Oh dear. I think I may have created a bit of a monster. My husband has gone from moaning about my love of kitchen gadgets to a nearly full-on love of kitchen gadgets (see below for the story of how he went from hater to lover). So much so he's brought home gadgets he finds on his infrequent forays 'down the shops' - the electric kettle I had to buy a jug and funnel to fill as the handle is smack in the middle of the filler opening; the TWO pressure cookers I will likely never use and have no idea who I can palm these space wasters off to, the...

Bit of backstory for new readers (or the forgetful ones:) - we're both 'older' and married in our mid-fifties. I brought two adult children and several grandchildren to the marriage, and he brought life-long bachelor habits. His house (I moved country from the USA to the UK) was a right mess, I'll spare you the frankly horrific details by simply saying it took two years to really sort the fish camp feel of the place to one closer to a home feel.

Setting up a new home (or bringing a current one to an appropriate standard) is not easy with a man who lived on his own for over 30 years thinking himself perfectly content but in reality was nutritionally and emotionally deficient from living in what can only be described as a fish camp (search it if you don't know what a fish camp is, or take my word for it a fish camp is no fit place for any long-term habitation). His constant refrain for the first several years when out and about browsing shops was 'We don't need that!'. But, well, yes, we did.

Btw, the refrain was used and heard no matter which bank account was dipped into, mine or his or the housekeeping one. Honestly, I do love the man, but he did make that love difficult when he moaned as much about purchases I made for our home from my own money as he did regarding purchases made from the joint one.

Over the years we came to an agreement - for our anniversary gifts we would buy things for the house - an agreement cemented by the purchase of a heavy duty non-stick fry pan in our first year. Being me, this agreement quickly morphed to him letting me choose Christmas and birthday gifts in the same fashion - I've always been that rare and bizarre oddity, the surprise gift of bulk kitchen or bathroom roll is of far more interest to me than flowers or the supermarket small plant that promptly dies within a week.

But BLIMEY did the man moan when I'd say - '(insert upcoming day whereon one traditionally receives gifts) is coming and this year I'd like (insert hoped for/much needed item or gadget).' Oh ffs, the moaning could be heard three streets over! 'You'll never use it' was frequently heard. He complained about the new paring and other kitchen knives, he complained new crockery, and the full set of cutlery (I'm sorry, but two spoons, two forks, and two butter knives is not 'enough' cutlery!), he bitterly complained about the set of casserole dishes, about the bed sheets; he complained about the bath towels, he complained about...well, he complained about everything I proposed adding to our household goods (that is until he used the items and discovered how nice it is to have these basic essentials - but still moaned when I'd buy something...). It got to the point I would just buy something and put it at the back of the pantry or linens cupboard. And when he'd finally see me using it (mini-food processor, hand mixer, decent toaster, baking tray, bedding...), would ask where that came from and I could honestly say 'We've had this for yonks, don't you remember?!' which of course would lower the moaning volume. Slightly.

He's STILL moaning about the slow cooker, btw.

But. January 2017 I forced him to 'give' me a ginormous electric skillet. 'You'll never use it' was repeated so often during the two weeks of constant discussion (seriously, two full weeks of discussion regarding the under £20 purchase of an electric fry pan, ffs!) I heard it in my sleep.

But buy it I did - a 42cm one with a glass lid and as soon as it arrived it went straight to work both on a properly cooked huge batch of Southern Fried Chicken (and later, curries, and paella, and full Scottish breakfasts, and...) - he simply couldn't believe, he says often, I didn't buy one of those things sooner.

He then did a serious month of observation in the kitchen (grrrrrr!) and suddenly realised just how fab it is to make one's own apple-sauce (with the mini-food processor, quick, cheap, and SO easy!), and how delicious the little biscuits are from the hand-gun cookie press, and wowsa how great is it we have a tarts-mince pie tin (did he really think all these years I was buying those things?! Well, yes, he did, apparently!), and the mini-rolls and banana loaves, and...and he finally admitted that electric can opener (my first 'unauthorised' kitchen gadget purchase he disdained until his ancient hand opener failed to successfully cope with those icky Fray Bentos pies he likes so well as they remind him of his uni days) is actually one of the best kitchen gadgets EVER since the electric toaster.

By this past Christmas run-up he had become so enthralled by kitchen gadgets now he badgered ME to 'choose' a 12L halogen oven for my gift.

Heh.

I really wanted/needed a 30cm electric skillet for smaller meals - I absolutely love the 42cm one for big meals but NEED the 30cm one for smaller meals.

Every time I'd try to steer him towards my real choice he'd steer me right back to the halogen oven. Nothing could sway him, not even my usually effective 'The accessories will really bump the cost up and you HAVE to have to the accessories to use the thing!'.

It was ordered (as were the required but after-market accessories including cooking books - seriously, why do these things not come as a bundle with everything needed to dive right in, I really-really-really want an answer to this!). It was duly unboxed and washed and prepped and I studied those (five in all, bl--dy hell!) cooking books as though revising for a medical degree or something.

And a storage spot in my 'real estate challenged' kitchen was finally discovered for it. Luckily, that storage spot is conveniently placed behind the free-standing radiator and I don't have to see/think about that kitchen real estate gobbling useless piece of...I still haven't 'tried' it out and have no intention of ever doing so. I'll keep it (along with the TWO pressure cookers I'll also never use that haven't even been unboxed because really, pressure cookers are overrated in my opinion - dangerous, and pointless, as, after learning about them, I know a pressure cooker just is not a kitchen gadget I'll ever want or need to use).

So. A few days ago he came home from picking up a few things from the local ironmonger. As he was unpacking his bags of caulk guns and tubes, etc, he 'casually' dropped in the news the ironmonger has expanded his offerings and has a British made rice cooker-steamer gadget on offer.

I'm of two minds on this. At first I think, yes, I've long thought a rice cooker might be a good idea. On second I think, after seven years in the UK I've finally managed to make an acceptable rice portion in the microwave - is he now trying to tell me my rice is too sticky? Erm, which it is, and I do miss fluffy rice...