Standardization of household goods / end user goods
This is an off-shore sweat-shop knock off variant of @Akir 's "Kitchen Towel" installment of "Someone Asks Basic Life Questions to the Internet" thread, which was very popular.
Short problem: So many different types of stuff around the house and I'm sick of it.
Longer problem:
I have dozens upon dozens of types of towels, gifted to me from teenage years from someone, and I've never managed to be able to buy my own towels. And it sucks. They're all different types and styles and sizes and fabric and....I'm old now and I hate it and I just want to fold ONE type of towel in the bathroom and ONE type of towel in the kitchen. I would like different colours for different purposes, maybe I can decorate them myself or whatever -- but I want standardization. From @Akir's thread, I learned about "Flour Sack Towels" from @tanglisha and omg where had that advice been all my life. I feel like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel for kitchen towels.
What I need:
Recommendations for all types of household goods that have stood the test of time, where I can obtain the same product from multiple sources or one long standing brand that is not interested in diversification.
one common type, common functions, common properties
Example: Corelle dishes. I have "big plates" and "little plates" and "bowls" that are all the same size and form, and at thrift stores I can easily find replacements of these common types, even if they were made decades apart and in different patterns. All exactly the same: serves the same and washes the same and stacks the same. The company seems uninterested in discontinuing their line of products and I love them for it. I need the Corelle of all things.
What are your trusty brands and types of "things" that are so obvious you'd never have to think about buying any other types of? Something so standardized that in your region they're just known as "----" instead of what they are actually called or brand name or size?
Do you know a brand that just makes ONE thing forever and they'll never change? Or a public domain type of thing that's an industry standard? I need to know what they are. Nails? Screws? Tools? Computer things? Cables? Cutlery? Knives? Types of household chemicals? Spices? Meat cuts? Margarine? Storage bins? Kinds of wood? All kinds of things, please.
Side question about existing, gifted, singleton household towels and socks :
I'd like to ask about what to do with my existing million different types of socks and towels. I want to buy my own as an now older adult. At what point should I flat out tell them to stop giving me socks and towels? Do I just suck it up and keep quietly re-gifting them to food bank? What about all the ones in current rotation? I would hate to throw out stuff but at this point I'm nearly ready to do it.
Lodge cast-iron pans. Can be any brand really, we just happen to have Lodge, and they should be pretty easily available (at least in the US). We have a small, medium, and large one that get used almost daily. People are very finicky about what you can’t use them for or how to properly treat them and season them…. Well we don’t do any of that, treat our pans like the workhorses they are, and they serve us just fine and will probably outlast us by a quite a few decades.
A note about Lodge, and other modern cast iron pans- they're fine, and they last forever, so this isn't a knock against them per se, but. If you can find an older pan, made in decades past, the cooking surface will often have been polished smooth instead of left as a rough cast, like the current stuff is. This isn't from use, it's an additional step from the manufacturer. It's not a huge difference once the seasoning has set, but if someone is looking at vintage cookware, it's a nice-to-have to look for.
Of course, you can always polish any pan yourself, too, if you're handy like that!
I've only ever had cheap cast iron, and then I used a good le creuset one at a friend's cabin and wow..... which is too bad since I already have cheap ones that will last forever, and I won't be in the market for new ones :\
maybe if i polish it like it says here -- doesn't sound like it can go possibly wrong, if it's just 80 grit sand paper.
Le Creuset stuff is enameled as well, most higher end cast-iron cookware is. It's pretty nice. No need for seasoning and you wash it by just letting it soak in warm water for a couple of hours and everything comes right off.
This needed to be pointed out. Enameled cast iron and bare cast iron are entirely different. In terms of cooking properties and care steps, they don’t resemble each other at all. I have seen people that try to use cast iron to increase their dietary iron intake for anemia, but mistakenly use enameled cast iron, which does absolutely nothing for dietary iron. They are as different from each other as, for example, hard anodized aluminum and teflon coated aluminum are.
i think this was a vintage le creuset that isn't enameled
i have a cheap enameled cast iron dutch oven and it super sticks no matter what I do. basically stopped using it and just went back to regular seasoned cast iron.
If you have access to a grinder with a steel brush attachment, you can smooth out the cooking surface of your cast iron. Then you will want to wash it well to remove the fine filings and give it a very thorough seasoning right away as well (which I do by a few rounds of oiling and baking at the highest temperature my oven will go).
This won't remove the dimples in the cast iron (unless you grind off a lot of material), but they fill in with seasoning anyway. But it will knock down the bumps and make the surface silky smooth to the touch.
I’ve used an angle grinder on cast iron before and can attest that you can make the pans super smooth. One caution for anyone planning to do it is to make sure you’re prepared to manage and protect yourself from the iron dust because there will be a LOT of it.
Le Creuset is one of the brands you're looking for. The only real changes they've made over time are colors and adding new things - you can buy basically the same Dutch oven that Julia Childs used right now. When I went through a Les Creuset stage I intentionally got different colors so I didn't have to worry about matching later.
oh i didn't know they make all the same types forever! I only ever see other people with it and have always been too intimidated to even go into their stores. thanks! I'll aim to buy one the next time I need cookware :D
I have seen them at overstock stores like TJ Maxx and Kohl’s. They also very seldomly show up at second hand shops and are reasonably priced if the person making them doesn’t know what they are. If you do go that route, look over the enamel carefully to make store it isn’t cracked or chipped.
There's often lots of cast iron at Goodwill / Value Village / second hand stores. Sometimes it needs some work, but I have found decent pans there before that were in pretty good shape.
I have seen new cast iron pans that have polished surfaces, but they are very expensive. Of course there is no need to buy an expensive one when you can buy a used one for considerably less. They are tanks.
Seconding this and also a recommendation to go to a Lodge Outlet store if you have one close by. They have 2nds/3rds (basically, items that weren't deemed perfect) and the price savings is incredible. I have picked up different sizes and gifts for family/friends that you have to look hard to find the imperfections. More often than not, the imperfection is cosmetic and has no impact on the cooking surface.
Wow that sounds wonderful, didn't know they had their own stores. Just took a look at their website and seems like they're mostly in Tennessee, with another one in Charlotte, NC.
Will definitely stop by if I'm ever around those parts, thanks for the suggestion!
So here are a few of our BIFL picks for household goods that haven't already been mentioned:
Coffee maker: If you don't need fancier espresso and just want a drip coffee maker that produces a large quantity of consistently good joe, this Cuisinart model lasted for 15 years of daily use before we replaced it with the same one.
Round-edged bread box: This fire engine-red version may not be to your taste, but the smoothly rounded edges are great for cleanability (you'll want to wipe the interior down with bleach water occasionally if you're in an area where ambient mold is a problem), and it's big enough to hold odd-sized artisan loaves. There's an adjustable vent so you can control the internal humidity. ***Culinary tip - don't refrigerate baked goods unless they contain fillings or toppings that can support foodborne diseases. The hydrated starches are more stable at room temperature, in a covered container at moderate humidity. Plastic bags foster sogginess and mold.
Sheet pans: You don't need fancy non-stick, insulated, or otherwise gimmicked-up pans. Get restaurant supply-grade aluminum pans, and keep them clean. Usually, two half-sheets and two quarter-sheet pans will do for most household cooking, extra if you often make enough at once to load all of your oven racks. Use appropriately-sized Silpat baking mats when you need non-stick properties. Silpats are useful for all kinds of things - protecting countertops when working with dough, covering pans of prepped food in the 'fridge... Silpats store compactly and they're dishwasher safe. Unlike most current silicone kitchen gear, they're fiberglass reinforced, oven safe to 500 °F, bleach-resistant, and hold up to commercial use. I can't comment on the quality of the Silpat imitators, because my Silpats are 25 years old and still going strong. For really messy baking, line pans with aluminum foil.
Mise bowls: Small, flat-bottomed stainless steel bowls (8 - 10 cm diameter) are super handy for organizing spices, minced garlic, measured liquids, and other ingredients as you lay out a recipe. They're also useful for serving sauces, seasonings, and garnishes on the table, accompaniments on cheese boards, and the like. Unornamented, they cost around $2 each and last forever.
Pyrex casserole dishes and pie plates - these are inexpensive, easy to clean (with soaking), and cook very uniformly. You might get better thermal mass effects with Emile Henry ceramics, but the quality improvement isn't worth the cost increment. We've had the same ones for decades.
Chain-mail pot scrubber - trust me, you need this. It's 1000% better than ScotchBrite pads for getting stubborn gunk off pots and pans, and it's safe on glass, ceramic, and enamel.
Kerrygold butter: This is the best commonly available butter for baking (get unsalted and freeze any that you won't use within a few weeks). The flavor is good and the moisture content is absolutely consistent. If you wonder why your cookies can't be depended on to come out well from batch to batch, switch to Kerrygold. Plugra is also good for this reason, but the extra cost isn't justified.
King Arthur flours: Worth it for consistent results. If a recipe calls for all-purpose, pastry, cake, or bread flour, the corresponding King Arthur flours have calibrated gluten content that matches the desired properties in most recipes. This isn't always true for other name brands, and store brands can be very far off the labels.
I'll probably think of more later, but this is enough to get started with.
I'm bookmarking this, thank you, amazing information. Every one of those is exactly what I need: I don't necessarily need an item to last for life but I need to be able to get good replacements easily. So many things I've not even heard of but want now: silpats and chainmail scrubbers on top of my list.
Are the chainmail scrubbers bleach safe? How do you clean them? I've been conscious of the monthly sponge throwing out but I can't quite live with older sponge either so this will be great.
It never occured to me butter isn't just butter....but of course.....
Chainmail scrubbers are made of stainless steel wire rings, and should be safe in any cleaning conditions that are safe for your pots and pans. You can even boil the scrubber if it gets clogged with resistant gunk.
The scrubber isn't a substitute for using sponges and towels to wipe up. I have seen our scrubber leave gray iron marks from hard rubbing on white enamel or rough ceramics since those surfaces have a greater hardness than steel. The marks come off with a ScotchBrite pad... No perfect solutions, but chainmail is a darn good one.
Maybe I'll try to scrub it with flour sack towel mentioned elsewhere in this thread..... Soak, scrub. :/
Do you have a link to any specific mode bowls you like?
I’m intrigued and would consider adding them to the kitchen
There are many versions of mise en place/sauce/pinch bowls available on Amazon (example), at restaurant supply stores, and in Asian grocery stores (sold for serving dipping sauces and condiments). I recommended stainless steel because this material ensures interchangeability and durability. You can get decorated/colorful glass and ceramic versions if you prefer, e.g. for festive service of condiments at the dinner table.
The important things in my experience are the ~ 3 - 4 inch/8 - 10 cm size, so you can use as many as needed to prep a complex recipe without crowding your space, but still have room to scrape, spoon, pour or pinch out quantities; the flattened bottom to avoid tipping; and ease of sanitation (dishwasher and bleach-safe). I don't think matching lids are beneficial - they're usually not liquid-proof, they're easy to lose or damage, and they're just another source of microplastics. If anything does need to be stored, plastic wrap works well enough on bowls this small.
Ohh I actually have a bunch of small glass containers I got from yoghurts that I sorta use like this, but theyre just a bit smaller (2 inches)
Theyre shaped a bit weird so now I can see the value of these specific example.
https://www.amazon.com/Luminarc-Glass-Inch-Stackable-Round/dp/B016X2MXYO
I use these, they're on the smaller size but glass so you can microwave butter or whatever. I also use them as tiny snack bowls for stuff like wasabi peas.
Similar previous discussion: https://tildes.net/~life/15tr/general_product_recommendations
Towels can become rags. Store them somewhere accessible but out of the way. Use them for odd messy jobs that would destroy your nice towels.
Socks is an odd one. I specifically ask for my favorite brand of sock so I haven't had an issue with receiving socks I don't want. Donation of new packs you don't want is a good idea. Use the time before birthday/christmas and just tell the sock santa, "I appreciate all the socks you've given me over the years. I'm grateful that I've always had nice new socks. But I don't need anymore socks. What I'd really are (some simple, comparable thing here)."
For other things: ikea dishes are nice enough and we have a large set of blue ones. I do appreciate having a few oddball dishes of slightly different shapes; it's nice to have options for serving dishes or maybe a little snack in a smaller bowl.
Re: The socks. Have you considered making the switch to something a bit more durable, like Darn Tough merino wool socks? They're pricey (esp up here in Canada), but you could ask for them as gifts in lieu of the usual ones you receive and get rid of immediately. They're extremely comfortable, and really are insanely durable. So much so that they even have a legitimate life-time warranty, which they will actually honor.
I made the switch to Darn Tough a few years ago, and while I only have 4 pairs so far (and 2 pair of Injiji toe socks) that's actually enough, since I can just rotate them out. Ideally I would like to own a few more pairs though, so I have asked for and am hoping to receive some more this Christmas. :)
This is going to sound disgusting, but I've packed a single pair of Darn Toughs for a five-day trip (winter + miles of walking in boots), and they still didn't stink at the end of it. If you do any traveling or backpacking, replace your other socks with Darn Toughs.
They've also stood up to a large cat that steals balled-up socks from the laundry basket as toys and chews/claws them.
Nah, not disgusting at all, IMO. And it's one of the major reasons I really like Dark Tough socks too. It's almost magic how little they retain odors, unlike most other socks. So they usually don't stink at all, even after multiple days of wearing them, even in super sweaty conditions. At the end of the day just rinse them in water, then air dry them, and they're typically good to go again the next day. They're super popular with thru-hikers for precisely that reason. They get crusty after a while of doing that, so you do have to wash them properly eventually, but I also often wear them for a few days in row too.
Having only one pair of socks with me wasn't intentional 🤦, but it was a good experiment with the stench-resistant properties of high merino-content material.
I've pretty much given up on SmartWool since their products' synthetic content keeps going up. And Patagonia Capilene synthetics? Spouse's Capilene thermal layers will get an indelible fong that persists through repeated washings. The hollow synthetic insulating fibers are warm, but a bacterial party zone.
Seconding Darn Tough. I wear almost exclusively Darn Tough both when I'm out in the backcountry or just around town and there are few things in my life that are more well suited to the job that they are designed for. I've just tested their life-time warranty with a pair that found the wrong side of a very thick blackberry bramble a few weeks ago and they replaced them no questions asked! Now if only I could do the same thing for my poor calves.
Same. I have a darn tough sticker and the number of people who mention it to me is surprising. It’s all i wear now. I’ve also had a great experience with their warranty system.
One thing to note, to claim the warranty, you do need to send in pairs, so consider buying a few pairs of the same design socks if you know what you like.
Wow. Wow wow wow this is exactly why I made this thread. They are kinda pricey per pair but I'm sick of receiving/buying single style bad socks. Maybe I can make a switch..... I hope they stick around forever and I don't have to switch styles or brands.
I’ll give another +1 for darn tough. They are the best socks I have ever tried by a huge margin. That statement is not an exaggeration, and I have tried all of the common competitors. The only brands that are even close are smartwool and farm to feet. Both are priced similarly most of the time. Smartwool quality has gone off a cliff the past few years. Even trying on new socks from smartwool, they don’t feel pleasant. Farm to feet, when new, can compete pretty directly with darn tough. The difference is in how they age. My farm to feet socks will start to feel unpleasant even when they still look good. However my darn tough will still be excellent even when very worn out. At this point, I will not even consider buying socks unless they are darn tough.
For the gift issue in general, letting folks know what types you prefer may go a long way. Particularly with those socks, instead of buying a 10 pack of cotton socks, one pair of high quality wool socks is a reasonable trade-out. I've also been buying them gradually over time, they're even better than my beloved Wigwam socks. (I still have the Wigwam ski socks I bought in high school, over 20 years ago. They're in perfect shape.)
If you haven't bought socks in a while, there are different weights of Darn Tough. I adore the thick padded hiking socks in the winter, but they aren't as nice when it's just warm enough out that you don't want to wear sandals. They have a sock finder quiz on their website that will help you find the right type for you.
Darn Tough has been around since 1978... and they have a rather loyal fanbase, which you will probably see pop up whenever someone mentions them online (e.g.), and which I now consider myself a part of. ;) So I think they're a pretty safe bet.
Wool typically feels itchy to me, even very soft wool eventually irritates. I might have an allergy, idk, I'm allergic to everything.
Does anyone here have experience with other wool clothes being itchy, but darn tough socks not itching?
I cannot confirm this is the reason, but it may apply. I am allergic to wool and I couldn't wear anything with any wool content or else I would eventually break out into a rash. I knit and when talking to a local yarn shop owner I mentioned that I can't use wool products because I'm allergic. She asked if I was allergic to the fiber or lanolin, and of course I had no idea. Turns out I'm allergic to lanolin (the oils in the fiber) and not the wool itself. The process to remove this is called superwashing and it allows wool to be washed in a machine instead of by hand.
I've asked the through chat on the Darn Tough website if they use superwash wool, but the customer service person had no idea. I have assumed that they do, since the socks can be washed and dried in a machine which is the biggest benefit to superwash wool.
It might not actually be lanolin related. Most regular wool products typically feel really itchy to me too. I have a few pair of regular wool socks that I can only wear on top of other socks because they irritate my skin so bad. But none of my merino wool stuff is similarly itchy to me. My Darn Tough and Injinji socks aren't itchy at all. And I also have a merino wool scarf and blanket that aren't itchy either despite being hand-wash only (so I would assume are not superwashed).
According to the Darn Tough's Merino Wool FAQ:
See also:
5-ish Merino Wool Myths, Debunked by Darn Tough Vermont
cc: @Mountain-View5322
I believe you are right for a huge chunk of the people who feel that wool is itchy, it's more about the fiber composition than the lanolin. My comment was really based on my personal experience, just in case there are others out there with similar reactions to lanolin in wool and not the fiber itself. If there are no allergic symptoms (rash and watery eyes are how my allergy presents itself), then it's probably just a fiber quality difference instead of an allergy.
And thanks for the extra reading materials! While I use lots of different types of wool for knitting, I never really looked into the different compositions of the fiber before. I'm about to go down a rabbit hole of finding out the compositions for all the different fibers I have lying around.
Yeah, sorry, I didn't mean to totally discount your experiences. I'm sure plenty of people do have lanolin allergies, and you might be one of them... especially if you experience a rash or watery eyes, which I've never gotten with exposure to any kind of wool, even the really rough, itchy kind.
Thanks cfabbro, I might give these socks a try.
Given that I have used lanolin cream before without a reaction, I think that may not be a problem. Maybe I'll give these socks a try.
It does look like they have a non-wool option available.
Sorry, I don't. But you could try contacting them directly to ask about that:
https://darntough.com/pages/contact-us
Darn Tough makes solid colored socks, particularly in the men's sizes, so if you want to avoid unmatched socks, you can get all black or all charcoal (or all teal blue or crimson...) colors. They do seem to have a very wide variety of patterns, and I'm not sure if they keep making the same ones from year to year. I haven't had to replace any yet, either; I've just been gradually replacing my other socks with Darn Tough.
***It only seems like I've got too many pairs of socks, but that's the price of living with temperatures that vary over four true seasons. Light-, mid-, and heavyweight socks are a must.
Mixing bowls: get a bunch of stainless steel mixing bowls. They stack, they're nearly indestructible, they're light and easy to use. The only thing you need to be cautious about is reactive food - I cooled some boiled potato in one and they went grey which is safe but unappetising to look at.
Gifts are a genuinely baffling thing to me. I know my family well enough to be able to say "please don't buy me socks or towels this year". I did a Christmas list but it makes me seem unhinged if you don't know me, like genuinely an awful person. I'll let you see it, because it should reassure you that you saying "it's very kind but I have enough socks now" is fine in comparison to whatever the heck I'm doing here. I live in the UK and M&S do nice cotton socks so I buy those, and then I bought them and they've ever so slightly changed the sewing pattern and now they suck. (But this might just be my feet, or maybe my shoes, I haven't quite worked out what's going on yet). But I know that for some people gifts are about the giving, and they spend a lot of time thinking about what they're going to gift you and any suggestion that it might not be what you need or want is an affront. So, I don't have any advice for that situation.
It's been a big problem for me in the past. I find a pair of trousers that I like, I want to buy 8 pairs because they're comfy, but never have enough spare cash to just do that. And by the time I've got enough they've changed season and now everything is different. I'd have thought M&S would have twigged that lots of men just want to buy the thing, and the store needs to have a robust label with a part number that can be used to find whatever this year's version of the thing is.
I like the IKEA IVAR shelving system and I have that all over my home. If I owned the flat I'd have ripped out the fitted kitchen and replaced it with ivar.
Rappanui make good quality, plain, t-shirts. They're a reasonable price. I'm going to get a load soon.
Grey from oxidation, or grey from metal contact and nickel leaching?
I have a mixed set of stainless bowls, and I love'em, but one of them seems to be a little less stainless than the others. Works fine, just make a point to not do acidic foods in that one.
A quart is roughly a liter.
I have a 2 quart pot and a 2.5 quart pot. They're my most used pots. They will fit a can of soup, a packet of ramen, enough water to cook 2-3 eggs. Not quite big enough for a serving of normal pasta, it'll boil over.
/>:E YES!!! BRRR! My best friend only ever wore one type of sock from Costco which is great for laundry: pairing socks is trivial. And then they changed something and the quality is BAD. Just gimme the one thing and stop making "fashion"!!
Cuisinart food processors only seem to have gotten better over time, which is fairly impressive for something so relatively recent - though to be fair they have models of varying quality and utility, but the basic unit hasn’t really changed. If they didn’t branch into other kitchen appliances I think we would still use their brand to refer to any food processor.
Instant Pot is another good one that is a lot more recent. They went through bankruptcy not too long ago and there are people who are saying that it happened because their product didn’t break down enough so they saturated the market.
That is pretty incredible isn't it, when most things only get worse, seemingly. I had a hard time buying a Cuisinart stand mixer because there are so many models. I didn't want to do that kind of headache inducing homework plus price watching, nor did I want to end up with a thanksgiving black Friday "special" built specifically to be cheap. In the end I just paid Costco money and trusted Costco. Very happy with it so far.
With instant pot that's an interesting story. I'm not personally convinced that there isn't something funny that went down. And no it isn't because the pot was so successful they saturated the market.
From CBC article
I have my tinfoil hat firmly in place here, but I think someone was doing some very inventive things with a half a billion dollars.
When we were young and poor, we amassed a mishmash of thrifted silverware of varying quality. My partner got fed up with spoons bending when he used them on icecream, so he went into town to seek out the most expensive spoon he could find that was sold as an individual piece rather than as part of a set. He bought two and designated them the ice cream spoons. They turned out to be Maxwell & Williams spoons from the Cosmopolitan set.
Over the years, we have gradually replaced our least favorite silverware with more Maxwell & Williams Cosmopolitan silverware from that same shop, and re-released their thrifted equivalents back into the secondhand market. This year, we finally replaced the last fork and two butter knives, and now we have 100% matching silverware.
The best part is that because we grew our silverware collection organically, rather than by buying as a set, we actually have the correct numbers of each item based on our usage (e.g., we have a lot of spoons, but only a few butter knives). And it's super convenient whenever we need to expand a little—for example, when we plan to have a lot of guests over and just need a couple more pieces.
True domestic bliss!
Mason Jars! Doesn't have to be that specific brand but they come in a few different sizes but use the same two kinds of lids (reg & wide mouth). I have plastic ones that i use instead of the steel canning lids.
I use them as drinking glasses, for meal prep, for food storage etc. etc. Any prep you do in them you can just put a lid on which i love.
And, i found that the small 16oz nut butter containers fit the lid of mason jars!
I have heard ppl suggesting takeout containers which are what restaurants do. I like them but im tried to minimize reliance on plastics
Also i love this question! Ive been trying to standardize my kitchen over the years, figuring things out. Eliminating unitaskers. Really cuts down on the amount of stuff you need.
OH there's such a thing as plastic mason jar lids?! i think the lid part was the only thing holding me back from using mason jars as the catch-all
amazing! thank you !
I just wanted to echo the praise for Corelle. Its introduction marks the high point in human civilization as far as I’m concerned.
Indeed. I always joke that corelle dish ware have an internal HP value: each piece can take any number of small abuse and mishap until one day, decades after its first use, seemingly without reason, there's a bump and then it completely shatters into a million pieces.
The Egyptians built the pyramids, the Romans built the Colosseum, and our civilization made Corelle.
The first was built for a Pharoah,the second for Ceasar. Corelle was made for the common man.
I think we had the best of the lot.
Junping on to also heap praise on Corelle. My parents had a set when I was growing up and the first thing I did when I moved out on my own was to buy a set. Met my now husband and he had a set too. In the time we have been together, there has been one chipped plate and one broken bowl. Ran out to the grocery store and picked up individual replacements that fit perfectly. No need to buy a whole new set for a single plate.
There is another suggestion I wanted to add here: when you are in the market for a new appliance, do some research online or ask for advice from someone who does repairs. What you want is an appliance that is very solidly built out of modular parts that are easy to replace. (Bonus: Such appliances are also usually cheaper, since factories don't need to be re-tooled to create them.)
We bought our dishwasher secondhand 11 years ago (no idea how old it was already when we got it). It is an extremely generic dishwasher: the exact same components are used across many makes and models of dishwasher, and it is trivial to find the parts online and order them delivered. We clean the filter regularly and we have replaced some components (e.g., the wheels on the two pull-out drawers that finally started to crack after thousands of hot cycles), and it still cleans like a brand new dishwasher. The longer we have it, the more I love it it.
This is exacllent advice! Of course, asking the people who fix these what they know is of good value - genius
Thank you
I would have loved to repair our old Cuisinart coffee maker, but there's only so much you can do with years of hard/acidic water damage. When the parts were available (or could be printed), the time/money cost was unattractive. We did salvage some likely compatible parts from the old one if any maintenance is needed on the new one.
Some of this may be highly localized. Particularly with food goods. In my neck of the woods we have Straus milk products and I can say with some confidence they are some of the best products I've ever eaten. You can actually see the cows they harvest from throughout the region with little "Straus" placards at the ranches.
Same with meat. I'd suggest going to a butcher (or even just the butcher section of a local, non-franchise grocery store). In a real butchershop, the folks behind the counter usually take a lot of pride in what they do and will happily chat with you for a while. Just go off peak hours so they have time to chat without causing a line.
The last suggestion I'll make is that some of the "iconic" brands that make one thing really really well sometimes sell out to private equity firms. The firm in turn looks at ways to make the company more profitable and often this leads to a reduction in quality. The idea is that they can make bigger margins on products that have a bullet proof reputation and ride that reputation long enough for a nice return. (For me 5.10 MTB shoes getting bought out by Adidas is a perfect example of this). So to counteract that buying items from when the company was still making high quality goods is an alternative. Brad Leone has a great episode of Local Legends on thrifting for cast irons and refinishing them. We actually did a few before the pandemic and I have never been happier with a pan.
I feel the same way about my knife set as you do about towels. I was gifted a great set of Chicago Knives after graduation. I love them, they work incredibly well, the tang is the full length of the handle, and have sloped bolsters. All things that I specifically wanted from a knife. Downside? The set didn't have additional knives that matched to add to my set AND they discontinued it after a couple years. I wanted to add some more steak knives to the set... I was definitely out of luck.
So I have been slowly switching over to Wusthof - specifically the Classic collection. It's slow going because they're very expensive, but they are worth it and I will easily be able to grow my collection without the fear of them changing designs.
Ohhhh yeah a good knife in the hand is worth its weight in gold. I wish you God speed in acquiring a full set soon in this unpredictable world.
I'll add this to my list. But at that price it'll have to be one piece a year :) thank-you for the recommendation
A have a metal, possibly stainless steel, French press coffee maker that I picked up at an import shop. That thing will last forever.
I've been pretty impressed by my Land's End bath towels. They do sell a bunch of types and patterns but the basic cotton one has remained consistent. I found one in a thrift store and was impressed enough with how soft and fluffy it was that I bought a set new. They're different colors (those do change) but they're the same size and same trim with the trim in the same location. If you just bought a bunch of white ones I'm sure you could replace them whenever you wished, because they will always sell white. I've had them for over a year and they still look and feel great. I don't use fabric softener or dryer sheets and they're still plush and soft. They're a big upgrade over my older ones and I'll definitely buy more from them when I need to.
I'd recommend everyone buy one of these handy air compressors and keep it in the car. I bought one nearly 10 years ago and it was going strong until I had to buy a new one last year. But wait, I didn't have to replace it because it broke! Nope. We moved and it got lost in the shuffle. I'm happy to report that the new one seems identical in every way to the old one, so I have every reason to believe it will serve me well for at least another 10 years. Not bad for a $40 item.
I also keep one of these in the car. Coupled with a small selection of common tools and some duct tape, I can handle most of the common problems that would cause me to be stranded somewhere. 🙂