The General Chat Thread

If its induction, you'll hear the sound of the pot connecting with the hob (like magnets) and the ring won't heat without a pot on it.
I use a sharp blade to scrape burnt on stuff from my induction hob, just a wide Stanley blade with a handle. Time consuming but effective. Don't go near it with anything abrasive like a brillo pad, you'll only hurt it.

dee_mc wrote: »

If its induction, you'll hear the sound of the pot connecting with the hob (like magnets) and the ring won't heat without a pot on it.

Hmmm. Your answer inspired me to find out how an induction hob works. Never really thought about it until now. Quite interesting actually. (Well, for a nerd like me it is!!)

Dial Hard wrote: »

I doubt it. US supermarkets are filled with utterly inane ingredients that the rest of the world would never see the need for in a fit.

There was a whole thread dedicated to batsh*t American recipes in R&R for a while, iirc.

Oh gods, American recipes can do my head in. "Make posh cake from scratch. Step 1: Get a box of cake mix" or "Add a tin of soup to a tin of succotash" :mad:

Fantastic to see that the Wild Honey Inn in Clare has been awarded a Michelin Star.

B0jangles wrote: »

Just after I got my first slow cooker, I came across an american slow cooker recipe book in our local recycling centre (National #1 bestselling cookbook! New York Times bestseller!) and brought it home because, well, they've been popular over there for a long long time and I thought there'd be some good old-fashioned recipes in there.
...

A lot of slow cooker recipes are absolutely vile and there aren't many of them that I use. There is a Thai peanut chicken that my man loves and I do it from time to time.

In general I found that a slow cooker is good for exactly one thing: slow cooking recipes that are supposed to simmer for hours. Put on a Bolognese for a few hours and that's amazing. Chili works out really well. Stew too. But you still should put the meat into a pan first to get the nice roast flavours.
But you can really bin most recipes that are like an all-in-one meal.

I think it's a nice gimmick, especially when you're not that great at cooking or really busy. But it's no wonder technology that solves all of your problems.

And American recipes + slow cooker is a crime to humanity anyway :rolleyes:

tickingclock wrote: »

Completely agree. I ate there twice this summer. It's a small restaurant and not formal like Chapter One. Its basically a bar setting with delicious food. Both times I was in Clare for a few days. I love Ennis as a town and did some exploring the places around Clare. There's not a lot in Lisdoonvarna but there is two good restaurants. The Burren smokehouse is very casual and relaxed but great ingredients.

I just saw the Wild Honey Inn on the news and thought it looked familiar eveb though I haven't been to Lusdoonvarna for years. It featured on At Your Service years ago. Francis Brennan will be even more insufferable than usual!

New oven installed. Are those mats you can get for the bottom to protect/keep it clean any good?

We had a heated debate yesterday about ovens and I'd like to hear some opinions: Self-cleaning yes or no? Is it worth the extra money? Also is there that much difference between an A-rated appliance to an A+? The ones we're looking at only have the difference when the fan is on but that difference isn't too shabby.

As far as I know it's just about the energy consumption.
I've read the thing about washing machines myself but it's a lot harder finding something about ovens. The energy consumption is noted in kWh/ cycle but I couldn't find out what an actual cycle is.