Mundane News

[MikeG]

Just put my bread through it’s second toasting cycle.

Now I’ll leave it to cool for a second time in the toaster before applying salted butter and Roses Lime Marmalade.

Two toastings are required to get the required level of crispiness.

Warburtons Seeded Batch in case anyone’s interested.

Make your own bread, TS, and you'll never mention Wharburtons again, I promise.

Lime marmalade is great. All marmalade is great. But if you want the king of marmalades, then kumquat marmalade is what you need. We had a kumquat bush when we lived in Australia, and the only thing to do with the abundant fruit was make marmalade. If you ever get the chance, try it.

 

[Speicher]

I was gardening yesterday, and the day before. Actually not gardening, but undecomposting. I took out all the "undercooked" compost and put all the "ready to sieve" compost in one compost bin. The undercooked compost went back into the other bin. These are the two green "igloo" bins. Once the "ready to sieve" compost has been sorted, it needs to be kept dry, and I am not keen on rubble bags of compost being in the garden.

There is now about 500 litres needing to be sieved, or broken up into a finer tilth, and a further 300 ready to go onto the garden.

Does anyone on here buy compost and how much do they pay for it? One neighbour asked me if I would sell them some compost. I said it would cost ten times whatever they paid for it the shops if I was to take into account my labour costs.

 

[mybike]

I love all kinds of eggs and am quite particular how each is prepared.

But.. I've never mastered the perfect poach.

Can you share your method please?

A method that seems to work for me is to put the egg in a fine mesh tea strainer, then just bung it in boiling water. The fresher the egg the better. It gets rid of all the trailing bits.

You need a biscuit cutter, well buttered. A frying pan with an inch or so of boiling water, put the cutter in, then break the egg into that and watch...... Never fails.

One of those posh rings for putting food in would work as well.

Sauage

Tut, you should always dip the bacon first.

 

[Speicher]

I have a question for peoples on this thread. I seem to have broken my twenty-year old oven. It does not heat up. So does that mean it could be the thermostat or the heating element. How do I find out which it is? The oven has a separate heating element for the grill, with the oven one being in the base of the oven.

I have looked on Espares and a thermostat is about £30 and the element could be anything between £30 to £80 pounds. If I need a man, or woman (who knows what he they are doing) to repair it, and they charge £30, it is still eco nomical to repair it. A new (single) oven would be £400 or thereabouts. But, is a new oven significantly more energy efficient than and old one? I suppose it is not like fridges (with better insulation) but does anyone know?

Espares have videos to show me what to do, but I have a very healthy respect for anything involving electrickery, and do not want a new hairstyle.

 

[Speicher]

Just in case you are wondering about my ability to prepare hot meals, the microwave is a combination one, fortunately.

 

[Katherine]

I have a question for peoples on this thread. I seem to have broken my twenty-year old oven. It does not heat up. So does that mean it could be the thermostat or the heating element. How do I find out which it is? The oven has a separate heating element for the grill, with the oven one being in the base of the oven.

I have looked on Espares and a thermostat is about £30 and the element could be anything between £30 to £80 pounds. If I need a man, or woman (who knows what he they are doing) to repair it, and they charge £30, it is still eco nomical to repair it. A new (single) oven would be £400 or thereabouts. But, is a new oven significantly more energy efficient than and old one? I suppose it is not like fridges (with better insulation) but does anyone know?

Espares have videos to show me what to do, but I have a very healthy respect for anything involving electrickery, and do not want a new hairstyle.

Don't know but good luck.

 

[Illaveago]

I have a question for peoples on this thread. I seem to have broken my twenty-year old oven. It does not heat up. So does that mean it could be the thermostat or the heating element. How do I find out which it is? The oven has a separate heating element for the grill, with the oven one being in the base of the oven.

I have looked on Espares and a thermostat is about £30 and the element could be anything between £30 to £80 pounds. If I need a man, or woman (who knows what he they are doing) to repair it, and they charge £30, it is still eco nomical to repair it. A new (single) oven would be £400 or thereabouts. But, is a new oven significantly more energy efficient than and old one? I suppose it is not like fridges (with better insulation) but does anyone know?
Does everything else work on the cooker?

Espares have videos to show me what to do, but I have a very healthy respect for anything involving electrickery, and do not want a new hairstyle.

 

[classic33]

How old is the oven? Less than 10 years and it'll be more down to how much is wasted through the element.

Check the thermostat with a battery and a bulb. You should get a completed circuit if it's working.
Mains off for this part.

 

[Speicher]

How old is the oven? Less than 10 years and it'll be more down to how much is wasted through the element.

Check the thermostat with a battery and a bulb. You should get a completed circuit if it's working.
Mains off for this part.

The oven is twenty years old.

 

[classic33]

The oven is twenty years old.

Better insulation is part of it. If you keep the same one, heavy duty foil behind the heating elements will increase efficency/heating. Heavier still is on the outside of most.

If there's a light in the oven, does it work. Or has it recently stopped working?

You could replace one part, and move the problem elsewhere. Replacing that and...

Best advice I can give, get someone you can trust to check it. Before parting with any money, or considering spare parts.

 

[Speicher]

Better insulation is part of it. If you keep the same one, heavy duty foil behind the heating elements will increase efficency/heating. Heavier still is on the outside of most.

If there's a light in the oven, does it work. Or has it recently stopped working?

You could replace one part, and move the problem elsewhere. Replacing that and...

Best advice I can give, get someone you can trust to check it. Before parting with any money, or considering spare parts.

Thank you. Yes the light still works.

The engineer from the local independent shop came out when my dishwasher was faulty. The timer controlling the opening of the slot for the dishwashing tablet had stopped working. He could have said I needed a new dishwasher, but instead suggested an easy peasy and safe way of continuing to use the dishwasher.

I think I will give them a call tomorrow, and they can identify exactly which part is needed. Espares show three elements that will fit my oven.

 

[classic33]

Think of it as money being spent on not getting a new hair style. Whilst staying safe.

 

[Speicher]

Think of it as money being spent on not getting a new hair style. Whilst staying safe.

Yes, that does, by and large seem the sensible option.

When my brother got an electric shock from his train set, my mother blamed me, even though I was not in the house at the time.

 

[tyred]

My ancient Czechoslovakian made vacuum cleaner which I paid 50p for at a car boot sale many years ago has departed this life with a bang and cloud of smoke and gone to the great broom cupboard in the sky.

 

[Illaveago]

Yes, that does, by and large seem the sensible option.

When my brother got an electric shock from his train set, my mother blamed me, even though I was not in the house at the time.

Good luck.