My spinner (the larger model) is getting used also for the blanched and frozen waxed beans too. Its nice to fill a gallon bag, freeze, and then one 'whack' they are all loose inside gain. Sometimes my spinner gets 'out of track', and will sieze up while I push, but its ony if its heavy with stuff, like lots of blanched broccoli. I cut about 6 inches back from the head bases of the stems below the heads and slice these into 1/2 inch disks. They get an extra 30 second blanch and are all seperated flowerettes get bagged together. Right now, I picked a few tiny flowerettes and added them to my leaf lettuce along with some pickling cukes and a few radishes. All was enjoyed with my fat free, calorie free salad dressing. I had to tone the dressing down a little as the vinegar was a bit much. I jus added some more dried tomato powder and a dash of Splenda and that brought it up to a decent French type dressing. Have enough lettuce greens for about 6 whole meals of just salads alone. Where's those tomatoes??

Sally, yours is an OXO. They are so big that they are awkward to store. I do hope I use it enough to justify the space it takes up. I will not stick it in the dishwasher until or unles someone says it's OK. About the sewing machine: I actually just got a Kenmore model 16221. I sold the predecessor to this model when I worked at Sears so I know it well. It has a horizontal drop in bobbin, needle threader, and thread slicer. It came with more presser feel and stitch selections than I will ever use. It is so quiet and smooth! Kenmore machines are made by Janome so I'm sure the quality is acceptable. I HATE the presser foot release lever.... there isn't very much to it. Nothing to really grab hold of. The motor is smooth and I like that. I may not keep it though. I REALLY want an old fashioned Singer Featherlight or something similar. Something metal (and beautiful) that can survive me! The Kenmore is plain white... not pretty and I know it will smash to pieces the first time I tumble it across the room!

Most hilarious discussion in a long time. Who'd a thunk you could laugh at a salad spinner! Thanks so much for the humor, folks. I like Romaine the best, because I use long buns, hoagies or subs you know. One piece of Romaine covers the whole thing, and it never falls out. When I do wash lettuce of any kind, I like to do the whole thing, and then I leave it in a bag with a wet piece of paper towel. I know I read somewhere that this kept it from going limp or whatever. I also TEAR lettuce and not cut it with a knife. Supposedly, this keeps the edges from RUSTING? Now on to book cases. I like adjustable shelves. I line up my book cases against the wall and then like to put the sofa in front of it. Then I bring the sofa out a little bit and let it "breathe." I like to remove a shelf and then instead of all uniform spacing, there is a taller spot so I can set a small lamp or a painting or photograph. IKEA has a lot of options, even those you can hang/suspend on your walls, to leave the floor area open. Then they also have the BILLY whatever which has been popular for about 20 years or so, and they just celebrated its birthday. I am having IKEA withdrawals, seriously, need my IKEA modular FIX. Most of the things I buy tend to be modular in style, so they function in many places. My DH thinks I like to move things for the joy of changing it up. And he could be right. My mind always is looking at options, at "what ifs." Give me another day and I believe this congestion in my head and throat will be beat down. All the humidity is about to kill me...and it never used to bother me at all. But oh my I am sleeping so soundly in our new bed. :)

lars, a big hug in your direction. Does that Mueller one get going real fast? Is the lettuce close to dry when you're done? I seem to recall our pull device had a ring on the end of it to hold but that might have been after something else broke off. We were living in Europe and bought it there so what we had was as likely to have been an Austrian product as from another European country. It was at a time when kitchen and consumer goods from Asia were rare.