baking

(NOT) In Dutch

Posted by Orvan Taurus on February 20, 2024
Posted in: baking, cooking, economics.

A local store had a Lodge Dutch Oven for sale for some time. It was 49.99 at and just after Christmas. For a 5 qt Lodge, that’s not a bad price at all. I kept an eye on it as time went by. It eventually was marked down to a “get this OUT of here, please” $39.99 which is a very good price indeed. But I held off a bit.

This Friday started a three-day bit of “for every $40 spent, get $0.25/gallon off.” Even better. But I/we have this fancy addition to the store fuel program that has some additional benefit. One, I had not realized, was that ‘housewares’ had a 20% discount. That $39.99 became $31.99. But, there was yet another discount lurking in the works… so I managed to snag that Dutch Oven for just under $30.

Now I need to learn/teach myself how to use it. Something really simple to start would be best. And it might be quite a while because, well, as you know, ox slow – which is probably very appropriate for this.

Unexpected Preparedness

Posted by Orvan Taurus on January 16, 2023
Posted in: baking, preparedness, work.

About a year ago, I bought an air fryer that was on After Christmas sale. It was useful, for several months, then it failed. We decided an air fryer was useful enough that we wanted one around, and a replacement was ordered and we use that. Though maybe not to full effect – there are trays and pans yet to be used.

Recently there was a $WORKPLACE gathering (“Christmas Party” but done after the Big Holidays are over) for the first time since 2020 or was it 2019? These gatherings have drawings and some years the result wasn’t much (“A mug and a t-shirt” was common one year) and a couple times I walked away with something really good. The first Keurig was one of those. A large (well, it was large then) TV was another. In between, there were various gift cards for usually local places.

This drawing? I got an(other) air fryer. Since, I am told, air fryers seem to last about a year before failing, it’s being kept as backup for when that happens. If the current one manages to last longer than “one day past warranty” well that’s good too.

Cooking (and Such)

Posted by Orvan Taurus on October 2, 2022
Posted in: baking, cooking, fuels.

“[…] he knows what cooks” — Yakkety Yak

Alright, so very out of context. But a line from ATH yesterday resonated:

“Make sure you have an alternate means of cooking, even if it’s “just” an hibachi.” — https://accordingtohoyt.com/2022/10/01/harvesting/

I’ve been slowly working on “cooking diversity.” Let’s see, besides electricity (resistive, microwave, but no induction… yet) I can cook on charcoal, alcohol, propane, butane, a mix of propane-butane, and at least heat if not cook on alcohol, kerosene, and even candles (admittedly haven’t gone and done it, but even mildly warm soup will be better than ambient/cold soup).

I have no means for cooking with natural gas (house is just NOT set up that, alas), nor coal (no loss, sourcing would be trouble). Oddly, I’d never cooked on wood. I suppose I should rectify that. I could, if I had to, swap nozzles on the alcohol pressure stove and then be able to use white gas or diesel/kerosene.

As for heat sources I’ve actually used, all are if not instant, fairly close, save charcoal. Also, charcoal is the one that is decidedly NOT instant-off unless actively quenched. For personal cooking, that’s non-ideal. Now, cooking for a bunch over a longer time, it’d be another matter.

What I haven’t yet done is obtain and use an “off-grid” means of baking. There are a few ways to do this. There are big, expensive dedicated camp ovens that include the burner. That one seems non-ideal. There is the expensive HERC oven, if it was ever in stock (bakes with tea lights, of all things). Then the rather more practical things such as the “Dutch oven” and other items meant to make a simple cooking burner into the heat source for a miniature oven. At the moment, I am considering the last couple, but haven’t decided which which or even if. Why rig for baking? Well, if things go down for more than a couple days, I suspect having some sort of baked good will be quite a treat and make ‘enduring’ that bit easier.

Oh yeah, there is the matter of caffeine, which is tea or coffee and as Winter approaches, the preference is hot rather than iced (and grid down, ice?). With a cooker and kettle, water can be boiled (and let cool as needed – mechanical timer is still around if needed) then tea is easy. Good coffee will be a bit more involved with a French Press. “Damn the taste, caffeine NOW!” instant would be the fastest, of course.