A water kettle. Doesn’t have to be any fancy one, but it really fucking rocks for anything you might think of : want hot water for tea? No problem. Need hot water to steep something? No problem.
Most mid-range ones are insanely power efficient too, often being alot better than just boiling water on a stovetop, or using a microwave. And, depending on insulation, heat can be stored for over 6! hours.
I’m going to guess you’re in the States? I’m from England and live in the Netherlands. I’ve never met anybody ever who didn’t own a kettle. Is it true that it’s really not that common in the States to own a kettle?
I would say 20 years ago almost no one had an electric kettle in the US. Now they are much more common, but still only in a minority of homes. Americans just don’t drink nearly as much tea as the English. The UK consumes 1.94kg of tea per person annually. The US is 0.23kg. (per wikipedia). You will find a coffee maker in most homes and hotel rooms though.
what do kids have with their breakfast then?
Cold milk usually
what about in wintertime?
A kettle is such a default kitchen item in the UK that I find it kinda crazy that it’s not standard somewhere like the US, though I know I’ve seen the difference in base voltage being a factor before.
a few grams of coke ❄️
An air fryer, my microwave has been gathering dust ever since.
I like my air fryer, but there’s certain things that a microwave just warms up better (pasta, basically anything that can dry out, etc). That said, my current apartment doesn’t have a microwave so I am glad that I came in with an air fryer
Combination is the best way.
Want to reheat a pizza slice? Microwave for half a minute/minute then in the air fryer to crisp it up. Ends up better than the first time around many times imo and done in seconds if you heat the air fryer up to 200°c first
They covered this in Hitchhiker’s Guide. The answer is a towel. A towel is just about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can carry.
A solid pair of steel kitchen scissors I have fiskers that will outlive me.
Gorilla Tape. The possible uses cases are endless.
3 dozen pairs of identical socks. Mine are black crew cut. I’ll wear them until the last few pairs are worn through and I’ll never have a sock without a mate.
A decent flashlight.
A streamlight stylus pro is $20, uses 2 AAA batteries, is barely bigger than a pen, and can be an absolute life saver. It produces way more light and throws it way further than your phone’s light, and I’ve been carrying the same one every day for nearly 15 years now with no signs of it failing. I use it nearly daily in my personal and professional life, you will genuinely wonder how you manages without it if you make it a habit of carrying it.
Or go nuts and get yourself a something like a surefire G2. Bigger, heavier, but more durable and incredibly bright.
Your phone is already a flashlight
I spent a lot of time in the middle east, so I’m going to say: Deodorant, not more perfume. Please.
Even better: an antiperspirant. It significantly lowers sweat production on the applied area.
i’m very hesitant about this, we sweat for a reason.
I’d rather just get rid of the smell and deal with sweaty armpits, rather than risk overheating.
One I didn’t see mentioned yet: a rice cooker.
Put in rice, add water, push start button, and you get perfect rice every time. I’m usually against single-purpose kitchen tools but a rice cooker is soo worth it.
Really only if you eat a lot of rice. For once a year or so, a pot on the stove works just fine. The actual benefit I’ve see for ricecookers is how well they can hold the rice for hours ready to go, but that’s more of a commercial benefit I think.
A rice cooker can serve as a cheaper instapot tho. I can steam rice and veggies without having to babysit a pot.
I also have kitchen anxiety, and in a roommate situation can keep a rice cooker in my room.
[…] but that’s more of a commercial benefit I think
For me, this is the primary benefit of a rice cooker. Having warm, cheap, filling food on demand at any time is fantastic. I am so lazy and my little rice buddies are always ready to go when I can’t be bothered.
I know this will be a popular response, but I don’t get it.
I just use a pot and the rice is always perfect? Not hard at all? Am I just good?
I used to do that for years, but rice cookers really do some magic to get perfectly fluffy rice. I thought my technique was good, until I tried rice from a rice cooker.
Meanwhile, I’ve been disappointed by rice cooker rice and make it better the old fashioned way. :shrug:
You should look into Zojirushi. They make the best rice cookers
Living in Japan, this almost didn’t register to me. I have literally never met anybody that didn’t have one. When you move out, you use your family’s old one until you can buy a newer one.
Everyone should have one, absolutely.
When I did a homestay in Japan, my host dad was shocked my family didn’t have one. I do now though!
As a homeowner, a Dremel. I’ve replaced half my tools with a single device and counting. Best 80 bucks I’ve spent on useful stuff in ages. You can get literally anything as an attachment, Lol. I’m waiting for the attachment that will do my taxes.
If you have a car get a dashcam. It’s more valuable than any insurance because it will definitively prove what happened when something goes wrong. Bonus: you can post videos of bad drivers doing stupid things on the internet for imaginary points.
If only there was actually a good car dashcam, but every time I go down that rabbit hole I give up frustrated. The quality (build, mounting, video, whatever) is shit in pretty much all of them, and the “passable” ones look like a web cam from 2005 still.
There’s a reason for that, Linus Tech Tips did a great video on it. You’re better off buying an old go pro and using that.
Ergonomic Mouse/keyboard
Admittedly for $100 you might have to choose one or the other (though I used a $12 ergonomic mouse from Amazon for years until I switched to a trackball, and I loved it) - but if your job is computer based, you really should consider switching to ergonomic equipment.
Your average keyboard and mouse setup is absolute murder on the wrists in the long run - if you spend more than a couple hours at the computer every day without ergonomic equipment and your wrists don’t hurt, then it’s only a matter of time.
Granted, it’s not just about buying a cool new keyboard and mouse - you also need to cut out bad habits like wresting your wrist on the table while typing and so on, but a good KBM will help you build those habits naturall
Any specific recommendations?
I’d advise looking into a cheap, older mechanical option as best you can and cleaning it up yourself. If you want it to last you’re better off investing either that time or that money into one to really make it count. Ergo boards are less in demand than a standard keyboard so they’ll tend more expensive but they’ll pay your hands back kindly
If you’re willing to shoot a bit over the $100 budget listed on the post, “Alice style” mechanical keyboards are getting quite popular. Here’s a cheaper option but certainly not the best, might be worth some research https://en.akkogear.com/product/acr-pro-alice-plus-mechanical-keyboard/
If you already have a good pedestrian vehicle: a good bike lock.
I (and lockpicking lawyer) recommend the kryptonite evolution. Good balance of price and protection.
For a step up I recommend the kryptonite fahgettaboutit.
Either way, bolt cutters aren’t getting in, and portable angle grinders will take a little while because the chain is annoying to grind.
I see too many expensive bikes chained up with thin little locks.
The evolution costs as much as my very good MTB…
Yup! That recommendation is at best for those >2000€ bikes at bestThis is the one I’m talking about, $75
Kryptonite Evolution 1055 Mini 10mm Chain Bicycle Lock , Black https://a.co/d/0xjPXNw
If your bike is worth over $300 then imo it’s worth it, now that every douchebag has a mini bolt cutter in their backpack (around here)
A bidet. Fight me.
Love my bidet.
10/10 for squeaky clean buttholes.
If you’re butthole squeaks… Please see a medical professional
The only people who would fight you about how great bidets are are people who have never actually used one
After I going through my second ~$30 bidet. I upgraded to a ~$300 Toto bidet with heated water and seat. No regrets.
How does that work? I don’t have hot water or an outlet in my toilet room. Did you have to renovate, or was there service already?
I have an electric one and just ran an extension cable. If I owned I would definitely install an outlet next to the toilet.
It must’ve feel like being blessed by the rains down in Africa
I wonder if I could rig up a bidet that would play Africa by Toto while it washed my backside.
You didn’t know you needed one until you use it. Life changing.
We just got one. We even splurged for the fancy one that hooks up to warm water. It is life changing. I feel very dirty whenever I have to do a poo somewhere else. Underrated appliance, for sure.
God damnit. I was hoping reddits love of bidets would stay on reddit, yet here we are
Have you used one? What do you have against them?
Fight me.
Okay, but I’m bringing my power washer.
PSA - Do not use a power washer on your parts.
You sound like a man with experience.
Can I use it in others parts?
“Bidet - the power washer for your parts”
Preach it brother. Enlighten the unwashed (m)asses.
