Some of our purchases....

By Donna B. McNicol -
Thought I'd share a few of the items we've purchased for our move to Ecuador. We wanted things that would last the five years, be as lightweight but serviceable as possible and not cost an arm and a log. Since we have an Amazon Prime membership, most of our purchases have been from there, giving us the free two day shipping.

French Coffee Press
We got a small, single cup coffee press while in Cuenca. It was overpriced but we wanted to try it out AND we missed our morning coffee. It worked so we ordered a larger version, one that is also thermal. It makes 3 large (8 oz) or 4 small (6 oz) cups. So far we really like it.

Coffee Grinder
Hard to make good coffee without a grinder for the fresh beans. We had a couple of requirements: removable cup for washing, choice of number of cups and coarseness, compact size and easy to use. We ordered this one and it's working great for us.

Wok Set
Okay, this wasn't specifically for our move but it will go with us (as our biggest single kitchen item). Hubby loves to stir fry but missed having a wok. The price on this set was too good to resist. So we didn't...LOL!

Pots and Pans
You can get good stainless steel pans in Ecuador but they are very expensive. The alternative is cheap aluminum pans, not an option for us. We knew we needed a compromise between weight, price and quality. We ruled out anything with Teflon, opting for the newer (and hopefully safer/healthier) choice of ceramic. When we opened the box we were both impressed with these pans. I think they'll be a real favorite with both of us.

Tableware
Another item where we wanted a slight upgrade from what was available in Ecuador but needed to compromise on weight and quality while watching cost. Oneida has always been a favorite brand and this set is going to work out well for us.

Knives
We aren't gourmet cooks and a simple but good brand knife set will suffice. Due to weight, we opted out of a larger set with a knife block. Stu likes J.A. Henckels brand so we got this nice three piece set.

Electric Tea Kettle
The price on this was too good to pass up. We might have been able to get this in Ecuador but we never saw one in our store searches.



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