Wirecutter's list of "Worst Things for Most People"

I assume @Doctor_Faustus means tilt and turn windows. Which are great if you live somewhere without mosquitos. In Georgia, tilt and turn windows are a path to overnight exsanguination.

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Machine to make cold brew? whut? that’s hilarious. Just use a french press or any container and a strainer.

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suit yourself. our air fryer was the best thing we have bought all year, and it has made the pandemic so much more enjoyable, food-wise.

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I’m not advocating any specific cold brew makers, but to be fair there is is a pretty significant difference between “cold brew” and “leftover coffee with ice.”

I’ve heard tell of magical places that don’t involve mosquitoes, but I don’t think they’re real.

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I understand the individual words, but somehow they don’t make sense when put together this way. Must be one of these colorless green ideas I keep hearing about.

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We never had a baby bottle warmer (used a pot on the stove to heat up a small amount, then poured it into the cold stuff and it came out perfect (after about a week of doing this, you become and expert or a sleep-depraved zombie)).

But baby wipe warmers. OMFG. What a life-saver. Imagine you’re half asleep and shiat your pants. Then someone 10 times your size comes along and FREEZES YOUR CROTCH. Yeah, that’s gonna cost you ~45 mins of rocking you insensitive bastard.

With the warmer, I could get them back down in 10.

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I’m being hyperbolic of course but I have to admit the flimsiness and lack of heft of windows in other countries is something I have never gotten used to. And I’ve lived in several now.

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I’m on team air fryer. Got one a couple of years ago and we use it frequently. Great for heating stuff up, great for lots of frozen items. I have 2 full-size convection ovens in the kitchen and they’re good for lots of things, but neither warms up or works nearly as fast as the air fryer.

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You can still put screens in front of them if you want. Those aren’t common at all in Germany so they’re a good example of the phenomenon I was talking about going the other way. That and ubiquitous air conditioning. But both are catching on more and more thanks to climate change.

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I feel like I’ve been denied my basic human (window/das Fenster) rights now… another reason I don’t live in a civilized country!

kikis-delivery-cat-window

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I don’t know anyone that has a true convection wall oven or range/oven combo. Sure they are available, but it’s not the default.

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Oh I hear you. My point stands though. Poo-pooing air fryers as “not real frying” and “oh you can do the same with convect more on your oven” is really the same as “cold brew machine?!? Just put ice in your coffee it’s the same”.

In this case I’m saying no we can’t have both things. If you blast one then don’t be propping up the other as the next best thing. And again it’s the Bb ad machine. But when BB contributors single out things like the air fryer as the hill to die on I get a bit ornery about it.

It’s a perfectly acceptable kitchen gadget for a lot of people. Feels a bit better than thou art IMO.

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Because “Air Fryers” are the hot new kitchen tool category that I’m seeing advertised by all the common brands and outlets.

The Molekule is just one product.

I own an older model of the runner up convection toaster oven (linked in OP). The thing is a work horse and permanently replaced both my microwave and standard oven. Heats up fast. Easy to use controls. Built like a tank.

Below is the latest model. Mine predates the “Smart” tag so I’m not sure what that’s about. From the screen shots it looks identical other than minor cosmetic changes. I think $270 is a good value but obviously different people have different budgets and criteria for what they consider useful.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001L5TVGW

Ive been using the Toddy maker since the late 80’s/early 90’s. It’s low tech (no moving parts, no electronics, no “smart” features, no IOT). It’s simple enough that a maker type could build their own to be honest.

Grind your coffee. Place in the white hopper. Add water. Wait 24 hours. Pull the rubber plus to let the cold brew strain into the carafe. Now you have a bulk amount of coffee concentrate that can last a few days to a week. I have two complete units for enhanced production.

https://www.amazon.com/Toddy-THM-Cold-Brew-System/dp/B0006H0JVW

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Um, I’m not quite sure how to say this, but a french press is a machine. :sunglasses:

It’s a good choice if you already use a french press for hot coffee, since you have one. Assuming you don’t mind keeping it busy for however longer your cold brew sits not able to make hot coffee. Maybe you have two. :slight_smile:

Some people like a bag, perhaps cheesecloth or maybe a clean sock. Involves to much clean up for me. Unless you throw the sock out everytime.

Using two pitcher/jar/liquid vessels and a strainer with a coffee filter is my first choice. In my case, a pour over cone and filter works well. Just dump coffee and water in the first vessel for 24 hours. Pour through filter into the second vessel. A funnel would work fine, perhaps a mesh strainer, maybe just hold a filter over the spout. Choice of filter medium up to the individual. I already own the pour over, so it’s doing both hot and cold. Lots of vessel options too, if you prefer plastic, glass, ceramic, stainless steel, whatever someone wants. Perhaps old moonshine containers, or 50 gallon drums.

I’ll admit to also owning the first generation OXO cold brew. It’s a convenient replacement for the liquid vessel and filter. But, it was totally not a required item, just a convenience.

I’ve got a french press too, but it’s not big enough for the quantity of cold brew I would brew.

No matter the tools used, cold brew coffee served hot or cold is not the same as hot brewed coffee served hot or cold. Comparing all those methods and deciding that a $100 contraption to cold brew is a waste would be completely on point.

While food cooked in a counter top air fryer is substantially the same if it’s a dedicated air fryer, a convection toaster over, or some other circulated hot air cooking. Those are valid comparison. I’ll agree that comparing and air fryer to actual deep frying isn’t really a good comparison, they’re just not the same.

Side question: Anyone know if you can air fry an Oreo? Because a deep fried one is excellent. :grin:

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Hm… don’t know if you can, but here is a recipe for them…

:woman_shrugging:

If you test it out, let us know how it goes in the food thread…

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It depends where you are. They seem to be very common in Germany, relatively uncommon in Canada, for example. Our oven at our current house in Canada has convection, but it’s the first time I’ve had a convection oven here.

I saw a lot of this kind of “sock” for making coffee in Brazil. https://www.potsandpals.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Cloth-Coffee-Strainer.jpg - the shape lets it sit inside a thermos to keep the coffee hot, rather than having an uninsulated cone filter on top of the thermos.

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In the United States double hung windows became popular in the 19th century because they could be opened at the bottom to let in cool air, and at the top to exhaust warm air. That creates a passive convection current very important for cooling homes in the Southern US. Traditionally these windows would be very tall (often floor to ceiling), and the ceilings of the rooms themselves would also be tall. Like 10-12 feet tall (or 60 liters for you metric people).

But the larger point here is that construction methods in the US are pathetic, and we use forced air heating and cooling to overcome our building deficiencies. Trying to make updates to my little 1941 house has just about frustrated me to tears, because every American construction technique is just a way to half-ass something else. But what are you going to do? Throw the vinyl siding and asbestos shingles in the landfill and start over with all new materials?

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Never owned one in any place I have lived.

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I prefer racy windows.

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