Just read this today. What a fun read! I have a bread maker that my dearly departed mil gave me a couple of decades ago. It sort of looks like R2D2 and dances around on the counter while it's kneading. I was a bread snob for a while (hand kneading only!) and the bread maker languished in the back of a cupboard, but when my fil moved in, along with his love for homemade sourdough bread (made from cultures cultivated by his deceased wife), I ran out of time for hand kneading, so the machine does the job. I shape and bake it myself... works out pretty well - fil is happy with the results, so I count that as a win. 😊
We have a air fryer, too, but it's been disassembled and is now in Limbo (a box in the attic). The thing worked great, but it got to the point where the smell of old oil was so strong, it was relegated to the deck with the grill. Finally, we took it apart to clean it (it wasn't made to be repaired - folded over metal tabs instead of screws), and then realized that the only way to able to do it properly would be to sandblast every separate piece... not worth the time. We've yet to replace it, probably won't, unfortunately.
I love your bread maker description! So fun to maintain the legacy of a generational sourdough starter. We recently replaced an oven at a rental. We needed to match finish and needed in stock. Bought a Samsung. They now market their convection ranges as air fryers. We ask renters not to use it
YES -- your husband rocks -- that is what I told the salesman at Home Depot who was shilling that the convection oven he was selling me was also an air fryer because they include a basket. I give the marketing team credit. Convection ovens are a nice innovation. The real credit goes to the team that called them convection ovens instead of telling us the oven has a circulating fan in it.
Based on the reasoning it would be fun to talk to the guys installing an air conditioner if, since the AC unit also includes a fan, can we call it a convection air conditioner?
I love State Fairs. There is no better instance of people watching ever imagined. The best is when people are walking with their food on a stick into the agriculture barns with the circulating fans blowing wisps of hay and whatever else into the air. There is so much to take in. A busy weekend day at the MN State Fair can mean 200,000 people yet people opt to bring their wagons.
My home growing up had so many odd gadgets but I'm having trouble remembering them! Yogurt maker but to be fair I used a yogurt maker for several years before realizing I could just put the jars in the oven or dehydrator.
A gadget I resisted for a long time was a garlic press because I try to avoid extra things to clean, but we get a lot of use out of the garlic press!
Everyone I know with an InstaPot raves about it. I think they make yogurt also. Chili in under and hour! That is a busy parent dream! I have a retired cousin who hobby farms. I think he grows either 600 or 1200 HEADS OF GARLIC per year (12000 cloves?). I hope he has a garlic press.
I spoke to my cousin in response to your garlic solution:
"...and comments about the garlic 🧄. I have put the garlic in a Dehydrator and then crushed it up to make garlic powder on a very small scale. I did it in the barn otherwise the whole house smells like GARLIC."
My cousin has happily transitioned to retirement! Everything he grows he largely gives away to family and friends. I will tell him about what your friends do.He will undoubtedly consider acquiring some fun new equipment!!!
I have always been a lover of gadgets. Pretty sure it's a guy thing. I can't think of any I've purchased over the years yet I know I have. I really like the egg device at the start, but the S'mores device was kinda cool too. The length of your pieces can be overwhelming, but you write only two a week now, so somewhat justifiable. And when you have a topic that's fun like this for us normal Joes, easier to read. I actually recently saw something similar about gadgets for senior citizens in my AARP magazine. Gadgets are fun and as you should know by now, I'm all about the fun :-) Well done, Mark. Your next piece will be something I'll be writing about too Thursday night, if I survive my return to the fair that day. My hips are going to be screaming all day long, I'm sure. Ugh.
Thanks so much for the comment Chuck! I am now really locked into the 8 minute read time so I hope that is going to help a lot. A couple since I committed were a bit over but not much. I don't, of course count the links as those are definitely rabbit holes!
One of the people in my book club was intrigued by the egg maker also. It is genuinely a great device in EVERY WAY. No effort to clean, durable (mine is 3 years old) and I haven't cleaned a pan for eggs in a long time. If you like poached eggs or soft boiled or hard boiled, it is a no-brainer.
I will share a real-world thread with you separately that I did for my book club person. I make hard boiled for my salads during the week and made a small batch lickety-split and no mess. I often make them while I eat breakfast in the morning one day a week. Because it cooks with steam it almost requires no cleaning whatsoever, just wipe it out while it is warm..
I haven't tried it yet but I would imagine it would be AWESOME for steamed dumplings. Cooking with steam is amazing. There is a recipe for cooking fish in a dishwasher that is absurdly good. Sounds crazy but the fish comes out GREAT. In a restaurant they charge $30-$40 for fish prepared in parchment (en papilotte) and a rube like me can do it. If something goes wrong, it is a dishwasher so who cares.
Just read this today. What a fun read! I have a bread maker that my dearly departed mil gave me a couple of decades ago. It sort of looks like R2D2 and dances around on the counter while it's kneading. I was a bread snob for a while (hand kneading only!) and the bread maker languished in the back of a cupboard, but when my fil moved in, along with his love for homemade sourdough bread (made from cultures cultivated by his deceased wife), I ran out of time for hand kneading, so the machine does the job. I shape and bake it myself... works out pretty well - fil is happy with the results, so I count that as a win. 😊
We have a air fryer, too, but it's been disassembled and is now in Limbo (a box in the attic). The thing worked great, but it got to the point where the smell of old oil was so strong, it was relegated to the deck with the grill. Finally, we took it apart to clean it (it wasn't made to be repaired - folded over metal tabs instead of screws), and then realized that the only way to able to do it properly would be to sandblast every separate piece... not worth the time. We've yet to replace it, probably won't, unfortunately.
I love your bread maker description! So fun to maintain the legacy of a generational sourdough starter. We recently replaced an oven at a rental. We needed to match finish and needed in stock. Bought a Samsung. They now market their convection ranges as air fryers. We ask renters not to use it
My tech-minded hubby tells me that air fryers are basically miniature convection ovens.
YES -- your husband rocks -- that is what I told the salesman at Home Depot who was shilling that the convection oven he was selling me was also an air fryer because they include a basket. I give the marketing team credit. Convection ovens are a nice innovation. The real credit goes to the team that called them convection ovens instead of telling us the oven has a circulating fan in it.
Based on the reasoning it would be fun to talk to the guys installing an air conditioner if, since the AC unit also includes a fan, can we call it a convection air conditioner?
A whole new marketing branch in air conditioners. 😊
OMG I have to buy the egg phone app device for my sister! Where can I find it?
https://www.amazon.com/Quirky-Minder-Enabled-Smart-PEGGM-WH01/dp/B00GN92KQ4
Tell her it only works for duck eggs though :)
Just bought it! Thank you!
Please report back if it ACTUALLY WORKS. It seems unlikely that it can. I find myself laughing just thinking about how silly it is.
Alas I won't know for a while....planning it as a Christmas gift.
It seems you know how to make Christmas fun!
Also I am very looking forward to the state fair issue. State fairs are so weird. Please take lots of photos.
I love State Fairs. There is no better instance of people watching ever imagined. The best is when people are walking with their food on a stick into the agriculture barns with the circulating fans blowing wisps of hay and whatever else into the air. There is so much to take in. A busy weekend day at the MN State Fair can mean 200,000 people yet people opt to bring their wagons.
My home growing up had so many odd gadgets but I'm having trouble remembering them! Yogurt maker but to be fair I used a yogurt maker for several years before realizing I could just put the jars in the oven or dehydrator.
A gadget I resisted for a long time was a garlic press because I try to avoid extra things to clean, but we get a lot of use out of the garlic press!
Everyone I know with an InstaPot raves about it. I think they make yogurt also. Chili in under and hour! That is a busy parent dream! I have a retired cousin who hobby farms. I think he grows either 600 or 1200 HEADS OF GARLIC per year (12000 cloves?). I hope he has a garlic press.
I have some friends who grow that much garlic, too! They don't press it. They puree it and then dehydrate and powder it. It's really good!
Hi Antonia,
I spoke to my cousin in response to your garlic solution:
"...and comments about the garlic 🧄. I have put the garlic in a Dehydrator and then crushed it up to make garlic powder on a very small scale. I did it in the barn otherwise the whole house smells like GARLIC."
Haha I know that smell well! My dehydrator is in my laundry room. I have to open the window or the smell is overpowering.
My cousin has happily transitioned to retirement! Everything he grows he largely gives away to family and friends. I will tell him about what your friends do.He will undoubtedly consider acquiring some fun new equipment!!!
I have always been a lover of gadgets. Pretty sure it's a guy thing. I can't think of any I've purchased over the years yet I know I have. I really like the egg device at the start, but the S'mores device was kinda cool too. The length of your pieces can be overwhelming, but you write only two a week now, so somewhat justifiable. And when you have a topic that's fun like this for us normal Joes, easier to read. I actually recently saw something similar about gadgets for senior citizens in my AARP magazine. Gadgets are fun and as you should know by now, I'm all about the fun :-) Well done, Mark. Your next piece will be something I'll be writing about too Thursday night, if I survive my return to the fair that day. My hips are going to be screaming all day long, I'm sure. Ugh.
Thanks so much for the comment Chuck! I am now really locked into the 8 minute read time so I hope that is going to help a lot. A couple since I committed were a bit over but not much. I don't, of course count the links as those are definitely rabbit holes!
One of the people in my book club was intrigued by the egg maker also. It is genuinely a great device in EVERY WAY. No effort to clean, durable (mine is 3 years old) and I haven't cleaned a pan for eggs in a long time. If you like poached eggs or soft boiled or hard boiled, it is a no-brainer.
I will share a real-world thread with you separately that I did for my book club person. I make hard boiled for my salads during the week and made a small batch lickety-split and no mess. I often make them while I eat breakfast in the morning one day a week. Because it cooks with steam it almost requires no cleaning whatsoever, just wipe it out while it is warm..
I haven't tried it yet but I would imagine it would be AWESOME for steamed dumplings. Cooking with steam is amazing. There is a recipe for cooking fish in a dishwasher that is absurdly good. Sounds crazy but the fish comes out GREAT. In a restaurant they charge $30-$40 for fish prepared in parchment (en papilotte) and a rube like me can do it. If something goes wrong, it is a dishwasher so who cares.