General Chat Thread II

Faith · 12-01-2022 10:00am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118445186#Comment_118445186

It seems like madness to me that a water boiler could cost €1400 for a basic model! I think I'd rather have the €1400 and wait a couple of minutes for the kettle to boil each time 😅. Is there anything else that makes it worth the price, given a normal tap does hot and cold water?

beertons · 12-01-2022 10:58am

That's mad money. Each to their own though. The novelty might wear off, and you're stuck with it.

PARlance · 12-01-2022 12:03pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118459091#Comment_118459091

Yes (mainly because I love mustard) but a little bit adds a lot to certain dishes sauces and you can't taste it "as mustard" in the sauce. It shouldn't overpower the dish if that's the concern... It's more of a nice warming undertone.

My kids tell me they're "allergic" to mustard but never notice it.

I add a little to my sauce for chicken and leek pies and vinaigrettes.

Start small and see what you think.

woodchuck · 12-01-2022 12:48pm

Yeah I'm not a mustard fan, but use a very small amount in fish pie. It must add something to the overall flavour, but so long as can't actually taste the mustard itself, it's fine with me!

Muahahaha · 12-01-2022 1:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118459557#Comment_118459557

Im surprised they cost that much, I remember seeing one at the Ideal Homes exhibition circa 2017 and 500 was the asking. I cant be 100% sure it was Quooker but it did the same job of providing instant boiling water. At 500 I considered it for a kitchen renovation but then realised I dont use all that much boiling water, most of my boiling water needs are done via the coffee machine. And Ive fully stopped boiling veg and potatoes now in favour of steaming them in the Instant Pot instead as that technique doesnt boil the flavour out of them and they taste nicer. Id make poached eggs the odd time but with the induction hob it gets a pot of water to a simmer in about 3 minutes so it is not too long of a wait.

Gloomtastic! · 12-01-2022 2:31pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118459099#Comment_118459099

For the boiling water to start, you have to press a nozzle down twice and then twist it. It's not child-friendly at all but as all our kids are now teens it's not something we were worried about. You do have to be aware that it is boiling water coming out of the tap but it hisses and spits slightly to remind you of same.

Like a cordless Dyson, you are paying for the convenience and the brand. There are cheaper alternatives out there and I did ask in Heating and Plumbing for recommendations but got zero response. Also looked at reviews on Screwfix and they were only getting 3/5 stars so we went with the Quooker.

So for €1400 we have saved the footprint of a kettle and have boiling water on tap whenever we need it. (Except this morning when it had turned itself off for some reason and we had to make tea using the microwave!) 🤐

awec · 12-01-2022 5:19pm

@Gloomtastic! does it take up a lot of space under the sink?

Gloomtastic! · 12-01-2022 6:46pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118462678#Comment_118462678

206ECBCB-D861-4200-BF79-90F6F6F17316.jpeg

It’s the cylinder in the corner with the red light on top.

As I said, it’s the basic model - 3litres. You can get larger ones but we thought double our kettle capacity would be fine.

awec · 12-01-2022 6:50pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118463211#Comment_118463211

That's actually a lot neater than what I was expecting.

If the tank is full of boiling water, and you were to use half of it so that half is filled again with cold water, how long would it take to get back to boiling?

Gloomtastic! · 12-01-2022 6:51pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118463239#Comment_118463239

5 mins or so….

awec · 12-01-2022 6:52pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118463246#Comment_118463246

Does the tap tell you when it's at temperature?

Seriously tempted!

Gloomtastic! · 12-01-2022 6:56pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118463255#Comment_118463255

There’s a red light on the tap that tells you when it’s heating up/finished. I really must read the manual sometime. 🙄

awec · 12-01-2022 6:57pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118463276#Comment_118463276

I see they also have an attachment that'll send out chilled sparkling water. Oh boy. I want this so much! 😁

New Home · 12-01-2022 8:11pm

Until you put boiling sparkling water in your tea... 😁

Gloomtastic! · 12-01-2022 10:15pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118463278#Comment_118463278

Sodastream on acid. 😋

beertons · 13-01-2022 10:16pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118460214#Comment_118460214

Only seen this now. Threw in 2 teaspoons worth, kids weren't included in the pot. They said they wouldn't touch it. Fair enough, more for the parents. Did the job anyway, very nice. Didn't have any wine for it, at a push I would say it was missed. But not terminal.

odyssey06 · 13-01-2022 10:20pm

Wasnt sure where else to post it...

Black truffles cultivated in Ireland in pilot program:

https://amp.rte.ie/amp/1273471/

L1011 · 16-01-2022 5:49pm

Realised there that this is the last time I'll be doing "proper cooking" in my current kitchen - will be a few days of reheats of stuff from the freezer left; but the entire lot is going for a renovation of the house starting next weekend. Nine and a half years; four hosted Christmases and easily thousands of meals made.

Not going to get sentimental over an awful single cavity oven / cheap gas hob / worst laid out dual sink in the world and so on, more looking forward to the wonderful world I'll have in a few months.

Chicken dhansak (x2 days) and beef stroganoff (x2 days) will be the last things to grace the now no longer cleanable to anything close to normal standards gas hob before its fired in the skip.

Been some odder dinners recently as I empty out the store cupboards before they get removed; forgot to log them on the dinner thread unfortunately.

Gloomtastic! · 16-01-2022 6:50pm

It’s only when you been through your week of reheating food that you realise some people go through renovations with no kitchens for months on end. How? 🤯

Muahahaha · 16-01-2022 7:14pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118485553#Comment_118485553

I went through a kitchen renovation (and other works) for about 3 weeks solely relying on the airfryer. It wasnt the healthiest of cooking as there was lots of sausage sandwiches, chicken wings, chips, etc but it worked out fine. The most awkward thing was keeping dust off the airfryer and the plates in use but we got through it.

L1011 · 16-01-2022 8:52pm

We're moving in to my sisters house, which is very close by, and she's away on assignment in work. So we'll have an alternate kitchen while this one is destroyed.

Clearly this is not something most people have as an option, we're exceptionally lucky.

Getting rewiring, kitchen, bathroom, new built in wardrobes, new ventilation done - without a managing contractor it could take months end to end; but we'll be able to move some stuff back from storage after the rewiring is finished in ~3 weeks.

odyssey06 · 16-01-2022 9:07pm

Picked up some strawberries from Ethiopia in Nolans D3... much more like Irish strawberries than the Egyptian ones typically stocked in winter - although a little 'grainy' from the little 'seeds'.

Loughc · 18-01-2022 11:32am

Long time listener first time caller over here in these parts!

I used to follow the Food forum on the run up to Christmas for Christmas Day dinner tips (despite not cooking it myself) then last year just gone but to arrival of our first bambino. I ended up having to cook dinner myself, was a success if I may say so myself, but there was no Christmas dinner thread in here, none for a few years now? Ye not doing that any more or is it partly down to the drop off in posters since migration, etc, etc

Faith · 18-01-2022 2:30pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118493443#Comment_118493443

It depends on someone starting the thread, it was never a formal thread that mods would have to start.

Loughc · 18-01-2022 2:32pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118494306#Comment_118494306

Marks calendar for December 1st.... start Christmas Dinner thread for 2022.... 😂

woodchuck · 20-01-2022 9:05pm

Question: does anyone know if you can use quick oats to make granola?

I always have quick oats in the house so might give it a go some time if the mood strikes, but don't particularly want to go out of my way to buy a different type of oat.