Our New Old House

Today, this gross and smelly kitchen becomes Kitchen Stadium! But on this version of Iron Chef, we do not have a theme ingredient. We have a theme power tool! Witness the stunning culinary prowess as our Iron Chefs create a traditional American comfort food using only a Pro-Line Heat Gun!!! (It’s Iron Chef meets Red Green! Did I watch too much TV as a child? Yes. Yes I did.)

Alle cuisine!

[Announcer's voice from the stands:] The most important thing to remember about making a toasted cheese sandwich is that the butter goes on the OUTSIDE! Let’s see if she remembers this crucial technique.

Beautifully done! You down there on the stadium floor! Ask her what she’s going to put inside the sandwiches! [Voiced over by a translator:] “I’m using a delicate blend of co-jack cheese, sliced extra thin at the local deli counter, and pre-packaged store-brand mozzarella cheese.” Back to you!

It seems she has handed off the bag of cheese to an assistant to cut open, lending credence to the rumor that Kelli-san is not allowed to play with sharp objects in the kitchen. [Kelli-san again voiced over by a translator:] “Tee-hee! I’m hopelessly inept at opening resealable bags without tearing the plastic zipper off. Somebody please invent a power tool for THAT!”

We can see here that she has expertly piled the mozzarella on TOP of the co-jack.

And now she carefully begins heating the cheese using the low setting on the heat gun. 750 degrees should be plenty hot, don’t you think?

With the sandwiches put together now, she starts browning the outside, melting the butter and crisping the crust SIMULTANEOUSLY. I tell you, you don’t see these kinds of old-world skills anymore.

The crowd is now hushed in anticipation of the final unveiling of this culinary masterpiece! The first test: the pull-apart string of melty cheese…

Bravo! Just like in the Kraft Singles commercials! Now, the most important test of all… Judges, what do you think?

It’s unanimous! Kelli-san is the new Iron Chef! Her power tool cuisine reigns supreme!

[Voiced over by a translator:] “Tee hee! I’m burning my tongue! Take the picture!”

I have been wanting to get a heat gun and start stripping the woodwork in our house.  Several people have said that I HAVE to get a respirator mask if I’m going to do that, so I went shopping around on Ebay today and here’s what I ended up buying:

 A 1500W 2 Speed Motor Heat Gun w/4 PC kit from Proline Products.  (Here’s the Ebay listing: 1500W 2 Speed Motor Heat Gun w/4 PC kit.)  I got it for $6, plus $15 shipping. 

 And an AO Safety Respirator.  (Here’s the Ebay listing: AO Safety Respirator.)  This cost $21.01 plus $7 shipping.

Here’s the picture from the Ebay listing:

All for a grand total of $49.01!!! 

I’m going to set up a work area in the basement for stripping the removable things like doors and windows (though I WON’T be using the heat gun on the windows for fear of cracking the glass!) 

We bought a whole bunch of tools at Ace Hardware’s 20% off sale!

They came in a cool carrying bag.

We got a circular saw…

A work light…

A reciprocating saw…

A drill…

A jigsaw…

Two rechargeable batteries that fit all the tools, a charger, and a hand held vacuum cleaner.

While we were there we also bought a 16′ extending ladder, a cordless edger/trimmer, and a few odds and ends we’ve been meaning to get.  It was quite a haul!  I’m so excited to start using all our new tools!