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The author should try drinking loose leaf teas instead. I'm sure the gains of switching away from tea bags (which often contain whatever can be swept up off of
by drewblaisdell 14y ago
The author should try drinking loose leaf teas instead. I'm sure the gains of switching away from tea bags (which often contain whatever can be swept up off of a tea factory floor) are worth touching a hot handle.
- dfc 14y agoOr eliminate the pyrex measuring cup and just buy an electric kettle...
- anigbrowl 14y agoQuite. I sold my microwave a few months ago and can't remember why I ever thought I needed one.
- aparadja 14y agoWarming up yesterday's leftovers?
- caw 14y agoI'm one of those people without a microwave. Instead, I have a toaster oven. For warming up leftovers, the toaster oven or stove does just fine, and most of the time it turns out better than the microwave, as it doesn't get mushy. This is the second apartment I've lived in without a microwave, and I think I've missed it all of twice. Once, when I wanted some popcorn, and a second time when I was in a hurry to heat something up.
- FreeFull 14y agoA frying pan can do that too.
- peeters 14y agoYou would reheat lasagna in a frying pan?
- tptacek 14y agoNo, but a casserole in a slow oven will do a much better job reheating lasagna than a microwave will. Don't get me wrong, if it was just for my lunch, I'd use the microwave, but if I was plating something for family dinner, I'd use the oven.
- notJim 14y agoWhy an electric kettle and not a regular one? It seems like an electric kettle is just another single-use appliance taking up counter space. Plus, I mean, look at this kettle and tell me you don't want it: http://www.etsy.com/listing/97984435/retro-80s-seibel-bubble-pot-red-enamel http://www.etsy.com/listing/97984435/retro-80s-seibel-bubble...
- cubicle67 14y agointerestingly, here in Australia an electric kettle is one of the required basics of any kitchen. Even the cheapest nastiest hotel room will contain a toaster and an electric kettle
- planetguy 14y agoI don't want it. I want a cordless one with a dock and a zillion-watt element that can boil a litre of water in forty seconds.
- tptacek 14y agoI'm as appreciative of the "multitaskers only" kitchen mentality as anyone, but an electric kettle is a "single use appliance" in much the same manner as a Pyrex measuring cup is: it's a pretty important "single use". A distinct advantage of electric kettles over stovetop kettles is precise temperature control. High-end loose-leaf white and green tea wants 70c-82c water; Aeropress coffee wants 80c-90c. Speed is obviously another benefit. Good electric kettles are significantly faster than stovetop kettles. Also, electric kettles take up counter space, but stovetop kettles take up space on your cooktop. Space is more constrained on the cooktop; you probably only have 4 burners, and on my stove, if the front two burners have skillets on them, it's awfully hard to maneuver with the rear burners. Also, I hate the ergonomics of cutesy round tea kettles, and, obviously, that's a tea kettle: most electric kettles hold more water.
- notJim 14y agoI want to clarify that I'm not looking to get into a holy war about tea kettles o_O. I didn't realize electric kettles could control water temperature. Which one do you have? I've always just boiled water, and then let the temperature fall to where I want it, even when using an electric kettle. Also, for me, the fact that the regular kettle is on the stovetop is actually better, because that space is almost never in use (only during cooking), and when I do need, I can temporarily shift the kettle elsewhere. My counter space, on the other hand, is always at a premium (I only have 2 squares.)
- Shenglong 14y agoLoose leaf teas are much harder to steep, and if you steep them wrong, you end up with a rancid bitter flavor (for lots of higher quality teas). To quote a song: "You could not feel sadness if you've never tasted joy" - perhaps, if he's content with his tea bags, we can let him drink his tea bags. Since switching, I can tell you first hand, that I can no longer drink tea bags, or even poorly steeped teas without cringing. I sound like an asshole, I know.
- drewblaisdell 14y agoRight, but I'm assuming that he's used to over-steeping because he is removing the teabag already. Teabags can make astringent tea, too. It is a somewhat interesting philosophical question of whether or not it's worth it to try something better if it might affect what you already enjoy.
- DeepDuh 14y agoIt's not that hard with a bit of electronics: Japanese homes usually have big electric kettles with temperature control. Green tea, as an example, needs 80C I think. Japan in general is a great example for optimizing people's daily lives without compromising on quality. There are many of such rituals to explore that are very specific to that country.
- wizard_2 14y agoThere's a great quote about not refining your tastes as it narrows your world but instead continuing to explore the availability of the world around you. It was either Feynman or Ryan Dahl. =p That being said, I love me my loose tea leaves, but it's just a different product then bagged tea, one hasn't ruined the other.
- zokier 14y agoI think the method of heating water is orthogonal to the type of tea used.
- Confusion 14y agoYou do realize that's an urban legend?
- drewblaisdell 14y agoNot all teabags, but certainly some brands. Teabag quality has admittedly gotten better in recent years.
- graue 14y agoIt's not entirely untrue to say that teabags are "swept off the floor", though it may be misleading. Typically, ALL tea is sorted on the factory floor. http://www.discoveringtea.com/2011/06/21/in-amgoorie-the-factory-is-remarkably-clean/ http://www.discoveringtea.com/2011/06/21/in-amgoorie-the-fac... However, it is true that the tea in most teabags is "dust" or "fannings": very small broken pieces of tea leaves that remain after the higher grades are sorted out. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fannings https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fannings While a few companies like Mighty Leaf do offer higher quality, whole-leaf tea in bags (or rather, sachets), at that point you're paying as much as a 2x-3x premium over loose-leaf tea of comparable quality. For example, this tea from Adagio is about 16¢ per cup loose-leaf, but 40¢ per bag: http://www.adagio.com/black/ceylon_sonata.html http://www.adagio.com/black/ceylon_sonata.html I'd suggest anyone who likes tea get a stainless steel mesh infuser (they're about $10) and go loose-leaf. It's worth it.
- dkhenry 14y agoHe wouldn't even need to touch a hot handle, everything else can be kept the same. the only difference would be a little required filling of a tea ball before he started and emptying the tea ball after he is done. an additional 10-15 seconds for tea that is streets ahead.
- i_cannot_hack 14y agoI must ask, have you watched Community? Otherwise, they have successfully coined the phrase "streets ahead" to the point were people actually are using it seriously, and that would be cool.
- hythloday 14y ago"Streets ahead" has been an idiom in England for as long as I can remember (as a quick Google for the phrase suggests).
- dkhenry 14y agoI think the story is that it was an idiom used in England and the show runner for community heard it and thought it was stupid so he incorporated it into Pierce's character.