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Those new attached bottle lids in the UK (and probably elsewhere) that literally everyone seems to hate are really great.

I've never lost a bottle cap since they were introduced and makes it way easier to use the bottle with one hand. Can't understand why everyone hates them so much.
“I’ve come up with a set of rules that describe our reactions to technologies,” writes Douglas Adams in The Salmon of Doubt.

1. Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works.
2. Anything that’s invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.
3. Anything invented after you’re thirty-five is against the natural order of things.
 
Those new attached bottle lids in the UK (and probably elsewhere) that literally everyone seems to hate are really great.

I've never lost a bottle cap since they were introduced and makes it way easier to use the bottle with one hand. Can't understand why everyone hates them so much.

Wait until it flips back in the middle of pouring a drink.
I also don't like shoving my nose/chin into the cap while drinking from the bottle.

I find it amazing losing bottle caps is even a thing, never lost one in my life 🤔

That said, I'm for the measure, it's ridiculous that it's necessary but if it helps nature, so be it...
 
L’Arpege was one of the best meals I’ve ever had, but I’m surprised this standard of slicing sawing was considered OK to post on socials…


Lmao, tried to watch this but no. IG said it is too dangerous for me.

IMG_8759.png
 
1. Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works.
2. Anything that’s invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.
3. Anything invented after you’re thirty-five is against the natural order of things.


Whereas ageism is always in vogue, and unfortunately so in both directions.
 
it has seriously never occurred to me to not use convection in an oven that has it.

i was watching some of apron's baking vids and noticed that he or she does not seem to have the oven fan on. why would anyone do that? it changes the temps and/or times because it increases heat xfer rate (a wash if you are unconcerned with time), but doesn't convection cook stuff a bit more evenly? why not always use it unless the air current disturbs something super fragile?

do any of you guys not use convection by default?
 
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My default is top + bottom heat in my electric oven. I only use convection for roasting and often start at 350F normal (top + bottom heat) then crank it up on convection after its half cooked. Thats typical for brussel sprouts or cauliflower. Potatoes start hotter. I don’t use convection much on meat except sometimes at the end to brown a chicken (or use the broiler). I almost never use convection for baking. Its terrible for pies, you need to cook the bottom. Same for pizza.

I have never used convection for cookies, cakes, bread, pies, scones, etc. Also never used with a pot in the oven.

But it all depends on your oven.

The problem with convection is it cooks the outside/top too fast and leaves things undercooked in the middle/bottom.
 
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it has seriously never occurred to me to not use convection in an oven that has it.

i was watching some of apron's baking vids and noticed that he or she does not seem to have the oven fan on. why would anyone do that? it changes the temps and/or times because it increases heat xfer rate (a wash if you are unconcerned with time), but doesn't convection cook stuff a bit more evenly? why not always use it unless the air current disturbs something super fragile?

do any of you guys not use convection by default?
Having never lived in a place fitted with a convection oven, my available option is No.
 
it has seriously never occurred to me to not use convection in an oven that has it.

i was watching some of apron's baking vids and noticed that he or she does not seem to have the oven fan on. why would anyone do that? it changes the temps and/or times because it increases heat xfer rate (a wash if you are unconcerned with time), but doesn't convection cook stuff a bit more evenly? why not always use it unless the air current disturbs something super fragile?

do any of you guys not use convection by default?

I only use convection if the recipe suggests it or I'm trying to "push" something for a faster finish or more browning.
 
it has seriously never occurred to me to not use convection in an oven that has it.

i was watching some of apron's baking vids and noticed that he or she does not seem to have the oven fan on. why would anyone do that? it changes the temps and/or times because it increases heat xfer rate (a wash if you are unconcerned with time), but doesn't convection cook stuff a bit more evenly? why not always use it unless the air current disturbs something super fragile?

do any of you guys not use convection by default?

Convection doesn't ever do well with eggs. It creates a brown skin before stuff gets cooked through. For frittatas, quiche, custards, creme brulee, meringues, etc.
 
it is certainly not default for me.
as everyone above attests: it is a great booster for when you want the surface of something to cook/brown.
sure, it makes the oven more evenly heated, but also hits the outside of the food much harder and thus cooks the whole thing less evenly.
sometimes this is an advantage, sometimes not.
sometimes i crisp things up with a searzall afterwards instead, if needed.
sometimes i run convection with the vessel used in a water bath.
it is all good. but not default, for me.

.
 
couldn't you reduce the temp though if stuff's cooking too fast with convection? i guess it doesn't matter if you're not getting uneven cooking without it, but i'm just musing.
 
couldn't you reduce the temp though if stuff's cooking too fast with convection? i guess it doesn't matter if you're not getting uneven cooking without it, but i'm just musing.
In theory, but it’s still too unbalanced for bakes. The outside still cooks disproportionately quicker.

It’s fantastic for crispy oven chips (… fries if you’re from across the pond and use the wrong word) though.
 
couldn't you reduce the temp though if stuff's cooking too fast with convection? i guess it doesn't matter if you're not getting uneven cooking without it, but i'm just musing.

It just doesn't work well for some applications. Like if you are doing creme brulee you want it to finish flat and uniform on top. But it starts out as a liquid. If you have a fan blowing you are going to get ripples. Egg browns and changes protein form quickly so the ripples will get baked in and the crests of the ripples will be darker than the troughs. I actually took the creme brulee off of the menu at one place where we had a one commercial double stack where your fan speed options were high (hurricane force) or low (tropical storm force).

Tried fiddling with it for a few weeks and then gave up and did panna cotta instead
 
This is actually why I haven't jumped on the hasegawa / asahi bandwagons either. My rule of thumb for future board purchases is basically 'only buy it if you wouldn't mind eating the material'. It's pretty much unavoidable that some part of the medium you're cutting on ends up in your food. Serrated knives just do it a lot more.
I just came across this video. There doesn't seem to be a definite take-away, other than that we probably have bigger fish to fry (or larger carrots to cut, so to speak).
Personally, I don't worry too much about microplastics. Partly because they are unavoidable, and partly because I want to retain my sanity. I avoid plastic where I can. But I'm also not shy about using it when it provides a clearly superior path to where I want to go.

 
My rule of thumb for future board purchases is basically 'only buy it if you wouldn't mind eating the material'.
I follow that. That’s how I eventually settled on this hinoki board
IMG_3445.jpeg
One piece (no glue), nice thickness, decent price. But not huge.
If it’s still there, Michael @ knifejapan has an interesting article about the subject on his site.
 
Yep, we use Hasegawa for proteins and wood for everything else.

Based on the evidence it seems worthwhile to try to minimize your exposure to plastics, even if it’s impossible to eliminate that exposure. What “minimize” means will vary by individual.
 
I follow that. That’s how I eventually settled on this hinoki boardView attachment 363999 One piece (no glue), nice thickness, decent price. But not huge.
If it’s still there, Michael @ knifejapan has an interesting article about the subject on his site.
Have the same board. Mine has seen better days but I still reach for it more than any other board.
View attachment IMG_9943.jpeg
 
@aporigine I think you'll appreciate this one.

Does anyone like to put curry in their egg salads. probably not unpopular. but I like other put a lot of curry in to "curry f(l)avor."
I’ve preferred a more ovo-disciplinary approach. They break right — or get a beating.
 
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