Avoid using GAS and ELECTRIC !

trying-very-trying

greenbee wrote: »

To find mine I have to unscrew the cap on top of the tank (where the power cable goes into the tank) and the thermostat is in there.

For all those who want to know whether it is cheaper to have it on all the time or just a couple of hours twice a day - it's definitely cheaper to do the latter. If you have an insulated cold water tank you're using pre-warmed (even if only slightly) water, and your hot water tank (if lagged) retains heat for 12 hours), so even if you empty the tank mid-morning, the water it is filled with by evening will be warmer than what's coming off the mains, and can easily be heated in an hour.

If you find you get less hot water with your immersion than your boiler - you need to swap for a longer element (mine only heats about two thirds of the tank).

What if you don't have a cold water tank though?? All our cold water comes straight from the mains, so we would be filling the hot water tank with very cold water. Would we still be cheaper just to switch on twice a day

sb44

looby-loo wrote: »

8. Use my pressure cooker lots. I have three tenagers and their favourite meal is breast of lamb casserole cooker in the PC. Chopped up with leek, tomatoes, stock and herbs (and any other veg that needs using up) 30 mins and it's done (10 prep, 10 browningand stiring, 10 with pressure) Done!

Blimey! Is that all it takes to cook breast of lamb in a pressure cooker, 10 mins?

I haven't got one but may have to look out for one if that is the case.

I think they are quite expensive though aren't they and my neighbour says a lot of the old ones are made of aluminium which she says they reckon can add to the risk of getting alzheimers.

trying-very-trying

sb44 wrote: »

Blimey! Is that all it takes to cook breast of lamb in a pressure cooker, 10 mins?

I haven't got one but may have to look out for one if that is the case.

I think they are quite expensive though aren't they and my neighbour says a lot of the old ones are made of aluminium which she says they reckon can add to the risk of getting alzheimers.

You could ask for one on freecycle. If you do get one, even if it is an old aluminium one, it would let you try it out before coughing up full whack if you want a stainless steel one.

sb44

trying-very-trying wrote: »

You could ask for one on freecycle. If you do get one, even if it is an old aluminium one, it would let you try it out before coughing up full whack if you want a stainless steel one.

I haven't been on my local freecycle site for a while, suppose it could be worth asking. Then again, I know it would be free but a lot of the old ones are the ones with with a weight on the top. They used to scare the life out of me when I was a kid, always thought the damned things would shoot off and enbed themselves in the ceiling!

mumoftwo

This is a great thread and I enjoy reading it. In an attempt to save on electricity I have turned off our huge immersion heater tank. We have a dishwasher so don't need hot water for dishes and have an electric shower. If I need hot water for cleaning etc, we do have a boost button in the kitchen and it will heat up the top few litres in the tank. We have saved lots and even got a refund from our Direct Debit payments.

BUT: being the worrier that I am, and having read about it, am I now at risk of Legionnaires disease because the water in the tank is stagnant and not hot? I do still heat up some of the water, just not the whole tank.

Could someone help with some advice. I have googled Legionnaires disease and it says:

Domestic Hot Water Systems

• Domestic hot water systems should be operated and maintained at a temperature above 55º C

• Regularly flush hot/warm water pipe lines (e.g. showers, taps) to prevent stagnant water

• Regularly clean shower heads.

So now I am even more worried. Anyone has any advice? what do you all do?
Thanks in advance

looby-loo_2

sb44 wrote: »

Blimey! Is that all it takes to cook breast of lamb in a pressure cooker, 10 mins?

I haven't got one but may have to look out for one if that is the case.

I think they are quite expensive though aren't they and my neighbour says a lot of the old ones are made of aluminium which she says they reckon can add to the risk of getting alzheimers.

Hi, I used to have an aluminium one and used it for years until I heard about the alzheimers problem. As I use it a lot I did invest in a stainless one but admit it is expensive but I would think I have got my money back with the things I save oven heat on.

There are two ways I do Breat of Lamb Casserole - the healthy way and the quick way.

The healthy way
Do the first bit in the morning or the day before.

As breast of lamb is quite fatty I cut it up into big pieces - 10 cm x 4 cm (ish)
Put in the PC and brown on a gentle heat for a couple of minutes
Add 1/2 pint water, put on the lid and bring to pressure and then cook for 10 mins. Leave to cool a few mins and remove lid.
Drain all the stock off into a measuring jug or basin
Leave to cool. The fat will rise to the top and set hard. Lift this off and put out for the birds.

Add the chopped veg to the lamb in the PC (leek or onion, mushroom, pepper, anything really. I suppose I do 50/50 meat/veg) Heat and stir a little. Add a can of tomatoes and the now fat free stock, herbs, salt and pepper to taste.
Put the lid on and bring to pressure. As the meat is cooked it really only needs a few minutes to cook the veg to your taste. I do it for about 5 mins then allow to cool under pressure.

It is ready to serve.

Sometimes I open the lid and stir in a little flour to thicken, but not always.

The quick way
Just the same but I don't drain off the stock/fat so is is all still mixed in.

Although I rarely go to supermarkets as I find shopping locally much cheaper in the long run I have to admit that Tesco vuccuum packed breast of lamb is the easiest to use as there is no bone. In the spring they cost £2.50 for a biggish one but last week I found a decent size one was £3.80 and even the smallest were £3.

My biggest saving using the pressure cooker, and where I think it has paid for itself is by cooking a gammon or bacon joint about every two weeks. My OH loves ham sandwiches and ham is expensive (especially when he goes to buy it himself from the deli counter:rolleyes: ) I think about £3 for 4-5 slices.

I buy a gammon joint for about £6 or bacon joint for £4 and pressure cook it.

Remove the packaging, rinse and place in the PC. Just cover with cold water. Bring to the boil then up to pressure. Pressure cook for 12 minutes per pound. Allow to cool.

We have a couple of sices off the end as a hot meal with veg then the rest goes in the fridge to use for sandwiches. I suppose about 10 - 12 slices left so much cheaper than bought ham slices.

Hope this helps

Primrose

We're now trying to double-batch cook whenever we use our oven for roasting so today we're doing pork belly strips and roast potatoes on the top two shelves and on the oven base there's is a tray of chopped Mediterranean vegetables for roasting. They'll be used for dinner tomorrow mixed in with rice, along with few chopped anchovies to make an all-in-one salad. But there's no reason why we couldn't put in an extra tray of roast potatoes and freeze them once cooked.

Olliebeak

greenbee wrote: »

I seem to remember being told that the hot water system should be kept above a certain temperature to prevent legionnaire's disease from developing. 40 degrees sounds pretty low... from a quick bit of research, the consensus seems to be 60. Even if it costs a little more, its worth finding out what the recommended temperature is to kill the bugs!

For anybody with any worries about Legionnaire's Disease - check out the following link - the bacteria thrives between 20 - 45 deg C and needs to be inhaled in the form of a fine water vapour/mist. The bacteria also thrive where the water flow is slow/sluggish/stagnant/, so it's always a good idea to run your water system after being away for any length of time, in hospital or if moving into a property that's been empty for a period of time (though that last one is the responsibility of the landlord - but I wouldn't rely on an unknown landlord complying):

http://www.hse.gov.uk/legionnaires/whatis.htm

[Deleted User]

sb44 re pressure cooking: using a clipso pressure cooker on my portable induction hob is by far my biggest energy saver when cooking. A casserole takes 20 mins max and I can steam veg in the basket over the casserole. Cost is about 4p

donna73

hi, sorry if this has already been discussed but i haven't got time at the mo to read through the whole thread- i' m doing a bit at a time

i was wondering if it would be cheaper to boil full kettle in morning and pour into thermos then use that for hot drinks during the day rather than boiling a little bit for 1 or 2 cups as i need it. i'm guessing it would be better but wanted to check with you experts on here.
thanks