Cindy

So I wasn't expecting much from this Ausclimate Dehumidifier. It's not something I was aware of and we live in a dry climate, but winter is different. I didn't even realise it's…

the DAMP that is affecting my mood. Probably sensory issues frankly but that heavy feeling I get on my skin in winter didn't happen this year. Anyway I set it up when it arrived easily enough. It's got wheels and a sturdy handle although I just carried it to where I wanted it. Put it in the family room after reading the instructions. Downloaded the Ausclimate app and away we go. I just put it on auto because I have no idea what I'm doing. The kids had spotted the bucket bit at the bottom where the water collects by this time so we had a fiddle with that as well. That's it. I mostly forgot about it except for the colour of the light changing sometimes depending on what it's doing - until we had a bit of rain for the first time in a couple of months. I brought the washing in and hung it on the rack inside. When I woke up in the morning the light on the Dehumidifier was flashing and I could see from the indicator that the reservoir was full. So it's been quiet for weeks and suddenly it gets to work. The whole house was buzzing and I had to argue with the kids about drinking the water collected. That reservoir has to be carefully pulled out as it splashes a bit and I just poured it on my plants as it was heavy like a couple of litres at least and my kid put the empty reservoir back in the Dehumidifier for me. Too easy. I'm actually shocked. We get a bit of condensation on the windows in winter from the heater being on overnight. This year, everything is dry. I am sold on this product. The washing dried overnight instead of taking days when it's rainy outside. I imagine this would be amazing in Melbourne or Tassie to take that dampness you can feel out of the house. I got this one for free as part of the Ambassador program for doing the review so this was a massive score for me. I got an appliance I didn't even know was available that I needed and it's made enough of a difference in the house that my husband has commented on it. I can't tell if it's loud as I am Deaf but everyone else says it's quiet and not noticeable as well. The only thing I would say is don't dawdle getting the reservoir back into place as it drips a bit. Not a big deal considering the massive volume of water it's just pulling out of the air. Wild. This would go great down south instead of those big buckets of pink crystals that you just keep throwing out. Lovely. And it can be operated from your phone. I'm impressed.

Covers more area with the same amount of water – I got the Karcher eco!Booster 180 through the Ambassador program. It clicks easily into place on the Karcher K7 Compact pressure washer, and spreads the usually flat jet onto a…

wider area with the same amount of water. The water pressure from the eco!Booster is not as powerful as the regular K7 nozzle as far as I can tell. The purpose of the eco!Booster is clearly to save water whilst covering greater surface area. Achievement unlocked. This is great for the general cleaning of our vehicles, and to clean out the water filter system under the house. I used a bucket of water rather than the tap to source the water for cleaning our filter. Our home is on tank water filtration - when the filter is taken out to be cleaned, we have no running water. This conundrum usually means it’s easier to replace the filter than to clean it. The eco!Booster 180 did the job with a single bucket of water in under a minute. I just waved it at the filter and the dirt came off. Easy. I’ve completed a job that has been haunting me for months. I also no longer need a new water filter. I also used the eco!Booster to clean mud from under the trailer which worked quite well. The mud dropped off with only a small amount of water needed. Would recommend and will use again.

It’s The Goods – I’ll start by saying that the Karcher K7 Compact pressure washer is The Goods. I’m sure that if you wanted something more powerful it would have to be a commercial machine. This…

is clearly top of the range for domestic use. Everything in the box was easy to understand and click together. The K7 Compact is surprisingly heavy, but it has wheels and a telescopic handle so it can be rolled around easily like carry-on luggage. Water is precious out here in regional Queensland. We are on tank water only so I was a bit concerned about the volume of water the pressure washer would use. There was no need to worry though. I got thick, sun-baked on mud off the 4x4 without too much trouble - we switched the regular wand to the eco! booster 180 to very effectively “wipe” the stubborn bits off the mud flaps. The trailer looks good as new. The Karcher K7 Compact didn’t use much water to give a big result. I’m very impressed. The trigger part is light and easy to use. Just point and go. You can really feel the water pressure in the handle as you use it, but it’s easy enough for small hands to manoeuvre. The Karcher K7 Compact pressure washer can also be fed water from a bucket which is awesome because I was able to pull apart and clean out the house water filtration system properly. Normally that is just a something we can only tap to clean the bulk off since the water has to be turned off to take the filter apart. Now we just put the other end of the hose in a bucket of water and it takes literal seconds to rinse the filter. This was the most exciting part for me. Cleaning will increase the life of the water filters, so the Karcher is also saving me money. I’m really happy to have received this little pocket rocket through the Ambassador Program. I wouldn’t have known about the K7 Compact pressure washer otherwise and I definitely need it. I’ve used a Karcher pressure washer a few years back, but this is an entirely different machine. The difference in the water pressure is phenomenal - especially with the eco! Booster 180 accessory to just peel dirt off. I’m definitely keen to get a couple of the accessories available on the Karcher website if they fit the K7. I’ve got my eye on the right angle wand so I can do the gutters and water catchment without a ladder. There was a list of jobs I just haven’t been able to do around our home that I’ve now marked off in a single afternoon with the Karcher K7 Compact pressure washer. I’ve made quick work of the 4x4 and trailer, the water filtration system, and cleaned the windows without having to get up a ladder. I’m stoked. Highly recommend if you’re into getting things done without having to hire equipment or get a labourer.

No more flipping and turning – I received this sandwich press as part of the Ambassador program. I’ve been using the Kmart Anko press for a couple of years and the Russell Hobbs is by far the better product.…

It’s roughly the same size so fits 4 sandwiches at once which I really need with so many people to feed in our house. It heats quickly and evenly, and cools down rapidly as well so I don’t have this dangerously hot thing on my bench for the next half and hour after I’m done making lunch. I don’t bother preheating, just put sandwiches in and turn it on. Unlike my previous press, there is no need to flip or turn sandwiches halfway to brown them evenly. They all cook through with a lovely crunchy exterior by the time the indicator light turns green. I don’t put anything on the outside of our sandwiches as we like a dry finish rather than oily, and they turn out great every time. No stick whatsoever even if the cheese escapes a bit. Vegetable fillings get heated all the way through very quickly and cheese melts well. We’ve done tuna, eggs in the hole, beans, and meats of all kinds without success. White bread, rye, and croissants all toast perfectly. I haven’t been able to try any panini because I live in a remote area, but this would easily replicate cafe style sandwiches at home. I reckon you could probably fry eggs and sausages on this directly if you didn’t have a cook top. There don’t seem to be any hot spots and the floating lid comes down level so it’s not squeezing cheese out one end like my old press. I’ve left sandwiches on a little too long while trying to multitask as I’m used to my old press taking ages and they still turned out fine, just a bit darker which I actually preferred without going hard enough to hurt my gums. So now I leave mine on a bit longer as the kids prefer blondes. I haven’t timed it, but the Russell Hobbs press seems to work a bit quicker than the Anko as well, so don’t go anywhere. I’m used to wandering around the kitchen doing other things while I wait, but the sandwiches are done quickly now. Wipe clean with a damp paper towel and back to brand new. Nothing sticks. I store mine with a clean Chux between the plates to prevent scratching - it locks closed so there’s no clacking when I move it or anything. It looks quite sleek and stylish in the black too which is a plus.

Good little all rounder – I was very excited to receive the Russell Hobbs Desire as part of the Ambassador Program. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a food processor - back in my baby food days - and I…

hated cleaning that one. The Russell Hobbs has dishwasher safe parts, but it wasn’t really necessary for me because it’s small enough to clean quickly and nowhere for food to get caught. I wasn’t sure what to make but the kids were keen on smoothies which turned out great with frozen banana that whizzed up with the stick mixer in the tall cup easily. Very more-ish. I saved a bit of time and mess by processing seafood with cream cheese for my crab Rangoon. That turned out so delicious and I liked not having to mix it by hand which gets a bit tiring which block cream cheese. I dropped some spring onions in at the end for a rough chop and mix so there was a still a bit of texture in the filling. We randomly bought squid for calamari rings but couldn’t get breadcrumbs in our remote area (I didn’t want to use panko for a delicate meat) so I had the brainwave to use the Russell Hobbs processor part of the Desire to make my own crumbs. My husband actually laughed at me because he thought it wouldn’t work. Joke’s on him - it worked perfectly. I just processed a slice of bread for maybe 10 seconds and it made perfect breadcrumbs which fried beautifully. I forgot to take a photo of the calamari because everyone was scoffing them as I was cooking but the delicate crumb was a winner. Then I saw a video on TikTok about the long list of ingredients in breadcrumbs so I’m really happy to be making my own as we try to make most things from scratch. Both the bowl and the tall cup have removable rubber feet so they can be used without slipping around, and they come straight off for washing so they get properly cleaned and dried. The wand part just clicks in and out easily so it’s easy to switch between the processor and the stick blender. I even used the whisk to beat eggs for a huge batch of scramble which worked really well and now I know I hadn’t been doing a very good job of beating a dozen eggs with a fork like, at all. I don’t know what else I can whisk but I’ll have to crack open my ducky old recipe books for ideas. The stick blender is a bit of a money saver as I can buy cheaper whole canned tomatoes and make purée in the can with it for sauces. I also prefer the whole tomatoes as there is no skin so the sauces don’t have that little bit of bitterness that the skin usually gives - meaning no sugar needs to be added. Win-win. I’ll be making hommus this weekend as I hear homemade is heaps better and we go through lots of it with crackers and cut veg everyday. We will also be making our own French onion dip. We want to make it with avocado oil instead of the slightly unpleasant canola oil in the supermarket brand we normally buy. It’s so cool to be able to make a premium product at home with ingredients from the pantry/fridge as we do live in a remote area so there is no shopping for extra things between large stock-ups. We are so fussy with food in our house and it gets very expensive to buy all the best sauces and bits and everything has stabilisers and preservatives in it which we can now a kid by making our own dips and condiments. I’m looking forward to trying a few things such as making my curried pumpkin soup smooth for the kids to try as they don’t like the lumps. I also want to make my own aoli with garlic I will roast in the Russell Hobbs air fryer. I’ve made lots of things I usually wouldn’t make with the Russell Hobbs Desire so it gets a 10/10 from me for making unfamiliar recipes more accessible and removing the requirement for elbow grease. I’m looking forward to doing a lot more experimenting and making more from scratch in future.