They say that a man retires at 60 but a housewife never retires, since housekeeping is a lifelong commitment. I am not one of those chauvinistic men who think that housekeeping is a woman’s job. I try and help out my wife as and when I can, however, there are certain things a woman has got an eye for which we men overlook. We can, at best help, but we can’t take charge of household chores, as, we do not see things from a lady’s point of view.
It often happens that I do some household chore in the absence of my wife, thinking that I have been helpful about the house, but, when she returns, without telling me she makes some subtle changes, which enhances the output. I may argue with her that I had done it just right but ultimately I do accept that her touch was indeed required. There are certain daily chores, which are repetitive and monotonous like washing and ironing the clothes, sweeping and dusting the house, making food etc. There is just no end.
The problem is compounded when my wife is not there. When she goes out for a few days, the drudgery of washing clothes and sweeping and dusting can be reduced to a large extent by the use of a washing machine and a vacuum cleaner, but cooking is one task which has no alternatives.
I have indeed found an ideal alternative to this monotonous task.
The SANDWICH TOASTER!!
Yes indeed! What a wonderful device this is. It can give you a full meal!
When I am alone, I stock my refrigerator with eggs, salami, sausages, luncheon meat, cheese etc. I keep a bottle of jam handy. I get a supply of potatoes, onions and capsicum from the green grocer and I get a daily supply of bread while returning from the office. That is it. I quickly make scrambled eggs or boil and roast the potatoes or slice up some frozen meat and carry these along with the toaster and loaf of bread to my bedroom. I keep everything within reach on a bedside table. There I am set for the evening. Anything missing? Yes. The glass and the bottle of whisky and soda! I run to the cabinet and fetch them.
I fill the scrambled eggs or the salami slices or the sausages or the luncheon meat between two slices of bread, put it in the sandwich toaster and plug it in. There I am now ready to face the evening. I then pour myself a drink and switch on the computer or the TV and sit down and relax. When I am ready to eat, all I have to do is switch on the sandwich toaster. In ten minutes I have piping hot sandwich toasts. Wow! How delicious and so easy. A hot meal is ready. No problems no hassles. No standing endlessly in the kitchen. What a wonderful device the sandwich toaster is.
Yes I make my pudding too with it! I spread a generous amount of jam or marmalade to two slices and toast them!! Isn’t it delicious. ( It depends on your taste. I love it.)
There are various models of sandwich toaster available in the market with various features like heat resistant body, ‘sandwich ready’ indicator, cord winder, non-stick plate surface which makes it easy to clean, a preset thermostat which makes baking even and a thermal fuse for protection. One can pick the model that suits one’s requirement. I have a Kenstar Sandwich Toaster, which costs Rs 650/-.