h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Ben if there is such a think as Frontline for humans, please let me know. DUe to the foxes at the top of teh garden which the mutt will insist on investigating, fleas are a constant hazzard for us. I once had the rather embarrasing experience of being sat in a Highly Important Meeting, with Highly Important Clients, when I noticed something shiny and black crawling up my thumb. It's not easy to seruptiously dispose of fleas.

With regards to eggs, I once completely wrote off a pan by forgetting about some boiling eggs. Three quarters of an hour later them hadn't exploded, but they had turned into charcoal welded to the bototm of the pan.

I find that a kitchen timer ensures correct amount of doneness as well as totally avoiding forgetting about them completely.

Exploding eggs. Not what you want in the kitchen.

Thanks y'all for the s
FG I think I'll keep that day for the morning after one of the music festivals we'll be going to this summer, especially if the weather is like it has been for the last couple of years.

think the staying and watching the important lesson here!

love a good boiled egg with just a slightly runny yolk so perfection is required!

[Hyp]

Hope you had a grand b'day, Phil. *long-distance since I'm contagious*

4 minutes 30 seconds in boiling water, eggsactly, perfect.

Nope, WA. 3 minutes is perfect. It keeps cooking inside the shell, so if you pop it in an egg cup and eat it a couple of minutes later, it's just right.

The South Australian Department of Health has a TV advert that has also been uploaded on youtube of sneezes in slow motion (<-alert!). Seeing the lips fluttering reminds me of what I once read - that the force of the sneeze itself is so explosive that you'd hurt yourself unless you were completely relaxed at the chritical moment, which is why everyone goes unconscious for a millisecond or two (try sneezing without nodding your head):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKiQA5e-fPg

Oooh... the artist behind Simon's Cat has made a new animated cartoon - but this one's about his sister's dog:
http://www.youtube.com/user/simonscat

Hyp,

Hope you're not too sick.

Timings depend on the size of the eggs. Our large eggs, at 4.30 let Mrs WA and I have two eggs each, served at the same time, with hot buttered soldiers of course, and a little salt and freshly ground white pepper on the side to dip your spoon in, the first is a tad snotty, only a tad mind, and the second one is perfect. I've got a cunning wee machine that part cracks the shell so the top comes off neat and tidy.

Your dealing with a boiled eggspert here.

I have an egg boiler from the 60's that works fine even though the tiny light bulb (pre-LED) has been out for decades and the paint on the inside is long gone (pre teflon as well). It has the tiny little skewer for making a hole in the egg, and then it has plimsoll lines for how much water to add for how much you want the eggs to be done. It's really great for doing a batch of eggs to devil -- holds up to 5.

What is your favorite kitchen appliance? Mine is my rice cooker, which also steams vegetables.

My oil fired Raeburn or, having just made some French Country bread from scratch, using a rye sourdough starter, the granite work tops were great for working the dough.

My non-stick grill pan - when you live in a flat you don't exactly have room to set up a proper barbeque, but a grill pan will do very nicely as a substitute for grilling meats, veggies etc.

Probably my Global knife. Sharp that one!

*keeping up my reputation, doing a "me" by posting from CPH en route to Hannover *

Scared myself today - I almost always use the three-letter airport abbreviations for notes, bookings, etc. Saves a lot of time typing. This morning, I noticed that I'd put "CPH-HAM" in my calendar and went ; HAM is Hamburg and I need to go to HAJ, which is Hannover... Some 110 km's difference which would probably mean I'd miss the fresh German asparagus for dinner...

Turned out I'd ordered right and made the wrong note. Phew.

More important did you make the asparagus?

I use my rice cooker 2/3 times a week . It also doubles up as a slow cooker , great for stews and stuff . Talking of kitchen appliances my grill element went bang last night . So no toast for me for a few days

I would be seriously handicapped without my combination microwave/convection oven.

My most used kitchen appliance is my coffee maker. I also use my electric kettle and microwave a lot. But I'm not sure if any of those are actually my favorite. That honor would probably go to my dishwasher. I really hate washing dishes.

Hmmmm...I suppose I could be Miss Fancypants and say my Le Creuset Dutch oven, but I'll go with something humble, something I use several times a week: my toaster.

MR, it will be just my luck: there will be an earthquake when I'm visiting you in a couple weeks.