GranolaBox

Those of you who’ve been reading a few months know that we’ve been doing a lot of renovation here at Granola Central. The renovation is nearing completion, but we’re missing some critical electrical work that make the rest of the kitchen appliances usable. So we can’t use any of our new toys.

When work started last October or so, we really didn’t have much of a clue about Peak Oil and all that comes with it… running out of oil, rolling blackouts, the likely collapse of the energy grid… all that fun stuff. Now, as the work grinds on ever nearer to completion, we’re wondering how long we’ll be able to use all these sexy toys.

The appliance that will, unfortunately have the least use will be the Miele oven. I fear our years of slow-roasted rotisserie meat may be measured. This summer I’ll be trying out a more energy-efficient replacement, which is the solar oven we bought this winter that’s buried under a bunch of construction stuff.

Our cooktop is gas, but it needs electric to start. And of course.. the coolest part of the cooktop is the Thermidor downdraft. This is what I show everyone as the climax of the kitchen tour. Check it out.

Behold the Thermidor from Robert Coats on Vimeo.

Ever since I can remember, including my childhood, I’ve wanted one of those fridges that you can cold water out of at any time. For a while I had an ice-maker in an older fridge but it only worked for about a month. Now we finally have one, but how long will I be able to perform the operation that I’ve waited some forty plus years for? The good part is that the fridge will continue to function in a post petroleum world, except that it will have to be stored outside and will only work in the winter. I’m sure we can get wheels for it.

And of course there’s the dishwasher. The kids were with me when we went dishwashwer shopping, and Medium does a great imitation of it. She does this great buildup and stands there absolutely quiet. I already have experience with non-functioning dishwashers though, so it’s a great consolation to know that in a post-petroleum world, we’ll have one of the most ornate dish drainers in town. And it will function even more quietly than it did in the showroom.

All of this adds to my impatience as the months unfold. With the possibility of all these appliances only working for a couple years (or more if we’re lucky) I want to get as much use out of them as possible.

Filed under: EWAKI on April 14th, 2008