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Yeah, British expat now American here... I buy people kettles and hot water bottles if I'm going to be at their home for any extended amount of time. Also a toa
by mattl 5y ago
Yeah, British expat now American here... I buy people kettles and hot water bottles if I'm going to be at their home for any extended amount of time. Also a toaster.
- 7thaccount 5y agoI normally just throw on a blanket or turn up the thermostat, but I know you normally don't adjust the thermostat at someone else's house.
- Jill_the_Pill 5y agoI think the idea of the article is, in part, that heating people is more efficient/economical than heating space.
- 7thaccount 5y agoFair enough. I mean I guess these methods were pretty effective for centuries where people somehow didn't freeze to death.
- landmass 5y agoRecommendations for American electric kettles for use with hard water? Cleaning calcium residue out through a narrow opening sent me back to my microwave...
- djrogers 5y ago> Also a toaster Err, wha? I don't know anyone here without a toaster - or 2...
- jimmaswell 5y agoHighly recommended toaster: http://automaticbeyondbelief.org/ http://automaticbeyondbelief.org/
- lolinder 5y agoSeconded on the Sunbeam! We inherited my father-in-law's when he moved across the country. He inherited it from his parents. It's been in constant use for at least 60 years (I'm not sure when his parents got it), and is now making perfect toast for a fourth generation.
- javajosh 5y agoI prefer toaster ovens because cookies. You can make cookie dough and make one or two cookies at a time, ensuring they are always fresh out of the oven.
- rurp 5y agoWow that's a great idea! It's one of the pieces of advice that seems obvious once I hear it but I never would have thought of it myself.
- chrisseaton 5y agoPeople tell Americans rarely put butter on bread in sandwiches, so what do you put on your toast?
- samwillis 5y agoMaybe not what you put on the toast but where you put it. What about a Toast Sandwich, a slice of toast between two slices of bread… https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toast_sandwich https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toast_sandwich
- wtetzner 5y agoInteresting. I always butter my bread. Sometimes I'll also put other stuff on it, but always butter first.
- themadturk 5y agoYes, me too. Bread is best with butter, no matter what else you put on it.
- Turing_Machine 5y agoToast is usually buttered, but it's not considered to be a sandwich in and of itself in the United States. Now, a sandwich can be made with toasted bread, certainly, but in that role it's normally slathered with mayonnaise, mustard, or something of that nature rather than being buttered. Exception: grilled cheese sandwiches are often buttered, though with those they typically have the butter on the outside. On the inside is either nothing or (my preference) mayonnaise.
- derefr 5y agoOne of those "chef lifehacks" that stuck with me is that you can use mayo in place of butter on the outside of a grilled cheese. Easier to spread, browns perfectly, and turns out to taste exactly the same. (Which is surprising, given that every time I've made a grilled cheese with any kind of oil in place of the butter, it's turned out disgusting. Emulsifying the oil fixes the problem somehow.)
- _jal 5y agoI've never owned one. I very occasionally toast bread in the broiler.
- Broken_Hippo 5y agoIf you like toast when you make it, I suggest one. I personally won't make toast often if I'm using the broiler - I mean, it isn't hard, but it takes time and a bit of attention. I have it quite often if I own a toaster, though - it makes it so darn easy and convenient.
- mattl 5y agoA lot of people use a toaster oven to make toast, it seems.
- Cupertino95014 5y agoIndeed, and you can toast odd-shaped "breads" that won't go down a toaster slot.
- function_seven 5y agoWhat's the difference between a pop up slice toaster (I assume that's what you're talking about) versus a toaster oven? I grew up with the first kind, but now only use the second kind to reduce clutter on my countertop. I never detected a difference in the two methods, but I'm also not very observant!
- burkaman 5y agoToaster oven should be a lot less efficient and slower because it's heating up a larger space, but the result should be the same.
- mattl 5y agoIt might be a cultural thing but a slice toaster is way more of a set and forget operation, which I like... also, a toaster gets based used for one thing and a toaster oven is used for a lot of other foods, and I have to worry about cross contamination.
- function_seven 5y agoOh that makes sense. I use mine 80% for toast and the remaining use is usually bread-adjacent things. If I was also using it to heat up chicken tikka masala or something, then that would probably not be good.
- jayd16 5y agoI can melt cheese over bread or bagel in a toaster oven.
- sockpuppet69 5y ago
- Turing_Machine 5y agoAs I understand it, electric kettles never became as popular in the United States (though of course they do exist) because the electrical standards here mean that it's infeasible to make one that works really well -- a British electric kettle might be rated at 3,000 W (about 13 A at 230 V), but a standard U.S. convenience outlet can only provide about 1,800 W (15 A, 120 V). Even the higher-rated 20 amp outlets are only going to get you 2,400 watts. To get 3,000 watts, you'd either need a special circuit (like the ones for RV hookups), or plug it into a dryer or electric range outlet.
- txg 5y agoOn my twelfth year of North-American kettle operation I've gotten past the tedium of waiting extra minutes for the water to boil. Visiting my family, however, I now have to flick the switch on twice - autopilot usually means the water has cooled below the supposed optimal infusion temperature by the time I return to the kitchen.
- bryanlarsen 5y ago15A outlets are only rated that for instantaneous current. For continuous current, appliances are only allowed to pull 80%. So kettles in the US are 1400W, half that of British kettles. Like many modern kitchens, I have 20A outlets. Current code says that you either have to have 20A circuits in the kitchen or split 15A circuits. What the electrician chooses to install depends on whether 14/3 or 12/2 wire is cheaper that day. One of my pet peeves is that I can't buy a 20A 1900W kettle. There has to be enough market demand for one? Put a big picture of a NEMA 5-20 outlet on the front so that fewer people get confused.