Mundane News

[Deleted member 26715]

I thought I would try and join a 4 wheeled forum and was accused of being a spammer !

Well that was a nice welcome !

Well your opening comments that all Jaguar owners should buy your Viagra probably didn't go down too well.

 

[fossyant]

Nuts, just had a message from a mate (ex work colleague) that another one of my mates has dropped dead in their early 50's (edit, he would have been 50 in November). He lives in Lytham, and I still follow him on Strava - he's a very good runner. He was out running yesterday and died yesterday some time. He did have a pacemaker fitted in his 30's (marathon runner then) but has been fine. He only got married last year ! RIP Rick !

 

[tyred]

The Internet is wonderful but I have spotted a flaw - a rolled up newspaper is much better for swatting a fly that a laptop.

 

[Reynard]

Had a nice cheese and salami sandwich on sourdough bread, two and a pear and satsuma for lunch.

The varnish I applied this morning is already dry! But I will wait until tomorrow to sand it down and apply another coat.

Neither Poppy nor Lexi want to go outside. It's too darn hot.

 

[Reynard]

Can anyone recommend a good frying pan please? There is a local Kitchen shop, but I would need to have some idea of what to get. I think the size would be 28cm diameter. I thought about getting a stainless steel one, cos non-stick ones do not seem to retain their non-stickiness for very long. However, steel ones also have steel handles, which get very hot. Does the panel have any suggestions, preferably reasonable in price.

I have both stainless steel and cast iron pans. Both have pros and cons.

Stainless steel ones are really hard wearing but can be prone to stuff sticking if frying with oil. Lard or butter usually mitigates that. Not all of them come with metal handles - I have with both metal and plastic handled pans, so you may want to look around. The former are well useful though, as you can sear stuff on the hob, then chuck the whole shebang in the oven.

I use a cast iron pan for pancakes. Mind, mum had it before me, so it's been in use for around 50 years. It's rather well-seasoned. The trick with this is not to wash it at all, but just to wipe it out with a bit of kitchen towel after each use. Or if you must clean it, then get it nice and hot, put a thin layer of table salt in the bottom, take it off the heat and let it cool.

I also have a cast iron griddle pan, but it doesn't get much use these days as I prefer my George Foreman grilly machine thing.

 

[Reynard]

I've watered my courgettes and pumpkins and I've prepared the levain for a loaf of bread.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

The alternative is to buy it from John Lewis. They give the weight of cast iron pans in the size I would like, as 2kg. That is heavy, but do you find it heavy when you are cooking. As an "older" lady, lifting heavy things with my right arm is not easy. How much "seasoning" does a cast iron pan need? I recall my Father spending ages doing that..... um..... fifty years ago.

Mine is slightly heavier than that but, yes, they are heavy. I think I tend to slide it off the heat, tilt, and use a decent fish/egg slice to remove cooked food rather than carry the pan to the plate. Pancake tossing would be an Olympic event.

Seasoning only takes a few minutes. From what I remember, the point is to use salt over a high heat long enough to remove any moisture and then, after disposing of the salt, using a light vegetable oil to seal the pan and prevent moisture getting in. As Reynard says, as little washing as possible.

 

[oldwheels]

Mine is slightly heavier than that but, yes, they are heavy. I think I tend to slide it off the heat, tilt, and use a decent fish/egg slice to remove cooked food rather than carry the pan to the plate. Pancake tossing would be an Olympic event.

Seasoning only takes a few minutes. From what I remember, the point is to use salt over a high heat long enough to remove any moisture and then, after disposing of the salt, using a light vegetable oil to seal the pan and prevent moisture getting in. As Reynard says, as little washing as possible.

I have both SS and cast iron pans and frying pans as well as a cast iron griddle.
I do not find sticking a problem with the SS ones.
I have never used salt on the cast iron ones and just use veg oil until it smokes and then let it cool and wipe off surplus oil if required.
I think the cast iron pan makes better curry but no idea why that should be.
The griddle gets heated to a level I have learned by use and a very little oil put on and wiped with a tissue. After every pancake or flatbread the tissue is used to give a wipe again and when finished wiped again and left to cool.
The stainless ones are washed with detergent if required but the cast ones never get soap or detergent near them

 

[Reynard]

I have just picked the first mulberries of the season.

Might have eaten a few straight off the tree while doing that. They are lovely and sweet. My fingers are now purple, however...

It is still ridiculously hot outside.

 

[postman]

Just to say the last eight pieces of my large chocolate bar melted in to mush in the saddlebag,along with one of the three bananas that i took out with me.It was hot.

 

[Reynard]

Just to say the last eight pieces of my large chocolate bar melted in to mush in the saddlebag,along with one of the three bananas that i took out with me.It was hot.

Hmmm, maybe a re-think needed on the cycling comestibles front next time?

 

[postman]

Hmmm, maybe a re-think needed on the cycling comestibles front next time?

I have a cunning plan said Baldrick.My old sandwich bag from work.Yes retired 14 years and still have it,an ice block next time.That should work.

 

[Reynard]

Also just picked a couple of kilos of Napoleon Bigarreau cherries.

Quite a few ended up in me.

It's a ladder / pole job for the rest, but it's too hot and too breezy.

 

[Reynard]

Now sat down listening to Southampton v Arsenal with a and a pack of chocolate viennese.

 

[Tenacious Sloth]

I got a ride in this morning, 55 miles, Willoughby and back, I was using factor 30, and ran out of water right at the end.

I ended up doing just over 50 miles, unfortunately during the hottest part of the day 2-5pm.

I hadn’t eaten enough beforehand and ended up bonking with 5 miles to go. I had to stop for 20 minutes and lie down in the shade on a village green. Straight after arriving home I grabbed a mahoosive bottle of Indian Tonic Water (first thing to hand) from the beer fridge and guzzled the lot!

I haven’t ever crashed like that on the bike before - so I suspect the heat had something to do with it.

Still, I now have a very cold beer in hand and the curry is in the oven, so all is well with the world.