I recently heard someone say how could the English not eat their toast straight away as it would not be crispy. Just had to comment about it. That's why we have toast racks. Agreed, if you take hot toast and lay it down on a plate it will go soggy because the heat causes condensation on the plate which the toast then reabsorbs. However, if you stand it in a toast rack, it will keep good and crisp. I have never really enjoyed the warm soggy toast one gets in restaurants here. Usually with a dab of something - probably margarine - in the centre. No, give me a good old piece of English toast. It may not be hot, but it is definitely crisp. Some nice butter and good English marmalade helps too.
I was reading in my email about a suggestion to use paper clips and/or clothes pegs to hold shut such things as chip bags. I don't know about you, I haven't even owned clothes pegs for many a long year. Of course in an apartment one doesn't have a washing line, but I basically haven't dried stuff outside for years. People always say how wonderful sheets, etc. smell when dried in the fresh air, maybe, but how crumpled they look too. I like using a drier and things come out without needing to even look at an iron. I
hate ironing so anything I can do to obviate the necessity of doing any is OK by me. It fascinated me when spending time on vacation in Florida with my step daughters how much ironing they would do. Mind you I didn't think much of the laundry machines in the UK when last I went back. In my opinion they were not nearly as efficient as the machines in North America and presumably the girls were not used to not having to iron things when they were dry.
Tuesday night I watched The Imitation Game again, it really is a fabulous movie. If you haven't seen it, you should. I am disgusted at the way Alan Turing was treated after the war when they discovered he was gay. They figure that because of his work on the Turing machine (computer today) he shortened the second world war by two years and saved 14 million lives. Yet, after the war, they made him take hormone treatment (bloody useless) and eventually he committed suicide. If it weren't for Alan Turing, I couldn't even talk to you all right now. What would life be like without computers with which we have achieved so much. I know it has taken gay people a long time to fight for equal rights - Queen Elizabeth officially pardoned Turing in 2013 (lot of good that did). I was in my teens when he was arrested and later took his own life. I can't say I remember anything about it, but what a sad end to a genius. Benedict Cumberbatch, who played the part, did an excellent job.
I've never been very fond of canned tuna but certain ways of preparing it make it enjoyable. This looks like it might be one of those. This recipe comes from Food & Wine.
Tuna Banh Mi
CONTRIBUTED BY JUSTIN CHAPPLE
Servings: 4
F&W’s Justin Chapple makes his best-ever tuna banh mi by mixing canned tuna, lime juice, fish sauce and jalapeño and spooning it onto a crusty baguette spread with mayonnaise.
INGREDIENTS
15 ounces tuna in olive oil, drained
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 1/2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
1 jalapeño, minced
Salt
Pepper
One 24- to 32-inch soft baguette, split and toasted
Mayonnaise, mint leaves, julienned carrots and sliced dill pickles, for serving
In a medium bowl, toss the tuna, lime juice, fish sauce and jalapeño. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the baguette with mayonnaise and fill with the tuna salad, mint leaves, julienned carrots and sliced pickles. Serve.
Have a great day
I was reading in my email about a suggestion to use paper clips and/or clothes pegs to hold shut such things as chip bags. I don't know about you, I haven't even owned clothes pegs for many a long year. Of course in an apartment one doesn't have a washing line, but I basically haven't dried stuff outside for years. People always say how wonderful sheets, etc. smell when dried in the fresh air, maybe, but how crumpled they look too. I like using a drier and things come out without needing to even look at an iron. I hate ironing so anything I can do to obviate the necessity of doing any is OK by me. It fascinated me when spending time on vacation in Florida with my step daughters how much ironing they would do. Mind you I didn't think much of the laundry machines in the UK when last I went back. In my opinion they were not nearly as efficient as the machines in North America and presumably the girls were not used to not having to iron things when they were dry.
When I see all the bird poop and tree 'dust' that lands on stuff in my yard, I wonder how folks think hanging stuff out to dry is still a good idea. Yuck.
ReplyDeleteVery true Denise, but I assume out in the country it would be better. I still wouldn't want to do it though.
DeleteOne of my pet peeves is cold toast. I don't understand why it doesn't seem to retain the heat like it used to when I was a kid. Or maybe I just didn't notice that it got cold. The butter never spreads on lukewarm/cool toast. My mom was big on the clothesline thing but I've never had occasion to use one. By the time I owned 'a real house' (vs the townhouse), I lived in a place where it rained 9 months of the year. And I only own an iron for craft purposes. lol
ReplyDeleteFunny, I prefer my toast cold JoJo. I have always preferred driers. I do iron the odd thing, but rarely.
DeleteNever saw a toast rack, great idea to keep things crispy! I thought the Imitation Game was really well done for the movie; I am not a history buff so I didn't know the story behind it until of course we watched the movie. Brilliant man he was.
ReplyDeletebetty
Every bride in the UK used to end up with two or three silver ones Betty. Mine is wooden though, must have missed out somewhere.
DeleteI have played the movie a couple of times now and find it absolutely fascinating from the computer standpoint as well as the gay point of view.
As a child I was the one to hang the wash out, and then iron it. Hated it, and even though my current house came with a clothesline I put a trellis on each and planted a hummingbird bush. Now they attract the humming birds and serve a beautiful purpose. Don't like my toast too crisp, just gonna dunk it into the yolk anyway. :)
ReplyDeleteLike what you did with your clothesline Yolanda. Luckily my mother used a laundry I guess we were both lazy LOL. I tried ironing cotton sheets once and I too sent them to the laundry. Of course once percale and such came in, the necessity was no longer there. Haven't had an egg with toast fingers in years. You made me hungry for it again.
DeleteI still haven't seen The Imitation Game. I'm so behind. And I could use that sandwich, just because it's with jalapeno peppers.
ReplyDeleteGreat movie Vanessa, do see it. Think it would taste pretty good
DeleteI've never heard of a toast rack. That's pretty inventive!
ReplyDeleteI don't have a dryer so I hang out my clothes to dry and I love it. In Florida, it dries quickly. ;)
Funny Chrys, the English have been using them forever.
DeleteBut it still needs ironing. Shudder.
I actually like soggy toast rather than crispy but that rack is a cool thing. I do love my sheets after they've dried in the sun. I keep meaning to watch that movie.
ReplyDeleteSusan Says
As I have said, we have been using them in the UK for years.
DeleteYou must like ironing although these days not so necessary I guess. Do watch the movie Susan, great.
Rick has to have his bread toasted at the very last minute as it has to be hot. I really don't care if mine was toasted an hour before. I have never heard of the racks, but that is a good idea.
ReplyDeleteUntil this house, I had not even had a dryer in years. I hate dryers! I either hung everything outside or used drying racks in bad weather. Because we have an open view fence and live overlooking the greenbelt, we are restricted from hanging clothes outside for people to see. I still have drying racks that I use for every wash, but I now put towels and sheets in the dryer.
If I was able to put clothes outside, they would not even take an hour in the Arizona heat. Our other house here I put clothes outside as we didn't have the view fence.
I don't need my toast hot either, loses its heat quickly anyway.
Deletel love dryers. No in that heat Maggie, it wouldn't take long. What did you do in NJ, dry outside?
Benedict Cumberbatch is a great actor. He stars as Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness and the BBC's super sleuth Sherlock speaks for itself. When you've got talent the world is your oyster.
ReplyDeleteHe is Spacerguy, but he does have a cumbersome name!! Don't think I saw Into Darkness and I cannot stand Sherlock Holmes. That's very true as one has seen with so many actors.
DeleteToast rack sounds like a good idea.
ReplyDeleteI love fresh clothes from the drier. I would dry some personal clothes on hangers, but bed sheets and towels have to go in the dryer.
They are a good idea Munir.
DeleteI 100% agree with you.
I shall propose a toast about your post. My UK toaster has a special button on it to reheat any toast. I do remember using a toast rack back in Canada.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed The Imitation Game, once more. Never seen that movie. I would like to mention that my UK washing machine is very efficient. So much so that my clothes are almost dry after the spin cycle. Then it's off to airing out my clean laundry in the fresh English breeze.
Time for some tuna, methinks.
Gary
Gary, every red blooded Englishman/woman has a toast rack. Never heard of a special reheat button.
DeleteI love that movie and recommend it. Things may have changed, but when we were last in the UK I didn't think much of them, especially the dryers.
Haven't tried this tuna yet.
I wondered about the purpose of toast racks. I don't iron unless absolutely necessary Jo. I used to when the kids were young but they seem to have changed a lot of fabric now so you don't need to. I eat a can of tuna every single day and since I began doing it fifteen years ago my eczema has disappeared. A true story.
ReplyDeleteI use mine all the time Pinky. That is true, fabrics have changed. Cotton sheets used to be a pain in the .......
DeleteInteresting, you should post that on a medical journal. I can't stand canned tuna unless it is well disguised. Fresh tuna is a different thing. Don't you get bored with it?
I love toast racks, but don't own one. I use a small cooling rack.
ReplyDeleteSame difference I guess Ivy.
DeleteTrue, but that one in the picture is much prettier.
DeleteI dislike cold toast but I dislike soggy toast with that slap of butter in the centre. Can they not take a little extra time and do the corners?? I watched "The Imitation Game" about a month or so ago and it is brilliant! Cumberbatch should have won the Oscar in my opinion because he gave such a nuanced performance. What happened to Turing is just disgusting and one wonders why he had to suffer so later on...what is the reason for that? I always ask if it teaches us later or something but I just feel incredible sadness for the man who saved the war!. This sandwich sounds appealing actually
ReplyDeleteOh I do agree about the soggy toast with the slap of butter in the centre, always assuming it is butter. It was a brilliant film agree about the Oscar, and Turing was a wonderful man. For some reason, in those days being gay was illegal. I guess people just didn't understand and thought it was a choice or something.
DeleteI much prefer to dry my washing outside - it smells so fresh - and with the strong breezes we have ironing is rarely needed especially with modern fabrics. Just as well because I hate ironing with a passion.As well a lot of people here worry about wasting energy by using a dryer unless it's unavoidable.
ReplyDeleteInteresting about the different ways toast is eaten. I tend to eat it both ways depending on what I'm using it for.
I don't have any choice in the matter these days Helen, but if I did, I would still use the dryer. Not just for the wrinkles, but also for the effort of taking the laundry off the line, etc. etc. Be very hard work for me these days I think.
DeleteI mostly eat it warm and crisp but if I am putting something on it, like toasted cheese, then it can be a different texture.