Oh yeah, a coffee maker would also be on my list. I’m sensitive to caffeine so I don’t drink coffee or black tea, and Jim doesn’t drink any coffee or tea - when people come over who like a nice cup of coffee, all I can offer them is the instant that’s been in the cupboard for a couple of years. Sorry about that. 
A scale. I don’t care how much I weigh, I care how I feel and how my clothing fits. I can judge both of those things without a scale. A friend celebrates every .5 lbs lost and mourns every .5 lb gained. I can’t see the difference and she makes herself crazy over it. No thanks.
Perhaps if you explained to her that drinking a can of soda adds more than that it would help.
Then again, it’s a handy thing to have if you want to check your hemoglobin and don’t happen to have an electrical outlet.
It’s not just for rice. Get home, throw in whatever grain you have on hand, whatever veggies you want, some spices, and twenty minutes later you have dinner. It’ s so easy and cheap.
Big plasma TVs. I really really don’t get this lust people have for getting the biggest TV in the shop - why do you want a massive black screen taking up half your living room? When I had to buy a TV recently for the first time in years, I was shocked that the smallest I could get was 26", which still seem huge to me. And don’t even get me started on HD…
I have a foolproof method for cooking rice in a pot for anyone that wants it…
I have a TV because my guests will expect one. When I wasn’t expecting guests, I didn’t have a TV. I do watch video on my computer, though.
Closets for clothing. I know most people use them and like them, but I reached the conclusion that I need to see my clothes. In the rental flat I have right now, the linen are in a bedfoot chest, the smallclothes in baskets in the shelves I use as a bedside table, and big clothing hangs from the kind of bars used to display clothes in stores. It’s organized, but it’s in plain sight. In the house I own, I do have a built-in closet (used for linen and off-season clothing) and a closet, but I wouldn’t get the closet if I was furnishing it now.
I’ve had to get a landline in the flat in order to get DSL. But I haven’t bought a phone. My family can Skype me or call me to my cellphone, my business contacts can email me or call the cell, cold callers can kiss my no-phone-hooked landline.
Dishwasher - don’t have one.
Hairdryer - don’t have one, despite long hair
Those “lines” of beauty products where you have 14 little bottles with a different one for each body part, a different one for cleaning, for moisturizing, etc.
Facebook - I sometimes think I’m the only one left who’s not on it
High heel shoes
Texting - last few months I keep having people say “I sent you a text! Didn’t you get my text?” No, because my phone does not connect to the internet and does not do texting.
More rice cookery: Of all people, Roger Ebert, film critic, has written a book about rice cookers and what you can cook in them, to be published in September. This springs from a looooong discussion on his blog.
Two more things I can do without: a toaster (takes up space, used once a week; yes, I have, use, and love my toaster oven. The toaster is banished to a cupboard, anyone who wants to use it has to take it out. So far, no one has cared enough to do so.)… Deep fryer. Unasked for Christmas present, as Mr. Sali had fantasies of stacks of deep fried foods piled up on his plate on a semi-weekly basis. Used once, stunk up the house for a week. Now it sits there taking up valuable pantry space, all greasy in spite of my best cleaning efforts, and collecting dust, next to a bottle of rancid oil that I don’t know what to do with.
I don’t have a microwave or a clothes dryer and my cell phone is over 5 years old.
Is it something besides: one cup rice, two cups water, put lid on pot and simmer for 20 minutes? That’s what I don’t get- rice is so simple in a pot, not only don’t you have to check it, you actually shouldn’t lift the lid. Twenty minutes and it’s done. Simple.
The rice cooker also keeps it warm for hours if you like. S’nice. I mean, I could live without it, but we eat more rice now that I have it.
I didn’t think about a coffee pot - I don’t drink coffee at all, I’ve got plenty of other stuff to brew my tea in, and I keep a French press around if the boyfriend wants any. He doesn’t usually go to the trouble.
Another vote for a watch.
I last wore one on 3 June 2008, which was my wedding day.
For some reason the combination of watch and weding ring felt “wrong” so I took off my watch and haven’t put it on since.
I like modern conveniences as much as the next person but I have no need of a gun. Also a husband, A GPS or Onstar. Anything that can be used as an electronic leash. IM, Cells, Easy Pass. I have a cell for emergencies only. I don’t like being monitored so I have a answering machine that picks up my calls. I like my privacy in a not so private world.
Another one for ice. The freezer in our apartment is small and there is no room for ice trays. If we’re hosting people, it is easy enough to go buy some.
I also don’t have a toaster. I bet I haven’t made toast at home in high school. I never eat traditional breakfast type food at home anyway. I’ll buy some bagels from time to time and just toast them in the oven.
I have never been in a house in the UK that did not have a cooker hood. You’re only just seeing them now? They’ve been common for at least two decades. Where do you live?
Not quite.
- Use basmati rice
- Rince it under a cold tap
- Boil in salted water for 10-12 mins (no lid)
- Drain, poke some holes in it with your finger and leave to steam under a tea towel for 10-15 mins.
Perfect, fluffy rice every time.
Landline. Though I don’t know if that’s something that is still “ordinary and everyone has one” in this day and age. As soon as my communications company let me (they used to only offer their internet and cable packages with a landline, at a higher rate because of the landline of course), I got rid of the darned thing. If it weren’t for work related calls when I’m out in the field, and family calls a few times a week, I probably wouldn’t own a phone at all.
The only good thing about a landline is that it’s helpful when I misplace my cell 
I love Bastmati and Jasmine rice. So aromatic! I’ll try your method next time. I usually cook it in the microwave for 10 minutes and let it sit for two covered.