I know most of you are probably so glad it's Friday and the end of the working week. I'm not because Monday will see me returning to work with all the rest of the schleps and the lovely little imaginary world I have fashioned for myself over the last almost 7 weeks will crumble into the mundane of balancing work and home life. (And I'm confessing that I didn't get half the things on my list done that I thought I would and I'm not really sure where the time went)
My favourite thing this week is a vintage item that I have long coveted. I only managed to lay my hands on one this week and I finally feel my life is complete. If you were born prior to the 1970's you may recognise it. If you were born after 1980 , it's highly unlikely you've ever seen one. Patty had one when we were growing up and it brings back lots of childhood meal memories. My Mum made the best chops and mash in the universe and this was part of her secret.
Ladies and gentlemen I present to you my new /old vertical grill. This is my absolute favourite thing this week.
I have no idea why they stopped making them because they are seriously fantastic. They cook both sides of your meat at once and all the fats and oils fall into the drip tray at the bottom. So you cook things twice as fast and get rid of some fats and what's not to love about that? And everything that comes out of it has a lovely smoky flavour.
When I moved out of home in 1989 I went searching for one to buy but they had stopped making them by then. I had to settle for a health grill (a flat grill ) which was never the same. (Miss P inherited it when she moved out last time around) Over the years I have intermittently checked to see if they have started making them again and checked them out on ebay They sell for anywhere between 30 and 80 dollars second hand and because I'm a minge I refuse to pay that for a second hand appliance that might blow up 5 minutes after I get it home because it's 30 years old.
Cue angel music last Saturday when a very kind lady offered one on Freecycle. How fast do you think I emailed her to say I'd be delighted to take it off her hands? And have we used it already - oh yes we have and it's every bit as fantastic as I remembered from my childhood.
Feel free to link away and show off your favourite things for this week.
O dear, I can't see Mr. Linky...
ReplyDeleteI am here....
http://www.sweetnothingsbj.blogspot.com/2012/02/happy-birthday-2312.html
My favorite thing this week....my sweet boy's 48th birthday.:))
Very cool. Was the vertical grill a world wide thing? I was born before 1970, but I don't believe I've ever seen one. You know the coolest stuff.
ReplyDeleteI've never owned one or used one, but I do remember them. That unfortunately, makes me old!
ReplyDeleteYep, late 80s me has never heard of them. So they're like a hardcore toaster with a drip tray? I never really eat chops despite having a butcher for a sister so it'd get left in the cupboard at my house.
ReplyDeleteSucks to be going back to work on monday - as of next friday I have two weeks off... Not quite the six you managed to score, but I'm still very much looking forward to it.
I'm old enough to know about a vertical grill... but I never used one. Cool! So glad you got one!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite thing this week is I made a table runner with charm squares for Valentine's Day!
Have a great weekend!
I have never seen one of them before. (At first glance, I thought it was a skinny deep fryer.) I can see how that would be handy. However, I am envisioning my smoke detector being set off should I ever get my hands on one--oh wait, that's right, I disconnected my smoke detector near the kitchen! Problem solved. Doing bacon in the broiler always led to ear-splitting noise from that thing. I digress...
ReplyDeleteMore succinctly--VERY COOL! Might we see some vertically grilled meat? Yum!
my favorite thing this week was finishing the binding that i was working on.
ReplyDeleteyour new little cooker looks pretty handy and now i'm hungry for a chop and some mashed potatoes . . .
hmmm, i've not heard of freecycle. sounds like a very good idea though.
try not to let your thoughts of monday ruin your weekend.
:-)
libbyQ
My mum had one of those but i think she was more in favour of the old Crock Pot, which i only ditched about 18 months ago, but the new one isn't as good. I remember a few meals from the old grill but not with the same enthusiasm that you have lol.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the vertical grill was a worldwide thing or my family was just not cool, cuz I've never heard of it. Seems very cool. I disconnected my smoke detectors too -- the one near the kitchen goes off when we boil water; the one in the hallway goes off when you shower .. I have twelve more hours to figure out what my favorite is. So sorry your time off is almost over .. it has flown by so fast.
ReplyDeleteThat looks like an interesting gadget. Never heard off - so it probably is more an aussie thing, cause I am also one of the "old" fraktion.
ReplyDeleteSorry your vacation time is now finally over, but you will see how much MORE you´ll get done once you are back at work. Always seems to me, that we are much more organized to get things done, when we are NOT on vacation.
Great FTF what's not to love about that little gem! :-)
ReplyDeleteO, I came back to link and here I am, already linked. Thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteLove this gadget...never have seen one. I am pretty sure this must be an Aussie thing...I have been around a long time and this is the first I've ever heard of it. Pretty darn cool. :))
Oh yeah, my mother had one.....bet it's still in her cupboard somewhere. And I can never email quick enough on Freecycle....constantly miss out, so I gave up. Btw, hope it goes well on Mon - I'm seriously missing school hols more than Miss 14!
ReplyDeleteOMG.... we had one! you have brought back some lovely memories for me Shay! the one job my dad had in the kitchen was to cook the steaks in the vertical grill and to make the mushroom sauce in a little milk saucepan! I recall trying to make it just the same as my dad but I never could! My girlfriend and I also tried to make curried prawns like my mum used to make..... dismal failure! (sorry, obviously not in the vertical grill!!) what was her secret I wonder? I used to love grilled bacon sandwiches from the vertical grill! they were the best! Awwwww! now I want one too!!
ReplyDeleteI was married in 1971 and got one as a wedding present... hated cleaning it even though it did great chops
ReplyDeletewhat are you fixing on that thing?
ReplyDeleteNever seen one, Shay, but it looks fabulous. Is it a pain to clean? That's the one thing I hated about my flat grill...cleaning the fat drippings. Blech.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the rest of your vacation time. I'm sure you accomplished more than you realized. Happy Friday night! ☺
OMG! the things that makes You Happy..we had one growing up and they were a shit to clean I remember that part..at least it was free.lol
ReplyDeleteEnjoy.
I've never seen anything like this, but it sounds fantastic!!!!! I'm dying to know:what was the inaugural meal????
ReplyDeleteI love that thing! how much easier would it be to cook with it? and free is even better!
ReplyDeleteI've never seen one and I was born in 1963 - on the other side of the world from you. It does seem like a good idea - enjoy!
ReplyDeleteI've never seen a grill like that! It seems genius in design. I can't imagine why they quit making them and now favor the flat ones.
ReplyDeleteSo very cool! May yours last 30 more years.
This looks really cool! It's a vertical George Foreman grill!
ReplyDeleteYes, I've never been to freecycle, but a friend of mine is always talking about it. In fact, she just picked up a small crib for us just in case we'll need it in a few months, totally free!!!
So sorry you have to go back to work soon - devastating for sure. (p.s. I hope the funeral a week ago was bearable for everyone. I know you were all there for a loss, so that has it's own difficulties, but I know you were going to possibly have to hold together a few other situations as well. No need to write to us about it, I just wanted you to know you were prayed for and we didn't forget about ya...)
I was definitely born before 1970, but you know I've never seen one of these! Good find. I wished we had Freecycle here - we used to haev a good system here - you could but anything out for recycling to be collected on the first Wednesday in the month. If you saw something you liked, then before it was collected you just had to knock on the door and ask if you could take it. But they stopped this last year and now it's only plastic and paper. A backwards step I think.
ReplyDeleteGood luck at work next week!
The before 1970 must only apply to Australians because I have never seen one either. Cool that you got it on Freecycle. Happy grilling!
ReplyDeleteI'll confess to being born before 1970 and also to never having heard of one of these, and to hating those health grills. Three confessions, bless me please!
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of those grills before, but it sounds wonderful. Freecycle and the free list on craig's list are the greatest.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a cool kitchen appliance. I'd like one of those.
ReplyDeleteWell, I definitely was born before 1970 and I never had heard of this great grill. It sounds perfect--and free too.
ReplyDeleteOh my yes I remember them. We had one and being some one who loves burnt sacrifice when it comes to lamb chops 'with the tails on' I loved ours. Thanks for the memories. I hadn't heard of that site.....great idea.
ReplyDeleteEr, sorry but I was born prior to 1970 and seriously, I don't remember them at all! Maybe we Brits were just abit behind you guys over there?? Or maybe you guys just took all those appliances from the UK and shipped over there? Who knows, but I do love the concept.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...well saying I was born well before 1980...I think I have one of 'those' things in the cupboard somewhere! I used to love the meat cooked in them too! but saying I dont eat much meat (specially the red kind) these days - have not used the griller for years - might have to go have a dig!
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear about your lucky find this week Shay - I've never seen one either - I was thinking that's a bloody big slice of bread you'd fit in that toaster. Ohhhh bleugh about work on Monday - what a bummer :-( hope it's not as crappy as you think it's gonna be.
ReplyDeleteOh I remember those grills! You are right about how good they were. One of the things I remember was the best toasted polony and sauce sandwiches! lolol Plus really crispy chops. The health grills are not a patch on the oldies but goodies! My commiserations about going back to work on Monday. I've been back a week and it was not long before it seemed like I had not left!
ReplyDeleteFlashback to about 20 years ago when I lived in share households we used to always have those. You could get them from the opshop for 50cents. I was a vegetarian but I'd use them to cook toast. Ah the memories... I'm glad you found one.
ReplyDeletewell look at you! I have never seen one of these before, but they sound pretty awesome. And your sewing projects..WOW!! I will have to shamefully hang my head in shame as I have nothing to post of the sewing nature this week. Work has taken over any personal life I have ever known at the moment. But you rock it, girlfriend!! xoxo
ReplyDeletegrilling vertically is new to me, also. i'm glad you found one, and so glad it lives up to your fond memories!!!
ReplyDeletebut once it's cooked, i can't figure out how you balance the meat on its side ... it must be hard to eat !
:)
I was born in '71 and I've never even heard of anything like that. Cool concept. And free cycle? I've never heard of that either, but you can bet I'll be checking it out!
ReplyDeleteI have one of these vertical grills sitting in my cupborad,my MIL gave it to us and yes they do cook chops to perfection :) BRB.
ReplyDelete