I spend too much of my time procrastinating on shopping channels | Lou Hannan

It doesn’t seem to just be the big stuff, though – such as major life decisions – but also the smaller dilemmas.

The latest of which, should I buy an air fryer?

The best bit about being on the radio is often being able to share these thoughts with the listeners – which is exactly what I did with this latest issue. And the overwhelming response? Yes, it’ll change your life.

I have a very cynical view when it comes to household gadgets. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve found myself watching a shopping channel during a bout of insomnia and found myself getting hypnotised into seeing the capabilities of a spiraliser doing things with a courgette that you can only imagine happening in the poshest of Michelin star restaurants. Ten days later when it arrives, not only have I forgotten how to use it but I also soon realise that I don’t even like courgettes.

Maybe you’ve done something similar when you go into big DIY shops or department stores. You know the drill, you walk past a video screen as a shouting man appears raving about the automatic-between-patio-slab cleaner. Like magic, it removes weeds effortlessly. I bought one. It doesn’t.

I also recall the time I was desperate for a bread maker. I had this romantic image of the smell of fresh bread wafting through the house. My mum bought me one for Christmas which had the added bonus of a timer meaning I could wake up to the smell of freshly baked bread! What it didn’t tell you in the sales spiel was that the noise as it jumped around the worktop during the kneading process was so deafening, you’d be awake for the four hours while your delicious loaf was prepared. The bread maker’s been in a cupboard ever since.

That’s why I decided against an impulse purchase of an air fryer. Having learnt from my mistakes over the years I thought I’d take my time and do some research. And I can honestly say, this is a kitchen gadget that does work. The reviews are right – chips taste like the ones you get in a pub, you can cook pretty much anything in it and it’s very economical. Do you reckon I could get a job on a shopping channel now?!