Post-Mortem for an Oster: Our Toaster is Toast

Our 2021, four-slice Oster gave up this morning, managing to slightly warm only one of the possible four slices. Given five months of annual travel and a lightweight domestic schedule, the appliance had barely logged three years of actual operation before the majority of its heating capacity vanished.

A quick post-mortem reveals predictable corporate design choices. Modern manufacturers have abandoned the thick, coiled nichrome wire ribbons of the past in favor of foil-thin heating strips mounted on a mica board. Designed with cheap tolerances, heat cycling rapidly fatigues the metal until the circuit breaks.

Searching for a replacement at London Drugs in New West highlighted an encouraging shift in retail strategy. Canadian merchants are increasingly bypassing US brand names altogether, opting to import European-sourced alternatives directly. Virtually all of these small appliances originate in Chinese factories anyway, so skipping the American corporate markup and Trump's tariff-mania is a sharp bit of supply-chain pragmatism. However, returning from uptown empty-handed meant I had to order via Amazon Canada.

This Elite Gourmet ECT5322 is coming tomorrow. Will it last through the summer?

This morning's toasting failure remains a stark contrast to the machinery of my youth. At my grandmother Nana’s summer cottage in Stoddard, New Hampshire, breakfast was handled by a 1920s turnover toaster, likely manufactured by General Electric or Westinghouse. It had no springs or electronics, just a central heater and two hinged metal doors. Swing a door open past forty-five degrees and gravity automatically flipped the slice so the un-toasted side could next face the heat. That machine endured decades of unheated, freezing New England winters, working perfectly every spring the moment it was plugged in.

After seeing the entry, my cousin sent a picture of the very object! Thanks, Rodney!

A quick dive into the industrial records confirms that this early mechanical durability followed a distinct evolutionary trail. While Crompton & Company produced the first crude electric toaster frame in Essex back in 1893, it was Minnesota mechanic Charles Strite who solved the problem of burnt cafeteria toast by patenting the spring-loaded, timed pop-up mechanism in 1919. Commercialized as the Toastmaster in 1926, his design became an instant staple once pre-sliced bread arrived in 1928.

What I find particularly telling in the historical data is how the British Empire turned Strite’s American invention into a global household necessity. Deep-seated Commonwealth tea habits meant Canada, Australia, and the UK embraced the slot toaster with fanatical devotion, while continental Europe largely stuck to stovetops and ovens. Britain later refined the commercial end of the market with Max Gort-Barten's heavy-aluminum Dualit.

Today, Charles Strite's ingenuity and Nana's indestructible gravity hinges have been replaced by fragile, thirty-dollar throwaways. We remain at the mercy of cheap foil strips until someone decides to build an appliance meant to last.

A Tiny Bit of Routine is Healthy

Jay and I are officially back in our New Westminster apartment. After a month of navigating a time zone eight hours ahead and unpredictable transit systems, a little bit of routine is genuinely comforting. Waking up in our own bed and knowing exactly how the coffee maker works feels like a sudden luxury.

There is a distinct difference between enjoying a routine and living in a rut. I realize that people are entirely different and require different things from life to feel secure. Many individuals have strict financial, work, or family obligations that demand anchors in one specific place. Those realities are completely valid. However, I often think that living in a permanent rut is simply a life choice for a large number of people. They find a comfortable groove and eventually stop looking over the edge.

We appreciate the familiar rhythm of domestic life today; it started with running a few loads of laundry and hanging the clothes to dry in the sun on the balcony. Once that chore was underway, we made a run to the Langley Farm Market. Jay and I needed to restock our depleted supply of vegetables and fruit. I was delighted to discover we had returned right in time for fresh cherry season. Although the BC Okanagan is on the other side of the mountains, their harvest is readily for sale here as a local specialty, so we happily bought a lot. On the way back, we stopped at the uptown Walmart to purchase a few specific items missing from the refrigerator. These simple errands help us reset and unpack our thoughts along with our bags.

Got this because of the name. My paternal grandmother used to bake twisted bread called this. 

Yet, Jay and I always know that this comfort is merely a temporary pause. We actively decide to avoid the rut by choosing to live many different lives instead of just one. Our recent month in Morocco allowed us to discover new perspectives and rhythms that will always remain a part of us. These constant additions to our personal history mean we lead a richer existence than if we had simply stayed put. The absolute comfort of a predictable day and freshly dried laundry are certainly wonderful things. They just happen to be the perfect foundation for building whatever life we choose to live next.

I Won't Call It June-uary Yet

It surely looked a lot like January out there today. The temperature was about 10° warmer but the deluge lined up over the Pacific screamed 'atmospheric river'.  We still have a lot of snow melt coming into the rivers, so people have to be on watch!

Google's Weather Frog looks as though he will be able to deal with it.

We didn't get far today. We did stop at a Punjabi market on Sixth Street. We drive past it every time we go uptown, but could surely stop more often. They always have a fairly good selection of vegetables.

It was a nice afternoon to stay inside and watch it rain.  Our time in the hot tub seems well spent.

Right now, a loaf of bread is baking in the machine.  After the first punch down, the dough looked pretty pitiful.  I think it was a bit too moist.  When I tried to touch it, it was super sticky perhaps because I added a bit of vital wheat gluten to the whole wheat flour.  In about a half-hour, we will see what the results look like.

Relying on Cards and Commerical Yeast

We took a trip up to the Langley Farm market on Kingsway this morning. Jay picked out everything we needed but when we got to check out, we learned that the tills couldn't connect to allow for debit or credit transactions. We were forced to put back our selected produce and leave. I did have my folded $20 bill in my metal cardholder but didn't think to take it out. I'm not sure how much the bill would've been anyways. 

Later in the afternoon, I wanted to make bread in the breadmaker. I had forgotten to take Bradley out of the refrigerator. 

Actually, Bradley is not the sourdough starter that he used to be. Over the winter a friend 'took care' of him and added his own starter so they fit into one jar.  So Harvey and Bradley commingled for the better part of the winter. I got the starter back and I think I've fed it enough so that I will again be able to refer to it as just Bradley. 

Bradley was too cold to be of much use today, so I put only commercial yeast into the mixture in the machine today.  The result was a small load which certainly made the apartment smell great.  In fact, I can still smell it hours after the fact.

Unusually Imperfect

When one is perfect nearly one hundred percent of the time, any imperfection comes as a bit of a shock.

It's okay that the surface of today's loaf is not flawlessly smooth, as I'm quite sure this rye and white flour bread will taste just great.  It surely smells as though it will be delicious.

 

Bread Recipe Update

This summer, it does seem I post a photo of bread every week and a half or so.  That is because every week and a half or so we make a loaf in the bread machine.

   

We like a thick, hand-cut slice of wheat toast to accompany homemade soup. I love the smell while it's baking. The aroma fills the apartment and it was especially welcome as we had rain today. We've had such little rain lately, it really felt like a blessing to have grey skies and precipitation.

Here's a recipe I made from scratch to use in the duel-paddle Westbend.  This is the most recent copy as it has gone through a number of revisions over the past couple of months:

Carnarvon Street Wheat Bread Recipe

 

Set the bread machine to 2.5 lb loaf, medium colour, wheat bread.  Add the following to the machine in this order.  

1 cup warm water

1 tablespoon maple syrup, honey, or molasses 

1 tablespoon fruit juice, beer, coffee or other liquid

3 tablespoons olive oil or butter

4 tablespoons warmed milk or yogurt

1 cup sourdough starter or discard

1 cup white flour

3 cups whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons salt

1.5 teaspoons yeast

1 tablespoon vital wheat glutton

3 tablespoons brown sugar

Revised: August 16, 2021

When Everything Needs a Story

Even the largest of conglomerates can purchase the backstory for a product line through aquisition or agreement.  Meet Dave, a jailbird, in this article I just found when Googling.

   

Today's Loaf: Whole Wheat

I pulled Brad McGillicutty out of the refrigerator last night. He's my sourdough starter and as it'd been a while since we bothered him, a bit of hooch stood on its surface.  I poured that off as I don't want very sour sourdough.

After getting up this morning, I fed Brad yet again in order to get him excited enough to make some bread. We had some vital wheat gluten in the cupboard, so used primarily whole-wheat flour in a recipe I created.  The sourdough starter has returned to sleep in the back of the fridge. And we ate several slices of result with soup for dinner.

 

Rye Not?

When we went over to the Home Depot to pick up a few remaining items for our bathroom reno, the bread machine was kneading the ingredients. 

It takes 3.5 hours to complete a 2.5 lb rye bread. We were back well before it started actually baking. So, we were home in plenty of time not to miss the smell. To me, that is one of the best things about making a loaf of bread at home.

 

Amongst the items purchased, we got a quart of grey paint for our bathroom's closet doors.  The final plumbing inspection by the city will take place sometime next week.  One door to our washing machine/dryer had to be custom ordered from Home Depot and won't arrive until, at the earliest, my birthday.  We are also waiting on the delivery and installation of a fixed glass panel for the shower.  That will probably take about three weeks too.  So the completion of this project is still a ways off.

A Little More Flour and Some Warmth

Brad McGillicutty made a little hooch over the week. 

He was more than a little pleased to get out of the fridge and get fed.

 

From Flour to PLA

I tried baking my updated 'Carnarvon Street Bread Recipe' in the bread machine. It had a good rise and consistency, but it was not sweet enough. Also, I could've included a bit more liquid in the mixture as the surface was cracked and imperfect. For these reasons, I made some more modifications to my recipe. When I get it just right, as Goldilocks says, I'll include it here again.

   

I did want to prove that just because I pick up a new hobby, I don't necessarily give up on old ones. I have to say, I have not created many objects with my 3D printer since being back in BC. Last summer, I bought the Flashforge and went through quite a lot of filament. Just as with all electronic gadgets, I needed to update its software today. It seems as though most of life is a continuing upgrade nowadays. I did get excited when my Adventurer 3 beeped upon being switched on. Excuse me while I wander around Thingiverse for a bit.

Flour, Water, and Yeast

It ain't rocket science; primarily, because nobody can get killed in this process.

Getting the perfect bread recipe for our new bread machine may take a bit of trial and error though.  I decided I didn't like the ones that came with the West Bend owner's manual.  One major reason was the odd measurements.  For example, it called for adding 1 - 1/3 cups plus 1 tbsp. of water.  I suspect the author converted a recipe that used a differing system.

I ran to my computer to find wheat bread recipes.  There were, of course, dozens and no two exactly matched.  I've always believed that people who follow rules precisely don't deserve a place near an oven anyway.  I further figured I would probably have the best luck by starting from scratch and making up my own.  After each loaf, I knew I could tweak the ingredient list until I get exactly what I desired.

In addition, I want to regularly use discard from Bradley McGillicutty even when not making sourdough bread.  It needs to be fed occasionally, although it sits on the back corner of a refrigerator shelf.  And why should that go down the sink?

I was pretty happy with today's loaf of bread.  The top was smooth and the crust appeared fine.  I made a few changes today and will show the recipe that we'll bake during the next round.

Carnarvon Street Bread Recipe

 

Add the following to the breadmaker in this order.  Set for a 2.5 lb wheat loaf.

1 cup water

1 tablespoon maple syrup, or honey

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons milk or yogurt
5 tablespoons sourdough starter

1 1/2 cups white flour
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 teaspoons yeast

Printed: May 18, 2021

Consider Me an Expert

There are approximately one million online suggestions on how to create a sourdough starter. It seems that everybody thinks he or she knows the only way. So, although I'm only three days into a topic that's new to me, I'm already giving out free advice. I've never ever let a lack of experience affect my willingness to share a multitude of opinions. 

The photo below was Brad McGillicutty this morning. He was born on Sunday night and still lives in a bowl. I expect he'll move into his own glass jar at the end of a week. Therefore, this sourdough starter is obviously not mature yet. This fact is not going to force me into following others' instructions and rules.

I think collecting wild yeast will be pretty forgiving and I'm not at all afraid. In fact, I just saved a half can of Vancouver Island Brewing's Twisted Stalk Blackberry Helles. It's on the counter and already lukewarm. I'm going to share it with Brad during his next feeding. Tap water is boring but Brad and I both celebrate complexity, especially as an excuse for beer.

 

Thanks to Jay, the Amazon Guy, and Brad

The Amazon delivery guy arrived before noon. 

He brought a new WestBend bread machine. I happily noted the online pictures pretty much looked like what arrived. It does include a horizontal pan with duel paddle-kneading blades.  That makes it too large to keep on the counter, but it seems like it'll be easy enough to pick up and store in a convenient cubbyhole.

I remember a year ago, seeing flour disappear from grocery-store shelves.  I guess increased home bread-making became one consequence of the pandemic.

This afternoon, while we napped, the new appliance diligently kneaded a 50% whole wheat mixture.  Although the pan in this device will bake a 3-lb loaf, we added enough ingredients for a more usual 2-lb one.

Jay helped throw in what was needed.  I would like to also thank Bradley McGillicutty for his help too.  I didn't mix the sourdough starter until last night.  Although everyone says not to use the discard until after the colony has stabilized in a week or so, I couldn't see tossing out a half-cup of already bubbling flour.  So, Brad helped with our first loaf.  

(Incidentally, everybody names their sourdough starter.  I choose the first name after the character billed as a hero in Rocky Horror and McGillicutty because that was the name of my maternal grandmother's wild yeast starter.)

It apparently worked and the apartment does smell great.

It's Not So Far to Tipperary

It feels cold to us. It was colder last night than we'd seen during the whole winter in Mexico. In fact, it is only supposed to be around 6°C or 7°C during the nights for the whole upcoming week. It was very cloudy this morning but the afternoon has cleared. Still, looking at the forecasts during the first week of May shows a lot of rain. Sometimes we can leave for the entire Lower Mainland BC winter and still get an ample taste of one after we return from away.

 

We stopped at Tipperary Park near New Westminster's City Hall. It is a delightful little place nestled in the middle of a residential city. We were returning from a drive uptown. We picked up a 5-lb package of whole wheat flour at Walmart. 

I ordered a bread maker on Amazon that'll arrive tomorrow. We do get plenty of good deals on healthy, sprouted Silver Hills® bread. But it's been a dog's age since we had a bread machine.  I ordered one that is supposed to include a more traditional, horizontal pan. I think I liked the West Bend model because it shows dual kneading blades and supposedly can make a loaf up to 3-lbs. Of course, as with any appliance nowadays, only time will tell if it lives up to its positive, online customer reviews.

It'll be nice to smell bread baking in the apartment.

Why Did the Chicken Cross Our Plate?

Lately, we've taken to eating simple chicken sandwiches. 

Most Playa del Carmen supermarkets here have good, fresh-bakery sections. We pay less than US$ 0.10 for each bread roll. Jay chops up fresh onions and puts cucumber, avocado, and beetroot slices in a bowl for assembly. Sometimes, there's a sliced hard-boiled egg.  We get a type of local cheese that separates into strings when pulled.  We also buy fresh salsa, either green or red, in small cup-sized containers that require refrigeration.  Most importantly, Jay frequently debones a large roasted chicken also available in all supermarkets for around $ US$5.30.  

We get a number of quick, simple meals from one bird. No one ever tires of chicken!

 

Roast Paan

Day 91 - I just ate our last breakfast in Sri Lanka for a while, so I'm dedicating this entry to bread. Oh, it's not ordinary bread, and from all I can tell, it is a unique style of local bread only found here. It's called roast paan.



Carbs for the first meal of the day can come in all sorts on the island, including both string and regular hoppers. Yet, we often default to roast paan with bananas, jam, or a more hearty choice of sambol.

Roast paan is definitely *not* a favourite for folks with dentures or those lacking strong teeth. If it's fresh, the outside is extremely chewy but the middle soft. Contrary to assumption, stale, even day-old, roast pan often goes all soft and boring because of the humidity, I guess.

For the decades I've been coming here, I sort of assumed bakeries have large, special pans for creating this stuff because it looks sort of like a vertical, skinny mini-loaf. Apparently, it is brown on all sides because the individual slices are ... well ... roasted.


I've set this video to start at 3 minutes 30 seconds. If you want to see the ingredients you can restart from the beginning. I watched through and found out that it's likely the use of coconut oil that makes it so yummy. Too bad that is a dietary no-no for those watching their cholesterol intake.

Duck Party Hosting for 2019

Here it is near the end of August already, and we didn't host dinner until today. The two rubber ducks were in our possession, so we knew that it was time to do so. As we only spend seven months a year at home since our early retirement, we've not been able to meet up as often with these friends.



Everyone arrived at around 4 o'clock. I broke open a bottle of Sri Lankan arrack which Jay had generously carted back to Malaysia in the spring. The distilled coconut spirit is a favourite of mine. If an imbiber drinks a healthy amount, he may find his face sort of goes numb. Sharing a mere bottle meant that nobody in our crowd had that misfortune.

During the drinks, we had the can of B&M Brown Bread from a can which I brought back from NH in May. Of course, it was accompanied by baked beans and hotdogs. As the weather had cleared up nicely by this time, we walked down to the Quay through the construction zone of the new towers. We got to the World's Biggest Tin soldier. There's a market there at which Jay and I never shop. The guys seem to have found a few things they would bring back to Vancouver and Richmond though.



We only got back from Montreal on Wednesday evening, but Jay put together a great dinner of biryani rice, chicken, salmon, and beans. The dessert was a cheesecake he passed in the supermarket and decided it was easier than making from scratch. Of course, the three little containers of ice cream gave everyone something to go along with it. Three from our group will have September birthdays, so it did seem wonderfully appropriate.





The rubber ducks have gone to hang out in Richmond until Canadian Thanksgiving!

Is Retired Life a Vacation? - Day 109

Today is the beginning of the work week in Egypt. At least it starts the banking week and we needed to make a withdrawal from our bank's ATM. As the machine dispenses LE 200 notes, I generally go inside to break them into smaller 100's and 50's. Even those can be hard to use if buying from farmers at the Tuesday Markets. Additionally, we hadn't been to our main supermarket on the East Bank since before our cruise. It is a relatively short walk from the HSBC branch, so we did a little grocery shopping too. Going over on the Ferry Boat and back took some time and, as a consequence, we were probably away for more than a few hours.


I've long maintained that errands are basically the 'stuff of life'. Rather than trying to rush through these type of chores, one should embrace the experiences. Waiting in a queue at the bank might not be the epitome of fun, but most all of life can be savoured with the right mindset.

Today, though I have a few more related thoughts to add. This is mostly because of a Facebook response from my old friend, Bret. He commented on the fact we'd arrived back from our Nile cruise by saying, "Welcome back from vacation to ... vacation?" I assured him that this would be real life for our remaining seven or eight weeks in Luxor.

Words are funny things. I don't consider our five months here a vacation. That would mean rushing back to work at the end of it. We have simply chosen to live in a different environment for the winter. I guess when one is retired there are no vacations; instead, one has the chance to get one's own life back.

Pamukkale, Turkey

We went to Turkey on several occasions. When living in Bahrain it was a close destination served by both Gulf Air and Turkish Airlines.

My video clip of a family making flat bread is on YouTube. It was taken from the back balcony of a little, family-owned guesthouse in the city of Pamukkale. That is not a place known for it bread-making. Rather, it is famous because of the limestone hot springs. Still being able to witness real people is as much of a reason for travel as the sites one visits, don't you think?

I held off mashing-up my first YouTube clip until earlier this spring, and I'm no less hesitant today. I like the idea of my eJournal and images being able to stand alone. I'm old enough to know that things come and go. Broken links to important material will be the scourge of future historians! Alas, most of the kids actually involved in Web 2.0 are probably young enough to still have that mistaken feeling of invincibility.