# Badly designed appliances, cookware, utensils, etc...



## roadfix (Feb 11, 2021)

My left arm always snags against these protruding door latches on this Oster microwave oven.   This happens every time when placing or retrieving items using both hands.  Not good!


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## taxlady (Feb 11, 2021)

My pet peeve about badly designed appliances is about oven doors. Most oven doors have a vent near the top. Some of them have the vent on the horizontal surface on the top and stuff drips into the space between the two panes of glass. There's usually no way to clean that.

In my mother's apartment in Copenhagen, there was a stove that handled that. The inside pane of glass was removable. It was held in place with four wingnuts. Does that exist in North America yet?

I frelling hate when something can get dirty in a place that I can't access to clean.


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## dragnlaw (Feb 11, 2021)

roadfix said:


> My left arm always snags against these protruding door latches on this Oster microwave oven.   This happens every time when placing or retrieving items using both hands.  Not good!
> View attachment 45534



ditto X 5!!!!

and mines not an Oster!   can I tell you how many times my coffee is spilt? (spilled?)  (wassa diff?)  (and yes, I flunked grammar)


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## Janet H (Feb 11, 2021)

Pet peeve: Drawer pulls that have ends that catch in my pockets and belt loops. it seems like some version of these is installed in most new kitchens.  IMO, they should be banned.



I've ripped clothes on these and several times pulled a loaded drawer onto the floor (in someone else's kitchen).  HATE!


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## taxlady (Feb 11, 2021)

Janet H said:


> Pet peeve: Drawer pulls that have ends that catch in my pockets and belt loops. it seems like some version of these is installed in most new kitchens.  IMO, they should be banned.
> 
> View attachment 45537
> 
> I've ripped clothes on these and several times pulled a loaded drawer onto the floor (in someone else's kitchen).  HATE!



That would bug me too. I have knobs that catch in my pockets.


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## pepperhead212 (Feb 11, 2021)

Janet H said:


> Pet peeve: Drawer pulls that have ends that catch in my pockets and belt loops. it seems like some version of these is installed in most new kitchens.  IMO, they should be banned.
> 
> View attachment 45537
> 
> I've ripped clothes on these and several times pulled a loaded drawer onto the floor (in someone else's kitchen).  HATE!


I replaced some like that for a friend years ago, with some curved handles, with nothing to catch on - something that she couldn't find locally (though local places have much more these days!), but I had a very thick catalog (before the internet!) of woodworker's hardware, with countless knobs, handles, hinges, etc., and all of the measurements were given for the handles - center to center for the screw holes most important.


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## bakechef (Feb 11, 2021)

taxlady said:


> My pet peeve about badly designed appliances is about oven doors. Most oven doors have a vent near the top. Some of them have the vent on the horizontal surface on the top and stuff drips into the space between the two panes of glass. There's usually no way to clean that.
> 
> In my mother's apartment in Copenhagen, there was a stove that handled that. The inside pane of glass was removable. It was held in place with four wingnuts. Does that exist in North America yet?
> 
> I frelling hate when something can get dirty in a place that I can't access to clean.



I can take the oven door off, take out two screws and access the inside, mine has panes of glass.  If I put something under the opened oven door, I can do it without taking it off, but since I'm usually cleaning the oven, I just do it with it off.

I clean this at least every 6 months, because the drips drive me batty!


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## taxlady (Feb 11, 2021)

bakechef said:


> I can take the oven door off, take out two screws and access the inside, mine has panes of glass.  If I put something under the opened oven door, I can do it without taking it off, but since I'm usually cleaning the oven, I just do it with it off.
> 
> I clean this at least every 6 months, because the drips drive me batty!



Are the panes removable? Or is one attached to the front and the other attached to the inside. In the one I was talking about, the inside pane comes off and the other one is permanently attached. I actually washed that inside one in the sink. I think I prefer the easier, wingnut attachment. I'll have to check my oven door.


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## bakechef (Feb 11, 2021)

taxlady said:


> Are the panes removable? Or is one attached to the front and the other attached to the inside. In the one I was talking about, the inside pane comes off and the other one is permanently attached. I actually washed that inside one in the sink. I think I prefer the easier, wingnut attachment. I'll have to check my oven door.



There is one attached to the door front, one attached to the back and a middle one that's hinged so I can clean both sides.  I'm don't think that it's meant to come out.  My range is a Samsung.


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## FrankZ (Feb 11, 2021)

Janet H said:


> Pet peeve: Drawer pulls that have ends that catch in my pockets and belt loops. it seems like some version of these is installed in most new kitchens.  IMO, they should be banned.
> 
> View attachment 45537
> 
> I've ripped clothes on these and several times pulled a loaded drawer onto the floor (in someone else's kitchen).  HATE!



We nixed that style right out of the gate.  

I wanted handles that could put my hand in, not just a couple of fingers.  It is hard to find longer handles that are not that style.  We did, however, find something we though was attractive, would not snag and I could put all my fingers through.

We almost could not find enough of them in stock.


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## dragnlaw (Feb 12, 2021)

One should also be _very_ aware of depth/distance from door to end of knob. Especially the round button types.  When shopping place your forefinger and middle finger on either side of display knob and then jiggle your fingers back and forth.  

If it is a tight fit and you can't jiggle you are quite liable to break your finger in the first joint.

ask me how I know...


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## silentmeow (Feb 12, 2021)

*Right handed appliances*

I’m a lefty.  I don’t even hold a knife with my right hand for fear of stabbing myself.  I have a hand crank pasta machine that is for right handed people.  I don’t use it often but my DH get a kick out watching me try to crank the noodles out.  I have to cross my arms to crank and catch them.  Same with the spiraling machine.  Yes to the latch on the microwave and sleeves!


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## taxlady (Feb 12, 2021)

I'm a righty, but my sister is a lefty and I have had other important people in my life who are lefties, so I tend to notice. 

Why are scissors left or right handed? Nowadays, I won't buy scissors that aren't ambidextrous. I can't think of a type of scissor that works better for having a "handedness".


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## Andy M. (Feb 12, 2021)

silentmeow said:


> ...I have a hand crank pasta machine that is for right handed people.  I don’t use it often but my DH get a kick out watching me try to crank the noodles out.  I have to cross my arms to crank and catch them.  ...



Interesting. I'm right-handed and I have a hand cranked pasta machine I mount on the kitchen counter. I find that I crank with my left hand and "catch" the pasta with my right. The cranking is a simple motion that requires little dexterity while guiding the pasta takes a little more attention.


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## taxlady (Feb 12, 2021)

Andy M. said:


> Interesting. I'm right-handed and I have a hand cranked pasta machine I mount on the kitchen counter. I find that I crank with my left hand and "catch" the pasta with my right. The cranking is a simple motion that requires little dexterity while guiding the pasta takes a little more attention.



That works fine if you don't need to carefully feed the pasta into the machine. But, I find the whole process a lot easier with another person doing part of the feed-crank-catch process.

It might make a difference on which edge of the table that the pasta machine is attached.


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## Andy M. (Feb 12, 2021)

taxlady said:


> That works fine if you don't need to carefully feed the pasta into the machine. But, I find the whole process a lot easier with another person doing part of the feed-crank-catch process.
> 
> It might make a difference on which edge of the table that the pasta machine is attached.



I find that once you start the pasta through the rollers, it takes care of itself.


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## dragnlaw (Feb 12, 2021)

taxlady said:


> .....
> 
> It might make a difference on which edge of the table that the pasta machine is attached.



LOL, taxy, it still mounts in the same direction...  



Andy M. said:


> I find that once you start the pasta through the rollers, it takes care of itself.



I agree - once started, you can leave it to attend the other side.  

LOL and my grandson, when we first made pasta together kept going in the wrong direction with me hopping about and saying - " the other way - turn the other way!"

he kept stopping to watch it come out the other side - we all had such a good chuckle!


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## taxlady (Feb 12, 2021)

dragnlaw said:


> LOL, taxy, it still mounts in the same direction...
> snip



You're right. What I meant was how close which end of the machine is to the edge of the table. If the feed end of the pasta machine is close to a perpendicular edge, you can stand at that edge and easily crank with your right hand, but not the left. Otherwise, you can stand closer to the exit end of the machine and grab the pasta as it comes out with your right hand and crank with the left. I was thinking of two people doing it and not wanting to bump each other.

My pasta always seems to want to go in slantwise, so it needs to be steered.


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## silentmeow (Feb 12, 2021)

It would be much easier with two people, I’ll have to run that suggestion by DH.  I’m just challenged by holding it with my left hand, cranking it with my left hand and catching it with my left hand.  Probably my OCD working! I love this topic.


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## taxlady (Feb 13, 2021)

silentmeow said:


> It would be much easier with two people, I’ll have to run that suggestion by DH.  I’m just challenged by holding it with my left hand, cranking it with my left hand and catching it with my left hand.  Probably my OCD working! I love this topic.



Right handed or left handed, none of us has three hands. It really is much easier with two people if your dough needs to be steered into the machine, like mine does.

And yes, get your DH to participate. Then he can take some of the credit for making the pasta. Mine likes to feed and crank, while I catch the noodles.


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## LindaZ (Feb 16, 2021)

taxlady said:


> My pet peeve about badly designed appliances is about oven doors. Most oven doors have a vent near the top. Some of them have the vent on the horizontal surface on the top and stuff drips into the space between the two panes of glass. There's usually no way to clean that.
> 
> In my mother's apartment in Copenhagen, there was a stove that handled that. The inside pane of glass was removable. It was held in place with four wingnuts. Does that exist in North America yet?
> 
> I frelling hate when something can get dirty in a place that I can't access to clean.



I have an oven door with the vent on top and have a problem with stuff dripping inside the glass. It can be cleaned, but it takes two people to removed the inside oven door and expose the glass for cleaning. Hubs and I do it together.


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