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Are there things you try to practice daily to live a more sustainable lifestyle?
I don’t use the oven or gas fire.
I’ve got an airfryer which is good for small amounts of food. I use the hob for vegetables and small meals like soup. And for really quick meals I use the microwave instead of the hob.
I think doing this has saved me a few pounds. And it’s not warming the climate as much so my carbon footprint must be smaller as I don’t use the car much.
I’m currently trying to cook a turkey thigh in my smallish airfryer. To roast it the instructions say cook at 190 degrees in the oven wrapped in foil for 45 minutes, then unwrap and cook for a further 45. So that’s an hour and a half.
I don’t have any foil but I put it on a grease proof paper liner and put the metal grill on top of it to stop it from burning. So far it’s been in for two lots of 20 minutes and I’ve just turned it over again and put it on for a further 20 minutes. after that I will see if the juices are running clear.If not ill put it on for a further 20 ish… .. It smells nice, but it is a big lump! I hope this works as I might try a small chicken next..
There was a clear sky this morning and a red hue hung on the Eastern horizon. The day has stayed cold, and consequently the house has been cold. I only put the heating on for a few hours then turned it off. I have now put it back on for the evening, it’s too cold!
My house only has a building on one side, so the other catches sunshine in the daytime and leeches it out at night, so depending where you are in the living room you can get warm, but it’s also draughty due to ill fitting doors and old double glazed windows. Currently I have a plug in oil heater opposite me to surround me with a bit of warmth. I used to put the gas stove on in the kitchen but since that stopped working I don’t really have much more ways to stay warm so I’ll put a dressing gown on soon.
I used it! After weeks of looking at it and trying to think when to use it my sister decided to get me to cook with it.
I was anxious when u first used a pressure cooker. This was far more simple. Set the heat, set the timer. If things need shaking just set the timer to half the full amount, take the food basket out, shake the food, put it back in and reset the timer for the second half of the cooking. So simple and I didn’t realise that it cooks quicker than an oven!
A friend sent me this conversion chart yesterday after I told her my oven had stopped working. I’m used to gas cookers and had no idea how the air fryer and oven compare.
It looks like air fryers use less power so perhaps this will save me money, I’m using my microwave more because I’m struggling with my Parkinsons disease, but I like things like jacket potato’s crispy brown on the outside. I also put it on in the winter to warm up the kitchen.
But I’ve bit the bullet and bought an air fryer. Wish me luck!
What’s a secret skill or ability you have or wish you had?
I have a strange ability to do with time. If I’m cooking something in the oven and set the timer for whatever length of time the dish needs cooking I will have an urge to get up and check the time at exactly one minute to go! It happens virtually every time. It’s weird.
Other timely abilities included knowing when my hubby was coming home from work no matter what time his shift ended. I could not relax until a few minutes before he got home. This was despite the time not being a regular thing and no phone calls (he wouldn’t use a mobile phone). (One of my cats was always waiting for me when I came home, the same thing?).
Finally, I can be sitting at traffic lights and if I count to ten, the lights will usually change before I finish counting. I’m not sure why but it seems to work say about 70% of the time.
My thoughts are that I’m living time backwards! I can’t understand how it works. I know we humans have ‘timing’ cells in our brains that regulate our ability to measure time. Perhaps my cells are very accurate? It’s a mystery.
Do you need time?
A time to live, and a time to die, as the saying goes. We all sometimes need time to accomplish things. But then we need time to rest.
For some reason when I’m cooking I know exactly when to go back to the oven. The timer will invariably be at 1 minute to go. If I had waited longer the alarm would go off. I don’t know how I do it?
I’m always late, I somehow manage to leave five minutes later than I would need to, to be on time. I guess that is my procrastination.
I think I need time to sort myself out. Mire rest, less rushing.
Just turn the oven down to 5 and set it for another hour?
Muttering in the kitchen….
OK done it..
Beep beep beep…
Why is the alarm beeping? It shouldnt happen for an hour?
Well I set it. Let me come and look..
You always tell me what to do. But you need to listen.
The cooker has two alarms, so I presumed he had set the top oven alarm. I also could see 1:08 on it but this seemed to be indicating the time?
I reset that to 22:00 and set the alarm (I thought) foe an hour. But what confused me was the time had a bell on it. An alarm. I tried changing the time, it would only go up to 23:59?
What? Set everything to zero, I did that and the cooker switched itself off! There is a timer that Starts and Finishes while you are away from the cooker… I’m learning!
Eventually I got it sorted
I know why he struggled. We both need more practice at setting timers. I hope the food cooks OK
Imm painting a victorian style oven as a bit of scenery for a Christmas Carol. I’ve just drawn something out but the cat appears to think it’s real! The cat sat on three mats…. Will post the result when I’ve painted it. X
I’m sorry this isn’t a lovely recipe, or vegetarian. I’m sorry it’s not beautifully presented. It’s just grub, comfort food, quick, fast. My evening meal tonight.
Cooked in the oven, frozen chips and fish fingers with mayonnaise, takes about 25 minutes. I might even have a slice of bread and butter if I’m running low on chips. Salt and vinegar and mayonnaise to taste.
It’s reasonably balanced, a mix of protein and carbohydrates with not too much fat if I have the reduced fat chips.
Mallaband-Brown