Monday, January 9, 2023

The "smartest" room in the house

Since moving into our new (to us) home, we've had issues with the appliances that came with the house, something we're slowly addressing. We were fortunate to find a simpler washing machine so we could finally off-load the beastly massive and modern Maytag that I'm convinced never properly cleaned the clothes.

Our new (to us) washer is a marvel of simplicity and efficiency. It works like a champ and takes one-third the time to clean a load than the old machine.

In tracing water leaks under the house during our recent plumbing woes, Don removed the unused dishwasher, which spent at least the last two years quietly leaking (I prefer to wash dishes by hand anyway), so that's another appliance we no longer have to worry about.

We've been looking to replace the propane range/oven, since the durn thing has an electronic ignition, which means the oven can't be used during power outages. Did you know they don't make ovens with pilot lights any longer? That's what we had in our old home and loved it. We've been searching for a range with a pilot light, to no avail. The best we can find is a very pricey battery-ignition range. We may not have an option except to invest in one of these.

We're also looking to replace the fancy refrigerator with a plainer model. Not only did this refrigerator leak (because of its fancy ice/water feature), but frankly it has a very poor inside layout, without the option to rearrange the shelves for more efficiency. Grrr. Who designs these things?

Anyway, this litany of appliance woes underscores our determination to KISS (Keep it Simple, Stupid) our kitchen. Anything that requires complicated hookups – or worse, monitors everything we do – is a no-no in our book. The idea of a "smart" kitchen gives me the shudders.

This is all a lead-up to an article I just saw on the subject of "smart" kitchens. Are you ready for this?

Based on the "kitchen of the future" from the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, it seems the newest generation of appliances are not only part of the Internet of  Things, but are "smarter" than ever.

From the article:

"Samsung is bringing us the ability to peek-a-boo at any temperature every time you bake. They are debuting their new Bespoke Lineup kitchen appliances, including this smart oven with a camera inside, so you no longer have to open the door and let out the heat to check how the food is looking as it cooks.

The AI Oven includes a pro cooking system that uses a camera inside of it to tell when your food is burning or ready to be taken out. You can also integrate your oven with the Samsung SmartThings Cooking app to get recipes recommended based on your diet goals or the ingredients you have at home, making cooking even more of a breeze."

I'm sure this appeals to some people, but not me. Essentially it means your oven is hackable. Can you imagine some guy across the planet, sitting in a darkened room in front of his computer and informing me my casserole will be held hostage unless I fork over my bank account?

They're also putting out a "smart" mixer: "The mixer has a built-in smart scale so you can get the precise weight of ingredients to ensure your measurements are exact. The Auto Sense technology can not only tell when your measurements are precise – it can also tell exactly how long to mix the ingredients." 

I have two mixers. One looks like this:

And the other looks like this:

But wait, there's more! How about a mood fridge? "LG's MoodUP color-changing fridge can boldly jump out or fade into the background. LG wants to not only change your kitchen's aesthetic, but they are also hoping to change your mood at the same time. The fridge has 4 panels you can select the colors for or choose a theme like 'season' or 'healing.'"

If having a colorful fridge is not your style, "you can opt for the Lux Grey/Lux White combo instead and just use the fridge for its features, like the built-in Bluetooth speaker or voice recognition. The colors are a way more fun option, though, if you want them to change along with the beat of the music playing from your fridge through the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections.

The fridge's lights also allow fun features like blinking when someone enters the kitchen or alerting you with flashing lights if the fridge door was left open accidentally. The MoodUP name pays homage to the soothing colors you can choose to change the ambiance of your kitchen to a more relaxing vibe. And speaking of vibe, the fridge comes with LG's craft ice maker, so you can cool down your cocktail with a perfectly round, large ice cube."

Maybe it's just me, but all I can think of (besides how unnecessary all this is) is how much more likely these kinds of appliances will break down. Then what? How much will it cost to get them repaired?

It can get worse. Last year, a reader commented: "A friend of mine is separating from an abusive husband. We've had a bit of a rush to disconnect various devices from the internet. For a time he seemed able to surveil his abused wife and kids through the television, or just to turn up the volume remotely. He enjoyed turning on the sprinklers while the wife was mowing the lawn through the IoT sprinkler controller. Had the 'smart oven' not fortuitously decided it needed its entire brain replaced, he could theoretically have turned it on remotely. I'll take the dumb devices any day."

Doesn't this just give you the shudders?

See, this is something that puzzles me. Why do people want this kind of stuff? Are they so helpless or clueless that "smart" technology is superior to human intelligence? I don't get it. I honestly don't get it.

Of course, the ultimate test of a kitchen is how functional it still is during a power outage. That's one of the reasons I loved our old propane range with the pilot light – it worked just fine without power. And a deep-down part of me longs to get an old-fashioned ice box, even as I recognize we would either have to purchase blocks of ice, or go down an entire rabbit hole of building an ice house and freezing our own ice.

It's funny: the "smarter" technology gets, the more I push back against it. As I write this, for example, our wood cookstove is purring along, heating a kettle of water for tea. My kind of stove.

I know I'm a Luddite at heart. Don't get me wrong – technology has its place. I'm using technology to post to this blog, of course. I make my living on a computer. But at what point does technology take over?

After the battle we've had for the past two years with modern appliances, I'm more convinced than ever that low-tech is the way to go. The "smartest" room in the house is one where the cook controls the appliances, not the other way around.

Okay, rant over.

49 comments:

  1. We recently had to replace our old refrigerator. We ended up with a whirlpool but it has way to many smart features but it was what we could find and it was made in the USA. I do not want nor need a smart appliance. I liked your mixers!

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  2. All right, send me 10 bucks or your casserole is toast!!

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  3. I'm with you on this subject. And another thing I don't get, why does the print on the buttons have to be dark gray in color on a black background in about 8 point font? I have to look for my glasses every time I want to heat up something in the microwave.

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  4. Rant away. I'm responsible for the refrigerator and washer/dryer in my new apartment. The washer/dryer are made by Speed Queen. Having endured three sets of 'smart' washers over the last few years, I love this set. When I moved in, I purchased an older 1990s era refrigerator from a friend's mom. I am so thankful that I did not have to endure a 'smart' refriegerator! Go for the battery operated stove or watch for a used one that has a pilot light. Cheers, SJ now in California

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  5. I also am a fan of ‘simpler is better.’ I do use a dishwasher because my water bill is much lower when I don’t hand-wash! We are also rural and use propane for many of our appliances. I like that life can go on, though with a bit less convenience, when the power is out.

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  6. No to mention the fact that the newer, "smart" devices are MUCH more prone to failure due to power surges and brownouts.

    When we moved in to our house eight years ago, I gave my wife the kitchen she always wanted. We purchased an entire Samsung suite; fridge, stove, microwave, and dishwasher. Everything matched. The fridge started giving us trouble straightway. Three repairs to the ice maker and two service calls for temperature regulation issues later, Samsung did a buyback on it and we purchased a different model. The microwave crapped out at four years old. The dishwasher's been repaired three times. We use the dishwasher only because it uses less water than handwashing. This helps keep the insane water bills under control, and takes some of the load off the septic system.

    Our old-school washer and drier died of natural causes. We ended up getting a "smart," water/power efficient set. They actually work pretty well, but if used in the water-efficient mode, it doesn't add enough water to properly clean the clothes. We've plugged all of these appliances into surge protectors to help shield them from California's 3rd World grid.

    Until you find a stove with a pilot light, get yourself a small UPS and plug the your current stove into it. That way, if the power goes out, your oven will keep on going. The electronic works of those stoves are really low-draw. If the power is out, you can turn on the UPS when you need the oven, and shut it off when you're not using it. You can probably get a couple of dozen uses out of the oven on one charge of the UPS this way.

    About the only net-enabled feature I would go for on an appliance would be a remote overtemp alarm for the refrigerator and a remote water leak detector on the washer. Those are lifesavers I had to add on my supposedly "smart" appliances...

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  7. Five years ago, when we still lived in Oregon, we bought a propane kitchen range that had electronic start not just for the top burners but also for the oven. The electronic starters ran off of a couple of flashlight batteries which lasted over a year, even with daily use. Even the oven and broiler worked during a power outage. The batteries had a compartment near the bottom of the range and were easy to replace as needed. It was a great setup.

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  8. I ordered my last oven with a pilot light through Lowes. It had to come out of Mexico. That was about 10 years ago. I’m not sure if this will work or not now, but it might be worth the time to check.

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    1. When Obama was in major changes happened including no pilot lights anymore. We wanted a propane stove with a pilot light so we could also use it to dry herbs and such when it was off. A twofer. All we could find is a battery operated ignition. But we leave the knob on pilot after it is lit and we have what we wanted. Some propane stoves have a glow bar in the oven that eats up power, the day we went solar, hubby made a pumpkin pie and drained our 100% batteries down to 75% in less than an hour, so we looked around and found Bob's Discount Supply online. They offer off grid appliances and even regular ones. Gas, propane, you name it. Great customer service also. The top of the stove had a tiny crack in it when it got here so I called, sent a picture of it via email and they sent me a new one. One thing different I would do is not get a window on my oven since there is no light in it (no electricity is needed at all for this stove) I use a flashlight to see and the window is just a drip/drop catcher and constantly needing cleaning. So next one if we need another is not going to have a window. 10 years old and still going strong!

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    2. Holiday 20-in 4 Burners 2.4-cu ft Freestanding Gas Range (White)
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      Includes range only; gas connection available for additional fees; contact local store for availability
      I found this at Lowes online. It looks like the one I ordered 10 years ago.

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  9. Your commenters who say dishwashers save water are not handwashing dishes correctly. Handwashing for me saves so much water! Even when we have family holiday dinners. DON'T let the water run! Fill half of a double sink or a tub in a single sink with hot soapy water, wash the glasses, place them in the other half, then rinse them quickly all at once under hot running water in the other half sink. Turn the water off and wash the next group. Rinse, and so on. It's washing under running water that wastes so much. I've been doing this for decades and don't have huge water bills. Using a dishwasher? That means big water bills for me.

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    1. I agree - even TV ads show hand washing dishes under running water. My unused dishwasher serves as a 'cabinet' for all my storage containers - plastic & glass - extra boxes of zip lock bags, aluminum foil, wax paper, etc.

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    2. I only use mine to wash my canning jars after I have hand washed them.

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    3. THANK YOU, Rozy Lass!!! It's so nice to see somebody state what anybody with sense should already know. Try living in a drought area with a well, then you'll get it.

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    4. I come from thrifty Dutch stock and there are many in my family/church family circles. I have never seen anyone I know wash dishes under running water! Always fill half the sink. When the water cools down too much, drain about half and add hot water again and a little more soap. :)

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  10. We are blessed that the previous owner of our soon-to-be home purchased (and sold to us for a very reasonable price) a Speed Queen washer and dryer. I am keeping their older fridge as a spare and bringing my older one (freezer on the bottom) as the main one. My fancy Samsung I will happily leave behind - already replaced the ice maker once and it broke again. Repair guy said never buy Samsung, and never buy a fridge with the icemaker that's not in the freezer compartment.

    We currently have a double oven gas stove, but it does have electronic ignition. Not certain about the older one at our new (to us) house. I will have to look into battery ignition - hadn't heard of that before. Looking forward to boiling water on the wood stove. I do enjoy many small electronic conveniences but can manage without them - learned to get along without an electric can opener or a mixer back in the early '80s in Europe. That's also when I learned I never wanted a front-loading washer. But I'll stick with my 'large' American fridge - and my separate chest freezer.

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  11. Every gas stove I've had, even if the electric was off, would work if I struck a match.

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    1. Burners, yes. Oven, no. We found that out the hard way during a four-day power outage our first winter here (before we had our wood cookstove installed).

      - Patrice

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    2. The burners on new stoves will work grid-down. The oven won't work because it's thermostat is computer controlled...

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    3. The oven and broiler will work on an off grid propane stove as these are battery operated. Not computer controlled. Summit is one manufacturer.

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  12. Ludite's of the world unite !!!

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  13. Restaurant supply houses may have used, commercial stoves like you want. Might be a good time to check one or two out with so many places out of business now. You could probably negotiate down any price they quote. Not too many restaurants trying to start up nowadays. I went in one of those places once and they had massive inventory. So many things I wanted I was really drooling. In fact, I'm glad you brought this to my remembrance. They had a lot of huge cookpots and I was just thinking the other day I need something larger.

    Also, I have a stove with those pilot lights. FYI, a pilot light left on continuously burns approximately $20 per month in propane, according to the last time I bought propane a year ago. The stove has 3. That's $60 per month toward making the ac run more in warm weather. I turn it off when the weather warms up. It puts out way too much heat to cook with in summer so I switch to other ways to cook then, or eat things like sandwiches that don't need cooking.
    My old stove is old though. After your post here I'm going to see if it can be refurbished. It's about 40 years old.

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  14. Amen and amen. I’ve nothing to add but have experienced all the same.

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  15. We have a 1938 GE fridge, and a 1929 magic chef range.(pilot lit) You can always find old stuff out there if you look. Our pre 1900 wood /coal cook stove we found at an antique store for $350.00 .

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  16. The Internet of Things is terrifying. Watch any IT security video on the potential gaps and flaws and it becomes even more so. Why we open up our homes in the name of security is beyond me.

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  17. There are places to buy really old appliances. There are bloggers who write about this. I will never have a smart appliance. The initial cost it to high, they are not secure, and repair costs are astronomical.

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  18. I HEAR YOU. Smart things give me the heebie-jeebies, especially since government overreach and a sort of collectivist thinking/value system have become so much stronger in the last couple of years. In Germany, where I live, some segments of the media are actually discrediting demands for "freedom" as "vulgar" and "selfish".
    It's a matter of time until they are going to tell us our consumer habits need to be much more closely surveilled because...climate, or something. In comes the internet of things, one big happy family of surveillance technology. So, imagine that all products are fitted with a sticker that announce the "CO2-release" and climate damage they are responsible for and imagine your fridge scanning those stickers and first telling you, then telling a government agency when you've gone over your CO2 limit? Technically, that's already doable or not far off in the future.

    However, my dear husband is a big fan of all things high-tech - he enjoys owning an Alexa spy device and tells me not to worry, he has nothing to hide. Judging from the sales figures, many people think like this. Oh my!

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    1. Worse yet, imagine "d'gubment" MANDATING state control of your climate control, appliances, and whatnot. Power companies are already trying to worm their way into Californians' houses' "smart" thermostats. Of course, this wolf comes in the form of a discount. The hen it's after is TOTAL CONTROL OF YOUR HOUSE. Think of it; that thermostat is A LOT of control. You can say "I'll let the power company shut off my central air conditioner and get the discount. Then I'll just turn on a couple of portables and use "discounted" electricity" to cool the place." Not so fast! "The Algorithm" will say "HEEEYY! How is this house getting COOLER inside with the temps outside going up, and the air conditioner shut off! CALL THE GUARDS!" The same goes with heating the house. 'Got a "smart" smoke alarm connected to that "smart" thermostat? "The Algorithm" will not only know your house is warming without the furnace being on, it'll know if you're using something like, say, a kerosene heater or your fireplace to heat the house by what the smoke alarm picks up.

      ...This is a VERY slippery slope we're on, folks...

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    2. Yes, that's only a a question of time. In Britain they already have "smart meters", in Germany the goverment has decided that given the current crises (we all must make sacrifices to go on Putin's nerves, you know) it's allowed to take an interest in private homes and the way they are heated. More regulations to come.
      I think here in Germany/the EU they're going to push a LOT of laws that allow outside control of private spaces because climate...
      The US is much better in this respect, I think. In Germany/EU there's been such a move towards more collectivist thinking, it's very scary to me.

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    3. There's smart meters in the US too. They were offered promotionally in our area last year. How fun, to opt for our own manacles!

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  19. When we replaced our microwave we found we could not turn off the clock. I know, a tiny thing, but it's over the stove which has a clock. My dryer, which was hard to find & only used about 1-2 hours monthly, has dry with heat, high or low and with or without timing and air fluff. Salesman wouldn't or couldn't understand - finally went private. Thought refrigerators with TV was outlandish, now it's worse. As I age, 76 now, I want the simplest to get the job done. Oh, and ask a teenager what some kitchen hand tools are - would be surprised if they even know. Thinking of a ricer, hand meat grinder, manual can opener.

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  20. There is a guy on you tube I ran across recently. It's called "Ben's Appliances and Junk". He gives the lowdown on appliances and what Not to buy. Names company names, talks about the exact problems discussed here, and now I'm seeing more videos from him. Some of his explanations give you " uh, duh, why didn't I think of that" moments. Like, if you must buy a fridge with an icemaker function, ( which is almost always going to be faulty), buy one with the icemaker in the freezer, not inside or outside of the refrigerator section. Hmm. Makes sense, and he explains why better than me.

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  21. I agree with you. When we had to replace the 23 old washing machine I had to contact the manufacturer to make sure I didn’t need to connect it to the web. When the ignition on my hob went wrong after 24 years we bought an old fashion gas lighter.

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  22. I read yesterday the USA is considering banning all gas ranges as they have been deemed dangerous. Better get them while you can!

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    1. Our news said Biden is considering it. Hopefully the boiling water he's up to his neck in gives him a desire to cool it off a bit. We also have ads on TV all the time for propane, and that it's clean energy. Frankly, it's more dependable than the grid. I think that there'll be a big pushback on them messing anymore with energy. Even the brainwashed people are hurting and need relief. And their elected politicians sense it's gone too far and are jumping out of the pot before next election cycles roll around.

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    2. The Biden "administration" has a bad habit of looking at CA's "governor" Newsom's stupidity and saying "HEY! That's a GREAT idea!

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    3. Cally's governor is literally in deep water he can't get out of right now so anybody looking to him will just get their pockets picked. The blessing they are getting which the news isn't covering is that their reservoirs are filling up!
      Bet it takes a whole lot of energy resources to get straightened out. And, ha, ha, ha, wonder how many EVs are getting around right now? Sounds like they'd be better off with some good ol' red neck diesel run 4 wheel drive Trucks at the moment.
      There will be converts.

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  23. thats a great wood cook stove, It looks rather new. what kind is it and can I get one?

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    1. It's an Amish-made stove called "Baker's Choice." (They have a larger model called "Pioneer Princess.") Lehman's carries it -- see the link below:
      https://www.lehmans.com/product/bakers-choice-wood-cookstoves/

      Alternately, we got our stove from an outfit in Montana called Obadiah's:
      https://woodstoves.net/pioneer-stoves/bakers-choice-cookstove.htm

      Just be aware that the last time I checked (admittedly, some time ago), these stoves were back-ordered by about a year. It's worth calling the distributors and asking about availability.

      - Patrice

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  24. Hello, fellow Luddite. Have you ever considered an icebox? We've made a weirdo modern version of one that works great for us--we have a chest freezer that freezes ice (we freeze it in reused 1 liter plastic, square-sided bottles), then we transport that to a higher-end, large cooler. If the ice is switched out daily, the cooler works perfectly as a "refrigerator." Ive used this system for five years now--never had a problem with it (can't say the same of any refrigerator I've ever had.) My rants against the Internet of Things will be saved for another day, but it's safe to say I hate modernity and how it prioritizes convenience and phone addiction over skills.

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  25. Regarding your oven/range. Is it possible to change out the ignition system? I read about that somewhere so it's not an original idea.
    Also, Lehmans used to carry a stove top oven . It's a big metal box, remarkably similar to a big oblong metal water bath canner they also used to carry.
    I have also seen ovens that fit around the pipe of woodburning stoves.

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  26. Our old electric stove was beyond repair last year so we had to buy a new one. Only one kind was available, Whirlpool, so we got it. Over $800!! I have found canning doesn't work well with it. There are sensers in the middle of each burner to (I think) keep things from overheating. So just when the burner gets good and hot for the canner, the burner seems to back off the heat and slow the boil to just close to a rolling boil but not quite there.
    Many years ago when we lived in Southern Calif. and before i ever heard of "climate change", they were talking about a new ice age. We always had gas stoves and I really liked cooking on them much better than electric. But I wondered why it was ok to have gas lines all through the ground going to every house when it was earthquake country. What a disaster it would be with gas lines broken in an earthquake.

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  27. I just plain love your article

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  28. I have a Kitchen Queen (hoosier) almost identical to yours. To the left of the swing out sugar canister, on the wooden shelf, I have glass spice canisters (all but 2 are the original glass). One of my most prized possessions is a biscuit cutter my great grandfather made. He was a tinsmith. Before leaving Sweden to come to America, he was one of a group of men that made a steeple for a church. Before they put the steeple in place, all of the men etched their names on the inside of it.
    Also I have a metal dish drainer my grandma gave me when I was first married (1975) Over the years I've bought plastic ones to match the kitchen. Something always breaks and I go back to the metal one. It was great for camping too - put your dishes in it and pour boiling water over them.

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  29. Are you aware that there is a movement underway to ban propane cook stoves? I understand the propane may exacerbate people/kids who have some breathing issues but still, seriously??? I will NEVER give up my propane stove. In fact, since we live off-grid, I have a cook stove that uses batteries to start the stove/burners instead of electricity. I love it. And the batteries last longer than a year!

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  30. We have a similar stove and when the power goes off we just light the stove or the oven with a lighter. Our stove/oven unit is 30 years old and has seen better days, but keeps working.

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  31. We might not have to worry about the gas stoves. Our natural gas was being sold to China, and I don't think that's going over well with our just in the nick of time new congress. I think legislation is being put forth to protect our energy, natural resources, farmlands, and a bunch of other stuff from getting into foreign control. Also to recover the things above which have been sold off. We need to pray a lot for these efforts.

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