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Hi vermilion and sleaf I'm also looking to do re upholstery on my sofa set. The last co I used, the leather looked nice but less than 2 years, already looking old and awful. I tahan until now, it's been 4 years!!!! Have to change. Any more feed back on re upholstery on sofa? Many thanks in advance!

Hi Lizlemon and all I'm also looking to reupholster my sofa set, have you checked out the suggestions here, any info to share? Many thanks in advance.

Hi Strata I also wonder about Philips quality.....I have not seen the actual Philips FP, only online researching the FPs. If there is no FP thread, perhaps we can catch up on the FP info by PM? Right now, I'm looking forward to the KitchenAid ice cream bowl. Thanks for all your sharing, really appreciate it. At least I know now that Brandt oven would be a good choice for me. Happy Chinese New Year holidays to you and everyone here!

Hi jmt You should plan your kitchen layout, where you want your oven to be installed. After you have bought your oven, you should have a copy of the built in dimensions (given by the seller) to give to your cabinet maker.

Hi Strata I agree with you on the Mayer issues. For short crust pastry, a FP is really the best equipment, I've done the rubbing with fingers, pastry cutter, even with my KitchenAid (they claim it can do this) it gets all messy and inconsistent results. My cousin uses FP, she has a very old and small one, think it's Moulinex, it turns out great all the time every time. I want to avoid cluttering my kitchen counter....running out of storage space too, but FP is really the way to go for short crust pastry. Checked out the same 3 brands you mentioned, but very reluctant to pay that price, even for Cuisinart because I know I probably only use for SC pastry. The Cuisinart MP14 seems to be able to do a lot based on the specs, it even includes doing dough and whisking, that's impressive. I suppose if I don't already have my kitchenaid mixer, I might get this!!! I actually have a Braun Multiquick, it's an old one, the cup is quite small, maybe for 1 pie crust. What I had in mind was to make some of my favourite cookies which is SC pastry. I am happy with my KitchenAid mixer, it's heavy, really heavy.....just too much for me to move it around or store, so it has a permanent place on the kitchen counter. I bought some quilted fabric (so it's stiff enough to stand) from Spotlight and had a tent shape sewed to keep it covered (bowl attached) when not in use. The flat beater does its job, so does the dough hook and balloon whisk. I make bread dough without hand kneading most of the time, whipping cream and egg whites is a breeze. With the attachments like food grinder, citrus juicer, sausage stuffer etc, available it is a really good machine to have in the kitchen, though I think for average Singapore families, we probably won't use these attachments. I was very excited to know that the ice cream bowl is available so I don't need to buy a separate ice cream machine. I feel the same way about vanilla ice cream too! What do you think of Philips FP? I checked out the local website, HR7772 and HR7620 looks like a nice size and at a price range (I think under $200) I'm comfortable with. Thanks for sharing!

Hi Strata Wow, with that much cookies you make, the convection function indeed helps. May I ask, where did you purchase your 811 and for how much? It's been months I've been waiting for a replacement hose for my Ariston dryer. Still usable, just a few holes here and there.... I bought Kitchen Aid mixer about 7 years ago. At the time, I was looking for the splatter guard, since it took so long waiting and they never got back to me, I've lived without it. Also, 2 years ago, was waiting for a stainless steel flat beater, same thing. My current beater is full white enamel coated, the connecting part to the motor head, the enamel has a small peeling bit. Still good to use, just the peeling bothers me a bit. Just last month, I wanted to get the ice cream bowl, also out of stock, they say they'll call me when it arrives, they don't know when....this one I will chase them for it, I really want to make ice cream!!!! You mean Cuisinart Food processor? hey...I am looking for a food processor too, mainly for making short crust pastry, something compact, I already have a blender so I don't want to spend too much on the FP. What model are you looking at, what are your needs? any recommendations for my needs? When using FP for cake batters, does the texture of the baked cake taste the same as using the mixer/beater? Thanks for sharing.

Hi Strata Thanks for sharing! As long as the rack of Brandt can fit 2 pcs of 8" cake tins without touching each other and the sides, that's ok for me. I would not want to switch upper and lower racks at half time for cakes too, I'm afraid especially sponge cakes may collapse. My experience with 2 trays of cookies, same as yours.......makes me wonder if the fan is that useful, saving 5-10 mins of baking time compared to conventional ovens. Perhaps if doing many batches of cookies would be great time saver though, but not really for just 2 trays. Bottom only heat is indeed useful and needed for pies and tarts. Bosch side racks are even bigger and take up more interior space. Mayer is always out of stock for this and that, not just for their Ariston stuff, also for the Kitchen Aid parts. I've had to wait for months for parts and they can't commit to when the parts will arrive. Thanks again for sharing. Really appreciate it.

Hi Strata Thanks for sharing. I couldn't justify adding 1K for the pyrolytic cleaning either. The interior looks small with the racks on both sides taking up space. May I ask, if you've tried putting 2 pcs of 8" round cake tins on 1 grid, will it fit without touching? Or if you put it them on 2 grids with the fan on + Top + bottom heat, do the cakes cook evenly? You've been very generous to share. Thank you.

Hi Strata So glad you are sharing, we need more sharing of experience like yours, thank you. I was looking at Brandt 811 oven too. Do you find the wire rack shelving cumbersome when pulling out the hot grids or trays? Does it slide out nicely? How do you deal with the fan's stains? I was told to just live with it?!?!?! Could you share more on your grilling/roasting experience in regards to the cleaning up afterwards? Really appreciate anything you can share further on your use of this oven. Thanks in advance.

Hey boyblunder That's a good idea!!! should talk to the home baker aunties in the market. Just to share a little more, I recently had to replace my Ariston washer, this served me 7 years too. I bought a LG F1422TD washer 2 months back and stacked my Ariston Dryer on top. This new LG washer is very silent until the spin cycle, but noise is slight. Very pleased with this. I bought a Panasonic microwave convection oven last month, the results of cakes are different from the normal oven, which uses top and bottom heat. Cakes turned out dryer in the MW. Because of the fan/convection mode for baking, better results for cookies, more crisp as the fan is on top. There are built in MW ovens, it's generally more expensive, most brands have it. I don't think it's practical price and space wise to have both built in oven and MW built in. I look at decor magazines and drool over those beautiful, ID design huge kitchens with everything built in, including fridges....granite counter tops, island, stainless steel finish everything......hmm Fujioh hoods are still the best, not so chic looking but it's really effective for our Asian style wet kitchen and easy to clean . For serious Asian cooking with gas and Wok, Fujioh hob is good and most brands Tecno, Turbo etc are about the same, go for concealed type for easier clean up. If you want glass, ceramic and induction and no wok cooking then, go for the popular European brands. They really look so beautiful and so easy to wipe and clean. For side by side fridge, I find the additional water outlet for ice water and ice troublesome as sometimes got problem. The ice water and ice sometimes have an off taste , I've tasted this in my relatives' houses, Samsung, Whirlpool etc. I drink bottled distilled water and my Panasonic 6 door has a dedicated ice maker compartment that filters the water before it makes ice. so when I compare, the off taste does bother me. I don't drink coffee or tea. Soft drinks maybe few times a year, so I know what I'm talking about when I drink loads of water everyday at home and dining out.

I've used a few oven, TecnoGas, Elba 15 years, these 2 are free standing hob and oven. Tecno built in oven, used 7 years. Tecno oven appears to have uneven heating, muffin tin 12 cup cakes, some were more brown then others. when I asked the technician to come, this guy is like sian sian type, not rude....but sian sian response. In his 50's maybe, ask him anything, he like think a long time and say, it's like that...you know what I mean. Ask him if he could calibrate the temperature, he said, no need, it's like that. Tecno oven, in 7 years, this is the only problem I had, and I only replace the oven light once. Elba, was good, no problems at all and heating was very even in all my years of owning it, because I was moving out, and new place can only fit built in oven, i left the Elba behind, don't know if new owners kept it or toss out. These are just my 2 cents worth of thoughts and experience -- I've been searching high and low for oven reviews, it's so difficult to find any info online. I realized, that most people are 1st time buyers in forums searching for ovens, but little feed back on use after their purchase. Even with feed back, most have used 1 brand, the brand they bought and there is no other brand to compare with. Companies merge, buy out etc through the years, hard to determine the quality of the oven base on past performance. The actual people that use the ovens regularly........I imagine are home baker Aunties, maybe they don't go online to post their experience. Most info online are non relevant, as other countries have different ovens. I looked at Brandt and Bosch, they seem to be the "IN" brand now, but I don't like the shelving system, using wire racks at both sides for the trays and grids to slide in, it's noisy and felt a bit clumsy and less space for pans. I'm comparing this with the ovens I've used, that is the groove type, which I just slide the trays into the grooves. the sales man will say that this type would scratch the sides over the long run and rust, but I prefer this. I've not had an oven that rust for all these years I've used them. My Tecno, the fan at the back, when it's stain, there is no way to clean it yourself because you can't take it apart. This happens when there is grilling/roasting with the fan and the fats splatters (chicken, roast beef, lamb). I've stopped using the fan. Maybe the Pyrolytic may solve this problem, if the stains can be burnt to ashes........... It' been very frustrating for me to find relevant info too. On the bright side, I just recently found out that Mustafa sells a lot of electrical stuff and cheap pricing, and you can pay by credit card (to collect points/rewards). Oven selection not many, just Elba, EF and Techno.... but for fridge and washing machine etc, many, many brands and they are open 24 hours!!!! I hate the crowded place though...........

Hi all I'm looking to replace my old Tecno oven height 595 x width 594 x depth 535mm, the built in picture is h 585 x w 560 x d min 550mm How to look for a new oven that will fit? I don't want to get back the same model or brand. Any help and advice is greatly appreciated, mostly baking cakes. Thanks!

Hi all I just bought the LG F1442 washer, how much detergent you use? TIA!

Hi all I hope you guys can share some experience or advice........... #1 I just bought the LG F1422 washer. My current Ariston stacking kit for dryer, the delivery man refuse to drill this on the new LG washer, he said to use rubber mat. He did not want to take the risk. I want to keep my current Ariston dryer to stack on top of the LG washer and the Best Denki guy also said to use the anti slip rubber mat. Any one here doing this, is this ok? I spoke with LG, their stacking method is different, it appears to be 4 pcs of brackets that fastens the four corners between the washer and dryer and it can only be used with their own brand of washers and dryers. #2 I used the same amount of Persil detergent, same load as with my old Ariston washer, the towels looked clean but felt a little soapy and no Persil fragrance. Previously, my towels washed in the Ariston would come out smelling strongly of Persil, not at all soapy to the touch, I'm very baffled!?!?!? I'm not sure if it has to do with the amount of water used or detergent dose. My Ariston uses 66L of water and LG uses 57L water, all this according to the manuals. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance!

Any bought and used Maytag washer? Went to Best Denki, was told Maytag MFW108EDWT is made in Italy and it appears to have all good features I'm looking for and the price seems good at $1200+ Also looking at Bosch, Electrolux and Whirlpool, trying to avoid big LED screen control, prefer simple knob operation. Any update on Bosch washer experience or comparisons? Thanks in advance for any advice!