Ultimate convenience

Small appliances are meant to make our lives easier, right? Yet a benchtop full of stainless-steel contraptions can sometimes be so overwhelming, you spend more time moving them out of the way than using them. So how do we know we’re going to get serious bang for our buck? According to Gary Brown, senior brand manager for home appliances at Harvey Norman, it’s all in the planning. “Before you start getting excited, think about what you cook, how you cook and what you would cook, if you had the resources,” says Gary. “Use this as a checklist before you go buying appliances that will just gather dust.”

More than ever, our busy lives demand convenience and what’s more convenient than a multi-purpose machine? Multicookers, slow cookers, pressure cookers, oh my! Store shelves are filled to the brim with functionality, but are they worth the hype? “Every family is different,” admits Gary. “But when you’ve found your perfect match, it can be life-changing.” Capacity comes first, so you’ll want to buy the largest machine your budget (and space) allows. Next comes the why? Do you spend weekends cooking in bulk and filling the freezer for time-poor weekdays, or do you like to whip up a falling-offthe-bone osso bucco in less time than it takes to bake a cake? “Cooking is all about confidence,” says Gary. “Once you’ve discovered the right machine for you, the world is your oyster.”

Heading into the summer months, best-sellers like slow and pressure cookers still reign supreme, but there are a few surprising additions gaining traction in the market. “Pie makers have been super popular,” says Gary. “With the ability to make a pie, with any filling, in just 12 minutes, the options are endless!” Once reserved for the commercial world, dehydrators are becoming more common in kitchens, with an uptake in making jerky, roll-ups and dried fruit by some of Gary’s customers. And of course, with summer entertaining comes