i Editor's Letter: iMistakes and disused gadgets

OK, so bring on next week's Private Eye. We were already on to a hiding to nothing by featuring a £799 Maytag in our "10 Best Clothes Dryers" yesterday. It had to be exceptional?! Sadly, it isn't quite as special as we said. It will dry wellies, and I presume woolies, but "willies"? A claim too far. For those who saw it, please don't try that at home. But, perhaps we have inspired Maytag R'*'D?

£800 for a clothes dryer? I have enough gadgets cluttering up my home as it is – most of them barely used. The breadmaker is at the top of a list that also includes one of those Breville toaster thingies, a fondue set, used once, and an ice-cream maker, which did make great ice-cream the one time I tried, but life's just too short.

Last weekend, though, I did get one gadget out of the cupboard in which it had hidden for many years. Admittedly, it wasn't my gadget, or even my house, but the pasta-machine mangle had been a source of mystery to me for many years. Inspired by the wonderful Welsh-Italian Chiappa sisters' recent Simply Italian TV series, I dusted it off, bought some "00" flour and eggs, and persuaded my only too eager Ma to spend a wonderful evening passing on "the knowledge" to my daughters and me. Give it a try!

On a sadder note, I also dragged out one of the several hard-drive back-ups I bought when we were burgled (they left the fondue set!), inspired this time by the neighbours being burgled! Thousands of transferred photos later, my daughter asked why I didn't just save them to "the Cloud". Gadgets you can't see cluttering up your house to annoy your other half – where's the fun in that?

Follow @stefanohat