Really stupid questions about cooking/cleaning/household!

bethey · Oct 2nd, 2009, 21:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by jyotirmoy

4. Again at least 10 minutes, to save this trouble we have started using milk packed in tetrapacks.

Seriously, you boil your milk 10 minutes? As in turn it on, wait for a rolling boil and start timing it then? Are you left with any milk after that?

Various US based agencies [namely the FDA] reccommend 15 seconds at 165F for home pasteurization [which isn't even a boil but is past the infamous 140F marker for food bourne illness causing bugs] - granted one can argue how reliable the FDA is. This is mainly to treat for E coli, listeria, and salmonella. Those contagions that will not be killed using this method most likely won't be killed if you boil it for an hour - say something like botulism spores.

What I do [as taught by my Indian SO] heat the milk to a good rolling boil [where it starts to creep up the pan], let cool slightly outside the fridge and then place it in the coolest part of the fridge.

UHT milk - in tetrapaks - are available in a lot of larger general grocery stores especially in expat heavy areas.

suricate · Oct 2nd, 2009, 22:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lindsay

... Thanks for the detailed description, CMS. It's so amazing to me how many tricks you've got to learn about daily life when you're setting up a household somewhere you weren't born and raised. Very cool process, actually.

Well, it's not such a cool process after all! Actually it's quite wrong.
Please see below why.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CMS

One other suggestion I've not seen here (and as I do until my new flat is finished with centrally filtered water!) is to boil it in a large pot & when cool, pour through a stainless-steel filter unit containing ceramic filter "candles". This will remove any harmful heavy metals and stuff that only boiling the water doesn't. The lower half of the filters have a tap for drawing the "good" water as needed. They're cheap and readily available (as well as replacement candles). It sits on the kitchen counter and becomes part of the routine after a while.

That is absolutely wrong information. Ceramic candles do nothing
of the sort. Only thing they are good at, is removing relatively
large particulate matter, ... nothing else! Also, passing the
boiled, safe water through ceramic filters can make it worse.
Here is what I had to say in another thread regarding just this issue.

What's the deal with tap/drinking water in Delhi?

Nick-H · Oct 3rd, 2009, 00:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by jyotirmoy

Oh Nick I don't like those white meat, try the area near thousand lights or some thing, very good country chicken & also turkey meat by weight, you don't have to buy whole bird and also rabbit... this is one place I always stop by on my way to airport when I visit Chennai to bring these goodies to Delhi.

I always want a whole bird, as I roast it, English-style, in an oven.

Ms Princess W · Oct 28th, 2009, 21:52

I can relate, Lindsay

Though I'm up here in Kashmir. Lots of new daily living issues to get used to, but after 7 months here, I feel pretty adept now.

I boil water, but confess I've drank it right from the tap without any ill effect (knock on chinar tree).

With milk, I try to buy it fresh from the cow and I bring it just to a boil. Too much boiling ruins the taste for me. Otherwise I'll buy it in bags, which say the milk has been pasteurized - which to me means it's safe. I don't boil that milk and again, no ill effects.

I wash dishes in tap water, no problem.

I got a plastic dish drainer much like what I had in the states.

I haven't encountered a bug problem here in Kashmir, it may well be a different story there. In any event, our trash man comes every 3rd day so nothing stays in the house long.

I buy live chickens and the shopkeeper takes care of the killing & cleaning etc. Can't get much fresher than that

No dryer here either. Fortunately I have a yard now where I put up a clothesline; in our first place we didn't, and we rigged clothesline in a storage room. Not sure what I'll do when the cold weather hits here, though. Probably move the clothesline indoors again. Urgh. I miss my dryer and Bounce sheets. I'm a horrible ironer LOL...never had to iron clothes in the US!

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Oct 28th, 2009, 21:52	#19
Ms Princess W Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Srinagar, Kashmir, India Posts: 296	I can relate, Lindsay Though I'm up here in Kashmir. Lots of new daily living issues to get used to, but after 7 months here, I feel pretty adept now. I boil water, but confess I've drank it right from the tap without any ill effect (knock on chinar tree). With milk, I try to buy it fresh from the cow and I bring it just to a boil. Too much boiling ruins the taste for me. Otherwise I'll buy it in bags, which say the milk has been pasteurized - which to me means it's safe. I don't boil that milk and again, no ill effects. I wash dishes in tap water, no problem. I got a plastic dish drainer much like what I had in the states. I haven't encountered a bug problem here in Kashmir, it may well be a different story there. In any event, our trash man comes every 3rd day so nothing stays in the house long. I buy live chickens and the shopkeeper takes care of the killing & cleaning etc. Can't get much fresher than that No dryer here either. Fortunately I have a yard now where I put up a clothesline; in our first place we didn't, and we rigged clothesline in a storage room. Not sure what I'll do when the cold weather hits here, though. Probably move the clothesline indoors again. Urgh. I miss my dryer and Bounce sheets. I'm a horrible ironer LOL...never had to iron clothes in the US!