Kitchen Timer

The Sweeper

Just curious if anyone else uses a kitchen timer?

I never used to use a timer for much of anything, just checked the kitchen clock every so often. Then I moved into a flat with a timer on the oven, and now I used it for everything. I've come to rely on the timer for all of my straightfoward cooking - pasta, rice, when to baste the roast. I spend more time outside the kitchen doing something else than in the kitchen when I cook these days - and I'm a slave to the ready-beep.

Any other converts?

The Hill Billy

The only instances where I'd use a timer would be if I were boiling eggs (for the precision) or baking (because I'd forget). Apart from that I'd be hovering around the cooker anyway.

bonkey

I use a timer for very little.

I have several - some sandclocks for up to 7 minutes, a windy-uppy thing for up to half an hour, but to be honest, there's very little I cook that needs timings of that length.

The only time I'd typically find myself using one is when it comes to long / slow cooking...and there, I'm more likely to set the alarm on my mobile than anything else. That way, I don't even have to be within earshot of the kitchen when my alarms go off

Having said that, I do use the built-in timer on the deep-fryer when I'm doing chips, and I generally time my pasta according to whats on the box (assuming I'm not making my own).

Blub2k4

Like Hill Billy, I'd be in or about the kitchen anyway and I like hanging about there when there's food on. I don't bake cos I feel the irresistable urge to open and check the oven all the time.

I'm sure there's something I could use one for but pasta and rice and the like is all by feel.

The Hill Billy

Somewhat off topic...

Blub2k4 wrote:

I don't bake cos I feel the irresistable urge to open and check the oven all the time.

Get hold of yourself man! If you don't bake you are missing out on the wonders of home made shortbread & stollen at Christmas. Unless you get someone else to bake them for you of course.

The Sweeper

What puts me off baking is the eating afterwards. There are only two of us here, so unless we're having apple tart for lunch and dinner I find baking a wasteful pastime.

On hanging around the kitchen, I discovered it now takes about two minutes of my time to cook rice or pasta. 30 seconds to put the water on or boil the kettle. 30 seconds to measure and put the rice or pasta in the boiling water and flip the timer on. One minute to respond to the beep, draining the rice or pasta and splitting it between two bowls.

Because I work from home, I occasionally have evenings of 'too busy to cook' and we might end up ordering takeaway. Use of the oven timer, in conjunction with pasta and a jar of good organic pesto, has put paid to that. Dinner that takes three minutes of my time. Nice.

(Eating pesto pasto over the keyboard: not as nice.)

noby

I use a timer (stop watch) for things like steaks and eggs. I use the clock for pasta, rice, baking etc.


Blub, get an oven with a glass door!

The Hill Billy

Blub2k4 - I just posted my recipe for Stollen here. It lets you open the door every 10 minutes for basting the cake. Sorted!

noby

What puts me off baking is the eating afterwards.

MAJD, you could bake and freeze the likes of bread or scones. Always handy things to have in the freezer.

BuffyBot

..or just bake small tarts

Blub2k4

Well my baking solution is that my other half can bake and is able to resist opening the oven, I've tried, I can't

Only thing now is to get her to bother: :P , although Xmas is coming up so it's time for edible ginger biccie decorations

county

if i am just throwing a pizza or convenience food in the oven i would use the timer but if i am cooking from scratch i dont use the timer as i`m in and out of the kitchen keeping an eye on the food

The Sweeper

BuffyBot wrote:

..or just bake small tarts

I drink too much to be able to support a dessert-eating habit as well.

Diogenes

I find the timer most effective when I'm cooking a dish with several different different cooking times like a roast. Say I'm cooking a leg of lamb thats going to be 3 hours, with another 20 minutes cooling time, I set the alarm to go off in 2hours, to remind me to prep and put in the potatos* then twenty minutes after that, to remind me that the vegs now go in, and then ten minutes before the end to remind me to start the mushrooms.

I HATE it when one part of my roast gets cold or underdone, or overdone, because I've miss timed something.

*very good roast potatoes, baby potatoes in their skin, coated in olive oil, generous amount of salt, and rosemary. Thinly slice some lemon wedges and smear them in olive oil and include them, while you cook, roast for an hour at 170. Fantastic.