Cooker problem, Burns Night, haggis... all the usual stuff.

[curiouswombat]

Burns Night went very well. My speech was well received - I did include the bit about the debate on what sex a computer is.

Also a little about remembering Mrs Burns senior as we celebrate 250 years since she gave birth to her eldest - Robert himself. I included a bit about

Why the men always seemed to be sent downstairs to boil water -

1. It kept them out of the way.
2. It gave them something to do that was,probably, within their capabilities.
3. When all the work was done the midwife and the mother could do with a cup of tea.

As you can tell, it was not the most serious of speeches!

I also included a small vignette about
choosing a new cooker.

This was from life - because, guess what, my oven showered me with sparks and flames when I went to cook tea the other night. It was quite spectacular - somehow my kitchen appliances rarely die quietly, they always seem to go out with a bang. When attemps were made to resuscitate it, it proved to be quite dead.

After some discussion we decided to replace rather than repair, as it was likely that other parts might fail too, and we can afford a new one at the moment.

So we decided what we liked best about the old one, and what we liked least. D-d was included in the discussion, by phone.

We decided the worst things were that the grill pan has to be removed if you want to shut the top oven properly, and cleaning both the oven doors and around the knobs is a bugger - it never looks clean for more than a day.

I would like to keep the multi-cook function on the larger oven, so that I can slow cook without the fan. I want an easy timer, as I use it to do casseroles in the winter.

I saw a wonderful one - look - it is touch control - no knobs!

Then it occured to me that actually S2C might not cope with a cooker without knobs. D-d agreed that this might be a technological step too far - remember he cannot yet manage to even open a text, let alone send one, despite being so computer literate.

So I took him to a local dealer yesterday before he went to bed, to look at one. He likes the grill pan...

We think given time, and possibly writen instructions, he might eventually be able to use the hob, make cheese on toast, or bake a pizza - which is about all he needs! So I am going to go back and get a shiny cooker WITH NO KNOBS TO CLEAN AROUND! Oh - and very easily removed inner glass panels on the doors so I can easily keep them clean.

Of course, going back to Burns Night, the high spot is as much the food as the speeches.

We had split yellow pea soup, followed by the traditional haggis, taties and neeps, then pot roast pheasant with vegetables, and an oatcake, raspberry and cream confection for sweet, finished with coffee and mint chocolate shortbread. After that I really needed to go and lie down rather than listen to some excellent speeches, and then give mine!



For all you doubters - which I was for many years - haggis is really quite delicious. Especially with a tot of good single malt whisky.

If you have time to read, especially those of you of a scientific bent - you might enjoy this article on the very serious maths.ed.uk site about "Applications of ultrasonography in the reproductive management of Dux magnus gentis venteris saginati."

Bearing in mind that "Dux magnus gentis venteris saginati" translates literally as "great chieftain o’ the puddin’ race"...

The link was passed on to me by my friend D in Skye. When I get to work tomorrow I have promised to pass it on to the Speaker of The House of Keys - who is an expert on addressing the haggis. Honestly.

Comments

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

The red is rather smart. I don't really need a new kettle, but I am considering asking if they'll throw one of these (http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.203-2071.aspx) in with the cooker.

It is one of the big differences between the US and UK - we'd never think of putting the hob on for a kettle, Ii don't know anyone who doesn't have an electric one!

[zanthinegirl.livejournal.com]

OOh-- pretty!

It is one of the big differences between the US and UK - we'd never think of putting the hob on for a kettle, Ii don't know anyone who doesn't have an electric one!

I actually don't know anyone with an electric kettle! I suspect it's a coffee vs tea thing. I don't have room in my kitchen for any more gadgets-- all my space it taken up with coffee maker, grinder, air-tight storage thingy for the beans... :D

We don't have a lot of serious tea drinkers. Most people just microwave the cup and drop in a bag. I like tea sometimes, but I tend to use a kettle and pot. I hate it when my mugs get superheated. The handmade arty ones don't heat evenly!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I almost always drink coffee - although D-d occasionally makes tea when she is home, but then we only drink filter coffee when we have time, like now. Like most Brits we drink instant much of the time - which shocks my American friends, but of course just needs me to put a spoonful of granules in the mug while the kettle boils.

I would always put the kettle on to heat the water to rinse cooked rice, or cooked pasta, or even just to get the water to boiling quickly to put into a pan to boil the rice in the first place. A fast-boil kettle should get a pint from cold to boiling in about a minute.

I have one friend who heats water in a mug in the microwave - but it always seems a waste of power to me!

It's just one of those odd cultural differences - like top loading washing machines...

[ayinhara.livejournal.com]

I imagine that Americans lack of proper tea preparation ritual is as mysterious to you as instant coffee is to us. I have instant coffee because a friend who borrowed our apartment left it with us. With tea, I use a kettle to heat the water. I even have one of the perfectly English brown betty tea pots, but I never put hot water in it first to heat it up before the step of actually making tea. I've tried the pre ritual, but I cannot tell the difference.

As for haggis, I've never had the opportunity to try it. I do think that most things would taste better with a good single malt whisky.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I don't bother with the heating the teapot thing - in fact I, like many, many other Brits, usually put a teabag in a mug and pour the boiling water on it unless I'm making more than one cup...

Haggis is really just the Scottish version of sausages or meatloaf, it has just acquired an air of mystery! But it is tradition to get a tot of Laphroaig with it at our particular event, to 'toast its health'.