To Appliance Heaven and Back

I spent yesterday afternoon at the World of Whirlpool Blogger Lunch in Chicago.  I swoon over appliances and other miscellaneous household items, so this event was a good fit.

I remember receiving a Clorox ReadyMop at my wedding shower in 2002.  As I squealed in delight, my girlfriends, who were nowhere near the marriage stage, flashed me this look of horror.  Like, “Oh my God, who IS this person!?”  I’m telling you, I became quite domesticated after saying yes to the dress.

But I digress.  Yesterday was heavenly.  If you have lived in appliance hell, like me, you might have experienced a sense of euphoria like I did in getting a first-hand look at the new Whirlpool digs in Chicago and some upcoming new appliance releases.

My appliance hell goes something like this: Five years ago, my over the range microwave stopped microwaving.  Microwaves are supposed to heat/cook things, right?  Right.  Mine didn’t anymore.  Not long after, our refrigerator started jumping up off of the floor.  I do not recall installing hydraulic lifts in said frig.  A new refrigerator was purchased but it’s nothing to write home about.  Then, seemingly weeks after, our washer and dryer craved some appliance technician attention.  We still can’t completely close the dryer door without it running…automatically.  None of these appliances were over eight years old and for the record, none of them were part of the Whirlpool brand family.

That being said, I’m always in the market for better appliances.  It was a treat to check out products from the various Whirlpool brands like, Maytag, Jenn-Air and KitchenAid.  The bloggers in attendance also got a lesson in kitchen and laundry science.  For instance, the quickest and newest (for the U.S.) cooking rage, Induction Cooktop cooking.

It was nice to learn about the induction cooktop, as this type of appliance is something I have not personally considered.

After watching someone cook on it, it has become more appealing to me for several reasons.  Safety – the burners will not “heat up” until a pan is sitting on it (it looks for the pan).  No knobs – all controls are on the top and there is a lock.  It heats contents in the pan lightning fast – I watched 1 quart of water come to a rolling boil in under 2 minutes.  The induction cooktop also seems easy enough to clean.  My only con was possibly not having the right pans (they have to be of a magnetic material).  However, that concern was mostly put to rest for me.

I do not own an induction cooktop but I won’t hesitate giving it serious consideration when the time comes.  Also, I hear they’re all the rage in Europe.

Mother’s Day is less than two weeks away and oh yes, I have an appliance wish list.  Ok, I know it’s mostly wishful thinking but a girl can drool over appliances, right?  Right.  Here are the items that have made my list:

KitchenAid Artisan Series Stand Mixer in Empire Red (excuse me whilst I wipe the drool from the corners of my mouth)

My mom has an old stand mixer that she has always put to good use (I have fond memories of using it for Christmas cookie and birthday cake mixing) and for years, I have swooned over my mother-in-law’s KitchenAid Stand Mixer.  I, unfortunately, have never owned a stand mixer.  Oh, how I would love to fully embrace my inner baker! I could then use my KitchenAid Mixer Spatula and Recipe Collection that was gifted to me at the event.

One of these brand new KitchenAid Slow Cookers:

If I recall, they’re not even available in stores yet!  The one on the right is tantalizing. (Yeah, that’s right. I said tantalizing.  Have I not taught you anything about myself!?)  We have been using the same basic, run of the mill slow cooker for nine years.  Nuff said.

Now on to laundry.  I want, no wait, I need the Maytag Maxim washer and dryer in Crimson:

Let’s just stop for a moment and stare…

I can’t attest to how the washer and dryer actually perform but   a) they look pretty darn impressive and   b) they have to be one hundred times better than what I currently own.  Someone correct me if I’m wrong but I believe this set was called the Maxim, no?

Thank you to everyone at the Chicago Whirlpool brands blogger lunch for the sneak peek of the new digs and some great new products.

I was given a tour of the Whirlpool office, fed a delectable lunch and received a gift bag upon departure. I was not compensated to attend or talk about this event or any of the products. I truly lust over them.  For real.

You can check out all of my photos from the World of Whirlpool event on Flickr.