Early Risers.

[polybear]

1 hour ago, Tony_S said:

After Aditi’s family forgave us for getting married they held a Havan where their friends could celebrate Aditi’s readmission to the family. 

I think after being treated like that I’m not sure I’d actually want to be “re-admitted”; I very much suspect I’d be more of a mind to say “your loss**”

 

(**Other phrases are available....)

Edited April 6 by polybear

[monkeysarefun]

58 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

Thanks to horticultural explorers we can have sweet without all the sugar associated problems. I was at the RHS garden years ago and there was a plant from South America called Stevia that was used as a sweetener. Now used in reduced sugar baked beans.

When Aditi makes desserts she reduces the sugar content drastically. This does mean that rhubarb crumble tastes of rhubarb though. We have got used to it , like using very little salt  in recipes. This makes eating out a bit noticeable about just how much salt commercial cooking uses. 

 

 

Theres also one from China called Monk Fruit (  lo han guo ). 

 

Monk fruit sweeteners range from being 100-250 times sweeter than sugar.

[monkeysarefun]

54 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

I am sure Australian residents will be horrified that we make bread and coffee in the same room as the washing machine and tumble dryer. 

Kind of getting used to the idea  but gotta say it is a bit of an off-putting  concept -  knocking up a sponge cake in the same place you wash your undies!

[New Haven Neil]

Hmm, I think air fryers are misnamed rather - they're just ickle ovens.  We use our s a lot, not used the oven since!  We do use our slow cooker (it's on now) and have a similar thing to a Foreman grill from Cuisineart, which has removable cooking plates so easy to clean - we do steak on it. Oh and a milk frother thing for lattes.

 

We use no salt at all in cooking, the only thing we have it on are chips, on the rare occasions we have them. No sugar either, again only used rarely, we don't now eat cakes or other sweet things.

 

While it is still sunny here, the wind is serious now, UK is cut off, there will be damage around and about especially as the ground is so wet, I imagine several trees will be lost.

[Tony_S]

8 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

Kind of getting used to the idea  but gotta say it is a bit of an off-putting  concept -  knocking up a sponge cake in the same place you wash your undies!

The washing machine has a door…

[Tony_S]

9 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

the only thing we have it on are chips,

Odd that, I too sprinkle a tiny amount on chips. Though I have tried unsalted crisps and I quite liked them, though no one else did. 

[Captain Cuttle]

2 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

We are now all used to air fryers

We have one but never used it, seems complicated to me too many buttons, not unlike the Bosch washing machines with so many different settings! Why do we need them, when you wash clothes by hand, you dont use a thermometer to check water temp, all too fussy.

[polybear]

41 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

Odd that, I too sprinkle a tiny amount on chips. Though I have tried unsalted crisps and I quite liked them, though no one else did. 

 

Bear loves salt on Chips - but very rarely does, amazingly; I very rarely use salt at all - including cooking spuds etc.

 

20 minutes ago, Captain Cuttle said:

We have one but never used it, seems complicated to me too many buttons, not unlike the Bosch washing machines with so many different settings! Why do we need them, when you wash clothes by hand, you dont use a thermometer to check water temp, all too fussy.

 

Like many such gadgets I only use a very small selection of buttons - the rest are pointless for me; if I'm cooking things that have wildly different temperature requirements (e.g. sossie rolls and oven chips) I usually just set it to 185C - in fact that's my default for almost all things and seems to work just fine.

 

[Captain Cuttle]

2 hours ago, polybear said:

You might not want to show SWMBO that sentence - it could very easily be taken the wrong way....

Well to start with she is typical Essex Girl and was complete with miniskirt and platform boots in the 70s. She doesnt do computers or mobiles and after being married to me for over fifty years is completely oblivious to any comment i might make..... however she has a thing about tea/coffee mugs and teaspoons. They have to be collected and washed up and if one should disappear, she thinks i am taking the mickey...........as if i would.

[Erichill16]

8 hours ago, polybear said:

 

**It's best not to even consider what might go on in the kitchens of some Restaurants......

What about the TV chefs who taste sauces straight from the pan using the stirring spoon? 

[Gwiwer]

1 hour ago, monkeysarefun said:

one from China called Monk Fruit (  lo han guo ).

That sounds like low-hanging fruit to me 

[Captain Cuttle]

7 minutes ago, polybear said:

usually just set it to 185C

Everything that goes in the oven is cooked at 180C

[iL Dottore]

It will come as no surprise to learn that I have quite a few "kitchen gadgets" all but one (the dinky doughnut maker) in regular use, although use tends to be episodic. For example, this week I have been having roast beef and Emmental Panini made with my one person sized pannini press (my hot breakfast of choice at the moment: vollkorn bread, roast beef trimings, hand sliced Emmental, seasoning, 7 minutes in the panini press. Beats cornflakes any day).

 

I also have a few items that are rarely seen outside of professional (or serious amateur) kitchens - such as an infrared thermometer (accurate and hygienic),  a sous-vide system, a chinoise and a passe-vite. But there again my culinary horizons and cooking techniques go beyond that of many posters on ER.

 

I don't have an air fryer as I find the cost savings in both time and electricity to be pretty much non-existent given the sort of dishes I cook (besides you can't cook tempura, bhaji, tonkatsu or suppli in an air fryer).

 

As for the usual suspects bemoaning that all this equipment is unneeded, I have but one question: would you limit your modelling tools to just one knife, one size of paintbrush, one type of glue and one straightedge?

 

As always, you can bodge, but - as has been the case for centuries, nothing beats using the right tool for the right job.

Edited April 6 by iL Dottore
Auto correct

[Coombe Barton]

23 minutes ago, Captain Cuttle said:

she thinks i am taking the mickey...........as if i would.

You missed a word out at the end - that word is probably "dare".

[Captain Cuttle]

19 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

That sounds like low-hanging fruit to me 

I am going to try that as cant have Stevia, seems they sell it in Holland & Barratt so we shall see.

[polybear]

Bear here.....

 

I've finally got round to booking a hol in a few months - a week in Valetta, Malta; it's got free cancellation (Booking.com) so I have options for several weeks yet - I've yet to book flights yet (s'pose I'd better do that soon - though at that point I need to be sure cos' I don't think they'll be cancellable without loss).

 

I've never been to Malta before so I'm hoping it'll be reasonable (I usually go to Italy); not needing a hire car is a HUGE bonus in this Bear's book.  I believe they have Pizza so that's hopeful.....

 

Today's fun involved removing the rear light clusters from the Bearmobile (a twice-yearly activity) so I could clean the rear hatchback shuts properly (a lot of cr@p collects beneath the light units); after that I got all excitable and went on to do the door & bonnet shuts as well.  Big Tick awarded - and several tasks crossed off the reminders list in the process.

 

Post - din dins fun included the usual ponder whilst I wander down to the Cafe for a pitstop; a rear paw was giving some grief so I decided not to go up the killer hill today - so I went down it instead.  The downside to this plan was that in order to go down the hill I first had to be at the top.....meaning a longer (but not as steep) uphill wander thru' the side streets to get there.  Oh well.

 

ION.....

After climbing out the Bear Pit this morning (and after a full E.J. but pre refuelling) I decided to check the Beary weight - the Big Seven-Zero** 😁  Mahoosive Tick Awarded; I'll still keep up with the Big D silliness for a while yet cos' it'd be nice to have some slack - 68 would please me intensely, whilst 65 would be, well, about as likely as a Bear giving up Cake forever.....

 

(**Not sure how many years ago when I last weighed as little as that - 30+, easily).

 

Bear gone.....

[DaveF]

The coffee and lunch at church was enjoyable, I met several new people and managed to sort out a couple of minor points about the rota for the next few months.  I think some interesting discussions were had and no one asked me to join the PCC - I must have made it clear enough last year that I wouldn't.  At last there sems to some progress on the new website I did a bit of work in proposing and suggesting designs.  The sausage rolls, pork pies and sandwiches at lunchtime were very good, I should have asked where they came from.  I was very good and didn't have any cream cakes.

 

After the cloud cleared it has been sunny and warm so I had another sit in the garden this afternoon and looked at the plants.  Some are growing very quickly and there is not too much soil visible, though there are still some weeds to deal with once it is dry enough.  The water in the greenhouse has not gone away.

 

I had an e  mail from a shop in Sheffield but couldn't get into my account so a quick phone call was made and 2 things with electric motors have been ordered.  Access to my account with them has also been sorted out, I had forgotten they had changed their website since I last bought anything.

 

Soon it will be time for a light tea followed by another attempt at a crossword, why do some compilers set such odd clues?

 

David

 

 

[Andy Hayter]

3 hours ago, polybear said:

 

Nothing like some nice & healthy, freshly sprayed with chemicals & gassed fruit and veg; far healthier than all that UPF......

(And that's without even considering what chemicals they've been treated with whilst growing.)

 

 

 

And that is why we spend a lot of time growing a lot of our own.  I know exactly what they have been treated with.  Usually nothing, sometimes very dilute washing up liquid and very occasionally tincture of stinging nettle.

[Dave Hunt]

28 minutes ago, Andy Hayter said:

 

And that is why we spend a lot of time growing a lot of our own.  I know exactly what they have been treated with.  

 

Acid rain, diesel particulates, dog piddle........ etc.

 

Dave

[Hroth]

2 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

Kind of getting used to the idea  but gotta say it is a bit of an off-putting  concept -  knocking up a sponge cake in the same place you wash your undies!

 

But.....

 

I don't think the washing machine is used for preparing the cake mix....

 

[Hroth]

6 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

Acid rain, diesel particulates, dog piddle........ etc.

 

Dave

 

You forgot rat and mouse piddle!

 

[polybear]

Bear is currently watching The Eagle Has Landed.....complete with a 23 year old Jenny Agutter..... 😍

[TheQ]

Feathered rats as well...

Our spuds come from a nearby farm and their own farm shop. 

 

Evening ish Awl.

The show itself went extremely well, as for our own unmentionable, I'll be typing our tale of woe,  on my Decoville thread shortly.

 Knackered I am, two days mostly on my feet was not good, especially as my right hip went click inside and I rapidly needed a sit down for a while , lying here on the sofa it's throbbing somewhat.

 

Looking at the seaweeds inspectors words it will be too windy tomorrow to sail, so a day sofa surfing might be in order..

 

Now off to type on Decoville..

[Coombe Barton]

... Domestically more floor has appeared. That’s about it. ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2024/04/06/infection-data-not-much-change-right-wingers-vocal/

 

[Hroth]

The winds got up and the rains come in.

However, its not much to talk about....

 

Anyway, a nice cozy Toad in the Hole is in the oven.  Yum!