THE Prepping thread - a new beginning :)

ivyleaf · 11 December 2016 at 4:35PM

dreaming wrote: »

I tried the "live wild/die young" thing and sometimes wonder how I am still alive, but then I had my family and found such a joy in them (and good friends) that I want to be with them as long as possible (I'm now 61). Life isn't always that great - the last couple of years have been very hard for us - but the positives far outweigh the negatives. My mother was only 39 when she died and my dad was 65 (so never got to enjoy his retirement). I hope for reasonable health although have had arthritis for many years now, but I think as long as I can still read and think I will be content. Besides, I still haven't been described as cantankerous (at least not in my hearing :rotfl:), although one old friend asked me if I will ever stop being a rebel? No chance, I said.

I should jolly well think not either! :eek:

Si_Clist · 11 December 2016 at 9:03PM

dreaming wrote: »

Now looking at pressure cookers but need to try them in the shop to see how heavy they are.

In our experience, when it comes to pressure cookers you can either have a good quality one or you can have a reasonably lightweight one.

The good news is that they usually have a supplementary handle opposite the main one. The bad news is that if your arthritis is anything like mine, you'll find that a good solid one is really awkward to wash up and dry on account of the handle being at the top and most of the weight being a fair way away from it ...

jk0 · 12 December 2016 at 1:27AM

Maduro copies Modi: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-12-11/maduro-stunner-venezuela-eliminates-half-its-paper-money-after-pulling-largest-bill-

moneyistooshorttomention · 12 December 2016 at 9:19AM

Thanks for keeping us posted on this jko.

Quick mental amendment to planning just made accordingly.

You know you're getting older when the compliments have changed from "You're attractive" to "You are one step ahead - again:)"

On balance - "one step ahead" is a more practical thing to be.....:cool:.

Picturing my mother now looking at me going "Well you won't be eating bread and marge in your old age then...:cool::)".

maryb · 12 December 2016 at 10:21AM

I have a Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker which I just love. It's Swiss made and so well engineered that hardly any steam escapes. It only has the two pressure settings that are common to most European pressure cookers, unlike my old Prestige which had the three weights. However the higher of the two settings is probably equivalent to the old 15lb setting because it's so much more efficient.

And I want to live for as long as I can be useful to my DDs and help make their lives easier during the gruelling years of working with young children (because it's unlikely that they would be able to stay at home all through their childhoods). Paying forward what my much older sister did for me.

Though I hope I won't be sitting in the dark - anyone seen this ?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/11/britain-facing-energy-crisis-could-could-see-families-pay-extra/

maryb · 12 December 2016 at 10:38AM

another article in the Torygraph which is quite good on energy matters.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/12/11/britains-central-heating-reserve-running-low/

I hope people can read it - they seem to have instituted some sort of paywall. Basically, it is saying that the main gas storage facility is only half full, because of maintenance problems earlier this year which prevented it being filled to capacity when gas was cheap. So if we have a hard winter there is much less of a reserve to draw on. Last time there was a problem with the Interconnector from Belgium combined with a cold snap, the storage facility almost ran dry.

I posted a couple of days ago about an article which said that Storm Angus had damaged the Interconnector and repairs would take until February. So we need to hope that January is relatively mild. Fortunately the cold snap earlier this month appears not to have lasted. Think what a nightmare it would be to have a re-run of 2010 with the most heavily populated parts of the UK blanketed in snow at a time when the margin of supply is seriously dodgy

dreaming · 12 December 2016 at 10:48AM

Si_Clist wrote: »

In our experience, when it comes to pressure cookers you can either have a good quality one or you can have a reasonably lightweight one.

The good news is that they usually have a supplementary handle opposite the main one. The bad news is that if your arthritis is anything like mine, you'll find that a good solid one is really awkward to wash up and dry on account of the handle being at the top and most of the weight being a fair way away from it ...

maryb wrote: »

I have a Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker which I just love. It's Swiss made and so well engineered that hardly any steam escapes. It only has the two pressure settings that are common to most European pressure cookers, unlike my old Prestige which had the three weights. However the higher of the two settings is probably equivalent to the old 15lb setting because it's so much more efficient.
Though I hope I won't be sitting in the dark - anyone seen this ?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/11/britain-facing-energy-crisis-could-could-see-families-pay-extra/

Thanks for the feedback on pressure cookers. I had one years ago (Prestige, I think it was). I have found recently that I can't easily drain my largest saucepan over the sink, but I have another (many years old and sold as a spaghetti pan) which although the same volume is easier to manage because it is narrower and taller, with a shorter handle. I wish I had paid more attention to the pivots, fulcrums and levers lesson in physics so I could explain it better.:) So that was what I was going to look for - a tall, narrow pressure cooker with the extra handle. I have already given my largest Le Creuset casserole to my DD but even the smaller one can be a pain as I have an oven door which opens "down" so I can't get close enough to lift it out easily. Well I won't look until January anyway so plenty of time to research.

maryb · 12 December 2016 at 11:15AM

Funnily enough, I find almost the opposite and I have replaced my narrow deep pans with wider shallower ones - I don't have to 'turn' them quite as far to drain them. It's a great pity you can't try out pans in store by filling them full of water then draining them. ( I suppose it would make a bit of a mess but, really, some stores are so fussy!:))

dreaming · 12 December 2016 at 12:52PM

I do tend to just empty the saucepan into one of my sieves or colanders using both hands now - it's the holding onto the lid with one hand and tipping the pan over with the other that's difficult. Funnily enough though I always seem able to undo tight tops of jars or bottles, as long as it is just the twisty ones, not the squeeze and twist. I also find that sometimes I struggle to pick up smallish things (as I found out when doing a jigsaw) and I can no longer click my fingers together on my right hand. Oh well, that's my jazz career out of the window then. It's a bit annoying that it has seemed to hit the right hand side of my body - right shoulder/wrist/fingers/knee/ankle. I don't get it as the other side of my body is just as old!:rotfl:

oceanspirit · 13 December 2016 at 11:35AM

A 5 minute power cut is a good way to find out that it's all very well having lots of preps however if you can't get to them in the dark ...

It was no problem getting to the main torch however there were hazards to negotiate in the living room in order to get to the candlesticks which were empty of candles and the log basket (too heavy for me to lift) is in front of the cupboard where the candles and tea light lanterns are stored.

So as it is now winter (although a very mild and tame one so far) the power cut supplies will be retrieved and made ready for use. And a note to self that the radio battery and mobile phone battery need to be fully charged each day before it gets dark and at other times if storms are forecast.

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

THE Prepping thread - a new beginning :)

Comments

Categories

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free