I bought a lift-top coffee table from a big box store almost a decade ago. It’s entirely particle board and has seen better days cosmetically, but it’s probably my single favorite piece of furniture. It’s immensely practical for meals, using a laptop, or just bringing your remote/drink/whatever closer to your hand when laying down on the couch. I instinctively try to lift other people’s coffee tables when I visit, and am mildly annoyed when it doesn’t work…
Bidet. I can’t believe I lived without one.
Cast iron or mild steel pans FTW. With care, they will outlast you and are totally nonstick once seasoned.
Carbon steel is equally wonderful, esp since you can get much thinner pans that heat up lickedy split. I’d recommend trying one!
also, they develop and add to the flavor of what you cook that nonstick pans never will. My inexpensive item though was a stupidly cheap chef’s knife from Ikea. I needed one after moving into my first apartment and I was getting some furniture there (the futon wasn’t bad either, for what it was,) and I still have the knife around even after upgrading to a wustoff.
it was like twenty bucks. and with care it still performs like a champ.
In addition to the bidet response above, we have a Squatty Potty in every bathroom of our house. You can wet a tissue to sub out not having a bidet, but a toilet stool is sorely missed when we travel.
Aeropress coffee maker.
I immediately thought of my Lack coffee table from Ikea. I also have a cheap chinese bench PSU, just good enough for my electronics projects.
Yep, for the price Lack can’t be beat. I’ve read that some clever people even use them as server racks since the legs are just the right width.
I use an old one with burn marks for my 3D printer.
After i broke a glass coffee pot within a week of getting it, i bought a metal one on the cheap. It happened to be vacuum sealed as an added bonus.
Nearly 15 years later I’ve yet to buy a new one. Its vacuum seal is still intact.
i got myself some cheap sunglasses off of amazon like 8 years ago. theyve been stepped on, sat on, shouldve broke by now with all the abuse, and just keep on going. the rubber pads disappeared years ago and i just dont give a fuck enough to replace it.
Several years ago I was in a dollar store and bought a reel of twist-tie wire with a little integrated cutter. It has come in handy so many times, and I’m still only about 2/3 through it.
Dropped the bread’s twist tie somewhere? I’m not looking around for that piece of garbage. I have new, BETTER garbage.
Cheap lightweight picture frame came with the type of hardware that benefits from hanging wire? Done.
Need to tie off a takeout bag that’s now full of trash? I got this.
Kiddo made a Christmas ornament out of construction paper? No retrieving the ornament box from the attic for me.
Tangentially related: I also hate the twist ties or little bits of plastic that they use on bread bags, so instead I use a set of bag sealing clips from Ikea. It was a set of 30 for just a few bucks and they’re such an improvement.
for bread bags and similar, just twist it tightly closed and fold under to keep it from untwisting.
Twist ties don’t really seal it, they just keep it from untwisting (which is what seals it.)I see you’ve met my wife!
I find that mostly works fine, but is a little precarious in a busy kitchen, and I also like to compress a softer bread just a little bit when I tie it up. Probably placebo, but it feels like I’m helping it stay fresh longer.
I mean how long does a loaf of sliced bread actually last? 20 slices, give or take? two people making lunch sandwiches, that’s five days per loaf. there’s usually enough oil and preservatives to last a couple of weeks. (if you’re wanting to bake your own sandwich bread, I highly recommend adding a some olive oil to the dough. it helps it last longer and helps produce a tighter crumb.)
I only really had a problem with sliced bread going stale when I lived alone.
This may not meet your “keeping for years” criterion but never invest in expensive non-stick pans. Don’t go super cheap either, but something basic like T-Fal. Non-stick pans wear out over time ALWAYS. So there’s no point buying premium ones.
Get something good enough that it’s got a flat base and the coating isn’t paper-thin, but beyond that save the big $$$ for cookware that doesn’t have a non-stick coating. And when they eventually wear out you won’t feel bad tossing them in the trash because that what you’ll have to do anyway.
I picked up a pair of Oxo branded ones recently. They nest together and work great. It’s been a couple months and no major signs of wear yet, so pretty happy with them and cleanup is a breeze. I still use my venerable stainless pan for bigger dishes though.
MMM I love when the forever chemicals flake off into my food. And I have to keep buying more because they eventually disappear.
Ignore that advice and get a cast Iron pan.
I’ll make a French omelette in my non-stick, you can make one in your cast iron pan. Then we’ll compare.
There’s a reason professional kitchens NEVER carry cast iron pans.
