Wall Street Journal

[susandennis]

Remember the reporter who called me about the egg/toaster gadget? I got a note today from him:
----------------------------

Hi Susan,

The story will run tomorrow on the House & Home page of the Weekend
Journal section in the Wall Street Journal.

Thanks again,

Theo
-----------------------------
Nice of him to let me know. Not something I would have bothered with when I was a reporter. Guess it's good that I abandoned that early on.

Comments

[jimcarson.livejournal.com]

want me to clip the article for you?

[susandennis]

That would be terrific! I was wondering if I had any high faluting WSJ readers in my circle of peops. I shudda knowd that Mr. Charts and Graphs would be The Dude. I'd love to hear how witty and clever I came off. I'm guessing not one wit or clev.

Teflon truffles!

[jimcarson.livejournal.com]

When Toasting Isn't Enough
By THEODORE MURPHY
February 10, 2006; Page W8

When Paul Myers went shopping for a Christmas present for his girlfriend, Romi Iassudo, he had his eye out for something that would make mornings a little brighter in their Seattle home. But when Ms. Iassudo opened her gift, she groaned. Undeterred, Mr. Myers explained: "It's not just a toaster. It's a toaster that cooks eggs!"

The old bread carbonizer has been back to the drawing board, with a new batch of multitasking toasters. Aroma Housewares Co. introduced a toaster oven with a coffee-maker on the side and a griddle on top in 2002, and between 2003 and 2005, sales quadrupled to 200,000. Mr. Myers and Ms. Iassudo's device, the Back to Basics Egg and Muffin Toaster, has not only two toasting slots, but also an egg-poaching tray, a steam tray for hard boiling and a warming tray for precooked meats; 400,000 were sold between October and December last year. Kenwood, a division of De'Longhi, also markets a toaster that looks -- and sounds -- like an FM radio. All retail for around $40.

These toasters are aimed at a challenging niche in an otherwise popping business. The $282 million toaster market rose 12% in the year ending last November, according to market-research group NPD Houseworld, but the business is dominated by established brands that are increasingly going upscale, and budget companies that churn out massive quantities. At middle price points, the occasional minor innovation has gone unrewarded: Models with gimmicks such as windows on the side or Hello Kitty casing haven't been big sellers, says NPD Houseworld President Peter Greene. "It's hard to get shelf space without meeting a new need," he says.

The manufacturers are pushing the appliances as a way to prepare alternatives to frozen breakfast sandwiches or fast food. Ms. Iassudo, a busy interior designer, says she uses her supertoaster about three days a week to make a take-along meal, often an English muffin topped by a poached egg, ham and provolone, and some (uncooked) pine nuts and basil.

Less is More

The multitasking appliances are still a tiny fraction of the 12.2 million toasters sold last year, and it's too early to say if they have any holding power after the novelty wears off. Some repair shops are skeptical: More functions mean more complex circuit boards. "The simpler the system, the longer the toaster lasts," says Brett Geihsler, owner of Nelson Appliance Repair in Colorado Springs, Colo.

At least one owner of a newfangled toaster has been left feeling burned. Susan Dennis, 56, of Seattle, noted a hint of Teflon the second time she cooked an egg in her unit. "I tried to pretend it was truffles, but it didn't taste right," she says. She received a replacement part, but says that the egg still sticks to the surface, making cleanup a chore. "Well, it's a $40 toaster."

Re: Teflon truffles!

[susandennis]

Hey! I don't sound like an idiot. Cool.

So the only two people he could find who have had experience with this thing - in he entire world - are in Seattle? Strange.

Thanks!

Re: Teflon truffles!

[jimcarson.livejournal.com]

Apparently we're the only ones who like non-stick truffles.
I'll send you the paper copy of the article in p-mail.

Re: Teflon truffles!

[susandennis]

You get the paper copy, too? Now I am really impressed.

I started to say not to bother mailing but, you know what? Mom would get a kick out of seeing it in print so, yes, please. That will be fun to send to her. I'm guessing you have the address but in case you have to dig '526 first ave s. #413 seattle 98104'

Thanks!

[pheon.livejournal.com]

I saw the piece on WSJ Online this morning.

But Susan, I'm surprised at you: teflon does not taste at all like truffles. :)

[susandennis]

You always test me, don't you. And now I don't know whether to go with a or b.

a. You know I have taste issues and now you are just making fun of my disability.

or

b. You know this because of your own extensive taste tests?????

But, the real answer is that truffles have always been more subtle than me. I remember the first time I ever tasted one - I was a teenager at a very fancy restaurant in New York City and everyone was making such a BFD over these things that really didn't have enough flavor to me to even matter much and I thought black specs on food just wasn't that appealing anyway!

[pheon.livejournal.com]

It's selection b. And an assumption that you are old enough to remember some of the early teflon pans. They flaked. I wouldn't say my taste tests were extensive, but I distinctly remember tasting teflon flakes.

And I don't like the taste of either teflon or truffles.

[susandennis]

I'm old enough BUT I did not know about the early teflon pans! My Mom thought that teflon was a silly fad that would never work and she wasn't going to waste her money. ha!