A bits and bobs round up this week.
My work desk decor has expanded to include a Hello Kitty tea cup courtesy of a McHappy Meal toy that Preschooler SSG didn’t really want or know what to do with. I’m not really sure how you’re supposed to play with it either but I think it looks rather cute on my desk. That Coke Zero whose lid is in the photo was might restorative too. I’ve found the last vending machine at work that stocks them and I’m keeping its location a closely guarded secret.
I hit the supermarket after my gym and coffee run early on my Thursday day off. I’m always a bit more energetic on the Thursday rather than the Tuesday one. I think it’s all because of Thursday’s proximity to Friday….
It’s one of life’s simple pleasures being alone at the supermarket when it’s just opened. There’s nothing but aisles of newly stocked shelves as far as the eye can see. A fruit and veg section perfectly stacked pyramid style to the rafters. Order and calm welcome me in their warm, fluorescent embrace. Even the soundtrack that bounces frenetically from top 40 to easy listening to voice overs soothes.
And then there’s the supermarket in the late afternoon to early evening. A time of the day where I can be found in the Kit Kat aisle delicately palpating each and every 45g four finger pack to find the ones that are unbroken because nothing devastates a preschooler after preschool like a broken Kit Kat. Despite them still tasting like and being a Kit Kat on a molecular level despite their brokenness. Is it disturbing that those broken fingers of Kit Kat are sometimes a metaphor for how I feel at the end of a very long day being an adult? But that whole molecular level reality is very soothing, you have to admit.
Why can’t Kit Kats be like Tim Tams? They never break unless you want them to.
Moving right along. I’ve finally gotten around to road testing my new Benriner Turning Slicer. I got mine for $74 at Victoria’s Basement in the QVB.
The frame is made of a sturdy plastic with the turning handle, blades and screws being made of metal. Replacement blades can be purchased from quite a few sellers on Ebay for around $30 AUD each to $60 AUD for a set once you factor in postage from overseas etc.
The unit is light and easy to wash. Despite this, it’s still easy to get good purchase on the winder as you grate your vegetables. Sorry, I’m not the neatest in the kitchen.
There are three different cutting sizes which you can produce by changing the blade in the slot shown above. All you need to do is turn the screw at the front of the photo. Once the blade is inserted, you’re pretty much safe from any serious energy because you don’t have to handle the blade area at all while using the slicer.
Here’s a slightly cleaner view of the slicing blade interface.
There’s relatively little wastage with the Benriner compared to my handheld and electric versions. You don’t need to slice vegetables to as short lengths as with other versions and circumference isn’t a huge issue due to the fact that the slicer isn’t attached to a chamber you need to feed vegetables through.
My only beef is that the resultant spirals are quite thin even on the coarsest setting. It’s perfect for raw vegetables but I prefer thicker spirals for zoodles which I tend to eat cooked.
That was a bit of a mixed bag kind of post. Hope I didn’t lose you.
Be well and wishing you a great week ahead.
