Growing up I was always taught what to keep, what could prove useful later and what should be tossed.
Subsequently, I have been thrifty all my life and retain that old way of thinking like keeping brown paper and string as it’s sure to come in handy.
Recently, my daughter bought me an air fryer and it has been an absolute god-send. No more splattering oil in the pan, only plain ‘ol’ hot air’ which cooks a real treat.
Unfortunately, I managed to ‘munt’ (Kiwi slang for badly damage) the electrical cord and daughter duly told me how careless I had been. She said if she had done the same, I would have told her off and been continuously on her case for being neglectful.
Of course, children today don’t realise that criticism from parents is a one-way street. We give it, we don’t receive it; our certificate of right not to receive, is our age!
Back to the story! Over Christmas, I had various guests one of whom was an electrician. While he visited, I remembered I had sensibly kept a length of electrical cord removed from a broken appliance. The intent – when I got around to it – was to have a plug put on the severed end and turn it into an extension cord.
But, at Christmas I had a ‘lightbulb’ moment – the cord could now be used to replace the ‘munted’ air fryer cord! I duly asked the young lad if he would be so kind as to replace the damaged air fryer cord with the ‘just-in-case-I-need-it’ cord.
He agreed. I supplied him with tools and connectors then left him to it. When I next entered the kitchen, I was delighted to see a “white plug” in the wall socket indicating the repair job had been completed. Joy oh joy!
However, as I walked toward the air fryer, I was greeted by an astonishing sight which caused my lips to move but no words came out! The entire length of surplus cord (at least six feet or more) had been attached to the air fryer. I started to laugh and could not stop for some time.
Observing the bizarre picture in front of me, left me speechless – for a time! Then the cheerful outlook, with which I always pride myself, came racing “out-of-the-gate” so to speak.
Yes, the ‘munted’ cord had been replaced! Yes, the ‘new’ cord was a little longer or, rather, more than a little longer, than I had anticipated!
It was then that the possibilities flooded into my mind:
- I could have the air fryer on the island work bench some two feet away from the wall socket!
- I could have the air fryer at either end of the island bench, somewhere between two feet and five feet away!
- I could accomplish “fondue” style cooking by having the air fryer on the table so that as my guests and I waited for the food to cook, we could all enjoy the melodic “hum” of the appliance. We could even switch the viewing light on and off to monitor cooking progress all from some six feet from the wall plug!
- We could even enjoy dining table conversation and hear ourselves speak because noise from the air fryer motor meant we would be speaking louder than usual.
- Finally, my mind considered that the added length of cord, plus another cord, would even allow for al fresco dining on the deck.
Now, every time I look at the “bundled” cord I smile and inwardly take the blame for my lack of instructions and supervision.
I also recall daughter’s pursed lips accompanied with a sceptical “Mmmmm!” Naturally, I did not have the heart to say anything except, “Thank you, very much.” Even at my age I’m still learning!
