OOT Life Tricks
Even a one trick pony has one.
Here is the place to divulge some of the life tricks you've accumulated so far. They can be about absolutely anything, from huge time/money savers to completely mundane crap. Try to keep it to your personal ones, though.
I'll start
-when you crack an egg, if a piece of shell falls in the pan or bowl, use half the broken shell to scoop it out. It's the perfect tool for the job. Way harder with a spoon or finger because the shell keeps moving in the whites.
-while driving, if you roll down the driver side window a breeze blows straight into the side of your head and it kind of sucks. If you crack the rear driver side window as well, it creates a gentle breeze that flows down your side. Great for not messing up your hair or your grammy's hair in the passenger seat.
You can also post great tricks you may have picked up elsewhere like how to eat a chicken wing, but try not to go looking for them.
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I put dirty dishes in the fridge so they won't stink and attract bugs. Then I wash a ton of them all at once like every 2 weeks. Much more efficient.
I also put food garbage in the freezer instead of having to take out the trash every day, same idea.
washer dryer cooler freezer is my preferred french laundry routine
polar fleece only 30 second defrost time
and boxer briefs feel electric under where you need it
Gotta say, that OP still slaps 14 years later. Egg shell remains a Top 5 in the thread imho.
Pretty sure that guy was a Top 50 poster in the 2+2 draft.
When making any kind of anglaise or anglaise based thing (pastry cream, creme brulee, etc) tempering the egg yolks by putting them in a bowl and pouring hot milk over them, then pouring it back into the pot, is a complete waste of time. Yes I know it's how every famous pastry chef does it. It's still completey useless. I've made hundreds if not thousands of batches of anglaise in my life and the only thing tempering the yolks does is take more time and effort and get a bowl dirty.
Long ago, before chefs knew anything about science, some old French guy thought that pouring hot milk into a bowl of egg yolks would make the yolks cook more slowly and gently. Then this little nugget of conventional wisdom has been passed down through the generations. Most people don't even know it's useless because they've never done it any other way.
It's totally illogical. If anything, the yolks cook more slowly when you start with them in the pot mixed into cold milk and sugar. Thinking that tempering yolks is going to cook them more gently and make them less likely to curdle is about as dumb as thinking that searing a steak will create a physical moisture barrier and seal in the juices.
