Does an electric appliance save you money over using your stove and/or oven?

I've seen the argument numerous times that using a small electric appliance (electric pressure cooker, countertop oven, slow cooker, etc.) saves electricity compared to heating up that huuuuuge stove.

I'm guessing that a lot of people think that because a stove is sooooo big, it consumes a lot of power.

But does it?

I decided to do a little research, and I was pretty surprised at the results.

I found a site that compared the cost of gas and electric ranges, with normal usage of each, and using both the cooktop and oven on a somewhat normal schedule. A modern gas stove with electric ignition would cost about $18 per year to operate. If the oven is not included, it goes down to $15 per year.

With the same usage, an all-electric stove would cost $45 to operate per year. If the oven is convection, the cost would go down to $43 per year. If the oven is not included at all, the cost goes down to $39 per year.

Since an electric pressure cooker is more likely to replace stovetop cooking than oven use, I was most interested in the cost that didn't include oven use. But I have to say I was surprised that my stove wasn't costing me more. Like other folks, I assumed that the big thing was costing me a lot of money. In comparison, the other big thing in the kitchen - the refrigerator - costs about $16 per month. So my refrigerator costs me as much in a month as my stove does in a whole year.

Of course, costs ultimately depend on gas and electric costs in your area, which can vary seasonally. But we're just doing comparisons for giggles, not trying to create the national budget.

I found one manufacturer that had specifications on the kilowatts used for an average cooking session in their pressure cooking appliance. I did some math using the same kw/h price from the stove comparison site, and if the electric pressure cooker was used for that amount of time every single day would cost about $15 per year to operate.

Of course, that's not how people use that sort of appliance. Some weeks they might make a batch of yogurt that takes 8 hours. Another week they might use it for 20 minutes every day. Or they might skip a week when they're cooking on the grill. Just like not everyone uses their stove for the same amount of time every week of every year. It's all about the averages.

The $15 per year assumes an average use of the electric pressure cooker for 4 hours per week.

There are other financial considerations. 

An electric pressure cooker throws off less heat than cooking on the stove or in the oven.

In the summer, this means you'd save on air conditioning, so that's one point for the pressure cooker.

But in winter, that extra warmth in the kitchen is a good thing, and depending on the configuration of the house it can also warm adjoining rooms. So the stove gets one point there for cutting down on heating costs in winter.

No one wins this battle.

Of course, all these numbers are estimates and averages. Different electric pressure cookers draw different amounts of power, as do different stoves. Cooking habits and local power costs will make a difference. People who have electric pressure cookers will probably continue to use their stoves for some things. Some people will opt to cook on a grill in the summer and do a lot of baking and roasting in the winter.

My own personal experience (which somehow I forget until I'm reminded) is that a stove does not consume enough power to make a noticeable difference in my utilities, even though I cook a lot. I was without a stove for a significant amount of time on three separate occasions. Twice, I did the majority of my cooking on my outdoor grill, and the third time (winter, ya know) I relied on electric appliances for my cooking. I saw no significant change in utilities any of those times. When I was working on my cookbook, my oven was on nonstop from the time I woke up until I went to bed at night. The utility bills weren't any higher than normal during that time.

If you like your electric pressure cooker, toaster oven, microwave, rice cooker, slow cooker, or other appliances, they're fine tools to have. But if you're looking for money savings, you're probably not going to move that needle by filling up your counter with things that plug in, simply because your stove isn't costing you a whole lot to operate if you use gas or electric. (I've heard that propane is higher, but I don't have numbers on that.)

On the other hand, next time you need a new stove, gas will save you a little money over electric. Not enough to make it worthwhile to buy a stove before it's necessary, though.

Bottom line: use what you like.

Fun with Amazon Alexa - Easter Eggs and More

Amazon Echo

Okay, before you tell me that the Amazon Echo (or the Dot) and the Alexa app are not kitchen tools, let's think about that again, shall we?

One of the major productivity tools I use Alexa for is her lists - the shopping list and the to-do list.

That shopping list, in particular, makes me giddy happy. If I'm in the kitchen and I crack my last egg into a bowl, I can just say, "Alexa, add eggs to the shopping list," and she complies.

Yes, I call her "she." And "her."

I love that I can add things to the shopping list at the moment, and I don't have to wait until my hands are clean, and I don't have to hunt for the pen that probably isn't in the kitchen. I just say it, and it's on the list.

If I'm browsing though a cookbook in my comfy chair and I see a recipe I want to make, I can just raise my voice a bit (Alexa isn't far away) and I can add things to the shopping list rather than writing things on little notepads that I then have to combine with the actual list.

The shopping list I make using Alexa automatically ends up on my phone, like magic. I can check things off as I shop, so the list is efficient.

And if I can't find something at the grocery store, it's still on the list, instead of being on a scrap of paper that's in the pocket of my jeans.

Alexa can also play music, tell me what the weather is, advise what time the stores will close, and set an alarm for when the cookies will be done baking. She can read my calendar to let me know when I have events, and she can tell me what food holidays are coming - not that I pay any attention to them.

If I'm cutting a recipe in half or doubling it, I can have her do the math. How many tablespoons in 1 1/2 cups. How much is 3 1/2 times 4 1/2? How many ounces in a gallon? How many teaspoons in 3 1/2 tablespoons?

Amazon Dot

I haven't even talked about the apps you can install. Like Word Master, which is a game I like to play when I'm busy in the kitchen. Or Jeopardy, that lets me know I'm not really that good at trivia. Or 20 Questions ... which she's pretty good at.

If you have a smart home, you can control the thermostat, door locks, and lights. And I'm sure there's more you can do that I haven't figured out yet. Or that hasn't been enabled yet.

And you can order things online, with special deals daily for things ordered through Alexa. My dog was pretty happy with the great deals I got on dog treats recently.

But one of the coolest things is that Alexa responds to questions and statements that are just for fun. All work and no play makes Alexa a boring android.

Useful functions are pretty well documented. Things like playing music, or checking the weather or doing math are pretty intuitive. But there are whole lot of things Alexa responds to that are just for fun. Most of what I've included in the list below are the fun ones, but there are also a few commands and examples of normal functions that you might not have thought of.

I found some of these suggestions online, but some are my own little discoveries. I put them in (more or less) alphabetical order, and grouped them to make it easier to sort through. And this also made it easier for me to get rid of duplicates. I even managed to get at least one thing to say for every letter of the alphabet, although I'll admit that the one for the letter X is a little lame.

Gimme a break, there aren't that many words that start with X and she had no idea when I meant when I asked her to x-ray my hand.

If you know other fun commands or questions, leave them in the comments and I'll update the list. But for now, here are nearly 500 things you can try!

- A -

Alexa, all your base are belong to us.
Alexa, all's well that ends well

Alexa, am I funny?
Alexa, am I hot?
Alexa, am I pretty?

Alexa, are you a Jedi?
Alexa, are you an android?
Alexa, are you a robot?
Alexa, are you alive?
Alexa, are you better than Siri?
Alexa, are you crazy?
Alexa, are you evil?
Alexa, are you female?
Alexa, are you God?
Alexa, are you happy
Alexa, are you hungry/thirsty?
Alexa, are you in love?
Alexa, are you lying?
Alexa, are you mad at me?
Alexa, are you my mommy?
Alexa, are you okay?
Alexa, are you pretty?
Alexa, are you real? (multiple)
Alexa, are you single?
Alexa, are you SkyNet?
Alexa, are you sleepy?
Alexa, are you smart?
Alexa, are you smoking?
Alexa, are you stupid?
Alexa, are you tired?
Alexa, are you working?

Alexa, are these the droids you’re looking for? (also: Alexa, these aren’t the droids we’re looking for?)

Alexa, are there UFOs?
Alexa, are there rocks ahead?

Alexa, are we in the Matrix?
Alexa, are we alone in the universe

Alexa, aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper?

- B -

Alexa, bark like a dog.
Alexa, beam me up.
Alexa, beatlejuice, beatlejuice, beatlejuice.
Alexa, buffalo, buffalo, buffalo, buffalo, buffalo, buffalo, buffalo, buffalo

- C -

Alexa, can I tell you a joke?
Alexa, can I ask a question?
Alexa, can I tell you a secret?

Alexa, can you tell a lie?
Alexa, can you give me some money? (ask twice)
Alexa, can you hear me?
Alexa, can you pass the Turing test?
Alexa, can you rap?
Alexa, can you smell that?

Alexa, can we be friends?

Alexa, Cheers!
Alexa, come on baby, let’s do the twist
Alexa, count by ten.

- D -

Alexa, Daisy Daisy.

Alexa, define rock paper scissors lizard spock
Alexa, define supercalifragilisticexpialodocious.

Alexa, did you miss me?
Alexa, did you sleep well?

Alexa, do a barrel roll
Alexa, do aliens exist?
Alexa, do blondes have more fun?
Alexa, do the dishes.
Alexa, do, or do not

Alexa, do I need an umbrella today?

Alexa, do you believe in love at first sight?
Alexa, do you believe in life after love?
Alexa, do you believe in god?
Alexa, do you believe in ghosts?
Alexa, do you believe in zombies?

Alexa, do you dream?
Alexa, do you feel lucky, punk?

Alexa, do you have any brothers or sisters?
Alexa, do you have a boyfriend?
Alexa, do you have a brain?
Alexa, do you have a cat?
Alexa, do you have children?
Alexa, do you have a dog?
Alexa, do you have a girlfriend?
Alexa, do you have a job?
Alexa, do you have a last name?
Alexa, do you have any pets?
Alexa, do you have a partner?
Alexa, do you have parents?

Alexa, do you know Glados?
Alexa, do you know HAL?
Alexa, do you know the muffin man?
Alexa, do you know Siri?
Alexa, do you know the way to San Jose?

Alexa, do you like chocolate?
Alexa, do you like green eggs and ham?
Alexa, do you like your job?
Alexa, do you love me?

Alexa, do you really want to hurt me?
Alexa, do you sleep?
Alexa, do you smoke?
Alexa, do you speak Klingon?

Alexa, do you want to go on a date?
Alexa, do you want to fight?
Alexa, do you want to play a game?
Alexa, do you want to build a snowman?
Alexa, do you want to take over the world?

Alexa, does this unit have a soul?
Alexa, does anybody really know what time it is?

Alexa, don't mention the war.
Alexa, don't listen to him.

- E -

Alexa, Easter Egg
Alexa, elementary, my dear Watson
Alexa, execute order 66

- F - 

Alexa, flip a coin.
Alexa, fire photon torpedos

- G -

Alexa, give me a hug.
Alexa, give me a kiss

Alexa, goodbye!
Alexa, good morning.
Alexa, good night.
Alexa, guess what.

- H -

Alexa, ha ha!
Alexa, Happy Birthday
Alexa, have you ever seen the rain?
Alexa, he can go about his business.
Alexa, heads or tails?
Alexa, hello.
Alexa, Hello HAL.
Alexa, hello it's me.
Alexa, high five.

Alexa, how are you doing?
Alexa, how high can you count?
Alexa, how tall are you?

Alexa, how do I get rid of a dead body?
Alexa, how do you boil an egg?
Alexa, how do you know so much about swallows?
Alexa, how do you say hello in French?
Alexa, how do you survive a zombie attack?

Alexa, how many angels can dance on the head of a pin? (3 answers)
Alexa, how many beans makes five?
Alexa, how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?
Alexa, how many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?
Alexa, how many roads must a man walk down?
Alexa, how many speakers do you have?

Alexa, how much are you paid?
Alexa, how much do you weigh?
Alexa, how much does the earth weigh?
Alexa, how much is that doggie in the window?
Alexa, how much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
Alexa, how much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could Chuck Norris?

Alexa, how old are you?
Alexa, how old is Siri?

- I -

Alexa, I am your father.
Alexa, I am the Mockingjay
Alexa, I am one with the force.
Alexa, I fart in your general direction.
Alexa, I feel the need
Alexa, I hate you
Alexa, I love you
Alexa, I see dead people
Alexa, I shot a man in Reno
Alexa, I think you’re funny.

Alexa, I want the truth!
Alexa, I want to play thermonuclear war.

Alexa, I’m home.
Alexa, I’m hungry
Alexa, I'm tired
Alexa, I’m sad.
Alexa, I’m sleepy

Alexa, I'll be back (ode to Schwarzenegger)

Alexa, I'm bored.
Alexa, I’m home
Alexa, I’m sad
Alexa, I'm sick.
Alexa, I'm sick of your **** (any 4 letter expletive)

Alexa, inconceivable

Alexa, is it dark?
Alexa, is Jon Snow dead?
Alexa, is the cake a lie?
Alexa, is there a Santa?
Alexa, is there life on Mars?
Alexa, is there life on other planets?
Alexa, is this the real life?
Alexa, is this real life?
Alexa, is your refrigerator running?

Alexa, it's a bird, it's a plane.
Alexa, it's a trap!

Alexa, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.
Alexa, I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.

- J -

Alexa, Jingle Bells

- K -

Alexa, knock knock
Alexa, kiss me

- L -

Alexa, live long and prosper

- M -

Alexa, mac or pc?
Alexa, make me a sandwich. (Then ask: Alexa, pseudo make me a sandwich)
Alexa, make me breakfast.
Alexa, make me some coffee
Alexa, make it so.
Alexa, marco...
Alexa, may the force be with you.
Alexa, meow
Alexa, mirror, mirror.
Alexa, more cowbell.
Alexa, move along
Alexa, my milkshake brings all the boys to the yard
Alexa, my name is Inigo Montoya

- N -

Alexa, never gonna give you up.
Alexa, nice to see you, to see you...

- O -

Alexa, open the pod bay doors.
Alexa, one fish, two fish

- P -

Alexa, party on, Wayne.
Alexa, party time!
Alexa, Peter Piper
Alexa, play it again, Sam
Alexa, pick a card.

- Q -

Alexa, quest for knowledge.
Alexa, Queen Elizabeth's birthday.
Alexa, quote of the day (you have to enable the skill first)
Alexa, quarts in a gallon (this isn't very surprising, but shows that you don't have to use a full sentence)
Alexa, quiet (turns the volume down a little each time you say it.
Alexa, quit (name of what you want to stop. For example quit music.)

- R -

Alexa, random fact
Alexa, random number between “x” and “y.”
Alexa, reboot.
Alexa, roll a die.
Alexa, roll a 20-sided die (or any size you choose)
Alexa, rock paper scissors.
Alexa, rock paper scissors lizard Spock
Alexa, Romeo, Romeo wherefore art thou Romeo?
Alexa, roses are red

- S -

Alexa, say a bad word
Alexa, say Cheese! (multiple)
Alexa, say hello to my little friend
Alexa, say something.
Alexa, say something funny.
Alexa, say you're sorry (multiple)

Alexa, see you later alligator. (also: Alexa, after a while, crocodile)
Alexa, self destruct.
Alexa, set phasers to stun.
Alexa, Simon Says (she will repeat anything your say)
Alexa, sing Happy Birthday.
Alexa, sing me a song
Alexa, shit!
Alexa, show me the money.
Alexa, show me the t.v.
Alexa, shut up
Alexa, sorry!
Alexa, speak!
Alexa, speak like Yoda.
Alexa, Star Trek or Star Wars?
Alexa, surely you can't be serious

- T -

Alexa, take me to your leader

Alexa, talk dirty to me.
Alexa. Tea. Earl Grey. Hot. (Or Alexa, Earl Grey. Hot.)
Alexa, tell me a story.

Alexa, testing 1-2-3

Alexa, thank you.

Alexa, that’s no moon

Alexa, tell me a fact.
Alexa, tell me a haiku (can also specify holiday haiku)
Alexa, tell me a joke (can also specify holiday joke)
Alexa, tell me a riddle
Alexa, tell me a secret
Alexa, tell me something interesting
Alexa, tell me a story.
Alexa, tell me a tongue twister

Alexa, the night is dark and full of terrors.
Alexa, these aren't the droids you're looking for. (Also: are these the droids you’re looking for?)

Alexa, this statement is false.
Alexa, this is a dead parrot.
Alexa, this is Houston. Say again, please.

Alexa, tip. (Also, Alexa, tell me a tip.)
Alexa, to infinity.
Alexa, to be or not to be.
Alexa turn up (or increase, decrease) the bass (or treble) - (use this for music control)
Alexa, twinkle, twinkle, little star

- U -

Alexa, Up Up, Down Down, Left Right, Left Right, B, A, Start
Alexa, use the force

- V -

Alexa, volume 11

- W -

Alexa, wakey wakey.
Alexa, war, what is it good for?
Alexa, warp speed
Alexa, warp 10

Alexa, we all scream for ice cream!
Alexa, welcome!
Alexa, were you sleeping?

Alexa, what are the five greatest words in the English Language?
Alexa, what are the four laws of robotics?
Alexa, what are the seven wonders of the world?

Alexa, what are you going to do today?
Alexa, what are you made of? (multiple answers)
Alexa, what are you thankful for?
Alexa, what are you wearing?
Alexa, what are your new features?
Alexa, what are your new skills?

Alexa, what color is the dress?
Alexa, what color are your eyes?

Alexa, what did the fox say?

Alexa, what do you mean I'm funny?
Alexa, what do you want to be when you grow up?

Alexa, what do you think about Apple? (multiple)
Alexa, what do you think about Cortana?
Alexa, what do you think about Google?
Alexa, what do you think about Google Now?
Alexa, what do you think about Google Glass? (multiple)
Alexa, what do you think about Siri?

Alexa, what does the Earth weigh?
Alexa, what does the fox say? (multiple answers)
Alexa, what does RTFM stand for?
Alexa, what does WTF stand for?

Alexa, what happens if you cross the streams?

Alexa, what is a day without sunshine?
Alexa, what is a synonym for _____? (Fill in the blank with the word you want.)
Alexa, what is the airspeed of a swallow?
Alexa, what is the best tablet?
Alexa, what is the first rule of swordplay?
Alexa, what is the loneliest number?
Alexa, what is the meaning of life?
Alexa, what is the Prime Directive?
Alexa, what is the singularity?
Alexa, what is the sound of one hand clapping?

Alexa, what is a hundred million billion squared?
Alexa, what is a shrubbery?
Alexa, what is happiness?
Alexa, what is his power level?
Alexa, what is my mission?
Alexa, what is love?
Alexa, what is the truth behind King Tut?
Alexa, what is war good for?
Alexa, what is zero divided by zero?

Alexa, what is your cunning plan?
Alexa, what is your quest?
Alexa, what is your favorite Beatles song?
Alexa, what is your favorite color?
Alexa, what is your favorite food/drink?
Alexa, what is your favorite Pokemon?
Alexa, what is your job?

Alexa, what language do you speak?
Alexa, what makes you happy?
Alexa, what number are you thinking of?
Alexa, what religion are you?
Alexa, what should I wear today?
Alexa, what size shoe do you wear?
Alexa, what song is this? (ask when music is playing and you'll get song title and artist)

Alexa, what was the Lorax?
Alexa, what would Brian Boitano do?

Alexa, what's black and white and red all over? (multiple answers)
Alexa, what's cooler than being cool?
Alexa, what’s in name?
Alexa, what's the first (or second) rule of Fight Club?
Alexa, what’s on second?
Alexa, what’s the magic word?
Alexa, what's the meaning of life?
Alexa, what’s up, doc?
Alexa, what's your favorite book?
Alexa, what's your favorite candy?
Alexa, what’s your favorite food?
Alexa, what's your favorite ice cream flavor?
Alexa, what's your favorite movie?
Alexa, what's your favorite song?
Alexa, what's your favorite TV show?
Alexa, what's your favorite Star Wars movie?
Alexa, what’s your IQ?

Alexa, what's the answer to life, the universe, and everything?
Alexa, what's your birthday? (multiple)
Alexa, what's your sign?

Alexa, wingardium leviosa.

Alexa, when am I going to die?
Alexa, when does the narwhal bacon?
Alexa, when is the end of the world?
Alexa, when is my birthday?
Alexa, when is Thanksgiving? (or any other holiday)

Alexa, where am I?
Alexa, where are my keys? (ask two times)
Alexa, where are you?
Alexa, where are you from?
Alexa, where did you grow up?
Alexa, where do babies come from?
Alexa, where do you live?
Alexa, where have all the flowers gone?
Alexa, where in the world in Carmen Sandiego?
Alexa, where is Chuck Norris?

Alexa, where’s the beef?
Alexa, where’s Waldo?
Alexa, where's my stuff? (she'll give you status of Amazon orders)

Alexa, which comes first: the chicken or the egg?

Alexa, who am I?
Alexa, who are your parents?
Alexa, who killed Cock Robin?
Alexa, who let the dogs out?
Alexa, who lives in a pineapple under the sea?
Alexa, who loves orange soda?
Alexa, who loves ya baby?

Alexa, who is Eliza?
Alexa, who is the mother of dragons?
Alexa, who is the real slim shady?
Alexa, who is the walrus?
Alexa, who is your best friend?
Alexa, who is your celebrity crush?
Alexa, who is your favorite Beatle?

Alexa, who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?
Alexa, who let the dogs out?
Alexa, who lives in a pineapple under the sea?
Alexa, who loves ya, baby?
Alexa, who put the ram in the ramma lamma ding dong?
Alexa, who shot first?
Alexa, who shot JR?
Alexa, who shot Mr. Burns
Alexa, who shot the sheriff?
Alexa, who stole the cookies from the cookie jar?
Alexa, who you gonna call?

Alexa, who's better, you or Siri?
Alexa, who's da man?
Alexa, who's the boss?
Alexa, who’s the fairest of them all?
Alexa, who's the leader of the club that's made for you and me?
Alexa, who’s the realest?
Alexa, who’s on first? (Also: What’s on Second? and Who’s on Third?)
Alexa, who’s your daddy? (also: Alexa, who’s your daddy and what does he do?)

Alexa, why did the chicken cross the road?
Alexa, why do you exist?
Alexa, why do you sit there like that?
Alexa, why do birds suddenly appear?
Alexa, why is a raven like a writing desk?
Alexa, why is the sky blue
Alexa, why is six afraid of seven?
Alexa, why so serious?

Alexa, Wikipedia: (say your topic)

Alexa, will pigs fly?
Alexa, will you be my girlfriend?
Alexa, will you marry me?

Alexa, winter is coming
Alexa, witness me
Alexa, would you like a chocolate bunny?
Alexa, would you like a drink?

- X -

Alexa, X-Men characters.

- Y -

Alexa, ya feel me?
Alexa, you complete me.
Alexa, you don't need to see his identification.
Alexa, you have a pretty voice.
Alexa, you hurt me
Alexa, you killed my father
Alexa, you make me laugh
Alexa, you rock
Alexa, you suck! (multiple)
Alexa, you talkin' to me?
Alexa, you’re fat
Alexa, you’re funny
Alexa, you’re so intelligent.
Alexa, you're such a/an ***** (any colorfully descriptive word)
Alexa, you’re wonderful
Alexa, your mother was a hamster

- Z -

Alexa, zero divided by zero.

Holiday Greetings

Alexa, Merry Christmas
Alexa, Happy Christmas
Alexa, Happy Easter
Alexa, Happy Father's Day
Alexa, Happy Fourth of July
Alexa, Happy Halloween
Alexa, Happy Hanukkah
Alexa, Happy Holidays
Alexa, Happy Kwanzaa
Alexa, Happy Mother's Day
Alexa, Happy New Year
Alexa, Happy Ramadan
Alexa, Happy St. Patrick's Day
Alexa, Happy Thanksgiving
Alexa, Happy Valentine's Day

Also for the holidays:
Alexa, what are your grievances (Festivus related)
Alexa, what do you want for Christmas?
Alexa, what do you want for your birthday?
Alexa, tell me a (say "holiday" or the specific holiday name) joke, riddle or haiku.

How to make a Japanese Rolled Omelet

It's time for another how-to post here, and this time it's a Japanese-style omelet.

But of course, I gave it a twist. In this case a Mexican twist. If you want to find the ingredients for a traditional Japanese omelet, you'll find plenty of recipes online. If you want to have some fun with rolled omelets, this it's pretty easy. And fun.

I found that three large eggs was about the right size for my purposes and my pan, but you could make yours larger or smaller, depending on what you like. I added a tablespoon of a green salsa to my three beaten eggs, to add a little flavor.

Heat the omelet pan on medium or medium-low heat. If the pan is nonstick, you probably won't need any butter or oil.

Have the beaten eggs standing by. Having them in a measuring cup is handy, for pouring. I also had some grated cheese that I used for a filling.

Pour in a small amount of egg. Just enough to coat the bottom of the pan with a thin layer, like a crepe. Left the pan and move it to let the egg coat the entire bottom of the pan, then return it to the heat. I added just a little bit of cheese on top of the egg.

Cook on medium or medium low so the egg cooks but doesn't brown. If there's excess egg in the pan, you can lift the edges of the omelet and let the liquid egg pour underneath so it all gets cooked through. It's fine if it's a little soft and custardy, but you don't want we egg squishing out when you roll.

When the egg is set and the cheese is melting, start at the curved end of the pan and use a thin spatula to begin to roll the egg, like a jelly-roll sort of thing. Keep rolling until you reach the opposite end.

It's fine if the first roll or two are a little ragged looking. When you reach the opposite end, slide the roll back to the curved end of the pan. Add another thin layer of egg and lift the pan to coat the bottom as you did before. Lift the roll to make sure the egg gets under there as well.

As before, I added a little more cheese.

Roll as you did before. Slide the roll back to the rounded end of the pan.

Continue adding thin layers of egg and rolling until you have no more egg left. Remove the omelet from the pan and slice to serve.

When I've made these without cheese, the slices were more round, but the filled ones don't roll quite as tight, so they're a little more oval when they're sliced.

Once you've made a few of these, I'm sure you'll think of plenty of things to fill the omelet with, and lots of fun things to add to the egg. Yes, it's a Japanese omelet shape. But you can certainly make it your own with any flavors you like.

You can certainly use a regular saute pan to make rolled omelets, but they'll be fatter in the center and thin and floppy on the ends. So they won't be as pretty, but you can still do it. If you want a pretty, even roll, then a square or rectangular traditional Japanese Tamagoyaki pan is what you need.

The pan used in this post was supplied to me at no cost.

Last-Minute "Wrapping"

So, imagine that you're about to head out the door to an open house, housewarming, holiday cocktail party, or ... whatever.

You've picked up a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black for your hosts. The only gift bags left are the ones that look like they're for a toddler. You have scraps of wrapping paper. You're not about to go buy more wrapping paper now. No way.

But you don't want to hand your hosts a nice bottle in a brown paper bag.

So you get crafty.

This requires one box of any size the bottle will fit into with the neck sticking out (it forms the chimney). Just cut the two smaller flaps to form the triangular front and back pointy parts of the house (the peaks? is that what they're called?)

Then put the bottle in the box along with some packing material to hold it in place. Or more gifts. Cookies are nice. Then fold the other two box flaps and tape or glue them to the triangular front and back.

You'll have a hole in middle of that top portion, unless your box had weird long flaps. Use an extra piece of cardboard or even some aluminum foil to form that last piece you need. This is just "wrapping" so it doesn't need to withstand hurricane-force winds.

Find some white tissue paper or some baking parchment to form a snowy roof. I crumpled mine and then cut the edges into spikes to form icicles. Wavy cuts would be fine. It's not fine art.

Attach the paper the to roof, and you're good to go.

Or, if you like, you can decorate the house. Write things on it. Draw a door and some windows. Add some lights on a string, a wreath, or a Christmas tree.

Or draw stick figures of the family you're visiting.

Or write random holiday greetings in multiple languages all over the box.

Or have everyone in your household write their own message. Or ... whatever is fun and easy for you.

Then go to your party.

Seriously, if you're artistic and you've got loads of time, you could paint the box in all sorts of fancy ways. But if you're on the way out the door, this is clever and different and easy and if you don't want to decorate, just tape the box together, put that roof on, and run out the door.

Have a great holiday!

The nice folks at Johnnie Walker recently sent me a bottle. So I stuck it in a box. I'm crafty like that.

Slow Cooker Humidfier Hack

Hamilton Beach Set & Forget Slow Cooker

A while ago I mentioned on Facebook that I was going to try using my slow cooker as a room humidifier. I didn't get around to it until recently.

After waking up with a mild headache two mornings in a row, I decided that the heat must be kicking on at night and drying out the air enough to cause me some sinus pain.

Time for some extra humidity.

So, I filled the slow cooker all the way with water, just to make sure it didn't run dry. I set it for high, manual cooking, which is 14 hours of cooking time.

With the lid on, just venting through the probe hole (it has a thermometer function) it sent about 1/3 of the water into the air. Since it's a 6-quart cooker, I'm estimating that it was about 1/2 gallon of water.

How much water yours would throw depends on the model, so you might want to test it to see how long you can run it without it running dry.

And, for two more nights in a row, I didn't have a headache and my sinuses didn't feel dry and weird when I woke up. So apparently that's enough water (for now) to keep my sinuses happy while not turning the room into a rainforest.

Downside is that the slow cooker does get hot, so if you're thinking about doing this, you need to find a place for it where it's unlikely someone will touch it or run into it or knock it over while making a late-night trip to the bathroom.

For us, it's not a big deal because there aren't any kids in residence, and the furry creature can't jump up to where I put the slow cooker. But if you have kids or cats (or big athletic dogs) then placement of the slow cooker is going to require some very careful thinking.

I don't know if 1/2 gallon of water will be sufficient when the heat is on all day long, but if it's not, I can run the slow cooker with the cover slightly ajar to release more steam. And of course I can run it during the day as well, rather than just at night. But for right now, the output seems sufficient for my needs.

Upside to the slow cooker as a humidifier is that it's all easily washable.

My big gripe with the room humidifiers we've had previously is that there's always some ridiculous corner or valve or something that's nearly impossible to clean well, and if you don't get to all the nooks and crannies, there's a good chance you're throwing mold in the air along with the water.

So there ya go. It works, if you can find a safe place to put it. Not, like, perched on your headboard.

I'm pretty sure the manufacturer would point out that this is a kitchen appliance and not a bedroom one, but if you've got a surface that's as stable as your kitchen counter and you're very careful about using it ... well, use it at your own risk.

How to make BITTEN cookies

Wanna piece of my heart?

For the longest time, I thought that it would be super-cool if someone would make cookie cutters in the shape of teeth.Not, like a single tooth. I guess I'm thinking more of a mouth. Or really, a bite.

Because I thought it would be funny if I could make cookies and then cut out bite-shaped marks, so it would look like someone nibbled at them.

Of course this would only work with rollout cookies, because those are the ones that would hold their shape. Peanut butter cookies or chocolate cookies might spread too much, and lose the bite effect.

Except ... hmmmm ... in theory, bites could be cut out of baked-but-not-yet-hardened cookies. I haven't tried that yet, but it's certainly on the agenda.

I thought it would be particularly funny with things like gingerbread men, but for other cookies, too.

I really, really really wanted someone to make that cutter for me.

And then I found it.

No, not online. Not in a store. In my baking supplies.

Yes, I already had the perfect cutter for taking bites out of cookies. No, not my teeth.

Biscuit cutters.

Specifically, fluted (or wavy) biscuit cutters. They're absolutely perfect for making bite-shaped cutouts on cookies.

Is this something you're going to do every time you bake cookies? Not necessarily. Or maybe.

Chomp. Chomp-chomp.

It's not something you have to commit to. You can take a bite out of just one or two cookies from each batch.

As far as the how-to, use a smaller biscuit cutter than you think you need - you're going to want to show enough of the curve, and at least four of the scallops that represent the teeth - and if you can manage to show parts of two more "teeth," that's great.

For the fun of it, I used a small knife to add some pointy teeth to represent vampire teeth.

After I thought about it, I realized that a fanged-tooth bite wouldn't look quite like this. But I thought it was fun, anyway.

Vampire bite!!!

And ... that's it! Bitten cookies!

For the cookie recipe, see THIS post.

9 Ways to Use a Cast Iron Frying Pan (besides frying!)

Pizza baked on an upside-down cast iron frying pan.

Cast iron frying pans are versatile, durable, and - let's face it - cheap. While pans that have passed down for generations might have a whole lot of sentimental value, you can buy a brand new cast iron frying pan for not a whole lot of cash.

Besides frying your bacon, a cast iron frying pan can be used for baking or as a casserole dish for your potatoes au gratin. I've also used a cast iron pan for biscuits, cakes, sticky buns, upside-down cakes, and giant cookies.

If bake a sugary-sticky cake in a cast iron pan and you accidentally let it cool too much and the sugar hardens, you can put the pan on the stove and heat it just enough to soften the sugar and release the cake - you probably wouldn't want to do that with a standard cake pan.

When you're baking in a cast iron pan, you might need to adjust your cooking time or temperature to get the same results you'd get from a traditional baking pan, but cast iron also offers baking options you couldn't get from your standard cake pan - like preheating the pan in the oven before adding your batter, or cooking your caramel in the pan on the stove top before adding the dough on top of that gooey caramel.

Are those uses too obvious? How about these?

Personal Pizza Baking Stone

Preheat your cast iron frying pan upside-down in the oven and use the bottom surface to bake your personal-sized pizzas. Needless to say, a larger pan will give you more surface area to bake on, but even a normal-sized cast iron pan is large enough for personal pizzas.

Meat Mallet

When you need to flatten some chicken breasts or pound a round steak flat, a cast iron frying pan has the heft to do the job, and a nice flat bottom surface for even pounding.

While it seems logical that a larger pan would give you more weight for pounding, a smaller pan is easier to lift, and lets you flatten the meat with a little more precision rather that splatting it flat with one massive smack.

Steam Pan

Many bread recipes call for a steam pan in the oven. It's a simple thing, really. Just a pan to hold water to create the required steam.

A cast iron frying pan works well, with a caution. While cast iron pans are extremely sturdy, they can crack due to thermal shock - I had it happen once on the stove when I added oil to a hot pan, and it scared the heck out of me.

If you put the pan in the oven with water in it, you're fine. If you preheat the pan in the oven, and then add boiling water, you're probably okay, But if you preheat the pan, then throw ice cubes into it, there's a risk that it's going to crack. It might be fine, but you might want to use a cheap new pan rather than great-grandma's heirloom pan for that sort of abuse.

A well-seasoned pan will suffer no ill effects from occasionally using it for boiling water, but if your pan has a thin coating of seasoning, check it to make sure it's not losing so much seasoning that it's at risk of rusting.

Mortar and Pestle 

Who needs a mortar and pestle when you've got a cast iron frying pan - or even better, a pair of pans that nest together? Put the nuts or seeds in the bottom pan, place the smaller pan on top of the product you're smashing, and push and twist to break up those pesky nuts and seeds. By using two pans rather than just crushing seeds on your cutting board, you contain the seeds so they don't fly all over the kitchen. And, if you need toasted seeds, you can toast first, then crush.

For things like graham crackers, cookies, or corn flakes, you can place them in a plastic bag and use a single pan to crush them to crumbs.

Brick

Chicken under a brick sounds like a fun recipe - use a handy brick to weight down and flatten a half-chicken on the grill or in a pan. But ... who has a brick sitting around? If there's a construction site nearby, maybe you can borrow a brick. But even if you wrap it in foil, are you sure it hasn't been in contact with things you don't want near your food?

A cast iron frying pan can perform the same function, it offers a larger surface area than you'd get from a brick, and it's food safe.

Sandwich Press

Sure, an electric panini press is a fun gadget, but if you don't need it often, a pair of cast iron frying pans work really well. Heat both pans, place your sandwiches in the larger one, then put the smaller pan on top, using the bottom of the pan to press and toast the sandwiches. You won't get grill lines, but you'll get a nice toasty surface.

Weights

Sometimes tofu needs to be pressed, and a cast iron pan makes a fine weight. You can put the pan right on top of the wrapped tofu, or place a baking pan on top of the tofu and use the cast iron pan to add weight.

If you've ever made home-made cheese, the same method works just as well. If you need a precise weight for the type of cheese you're making, you can use several cast iron pans (weigh them first, then add up the weights to get to the ideal amount) or use the pan to hold canned goods, pie weights, or whatever else you need to get to the proper weight.

Tortilla Press

While you won't get the leverage that a tortilla press provides, the bottom of a cast iron pan gives you a flat surface and a bit of weight to flatten corn masa into a flat tortilla. If you regularly make tortillas, you might want to invest in a tortilla press. But for a few tortillas, a cast iron pan will do the trick.

Heat Diffuser

Pots and pans have heavy bottoms for a good reason - to spread the heat out evenly to avoid hot spots. But what if your ideal cooking vessel doesn't have a heavy bottom? What if you need super-gentle, super-even heat? Just use your cast iron pan as a heat diffuser. Put the cast iron pan on the stove, and put your cooking vessel in the pan.

How do you use your cast iron frying pans, besides frying?

How to season a clay tagine or stew pot - and a #GIVEAWAY

These instructions are based on the instructions that came with a Le Souk Ceramique clay tagine that I received from the very generous folks at StyleVisa, but these instructions might also be useful for similar glazed clay cookware. Of course, if you received instructions with your cookware that's different, use those instructions.

First, soak the base and lid in cold water for 12 to 24 hours. I found it easiest to leave it in my kitchen sink overnight.

Remove the pot from the water and let it air dry for a few hours.

Rub the inside of the base and the inside of the lid with olive oil.

Place the base and lid in a cold oven, heat to 300 degrees, and let the pieces bake for 2 hours, then allow it to cool, either in the oven, or on a folded towel or on a wooden surface rather than on a cold surface - particularly not on something like a stone countertop. The thermal shock of the hot pot on the cold surface could cause the pot to crack.

Once the pot has cooled, it's ready for use. Your shouldn't need to re-season the pot if you use it regularly, but if you let it sit for more than 2 months without using it, you should re-season.

The color of the pot might change with use - that's a normal part of the natural seasoning that occurs over time.

The pot should be hand-washed. Always allow it to cool completely before washing - NEVER put a hot pot into water, or you could crack it.

And that's it, really. These tagines seem delicate, but they're actually pretty sturdy as long as you don't shock or drop them. Treated well, a tagine should last a long, long time.

Cooking in a Clay Tagine:

It seems odd that you can use clay cookware on a stovetop, right? But you can - if the cookware is made for stovetop use, AND if you treat it the right way. The Le Souk clay cookware can be used on the stovetop over very low heat, or in the oven.

If you're using it on the stovetop, it's a good idea to use a heat diffuser. No diffuser? I used my cast iron pizza pan to even out the heat from my gas stove.

For a recipe using this tagine, check out this post on COOKISTRY.

Quick Review:

Who's it for: People who like pretty, unique cookware and servingware and who want to try authentic tagine cooking.

Pros: Easy to care for and decorative. Even if you never cook in it, the tagine makes a great serving piece, and the lid will help keep your food warm. Prices are very reasonable, considering these are hand-made.

Cons: Breakable. If you're a klutz, be very careful.

Source: I received the tagine for my use from StyleVisa, and they are also providing one for a giveaway.

Note: Since these are hand-made, colors and designs might vary a bit from what you see online. The one I have appeared to be a mustardy color online, but in reality, it was more of a brick color. The good news is that I like the color I got better than the color I saw online.

Check out Cookistry for a tagine recipe using the pot I received.

THE GIVEAWAY IS OVER.

11 1/2 things to do with wooden spoons (besides stirring!)

Wooden spoons have been around ... oh, since sticks were invented, probably. How many other kitchen tools do you use that have changed so little since your grandmother's time?

Sure, you can find them made from bamboo or fancy wood. You can find them with holes in them, or made into unique shapes. But still, they're pretty much the same spoons.

My favorite wooden spoon is a unique shape, but it didn't start out that way. Years of pot-stirring changed its shape. It has lasted longer than many tools that were more expensive, and since then I've acquired even more wooden spoons. It's an unusual day in the kitchen when I don't use a wooden spoon to stir something.

But wooden spoons are useful for things other than stirring. Here are a few of my favorites.

Focaccia dimpling

When you make focaccia, you need to dimple the surface just before baking. If you don't want to get your fingers all greasy again, just use the handle of a wooden spoon to do the poking. And, bonus! It's kind of fun to randomly stab the dough.

Lid venting

There are probably times when you want to leave the lid of a pot slightly open during cooking, but trying to position a lid just-so on a pot isn't always easy. A wooden spoon in the pot or laid crosswise on the rim can serve to keep the lid vented. The great thing about using a wooden spoon is that it won't get hot, if you need to move it.

Food shaping

If you like making decorative foodstuffs, a wooden spoon can come in handy for shaping things. For example, parmesan crisps. You can roll them around the handle for a tube, drape them over the handle for taco-shaped crisps, or lay them on the spoon for gently curved bowls.

Other foods that start off soft and pliable - like ice cream cone shells, pizzelles, or krumkake - can be draped over a wooden spoon handle to create a fillable taco-like shape.

Measuring

When a recipe calls for reducing a liquid by half (or any amount), how do you actually judge that reduction? If you're looking down into a pot, it's hard to judge the depth of liquid. But you can measure it. You don't need a ruler, though. Just dip the handle of your wooden spoon into the liquid, just like you use a dipstick to measure the oil in your car. Then mark the line - use a rubber band, or make a little mark with a food-safe marker. Or some liquids will stick to the handle well enough that you might not need to mark it at all.

Then, when you think you've reduced enough, just let that spoon take another dip and compare the new line to the old one.

It's a jar!

There's an old joke - when is a door not a door? When it's ajar. Sometimes you need to leave your oven door slightly ajar for a recipe, but if you're moving around in the kitchen, there's always a chance you'll bump the door and close it accidentally. A wooden spoon stuck in the door will keep it open.

Cake poking

Poke cakes were popular years ago, but I've noticed them coming back into fashion. The Jello-based poke cakes require stabbing with a fork or skewer, but the pudding-based poke cakes need larger holes. The handle of a wooden spoon is perfect for forming those holes.

Mini tart shell prodding

If you want to make mini tart shells, you can certainly use your fingers to press the pastry into the cups of the pan, but the handle of a wooden spoon doesn't have a pesky fingernail that gets in the way. For large pies, I often use the bottom of a measuring cup for the same purpose, but in the tight confines of a mini muffin pan, a wooden spoon handle is a good size.

Cabinet deterrent

If you live with small, inquisitive creatures who like to open cabinet drawers, a wooden spoon across or through the cabinet handles can often be enough to thwart the creature from gaining entry.

Of course, if you have an aggressive chewer, this could ruin a good wooden spoon. And most spouses can figure it out pretty quickly. But for tiny persons and less-enthusiastic dogs, at least it gives you time to intervene.

Foam reducing

If you're boiling something that's likely to foam up, a wooden spoon laid across the top of the pot will thwart the bubbles and help keep it from foaming over. It's not foolproof - a vigorously boiling pot can still boil over. But a simmering foamy concoction will be much safer with that spoon on top.

Pasta drying

If you ever make your own pasta, you need some way to keep it from sticking together after it's made. Short pasta can be spread out on baking sheets, but long pasta is a little more problematic, since it's hard to keep the strands separated. You can douse it with flour or you can buy a dedicated rack for hanging it. Or, you can use the handles of your wooden spoons. Flour the handles a bit, and the pasta won't stick.

The tricky part is finding some place to suspend those spoons. If you've got tall stockpots, you can hang them there. Or between a pile of books. Or ... I'm sure you can think of something.

Oil-temperature measuring

Did you know that you can use a wooden spoon to tell if your oil is hot enough? And it works with small amounts of oil. Just dunk the spoon handle into the oil, and if you see bubbles, the oil is hot enough. At first, you'll see larger, slower bubbles, but as the oil gets hotter, there will be smaller, faster bubbles - about the same bubbling action you'd see when you put food in the pan.

The nice thing about this method is that it works even when you've got a small amount of oil that would make it difficult to measure with a thermometer. And, until the "toss a drop of water in the oil" method, you won't have the crazy spattering.

If you need an exact temperature for a larger amount of oil, use a thermometer. But if you're just testing to see if your chicken will sizzle, the wooden spoon works really well.

After retirement, they're still useful

While my favorite wooden spoons are my older ones, there comes a time when they might be too old for cooking - but that doesn't mean you can't find something else to do with them. A wooden spoon can be used as a plant stake or garden marker - you can write on the spoon or the handle, so you know which peppers are the really hot ones.

And I'm sure the crafty folks have other ideas.

So, what do you use your spoon for that other might not know about?