ready to eat, or a little bit past its best. You just hold the sensor a few centimetres from the surface of the food, press a button and wait half a minute for the device to analyse the freshness of the food with which you have presented it. Three LEDs let you know whether it is fine to eat or worth throwing away and it could save you getting rid of perfectly good grub as well as keeping food poisoning at bay.

Electric Fork
Whilst the Spork is perfect for portable eating, this gadget is the best kitchen device for people who are feeling a little lazy. It is basically a spinning fork with a battery-powered head that rotates in order to tangle up lengths of spaghetti into a manageable mouthful of tasty food. If you have trouble keeping the sauce from your sleeves when you eat Italian meals then this is probably a worthwhile purchase.

Cup Noodle Stove
If you cannot adhere to the instructions on standard noodle-based instant snacks, then this tiny little cooking device is an alternative. It lets you cook up a small pot of your favourite brand of noodle treat in a matter of minutes and it makes boiling a kettle or using the microwave a thing of the past.

Image Credits: Spork, Joe Shlabotnik; Egg Cuber, Andrew Huff

Recommendation for Miele bagged vacuums

Mr_Knight after the breakdown of his vacuum has asked whether he should go with the same model which has served him well or if it is time for a change of brand. The Money Saving Expert community has jumped in and offered a few options.

In response to these he expressed a reservation about switching to a brand with a bag. This though doesn’t worry two contributors, who suggested Miele. First Slinky_Malinky,

“Miele vacuums are bagged but brilliant and very durable.”

Then abwsco,

“Go for a Miele. Mines over 15 years old, still sucks like new and I’ve only ever had to change the bags. Even they don’t need emptying often.”

Do you have reservations about bagged vacuums?

Bronwyn’s thoughts on the Miele Steam Oven

Bronwyn of practicallydaily is the latest lucky trialist of the fabulous Miele steam oven. As is evident from her recent posts, she seems to be enjoying trying out the ovens many functions and thinking of new recipes to try!

Previously, before life with a Miele steam oven, Bron used to bypass any delicious recipes that required steaming as she felt her existing saucepan and steamer combination wasn’t able to do the job when it came to certain things.

“I have a largish saucepan with a steamer that sits on the top that I have used sporadically but the steamer section is not very big and so works for, say, fish fillets but not much else. So when I am riffling through I tend to stop and think, mmmmm that sounds good and then I turn the page till I find something I can stirfry or simmer on the hob. I’m aware I’m missing out but till now I’ve not realised quite how much.”

Fortunately she’s now able to give steaming a try and has been singing its praises.

“The major discovery for me has been the way steaming creates an extraordinary delicacy of flavour and a new succulent texture, just a complete wow! In every mouthful. Crisp veg stays crispier and the pork in this dish took juicy to a new level. And all so very simple.”

To try one of the steaming recipes that Bron has been using with the steam oven, have a read of the instructions below.

Steamed Pork and Blackbeans

500g pork spare rib chops, diced into large cubes
2 tspn light soy sauce
1 tbspn shaoxing wine
2 tspns finely chopped ginger
2 tbspn blackbeans, rinsed
1/2 tspn chilli flakes
2 tspn lard – optional

Bring a pan of water to the boil and blanch the pork for a minute. Drain.

Put the meat into a heat proof bowl and mix with the soy, shaioxing and ginger. Top with the black beans, chilli and lard if using (I did and it added a lovely mouth feel to the final dish). Steam any which way for about 40 minutes.

If you’d like to trial a Miele steam oven, send Claire an email on Claire@Foreverbetter.co.uk and we’ll get right back to you.

DustFluffGrit meets the Miele Hybrid S4812

DustFluffGrit got to meet the Miele Hybrid S4812 at Miele’s new London gallery,

“Based on the design of their mid-range S4 canister, it’s the first cleaner to utilise Miele’s patented new ‘Hybrid’ technology, which allows the user to vacuum with the cleaner in either corded or cordless modes.”

In his post, EXCLUSIVE: Miele Hybrid S4812 and Eco Line S4212, he goes into all the details you’d want to know – from the lithium-ion batteries to how it coped with the pick-up assault course that had been set over a small set of carpeted stairs and featured among other debris, drawing pins, beads, porridge oats and cotton wool.

DustFluffGrit’s first impressions are positive, but he is looking forward to getting a trial version to really see what the hybrid is capable of. For now though,

“The Hybrid technology offers much more power, runtime and reach than a traditional hand-held cleaner, although obviously, it’s not as compact or lightweight, either! It’s one of those great ideas that begs the question, ‘why hasn’t anyone thought of this before?!’”

As you can tell from the title of the post there is also some investigation into the S4 Eco Line, which will only use 1300w of power, but has the same level of ‘pick-up power’ as a 2200w model.

For more click through to the DustFluffGrit, but before you do, have a look at his video below taken from his YouTube channel – vintagehoover.