Dualit

I love the cool retro styling of Dualit, and the colours their appliances come in. The first Dualit item I drooled over and longed to get was a 4 slice toaster, preferably in glacier blue or cream. But these machines are big and heavy, and if I was going to fork out that much money on a toaster, then I would want it on the bench top where I could admire it, but bench top space is prime real estate in our little kitchen, and in the end when my faithful little Kambrook toaster started to behave erratically after 15 years of service, I replaced in a spur of the moment decision with a cheap plastic Breville - well, at least I won't burn myself on it, and it is nice and light and easy to get in and out of the cupboard as needed.

The other Dualit items I have been admiring are their hand mixers and, more recently, blenders. My gorgeous KitchenAid stand mixer lives on the bench top, ready for use at a moment's notice, but there are jobs Charlotte cannot do - like beat the mixture for a sabayon / zabaglione over a simmering pan of water. I used to own a cheaper model of hand mixer - a Sunbeam, I think, but accidentally overtaxed the motor one day expecting the poor thing to beat cream cheese that was still too firm. I now have a replacement - a Dualit soft touch hand mixer in cream :)

I was even more determined to get one after I saw Rachel Allen using her chrome Dualit to make peanut butter and white chocolate blondies on YouTube a couple of weeks ago. I love the rubberised 'soft grip' outside, which is what made me go for a colour rather than the chrome, though I think the chrome has the rubberised surface under the handle for grip. I love the shape of the handle - very comfy to hold. I love the fact it has a whisk attachment as well as the standard beaters. It also has dough hooks, but I am more likely to use the KichenAid for dough, and more likely still to use the breadmaker. I love how the cord can be retracted into the unit.

I have yet to use my new toy, but I am enjoying admiring her for now.