Daily Slow Chat

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[u/Masseyrati80]

I bumped into a super thrilling fact today, assuming you are a fan of tires like I am (I do realize that many aren't).

The super cheap Chinese tires of my new car cost less than half the price of test winner tires. But they wear down more than twice as fast as those test winners. So, it's an example of how resorting to a cheap product ends up costing you more in the long run, while also giving you worse performance throughout.

They were fitted by the dealership and are likely to give me two years worth of driving. If I were to really go for it, I might have them changed to a premium set, because life's too short to be wasted driving or riding with cheap tires.

[u/orangebikini → u/Masseyrati80]

Good to also remember that durability isn't the only thing money can buy. The more premium tyres generally last longer, but they also have better grip making them safer, and less tyre noise making them more comfortable. When you factor all of that in the value proposition of a more premium tyre becomes pretty good compared to the Linglong stuff.

That said, I only ever really buy the top of the top for my motorcycle. For cars I'm not that bothered, I don't drive too much and my cars are older with smaller wheel sizes and all that, the selection of tyres available is smaller.

I have a few cars from the 70s and early 80s with 12" wheels. Last time I bought winter tyres new in that size there was literally only one option, and it wasn't studded.

[u/lucapal1 → u/Masseyrati80]

This is known as the 'boots theory ' (or something like that).

The theory is that if you had 50 dollars you could buy a good pair of boots that would last for a long time and keep your feet warm.This was a while ago I guess!

If you only had 20 dollars, you could buy a much cheaper pair of boots.They would be ok for a while but then they would start to break, letting in water and the cold.

Then you replace them with another cheap pair, the same thing happens.

Eventually you end up spending much more money for the multiple cheap pairs than the one top quality pair.. and your feet stay much worse in the cheap pairs too.

[u/tereyaglikedi → u/lucapal1]

Of course it can also be that something will last for a long time but is so expensive that the cost of buying four boots every five years is less than that of one pair of boots which will last 20 years. The latter is more sustainable maybe but also far more boring because who wants to wear the same boots for 20 years?

[u/atomoffluorine]

What’s the ideal cook time for a hard boiled egg?

10 minutes - the egg white is just mush and impossible to handle.

15 minutes - the egg white sticks to the shell too well and it’s messy to get off. The yolk is probably best at this time though.

20 minutes - the egg white is hard enough not to stick to the shell, but the yoke becomes dry.

I heard someone did a science experiment once where they heated the egg on and off to get a good egg. Seems like a lot of trouble to go through and isn’t it extreme to model heat flows for an egg?

[u/tereyaglikedi → u/atomoffluorine]

Get an egg steamer. Takes the guesswork out and super easy to peel.

[u/lucapal1 → u/atomoffluorine]

Depends on size of egg and cooking temperature I guess but for me 10-11 minutes is good.

Maybe US eggs are larger than what we get here though.

[u/Masseyrati80 → u/atomoffluorine]

I most often go with something like 11. Even when frying eggs, I'm happier with a French style soft one, instead of anything resembling crispy.

Wonder if the last thing you refer to is a technique where the internal temperature ends up being kind of low? I've heard they're delicious if it's the same thing. But I think the one I bumped into just used a long but steady warming-up time, instead of an on-off cycle.

[u/tereyaglikedi]

I went running for lunch and then had some salad. Now I feel proud of myself, but hungry. It's cold! I think it must have been 12-15 degrees? Which is great for running but yeah. Cold.

My husband asked to make Zwiebelkuchen (onion pie) because it's the time of the year and we also got a ton of onions as a gift. It is probably one of those dishes that one could make any time of the year, but doesn't.

My trip to France is getting closer and it is time to think about stuffed toys. There's this tradition in figure skating to toss plushies on ice after the skate, and since there are many skaters I like in that competition and each will skate twice, I will need a lot of plushies. But I am also not terribly keen on buying new, well, plastic waste. I thought of buying them from charity shops but it's a bit weird to gift used stuff and there may be hygiene concerns? No idea. Or I just get them new, it's not like I do it every day. I thought of buying GIANTmicrobes but I don't know if skaters would enjoy getting a measles virus or shigella. I know I would, but..

[u/orangebikini → u/tereyaglikedi]

The Detroit Red Wings in the NHL have a tradition where fans in attendance throw dead octopuses on the ice. I don't know why or how it started. If you don't want to buy a bunch of plushies you can always visit the local fish market.

[u/tereyaglikedi → u/orangebikini]

The favorite animal of one of my favorite skaters seems to be a panda (at least he did his Olympics exhibition in a panda suit). So...

Well okay let's maybe not go there.

[u/Masseyrati80 → u/tereyaglikedi]

Another dish/recipe I'm stealing from one of your posts, thank you! Zwiebelkuchen sounds like something I'll enjoy.

[u/tereyaglikedi → u/Masseyrati80]

It's really good but you need to spare the time to do it. Cooking down a ton of onions always takes longer than one thinks.

[u/Masseyrati80 → u/tereyaglikedi]

Ahh, the classic youtube "chef" going "just caramelize the onions for 10 minutes", when caramelizing typically takes 50 minutes, even when not talking about huge amounts.

Thanks for the heads-up.

[u/lucapal1 → u/Masseyrati80]

There's a 'fast' method for caramelising onions that works pretty well.

You chop them small, put them in the pan over high heat and add a little water.Then cover them so they steam for a few minutes.

Then take off the lid, the water should have evaporated.Add butter (or oil) a little salt and a little sugar. Keep on high heat.

You need to stir them regularly while adding a little water,to deglaze.

You get pretty well caramelized onions in 15 minutes or so.

[u/Masseyrati80 → u/lucapal1]

Thanks, that's something I'll have to try!

[u/orangebikini]

First time this autumn it was freezing in the morning. Not a lot below zero, but a little bit. So sad.

I had a problem with a carburettor in one of my old cars, took it to one of my specialist friends and he took care of it. I do wonder how maintaining some of these old cars will be in the future just in terms of know-how. Professionals don't really deal with carbs anymore, and the old specialist who know what they're doing with them are getting pretty fucking old.

[u/lucapal1 → u/orangebikini]

My partner has an old Piaggio scooter.She has a good (old) mechanic too.

Every time she goes to that mechanic,he tells her not to buy a new scooter! Because he can't do much with them at all,he says if anything goes wrong it's much easier to fix the old style, without all the electronic components.

[u/Masseyrati80 → u/orangebikini]

+1 where I live, too, so getting kind of close. Zero signs of risk of snow anytime soon, though.

Searching for info on subjects like fixing cars is nowadays a jungle of not only people having different opinions, but also AI slop that messes things up worse than any person could. Finding a mechanic who does a good job and works honestly is super valuable.

[u/lucapal1]

After some discussion about quince spread, marmalade and jam in general... what would you say is the most popular type of jam in your country?

Here in Italy the biggest seller is apricot jam.Followed by strawberry (extremely popular with children) and then 'frutti di bosco' which is kind of mixed berries.

[u/ramblingMess → u/lucapal1]

Everyone knows (or do they? I can never predict what non-Americans do and don’t know about American culture) that America loves grape and strawberry jelly, but specifically in Louisiana, we have a lot of jelly and jam made with muscadine, which is a very dark, rich grape variety native to the southern US, peach, and mayhaw, which is another native fruit that resembles the cranberry.

[u/safeinthecity → u/ramblingMess]

or do they? I can never predict what non-Americans do and don’t know about American culture

I think in general, no. People who are at least a bit in tune with American culture know about peanut butter and jelly sandwiches but grape jam is not a thing over here, so in my experience people are kind of oblivious to the fact that it's grape. I always assumed some kind of berry until I found out (only a couple of years ago and I'm in my 30s).

[u/orangebikini → u/lucapal1]

I think strawberry and raspberry are the most popular in Finland.

[u/atomoffluorine → u/lucapal1]

Strawberry and grape from what I’ve seen personally.

[u/safeinthecity → u/lucapal1]

In Portugal I'd say the mixed berries, we call them frutos silvestres or frutos vermelhos, or individual berries (raspberry, strawberry, blueberry). Outside of that I think peach and pumpkin.

I feel there's a lot more variety in Portugal than here in the Netherlands overall. In Dutch supermarkets I mostly find the same 3 or 4 flavours, most of the jam available is strawberry, apricot and blueberry from different brands and in different variants (low sugar, no sugar, etc).

[u/tereyaglikedi → u/safeinthecity]

pumpkin.

I must know more about this. How do you make it?

[u/safeinthecity → u/tereyaglikedi]

I don't know, I've never seen anyone make it themselves. It goes well with cheese and walnuts and it's kind of seen as fancier than other jams.

Which reminds me we also have chila which comes from a sort of fibrous squash, usually used as pastry filling.

[u/trollrepublic → u/lucapal1]

In Germany it is strawberry. Followed by raspberry and then apricot.

My personal favourite is plum. Also I prefer to eat every jam with quark underneath. Actually every sweet spread, even honey.

[u/tereyaglikedi → u/trollrepublic]

Also I prefer to eat every jam with quark underneath.

Me too. Or fresh cream cheese. I know many eat jam with butter but it's too heavy for me, I need something to balance the sweetness.

[u/trollrepublic → u/tereyaglikedi]

with butter but it's too heavy for me

I absolutely agree. Besides quark gives this slight "sour" taste, which makes it such a good combination with sweet things.

[u/tereyaglikedi → u/lucapal1]

Ooh good question. Turkish people tend to make their own jam (then again jam is sold in stores so I guess someone buys it). Peach, strawberry and sour cherry are probably the most popular.