The Quooker of Edo and Paola
Two busy jobs and a new house that still needs some work. Paola and Edo van Tilborgh have more interesting things to do than stand in the kitchen for hours. Thinking up ideas for interiors, for example. Or catching their breath on a romantic weekend break in Paris. Their Quooker and a food-box subscription are the solution.
Which one of you wanted a Quooker?
Paola: ‘Edo.’
Edo: ‘Boiling water always within easy reach, it sounded really convenient to me. And I really didn’t want a kettle or a water boiler on the work surface. We had decided on an air extraction system that was integrated into the stove. So you don’t need an extraction hood, which means your kitchen looks a lot sleeker. We wanted to continue that line throughout the kitchen.’
Paola: ‘When we threatened to go over budget, I said: let’s scrap the Quooker. Let’s get an ordinary old-fashioned singing kettle.’
Edo: ‘No way, I said. I know what will happen if we get a kettle. There’s nowhere to store it, so it will always be on the stove. And when you want to boil water, it will take ages… I really had my mind set on that Quooker.’
Paola: ‘There was very little room for discussion.’
Edo: ‘I think you were a bit scared, at the start.’
Paola: ‘I was afraid I’d burn my fingers.’
Edo: ‘But the push-and-turn handle is way too smart for that. When you want to tap boiling water, you have to do something completely different than for cold and hot water. In the meantime, Paola has become secretly pro-Quooker, I think.’
Paola (grinning): ‘I have to admit it: I’m glad you persuaded me.
I get to hear that a lot. When I make a cup of tea, he’s standing behind me again: “Pretty handy, isn’t it?”’
What do you use it for?
Paola: ‘Pasta, rice, potatoes, couscous. If something has to be boiled, we use the Quooker. And tea, of course.’
Edo: ‘It’s also very handy for making stock. The next thing we did was invest in a nice Pyrex measuring jug, to use with our Quooker.’
Paola: ‘If a saucepan is badly burned, I just fill it with boiling water and leave the dirt to soak off.’
Edo: ‘And when we’re serving ice cream, we use spoons that we’ve held under the Quooker for a few seconds. It’s as easy as pie.’