There are some tried and true appliances I want to personally endorse for gift giving since they have made such a positive difference in my life in the kitchen for years now.

KitchenAid Coffee Maker

My Original Review

We bought this KitchenAid KCM111OB 12-Cup Glass Carafe Coffee Maker two years ago for $75. Right now amazon.ca has it on sale for just $53! If you have followed this site for a while you will know that I am very cursed when it comes to coffee makers. I must have gone through half a dozen of them over the last 8 years and this one is STILL going strong, making Reg’s coffee every single day.

I probably would give it a five out of five wooden spoons rating now that I know of its longevity. I just do not recommend putting the carafe in the dishwasher because ours did eventually break. That said, I bought a $10 coffee maker at Walmart and just used its carafe instead. An amazing coffee maker that still continues to impress me in the kitchen.

KitchenAid Diamond Blender

My Original Review

My KitchenAid Diamond Vortex 5-Speed Blender is STILL going strong! Unbelievable! I have been using it FOUR years every single day, sometimes more than once and it is still making the best smoothies. No, it does not have a glass base but when you are only making smoothies and frappé in it, no worries.

I did have a close call with it when I scorched the cord on my stove! It literally brought me to tears. Thankfully my friend Vicky’s husband checked it out for me, said it was OK (did not have to replace the cord) and taped it up for me. They got a special bag of Doritos for saving my foodie butt!

I would like to mention that even Vitamixes are not made out of glass and if you think I am just trying to promote KitchenAid… Their glass blender I bought was super disappointing. It does not blend half as well as this blender does. Holy crap! Right now on Amazon.ca it is only $85!!! Down from $180. This is definitely my top pick when it comes to blenders for smoothies and comes in 20 difference colours!

Going Retro: Glass Osterizer Blender

Sadly last year we had an accident in the kitchen and Reg’s mom’s Osterizer glass blender fell and smashed all over the kitchen floor. It was heartbreaking on many levels. Every other day I would go into Value Village looking for a comparable one to bring home to replace it.

After months and months I FINALLY found one and OMG, $24.99?! Bloody hell! Thankfully I had a 30% off card thanks to all the donations I have been making due to downsizing and having to move. I bit the bullet and brought it home.

The Osterizer 14 glass blender carafe did actually fit on the old Osterizer 10. Phew!

I did not realize at the store that the top part of the lid was cracked and there was NO rubber ring! Unbelievable, for that price it should have been pristine and complete.

Reg had to take me to Richmond to get one at Batteries Included. The one the factory recommended actually did not fit, we went with this smaller thicker one that the store had and…

YES!! It worked!!! I could still make smoothies, sauces and soups without all the liquid oozing out of the base. What a relief.

So why go retro and buy an old Osterizer blender for Christmas? Because they kick ass! And… Not everyone has +$80 to spend on a blender.

The motor in Osterizers sounds like a mini jet engine and nothing purees soups better. There is a reason why the Osterizer is a classic and was $24.99 at my store. It is a fantastic appliance, better than most made today.

My friend had bought a plastic mini one that she was very unhappy with so when I saw an old school glass blender while we were shopping, I recommended she try it instead. It was only $10 and she has been a happy foodie camper since. Sometimes old appliances work better than new and have higher quality materials. I will not put soups or sauces in plastic and am so happy to have my Osterizer back!

I would love to hear your gift recommendations! What are you giving this year and what do you want to receive for your kitchen? I personally am envying The Happy Whisk’s Air Fryer!

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