The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

thriftwizard

If I remember correctly (and it was a very long time ago, and I was very small) our pressure cooker had been dented somehow & shouldn't have been used at all, never mind to cook porridge. I assume Mum somehow knew that in Scotland, it was often made up in the evening & left on the pilot light overnight (which is how I originally learnt to cook it) so thought she'd shorten the cooking time by using the pressure cooker... 

prepareathome

thriftwizard said:

 Scotland, it was often made up in the evening & left on the pilot light overnight

That is what was done by my mum when growing up (Scotland) and also how I did it until I bought a gas cooker with no pilot.  

wondercollie

Si_Clist said:

wondercollie said:

... I won't even can because of my fear of the water bath process and scalding myself.

Given that in the water-bath method the water doesn't come to the boil and you take the jars out with a jar-lifter, I reckon you have far more chance of scalding yourself by using a kettle

I was scalded as a child, required 6 months in a burn unit and multiple skin grafts.

It took me years to be able to pour water from a kettle, never mind drain potatoes or pasta.

Si_Clist

wondercollie said:

... I was scalded as a child, required 6 months in a burn unit and multiple skin grafts.  It took me years to be able to pour water from a kettle, never mind drain potatoes or pasta.

In which case I too would still have A Thing about hot water.

Si (who also spent too long in a burns unit but only has the one graft)

littlemoney

prepareathome said:

thriftwizard said:

 Scotland, it was often made up in the evening & left on the pilot light overnight

That is what was done by my mum when growing up (Scotland) and also how I did it until I bought a gas cooker with no pilot.  

I make my porridge overnight, but no heat used. I mixed the liquid and oates the night before and leave to soak as it reduces cooking time and electricity usage.

RAS

littlemoney said:

I make my porridge overnight, but no heat used. I mixed the liquid and oates the night before and leave to soak as it reduces cooking time and electricity usage.

That's how I make it too. Brilliant when camping as it uses so little fuel. And soaking the oats ensures nice creamy porridge.

Or you could try "Morning Oats", which seem to be rebranded Bircher muesli with bells and whistles on.

Si_Clist

littlemoney said:

I think pressure cookers were seen as useful as they very much shortened cooking times, long before microwave ovens.

They still are here, where we don't have a microwave and have never felt the need to buy one

Effician

Si_Clist said:

littlemoney said:

I think pressure cookers were seen as useful as they very much shortened cooking times, long before microwave ovens.

They still are here, where we don't have a microwave and have never felt the need to buy one

Do love the results & time saving from a pressure cooker with certain foods but a combi ( grill/micro/convection) oven is our favourite for convenience & speed.

mothernerd

Okay the research I found was rather dated but much of it would still be relevant, given the human race's capacity to find ways of damaging itself. The main causes of accidents in the home (UK) are
1)   Falls - ladders, step stools, stairs, showers stalls and chairs
2)   Poisoning not specified but carbon monoxide is mentioned elsewhere
3)   Burns   household fires claim more than 3000 lives annually (at time of research) - from cooking, electrical outlets, short circuiting, washers and dryers overheating and poorly maintained water heaters
4)    Choking, suffocation and strangulation over 1000 incidents a year
5)    Water, responsible for over 800 fatalities a year

Between 1978 and 2002 RoSPA carried out extensive research on A & E data from 16 - 18 hospitals across the UK (taking into account the age and sex of the injured party, what had caused the accident, where in the house it occurred). Results were published in the New Scientist and widely taken up by the main stream media, most of them going with the lethal (but quite serious) capacity of the tea cosy (which is why I remember that 20 years later).

Most injuries happened to pre-school children - 76 under-5s a week a were taken to A & E with scalds and burns, mostly from hot cups of tea. Many had reached for brightly coloured tea cosies or placemats and pulled boiling hot food or scalding drinks all over themselves (confirmed by the relatively small sample of posters to this thread. My baby brother pulled the teapot from the flap of the kitchenette and has scars from wrist to elbow and required twice weekly visits for treatment).

The next highest group for injuries were the over 65s, particularly the over 75's (problems increasing with age). 2,7 M Britons required a hospital visit each year, of whom 73% had injured themselves in the home multiple times in the past year (57% of over 65s had multiple visits but at 83% those in the 35-44 age bracket were the major repeat offenders).

Most dangerous locations were the kitchen 60% and garden 33%. If you want to feel safe, the report recommends hiding in the garage 15% or attic 11%. 25% of accidents happened on the stairs (but that is quite high given the relative area in the home - this may explain the garage and attic figures as people spend less time in those places).

Top 5 items causing problems were kitchen knives 60%, exercise equipment 33%, the hob 24%, ladders 21% and a wet floor. Tripping over a rug, using a hammer, food blender, screwdriver, drill or hosepipe all received dishonourable mentions. Noteworthy causes include 3421 people injured annually in accidents involving clothes baskets, 13,132 in boiling veg incidents, 1810 people walking into trees and 1,171 accidents caused by leaves (including slipping on wet ones).

People are more likely to be injured in their own homes than anywhere else. Shoes and slippers were the most dangerous items of clothing, 10,773 people were injured in socks and tights  related incidents, nearly 6,000 people were hurt after tripping over their own trousers  or falling downstairs whilst pulling them up. 800 accidents were caused by sponges and loofahs (ranging from children sticking bits up their noses, slipping on them or cutting their hands after cleaning glass - I think that's mopping up broken glass.

Lessons for Preppers 
1)   Don't say I would never do anything that stupid (that's just asking for trouble). These things happened even though people were exercising caution due to previous RoSPA campaigns.
2)    Be aware of the dangers, use equipment properly and undertake routine maintenance, or pay for it. This causes me concern because many people (even those in work) are already having to choose between heating and eating. If money is tight they might put off things like servicing appliances or be stuck in rented accommodation with a landlord who does not do required repairs (remember Grenfell).
3)     Be aware of your own frailties and adapt or change the way you do things as you age.
a)   I had two Le crew-say pans (bought when our local co-op was closing down and they were very much reduced). I lent them to DS2 when he was starting out on his own and later said he could keep them because the weight of them was getting to be too much for me and it outweighed the pleasure of using them.
b)   I can still use step ladders (both 2 and 5 step) but have to choose when I use them. Sometimes I can do a task on the day it comes up, sometimes I might wait a week. If it's longer than that a younger, fitter visitor might be prevailed upon to do the job. The kitchen clock hasn't been altered yet because it's a pain to reach - little steps and have to put them in front of the sink and lean, holding onto the side wall cupboards for support.
c)    I suspect the laundry basket incidents are down to reduced visibility when carrying them. I didn't have one for years, my children were trained to drop their clothes at the bottom of the stairs when going for their baths or to leave them at the top of the stairs, if they were undressing upstairs. I would scoop them up and put the wash on once they were all in bed (having one or two in terry nappies meant 2 -3 wash loads a day - I refused to wash on Christmas day, boxing Day and Easter Sunday). I would unload from the machine onto a bin bag or bag for life, to take things out to the line.
d)   In the run up to my need for a hip replacement being diagnosed I reverted to throwing, kicking or rolling clothes and bedding down the stairs (had attic stairs as well). full rubbish bags could be thrown or rolled, loosely tied bags of recycling also. I bought a pack of cheap straw waste bins and would go from bedroom to bedroom sorting rubbish, recycling and pots and cutlery into them. You can put quite a few plates and mugs into a waste bin and I could walk downstairs with the bin clasped to my chestn the crook of my arm, clasped to my chest and holding the hand rail securely with my other hand.

We need to keep a balance and not limit our lives too much but there's usually a way to do things. I would ask that you also help out other people who may be struggling. I had two hospital appointments on Friday and everyone was polite and helpful and it was such a lovely day (nothing dramatic, just being kind and offering help, giving thanks)

Si_Clist

Seeing as how we're now on about porridge, FWIW we make ours with jumbo oats ('cos we like the texture), water and salt, soaked overnight.  We used to get the oats from buywholefoodsonline until we worked out how much we were paying for the "free" delivery and the "free" gifts, so we switched to wiltonswholefoods a couple of years back. 

We got another 25Kg sack of Morning Foods' Jumbo Oats in yesterday, and that cost us just £25.53 delivered - with a best before of April 2023!

N.B.  If you go to check out Wilton's site, be aware that when you Google "Wilton's Wholefoods", the first listing that comes up is a paid one from buybl**dywholefoodsonline ...