Old Tech thread

[Christine Wheelwright]

Microwave ovens are crap (well, we did Dyson vacuum cleaners recently, maybe its time to tell the truth about microwaves....and then we'll do dishwashers).

 

[Astro Pen]

Microwave ovens are crap (well, we did Dyson vacuum cleaners recently, maybe its time to tell the truth about microwaves....and then we'll do dishwashers).

New ones may be crap but my Bejam Microwave is now 42 years old (1982), still going strong and used daily. It's not the only one.
The cooking compartment is also bigger than many new offerings at 14x10 inches.

 

[Pyan]

Nothing wrong with a microwave, if you use it for the right foods. I generally use mine for things like rice pouches, and quick-thawing stuff that I've forgotten to take out of the freezer.
Good for making fluffy scrambled eggs, warming up tins of soup, and heating up neglected half cups of coffee*, too.



*but not tea - reheated tea is .

 

[Elentarri]

Ahhh, the nuke machine! I had one for a few years. It came with the boyfriend. I never had reason to use it. And the microwave got tossed out with the boyfriend. I'm still wondering what the fuss is all about.

 

[Christine Wheelwright]

Ahhh, the nuke machine! I had one for a few years. It came with the boyfriend. I never had reason to use it. And the microwave got tossed out with the boyfriend. I'm still wondering what the fuss is all about.

Exactly. Just when you think you have it warmed up you find a cold spot (I'm talking about the microwaved food, not the boyfriend). It can take a few minutes and several cycles to warm up a plate of food (with stirring required between each cycle). Quicker to use a pan on the stove top. And then you don't have to sacrifice counter space to three square feet of appliance that you don't need.

 

[Christine Wheelwright]

New ones may be crap but my Bejam Microwave is now 42 years old (1982), still going strong and used daily. It's not the only one.
The cooking compartment is also bigger than many new offerings at 14x10 inches.

I wasn't really talking about reliability (see above).

My argument with dishwashers is that, when I wash up in the sink, I grab each item, rub it for a couple of seconds and then put it on the side to drip dry. That's actually quicker than taking each item and placing it carefully into the body of the dishwasher. I just don't see dishwashers as time saving.

 

[farntfar]

I grab each item, rub it for a couple of seconds and then put it on the side to drip dry.

Do you use one of these new fangled sponge things?
I could never get used to those.

 

[Pyan]

I wasn't really talking about reliability (see above).

My argument with dishwashers is that, when I wash up in the sink, I grab each item, rub it for a couple of seconds and then put it on the side to drip dry. That's actually quicker than taking each item and placing it carefully into the body of the dishwasher. I just don't see dishwashers as time saving.

I just fill it up over 2-3 days, and then put it on before going to bed. Apparently they're extremely water-efficient, using much less than individual sinks of water would, and because the water is so much hotter that the hands can bear, pretty hygienic as well. Plus the dishes come ot dry and ready to put away, avoiding the (usually) germ-ridden tea-towel.

 

[Elentarri]

I just fill it up over 2-3 days, and then put it on before going to bed. Apparently they're extremely water-efficient, using much less than individual sinks of water would, and because the water is so much hotter that the hands can bear, pretty hygienic as well. Plus the dishes come ot dry and ready to put away, avoiding the (usually) germ-ridden tea-towel.

Drip dry = no germ ridden tea towel.

And I don't know about the cleanliness and hygienic part either. My mother always ended up rewashing my sister's dishwasher washed dishes before family functions hosted by my sister, because there was "stuff" stuck to the cutlery and crockery.

 

[farntfar]

Oh brave new world, that has such cutlery in it.

 

[Christine Wheelwright]

Drip dry = no germ ridden tea towel.

And I don't know about the cleanliness and hygienic part either. My mother always ended up rewashing my sister's dishwasher washed dishes before family functions hosted by my sister, because there was "stuff" stuck to the cutlery and crockery.

Yes! And then there is the ritual of trying to find a utensil and realizing it has been sitting for two days in the half-full dishwasher (with stale dried food stuck to it). Then you have to dig it out and wash it individually before you can use it.

And, yes, using tea towels to dry stuff is pointless. Just let it stand.

 

[Biskit]

Microwave ovens are crap (well, we did Dyson vacuum cleaners recently, maybe its time to tell the truth about microwaves....and then we'll do dishwashers).

My landlady when I was a student 40 years ago introduced me to microwaves and I haven't been without one since. Perfect for rezapping a lentil stew or whatever, so cook in bulk one night, reheat for three or four.

The Biskitetta convinced me on dishwashers 30 years ago. It turns out that whilst two people are supposed to be able to live as cheaply as one, they create far more than twice as much washing up, and she had eczma, so I could spend a big chunk of the evening doing the washing up, or get a dishwasher and have the evening to do more interesting things with the Biskitetta.

 

[Ray Zdybrow]

I wasn't really talking about reliability (see above).

My argument with dishwashers is that, when I wash up in the sink, I grab each item, rub it for a couple of seconds and then put it on the side to drip dry. That's actually quicker than taking each item and placing it carefully into the body of the dishwasher. I just don't see dishwashers as time saving.

Please, rinse. Please

 

[Ray Zdybrow]

I just fill it up over 2-3 days, and then put it on before going to bed. Apparently they're extremely water-efficient, using much less than individual sinks of water would, and because the water is so much hotter that the hands can bear, pretty hygienic as well. Plus the dishes come ot dry and ready to put away, avoiding the (usually) germ-ridden tea-towel

Microwave ovens are crap (well, we did Dyson vacuum cleaners recently, maybe its time to tell the truth about microwaves....and then we'll do dishwashers).

I hate domestic dishwashers, they are more trouble than they are worth ( salt, rinse aid, arranging pots, arguing about arranging the pots, etc) they ruin glass and stainless steel and glaze, and diminish washing-up into the grim task of remedying the inefficacy of the machine, rather than a relaxing mindless task of reverie and bittersweet memories. Imo

 

[Pyan]

Not exactly a new invention...

 

[Alex The G and T]

It is of utmost importance that, when installing a roll of toilet tissue into the dispenser, the end flap should be facing forward in order to feed off of the top of the roll.

 

[Elentarri]

It is of utmost importance that, when installing a roll of toilet tissue into the dispenser, the end flap should be facing forward in order to feed off of the top of the roll.

It is of utmost importance that a toilet roll have enough toilet paper on it to be useful, and that it is within reach to the person parked on the loo. Whether the flap is forward facing or backward facing is irrelevant (unless you have a cat or OCD). Also, whether the roll is on the dispenser or sitting on top of the loo tank is also irrelevant, so long as the person who needs to use it can reach it and there is enough loo paper on the roll to perform the required function. In short, there just needs to be enough loo paper in reach.

 

[Ursa major]

It turns out that whilst two people are supposed to be able to live as cheaply as one, they create far more than twice as much washing up

I'm puzzled by this.

Surely most couples don't regularly use two pans, two dishes, two items of cooking utensils, etc. when cooking the same items of food.

 

[Pyan]

It is of utmost importance that a toilet roll have enough toilet paper on it to be useful, and that it is within reach to the person parked on the loo. Whether the flap is forward facing or backward facing is irrelevant (unless you have a cat or OCD). Also, whether the roll is on the dispenser or sitting on top of the loo tank is also irrelevant, so long as the person who needs to use it can reach it and there is enough loo paper on the roll to perform the required function. In short, there just needs to be enough loo paper in reach.

 

[Biskit]

I'm puzzled by this.

Surely most couples don't regularly use two pans, two dishes, two items of cooking utensils, etc. when cooking the same items of food.

I am sure that, given time and effort, I could have tracked down how we appeared to generate so much surplus washing up, and with two scientists on the case it might well have been an interesting exercise... or turned into an argument about who was responsible.

I stand by my decision to accept the empirical data and solve it with a dishwasher.

I hate domestic dishwashers, they are more trouble than they are worth ( salt, rinse aid, arranging pots, arguing about arranging the pots, etc) they ruin glass and stainless steel and glaze,

I can live with that.

and diminish washing-up into the grim task of remedying the inefficacy of the machine

Our dishwasher clearly does better than the average

rather than a relaxing mindless task of reverie and bittersweet memories. Imo

That's what cleaning out the chicken shed is for.


Overall, in the last 30 years, and four dishwashers**, there's been the occasional glitch, a few times of "just run it again", and the morning*** where my first question was "why are my feet wet", but I wouldn't want to be without it. The biggest issue we ever had was when a rat brought into the house by one of the cats ate the wiring loom which, if nothing else, demonstrated the value of a technical education as I worked out how to rewire it.


**One of which was second-hand and short-lived
***We run the dishwasher and washing machine on the cheap over-night electricity.