I badly need a new cooker and hob. Ours has the markings worn off so only I know the temperature setting and oven or grill setting. I can't see why it has worn off when it is so rarely used. My lovely Bosch oven and grill and hob is about 10-15 years old. I have decided I need to prove to myself I deserve new ones by wearing out what I have got whilst saving for new. If I am not going to use the equipment, what is the point in spending on new? Goodness how we get by with meals but we do. I used to relish cooking for friends and gatherings - the thought feels me with dread now, some 10 years on. What happened? I plan to get cooking and get some photos of what I have cooked. I have always said that women don't always make good cooks or chefs because we are so busy we tend to skip recipes and make it up as we go along. We think we know what we are doing. Men don't - generally so they follow a recipe and get marvelous results. My late father-in-law (whom I miss daily) was a fantastic cook, self taught the cordon bleu way, the Robert Carrier way. Sitting down to daily dinner was like eating in a restaurant. He followed recipes to a the letter and had amazing results.