The Nice People Thread, No.16: A Universe of Niceness.

Pyxis

PasturesNew wrote: »

BBC Four (Freeview channel 9) - not sure what it is ... started 10 minutes ago:

The Horizon Guide to Space Shuttles.

Looks like loads of old footage and facts and footage from outside and inside and interviews with people who have been on them.

Was it interesting, Pastures?

I missed it.

michaels wrote: »

Worse luck for the 40,000 Uber drivers who have just received 21 days notice of unemployment

Why? What's happened? :huh:



Don't worry, I'll google, or someone might have started a thread in DT...........

chris_m wrote: »

PSML

Er, doesn't it drip out of the bottom of the toaster?

I swear by Lakeland's toastabags. They're great for making cheese toasties! (Or any toasties!)
You make a cheese sandwich and pop it into the toastabag then put the bag into the toaster. If it's a bit thick, you can still squidge it in.

Then turn on the toaster.

When you see a bit of smoke coming out, then they're probably done, but then I like my bread a bit charred. Otherwise, it's trial and error until you find the setting that's best for you.

The sandwich gets toasted and the cheese inside melts. Yum!

They're made of silicon, so can't burn, and you can wash them in the dishwasher and re-use them loads of times!

I've tried cheaper ones, but they are smaller and not as good.


Cheese and tomato toasties are good too. I expect any sort of toasties would be.

I used to have a toasted sarnie maker, but they are a load of faff..... cleaning the plates and storing the thing. Toastabags do pretty much the same thing, and take up no space. The only thing they don't do, natch, is seal the edges and cut the sarnie into triangles.

PasturesNew

Pyxis wrote: »

Was it interesting, Pastures?

I missed it.

I had it on in the background, rather than actively watching it; it's not a subject I'm particularly interested in ... but it wasn't so annoying that I switched off

If you like space stuff, it was probably quite interesting.

Pyxis wrote: »

....toastabags. .... put the bag into the toaster. If it's a bit thick, you can still squidge it in.

Those bags are WAY too big for my toaster. I bought some to try some years ago, still got them, unused.... waiting for the day when I buy a bigger toaster.

I'd NEVER squidge it in ... that's how fires start in my world.

Pyxis wrote: »

When you see a bit of smoke coming out,

That'd finish me off even if I'd trusted you on your first instruction.

You can also use them for fish fingers and small spring rolls and flat onion bhajis... and all sorts. Even make omelettes.

But my toaster's WAY too small for them.

michaels

PasturesNew wrote: »

For all else, there's pot noodle

Actually the only thing in the kitchen that worries me is the kettle, it is the mix of leccy and water especially as they always dribble down the side when you pour so you then put the wet bottomed kettle back onto the live contacts of the base unit....

We use something like this for toasties:

PasturesNew

michaels wrote: »

Actually the only thing in the kitchen that worries me is the kettle, it is the mix of leccy and water especially as they always dribble down the side when you pour so you then put the wet bottomed kettle back onto the live contacts of the base unit....

I pour slowly so it doesn't dribble - and I have a tea towel hanging at the side to wipe the side of the kettle down if it does drip....
It scares me too, but I feel I can control that bit ... unless it leaks. I also don't like descaling it as I worry that me poking my fingers around round the element might loosen it or something I can't see.

But - a kettle is quite small - and I'd expect just one big spectacular BANG, to see a flash, for the fuse to blow and maybe take out the main circuit board trip switch .... and I feel I can cope with that. My heart does skip a beat every time I flick the kettle switch though ... I always think "that's close to water that is ...."

michaels wrote: »

We use something like this for toasties:

About 30 years ago I had a toasted sandwich maker - I didn't like it much as I couldn't get much filling in it and it needed quite a bit of wiping down after use.

Dry frying them over a medium heat is good as they stay flat ... but I can't use a gas hob (scared of flames) .... and few electric rings ... so no more.

Now I just settle for toasting the bread and nuking the cheese. I could use the mini oven though, but haven't bothered as the nuking way is "good enough".

Pyxis

PasturesNew wrote: »

If you like space stuff, it was probably quite interesting.


Those bags are WAY too big for my toaster. I bought some to try some years ago, still got them, unused.... waiting for the day when I buy a bigger toaster.

I'd NEVER squidge it in ... that's how fires start in my world.



That'd finish me off even if I'd trusted you on your first instruction.

You can also use them for fish fingers and small spring rolls and flat onion bhajis... and all sorts. Even make omelettes.

But my toaster's WAY too small for them.

That's strange, because my toaster's not very big. It doesn't matter if they stick out of the top.
And the 'smoke' is from the bread crusts, not the silicon bags, just like if you overdo ordinary toast a bit! It's not much smoke! :D

It may be the bread I use...... wholemeal, thick cut.

If you use white medium or thin sliced bread, there wouldn't be any squidging, and probably no burning either!

Squishing it in doesn't matter!
The bags are made of silicon, whiich doesn't burn.

SingleSue

GDB2222 wrote: »

How is he with microwave ovens?

He's been eying up the one in the halls kitchen with suspicion :rotfl:

SingleSue

michaels wrote: »

Should have stuck to cheese on toast?

He would have had three problems then, burnt toast, burnt cheese and a dodgy tummy (he is intolerant to dairy)

SingleSue

michaels wrote: »

Actually the only thing in the kitchen that worries me is the kettle, it is the mix of leccy and water especially as they always dribble down the side when you pour so you then put the wet bottomed kettle back onto the live contacts of the base unit....

We use something like this for toasties:

I gave Joe our panini press (which can also do toasties) as it is a bit of equipment he has seen used and actually has helped me to use and he didn't appear as scared of it. It's still sitting in his cupboard whilst he is being scared of it :rotfl:

Pyxis

michaels wrote: »

Actually the only thing in the kitchen that worries me is the kettle, it is the mix of leccy and water especially as they always dribble down the side when you pour so you then put the wet bottomed kettle back onto the live contacts of the base unit....
]

Despite being pretty paranoid about safety, and now having missed my vocation as a risk assessor, I've never worried about electric kettles. The design of the bases with the contacts inside the raised central bit, and everything being well-insulated, means that if you don't immerse the kettle or base in water, it'll be ok.

I found this in another forum............

"Most modern kettles have bases that you sit them on to make the connection and power them whereas many older ones have just a cable running directly from the kettle. The ones with bases usually have the connection under the kettle but actually raised up because they know there is a chance the user will accidentally use it on a wet surface, with this type of kettle you are pretty safe unless you have actually submerged the lower 2-3 inches of kettle in water. If it is the chorded version then as long as you have not submerged the point where the kettle lead attaches to the kettle you are fine. If you have submerged these parts then empty the kettle, shake it off and leave it somewhere warm, dry and open with the wet areas exposed so they can dry off and then you are fine to use it again."


If you think about it, loads of electricals use water. Even my epilator can be used wet in the shower, and it has the recharging socket in its base!
I've never used it wet, though, as I prefer to use it dry.

Boilers are a water/electric mix, so are electric ovens when liquids get spilled on the hob elements, and so are fridges and freezer, when you think about it, not to mention washing machines and dishwashers.

Then there's food mixers, and those stick blenders, slow cookers usually have liquid in them, etc. etc. etc.

As long as you take reasonable care, and don't immerse the bit with the power lead, there shouldn't be any problem.

PasturesNew

Re food, there are a lot of workround products these days - and it's possible to just buy a lot of stuff readymade (compare/be aware of prices and they can be just as cheap as making stuff anyway) .... there's always something one can bear to use to heat things up - and from that item you can adjust/adapt what you want to eat ... and accept it won't be "quite the same", but it's better than going without

With the slow cooker, I'm fine with those .... but I do only ever have it on during daylight hours and when I am here. Most stuff doesn't take all day to cook, especially in small quantities.... so 4-6 hours is usually plenty.

The nuker is amazing, I've been using a nuker for most food for 30+ years and there are more products you can put in them now that shops sell products instead of ingredients.....

You just have to work out "what do I want to eat" - and "is it possible to do something with XYZ gadget I can bear to use" - and "what would the difference be in the end" then consider if you're prepared to accept the difference in end result to the "perfectly cooked version". For some things, of course, there's no difference...

I nuke frozen ready cooked Yorkies

I go through phases of what I eat. One popular meal with me was: packet of dried instant noodles + boiling water, in a pyrex jug.... nuke for 2-3 minutes, stirring ... then toss in half a can of 'red kidney beans in chilli sauce", or tinned garden peas ... and nuke for another 1 minute. Eat from the jug with a fork, immediately fill the jug with boiling water and that's "in soak" and can be forgotten about for .... well, 1-2 days if you must

Chunky tinned soups are good too, 4sda have 5 for £3 on a nice sounding chunky "big soup" at the moment, I've put that on the list and might be going to 4sda to get those in the next few days ..... and stocking up with "things I get from 4sda" when I go as I only go there 2x a year or so.