Links: Interviews, Bookstores, & More

Workspace with computer, journal, books, coffee, and glasses.Welcome back to Wednesday Links!

How are you all? I had an okay weekend! My lovely partner brightened up a rough day I was having by getting me a fluffy blanket for their apartment (I’m a chronic nester) and finally…a toaster! Imagine my shock when they presented me toast for the first time and they had air fried it.

Now no shame to air fryers, but that can be toast made from a toaster. I probably eat toast as a meal or snack several times a week. Regardless, the gesture was super sweet and also made me consider what kitchen gadgets I couldn’t live without and which ones my partner uses the most.

What would you say is your most used kitchen gadget or appliance?

Earlier this year, our reviewer Tara reviewed Jonathan Van Ness in front of a live audience. How freakin’ cool?! Now, Tara has uploaded the audio for our listening pleasure!

Queen Charlotte of Bridgerton is getting her own spin-off series and People has some first look images and details. Are you excited?

This one comes from Ellen. Thanks, Ellen! Relevant to our latest Cover Snark, Ellen passed along a YouTube channel where a woman parodies a “fantasy heroine,” including the very interesting armor designs women in fantasy often get.

Lastly, Romancelandia has another bookstore! If you’re in the San Diego area, please stop by the Meet Cute Romance Bookshop. We’re obsessed with their mural wall!

Don’t forget to share what cool or interesting things you’ve seen, read, or listened to this week! And if you have anything you think we’d like to post on a future Wednesday Links, send it my way!

Comments are Closed

  1. Ellen says:

    Toast (especially with a little honey and butter) is one of the best meals there is!

  2. Melody Prime says:

    My most used appliances are the electric kettle and the milk frother.

    Question about toast from the air fryer, did he put butter on it first, and if so did it come out like pan fried bread? (Think grilled cheese)

  3. Lena Brassard says:

    Author Melissa Caruso stumbled into a magical bookstore:

    https://twitter.com/melisscaru/status/1574836243640324129

    The latch on our toaster that holds down the thingamajig during toasting is broken, and every single person in this house will stand there for the duration holding down the lever rather than do without toast until a replacement can be acquired. Seconding the honey and butter any time, and I’ve got homemade rye right now that soaks up melting garlic butter like a dream. Toasters are awesome. Oven “toast” just ain’t right.

  4. Melanie says:

    @Lena Brassard, thank you for sharing the link to the Twitter thread on the magical bookstore. It was just what I needed on a busy Wednesday afternoon.

  5. Todd says:

    I like rye toast with a little butter on it and cheese melted on top.

  6. DiscoDollyDeb says:

    For the past two years, the kitchen appliance I use the most is the Instapot. Prior to that, I generally used my big Le Creuset dutch oven for most heavy duty braising/stewing dishes. I still love my Le Creuset, but the Instapot is my go-to for everything from curry to lentils to pasta to pot roast.

  7. Karen Kiely says:

    Toast is my go-to emergency meal (meaning I don’t have enough energy to make anything else). Lately, that means Franz 9-grain bread, toasted and buttered. Served with a cuppa hot tea. Yum!

  8. ReadKnitSnark says:

    I love my electric kettle…but I’m thinking of upgrading to one where I can choose warming temperatures for white tea, green tea, boiling, etc.

    Question for electric kettle people: I’m choosing between a fully enclosed metal kettle and a largely clear glass one. Will one or the other make me regret my choice and for what reasons? (Other than clumsiness.)(And why would I need to see my water boil?)(Also, the inside of my kettle is stained by the dark water we apparently have…I think I’m talking myself out of the glass one. But opinions, anyone?)

    I bought a toaster the other week but have yet to unbox it. (I know, I know! But I got out of the habit of using one.) When I lived in student housing I kept my bread in the freezer and used the toaster to have “fresh” bread every day. Yum, toasted rye bread with peanut butter and bananas…

  9. Kareni says:

    @Lena Brassard, thanks for sharing that link!

  10. Kathryn says:

    Small appliance used the most, although not liked the most is the microwave. Most beloved small appliance is my Breville Tea Maker which I love, love, love. It can be used to make a pot of tea or used as plain electric kettle.

    We have a toaster oven, not a regular pop-up toaster. I’m not a big toast person, but my husband loves to toast bread, bagels, english muffins, whatever bread product is around. He likes our current toaster oven because it toasts quite well and I like it because it is decent secondary oven.

    @ReadKnitSnark – my Breville tea maker is the first glass electric kettle that I’ve owned. Too me it’s a wonderful tea-making device, but I’m not as crazy about it as straight electric kettle although I can’t really say why. I don’t find it especially high maintenance. However my water is not very hard (so not a lot of cloudy mineral buildup) and I also rinse and clean it out everyday, so no tea stains either. Still I’m seriously thinking about buying a regular metal multi-temp electric kettle for non-tea making purposes — there are times when I need some boiling water, but the tea maker is full of tea.

  11. Maureen says:

    @DDD-Right now I am eating chicken soup my husband cooked in the insta-pot. We just had this conversation an hour ago, we bought the insta-pot, husband made one thing and set it aside. Cue our daughter and her partner raving about their insta-pot meals, husband gave it another try. Thank goodness! We (he) uses it all the time now. He got recipes from Pressure Luck, we’ve had some wonderful meals!

  12. Susan/DC says:

    Another thanks to Lena Brassard for the link. Bookstores are always magical, but some are more magical than others.

    As to my favorite appliances, I love my electric kettle. You can set it for varying temperatures up to 100 C, so can use it for coffee, black tea, green tea, whatever, just set the appropriate temperature. For ReadKnitSnark, mine is metal but has a narrow glass panel on the side so I can see the water.

    My other favorite appliance is my Brevil toaster oven because it is so versatile. Much toast has been made but also melted cheese sandwiches, broiled burgers, reheated pizza, etc. Mine is small, but my son and daughter-in-law just bought one that looks like it came from NASA.

  13. Penny says:

    @ReadKnitSnark I recently moved and lost my stovetop kettle somehow, but took it as an opportunity to try an electric kettle. I got one from bed bath and beyond by a brand I’ve never heard of, Cosori, and I couldn’t be happier. I love the stainless steel interior and black exterior with the gooseneck. It boils super fast and it’s so nice to have presets for green tea, black tea, coffee etc. so far no complaints! (I mean, no idea long term, I’ve had it like 6 weeks) https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/cosori-smart-electric-gooseneck-kettle-in-black/5709404?keyword=electric-kettle

  14. Penny says:

    Ok so random small appliance question: anyone have a countertop convection microwave? I just discovered this insane thing exists-it’s supposed to work as an air fryer/toaster/convection *and* microwave. There is a GE one I’m looking at on best buy that is basically the same price as a middle of the road microwave… is this an insane endeavor??

  15. Kris Bock says:

    I have a $20 metal electric kettle from Costco that has six temperature settings. You need to know what temperature your tea requires, but I mainly drink strong black tea anyway so the default 212 works. We also have a air fryer / toaster oven that does a good job on toast, a decent job on baking though you have to turn the temperature way down from what recipes say, and a fine job as an air fryer. I don’t eat that much toast, but I do love a Trader Joe’s crumpet with butter and ginger spread.

  16. AtasB says:

    Toaster oven. Decent at toast, makes a lot of little snacks that prefer the oven, and best of all it heats your plate when you stick it on top. I used to suffer thru so many winters of my food getting cold by the time I’d eaten three bites…

  17. Kate says:

    I moved into an apartment with no microwave which was actually a blessing as it forced me to learn to cook. I love my toaster oven which is great for heating up leftovers as well as making toast. Mmm… toast.

  18. LML says:

    What kind of (U.S.) grocery store-purchased bread are you toast enthusiasts using that becomes delicious toast?
    I have a James Beard bread cookbook in which he remarks of many recipes that the bread makes wonderful toast. I can’t work up any enthusiasm for baking bread primarily for toasting.

  19. Jazzlet says:

    I wouldn’t be without my Magimix food processor, I’m on my year old second in thirty three years! The first still worked, but at some point I disposed of the dough blade because I was sure I’d always make bread by hand, ah the confidence of youth. When I bought the first the motor was guaranteed for ten years, now they guarantee them for twenty years.

  20. Amanda says:

    @Melody Prime: I don’t they buttered it before hand, but it just was mostly hot bread. Not much crunch!

  21. denise says:

    @Penny, I have the Cuisinart and bought it as a Kohl’s special last year in November, plus earned a boatload of Kohl’s cash. But, I love it because I can use all of the functions. You have to play around with the temps a little with the air fryer, but I’ve enjoyed mine. I use it a lot.

    I also use an instant pot for a lot, microwave (for veggies), regular toaster for bread, and an electric kettle.

  22. Karin says:

    Toaster oven, which also has an air fryer function. But 99% of the time I’m just toasting or reheating.

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