(Part 3) Reddit mentions: The best home & kitchen products

An Amazon registry (I would skip the Kohls cutlery offerings) will limit you somewhat, but there are certainly decent options available. I think your selection of two chef knives, a bread knife, and a paring knife is a good choice. For the most part I'm going to suggest fairly costly knives because, frankly, this isn't /r/culinary.

Chef knives first. Everything I have to say about 8"/210mm knives I would apply to 10"/240mm knives unless I make note.

If you want a hefty Western chef knife, I find Messermeister to be best in show. They take an edge better than other stainless German knives I've owned and they keep it longer. I find the grind and profile to be slightly more modern and workable in the Elite models opposed to the highly popular Wusthof Classic and sundry Henckels lines. The fit and finish on them is on par with Wusthof, which is to say impeccable. Messermeister makes three different handles for its Elite lines and offers the blades in a thinner Stealth version, which I like. Since Messermeister's Amazon offerings are a bit wonky I would highly suggest you look around the site for the style you like. You might even find some other kitchen gadgets you like. If you are interested in a French profile, look at K-Sabatier. A carbon K-Sab is a lot of fun. And though the stainless knives they produce aren't really as magical as their carbons, they're still fine knives.

• Messermeister Oliva Elite Stealth: Olive wood handled. My favorite. Extra classy.
  
• Messermeister San Moritz Elite Stealth: Poly handle option. I don't like it as much as the wood handles, but it's much cheaper as offered here.
  
• Messermeister Meridian Elite: Classic black pakka wood handle. It's classic and black.
  
• K-Sabatier carbon: This knife is king of the hill. Yes, it's a hill out in the middle of nowhere, but it's still a nice knife. This style is timeless, but it's also out of stock.
  
• K-Sabatier stainless: I believe this knife uses the same steel as Wusthof and Henckels with a similar heat treatment. The biggest difference is the profile.
  
  There are many good Japanese companies and makers to consider. These knives will all be lighter and somewhat thinner than almost any Western knife. If you want something functional and somewhat reasonably priced, Suisin, Mac, and Tojiro have some good options. In the next price bracket up, a Kikuichi, a Yoshihiro, a Takayuki, or a Misono fits the bill, though Misono knives have become incredibly inflated in price. If you have a rich Uncle Ed, slip a Takeda into your list. I would definitely consider other knives at these general price ranges, but they're not available on Amazon.
  
  A few budget suggestions:
  
  
• Tojiro DP gyuto: A great knife line. Tojiro's VG-10 heat treatment is on par with if not better than Shun's. If you're used to a heavy 10" knife, a Tojiro DP 270mm wouldn't be out of the question.
  
• 7.25" Mac Chef "chef" knife: This is definitely a gyuto, regardless what it's labeled. I've used it on a restaurant line during service and it is quite durable. It's reasonably priced, which makes it a popular choice in the food industry.
  
• 10" Mac Chef chef knife: Though they're from the same line, this knife has a wholly more substantial feel on the board than the above. It's still light. It's not priced as well as its shorter cousin. This is the knife that opened my eyes to what Japanese knives could be. The knife is available in the 12" length which, like the Tojiro, coming from a full weight Western knife would still be light.
  
• Suisin HC gyuto: A carbon steel knife selection. These knives have good production values and take a great edge. These knives have decent asymmetrical grinds, which is a definite plus for me. Suisin also makes a comparable Inox stainless line that is quite nice.
  
  To find out who really loves you:
  
  
• Takayuki Grand Chef gyuto: To be fair, I have not used this knife. Those who have like it, though they usually consider it a bit overpriced. It's made from AEB-L, which in kitchen knives is my favorite stainless. I would prefer the Suisin HC.
  
• Misono UX10 gyuto: This knife has been around for a few years and it's pretty popular at high end restaurants. It's nice, but it's a bit overpriced for what you get; the steel and grind on it are unremarkable. The fit and finish on it is probably the best you can buy, though.
  
• Yoshihiro gyuto: This knife is again a bit pricey for what you get, but it does at least include a saya. It offers you a crack at a wa handle, which is a slightly different experience. The steel is somewhat softer than I would like.
  
  Rich Uncle Ed special:
  
  
• Takeda 210mm Aogami Super gyuto: It's thin. It's light. It's made by a wizened old master craftsman. It's got a weird grind that does a whole lot of work while cutting something. It's made out of one of the finest carbon steels being produced today. It's... really expensive. Takeda lovers swear by them, but they're much too tall on the board for me.
  
  Unfortunately I didn't spot many knives on Amazon that I have confidence in and feature a Japanese handle. That's a shame because they're a treat.
  
  Unlike my essay on chef knives, I have only one bread knife suggestion, the Mac Superior 270mm bread knife. It's the best Amazon has to offer and one of the best bread knives you can buy. Tojiro makes a clone that sells for less elsewhere if no one gives you one.
  
  Paring knives are a little different. Edge retention and grind are much less important than geometry. I have this Henckels Pro 3" and I like it; the height of the blade is very comfortable. It has no flex, though, so don't expect to use it optimally for boning tasks. I am almost as happy with any Victorinox paring knife. I would suggest you try as many as possible in brick and mortar outlets to figure out what you like.
  
  And finally, storage. A wall mounted magnetic strip is popular. Those made of wood have less chance of scratching or damaging a knife, so they're somewhat preferable, but as long as you pop the knife off tip first you won't damage it. I've used this strip from Winco for the past year at work with no ill effect. A knife block actually is a good storage option if you can find one to fit your collection. The biggest risk is catching the tip when the knife is inserted into the block, but that's not much of a concern if the user is careful. I use a Victorinox block that was a gift at home for most of my house knives. This block is great, I've been told. A drawer insert is another good low space option. I like my Knife Dock for the stuff I want to keep safe. It lets me slip in as many knives as I have space for the handles. This insert from Wusthof is also popular.

Well this is gonna get kinda long and will only scratch the surface but I'll break down the pros and cons of some of the most popular entry-level gear in as un-confusing of a way as I can. First up, let's look at grinders.

First off, you want a burr grinder, particularly a conical burr grinder because those blender-y blade grinders they sell at wal-mart for $5 don't get any kind of a consistent grind. Varying sizes in a grind means varying levels of extraction in the cup and that means off flavors. Because burr grinders are more expensive, hand crank conical burr grinders are commonly recommended to beginners because of their lower price point compared to similar quality electrics. They're cheap and work well but do have some drawbacks beyond the extra effort involved in grinding. First, most of them don't have actual grind settings and you adjust the grind size by twisting a wheel until it looks as fine/coarse as you want it to. If you use different brew methods and switch grind size a lot, this can be a bit of a pain. Second, most hand grinders aren't ideal for french press because of the way the burrs are stabilized; they'll give fantastic fine/medium grinds but the coarse grind is a tad inconsistent. That said, I use a hand grinder for french press all the time and am relatively happy with the results. A few common ones are:

The Hario Skerton. I personally have one and love it. As I said, not perfect for french press but it's a durable daily driver that never lets me down and can do an espresso grind damn near as well as a $300 baratza

The hario mini is essentially the same grinder in a different, smaller package. Perfect for travel

The porlex JP-30 is a tad more expensive but has grind settings that, while unmarked, do "click" into place making adjusting grind coarseness a bit easier


If you wanted to go the electric route, I've seen refurbished Baratza encore grinders for around $100. This will give you a mediocre espresso grind but a perfect and much easier drip and french press grind


Next up: preparation methods

French presses use a metal mesh filter, which gives you all of the oils in the cup and lets a tiny bit of really fine coffee solids through, which gives the cup a rich, full-bodied, velvety character They're also very easy to use as there's pretty much one accepted way to brew in them. And here's Philly's own Todd Carmichael demonstrating it. As far as which one to buy, they're all pretty much the same: a glass tube with a stick in it and some mesh on the end of the stick. I like my sterlingpro a lot but the bodum chambord is hugely popular and looks just as nice. Even a cheapo will do the job just as well, though, even if it doesn't look as nice.

pourovers do essentially the same thing as a drip coffee machine just with a lot more input from you, which is good because all but the most ludicrously expensive drip machines are very inconsistent and don't work as well as just doing it your own damn self. With a pourover, you're going to use a kettle or measuring cup with a spout to pour the water over the grounds in a set amount of time (3-4 minutes depending on the grind size) and usually in a very specific manner. Because these use a paper filter, there are no oils or insoluble solids in the cup so the coffee is clearer, tastes cleaner and usually a bit brighter than french press coffee. Popular models include the Hario v60 which is one of the more finicky models. If you decide on one of these, be sure to use a gooseneck kettle like Mr. Carmichael was using in the french press video above. Slightly more forgiving are the kalita wave and the melitta both of which would work fine with a normal kettle so long as it has some type of pour spout. If you want something with very thick filters, so as to produce a very clear cup, and also looks very nice, the chemex is a beautiful thing that produces great coffee, has a built-in carafe, and can make more than one cup at a time. Really more of a replacement for a large-volume drip machine than most pourovers.

The Aeropress is an absurdly popular, extremely versatile, and very well priced coffee brewer which is essentially a huge syringe with a paper filter instead of a needle. There's a thousand recipes online with different ways to use it, all of which produce a different cup.



Also worth noting is that you may want a kettle with temperature control, coffee should be brewed at 195-205F, so knowing what temp your water is helps reduce a lot of the headaches of cooling off boiled water for a vague amount of time. This bonavita is a little on the pricey side but has temp control and a gooseneck, which is always useful

I was actually starting to draft a little cooking ideas post like this. This is just what I found value in and will ramble because I haven't really edited it down at all. So if anyone reads it and has notes please let me know, it's fairly directionless at the moment. It is also from the perspective of and aimed towards young single people but not exclusive to. I am also well aware a lot of you folks are good cooks or at least have a functional kitchen and I in no way want it to sound like I'm more knowledgeable than anyone with an hour to watch youtube videos.

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TL:DR Make sure your skills are on point before getting convenience tools as you might not need them, a cast iron or good stainless steel skillet and a good couple of knives can do most things in a kitchen, plan meals before you shop to avoid wastefulness.

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This post is big, flawed, and broken into two main sections. One is purely skills based, stuff you can totally do for free and can start doing right this moment. That's a big part of minimalism for me, gaining skills and getting good at some things rather than owning and being okay at a ton of things. The second section is more of a buy guide, again all from my experience.

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First off is to focus less on the equipment and more on the technique. Fundamentally, knife skills, understanding of cook times, heat, and technique, creativity and planning are some terms I like. In addition I have thoughts on tools and ingredients

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First, learn your knife, do drills, practice good form constantly. When I started in a fast-food-y sandwich shop when I was 16, the manager (who was a line cook for years) suggested I practice things like chopping a carrot as thinly as possible, or celery, or breaking down onion and garlic. Then I got to work with the prep team (which was cool because they taught me Spanish) to learn basic stuff like sauces and cooking meats. The result is a few years later, I have a decent knife. Not as good as a legit cook or anything but enough that I can confidently use a sharp knife to do anything a home cook would ever need to.

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Cook times. It's way less intimidating to work on food when you know "okay my chicken will take this long, oven takes this long, rice needs this much time", and so on. From a minimalist perspective, this will help you cut down on some tools such as a plug-in type grill, rice cookers, stuff that times or cooks food for you. Learning how to use heat also really improves the versatility of something as simple as a cast iron pan. Technique will allow you to make staple dishes or at least be able to take a guess at how to prepare just about anything, and the most valuable tip for that is look up how to make individual components of dishes rather than just recipes over and over. This becomes relevant in the next portion as well.

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Creativity. As some people are mentioning, "aspirational groceries" cause clutter and waste in the form of garbage and money. Creativity helps solve this when paired with planning. When shopping, I found it valuable to plan out meals for the week. Buy what you need, make a note of what isn't used, and refine. That's planning. Creativity is ending up with some random ingredients and Macgyvering it together so you don't waste or overspend. That is made much easier by having solid cooking techniques so you have a bit of a starting off point for creativity.

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Now into the stuff. I personally think a couple things are fundamental. Babish from YouTube has a great List . First off, get a good 7" to 8" Chef knife. I use a Gyuto but that's more because I impulse bought one when I first moved out and had all the money in the world from not having any expenses and was talked into it by a very nice saleswoman at the knife shop in town. Wusthof is a great name in knives and if you can get a hold of an 8" one of those, a bread knife, and maybe a pairing knife (I don't really use mine much but some people do) you will be able to do most things. I'd avoid buying a knife set just because you're more than likely paying for an extra 3 or so knives you won't use, and they're cheap for a reason. But to each their own, it is very convenient to have the steak knives, honing rod, and scissors that most of them include. No judgement here. Plus they're really really affordable.

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Now as to everything else, I'm not as researched. I think a good cast iron skillet is fantastic from a minimalist perspective as you can do most things that you'd really ever need to do on it, from frying to saute to some baking. Kent Rollins is first off a joy to watch but more importantly uses very limited tools. He does have his specialized "bertha" stove but for the most part it's just him with either open fires or a hot stove cooking in cast iron pans and dutch ovens. If you want to know more, I'd just watch the babish video above, he talks more about why he has what he has, such as this expensive but amazing set of pots and pans. Off the top of my head: baking sheets, a large cutting board, a meat thermometer (safety), measuring cups and spoons, box grater (or one coarse grater and one microplane grater), spatulas, tongs, etc.

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Like I said this is mostly ranting, and I'm going to research and trim it down for the future, but these are my thoughts at the moment.

You and I are probably similar. I had never cooked before spontaneously deciding I was going to cook all of my own food from scratch on my 37th birthday. I also spent HOURS slaving away on often so-so dishes and felt discouraged. I pushed through that initial 2-3 month window of crappiness and now I'm 2.5 years into cooking 6 days a week and it's been life changing. That said, I still don't LIKE cooking, but I don't mind it, and I love the feeling that I finally know what I should be eating.

I think it was J. Kenzi Lopez Alt who said that good food is the result of:

1. Good Recipe
   
2. Good Ingredients
   
3. Good Equipment
   
4. Good Technique
   
   Good recipes: I can't believe there's 41 comments and no one's mentioned Budget Bytes. She is the queen of pragmatic, low cost, fast-enough, from-scratch, healthy weeknight dinners. For your first couple of months of cooking try focusing on just her recipes. They're beginner friendly and very well written.
   
   At least until you develop the sense of what makes recipes good, avoid YouTube, gif recipes, Pintrest, and the obnoxious blogs full of too-well-staged-photos. They're interested in views and shares, not cooking.
   
   Here's some other sites that produce consistently good food:
   
   

• Simply Recipes: Traditional American food
  
• Skinny Taste: Very similar to Budget Bytes, great weeknight meals
  
• Serious Eats: Great food, but tends to be pretty hardcore in ingredient & technique requirements. They probably make the best version of your favorite dish. Save SE for a weekend meal once you're more comfortable cooking.
  
  Here's some confidence building fantastic recipes:
  
  
• Baked Chicken with Artichokes and Tomatoes (Budget Bytes)
  
• Stuffed Pepper Soup (Skinny Taste) (Substitute marjoram for oregano for if you don't want to buy marjoram)
  
• Spicy Tuna Guacamole Bowls (Budget Bytes) (Here's a great guacamole recipe if you want to make that from scratch too)
  
• Greek Chicken Wraps (Budget Bytes)
  
• Greek Turkey and Rice Skillet (Budget Bytes)
  
• Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon Tahini Dressing (Budget Bytes) (if you grate the garlic in to the dressing with a microplane you don't NEED to blend the dressing; just whisk it)
  
• Easy Teriyaki-Glazed Salmon, Cucumber, and Avocado Rice Bowls (Serious Eats)
  
• Sweet Crunch Winter Salad (Budget Bytes) (WAY better than it sounds)
  
• Skillet Chicken Fajitas with Avocado (Serious Eats)
  
• Chorizo Sweet Potato Skillet (Budget Bytes)
  
• Chicken in Peanut Sauce (Budget Bytes)
  
• [Skillet Chicken Puttanesca (Simply Recipes)[https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/skillet_chicken_puttanesca/]
  
• Chipotle Chicken Chili (Pioneer Woman)
  
  Good Ingredients: In the beginning I found that cooking was often way more expensive than I'd ever imagined. That was in part because I hadn't built up much of a pantry (oils, vinegars, spices, other condiments), but the main reason was because I was shopping a supermarket. For both cost and quality reasons, each week try finding a new market in your area. In particular, look for ethnic markets frequented by people of the biggest ethnic culture in your area. The asian, mexican, and middle eastern markets in my area have better quality food for quite seriously 50-75% less than a supermarket. The closest supermarket charged $7/lb for prepackaged ground beef. The mexican place nearby charges $3/lb for ground beef they grind themselves.
  
  Speaking of ethnic markets, try to find an ethnic market with a dry goods section where you can scoop out as much of an ingredient as you want into bags for cheap.
  
  If you live in a metropolitan area find a Penzeys. They sell spices that are much higher quality than a supermarket for about 25-50% less than supermarket prices.
  
  You're going to need tons of chicken broth. Until you inevitably start making your own large batches in a pressure cooker a year from now, stick with Better Than Bouillon(https://www.betterthanbouillon.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/BTB_Package_8oz_Roasted_Chicken_Base-2017.png). It's cheaper and better than the crap you get from a can or carton.
  
  Good Equipment: The most important thing is a sharp knife. Here's the $27 knife everyone usually recommends. Even if you already have a knife, it's probably dull if it's not new and you haven't sharpened it; get it sharpened or buy a new one for now. Learn to hone it before or after each use.
  
  Go to a kitchen supply store, Smart & Final, or Amazon and get a couple of 1/4 sheet trays ($4?), ten or so bar towels ($1 each), and a prep bin ($4) so that your prep area looks like this. Also get a bench scraper ($5). The 1/4 sheet trays keep your ingredients organized and ready to go. The prep bin saves you from having to keep a trash can nearby and keeps things tidy. The bench scraper is a time-saving godsend for moving stuff around. A proper prep station alone will probably cut your cooking times by 10-20%.
  
  Good Technique: Once you have an organized prep station and you get your workflow down, the biggest time saver is going to be knife skills. Onions & garlic will be your most commonly chopped items, so watch several videos and make sure that each time you chop one of those it's meaningful practice. To avoid cutting yourself: get a sharp knife, while cutting always consider what would happen if your knife slips, and every time something awkward/unusual happens, take a small pause before you continue cutting.
  
  The art of home cooking by recipe really comes down to heat management. Get an infrared thermometer for $20, they're incredibly valuable when starting out. For the vast majority of sauteing, turn your pan to medium high (just guess) and measure your pan with that thermometer until it's around 300 then pour in whatever oil you're using. Keep checking them temp with the thermometer until that oil is around 330-360 then toss in your meat or vegetables. If you wait a few seconds, slide the food out of the middle of the pan, and check the temp again you'll see it's in low 200's because the food saps the heat out of the pan. Your goal is to keep that heat in the 300's. Note that as the food heats up the pan will get hotter quicker, so as you're learning keep monitoring that pan and get used to the sounds it's making so eventually you'll manage heat through sound & instinct.
  
  The last thing is: use more salt. If you're cooking a recipe that looked great, and got great reviews, and it doesn't seem like you made any big mistakes yet it's still bland, it's because you didn't add enough salt 100% of the time. It took me a while to realize that when I add salt to a dish someone else has made, they had already put a good amount of salt in it. So when salting a dish that makes four portions, you're not going to just shake in some salt from a shaker, you're going to pour in a teaspoon or more.

Originally I wrote this as a reply to another comment, but it got nabbed by the automod for accidentally having one affiliate link, and it's not a reply to that comment really, it's a reply to OPs question, so I deleted it as a reply and am posting it top-level here:

-------- PART 1 of 2:

There are several choices now for (i) Japanese (ii) fully stainless (iii) gyutos/chef knives of (iv) either 210 or 240mm in length and (v) $80 or less, thankfully:

1 Narihira 8000 (210mm) or 240mm

2 Mac Chef Series (8.5")

3 Misono Molybdenum (210mm)

4 Fujiwara FKM (210mm) or 240mm

5 Tojiro DP (210mm)

6 Yahiko VG-10 Western (210mm)

7 Yaxell Mon (8"/210mm)

8 Shun Sora (8")

So, #s 1, 2, 3, and 4 are all made of "Molybdenum steel" or "Molybdenum / Vanadium ("MV") steel". This is typically harder than European knives but softer than VG-10, right around 58-59 HRC. #s 5, 6, 7, and 8 are made with VG-10 steel, typically around 60-61 HRC. The Molybdenum knives will be easier to sharpen because the steel is softer, but they won't retain that sharp edge as long as VG-10. VG-10 is more difficult to sharpen, but at least in my experience it's still not that difficult. VG-10 is also more prone to micro-shipping along the very edge, because it is harder and more brittle, but with good boards and technique I don't think that's a problem and even if it happens you can take the micro-chips out with sharpening. Personally I tend to value lasting sharpness over ease of re-sharpening, so if everything else is equal I would prefer VG-10 for my main chef knife.

(1) I don't know a lot about Narihiras. Hocho Knife sells them and confirms they are made in Japan (one Amazon listing said China, though the others said Japan as well) and they appear to arrive in the same style of clear plastic packaging other definitely Japanese knives come in from my local Asian ethnic markets, so. They are notably cheaper -- 210 gyutos for $44. They might be a great value and allow you to get a matching petty for your $80, or they might be awful. At least Amazon has easy returns.

(2) The Mac Chef series is known for the cheaper non-bolster handles and for the blade being especially thin, to the point of having more flex than a lot of people desire. I had one and found it just a little too flexy for me. Also the stainless MV steel in that line will pick up just a tiny bit of slight discoloration with certain foods, I learned. Not super popular because of how thin they are, but if you want super thin, the way to go.

(3) The Misono Molybdenum series are Misono's cheapest line (Misono makes the king of western-style stainless gyutos for pro chef use, the UX10, about $200), but the fit and finish and grinds are still excellent.

(4) Fujiwara FKMs are really well-liked. Very similar in pretty much all external dimensions to the Misono. The FKM handles might be just a tad (1-4mm?) narrower. Sometimes in the past these were reported to have a knife here or there with less than perfect fit and finish, but that appears rare.

Among the MV steel knives, if price is factor #1 I'd start by trying some Narihiras from Amazon given the ease of returns. If you want a knife as thin and light as possible, the Mac. If you want a tried and true maker in a traditional style, if 210 is long enough I'd lean toward the Misono. If you'd rather have 240mm, the Fujiwara.

(5) Tojiros are the classic VG-10 starter knife. They're just very good all-around. Some people find the handles a tad wide, but... it's hard to know what to make of that not having your hands and not being able to hold one. It's not *way* wide, it's still in the normal handle range I find.

(6) The Yahiko is a CKTG exclusive line and the site owner strongly suggests that they're rebranded Tojiro DPs but that stay at $59.99 at his website. There's a whole load of internet drama over that vendor and while I don't like censoring reviews I also have only had very positive experiences buying form there so I think it's all stupid internet drama and I don't care. Seems to be a very solid knife "identical in every way" to a DP.

(7) Personally, if I had to give a gift of an $80 gyuto to someone, or if a single $80 gyuto was going to be my lone knife pride-and-joy for a while, I would buy a Yaxell Mon. The design is less traditional but more special looking, and I have another Yaxell VG-10 gyuto, and all the other knives I've had that were as sharp out-of-the-box as the Yaxell were $200+. Fit and Finish was second only to the Misono MVs, which had a slightly more rounded spine for me. The handle is also a different shape in that it is a bit thinner but taller, and it is a material that is a bit more grippy than the others.

(8) Some people will balk at recommending something as corporate as a Shun, but it merits mention. I had one for a while. It was truly very sharp. It also has a different profile than anything else here, and different from anything else in Shun's catalog -- there is a bigger flat section before transitioning up to a very short and agile tip. I actually really liked this profile in use. The VG-10 is braze welded onto the edge rather than being a thin layer all through the in the middle as it is on the other knives. Theoretically maybe that means after enough use and sharpening that might be an issue, but honestly I think that would take 100 years of use. The big downside is the handle. The handle is grippy but irritatingly cheap feeling. It feels like hollow plastic. But it does work as a handle. And Shun will re-sharpen your knives for free for life if you send them out to Shun by mail, so that might be a plus.

Among the VG-10 knives, if I wanted the classic handle look, I'd buy a Tojiro or Yahiko (probably a Yahiko and save a few dollars). If I wanted to be impressed when I open the box and feel like I had a unique real Japanese knife or I wanted the ultimate in (initial) sharpness, I would get the Yaxell. If I really wanted a big really flat flat spot (for an 8" gyuto), I would get the Shun. That profile is unique...

Yo bro, I got you!

First Rolling Papers

Second thing for sure is Filters

Now you need a grinder and there's a lot of good ones out there, this is the one I went with a few years back and I still use it all of the time, plus it came with a pollen press but... It's a bit pricey!

I'm gonna give you the rest of my typical setup that are less used by others and just the "little things"

• A hand needle or an long/avg size but THIN screw/nail (anything). This really is a must, what I use is this guy
  
  
• I have an average sized RAW (hemp) tray, however I've noticed I keep using it less and less. You'll be fine without one just use a book or something but it's something to consider.
  *Get yourself a magnifying glass man. One of my all time favorite activities while I'm high with friends or even by myself is to just check out this dank skunk beautiful in front of me y'know? I went a step further and just recently bought a full on microscope.
  
  
• This scale will be just fine give it a nice wipe every once n awhile and it will be fine.
  
  
• HEMP WICK!! you'll want one it really is nice to have a kind of controlled flame. A typical bic lighter is actually making your trees too hot! You burnin away all of that deliciousness bro, gotta get a hemp wick. My preference is humboldt's hemp wick, they have been nothing but amazing for me constantly giving me random fun stuff for free and their product is solid.
  
  
• Smell Proof Bags There's plenty of cheaper options that are probably just as good I just use these and haven't changed.
  
  
• Check this Jar out! You want to be an ent, that's good, that's real good. This jar is the perfect representation of a proud and happy ent, just keep it filled!
  
  Alright so that's the basic shiznit my man. On a side note I'd recommend just giving vaporizers a try if you have the resources. I just recently made the switch to a PAX2 from a grav water pipe. Let me tell you the transition has been beautiful. Anyways, I hope this was helpful. Toke care, pal.

TL;DR warning

Are you willing to invest in some tools? Do you like Five Guys? (skinny burgers) The fastest burger procedure that I know of is Kenji's Ultra-Smash technique, which makes a pair of thin patties in no time. Takes about a minute per burger (two patties with cheese). Details here:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/03/the-food-lab-maximize-flavor-by-ultra-smashin.html

You can also do a regular smash burger, which is thicker (McDonalds-thin), but takes longer (~1.5 minutes per side, about 3 minutes total per burger):

http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2012/09/the-burger-lab-smashed-burgers-vs-smashing-burgers.html

The advantage of the ultra-smash is that it's super quick & you can toss a piece of cheese to melt between two patties, so you can pump out a ton of burgers in no time. You will need a few tools, namely:

1. A metal cooking surface
   
2. A hi-temp heat source
   
3. A smashing tool
   
4. A high-quality spatula
   
5. A scraper (if doing ultra-smash)
   
6. A cheap IR temp gun
   
7. A cheap digital kitchen scale
   
   It's not rocket science, but getting a proper setup will let you have a workflow that makes cooking for a crowd a breeze. I have a big extended family, so I cook in bulk a lot, but I also use this for just my immediate family because it's so fast to get setup. There is an up-front investment required, but everything you'll buy will pretty much last forever, so it's worth it if you like to eat burgers!
   
   So the first two things you need are a metal cooking surface & a heat source that can pump out a lot of heat. I don't recommend a regular grill because they simply don't get hot enough; you need 600 to 700F to do this. You can either do a compact setup (a 2-burger surface with a single burner) or invest in a quality flat-top setup (more expensive, but lets you do more burgers at once). The ideal surface to do this on is a Baking Steel, which is very expensive. There are knockoffs for cheaper, but I like BS because they have a Griddle version with grooves to catch the grease:
   
   http://www.bakingsteel.com/
   
   You can also do it with cast iron. Lodge has a griddle for $25:
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-LDP3-Double-Reversible-Griddle/dp/B002CMLTXG
   
   If I'm just doing a single regular smash burger at a time, I use a 12" cast-iron pan. $28:
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Cast-Iron-Skillet-L10SK3ASHH41B-12-Inch/dp/B00G2XGC88/
   
   If you do get into cast-iron, read up on this seasoning procedure (i.e. the way to keep it smooth & slippery without Teflon). It's a bit of a pain, but it's worth learning because anything you buy in cast-iron can be handed down to your kids because it lasts forever:
   
   http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/
   
   You will want a heavy smashing tool as well. I have this massive 2.5-pound cast-iron press. It fits inside the 12" pan above (but not the 10"). $13:
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Update-International-Heavy-Weight-Hamburger-Commercial/dp/B002LDDKZ6
   
   If you plan on doing ultra-smash burgers, you'll need a scraper. This is the one Kenji recommends, but you can probably find something locally: (Home Depot or Lowes)
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Plextool-Wall-Paper-Stripper/dp/B00AU6GQLQ/
   
   Anyway, getting back to the cooking part: you'll need a hi-temp burner. I like Bayou Burners, they sell them on Amazon. I have an SP10: ($50)
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Classic-SP10-High-Pressure-Outdoor/dp/B000291GBQ
   
   I use that with my 12" cast-iron pan for when I'm just doing a few burgers for the family. 15 minutes = 5 burgers. You can also slap a flat surface like a cast-iron griddle or Baking Steel on that puppy. Also comes in a square version (not sure how the BTU's compare). I also have some KAB4 burners that I use with my Baking Steel, among other things. More expensive, but larger shell & burner: (more even heat over the cooking surface)
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Classic-KAB4-Pressure-Cooker/dp/B0009JXYQY/
   
   For cooking more at a time, you can get a cooktop. Blackstone has a 36" cooktop available, but it doesn't get very hot (don't get me wrong, it's an awesome tool, but I've had trouble breaking 500F on mine, which means you're not cooking 1-minute burgers on it, plus the heating is kind of uneven, so you have to work in the hot spots for faster cook times). Also comes in a slightly smaller 28" version (but it's only like $50 less, so it makes more sense to get the full-sized version because you get so much more cooking area). The nice thing with this setup is that for $299 (or a bit less if you shop around at places like Cabela's), you can cook like 20 burgers at a time, it's absolutely insane! I make epic breakfasts on it. Plus it folds up for transport, which is really handy. We use it for all of our family events & holidays:
   
   http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DYN0438
   
   A better version is from Tejas Smokers. They make camping stove carts that have burners built-in & have griddles available separately. They get super hot, downside is the cost: you can easily spend $700 on a nice setup.
   
   https://tejassmokers.com/Camp-Stove-Carts/23
   
   Oh yeah, Blackstone did just come out with a compact outdoor griddle which can run off those little one-pound green tanks if you want. They go for around $99 ($79 if you have an Ace Hardware near you). I have not tried this, but it gets good reviews. I'd be curious to see what kind of temperatures it can achieve:
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Blackstone-Portable-Griddle-Outdoors-Camping/dp/B0195MZHBK
   
   So that's a basic introduction to the cooktops: you need some kind of decently-sized metal surface, a hi-temp burner, a smashing tool, and optionally (but recommended) a scraper. You will also want to get a strong, high-quality spatula. A good one is $32:
   
   http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/07/equipment-the-due-buoi-wide-spatula-my-new-fa.html
   
   Available here:
   
   http://www.duebuoi.it/x/uk_usd/catalog/p/spatulas~805-16x10.html
   
   If you opt for cast-iron, get an infrared temperature gun (doesn't work too well on shiny metal surfaces like steel tho). $17:
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Lasergrip-1080-Non-contact-Thermometer/dp/B00DMI632G/
   
   A cheap digital kitchen scale is useful too, for measuring out the proper amount of meat. $14:
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Ozeri-Digital-Kitchen-Capacity-Stylish/dp/B003E7AZQA/
   
   This collection of tools ensures that you have the proper workflow: a metal surface to cook on, the ability to bring the surface to a high temperature (and know what that temperature is for precise control), the ability to weigh your meat so you can pre-measure out what you need, the ability to smash the burger down, and also to properly scrape it off. Again, it's not rocket science, but if you have a wussy grill or a crappy surface or weak smashing/scraping tools, you're gonna have a bad time. You just need the right setup to pump burgers out fast!
   
   So on to prep. For ultra-smash, you do a pair of 2-ounce ground beef balls. In the tutorial above, they use a mix of meat for 25% fat. I just grab some regular 80/20 ground plus some salt & pepper. For regular smash burgers, do a single 4-ounce ball (optionally 5 ounces...useful if you have a big cooktop for a bunch of burgers at one time & are only doing a single patty per burger). The nice thing is, there's no special prep required for the meat, so you can make all of your burger balls ahead of time. If you have 10 people & are doing ultra-smash, let's say half of them get 2 burgers, so 15 burgers total, or thirty 2oz balls. If you have 20 people & are doing regular smash, again with half getting an extra burger, that's 30 burgers total or thirty 4 or 5oz balls. So that takes care of prep...adjust as needed. If you're feeding mostly dudes, you'll want to add more seconds (and thirds) to the equation.
   
   There are a variety of buns you can get. Crap buns will make for a crap burger. See if you can find potato buns or brioche buns. Those are pretty soft. Buns aren't overly hard to make, but I have yet to find a decent recipe that takes under 40 minutes, so I usually only doing fancy home-baked buns for my family rather than a crowd. Buying 5 or 10 pounds of ground beef & making smash balls out of them will take you all of ten minutes, but making buns can take forever. Here's a good recipe if you want to try it out tho:
   
   http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/07/light-brioche-burger-buns/
   
   Or this, if you wanna get crazy:
   
   http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/05/fresh-cemita-rolls-mexican-sandwich-burger-bun-bread-food-lab-recipe.html
   
   Or this one, nom nom nom:
   
   http://amazingribs.com/recipes/breads/brioche_hamburger_buns.html
   
   But eh, just hit up Sam's/Coscto/BJ's and buy some hamburger buns in bulk, problem solved. Or find a local bakery that has good rolls. There's a good shootout of buns here:
   
   http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2011/04/the-burger-lab-whats-the-best-bun-for-my-burger-taste-test.html
   
   (continued)

There are some very affordable burr grinders out there, and it's worth the investment. You'll use it pretty much everyday. Hand grinders can be very cheap, and work great. Hario Skerton is a popular choice (I've seen it around for cheaper, but this is at least what's on amazon). Plenty of options, all varying in price. There's a pretty decent burr grinder from Kona I've used before, which I got for like $20.

But manual grinding can take some time. And if you're like me, and you want some quick coffee in the morning, then it's worth investing in an electric. There are some pretty decent electric burr grinders out there. You really don't have to pay a fortune. Here are a few cheap options:

Capresso Infinity

Bodum Bistro

Baratza Encore

But you can get far snobbier than just grind...

What kind of water are you using? Hopefully filtered, not tap. And definitely not distilled, since you want some of those minerals for flavor. Now, if you want to get even fancier, try using these mineral packets. I think each packet mixes in with 1 gallon of distilled water. I haven't tried it myself (I just use a brita) but I've heard good things. The quality of water makes a huge difference. This was the first "eureka" moment for me, when I moved from tap to filtered.

Next, how are you making your coffee? There are some great, cheap equipment out there. In this sub, here are some pretty cheap and popular choices:

Aeropress

Chemex

Pour-over

French press

We're getting pretty deep in the rabbit hole, right? Not yet! How about measuring the weight of the coffee? Consistency is important. You need the same, proper coffee-to-water ratio for the best cup. You can find people debating over the best scales, some costing hundreds. I'd just get a cheap one if I were you. You can find some decent cheap ones from like $10 to $30. If you want the best bang for your buck, look into American Weigh Scales.

I guess I can mention temperature of water as well. You can get thermometers or even electric kettles with built-in thermometers (like this). I think temperature matters so much more for tea than coffee, but it's something you need to keep in mind for coffee as well.

Here's probably the most important thing, in my opinion: where are you getting your coffee? What is the roast date? Unless you're buying your coffee directly from the roaster, you're probably not buying freshly roasted beans. It makes a world of difference. Try finding a local roaster and getting your beans from them, freshly roasted.

I'm sure there's plenty of other ways you can splurge money on coffee, but I'll let you figure it out!

(edited to fix the links)

Hey, sorry to hear about your house getting broken into. That's a really tough deal and I wish you the best in bouncing back.


On rebuilding your roll, I have a few suggestions. I know I'm in the minority here, but I think carbon steel is less essential to have in a knife roll than stainless. Carbon steel knives are sharp as hell so you don't need to sharpen them as frequently, but even though I sharpen my knives every two days or so, it doesn't actually make a big difference to me if I only have to sharpen every third/fourth day... but again, that's just how I feel. Carbon steel knives also sometimes leave residue on food, so it's essential to have a stainless for some projects anyways. For rebuilding a budget roll, it's important to first have a few (3-4) beater knives for service. This is because you want to have knives that you can use for things like food allergies without having to drop everything to wash off a knife, which can put you in the weeds if you get a lot of allergy/aversion tickets coming in at once. I keep a set of these in my bag as well as a Mercer beater knife, although I like Fibrox as well. My main prep knife is a Tojiro 210 DP Gyutou. It's great for doing fine veg prep like brunoise and I even use it to portion raw fish (but I would definitely get a deboning knife if you're going to be breaking down fish). I definitely understand having one or two knives that you can be proud to keep in your roll, but at the end of the day, it's probably better to prioritize having the cheap essentials in your bag first.

​

If you've read this and your mind is still set on getting one of the gyutous you posted, I would recommend getting something with a little bit of a curve to it. Japanese steel tends to have a straight edge and some hybrids will be straighter than others. This is useful for motions where you're sliding the tip around the board, but having a curve is important for things like cutting chives where you want some rock to it (like the kanetsune you posted).

​

As far as sharpening goes, having a gyutou and a fibrox will teach you the difference in how you want to move the blade across the stone for different blade shapes, which I think is a pretty essential sharpening skill to have. I personally own two double sided stones, but since I sharpen my knives with some frequency, I only ever use the 3000/8000 grit.

​

Make sure you consider all the other things you need in your roll! Get a steel, a few peelers, like 6-8 spoons, tweezers, cake testers, maybe even a mandolin.... it can add up, but all these are essential to have before you buy that awesome aogami. I'm pretty confident you can have an awesome and versatile knife roll and stay under your budget so that you can focus on rebuilding and replacing all the other things that were taken. Best of luck to you!

What price range are you talking about? Here's some gifts divided into categories and price:

Lord of the Rings (Does she like LotR?):

• LotR Lego - You said she was smart and likes things to be clean, so I'm going to assume she likes decorating. And what's better than decorating your house with things you have built yourself? These sets range from $29.99 to $199.99. Check out the rest out!
  
• The One Ring - Ranges from $59.95 to $99.99. If she likes it, she will wear it multiple times a week.
  
• Arwen's Evenstar Pendent - Ranges from $72.99 to $149.00 (I like the higher end products myself). Subtle, fancy, and looks nice when going out.
  
• Sting - For the sword and the scabbard it's going to almost always cost around 174.98. Hang it on the wall, use it for home protection, it's shiny, ect.
  
  Games:
  
  
• Zombie Dice - BLARRGH BRAINZ FOR $13.13 ARRRUUGGH SUPER CASUAL FUNNY
  
• Munchkin - Very casual party game with lots of expansions. Listed at $24.95 on their website, but it usually will sell for ~$20 at your local Barnes & Nobel or Target.
  
• DOMINION - I bolded this suggestion because it is a card game and this is the Hearthstone sub-reddit. A brilliant German Board Game which invented the genre of deck-building games. Players draw 5 cards from their deck every turn, using the cards they draw to buy more cards for their deck. When they have no new cards to draw, they shuffle their discard pile back into the deck and keep on playing. If you enjoy the deck building element of any card game, this game is immensely fun. The base set is $30.30 on Amazon right now.
  
• Settlers of Catan - Want to get into more hardcore board gaming? This is the gateway game to start. Being another German Board Game, it focuses on non-combat economic decision making. That doesn't mean you cant screw eachother over, as in any good board game. The site asks for $42.00. Again, this game has a lot of expansions. I like the Star Trek Version which goes for $49.99.
  
  Other:
  
  
• Espresso Machine - Does she like Coffee? For ~$79.00 you could cut out Starbucks entirely from your life. If you go to Starbucks every other day, this will pay for itself in just over a month.
  
• Record Player - Nothing beats some nice Analog sound, it's so much more real to me. These vary all over in price depending on what you want out of it. Here's a really nice one for $150.98. Just go to BestBuy/Walmart to find one more precisely for what you're looking for. Here's one of my favorite records of all time. Here's a really sexy big band one.
  
• Wacom Tablet - Is she artistic at all? One of these for ~$229.99 and she'll be able to draw beautiful things on her computer.
  
• A good memory - Take her on a nice date. Inform her she will need to dress well and rent a tux. Go out to an expensive local restaurant and split a meal. Both walk in overdressed and own it. Watch the sun set. Go home, pour her some wine and give her a massage. Bathe each other. Watch her favorite show all night. Go out for breakfast and watch the sun rise. Something different; something exciting! Live life in a routine? CHANGE THE ROUTINE. She will not forget it and this is the best gift you can give her.
  
  These are my main suggestions, for everything else there's Think Geek. But really, browse this site.
  
  ^^Moved ^^from ^^your ^^original ^^comment ^^to ^^the ^^thread, ^^as ^^was ^^original ^^intended ^^location.

>There's a couple of things you can do to get the right temp water. First, you can get a candy thermometer (or a meat thermometer, but they tend to allow moisture in) or digital cooking thermometer, boil the water and then let it sit until it reaches the proper temp. Boiling and then letting it cool is the suggested method no matter what, and I believe even most programmable kettles do this.

Derp. Didn't think of this. I have a digital thermometer. Thank!

>As far as your steeper, that is a pretty standard piece of equipment but I would suggest getting a basket infuser. They're only about 5-10 depending on where you go and will let the leaves have a bit more room and thus produce a better flavor.

I'm getting this guy from amazon: Finum Brewing Basket, Medium
http://amzn.com/B000I68NCS

>The absolute first and most important thing you need to learn about tea is that you need to drink what you like, and avoid what you don't. Green tea isn't for everyone, and as long as you have had a cup you knew was brewed right (go to a tea shop if you can, use distilled water, etc...) if you don't like it, don't drink it! If you love lots of sugar and milk in your tea, go for it (just watch the calories if that is a concern for you). Tea is a very personal beverage and should be consumed the way you like it, not the way you are told to like it.

>That being said, I always suggest trying new teas without any sweetener. Some of the teas do not mix well with sweetener, others have their more subtle and pleasing flavors become more pronounced. Some teas are simply something that, due to the complexity of its flavor, are best enjoyed plain and if you want it sweet you should go for a different tea - not because you can't sweeten what you want, but because you can achieve an optimal cup without paying so as much for the higher end teas (for instance, if you're going to load up on honey, a good sencha will not vary significantly in flavor from gyokuro). But if you like a certain thing - by all means to it! Some people LOVE bitter teas, and I recommend they get a good black tea boil the water and leave it steep for 15-20 minutes. It isn't for everyone, but that's what makes tea so special - it is your cup, drink it how you want!

I plan to try everything straight and by the brewing guidelines they come with adjust from there. Thank you so much for the detailed post!

You're new to the industry, and new to cooking. Quite frankly, your skills are at the point where you won't really have a huge preference one way or the other, and you won't perform any differently with a 50 dollars knife versus a 5000 dollar knife. Similarly, fancy whetstones, glass stones, sharpening systems, etc won't make a difference either.

Right now, get the basics. Good solid stuff that's relatively cheap so that you can figure out what you like, and don't like. You have 1300-1500 to spend-- Good. Save it for now. Industry doesn't pay much. Here's the basics to start you out that has the best bang for buck, and gives you some different styles and feels to try out, so that you can figure out what you'll eventually enjoy the most. If you want more information on any of the knives, let me know.

https://www.amazon.com/Tojiro-DP-Gyutou-8-2-21cm/dp/B000UAPQGS

This is a knife that's full tang, VG-10 steel(same as Shun), and has decent heat treat. Western style handle, with a westernized santoku Japanese style blade. At 60 bucks, it's a steal.

https://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Fibrox-45520-Frustration-Packaging/dp/B008M5U1C2

Ubiquitous western style knife. Steel is the same as the more expensive Wustofs, Mercers, and anything that claims to use "German Stainless Steel". It's all x50crmov15, with slightly different heat treats. Victorinox does it right.

http://www.chefknivestogo.com/kohawagy21.html

HAP40 high speed tool steel. This is the high tech stuff used in blade competitions. Japanese style handle, maintains a really sharp edge for a really long time. A little more expensive, but that kind of steel for that price is really, really worth it.

https://www.amazon.com/Winco-Chinese-Cleaver-Wooden-Handle/dp/B001CDVXUK/ref=sr_1_7?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1485154695&sr=1-7&keywords=cleaver

Look, a cleaver's a cleaver. You don't need fancy steels or anything-- You just need a whole lotta force behind a whole lotta steel. Hone and sharpen often, and this'll do great for you.

Speaking of cleavers, though...

http://www.chefknivestogo.com/cckcleaver2.html

Chinese cleavers are awesome. They're not actually cleavers though, don't use them on bones and the like-- They're the Chinese version of the all purpose chef knife or gyuto knife. Chinese chefs are expected to be able to do everything with this knife, from fileting to tourne to peeling to chopping to brunoise, so they're actually quite versatile. Speaking of which-- This also fills in for the Japanese Nakiri role. Tons of fun to use.

https://www.amazon.com/King-Sided-Sharpening-Stone-Base/dp/B001DT1X9O/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1485154779&sr=1-1&keywords=king+1000+6000

This is a fantastic stone, one that Master Bladesmith Murray Carter uses. I ran a knife sharpening service, and this is the one I used for most knives as well. Since you won't have to deal with weird recurves and tantos and nightmare grinds and the like that can show up on folding knives, this will serve you very well.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004WFU8/ref=twister_B010SQ9IXK?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

This is in case you get some gnarly chips on any knives. This'll get it out quick and easy. Bonus-- Use it to flatten and maintain your King stone. This and the King stone is all you really need for sharpening. You can easily get a shaving edge with it.

Besides those, stick with what you got in the Mercer kit for the specialty knives. You really don't need fancy versions of those. You also really don't need a serrated utility knife at all. In the professional kitchen, the three knives that saw the most work were the overall chef knife(even for fileting and some light butchering), the 4 dollar Victorinox paring knife(quick and easy to sharpen), and the Mercer tourne knife.

Buying all this will amount to 431.31, giving you a combination sharpening stone, a flattening/reprofiling stone, and 5 fun knives of all different kinds to play with, at a fraction of the cost. You'll notice I didn't put any Super Blue or White #1 steels in there-- That's because A) They're more difficult to take care of, and B) They're really overpriced for what they are, simply because their "japanese" moniker makes people think they're super laser swords from a land of secret steels(they're not). The HAP40 steel beats these steels in pretty much every category.

Hope you found it helpful! Have fun with whatever you decide to choose.

I was in a similar place to you, I had been lifting, but just sort of doing stuff I learned in high school football. Uncontrolled diet. Then my wife and I started talking seriously about having a kid and I realize I needed to turn it around. Especially at 35, I'll be in my 50s when my son is a teenager, I need to be able to keep up with him.

Biggest thing: get your diet under control. Almost all contemporary studies show that exercise has almost no impact on your waistline. It's all about calories in (and calories out, but one hour of working out for me burns about 300 calories, which is about one slice of pizza from 7-11. It's way easier to not eat that slice of pizza).

I personally used MyFitnessPal, but any calorie tracker that has the food you eat regularly in its database will do. The app will guide you after you tell it the basics: how much you weight, how many pounds per week you want to move and your level of activity. I'd also recommend a food scale so you can actually portion out your food properly. I personally used an Etekcity, but honestly anything accurate will work.

After that, find an exercise routine you will do. Not the most efficient one. Not the one that supposed adds the most muscle mass or burns the most fat. The best exercise routine is the one you will actually do. If you find it too much of a chore and easy to talk yourself out of, you'll never do it. For me, it was heavy powerlifting. So I started really program lifting, not just going through some routines from a high school football coach that I half remember.

I started on Stronglifts 5x5, which I would recommend for any lifting beginner because it's only five exercises, less than hour a day only three days a week. The maker of the program has super in depth form guides and a ridiculously easy to use app to track your progress that automatically tells you what weight to use as you progress. That said, I wasn't that much of a novice, and wish I had found Greyskull LP a little earlier on. I switched to Greyskull after about six months on Stronglifts. I prefer Greyskull because there is less emphasis on leg routines and the AMAP sets are fun. But Greyskull dines't have a snazzy app or very detailed how to guides, so while it is a linear program designed for noob gains, if you're not at least a little proficient in lifting, it might be too difficult to figure out. I used the iOS app Strong and customized it for Greyskull because of the lack of official app.

Now I'm on 5-3-1, which I am really, really enjoying. But it is really slow, I wouldn't recommend it to beginners just because you can progress so fast as a noob lifter. A linear program like Greyskull or Stronglifts is better. I've heard good things about Starting Strength as well, but can't personally vouch for it.

I went from a 215 lbs guy at 5'8" with a body fat percentage I don't even want to think about to 165 lbs with calculated 1RMs in the 1,000 lbs club in a year and a half. The weight came off stupid fast with MyFitnessPal, I shed twenty pounds in two months no problem because I honestly didn't realize how much garbage I was shoveling into me. Now I'm tracking my protein intake and shedding more fat as I pack on the muscle, I'm down to 12% body fat and feel really good. My kid is only 14 months old right now, but he already walks over three miles a day and it feels good that I can keep up with him, bend down, pick him up, wrestle, and just play around. It's worth it.

You can do it. I have a career, I am the primary caretaker on my dude (because I work from home) and I still hit the gym four times a week and just keep using MyFitnessPal to track that protein. If I can do it, anyone can. Good luck!

My favorite thing about coffee as a "hobby" is that, like some have said, it's a hobby that isn't just a waste of money. Fresh beans are a huge 1st step, they really just have tons of flavors that change almost as you work through the bag, and sometimes I feel like the first sip of a french press is different than the middle, etc. For me the different methods I use just work better for different beans, I'm still figuring that out myself. I prefer to french press african beans, pour over on more typically "harsh" beans, and I'm still dialing in aeropress, but I feel like it takes a lot out of the coffee so it seems to work best if I'm like "hmm I'm not sure I like this bean", aeropress... oh nevermind it's great.

You could buy:

Good grinder ~$140

Scale $15

Kettle $25

And three interesting and different types of brewers:

Aeropress ~$30

V60 ~$20

French Press ~$20

That's all the gear for now, you're SET until you become a crazy coffee nut, but for me 90% of the coffee I make is in one of those 3 methods. I have a moka pot, and they're cool too. But that's $250 for gear, and you could probably save a bit with different grinder options but plan to drop the biggest amount of that.

Add in $20 for some high quality beans (S&W is great and their reddit discount is on this page somewhere) and you're around $270 to be brewing great coffee a few different ways. Now you have 4+ different coffees, 3 ways to make it, and the equipment to make sure you're doing it "right".

Okay that's a lot and I hate this "if you buy a cup of coffee a day" crap, but let's just say you drink work swill most of the time, but get a cup of coffee out 3x a week. At $3/cup maybe you tip a quarter each time, you pay off this stuff in 6 months and these things pretty much last forever.

The point is, yes, some of the costs of entry (specifically the grinder) can be a little daunting, and sometimes we get carried away, but overall, the cost of making great coffee at home is significantly less than going out. You're actually getting BETTER coffee too, trying different ways to make it, and enjoying yourself. Wow, okay rambling there. Good luck!

Fair enough.

So as a premise, I'm going to give you the /r/cooking answer (which I'd argue is the 'right' answer,) but a lot (most?) people in the US use a non stick for just about everything. Then again, most people cook bad food, so...

Anyway:

>for things like eggs, bacon, burgers etc

So right there I'd stop you and say that a true non-stick (either a Teflon pan or anodized / ceramic) is really best just for things like eggs, melty cheese, etc. Some people (rightfully) claim that eggs can be cooked in a really well seasoned cast-iron; they sort of can, but you have to use so much grease I argue it's more shallow frying than anything else. Properly cooking eggs in a true non-stick pan, like a Teflon coated pan, requires zero butter / cooking spray, etc. You actually shouldn't use it.

For things like burgers, bacon, etc, most of us would argue for either stainless steel (my preference) or cast iron. Cast iron (CI from now on) has some advantages, mainly relating to heat retention for giving awesome sears (like on a steak.) Stainless Steel (SS) can also do that pretty darn well, but not quite as well as CI. SS has the advantage of being more 'reactive;' If you turn the heat up or down, the pan reacts much faster than CI. CI is a diesel truck, SS is a Chevy 2500.

Neither SS or CI 'stick' when 1) properly heated and 2) properly used. Most people just don't know how to properly cook with those types of pans. Start here, and watch this vid on how to properly heat a SS pan. If you do that (and it's actually super easy once you've done it a few times,) you're 80% of the way there. So then your pan is hot, and you put in some oil (I prefer canola.) From then, your meat (like chicken breast, bacon, burgers, steak) goes in the pan and you don't touch it! If you put it in, and then 30 seconds later get all grabby-pokey-lifty, you're going to get really grumpy that that idiot on the internet convinced you to use SS, because it's going to be very stuck to the pan. If you're patient, and simply wait, the meat will get a perfect sear, and release on it's own in about 3-4:00. From there, give it a flip and repeat.

Here's where the advantages of stainless really shine: So after you've seared both sides (let's say of your chicken) you pop the whole pan in the oven for about 13 minutes or so to finish cooking the meat to the desired temp. Then you pull the pan out of the oven, pull the meat out to rest, and then deglaze your pan, toss in some chopped shallot or onion and garlic and maybe mushrooms, let it reduce aminute or two, holy crap get ready to blow the minds of anyone you're cooking for. Drizzle the sauce over your now sliced chicken, BAM.

So that was a bit of a divergent answer, but I felt it was important. When evaluating cookwear, it's not so much just a matter of 'Can this pan cook things,' it's more a matter of 'How do you use your cookwear to get the results you want.


If what you want is a properly good non-stick pan for eggs and cheesy stuff and omelettes, buy this. That'll last 2-3 years if you treat it well (ONLY wash with a washcloth, non-stick safe utensils, etc) For all your other stuff, I'd suggest a tri-ply stainless steel pan, like this or if it's in your budget, All Clad really sets the standard. This guy in 10 or 12" is pretty much the default CI pan for most people.


Feel free to ask questions. As for the pans you mentioned: I've seen really, really mixed reviews on them. I've never cooked with them, but I've handled them and they seem extremely light and thin (that means hotspots, inconsistent heating, and crazy fast reactivity (temps varyingw ildly up and down.) They seem to be jack of all trades masters of none, and I'd personally pass.

I'm no professional, but I've spent some time researching this subject, and lurking in the skincaretalk forums lightening community. There's a lot of noise to filter through, but I managed to find a few things that worked for me in getting rid of my own perma farmer's tan.

The first, and most important step of getting rid of a perma tan is SAP (Sun Avoidance and Protection). This literally cannot be emphasized enough, and aside from getting rid of a perma tan it's good for your skin's overall health. It looks like you've taken steps toward this, so snaps for you. Though it tends to leave a white cast, physical sunscreens (containing titanium dioxide and zinc oxide) are the best choice if you want to protect your progress, and prevent yourself from tanning again. Unless you're sitting directly in a sunbeam while you're inside, or in the path of direct reflections of sun, I wouldn't worry about sunscreen while inside. I personally wear long sleeves and sunscreen to combat against incidental sun exposure on the daily. If I know I'm going to be outside for more than a few minutes I have a UV umbrella that I use to protect against the sun. Do I look silly? Probably, but at least my skin won't look like an antique football when I'm older

As for actually getting rid of the tan, the first phase should be exfoliation, which it seems you've already started on. Look for products with AHAs like glycolic or lactic acid. Some readily available options you can buy at walgreens/CVS are Alpha Skincare Body lotion (12% glycolic) or Amlactin (12% lactic). The sidebar has recommendations on products more suitable for facial use if you'd prefer a gel or liquid option for this purpose. Do this for 6-8 weeks, and if your tan doesn't budge then add in active lightening ingredients into your routine.

Another user already mentioned some lightening ingredients to look for, and all these serve the purpose of inhibiting your melanin production and shouldn't make you lighter than whatever your lightest natural skin tone is. I personally used Kojie-San soap (containing Kojic acid) with a Salux cloth to great success on my body. I haven't used it, but I've heard Marie France soap has a higher concentration of acid and thus works more quickly than kojie-san. I used a combination of dermatologist prescribed Retin A and 4% hydroquinone on my face and neck, as the soap was too drying to use on my face. I have friends and relatives who have used Maxipeel #3 (which contains both Retin A and hydroquinone) successfully to get rid of their own face/neck tan, as well as acne scars as a bonus. Kojie-San, Marie France and Maxipeel are Filipino products, but in general, lightening products from Asian countries tend to be more trustworthy than products you may find from sub-Saharan African countries, which in my experience and research, stand a larger chance of having steroids in them. Wherever they are from, if you go for foreign products be sure to do your due diligence on the product itself and wherever you're getting it from. Amazon is usually a safe bet, but check the reviews.

There are some American creams available at the drugstore containing hydroquinone Ambi, with 2% hydroquinone, and Nadinola with 3% hydroquinone, the highest you can get commercially without a prescription in America), though without Retin A, these percentages will be largely ineffective for your purposes.

Getting rid of a perma tan will be a commitment, and progress will be slow, but as long as you are consistent and practice SAP, you'll get there.

I have several knives.

My most used knife, and the one I like the most is a 8 inch Wüsthof classic. I really like the balance and the grip of this one.

I also have a Mac Chef's Knife, 7-1/4-Inch. This is stamped, not forged, but for just a few dollars more than the Victorinox you get a knife that actually sits and balances well in your hand and it's made of much better steel. I actually bought it in a brick and mortar store for about $20.

It's not as well balanced as the Wüsthof, but I like the fact that it doesn't have a full bolster. It's much easier to sharpen. If I would start anew I would get half-bolster designs for my expensive knives, but it's really no big deal at all.

I also have Tojiro DP Gyutou. The price varies, now it's a few dollars more expensive than the Victorinox, but I bought it cheaper. This is an excellent knife with better steel than the above knives. The grip is fantastic. The balance is good, but not quite as good as the Wüsthof, nothing really gets there for me, but it's good. Again the lack of a full bolster is a great feature of this knife.

Personally now I think that the Wüsthof Ikon lines are better than the classic series, because of the half-bolster design, but I didn't know this years back when I bought my classic.

Also, I keep saying that these knives feel so good in the hand compared to the Victorinox but this is a very subjective thing and people should try for themselves. I know some people love the Victorinox, if that's the case, go for it; personally, I can't stand it. PinchGrip4Lyfe.

I also have a J.A. HENCKELS INTERNATIONAL Forged Synergy 8-inch Chef's Knife. This is cheaper than the Victorinox. The balance is pretty good, but the grip is not as good as the knives posted above. It's still light-years better than the Victorinox grip though.

If I had to buy a cheap knife I would get Kai 6720C Wasabi Black Chef's Knife, 8-Inch. This is way cheaper than the Victorinox. That being said, I haven't tested it.

My goal here is not to convince anyone that the Victorinox is awful. I know some people really like the grip, but to make clear that at around the same price point there are many knives, and you should get which one feels best in your hand. Victorinox is not the only option for cheap knives, unlike what the reddit gospel says!

Broke college student here, I'm also a barista that's use to having amazing, freshly roasted coffee. So far, no one has lied. AMAZING espresso IS expensive. But can you make a latte as well as your local cafe? With a little practice, time and money, yes.

My current home setup consists of a Delonghi EC155, this is a true espresso machine, it's not steam powered and with a little modification and practice makes good espresso. Modification wise the only thing I'd recommend is depressurizing the portafilter basket, which is easy. If you ever want a better machine but don't want to spend the money you can modify it even more. They're vary popular machines and can be modified to pull amazing shots. They go anywhere from 70-130, however, occasionally things get repacked or the packaging gets damaged in the warehouse. They'll offer them at a hefty discount, I just got mine "reboxed" from amazon for 47 dollars, wait a few days and one will come up. If you use your student email you can get Amazon Prime for free, take advantage of that.

http://www.amazon.com/DeLonghi-EC155-Espresso-Cappuccino-Maker/dp/B000F49XXG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396498476&sr=8-1&keywords=delonghi+ec155

I also got this tamper, works well, it's a little light for my tastes but for home use it's fine. The EC155 has a 52mm basket, if having a 50mm tamper bothers you then pay the extra few bucks for a 52mm tamper. Personally doesn't bother me, and it was only 7 bucks.

http://www.amazon.com/Espresso-Tamper-Sizes-Alloy-Coffee/dp/B0001XRNEM/ref=pd_bxgy_k_text_z

Here's a milk frothing cup, you'll need it to properly froth milk. You can poorly froth milk in a microwave but why do that when you can spend an extra 8 dollars and do it properly? I personally got mine for a dollar from a thrift store.

http://www.amazon.com/Update-International-EP-12-Stainless-Frothing/dp/B000MR6I9I/ref=pd_bxgy_hg_text_y

I got one of these grinders years ago for around 20 dollars. I've seen them used, repackaged, and refurbished for about that much. Wait around and a deal will come up. You can also get a Hario Mini and a number of other hand grinders. But this one does just fine. Now out of the box it won't grind fine enough for espresso, however, with about 20 minutes worth of work you can shim it and it'll grind perfectly for espresso. It's not hard and anyone can do it with a screw driver and some tin foil.

http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-DBM-8-Supreme-Grind-Automatic/dp/B00018RRRK/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1396498766&sr=1-1&keywords=cuisinart+grinder

At this point if you're willing to wait for a deal on the EC155 you've only spent 107 dollars. Even less if you're willing to wait on a deal for the burr grinder as well. If you want AMAZING coffee you can spend another 27 dollars and get an Aeropress, or wait for a deal and get it for 20 dollars. It will make a coffee concentrate which will taste "okay" for a latte.

At this point, I cannot recommend going to your local coffee houses and asking if you can buy green beans. They typically sell green coffee for 5-8 dollars a pound. You can roast your own coffee with a skillet and a whisk, or a popcorn popper, there are hundreds of ways to do it cheaply and it easy. You'll save money and you'll be drinking tastier coffee.

Don't let these people get you down, good espresso doesn't have to be expensive. Feel free to message me if you have any questions!

Sturdy step stool ($40) - not the rickety tubular kitchen chair ones, I mean one where you can stand on the top. a Buy it for Life item, not inexpensive, but safe. https://www.amazon.com/Louisville-Ladder-AS3002-6966014-2-Foot/dp/B00182TWL2

Leatherman multi tool (around $50), which i keep in the junk bowl because I can never find a screwdriver fast enough. Pricey new, less expensive when you buy it second hand or in a pawn shop. they don't really break, but you do have to clean and oil them once a year. https://www.amazon.com/LEATHERMAN-Wingman-Multitool-Stainless-Steel/dp/B005DI0XM4/

Cordless drill (under $50), mine basically has the screw driver bit in it 90% of the time. the rest of the time I drill lots of pilot holes. pay attention to the battery... if you can get one with a battery that is shared by other tools in the line, then it is easily replaceable and if you buy another tool in that line you can swap batteries. I like to have 1 battery in the charger and one in the device. https://www.amazon.com/BLACK-DECKER-Cordless-Driver-BDCDD12C/dp/B0111N8L7I/

Spirit, bubble or torpedo level. (under $10) the Hanging kit usually contains just the wires and hooks, but you need a small spirit level for hanging pictures and shelves evenly. doesn't matter the brand they all work the same https://www.amazon.com/WilFiks-Leveling-Resistant-Different-Visibility/dp/B07M62GJYP/

Small tool boxes vary in quality. I don't know if this is for you or someone else. But don't buy anything unless it's a NAME BRAND, cheap metal tools bend and can break with too much torque. Even the Stanley line that Walmart sells isn't fabulous, but it's better than a nameless brand. I don't like SETS of tools, but you need to start someplace, buy GOOD tools one at a time, I love finding $$$ tools at thrift stores. https://www.amazon.com/STANLEY-94-248-Piece-Homeowners-Tool/dp/B000UHMITE/(i bought a cheap socket set 4 years ago to replace my stolen ones and they already have rust)

Bucket organizer. (around $15) If you buy a SET of tools, take the plastic blow molded container and put it in the recycling. You will never bother putting the tools back in and when you get more tools they won't fit. Bucket Organizers are pockets that fit around a 5 gallon bucket. You shove your tools into the pockets and everything else in the middle. And keep it in the bottom of your closet and carry it to where you need the tools. https://www.amazon.com/Bucket-Boss-10030-Bucketeer-BTO/dp/B00GK4TOWK

Tack Hammer. (under $15) You won't need a big 22 oz hammer, but a smaller 16 oz one with a normal handled and then a Tack hammer, these have a narrow head and sometimes are magnetic and hold the nail in place. Tack hammers are easier to use for hanging things exactly where you want them. https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-54-304-5-Ounce-Magnetic-Hammer/dp/B00002X1XD

Stud finder.(under $20) uses a battery, and lets you know where the studs are behind drywall. BEST PURCHASE EVER. https://www.amazon.com/Upgraded-Stud-Finder-Wall-Detector/dp/B07VLDTVFQ/ any brand will work fine.

Digital Infared Thermometer (under $20) Non-contact Digital Laser Infrared Thermometer Temperature Gun - ALSO BEST PURCHASE EVER... works in the kitchen for food and oven temp, fridge temp, and for locating drafts and cold spots around doors and windows. https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Lasergrip-1080-Non-Contact-Thermometer/dp/B00DMI632G

Toilet Plunger - the sort with the extra bit on the end. https://www.amazon.com/Get-Bats-Out-Plunger-Bathroom/dp/B00ODD5MD0 you do NOT want to be waiting around for someone to unblock your toilet. It may be disgusting but scoop out some of what's in the toilet before you start plunging, it's less disgusting than having to mop it off the floor. You want the plunger that makes a seal around the bottom.

BUCKET. (under $10) mine is constantly in use, i keep it in the tub and toss wet things into it. I have gone through EVERY TYPE on offer...I was so sick of plastic buckets, that warped and stained, where the handles ripped out. But the BEST and cheapest one I have ever found is a flat back duraflex bucket for watering horses. Not kidding. Made of a hard polyethylene these things are designed to be flung around and stepped on by 2000 lb animals. https://www.amazon.com/LITTLE-GIANT-Flat-Back-Dura-Flex-Plastic/dp/B000HHLHPS/ these are cheap if you buy them in a feed store, but even with the shipping on Amazon it is WELL WORTH the money. You will need a bucket when you empty the back of the toilet tank to change the flushing flapper or gasket, and you will need it when you empty the commode itself, if you have to change out the wax seal underneath.

Blanket hangers. (6 for $27) yeah this is obscure, but when I moved I lost a LOT of storage space. These saved my sanity. I use them to hang up quilts and sleeping bags in the back of the closet OFF SEASON. I also use them to hang blankets, sheets curtains and stuff once they come out of the laundry aren't quite dry. I didn't even know there was such a thing before now I wouldn't give them up. https://www.amazon.com/Stock-Your-Home-Comforter-Organization/dp/B00EUG51JU

Flashlight. ($30-50) I've written about these before. Until I bought a GOOD one, I had no idea how bad the others were. Cheap flashlights are great to have scattered about in the cellar, or in the junk drawer. but if you really want TO SEE, get a great flashlight. I gifted myself one for christmas one year and I love it. It hangs by the door and if I am going to be out very late or the weather is bad, I shove it in my bag. It will also illuminate Well past the end of the porch and into the yard if I hear a noise. https://www.amazon.com/Pelican-Carded-SabreLite-Flashlight-Yellow/dp/B01CKAIYV4 any very good brand will do, but I found Maglites to be dangerously useless.

Gosh, I'm so sorry. If it really is a pilonidal cyst, you need to have the whole area removed. They should have taken the whole thing out the first time. If it is a PC, the recovery may be uncomfortable for a few months, but if you don't take care of it now it will get more painful, and can become infected causing more painful and expensive surgeries.

Here's my free advice (lengthy but worth every penny lol)

-Make sure your surgeon understands what they are talking about, and are current with what these cysts are and treatment. Don't be afraid to get a second opinion. Ask about the length of hospital stay and post op wound care. If they want to suture it closed, get out of there. That's a good way to have a reoccurrence and infection. Which I'm guessing you don't want.

-The wound is basically like taking an ice cream scoop out of your back. It may go to the bone. It will need to be left open and will heal from the inside out. Your body will create 'granular tissue' that fills it in. In a couple of months, skin will grow to cover it. You will NOT have a lasting scar at all!

-They may offer you either 'packing' or a wound Vac. Go for the Wound Vac. It gently pulls your tissue up, and in recent studies it's been shown that the wound will heal the granular tissue faster and with less pain and trauma to that area. They will have them at the hospital, and will give you a portable one for at home. My daughter carried it in a backpack so it wasn't really noticeable. But it does make a farting sound every so often. Not awesome for a 14 y/o shy freshman :/ )

-My husband had his wound packed with gauze (back in 1983). He had to have his mom change it twice a day for 6 weeks. If this is your only option make sure you get strong pain meds. I suggest for the first month or two go to the wound care clinic and have them do it.

While at the hospital:

-Get as much information as you can. Bring someone who can be your advocate. Obviously, in our case, as her mom that was me. It has to be someone who has a cool head and can listen to the care team to process what they are saying to help you. If you don't have a person to help, keep some note cards or a journal next to you and write down all of your questions as they come to you. Make sure they are answered in a way you understand. Don't be afraid to ask more than once or twice. My thoughts on hospital staff- If you're nice, ask the nurses about their families and don't yell at them you'll get much better care. Be assertive but not aggressive.

-Take any and all pain meds you need. It might start with (most likely) morphine, but they have everything available. Don't be afraid to ask. If you have a history of abuse, they can help monitor so you don't get on fragile ground. They gave my daughter an rx for morphine patches, Vicodin and Xanax for wound changes. Because they caused her severe pain but also anxiety. She never needed the patches and she stopped needing the others after two months. She takes a Tylenol or Motrin every few weeks now. Her granular tissue is healed, her skin is getting thicker, but it's still a bit tender.

Post surgery:
You won't be able to sit on your bottom or lie on your back for a few weeks. Get this body pillow - called the Snoogle was recommended by her Physical Therapist while in the hospital. You could get one now, it might help release the pain in your lower back before surgery. It was VERY helpful and worth the trip to the baby store on the way home. These inflatable waffle pads are also great for when you can lay on your back without putting pressure on the coccyx -- and far better than the inflatable doughnuts they give to some people.

You won't be able to get it wet, so get some dry spray shampoo, and you can use these disposable wash cloths to bathe yourself as needed. Showering wasn't too hard, the wound Vac is sealed and I just set it outside the shower while she was in it. Once she was done with the wound Vac and able to shower again the wound care team recommended this tea tree body wash from Trader Joe's .

I have a list of post op necessities, I can post if want (even more) information lol. I figure knowledge is power, so if you go in knowing what you want, what to ask about, and knowing what's coming up, you'll feel more in charge and have control/agency over your own care.

Best of luck, let me know how it goes! Maybe it's not this at all :) 🤞

I've had KP since I was a kid and am finally getting handle on it in my 30s. My current routine is glycolic lotion twice a day, creams on the affected areas 3-4 times a day, and then physical exfoliation and using zinc or sulfur soap a couple times a week to keep the bumps at bay. But since skincare is YMMV, here's the exhaustive list of almost two decades of treatment, in case some of these other things will work for you!

100% of the items can be purchased via Amazon in the US - it's pretty much the only way I shop.

Beginner Level

If your KP has just appeared, focus on physical+chemical exfoliation and moisturizing. Look for lotions with the following ingredients:

• Glycolic Acid [[Link]] (https://www.amazon.com/GLYTONE-Exfoliating-Body-Lotion-8-4/dp/B002D48QRK/ref=sr_1_7_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1493069563&sr=1-7&keywords=glycolic+acid+lotion)
  
• Lactic Acid [[Link]] (https://www.amazon.com/AmLactin-12-Moisturizing-Lotion/dp/B000TTPZQ6/ref=pd_sim_194_9?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B000TTPZQ6&pd_rd_r=VMNB4G7XKMTDC8FCCPPW&pd_rd_w=3Hg0d&pd_rd_wg=6JKTf&psc=1&refRID=VMNB4G7XKMTDC8FCCPPW)
  
• Mandelic Acid [[Link]] (https://www.amazon.com/Dr-Wu-4712052501942-Intensive-Renewal/dp/B00KQYJ9TI/ref=sr_1_4_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1493069480&sr=1-4&keywords=mandelic+acid+serum)
  
• Azelaic Acid [[Link]] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MSSJP9Y/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
  
• Salicylic Acid [[Link]] (https://www.amazon.com/Paulas-Choice-Weightless-Treatment-Antioxidants/dp/B00CS5U172/ref=sr_1_7_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1493069348&sr=1-7&keywords=paulas+choice+bha) (Or just use [Stridex Pads] (https://www.amazon.com/Stri-dex-Pads-Maximum-Strength-Pack/dp/B004WP0S74/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1493069393&sr=1-1&keywords=stridex&th=1))
  
• Retinol [[Link]] (https://www.amazon.com/Retinol-Surge-Moisturizer-Cream-2-5/dp/B00OQQLNG4/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1493070177&sr=8-1&keywords=body+merry+retinol)
  
• Urea [[Link]] (https://www.amazon.com/Eucerin-Skin-Intensive-Treatment-Lotion/dp/B0098YQH2O/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1493069275&sr=1-1&keywords=eucerin+urea)
  
  Paula's Choice and Derma Doctor's KP duty both work well because they combine a few of these, but you can also get Amlactin, Eucerin and Glytone which are more focused on a single ingredient. Nearly all of the Eucering, Gold Bond, Cetaphil, etc. creams that work have one of the above ingredients, so take a look at the back of the bottle or on CosDna to figure out what works best for you. Prescription creams include Carmol 40 and Ammonium Lactate in higher concentrations.
  
  Physical exfoliation includes:
  
  
• Salux cloths [[Link]] (https://www.amazon.com/Salux-Nylon-Japanese-Beauty-Yellow/dp/B007IAE5WY/ref=sr_1_2_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1493068965&sr=1-2&keywords=italy+towels)
  
• Italy towels [[Link]] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004C8DR1U/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
  
• Hammam or Kessa mitts [[Link]] (https://www.amazon.com/Zakias-Morocco-Kessa-Hammam-Exfoliating/dp/B0076YIPZU/ref=pd_sim_194_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0076YIPZU&pd_rd_r=XC3PKNKFAM2Z88K10WDT&pd_rd_w=M6c0H&pd_rd_wg=fsKqw&psc=1&refRID=XC3PKNKFAM2Z88K10WDT)
  
• Dry brushing [[Link]] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DHHJ9S6/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
  
• Sugar scrubs [[Link]] (https://www.amazon.com/Tree-Hut-Sugar-Scrub-Moroccan/dp/B01EXDOQZY/ref=sr_1_2?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1493069250&sr=1-2-spons&keywords=sugar+scrub&psc=1)
  
• Salt scrubs [[Link]] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01F7WA2X0/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
  
• St. Ives wash [[Link]] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J4YY4DM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
  
• Lush Buffy Scrub [[Link]] (http://www.lushusa.com/body/body-butters/buffy/02127.html)
  
  My dermatologist also recommended moisturizing CONSTANTLY, which really helped smoothe my arms. According to his instructions, "constantly" meant that I needed to be able to feel the lotion on my skin 24/7 for at least 3 weeks, which for me meant a new layer of cream every hour or two. Pretty much any moisturizing lotion or cream will do. I'm partial to [CeraVe Moisturizing Cream] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013GDK3SQ/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1) (creams are less watered down than lotions, and this one drys down wonderfully, leaveing my skin feeling buttery but not sticky). Lush dream cream and Aveeno are also faves.
  
  Intermediate Level
  
  If a bit of exfoliation and moisture aren't working, you might want to consider if there are other skin conditions making your KP worse. For example, it turned out for me I had some fungal skin issues that made my KP bumps more inflamed. Topical steroids can help, but use with care as they can cause skin thinning. Try adding something with the following ingredients in to see if any of the following work. Also talk with your derm about getting a mild prescription treatment that might include an antibacterial or steroid component.
  
  
• Sulfur (typically sulfur soap, although you can also buy some creams) [[Link]] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00685KUGA/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
  
• 2% Pyrithione Zinc (ZnP) (In [soap] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MWB0ZGE/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&th=1) or [cream] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00N434AWO/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1) form)
  
• Tea tree oil [[Link]] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017L8ZUJE/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
  
• Clotrimazole [[Link]] (https://www.amazon.com/Family-Care-Clotrimazole-Anti-Fungal-Cream/dp/B01K51YPCC/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1493069707&sr=1-1&keywords=clotrimazole)
  
• Hydrocortisone [[Link]] (https://www.amazon.com/Cortizone-Cream-Maximum-Strength-Anti-Itch/dp/B001AZTD52/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1493069776&sr=1-1&keywords=hydrocortisone)
  
  As others have mentioned, sunlight also helps. Either give yourself 15 minutes of sun a day or look into UV treatments.
  
  Finally, consider dietary factors – for me cutting out dairy, sugar, and gluten when I really want crystal clear skin makes a big difference. Adding healthy oils and fats to your diet can also improve skin quality.
  
  Advanced Level
  
  I not only have KP, but years of scarring and redness (Post Inflammatory Erythema, or PIE) from picking at the bumps when I was younger. Laser treatments have almost 100% gotten rid of this and made my arms the smoothest and clearest they've been in almost two decades. However, these are pricey (for me, ~$200 a treatment and it took 4) and a serious time commitment. But if nothing else works, consider it.
  
  Other Tips
  
  
• If you pick, use a hydrocolloid bandage right away to make things heal faster.
  
• Vitamin C, niacinamide, honey/propolis, rosehip oil/rosewater, and all those other things this sub and /r/AsianBeauty love can really help reduce redness.
  
• Avoid overly hot showers, as this can be dehydrating. On the other hand, drink lots of water to hydrate internally.
  
• There are a ton of home/natural remedies out there, including using apple cider vinegar and coconut oil, none of which worked for me. These are seriously YMMV. Apple cider vinegar is low Ph, so if that helps, try using a [low Ph cleanser] (https://www.amazon.com/CeraVe-Foaming-Facial-Cleanser-Ounce/dp/B01N1LL62W/ref=sr_1_2_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1493070492&sr=1-2&keywords=cerave+foaming+facial+cleanser) or [Ph adjusting toner] (https://www.amazon.com/MIZON-Daily-Clean-Toner-Fluid/dp/B00LUU42NU/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1493070538&sr=1-1&keywords=ph+adjusting+toner), which might be less harsh. Similarly, coconut oil is antimicrobial and moisturizing, so give it a try and if it works, investigate whether you need more moisture or antibacterial/antifungal ingredients in your other products.
  
• Last but not least, don't sweat it! KP is incredibly common and nothing to worry about. I spent years being super paranoid about my arms and keeping them covered up, only to discover none of my friends even noticed my skin or cared at all.
  

To answer your question, the strength of your coffee is mostly influenced by how much coffee you're using versus how much water. For a strong cup with your Keurig, go with the setting with the smallest amount of water. The Keurig is by no means the "best" method to make coffee, but it will make coffee. If you decide to get a manual brewer (French press, Aeropress, Kalita Wave, etc.) the brew time has some leeway, but I'd recommend just using more coffee than trying to push the recommended brew time too far. Coffee can/should be strong without being bitter, and keeping the water and coffee together too long will create bitterness.


What follows is everything you need to know about making great coffee. Warning, this may be overwhelming:

1. Freshly ground coffee is going to taste better. Consider coffee like bread. A loaf left on the counter will get stale faster if you slice it up. Freshly roasted is better, but it might be more expensive/harder for you to find and you might not want to dive that deep yet.
   
2. Conical burr grinders are better than blade grinders. The problem is that a decent automatic burr grinder is going to be ~$100 and that's a steep price for someone just getting into coffee. Many people will recommend the mini mill, Skerton, or something along those lines that is hand-crank. (Good non-name brand options: 1 and 2) Those are your best bet. Although I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, you can get an automatic blade grinder if you might have an issue with manual grinding/don't want to drop a lot of money. I will mention that darker roasts are easier to grind manually so there's less worry for your wrist. The problem with blade grinders is you get a bunch of differently sized bits, which makes it more difficult to get consistency and figure out a grind size/brew time you like.
   
3. Each method of brewing calls for a differently sized grind. This is pretty important. If it's too small, you'll get a bitter cup. If it's too big, you'll get a sour cup. The same goes for brew time. Too long will make a bitter cup, and too short will make a sour cup. However, there's some leeway on both of these to your taste.
   
4. There are a bunch of ways to make coffee that change how it tastes. Methods that involve filtering through paper make a cleaner cup, but you lose most of the oils in the coffee. Metal filters leave in these oils, but can also leave a lot of sediment/mud in the bottom of your cup. You might drink this if you drink that last sip, and it isn't really nice.
   
5. Weighing your coffee is much more accurate if you want to make a consistent cup. A tablespoon of a darker roast might be 5 grams while a tablespoon of a lighter roast might be 7 grams.
   
6. You'll need something to boil water in. If you have a kettle, great. If you don't, you can use a pan or you can buy a kettle. It doesn't need to be a fancy/expensive gooseneck-style one (1 and 2), but you might want one of those if you get into pourover methods.
   
   I would recommend a French press (1 2 3 4) or Aeropress for someone just getting into coffee. They're much more forgiving than pour-over methods, meaning you're less likely to make a bitter cup. They each have their own drawbacks, too. An Aeropress is easier to clean up, but can only make one cup at a time. A French press takes more time to clean, but can make about 3 cups at a time. (By cups I mean a standard 12-ounce mug.) Definitely get a grinder, too (see above). A scale (1 and 2) is optional but recommended. For beans, seek out a local roaster/coffee shop, but there are tons of online options available, too.
   
   Welcome to the wonderful (and sometimes crazy) world of coffee!

For around 10 years now! I haven't perfected anything, and ymmv as always, but here's what I've found and tried

• Exfoliating wash cloths are a must! The first one I tried was one I found at Marshalls called the Cleanlogic stretch bath and shower cloth. It's on Amazon for $5.50 with Prime, but I got it for $4 at Marshalls. I had been looking for something like this for a while because of how much people rave about Korean Italy towels and Japanese Salux Towels, but I just hadn't pulled the trigger yet. The Cleanlogic is really great. I get a good lather going, then really scrape at my arms and legs (probably start slow and be careful because depending how hard you rub and how hot you like your showers, the water may burn), and use it more gently on the rest of my body. Shave right after. No more razor burn, the kp on my legs are totally gone, and I have only one or two new bumps on my arms. A couple days ago I finally bought a Salux towel (at Mitsuwa for cheaper than Amazon) and it's also fantastic. A little gentler if anything and it doesn't stretch, but same idea. Haven't tried the Italy towels yet.
  
• Acids work for some people I use Stridex in the red box, and any leftover Mizon 8% AHA after I use them on my face. I used the Stridex for a while before I got the cloths and I think I saw some difference, but the washcloth was way more dramatic. Because of the order I tried these in, I can't honestly tell if the AHA did much for me. Other people seem to love AHA lotions like Amlactin and Alpha Hydrox, but a lot of formulations may be less effective because of pH level. Paula's Choice is a good resource for vetting AHA lotions. Also be careful with AHAs because they can increase photosensitivity. When you do start showing your legs, use sunscreen if you've been AHA-ing.
  
• There is no perfect solution I've scoured the internet and everywhere says the same thing. Keratosis pilaris could be related to genetics, hormones, age, friction from clothes, pore blockage, sun exposure (helps or hurts depending who you ask), weather, and/or God. It's gonna be an ongoing thing until they're ready to leave.
  
  So I've managed to limit the new bumps for now, but the PIH from KP is real. I'm casually experimenting with vitamin c and retinol (on different nights or with at least 30 minutes between application), but I think it's gonna take time. Niacinamide is also supposed to help so I sometimes sprinkle some of my Scinic Honey AIO. Let me know if you do find something that works for this because I hate it!

Looks like you've already gotten some good advice, but I have a little more to add on a few of your items.

Sugar Scrub recipes? / How to remove dry skin? / How to eliminate the Red Bump Syndrome after shaving? Just get a Salux cloth and exfoliate with that (plus a little body wash) in the shower. It is MAGIC for exfoliation! I used to get the red bumps pretty bad but now I just exfoliate before shaving and I have no problems. Also, replace the blades in your razor when they start to get dull.

Ways to cure acne? This varies from person to person, but /r/SkincareAddiction is AMAZING. I wash with Cerave foaming cleanser, use their PM moisturizer (plus sunscreen during the day), make sure to wash my face AFTER brushing my teeth, and avoid touching my face much. This prevents a lot of zits for me. The ones I do get are poked with a clean lancet after washing my face and then covered with a hydrocolloid bandage.

How to whiten my smile? / bleach my hair? I saw you mention you have issues with pool chlorine--as a chemist, I feel I should inform you that commercial teeth whitening strips contain carbamate peroxide as the whitening agent and not chlorine bleach (NaClO). Similarly, bleach meant for hair is also peroxide-based. Big difference! Might want to see if they work for you, since they don't contain the chemical that was causing you problems.

Nail Care Tips THESE VITAMINS ARE MAGIC. My nails get pretty long without breaking now, and I'm really rough on my hands. They taste like candy, too. Should also be good for hair and skin!

Exercise routines...? Go learn how to lift heavy things properly. Seriously. New Rules of Lifting for Women is not a bad starting point for a total beginner. Heavy lifting has given me loads of confidence, kickass thighs, an awesome butt, and even visible abs at one point. Lifting will build muscle, which provides a nice frame even if you have extra bodyfat...how much bodyfat you carry also depends on your diet, which /r/xxfitness can help you figure out. Once you figure out what works for you, sustainably, diet and activity-wise, you actually have a great deal of control over how your body looks. (It turns out I like chocolate more than I like seeing my abs most of the time, but if I miss them and I want them visible for a while, I now know that about 1800-2000 cal/day with a high training volume will do that.) Endless cardio is not necessary if you are like me and you hate running...I only do naked cardio :D Do find an activity you love and will stick with, and make sure you get enough sleep. Don't cut calories to 1200/day and run yourself to death, it will screw up your metabolism for years and make it way harder to lean out.

Good ways to stop Cramps, or at least help make them lighter and less painful. If they're debilitating, see your gynecologist--a medical condition could be the problem. As an endometriosis sufferer, I'm on a Pill that's designed to give only four periods a year, but I take it continuously, so I don't have periods at all. That's not for everyone, but it does help a lot to start taking ibuprofen a week before your period and continue taking it (at the recommended interval, something like every 6 hours I think) until the cramping stops. Also, invest in a good heating pad. They work very, very well.

Different surfaces for different things.

One decent nonstick pan is great to have for things like eggs, but isn't great at high heat applications like searing meat. You'll never build a good fond in nonstick, and having pots lined with nonstick coating is just unnecessary. A couple of pans -- a larger one for cooking fish or day-to-day "I'm just browning some ground beef" kind of stuff, and a smaller one for fried eggs or whatever -- will be plenty. You don't want to spend too much on a nonstick pan, though, because by their nature their lifespan is limited.

One cast iron pan is great to have because it's great at really high-heat applications, but can also be used for any number of other things -- you can sear a roast in it, you can bake a deep-dish pizza in it, or brown off some chicken and then braise it in the same pan. It can become pretty nonstick over time, with the right care, but that's a long-term process. Cast iron is heavy, though, and requires different care than other pans (it's not difficult to take care of, just... different. You can't chuck it in the dishwasher and walk away.)

For an all-purpose workhorse, look for stainless steel. It's good in a wide range of applications, and can do almost anything reasonably well. It's a little more prone to sticking (which is a good thing in many cases), but it's also durable enough that you can scour the fuck out of it on those occasions when you need to.

More important than the surface of a pan, IMHO, is the base. Avoid anything with a thin base; over time, it'll warp, and that creates hotspots and wobbles that make cooking a pain in the ass. You want pans that have a pretty thick base. If you can get something that has a layer of aluminum sandwiched in, that's great. Aluminum conducts heat better than steel, so pans will get hot faster with some aluminum included. You don't really want to cook directly on aluminum, though, so something with steel and aluminum layers in the base is ideal.

You're probably not going to find one single set that covers absolutely everything; I'd advise one base set of stainless steel, and then a few add-ons as time/money allows. I know Cuisinart does a pretty nice set of tri-ply stainless steel pots and pans that runs under $200, and goes on sale for even less regularly. Add a T-fal nonstick pan or two, and one good Lodge cast iron skillet, and you'd be well-equipped for most things.

When I'm overwhelmed I find it best to break up a big task and do small things one at a time. These are a lot of valid questions, but some of them you might not need to worry about just yet. Maybe some steps like this will help:

1. Have you read the Quick Start Guide and FAQs the AutoModerator commented? If not, do that first.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Once done, figure out how you're going to count calories, because yes, it would be best to do that. Will you keep a pen and paper journal? Most of us use the MyFitnessPal app on our phones (also good on desktop), but there are other apps like LoseIt (not affiliated with this sub) that people like.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Download that app/buy that special notebook and pen. When you set up your app, it will likely ask you how much weight you want to lose per week. If you want to jump ahead and put in 0.5-2 lbs per week that's up to you, but I wouldn't recommend it just yet; just say you want to maintain right now. By now you've read the Quick Start Guide and FAQs and you have an idea that to lose weight, the basic thing is to eat less calories than you burn. It'll be best if you count those calories.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Buy a food scale to help you with this logging. It's so much easier than estimating; we often estimate wrongly and way too little.You need one that has a Tare function and can measure in imperial and metric. They're not expensive; something like this is just fine.
   
   
   
   
   
5. No need to change your eating just yet. Just start logging everything that goes into your mouth. Don't forget sauces, cooking oils, drinks, etc. This will help you learn your app and give you an idea of what you are currently eating. It will also help you learn about logging, weighing food, etc. in general before you have to focus on any other major changes.
   
   
   
   
   
6. After a week or two of this, then start slowly working your way down to your deficit amount. It's not recommended that women ever eat less than 1200 calories a day unless under doctor's orders, because that's usually the minimum needed to meet your nutritional needs (1500 for men). If you decide you want to eat at 1500 calories/day for now (just as an example), you can either jump straight in to that amount or start working your way down, cutting 100-200 calories per day at a time at a pace that you think is sustainable.
   
   
   
   You do not need to cut out things like fast food, chocolate, homemade meals, etc., cold turkey unless you really want to. I haven't, though. I still eat sushi, pizza, sub sandwiches, etc., just not nearly as often and most of the time I make it fit into my 1500 calorie/day budget. You just need to make sure you're logging everything accurately (most calorie apps have a recipe function that helps you with homemade food). And then most of the time you make it so that those foods do not put you over your calorie allotment for the day by making your other meals smaller, or something like that.
   
   
   
   Cheat days help some, hinder others. The thing you need to remember is that this is a process, there is sometimes experimentation. You can try cheat days or meals; if you find they're not working for you for some reason, don't have them as often or at all. There is not a deadline, so if something sets you back a little that's okay, you can just get back on track and adjust.
   
   
   
   Take a deep breath! You can do this! Post in the daily Q&A threads if you have any questions! And don't forget to celebrate your victories in the SV/NSV daily thread. We are here to help!

I will have to agree with what u/Pumpkinsweater said. Last year my girlfriend and I were in the same boat, but we decided to get a french press and use a cheap $40 grinder with not-so-great results.

We then got the Hario Slim hand grinder, which made a huge difference, but was just a bit too much work for the mornings.

We now have a Baratza Encore grinder and an Aeropress; a $150 (USD) total investment. We still use cheaper beans because we are on a budget, but properly ground and pressed cheap coffee, to me, is still quite nice.

The cool thing about the Aeropress is it makes coffee at double strength, which you then dilute down to "regular" strength or whatever you want. If you want a latte-STYLE, just use the double strength and finish with an equal volume of milk/creamer/whatever. You get a ton of variety from one little Aeropress. It's quick too, I can have a cup made (after the water is already heated, of course) in just under 4 minutes.

The Baratza Encore grinder will work across whatever you want to try. They say it's not great for french press, but I find it perfectly fine. Aeropress, French Press, Pourovers, or grinding for a cheap-o drip coffeemaker, it works for them all.

Oh, that's one thing, you will need a hot water kettle. We've had the Hamilton Beach temp controlled w/ timer since last year and it is awesome. You can program a time for it to turn on, so your hot water is ready, and also set the temperature (I brew coffee at 195-200 degF, then I can vary it for teas). http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-40996-Programmable-1-7-Liter/dp/B0083I7THI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1418247900&sr=8-3&keywords=hamilton+beach+hot+water+kettle

Anyway, good luck in your ventures!

Honestly, the easiest way to start is probably an Aeropress and a decent kettle. Get a gooseneck early, then you won't have to buy a second kettle later if you decide to start playing with pour-overs. If you want to make boiling water a little more passive, get an electric one. I have this one and it works like a charm.

Another cheap starter option for brewing is the V60 and its various clones. The original is plastic, but this one is ceramic and only $20. It takes some practice to get pour-overs just right, but it's worth it. And for $20, it's not a bad way to give it a shot or just to have in your collection.

Grinders are a whole discussion. I have a Baratza Encore that I really like. It's easy to maintain and Baratza's support was pretty good to me when I needed them. If you want to go a little cheaper, you might consider a Skerton or Mini Mill.

For beans, have fun. There are a ton of places to get decent beans, and part of the fun is finding new places. There are a number of redditors that roast and will probably sell beans to you if you like. (Including me!) I would suggest some, but I actually skipped this part and went straight to roasting.

EDIT: Oh, and good luck. You're opening a door to a rabbit hole, now.

You should consider getting an electric kettle. This is the one I use at home and the only one I can really recommend from experience. The temperature controls can be a bit fiddly at times, but once you get used to them its super easy to get the temperature you want. This is another popular programmable kettle which I've heard a lot of good things about. You can also surf around on Amazon and read some reviews, there's a large variety of electric kettles around. Another option is to keep boiling your water on the stove then letting it sit and cool and using a meat thermometer to gauge the temperature.

As for brewing, get a gaiwan! One, Two, Three, Four, Five, and there half a million more options out there. This is an awesome simple guide to using a gaiwan. Look up some tutorials on youtube or google for some more detailed info, or search around /r/tea a bit.

Next on the checklist, SAMPLES! Don't order 100 grams of a tea that you've never tried. Here's some basic sampler packs: One, Two, Three, Four. Plenty of other great sites offer samples too, check out /r/tea's List of Retailers on the sidebar.

Hope this helps, and sorry if this was too rambling and in-cohesive, I've had a lot of caffeine.

Also, I want to leave you with this guide. It's an incredibly well done piece. Good luck!

Excuse me from copying my reply from a previous BIFL, but I still feel strongly:

MISTER BENTO MISTER BENTO MISTER BENTO

It's a bit complicated--follow me here. It's an insulated tube just like a thermos, with four round containers. I'll take you through them, from the bottom up.

Soup bowl: Actually a pretty nice soup bowl. It's got a lid that screws on, as well as a pressure-valve on the lid to prevent a vacuum forming as it cools (it's going to cool a little, no matter the insulation... thermodynamics still exists).

Rice bowl: It's a Japanese product, so there's a big compartment for rice. I never have a problem fitting a sandwich in here, if that's what you're in the mood for. You... you get used to sandwich-pucks eventually. Important thing here is that the lid on this bowl is thick and insulated, to help keep whatever's in here and the soup warm.

Veggie bowl: As I understand the typical Japanese meal (read: none), this is a bowl that's supposed to house some vegetables. You may have noticed that the bowl below this has a thick insulating layer. The way it's designed, this compartment and the one above it aren't insulated. It's actually pretty cool, when you think about it. I would usually use this for some roughage... dry cereal or something.

Tiny top bowl: This is it. Another non-insulated bowl. I'd usually put a cookie or two in here.

The whole thing is leak-proof, and it really does a fantastic job. Once you think about the two-hot-two-plain thing, you can put some fun meals together. The insulation works well--soup was always warm come lunchtime. And it's surprisingly big, too. You won't finish eating and want for any more. I didn't finish a lot of times, or I'd use one of the compartments just to hold a mid-day snack.

I know you might balk at the price, but if you think you might like something like I'm describing, I really can't endorse the product enough.

> if I were to use this, would the metal mesh screen capture all particles, even the finely ground ones?

Steel will let some fines through, but the mesh is a lot tighter than on my French press... The fines have never been enough to bother me, basically large enough to see, but small enough that I don't feel then when drinking.

The main difference between paper filters and steel ones is the oils. With paper you get a cleaner cup, the flavors pop a little more. With steel you get more of the oils, and it is a richer cup similar to French pressed coffee.

>how much can I make in one press?

Basically a small cup. Personally I think it's strong enough that you can easily top of a large mug with hot water and still have a good cup of coffee... Definitely still stronger than a basic drip pot makes.

>mostly going to be coffee and water, don't even know what other kinds to make, really. (yet)

Coffee and water are pretty much the appropriate ingredients. Really is a matter of trying different beans, different grinds, different steep times.

>is this a chore for daily coffee making, or is the flavor worth the extra hassle?

For me it's worth the hassle on the weekends. Personally I prefer my Moka pot on weekdays before work, but that's actually more effort (though I cheat and use pre-ground coffee.)

It's definitely not set it and forget it, but it definitely makes better coffee. It is more effort, but if you've got an extra few minutes in the morning is a much better way to start your day. For me it's the difference between "I need coffee" and "I'm going to thoroughly enjoy my morning coffee".

Quick edit: I did use my Aeropress every day until this last Christmas when I got the Moka pot. The Moka pot makes coffee that resembles espresso. The Aeropress makes very strong coffee that doesn't really resembles espresso. Different device, different purpose.

Disclaimer: I have received so many canisters of fruit-flavored teas that I'll never ever drink - and I am an adventurous eater, I'll try just about anything once - that it has reeeally turned me against the idea of gifted tea unless you're totally certain the recipient will like it. If you must give someone tea, I'm also very strongly anti-sampler. One very nice tea is usually a better gift than four alright teas.

This is the situation that gift certificates were made for. Someone else suggested Adagio. If it seems too impersonal, combine it with a nice mug or a nice strainer for loose-leaf teas, like this one.

If she's not an adventurous person, that's okay and you're not going to turn her into one by buying her teas she might not want to try as a gift. If you really want to pick something instead of getting a gift certificate, remember that it's supposed to be a gift and not a chore, so get her stuff that you know she'll like. If you really really really want to get her a tea instead of a gift certificate, instead of getting her a sampler of new and different stuff, get her one or two things that she already enjoys, but a higher quality product than she'd ordinarily buy for herself. The one tea gift I've received that I actually drank all of was from somebody who knew that I loved jasmine green tea, so he got me...jasmine green tea. It was awesome.

If you know that she likes black tea and fruit-flavored teas, I bet she would appreciate a really nice earl grey, for instance, or maybe an oolong tea.

The answer to your question is really dependent on budget. A quick perusal through the sub will show you that the Aeropress is a popular option because it is one of the least expensive ways to get a solid cup of coffee.

If you have some cash to part with, it might be worth looking at setting yourself up with a pourover setup - I'd probably suggest the v60. You would need the v60, the hario buono, and you'd probably want a scale to weigh coffee (there are a LOT of options, many cheaper than what I've linked). You would also need to get a reasonably good grinder - check out the sidebar for a list of grinders. Yes, it's a lot of capital to get started, but the coffee is fantastic and the equipment is very durable. This equipment, properly cared for, could potentially outlast you in many cases.

There's also the standard drip coffee maker, but from my experience if you go that route you ought to just invest in the cheapest one. The quality coffee from most drip machines is pretty similar. A better question is what grinder to get - that will improve your brew quality across all methods. Again, sidebar has great advice, but a really popular grinder here is the[ Baratza Encore] (http://www.amazon.com/Baratza-Encore-Conical-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B00LW8122Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1459250167&sr=8-1&keywords=baratza+encore+coffee+grinder) which you can sometimes find on their refurb page for discounted prices.

No matter what you choose - good luck and happy caffienation

Bialetti - stove top espresso maker - you'll never need to buy an expensive coffee maker ever again.

Leuchterm 1917 journal for my bullet journal

6in Ruler to go with my journal - fits in the back pocket perfectly

Huhuhero Color Pen Set also to go with my journal -- has every color you'll need and has a really nice thickness. I use a finer tipped Staedtler for writing but these pens are perfect for titles and decorating and under $6 can't be beat

Customizable dog tag

Ahava Dead Sea Bath Salts - for a luxurious bath that won't dry you out

Ramekins for all of your baking needs. It's also fantastic to use for cooking (holding onto spices, separating eggs, etc.) and for serving dips.

Dog Toy Basket - adorable, holds a ton of toys, and looks really chic in my apartment.

Salt and Pepper Mill Grinders - pretty and functional

Bath Overflow Cover - get your water higher for a more satisfying bath

Bath Spa Pillow

Grippy Stand - the BEST stand for any size tablet.. I have two of them they're so good

Hotel Spa Cotton Towel 4 Pack - smallish bath towel with so many uses. I leave then by the front door to wipe the pup's paws.

Popin Cookin 9 Pack - the MOST FUN you'll ever have 9 times over

Tons and tons and tons of books - look under the "available for less money" links for "used" paperback versions that will make them super affordable and they usually come nearly brand new!

Okay so this probably sounds too good to be true but I decided to try a "mattress-in-a-box" thing too and my budget was a tad lower (by like 600 haha I'm a student) BUT I Think I've found the hidden-gem of mattress brands: Zinus. I got mine from amazon, and if you have prime shipping is free.

This is the one I have:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012H0JTMA/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&th=1

Would give it 7/10 on the 0-10 Firmness scale (which is my personal preference), maybe 5/10 on that memory-foam sinking in feeling, and its held up super well, and only ~$250.

Total satisfaction out of 10 - I'd give it 9/10

Here are some nicer ones:

https://www.amazon.com/Zinus-Gel-Infused-Memory-Hybrid-Mattress/dp/B072JV5JZ6/ref=sr_1_8?s=furniture&ie=UTF8&qid=1540541827&sr=1-8&keywords=zinus+mattress

https://www.amazon.com/Zinus-Memory-Foam-BioFusion-Mattress/dp/B07B9JKDLC/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=furniture&ie=UTF8&qid=1540541827&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=zinus+mattress&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Zinus-Gel-Infused-Green-Memory-Mattress/dp/B01NH0XWNU/ref=sr_1_4?s=furniture&ie=UTF8&qid=1540541827&sr=1-4&keywords=zinus+mattress&dpID=51Sncbbt2DL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

https://www.amazon.com/Zinus-Memory-Green-Mattress-Queen/dp/B00Q7EPSHI/ref=sr_1_3?s=furniture&ie=UTF8&qid=1540541827&sr=1-3&keywords=zinus+mattress&dpID=31aAUhBQzvL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

​

Also - if you don't already have Honey - it is the best app/add-on for coupon codes.. like for real I'm not a rep for them haha, just crazy good deals. It automatically tries a bunch overtime you're checking-out online. Link to that is: joinhoney.com/ref/bk7a4o if you wanna check it out!

I'd go for an aeropress. It's what got myself, and later on my girlfriend, into coffee, and it's pretty cheap. It will make a strong, small batch of coffee each time, somewhere between an espresso and a french press (in my opinion).

I'm guessing the macchiatos your fiance is talking about is the Starbucks variety. Macchiatos are supposed to be an espresso shot with very little milk added.

Anyway, continuing on the assumption that the drink she likes is 1-2 shots of espresso and a mug of foamed milk (and flavoring), I would start by making a copy of that at home with the aeropress.

The way I did that is I'd warm up a mug of milk while I'm boiling the water, and use a handheld frother to froth the heated milk. (This won't create the same caliber of foamed milk as you'd get from an espresso machine/steamer but I'm guessing you don't want to drop the cash on one quite yet)... Once the milk is frothed and the water is heated I'd add freshly ground beans(important that they're fresh!) to to the aeropress, and then water, and brew the coffee right into the mug of frothed milk.

At this point you have a pretty close replica to a latte. Since you are newcomers to coffee, you might want to add some sort of flavoring to it. I rarely do, but when I did, I'd just add a little vanilla extract and sugar.

Tips:

• 
  You're going to want to grind your beans at home. Buying preground beans almost guarantees they're going to be stale.
  
• Following what I said above, freshness is key. Try to buy freshly roasted beans.
  
• A lot of the process of coffee making is tinkering to your own taste. If you make a cup of coffee and it's way too strong, don't give up. Try something else untill it's good for you!
  
• Once you get used to the milk-laden coffees, try to broaden your horizons. There are a wide range of coffee types, and they all have their bonuses.
  
  Gear:
  
  
• Aeropress $25.95
  
• Milk frother $2.00
  
• Hario Skerton Hand Grinder $48.50 (Ceramic burr grinders are the best type of coffee grinders, but they run around $300 on average, this one, however is $50.00 but requires some work. I own one and it's worth the effort in my opinion)
  
  Beans: (Places I've tried)
  
  
• Intelligentsia
  
• The Roasterie
  
• Klatch Coffee
  
  Mugs:
  
  
• Great mug
  
• Also great mug, but pretty large
  
  If you have any questions, or if I'm wrong about something let me know! I think this is all for now.

AeroPress, for sure. Here is probably the cheapest setup you can do, and still get the best flavour/experience.

Aerobie AeroPress + Able DISK Fine - $40 (I strongly suggest the DISK Fine over paper filters, but the AeroPress does come with a bunch of filters.)

Pocket Scale - $7

Carafe - $7 (so you press straight into this, and measure yield, as most mugs will not fit on the scale; also great for serving two)

Hario Slim burr grinder - $34 (if you'd rather go electric, the Bodum Bistro burr is a great buy and can be had for $120 new or under $100 used/refurbished)

Bonavita Gooseneck kettle - $50 (You do not need a gooseneck for the AeroPress, but you do for any type of pour over, so why not?)

Good luck, and have fun! Give my video a gander to see how to prepare with the AeroPress. It is fun! Almost as fun as an espresso machine. Ha! Yeah, right! But definitely worth the small coin.

First of all, your mother was wrong for doing that and it's really common in raisedbynarcissists homes, though I'm not sure that she is a narc...because this is only one small example and could be applicable to non-narcs. That being said, it's never too late to learn how to cook. I was in the same boat as you were and was really frustrated by youtube videos because they taught things from a perspective of already knowing cooking basics and I didn't even know that much.

I'd strongly recommend this cookbook because it teaches you the basics to the basics. It actually shows you how to cut veggies properly and what brands to buy based on testing and gives it's reasoning and logic as to why. The recipes are easy to follow with lots of pictures and clear instructions and always come out as restaurant quality (for the record, I got this book in December 2018 and 2019 was the first time I ever cooked in my life) and have been able to make quite a few showstopping recipes (I started out by setting aside one day to try a new recipe, for example, I would decide ahead of time what I was making each Sunday which was when I would cook from this book as I have a full-time job and a child). So it depends on you how much time you have but honestly, one recipe a week has taught me so much about cooking in general.

I can't express how good the food is. My fully British bf loves Indian food (has all his life, of course) and we made a Chicken Tikki Masala from this book..he told me he's had this made gourmet at his favorite restaurants and that there was no way it would turn out as well for us (we were cooking together and he was trying to convince me to deviate from the actual instructions) unless he added stuff. I stood firm and told him that he had to try it their way first and to just try it before trying to change it...it ended up being so good that both of us now have a new favorite Chicken Tikki Masala recipe lol.

I'd also recommend a small scale if you don't already have one because it makes it much easier to cook meats if you actually cut them down to the right size. For example, if it say's 6-8 ounce chicken breasts, I buy chicken breasts and cut off all of the fat until it's close to 6-8 (usually closer to 8.5 but close enough). Because then when the recipe says cook 4 minutes on each side, you can literally follow that exactly and it should come out perfectly every time. Hope that helps but please let me know if you have more questions/anything else that I can help with! I linked the one we use but it's up to you, of course.

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Cooking-Two-Cookbook-Everything/dp/1936493837/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=cooking+for+2&qid=1563201487&s=gateway&sr=8-3



https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Multifunction-Stainless-Batteries-Included/dp/B0113UZJE2/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=small+scale&qid=1563201838&s=gateway&sr=8-7

ooh ooh finally something I can give insight on. I am a hot chocolate lover as well.

I would buy an immersion/hand blender. Here is an amazon link to the one I use and its awesome. The hand blender will blend mexican hot chocolate and chocolate bars into milk you heat in the microwave or blend right in a pot and froth it nicely. Try to use a big glass jar. Don't add chocolate to a pan that is on the burner, if you burn the chocolate it tastes really bad and you don't need that much heat to blend chocolate.
amazon link

When you heat milk it needs to be hotter than you can drink because when you use the hand blender it will cool it down. Also be careful with it boiling over.

I'm Hispanic so I was accustomed to Abuelita and Ibarra and I realized over time the flavor changed, recently I looked at the ingredients and they were made cheaper. You have to be careful with some Mexican groceries because they will substitute cheap ingredients.

I suggest Tazo hot chocolate if you want that Mexican Style Hot Chocolate, they sell them at whole foods or at their website but their shipping is ridiculous.

Another hot chocolate I like is called Wicked Hot Chocolate
here is the link to the website

Godiva serves hot chocolate and I love it from there.

What I do normally though is buy a huge quality bar of chocolate like at Trader Joes and chop it and put it in a jar. I dust it with some cocoa powder so it won't melt to the jar. If you ever see a good flavored chocolate bar get it and use it in hot chocolate. Remember to look at the ingredients and make sure it has cacao butter not palm oil substitute. Also be careful when buying things with "flavor" in the end. Like Cinnamon "flavor" means there is no cinnamon in it, just something with that flavor.

For sweeteners I prefer raw sugar or maple syrup. But normal sugar is fine. I like to add sugar and keep tasting and add more as I go in teaspoons. I've found 1 Tablespoon of sugar to 3 Tablespoons of chopped Chocolate to be my favorite. If you measure the milk, chocolate and sugar and have the measurements down you can make them really quick.

Also I like to add a pinch of sea salt to finish the chocolate. And I also eat it with Hawaiian bread, when you dip the Hawaiian bread in the chocolate it coats it and is delicious.

I'll just give you my generalize copy/pasta I usually hand out in situations like these so if you wanna read it when you got a chance, then you have it! Also has tips and purchase links for Amazon as well for different axolotl stuffs.


HOW TO CYCLE:

1. Set up tank with clean conditioned water. 2. Add recommended amount of beneficial bacteria per label
   
   
2. Add "waste" to the tank, so a little bit of say fish flakes ( they're cheap and you need a waste source since you DO NOT put a fish or axolotl in a uncycled tank. The flakes are gonna break down into ammonia. The goal with cycling is to get benefical bacteria to build up so they can change (eat) the waste & breaks down the ammonia into nitrite then finally break it down further into nitrate. All these chemicals can hurt axolotl.
   
   
3. Test tank a couple days later with a testing kit ( avoid strips, they will lie to you and give false results) if there is ANY ammonia or nitrite present, you arent cycled. If there is no nitrate present either, you arent cycled.
   
   
4. If you find ammonia or nitrite, take 50% of the water out and add clean treated water. Add more seachem stability ( benefical bacteria) ( add these each time you change water. Even if it's cycled)
   
   
5. Add a pinch more flakes & Continue to do this until your tank is cycled. Meaning you have no ammonia, no nitrite and a presence of 40ppm or less of nitrate.
   
   
   
   Warnings:
   1.If your tank isn't cycled, you are going to chemical burn them with ammonia in the water. And they will suffer. Nitrate ( the final of the chemical process) can also burn the fish/axolotl. This is why we keep this number under 40ppm. If it is higher than 40ppm, change the water 75%.
   
   
6. This beneficial bacteria lives in the filter. If you change your filter, you just ruined your cycle. Don't do this. If it gets nasty/clogged & you have to replace the cartirage, leave the old cartirage in with the new one for a few days so the beneficial bacteria can inhabit the new filter. If you can avoid replacing that, just rinse/gently squeeze out the filter in old tank water when you do clean the tank to keep from murdering the bacteria
   
7. Letting the filter dry out will also kill a cycle.
   
8. 
   
   *NOTE: Most bottles of beneficial bacteria say they cycle a tank in a day. Cycling can take up to a month in some cases but usually just two weeks if you keep on it. This requires constantly monitoring, testing and replacing most of the water in the tank when you get high ammonia/nitrite levels. You need ammonia/nitrite to be 0 and nitrate to be more than 0. Definitely less <40. If all your levels are higher than this, or if nitrate remains 0, your tank isn't cycled.***
   
   
   Summery;
   So basically, cycling builds beneficial bacteria which makes these waste breakdown chemicals go through a cycle of breaking down into a less dangerous form which keeps fish/axolotl from getting sick/dying. ... Most new fish people don't do this. And fish store employees try & tell them just adding something like seachem stability fixes this. It doesn't. An uncycled tank is basically new tank syndrome and it kills animals.
   
   You still are going to need to keep an eye on chemical levels after the cycle..Occasionally different things can cause the cycle to "crash", like changing the filters or a high tempeture, or the filters becoming dry..
   
   Once your tank is cycled, and you have an axolotl, honestly it's not that much work. The cycles the worst part. I feed my adult axolotls once every other day, I change 75% of their water twice a month, and add water to top it off / spot clean occasionally two-three other times a month due to the water I lose due to evaporation.
   
   
   Stuff you'll need:
   
9. Air stone+ airline+ air pump ( cheap ones are at Walmart.
   
10. Seachem stability ( beneficial bacteria)
    
11. Seachem prime ( it's a water conditioner I just prefer seachem)
    
12. A tank, 10 gallon minimum for 1 axolotl. But the bigger the better.
    
13. A filter
    
14. Hides for the axolotl
    
15. A syphon / water vacuum ( to suck out the poo/change water easy. I have a long food grade plastic hose I got from Ace hardware. I syphon and let it drain into the yard
    
16. A bucket
    
17. A Tupperware
    
18. A fan. Literally any fan you can put on top the tank and point at it will work. I have a table fan sitting on top my tank and blowing at the water to help keep it cool. A chiller is best, but they are expensive.
    
19. A tank thermometer ( don't get the thermometer strips, they lie
    
20. A master fresh water test kit.
    
21. Worms or repashy or pellets
    
    
    
    Links:
    
22. Test kit https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000255NCI/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1549784772&sr=8-2&keywords=master+freshwater+test+kit&dpPl=1&dpID=51FQhbpfB0L&ref=plSrch
    
    
    
23. Fan suggestion
    
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001R1RXUG?aaxitk=NqgMhM9.r7.gAHICKezCoA&pd_rd_i=B001R1RXUG&pf_rd_p=0ef604ef-c787-43e9-9404-52a4ff25a95c&hsa_cr_id=8386596470601&sb-ci-n=asinImage&sb-ci-v=https%3A%2F%2Fimages-na.ssl-images-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FI%2F71pMktGGyRL.jpg&sb-ci-a=B001R1RXUG
    
    
24. Tank thermometer
    
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0002AQITK/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1549784880&sr=8-5&keywords=tank+thermometer
    
    4.
    Air pump + line + stone.
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B073DWVX5P/ref=mp_s_a_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1549784937&sr=8-11&keywords=air+pump+for+aquarium&dpPl=1&dpID=41%2BcSpzfDgL&ref=plSrch
    
    
25. Filter ( basic the tank you have probably already has one)
    
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000260FUM/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1549785038&sr=8-2&keywords=hob+filter&dpPl=1&dpID=41Rr1kpTVOL&ref=plSrch
    
    
26. Shower poof ( hang these so they slow the flow of water coming out of filter. Axolotls don't like a lot of heavy water flow. Get these at the dollar store and rinse them before going in tank. You don't have to get these online. I'm just showing you)
    
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01F88BMC8/ref=mp_s_a_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1549785094&sr=8-3&keywords=shower+pouf
    
    
27. Seachem stuff
    Prime; https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00025694O/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1549785181&sr=8-1&keywords=seachem+prime&dpPl=1&dpID=41Q0rRc8NML&ref=plSrch
    
    Stablity:
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0002APIIW/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1549785210&sr=8-1&keywords=seachem+stability
    
    
28. Food
    Pellets:
    
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0787T25J1/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1549785278&sr=8-1&keywords=axolotl+pellets
    
    Repashy:
    https://www.chewy.com/repashy-superfoods-meat-pie-gel/dp/166289?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=f&utm_content=Repashy%20Superfoods&utm_term=&gclid=Cj0KCQiAkfriBRD1ARIsAASKsQLQAXpk3WwGiCwRMr6OQmbfUXPIZutYnADrujltXxW1PPSVgYpPduEaAmAaEALw_wcB
    
    Ice cube trays for repashy( frozen is better. It's a jello. It will really trash your tank. So frozen is better):
    
    https://www.amazon.com/niceCube-Mini-Ice-Cube-Trays/dp/B01L7ZFBXW/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1549785496&sr=8-2-spons&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=mini+ice+cube+tray&psc=1
    
    
    
29. Hides. Here's a good example..I soemthing similar. Just go to the reptile section at your pet store. Get one that's not rough but smooth. Plastics a good option. Just rinse it well before you put it in tank
    https://www.arcatapet.com/m/item.cfm?cat=22600&source=GA-PLA00522600&fullsite=0
    
    
30. Water vacuum. This is what I have + I have a big long hose for big water changes. I use this to spot clean poo and "vacuum' it into a 10 gallon bucket
    
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B011DDJZ9Y/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1549785739&sr=8-1&keywords=aquarium+vacuum
    
    Feeding tongs: They're actually tweezers for planting a planted fish tank. These can grip worms very well.. The Amazon ones that are silver suck and will make your life hell. Don't waste your money on ones on amazon unless you can find these on Amazon.
    
    https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/fish/feeding-accessories/fluval-straight-forceps

Two things that I use all the time that I don't see mentioned:

Stovetop Smoker. With all the meat I cook, being able to smoke it gives it a whole new depth of flavors without adding any carbs and makes even simple dishes special. Very inexpensive too once you buy the initial smoker. I bough a bunch of different types of wood chips and they've lasted me about half a year now. Even in my small apartment there's hardly any smoke leak (although I do crimp foil around the edges to help keep it in) and I've never set off the smoke detector with it. If you do have an big outdoor smoker this one is nice for doing smaller portions or if the weather's not great outside. Highly recommend it if you like smoked foods.

Vacuum sealer is the other item I use all the time. I like buying certain staples from Costco in bulk (chicken/beef/pork/etc) and being able to portion it out and freeze it has helped cut down on the cost of keto a lot. It's also useful as a good timesaver or to keep food fresh for longer even if you don't freeze it. For example, I often only use about a quarter of an onion in a lot of recipes, but I'll chop the whole thing and seal the rest so it stays fresh for the next few days. I'll then take however much onion I need out the next day and re-seal the bag.

I don't have a brand I recommend over another, I personally have a Rival that I got for Christmas. A lot of people really like Foodsavers and I see them at Costco all the time. They can be inexpensive (~$40) for a basic one or more costly if you want extra features like canning or automatic sealing or different speeds. I do recommend not using whatever brand of bags they tell you to use however. What I do is buy cheap bulk bags such as these and use them instead. Zero problems with them and much cheaper than the brand name ones. I do keep a roll of 'cut your own' around in case I need something bigger, but I find for about 90% of what I do the smaller bulk bags work fine.

If you keep an eye out on meat sales and buy in bulk or buy a lot of meat that's about to expire for cheap, I think the vacuum sealer will pretty quickly pay for itself.

And tossing it out there, one item that's not necessary but in the 'nice to have' category is the immersion blender. Great for thickening soups since we don't add cornstarch or other traditional thickeners, and it's nice for other things like making your own mayonnaise. I also use it for making my own marinara sauce - mine has zucchini and cheese blended in. Again, not necessary and you can probably use a regular blender for this, but the immersion blender is really nice and convenient.

Get a "Brew in a bag" bag, if you want to do BIAB. They're resilient and worth the extra money. You won't find them on Amazon.

If you want to start going to all grain you can buy a large Coleman / Igloo cooler (60 quart is what I use, can do up to 10 gallon batches). Ball valve and fittings, some pipe tape too. Don't forget a pulley to help get the bag out of the cooler!

You can get a flask, stir bar, and everything else you need to start making yeast starters.

Grab a large spoon and/or a flask wisk to help mashing.

Amazon also sells immersion chillers to help with the post boil. I bought mine for $50 and I think it's the 25' one. Works like a charm for 5 gallon batches.

Get a good pair of insulated gloves for your brew day!

Amazon also sells thermometers to help track mash temperatures. I have this one and this one. They're both great. An IR thermometer is great to have for yeast starters too...but definitely not needed. Would put that at the bottom of my purchase list.

Oh! A sterile siphon is also awesome. Bought that from Amazon too.

And so I don't keep rambling, Homebrewfinds as a good list of filler stuff from Amazon. Things like campden tablets, hop bags, pieces to make hop spiders....etc. http://www.homebrewfinds.com/homebrewing-related-amazon-fillers

Since you think your taste buds are out of whack, I'd say try a bunch of sampler sets. Some tea is scary expensive but it doesn't have to be! Online vendors will provide the best value for your $$$ but if you have a good teashop near you with friendly staff you may be able to show you some cool stuff. The samples given at teavana tend to be tea with a bunch of other shit added to it you won't get a good idea of what actual tastes like unless you get lucky and find a person who's really into it.

Many vendors have tasting sets. I have a soft-spot for upton because they've been around for so long. Their low/mid tier teas are good. Their "premium" teas aren't so premium IMHO. However I quite liked this sampler. It is a bit expensive. Honestly I think other people will provide better recommendations.

Also for brewing tea, a good thing to start with a simple brew basket like this. Put leaves in, dunk in water.

Hugs for youuuu <3

I think Alpacassos/Arpakassos are the cutest things ever. <3 :>

If you're a fan of round, big, soft cute things, I'd definitely recommend checking out www.squishables.com. :) I have a Squishable myself and can attest to how awesome they are for cuddling!

I've also heard great things about body pillows. Similarly, there's those "dakimakura"/Japanese body pillows where you can replace the pillowcase with your favorite video game/anime/TV show character/male/female/whatever if that floats your boat. Example here slight NSFW.

There's also the infamous boyfriend pillow.

Hope this helps! I love cute soft things myself. :> Thanks for the contest and good luck. <3

What are you looking for and what does he like? You can get a standard infuser like this one that I use.

Or you could get him a "reverse french press". The reverse french press is one of the best and easiest ways to brew. It lets the leaves float in the water, but allows easy extraction of the water into a mug (it is much harder with a regular french press because pressing down the leaves can cause them to expel a lot of bitter flavor into the water).

Generally speaking, avoid anything that will smash the leaves, or will not let them float easily. If he generally uses a big teapot, make sure to get something for that. If he typically uses just a mug, the two things I listed will work great. I even use my regular infuser in my large tea pitcher/pot.

But, if you give me a price range and a general idea of what you would like him to have, what he already has or what kind of things he likes, I can definitely help you out. I love tea myself, and would hope that my wife would ask someone knowledgeable when she goes to buy something for me.

OH! And if you're looking to get the best bang for your buck, avoid teavanna. They're not bad they're just overpriced.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Hamilton Beach 1.7 L. I've had it for a just about a year and a half, it has a standard 1 year warranty if any malfunction happens (no questions asked), its a bigger kettle (1.7 L is on the larger but not crazy huge end of electric kettles). I did quite a but of research and because I like mine programmable and also not crazy expensive (I didn't exactly think controlled temperature water was worth 200$ on some I saw while researching mine). I bought mine for either 40$ or 45$ with Amazon Prime (so free two day shipping, and it stays at this price, not from a third party), and it does have a really nice, although h not necessary for myself, guide on the side of the kettle telling you in small subtle print what temperature for what tea (or coffee) drink is needed. It only does preprogrammed temperatures (the temperatures for white, black, green, Oolong and coffee) and it does tell you the exact temperature at every moment, as it's boiling or sitting at room temperature. So there is a bit of control manually if absolutely necessary. But I find complete temperature control is unnecessary when it comes to tea brewing. The preprogrammed temperatures do tea well.


Edit: here's a link to Amazon where it's sold by Hamilton Beach at a 10$ discount for 3
$39. (Just a note, I never got a feeling that it was cheap even though it's definitely in the lower end. Hamilton Beach makes great small kitchen appliances and this steel kettle has been amazing. Plus their customer service has always been really easy going). http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0083I7THI/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?qid=1459456433&sr=8-7&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=hamilton+beach+electric+kettle&dpPl=1&dpID=4186x8-tdwL&ref=plSrch

Global use a proprietary steel calls CROMOVA-18 which isn't a particularly good or bad steel. Supposedly is it is re-branded AUS-6. Compared to other stainless steels AUS-6 is considered a budget steel and falls behind other common stainless steels like VG-10. This Tojiro uses VG-10 and so it performs better than a Global but isn't necessarily more ergonomic or easier to use, though they both have about the same corrosion resistance. The other significant difference is that the Tojiro is made of layers with VG-10 in the middle whereas the Global is made entirely out of CROMOVA-18.

Knife manufacturers like Global, Shun, Zwilling, and Wusthof are in the business of churning out products and letting their brand name sell them. They got popular and remain so because they make good products but the barrier for entry into knife manufacturing is not particularly high since knives have been made for millennia. As a consumer you certainly can find better knives for less money but then the burden of doing research and developing trust falls onto you. Pretty much the reason we have brands at all is that we trust them and the experiences of existing customers.

For what its worth, Anthony Bourdain recommends Global knives in his book Kitchen Confidential. I view them as regular knives for regular people which is completely adequate for 90% of home cooks. Those of us spending hundreds of dollars on high end Japanese knives or otherwise are more or less hobbyists.

Before I start, I should note that one of the things that probably attracted you to the Bialetti is the fact that you can just put the coffee in and press a button and your coffee will be ready. I tend to geek out, as do a lot of us on /r/coffee, about coffee and spend a lot of time on the process, but that isn't for everybody. So I don't have any good time-saver recommendations, sorry to say. That said...

I'm not familiar with that De'Longhi but I do have some other ideas in the price range you're looking at.

I've actually never used an Aeropress (I know, I know... sorry everyone), but they're very popular here, not to mention inexpensive. A lot of people get mini hand coffee grinders that can actually fit in the Aeropress for storage. Again I'm not too familiar with those, but I think this is supposed to be a good one. So you should be able to get the Aeropress and a hand grinder for less than $90. Then all you need is a source of hot water.

Pourover is another option, and there's all sorts of different types, some of which have their own proprietary filters. It can be overwhelming. But again the equipment is generally cheap. Prima Coffee has a nice breakdown of some of the more popular cones. A lot of these can also be found on Amazon. The thing with pourovers though, is that for better control, you'd want a gooseneck kettle. But again, I think you can get a cone, some filters, a kettle and a hand grinder for around the $90.

You're an adult now, just cook. It can be tough cooking for just one person because but it's doable.

Learn some basic, cheap recipes and get comfortable eating leftovers.

Here's one for you:

Hamburger Gravy

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef (get the cheap stuff 75%/25%, you're a poor student)

1 1/2 cup white rice (uncooked)

1 family size can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup, (low sodium is healthier but doesn't taste as good).

Cooking

I cook my rice in an Instant Pot, it's very fast, easy, and requires no supervision. Takes about 10-13 minutes depending on how much rice I'm making. I used to have an amazing Zojirushi Fuzzy Logic Rice Cooker that was the most amazing thing ever, but an ex-girlfriend stole it, so... Use the Instant Pot, it's cheaper and faster anyway.

Rice cookers and Instant Pots typically come with a cup for measuring rice which actually measures about 3/4 of a cup, and the inside of the cooking vessels have graduated measuring lines showing you how much liquid to add for the amount of dry rice you're cooking.

Put the two "cups" of rice (1.5 cups actual measure) into the Instant Pot and fill it with water to the "2" line. Close it up and make sure the pressure valve is closed (I've failed to properly cook my rice too often because I am dumb and don't check this). Once everything is set, just hit the "rice" button.

While the rice is cooking put the soup in a sauce pan along with a can full of milk, any milk works but I prefer whole milk myself. Put the sauce pan on the stove, medium low and stir frequently.

Now that the rice is cooking and the soup is warming put the ground beef in a skillet. I like a good [cast iron skillet] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006JSUA/) myself, they're cheap and indestructible, and because of the heat transfer properties of iron they tend to cook foods evenly without burning.

Cook the beef on medium high until it's browned, then drain all the water/grease out into a Tupperware container, do not pour grease down the drain! you can seriously make life hell for yourself and your neighbors if you do.

Add the beef to the soup, increase the heat to medium/medium-high and continue to stir frequently. You want the soup hot enough to bubble a bit, but not a full boil.

By now the rice should be just about done. Let the pressure out, take the lid off, wait a few seconds for the steam to abate then, with a large plastic spoon (you don't want to scratch the bottom of the Instant Pot), "fluff" the rice, just scoop and turn the rice in place, loosening it up, and letting more steam out.

To serve, scoop some rice on a plate, ladle some soup onto the rice, season with a touch of black pepper, and eat.

The rice is enough for 2-4 servings depending on your appetite, while the gravy is enough for maybe twice that. Typically it would be enough for two dinners for me, a 6'4", 225 pound man) and my girlfriend who is pretty petite.

Cost:

Beef: get the cheap stuff, depending where you go and the quality you get, this can be between $2-$5/lb. If your super poor, get a 10 pound tube of ground beef at Smart and Final for like $25, then break it up into 1 pound portions and freeze, otherwise it's about $5/pound most places. So let's say $5.

Rice: the cheapest food on Earth, and it's healthy too! You should probably plan on this being about $1/pound. Get a 10 or 25 pound bag and you'll be set for at least a quarter. Pro-tip: rice goes with literally everything. Add it to all of your meals for some good, clean carbs. Pair it with smaller portions of what you'd normally eat to get the same caloric intake but healthier and cheaper. Anyway the rice in this recipe has a marginal cost of maybe $0.15.

Soup: I think Ralph's usually has the family size can of Cream of Mushroom soup for $2-$3.

So, all in for one person, you could probably make at least 5-6 servings for $8, and it takes maybe 15 minutes to cook.

Store the rice and gravy separately in Tupperware in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Mix together in a bowl and b reheat in the microwave for 90 seconds to 2 minutes for leftovers. I prefer to make fresh rice each day, but making one larger batch then reheating it works as well.

Alternatives

• You can swap the rice out for a baked potato or mashed potatoes if you're feeling fancy.
  
  
• I've tried it with shredded chicken breast and Cream of Chicken soup, but it takes a bit longer, is a bit more work, is a little more expensive, and I don't like it as much, so I basically never do it, but you do you.
  
  There you go, cheap, quick, not totally unhealthy home cooking.

I took this review from Amazon for when I purchased my first moka. This is the only way I ever use my moka and it is delectable!

1. In Italy this is NOT called an espresso machine, but a Moka machine. An espresso is what you would drink in bar made with a steam or high pressure machine with the crema on top.
   
   
2. Smaller size Moka machine tend to make better coffee.
   
   
3. Never wash the Moka with detergents, just rinse it under tap water
   
   
4. You've gotta use it often for a good coffee.
   
   
5. If you haven't use it in a while, make a weak coffee ("lungo") and discard
   
   
6. DO NOT put the MOka in the dishwasher.
   
   
7. Use drinking water. Avoid tap water especially if very chlorinated
   
   
8. Never compress the coffee.
   
   
9. For a strong coffee fill the filter with ground coffee and make a small cupola that slightly protrudes beyond the rim. Do not press down.
   
   
10. For best coffee, heat at very low heat. It's ok if it takes 10min.
    
    
11. As soon as coffee reaches the top, remove from heat
    
    
12. Do not let the coffee boil
    
    
13. Use good quality coffee, not too strong, medium grind (try Illy for a good commercial brand)
    
    
14. Sip while still hot, enjoy!
    
    
15. (Added Nov 2012) - Wait until all the water has reached the upper chamber before removing from the heat. You will be able to tell by the sound (takes some practice) or simply visually. As soon as no more coffee reaches the upper chamber remove from heat. Do note let the coffee boil. With practice, you may remove from the heat even sooner, by just using the residual heat in the lower chamber.
    
    
16. (Added Nov 2012) - Some times you may put too much coffee, or the coffee is too finely ground, or it's been packed too hard. In all of these situations, the end results is typically that the coffee struggles reaching the upper chamber. You can tell by the spouting noise occurring too early, the foam occurring too early, and how slow the whole process is. You can try increasing the heat if that helps. However, you will likely end up with a coffee that is too bitter and tastes burned. Back in the old days, this was dangerous business with many machines exploding (they had no safety valves). Regardless, your coffee is ruined and I would suggest removing it frmo the heat immediately, let it coold down and starts all over.
    
    
17. (Added Nov 2012) - What kind of coffee should I use? Experiment, experiment, experiment! Here are some tips I have learned by experimenting. Until you become confortable with the operations of the machine, you can use a good commercial brand like Illy (although it's quite expensive). I wouldn't want you to blame the machine, just because you happened to use a bad coffee. Then start trying different varieties from different roasters. If there are independent roasters near you, why not giving them a try? I haven't had good experience with roasts marketed towards Espresso machines (I find the roast too excessive). Try to buy whole beans and grind them yourself. I find the cheap and popular brands pretty bad for Mokas, even if they happen to make good American style brews. I have had pretty good luck with small roasters and Colombian varieties (or Costa Rican). I have also had outstanding African coffees (Ethiopian). Unfortunately, I found they are seldom consistent.
    
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/review/B000CNY6UK/RAK1DGKYEF0GQ/ref=mw_dp_cr?cursor=1&qid=1408335688&sort=rd&sr=8-5

Aeropress! People all over RAoA have been raving about these contraptions as apparently they make very good coffee. I don't actually drink coffee, but I want it for my boyfriend. He loves coffee but never really gets to try anything beyond instant. I think this would make him very happy, which in turn would make me giddy with joy! A whole new world of coffee would be available to him! And then people can buy him coffee for christmas rather than a gajillion bottles of aftershave.

Elephant Barber! Also I know things can work out more expensive on co.uk so even a gift card towards it would be awesome (I'm planning on getting it sometime anyway =p)

About me? I like making things! Fimo is my current thing and make things like Pokemon , feather earrings or kitty earrings =)

First of all, if you're concerned about getting all of the flavor out of tea, you need to be brewing loose leaf, not bagged. Bagged teas are fine sometimes, but they have a fraction of the flavor of a good loose leaf tea. All you need to brew loose tea is hot water and a strainer to get the leaves out of the water. I use a brewing basket from Finum. you can buy it on Amazon, and Upton Tea sells it for a few dollars cheaper, but they charge shipping, so if you're not getting tea too, it's about the same. A lot of other tea shops also sell infusers, so you can probably add one to your order and get it all at once!

If you're shopping from Adagio, as /u/saltyteabag recommended, I suggest their Spiced Apple Chai, if you like apple cider type flavors. Brew that up and add some milk and a touch of honey and that's one of the most delicious drinks there is.

For regular tea (no flavors), I usually prefer Oolongs. Adagio has a good selection of those as well.

For a cold, what I like is some gunpowder green tea with peppermint and honey.

I just throw a spoon of tea and a spoon of peppermint leaves in a cup, drizzle with honey, and add hot water. Most of the leaves will sink to the bottom, and those that don't aren't bad to drink. That's one of my favorite ways to drink tea and relax. It's called "grandpa style" and it's mentioned in the FAQ in the sidebar (which I definitely recommend reading). It's easy and there's not a lot to mess up.

I get my peppermint leaves from Mountain Rose Herbs, as it's cheaper than buying it from some tea places, but Adagio has peppermint tea, and that would work fine.

The gunpowder green tea I used to get from Twinnings, but my local grocery store stopped carrying it. I got my last batch from Upton Tea, but Adagio also has gunpowder green tea.

Totally! I love talking about gear.

Grinders:

• Bodum Bistro (on the way out, needs new Burrs, but I really like it for course french press brews)
  
• Mazzer Mini (probably the only coffee thing I have bought new...a splurge but my espresso has benefited immensely)
  
• Baratza Virtuoso - Probably the best all around grinder. Can do course and fine grinds, has a timer, no-static grounds catcher. I like it a lot.
  
• Porlex JP-30 Stainless Steel Coffee Grinder - My hand grinder, it's ceramic and does a consistently good pour-over grind..the only issue is it gets very hot when grinding and when grinding you want the beans to suffer no heat at all. It could be because I have to hold it with my hand when grinding and I'm transferring heat + the friction of the burrs? I really don't know how to improve it but I've started using this only on trips when I have to have a grinder and can't tote around my Baratza.
  
  Scale - Hario Drip Scale w/ Timer - It's black, measures to the tenth of a gram, the first one I bought is slow and it struggles to keep up with measuring my water grams...then I bought another a year later and it's much faster so I'd say if you get one that seems sluggish / slow, return it it's like they added a new CPU or something later in the life of the machine.
  
  Aeropress sometimes....it's the fastest way to make coffee with really easy clean-up. For the event I'm just gonna brew 2 batches on everything except espresso (since I don't want to tote that thing in the office). I hope it turns people on to better coffee.

a laser thermometer, great! Kind of nerdy, but totally useful for getting your coffee and lunch heated up to just the right temperature.

​

I got one for Christmas a few years ago, I love that thing! How hot does my TV run? Laser thermometer, How hot is my coffee? Laser thermometer. How hot is the guinea pig, laser thermometer, how hot is the wall when it's 95 degrees out? Laser thermometer....plus, it's less than $20

​

I also like Plato and the color green. my favorite equation is E=mc2 but I'm still sure they will love the laser thermometer :)

​

https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Lasergrip-1080-Non-Contact-Thermometer/dp/B00DMI632G/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=laser+thermometer&qid=1562544242&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1

Hey there, I've got all kinds of eccentric natural beauty/health products that I can suggest:

I don't use body soap at all -- I just scrub in the shower with an asian washcloth.

I do use soap on my hands, as they're exposed to all sorts of yucky stuff and then I touch food and other people. For soap, I use Dr. Bronner's. I also use it as body wash if I get something unusually gross on my body (engine oil, for example).

For deodorant, I use one of those crystals. I like this one just cause it's shaped like regular deodorant.

I make my own lotion with shea butter and jojoba oil from Amazon. I weigh out 70g of shea butter and 30g of jojoba oil in a bowl and melt them in the microwave. Then I mix them up and put the bowl in the fridge for a few minutes to cool. I use an electric mixer to mix the lotion and then put it back in the fridge for another few minutes. Eventually, the lotion cools to the point where I can whip it (kind of like whipping cream). I also add some essential oils once it's cooled but still fairly liquid (coconut and lemon is my current jam) so that takes care of perfume :)

For toothpaste, I actually use tooth powder. (It's also good for the whole TSA nonsense.) There are a bunch of brands, Ecodent, for example.

I'm including some product links, just so you can see what I'm talking about. I haven't purchased that particular brand of shea butter, but it looks nice :) You might try going down to your local health food/hippie store and see what kind of products they have in their beauty section. My local store has stuff like soap, shampoo, and conditioner in bulk, so you can buy just a bit and try it out to see if it works for you :)

Not at the grocery store, and not at Charfucks. Ya gotta order it, ya herd? I gets mine from PT's Coffee in Topeka, but that's because it's close to me. Also because they won Best Coffee in 2009. If you're really interested, this is a great place to start. Any of these coffees will be good and fresh. Also, you need a burr grinder and a decent brewing method. The simplest one, which I use, is a conical-shaped glass or ceramic thing that you set right on top of your cup, made by Hario. You just put the coffee grounds in the filter and then pour boiling water over the grounds, and it drips right into your cup. Here it is in Amazon. Have fun!

Check out a Moka Pot. Here's a video as well. Not particularly light but makes a fantastic cup of coffee!!

Also, here's guide for Cuban coffee which I haven't tried but plan on this weekend.

I've also only ever used instant coffee but I'm taking an overnight trip in two weekends and am going to try my moka pot out on that trip.

Good luck!

Edit: If you like strong, concentrated coffee drink it straight as brewed. The video suggests adding some hot water but I drink mine straight from the pot and extra strong :)

Is your apartment unfurnished? If so you will need some basic furnishings:

• a table
  
• some chairs to go with that table
  
• comfortable seating of some sort- possibly a couch (a futon is nice if you are going to possibly have guests sleep over) or love seat or upholstered chair of some sort
  
• a TV if you feel like you want one (optional)
  
• a bed and a mattress and some bedding and sheets (obviously)
  
• a bedside table (optional)
  
• somewhere to store your clothing if your room does not come with a closet already
  
  As far as basic living supplies go:
  
  
• 4 spoons, knives, forks
  
• mugs
  
• 2 dinner plates, bowls
  
• some knives for cooking
  
• cutting board
  
• mixing bowl
  
• spatula (HEAT RESISTANT) and turner and spoons for mixing. Also possibly a whisk but really you could usually get the job done with a fork
  
• cheap set of pots & pans
  
• a cookie sheet
  
• a fan is usually useful for some airflow
  
• microwave if this is already not included
  
• books just for fun
  
• cleaning supplies: shower cleaner, clorox wipes, swiffer, toilet cleaner, dish soap, windex
  
• plunger & toilet brush
  
  School supplies in college are pretty basic- you don't need much, but depending on your major this could go waaay up or down. But as far as I'm concerned your basic supplies are as follows:
  
  
• laptop (optional- there are always computers everywhere anyway, laptops are just convenient)
  
  
• notebooks and folders OR binder with looseleaf paper, depending on your organizational preference
  
  
• stapler
  
  
• pens and pencils (I like to have two different colors for pens)
  
  
• calculator (if you will be taking math courses- go for scientific because a lot of the time graphing is not allowed)
  
  Things to consider:
  
  
• Will you be paying for wifi and/or basic cable (if you want a TV)?
  
  
• Is your lease for a year or X months? If it is a year, will you have to sublease while you're away for the summer (if you are going away)?
  
  
• How far from campus do you live? What does the general area look like? Are you going to have to take public transportation different places? Know the area.
  
  I know its scary, but living alone is great, and studying in a university is really not a huge deal once you get into the rhythm of things. You'll do great, kid.

Hi there! First off, congratulations on your first contest! That's awesome! =D

The cheapest item on my wishlist are these mini cupcake liners. Something else that I really, really want is this AMAZING tea kettle!. I LOVE tea (and coffee too!), and currently, i still use a traditional stove kettle. But this electric one would be so much more efficient and convenient- it even keeps your water warm for your second cup! I would be over the moon to receive this! =D

Again, congratulations, and thank you! You're awesome, and your username is adorable!

A Sous Vide cooker will decarb for your perfectly every time as well, and will have a million other uses in the kitchen as well.
Anova Sous Vide Cooker
Case (Optional but nice)
Reuseable Vacuum Bag Kit

So for a couple bucks less than a "unitasker," you can decarb perfectly as cited by Drama_Derp's link; You can take that decarb and do a perfect butter immersion with the same device, and you'll also be able to make perfectly cooked steaks, salmon, vegetables, perfectly poached eggs right out of the shell, etc.
Serious Eats has a lot of great material for Sous Vide cooking if you wanna browse how much more you could do on top of decarbing with the same device. :)

Okay, listen. I know The Truth. The One Great Truth. and I'm going to share it with you. Ready? Here it is:

Fans.

Yes, fans. Those things that push air around. Get a reliable little 10+ inch personal fan for ~15 bucks, like this or this. It'll last you years.

Now, I know what you're thinking. Fans, really? That's the ultimate truth of the universe?

Yes. Fans are everything.

You only need one. Put it on a stand next to your bed, about 1-2 feet away from where your face will be. Aim it properly, turn it on, wrap yourself up and enjoy pure bliss. Your body will be warm and your face will be caressed by a pleasant cool breeze for the entire night. Hot flashes? Who gives a shit? Just turn that baby up one notch and go back to sleep. Boom, done.

It's not an exaggeration when to say that for me, sleeping with a fan is at least twice as easy and enjoyable as without. I've been sleeping this way for at least a decade.

Here are just a few bullet points in case you're not completely head over your heels in love with fans yet.

• They practically block out all noise, cutting through distractions and allowing you to sleep through everything but your alarm clock.
  
  
• They keep your face pleasantly cool, and provide a little cooling to your upper body as well, depending on how many covers you have.*
  
  
• They make it easier and more comfortable to breathe
  
  
• They astound your friends and make your enemies jealous
  
  
• They provide a soothing canvas of white noise for you to project your dreams upon.
  
  
• They cure cancer
  
  Don't listen to the Koreans. Sleeping with a fan on won't hurt you. If anything it will make you stronger. Praise the fan.
  ---
  * ^(Note: Depending on your climate this may not necessarily be a good thing. I am not responsible for any bodily injury, psychological damage, or freezing you may incur)

In my experience, flavored tea almost always smells better than it tastes unless you load it with sugar. On the other hand, high quality straight tea almost always tastes better than it smells. I've never heard this from anyone else, so it might just be me.

My first foray into the world of tea involved a microwave and a Bigelow variety pack. I can still remember how disgusting the green tea was. A microwave can get the job done, but I'd strongly recommend getting an electric kettle and a cheap thermometer (unless you get a variable temperature kettle). After a while, you'll get a feel for it and won't need the thermometer, but it's really helpful in the beginning to eliminate any doubt.

There are so many different ways to brew tea, and a lot of it comes down to personal preference. There's really no "best" method. The most important things are that the leaves have lots of room to expand, that the water isn't too hot, and that you don't leave the tea in for too long. Based on your post, I'd recommend this for now.

It sounds like your water temperature and steep time are alright, so the problem is likely the water or the tea. I'd experiment with bottled spring water. If it still tastes bad, the problem is the tea itself. I'd recommend getting a bunch of samples from a place like Adagio or Upton. Make sure to get black and oolong in addition to green, because no matter how well you brew plain green tea, it's still going to taste like grass (but without the feet), and maybe that's just not your thing. If you'd like some advice on which samples to get, just send me a message and I'd be happy to help.

I have a little temperature gun. I'm constantly measuring the ambient temp, water temp, and dough temp. I don't have any formulas but I think it helps develop a feel for how temperature affects the process. For example this time of year my kitchen is typically 65-68 degrees which is pretty cold for room temp, so I decided to put my dough in the oven with the light on (about 75 degrees) between folds for the bulk fermentation. I think that helped.

I think the best advice, though, is not to fret over it too much! It's a lot like yoga, you just have to let go and enjoy your own journey. Embrace the ebb and flow of gradually improving with practice. There are so many variables to play with and no perfect loaf.

This is not a straightforward answer. Sorry.
It really depends on what you want to get out of the cup:

• Do you want a full body? Kalita wave is more temperature stable than other brewers because the wavy filter keeps the coffee away from the brewer. The flat base allows more even extraction.
  
  
• Do you want a really clean cup where you can taste all of the subtle notes? The Hario V60 is a Classic, brews a clean balanced cup. It has a thinner filter and is great for fruity floral coffees.
  
  
• Do you want a clean cup for more people? Chemex has a thicker filter and brews a really clean cup. It also makes it easy to brew for multiple people at once.
  
  
• Do you want the ability to do immersion and pour over? The Clever is really easy to use and is more forgiving than the other methods. You don't necessarily need a gooseneck kettle.
  
  I personally use a V60. The others are all fantastic, you really can't go wrong.

I bought the standard Hamilton Beach kettle with no gauge or anything about a year and a half ago,and that has been working without issue since then. I later bought the same brand but with temperature control and it has worked well for the about 6 months I've had it, but I find that it will generally overheat the water by about 5-10 degrees F (when set to below boiling obviously).

Right now I'm eyeing the Bonavita gooseneck kettle with temperature control as an upgrade, but if you want something cheap I would definitely say the basic Hamilton Beach is a good choice. Costco generally has it for I think cheaper than Amazon, so if you have access there I would take a look.

On a sidenote, I've been told it's better to start using a plain straight to boil kettle so you can get a better intuition for how you actually brew your tea, but I honestly just forget about my water too easily when I'm doing other things and making tea so the temperature control is good for me! Remember, you can always get a thermometer inexpensively, which is good to have around the kitchen anyway :D

The others are just trying to help because a lot of misinformed people on here think keto is about eating a lot of fat. It can be, but not always for everyone.

Get a hand blender, like this.

https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CSB-75BC-Blender-Brushed-Chrome/dp/B00ARQVM5O/ref=asc_df_B00ARQVM5O/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167155690034&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17907049679365908739&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031180&hvtargid=pla-273692484646&psc=1

It will emulsify fats into liquids. If you want it to stay emulsified for a long period of time you will need some form of stabilizer. I'll do a quick search for a keto friendly stabilizer.

Edit.

I would use gum Arabic, also known as acacia gum. You can order it online and it's not expensive. It will add fiber to your diet as well. Its completely indigestible so no calories or carbs. I'm not sure how much to add, I imagine it will take some experimentation. You should add a small amount and blend it in while emulsifying and let the item sit for a few hours and see if it's still emulsified. You'll find the sweet spot. It will vary depending on the type of fat, type of liquid, and amount of both.

Good luck. Hope that was helpful.

I have a few ideas for you. I love this thing it's great for slicing and shredding almost anything. and cleanup is a breeze it goes right into the dishwasher

https://www.amazon.com/Presto-Professional-SaladShooter-Electric-Shredder/dp/B0000Z6JJG/ref=sr_1_1?

​

I Love this thing I have had it for about 5 years now and it purees better than my large Ninja blender. this is the one I have

https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CSB-75BC-Blender-Brushed-Chrome/dp/B00ARQVM5O/ref=sr_1_5?

One with more accessories is not much more

https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CSB-79-Smart-Blender-Stainless/dp/B00AN9UJ68/ref=sr_1_4?

​

Sorry can't help with the baking or bread. but I am sure someone else will help with that part! Good Luck! I hope you find some great stuff!

I couldn't tell you if it is BIFL yet, but I just bought a cuisinart immersion blender. It works great. The blending portion is super easy to clean, and I believe it is dishwasher safe. The design is really comfortable and easy to use.
Check I out, it's not too expensive:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00ARQVM5O/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1395250389&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40

Honest opinion, the most important thing to good coffee is freshly roasted and freshly ground beans.

Get a good grinder and a nice pack of fresh beans (not from a grocery store) find a local coffee shop if you can or order online. Even in a cheap coffee maker this will make a huge difference.

With that in mind here are my recommendations:

• 60-100$ The bodum bistro burr grinder, more budget friendly than the baratza encore.
  
  
• 27.96$ Mokapot Great if you want a more espresso type coffee. I'd recommend this since your SO drinks Mochas.
  
  
• 2.79$ Milk frother great for getting a nice foamy "cappuccino"
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

omg yes this is what I actually use

So I actually like the original cream but I have sampled the gel cream. The great thing about La Mer is you can get samples when you order from their site. But yes, it is very pricey. For me a 2 oz. thing of the creme will last almost a year though.

I'm not sure if it's strictly the vitamin c, but I have noticed a difference in the lotion I use that incorporates both vitamin c and retinol! I honestly just love this because it is very lightweight and doesn't leave a greasy feeling on my skin.

I also forgot to mention that I try to moisturize rough areas (knee caps, elbows, hands, feet) with coconut oil and put the tiniest amount on the tips of my hair sometimes! I also have pretty long hair so the ends can dry out, especially if I'm due for a trim...

I love bentos like this one for packing simple things that you are planing on keeping cold. If you're going to want something for both hot and cold then Mr. Bento is a fan favourite. Pack your hot lunch in the morning and you're good to go. You can also microwave the bowls which is great it you want to keep it cold for the day but eat hot food at lunch.

I like bentos that are divided into half and I can split them into smaller sizes if I need to. I personally prefer using paper muffin cups. They're easy, cheap, I don't have to wash them and I don't get mad when they get thrown out by mistake.

It takes some time to figure out what style bento you like to pack, so I always recommend trying a few different style bentos until you find the one you like. Hope this helps a bit. Good luck with your bento!

As a general rule of thumb, the recommended preparation for most black teas is 1-1.5tsp or 2-3 grams of loose tea per 200mL or 6-8 fl oz of water (most standard-size mugs are around 8-10 oz depending on how much you fill them), and steeped for 3-5 minutes depending on your desired strength with water temperature anywhere from 190-212F/90-100C.

For me personally, I generally do about 1.5tsp or 2.5g of loose tea in a strainer like this, either directly in the mug or in a teapot. I steep with water around 200F/93C for around 4 minutes, or maybe only 3 minutes for a broken-leaf or CTC grade, then I pull the strainer out of the water. I find that full-boiling water makes the tea a little more bitter than I like, but feel free to play around with your brewing parameters and see what you like best.

Halmari Estate Assam is my favorite. I hope you enjoy!

For a teaware splurge, I'd suggest a Zojirushi instant hot water heater. I've yet to see anyone unhappy with that purchase.

A good water filter, if you need one.

As for teapots, cups, etc: there's the practical answer and the fanciful answer.

The practical answer is: if you're new, you don't know what teas you'll enjoy, much less how you'd like to prepare them. A good, solid bet would be a basic mug infuser like this or [this] (https://www.amazon.com/Extra-Loose-Infuser-House-Again/dp/B01N1OTXHW), or a gaiwan, or a simple medium-size ceramic teapot. From there, you can figure out if you prefer a certain variety, then get the best type of gear to maximize the brew for that variety.

The fanciful answer is: really, you can brew any tea in any set up. So, if you really love the look of a Japanese kyusu, you can still use it to brew a strong western breakfast blend. Go for it.

I did see a good suggestion here, that a lot of people who like yixing teapots really just like the aesthetic of them (guilty as charged!), in which case you can find ceramic pots that can work for any style of brewing for any type of tea. You can find these at vendors like: teaware.house, Dazzle Deer, Taiwan Tea Crafts.

The steel in the victorinox is definitely softer. Here's my current suggestions for people thinking about buying cheaper knives.

(Copy and pasted from something I've posted before, but with some updates)


TL;DR: In the category of budget knives. For longer lasting edges, Tojiro DP Santoku or Gyuto for $43 and $52 (now $62) respectively, or the Augymer for $30. For easier maintenance, Kai 6720C or Henckels Forged Synergy for $32 and $35, respectively.



As a caveat, budget knives of all sorts are not going to have the fit and finish of higher priced knives. For Knives that are easy to obtain lump you into two categories that have pros and cons, German hardness and Japanese hardness. Which is mainly a trade off between sharpness/edge holding vs durability/ease of maintenance. Although you can sharpen really soft metals to be stupid sharp and a really acute angle, it will not last long at all. But when the edge gets rolled over from a cutting session, it can be easily honed back into place. Harder knives can still be honed back into place, but techniques and tools are slightly different--I would never touch my harder knives with a grooved steel.

German hardness is usually around 56-58 hrc. Hard enough to hold an edge for a bit, but soft enough to not chip and easily steel/hone back into place.

The Victorinox Fibrox at about 55 hrc used to be suggested all the time when it was $20 and even when it was about $35. But now that it is $40-45, that's just too much for what is a very cheap knife.

A couple knives still in this range, which are better quality than the fibrox anyway are:

Kai 6720C Wasabi Black Chef's Knife, 8-Inch at 57-58 hrc for $32

https://www.amazon.com/Kai-6720C-Wasabi-Black-8-Inch/dp/B000YL4NY4


So this one is actually made with Japanese steel by the same company that makes Shun. But, because it's hardened to only 57-58 hrc, I'm lumping it in with the german steel category.

and The Henckels International Forged Synergy 8-inch Chef's Knife at about 57-58 hrc for $32

http://www.amazon.com/HENCKELS-INTERNATIONAL-Forged-Synergy-8-inch/dp/B000FMVS4A

Henckels International (not regular Henckels) used to be really bad because they made their knives to 53-55 hrc, which is way too soft to hold an edge to get through a cooking session without nearly constant honing. I've heard their international classics are still being made w/ the crappy steel.


So your choice between these two are having that big bolster (which I'm not a fan of) and general aesthetic.

Japanese hardness is usually at least 59 hrc, with a good chunk in the 60-62 range. This means potentially better, longer lasting cutting performance between honing/sharpening. The tradeoff is that it becomes more difficult to get to this stage without specialty tools or sending it to a professional sharpener. At this point I personally don't even consider knives under 59 hrc, unless it's something that really takes a beating.

For the cheapest price point, while still having quality. I would really only recommend the Tojiro DP at 60-61 hrc. It used to be about double the prices, but the grinds also used to be more even. Either way, it's still a great buy.

The chef/gyuto is $52 (now $62 hopefully it'll come back down soon)

http://www.amazon.com/Tojiro-DP-Gyutou-8-2-21cm/dp/B000UAPQGS/

And the Santoku is $43

http://www.amazon.com/Tojiro-DP-Santoku-6-7-17cm/dp/B000UAPQEA/

So the main difference here is whatever knife shape you prefer (and the price). I've gotten some cheaper harder steel knives, but I've had to do way too much touching up to be recommended.

There's also the Augymer 8" "Damascus" for $30 allegedly hardened to 62 hrc:

https://www.amazon.com/Augymer-Japanese-Professional-Stainless-Sharp-Damascus/dp/B01H6KWUWC/

I'd be really afraid of fit and finish problems, and generally lower tolerances throughout the process of making this knife. You can even see the uneven grind on the Amazon page. I'd also assume that the hardness is a tad lower than specified (maybe 60 hrc), but it should still be a pretty good knife if you want to pinch your pennies. This could be a great knife with some TLC, especially if you send it to someone who knows what they're doing.

Okay I'm really not sure which is a deeper rabbit hole, coffee or tea...

For coffee, before you buy any gear, I'd recommend going to a few good local roasters. Try some pourover, try a latte, a cappuccino, and some espresso. I like a of the above, no sugar necessary. Don't worry about buying coffee gear until you figure out what you like, or if you like it at all.

For tea, buy a decent infuser. I prefer something like this:

FORLIFE Brew-in-Mug Extra-Fine Tea Infuser with Lid https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001JPA3Y8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_sU.CAb9N3FK95

Fits in any mug, gives the tea plenty of space to expand.

There are tons of varieties of tea. Tons. The ones I'd consider must try are probably: oolong, genmai, Jasmine green tea, Earl grey, chai, white tea, and some standard black tea.

My usual rule of thumb for tea is if I'm going to be putting milk in it (black, Earl grey, chai) tea bags are fine. If I'm not putting anything in it, I try for loose tea. Not all loose tea is created equal, and some bagged tea is pretty good though. Ymmv.

Good luck, and happy sipping!

>I thought about a pour over, but I don't really know what I'm getting myself into

Honestly, not that much. It's pretty straight forward. A Chemex produces a fantastic cup, and would only really require you get a gooseneck kettle. Ditto if you go the v60 route. Bonavita has a couple, either temperature controlled or not. Other wise Hario kettle would also work.

Regardless, take a look here at Brew Methods. It has summaries on a variety of brew methods, from chemex to other. May give you some ideas.

>I don't want to spend a ton of money,

Depends on what "a ton of money" is to you, but:

• you may want to consider a new grinder, it will allow for expanding what you can do with the coffee. Potentially too much money, but a refurb Baratza might be worth saving for. Especially the Maestro/Virtuoso if you aren't doing espresso.
  
• a scale to weight coffee and water to nail down variables
  
• a gooseneck kettle for pourovers
  
  > would a chemex be a better investment?
  
  Yes, imho. Buy a cheap gram scale, a gooseneck kettle, and a chemex/v60. You'll be very pleased with the results.

Welcome to loose-leaf tea, I hope you find it as amazing as I do!

It looks like that’s a blend of Indian black teas. If so, I can’t recommend these mesh strainers enough! I brew all of my Indian teas in them. They’re super easy to use and they fit directly into most mugs. Great for brewing one cup at a time. They also allow more room for the leaves to expand than most mesh strainers, which I’ve found to make a big difference. Plus they come in all different colors so you can collect them all :)

TL;DR: Use fresh-roasted beans from a local roaster, grind them yourself with a burr grinder, use filtered water, and don't cheap out on the brewing equipment.

First of all: /r/Coffee

Now that that's out of the way: What's your goal? Are you just disappointed in how your home-made coffee turns out, and want it to be more like the coffee shop experience?

First, let's talk about the coffee itself, before you add anything to your cup. A good cup of coffee, regardless of whether your goal is just a black cup of joe or a fancy espresso drink, absolutely requires good beans, a good grinder, good water, and a proper brew.

Beans:
-
Ok, obviously, right? Garbage in, garbage out. The problem is that most of what's out there is closer to "garbage" than it is to "great." Beans should be used within a couple of weeks of when they were roasted. That's not snobbery, that's just a fact - roasted beans lose a considerable amount of flavor after the first few weeks, and most of what you'll buy in the grocery store is already weeks old, maybe even months old. Go find a local coffee roaster and buy beans from them. My local roaster charges the same as (or less than) Starbucks for a pound, and the coffee is considerably better.

Grinder:
-
Do not buy pre-ground beans. That bit about using coffee within a couple weeks of roasting? Once you grind it, that drops a lot. You should grind your coffee right before you brew it. However, I would rather use a burr grinder at the time of purchase than use a blade grinder at home. Those will turn some of the beans into fine powder (which will make your coffee bitter), some into big chunks (which will be bland and flavorless). A consistent grind is important, and you can get one from a burr grinder. Use one scoop of grounds per "cup" of coffee (cup is in quote marks because a "cup" of coffee is 6oz, whereas the unit of measure "one cup" is 8oz - your drip maker's carafe should measure by 6oz cups).

Water:
-
Coffee is more than 99% water. It stands to reason that shitty water makes shitty coffee. If your tap water has any flavor to it, use filtered or bottled water. If you use tap water, use only cold water. Or, get a coffee maker with a built-in filter and change it on schedule.

Brewing:
-
Your equipment really matters. The flavors in a coffee bean come out best at right around 200 degrees Fahrenheit, give or take 5 degrees. A colder brew comes out weak, and a hotter brew extracts nasty bitter flavors. Do you suppose a $20 Mr. Coffee brewer achieves the correct temperature and maintains it for the entire brew cycle every time? It probably doesn't. This is even more important with espresso, where pressure is just as important as temperature. Cheap espresso machines rarely give a quality brew. ("Cheap" for an espresso machine, btw, is generally under $400.)

Now What?
-
So, those are the basics. And if you follow them well, you might even find you don't need to add milk or sugar to your cup. Of course, you can - some of the flavors in coffee aren't soluble in water, but they are soluble in fat, so a bit of non-skim milk can actually bring those flavors out.

As for how much cream/sugar to add, well... it's "to taste," as a rule. Taste it black first. Too bold? Add milk. Too bitter? Add sugar. Just a little at a time.

Espresso Drinks
-
Espresso-based drinks (generally anything French or Italian-sounding: espresso, cappuccino, americano, cafe latte, cafe au lait, etc) are tough to make at home, because a good electric espresso machine is expensive, and a good manual one can be even more expensive and much harder to use.

A good compromise is a Moka pot. What it makes is not technically espresso (per the Italian Espresso National Institute), but is very nearly the same. They're generally used stovetop, but electric ones are available.

Once you have your espresso, turning it into something else (cappuccino, americano, whatever) is generally about adding ratios of milk, milk foam, and other ingredients. The milk is heated or turned to foam using steam. Espresso machines generally have the steam wand you need in order to do this. A moka pot will not. You can get a standalone milk frother - some just whip air into it like a hand mixer (though much smaller), others actually use steam (but of course are more expensive).

Use this as a guide to building your espresso drinks.

So what equipment do I use, then?
-
It always bugs me when people give general advice but won't give specifics. So here's what I use at home:

• Grinder: Breville BCG450XL ($99.95) - Grinds well without introducing too much heat, or static electricity (yes, this is a problem with some, and it's obnoxious). They claim the finest setting will work for Turkish, but really it's more of an espresso grind.
  
• Drip Maker: Cuisinart DCC-1200 ($88.49) - Reviews consistently well for evenness and accuracy of temperature. Note: Use the "More Buying Choices" section on the right to find one sold by Amazon.com directly, instead of a marketplace seller - I can't seem to link directly to that listing.
  
• Espresso: DeLonghi DC155 ($84.99) - Has all the flaws of a cheap espresso machine, except it's pump-driven rather than steam-driven (meaning pressure is consistent). Its heat block is also about the best you'll do in this price range. That said, I don't use it often. Making espresso is kind of a pain regardless of your equipment, unless you get a so-called super-automatic machine.
  
  And there you go - that's how to make coffee that's as good as, or better than, coffee shop coffee at home. I know the giant wall of text makes it seem like a lot but really it comes down to the TL;DR at the top.

I've got a pretty high quality dorm setup that is approved. Here are your options:

Option 1:

Hario ETL Certified Kettle

Hario V60

Filters

Hario Skim Grinder

Total: $119

Option 2:

Aeropress

Proctor-Silex Water Kettle

Hario Skim Grinder

Total: $66


Currently, I'm using the first setup. The v60 is a great pourover method. You'll be having the best coffee on campus. However, since it requires the gooseneck kettle it runs a greater price. Last year, I had option. The aeropress is a kick-ass coffee maker, and you can get by with the way cheaper water heater since pour method has no factor on the brew. Either way, you'd have the small hand grinder which is cheap, easy to clean, and does a fantastic job.

Either of these will make a solid cup, better than anything you'll find in a keurig.

Happy birthday! hope you have a wonderful day! a gift day at that!

I would love love LOVE to have This to help me portion out specific ingredients when it comes to my job at the bakery or when I'm trying to eat healthier and portion my meals!

My partner has been over the moon. This is a man who was considering getting a vasectomy over the last year (and he's not even 30) - our pregnancy was a big surprise. But he's SO HAPPY and excited about the pregnancy; he always has a hand or two on my bump, and loves to lay with his head on my belly to hear & feel movement. And he genuinely loves my pregnant body, which is a relief sometimes when I feel like a land whale. (My self-confidence is sometimes really high - but it also falls victim to the fact that pregnancy has given me the unpleasant, uncontrollable ability to change my mind at a moment's notice and hold a vastly different position on something than I did 30 minutes prior. And I'm supposed to name a child with this kind of indecisiveness? DAMNIT.)

Being pregnant makes you feel a little bit like superwoman, once you get past the initial misery. Right at about 13 weeks is when mine finally knocked off. 16-17 weeks were SO AMAZING - I wish I could have bottled that whole time period and kept it going forever. Energy, libido, mood, everything was GREAT!! Now I'm starting to sneak into "Ehhh, nothing is comfortable anymore =(" territory, as well as dealing with my GOD DAMN BRAIN failing me at every turn.

Get a pregnancy body pillow. The normal flat ones they sell at home furnishing stores won't do it. I got a Snoogle and it is AMAZING. OMFG. Best sleep I've had in a long time, and it's actually been helping cut down the insane pregnancy dreams. I slept for 12 hours last night. A-mazing.

Once you get out of the first trimester - where YOUR body is doing all the really hard work - it's up to the kiddo to just get bigger and develop. So it's been really fun to track all the changes and see him on the ultrasound. Feeling him move is crazy, and getting crazier all the time. In the beginning (I first felt him at 16 weeks), I could only feel him if he kicked the front of my stomach. Now I can feel him moving around and kicking down or toward the back. It's very bizarre, but kind of cool!

Do you live in a major metropolitan area? A tea shop where you can ask for advice is a great place to visit, and usually you'll be able to sample a wide variety of teas on the spot. Check out the FAQ on the sidebar for some light reading or a site like Teaclass for a little heavier reading.

A supermarket isn't a bad place to start out, though there's usually more choices in something like a whole foods or trader joe's. An asian grocery store usually will have better quality chinese/japanese tea, both in loose leaf and in teabags, and specialized tea shops are the best places to go.

If you're set on online shopping, a site like Upton Tea or Adagio where you can order a wide variety of samples so you can find out what your tastes gravitate to is the best route to go.

In terms of tea preparation, start out simple. If you have a mug, great! All you need is a way to steep your tea. If you choose teabags, that's it. If you want to go for loose leaf, you need an infuser basket or a tea ball. You want a way to boil water, either a stove top kettle or an electric kettle, and a way to measure the water temp like a meat thermometer. Different teas have different steep times and water temperatures to use so your brew doesn't come out bitter from oversteeping or burning it with water too hot. That's it to start off with!

Honestly that looks great. The capresso infinity grinder is great and that looks like what is used in the grinder. You'd be very happy with that setup. My recommendation for having them separate is Baratza has WONDERFUL customer support for repairs or small parts orders. Also, if you ever decided to brew a different method you can. From extremely coarse to near fine for espresso. The grinder on that all in one only looks like it has a few different variables and the grind for a pour over and for a drip is not the same. Its a pretty significant change in taste just by grind size or even brew temperature. I fully nerd out and use a thermometer for my water. Brewing at near boiling versus 200F makes a massive difference.

(LONG POST) I also recently transitioned to hardcore coffee drinking, and I found that it is only a modest investment to get some seriously good cups. Perhaps you should try pour-over brewing, which I switched to from French Pressing - imo you get a lot higher flavor clarity. The industry standard was the Hario V60, which is kind of tricky to use, but I as with many have switched to the Kalita Wave, which is especially forgiving for novices. Keep in mind that the Wave I linked is a smaller size, so it can be a bit finicky for a good pour method, but it is a major score compared to other Kalitas I found across the web. Filters are a bit pricey with the Kalita though, so the V60 is better moneywise but again tricky to achieve consistency. A good scale can be found for about $15-20, which is essential to getting the correct ratios. As others have said, a Mini Mill is possibly the most important investment, but I HIGHLY recommend modding it to get high consistency (I used a rubber band for this.... it will all make sense with the link). For pourovers, some will tell you a specialized kettle is a must for pour control, but I fare just fine with a ceramic tea kettle https://imgur.com/uIWppVj . Anyways, cheers to entering coffee! :D

Shower normally with hot water; this will soften the hair. I generally shave only at the end of a shower as other products might clog my pores.

Exfoliate; this will remove dead skin and dirt, which will help keep it from clogging the razor, promote the release of any ingrown hairs, and further soften the hair.

Lather with a moisturizing shaving soap or if you run out of shaving specific products, hair conditioner works in a bind. Let lather sit for a minute or two; it will further soften the hair.

Starting from the base of your ankle, shave in short strokes (maybe 3-4 inches) upwards against the grain, rotating around your leg; longer strokes evidently can clog the razor faster.

Rinse the blade after every rotation; not rinsing will force you to take multiple passes, and that is something you want to avoid.

The backs of the legs takes practice. I contort myself so I can see for the most part. Calfs are easy to see, but hamstrings are not. If you cannot contort yourself, lift your knee to your shoulder so you can see your hamstrings and shave downwards against the grain from the knee to the butt.

Go slow. A woman's legs are one of her best assets; take care of them.

Do not neglect your toes, thighs, arm pits and knuckles. Arm hair is optional, but even ciswomen can have hairy arms and not give a shit.

Rinse with cold water; as cold as you can possibly endure. This will snap shut your pores and help mitigate bacterial invasions. It helps stops razor bumps, ingrown hairs and acne.

Pat dry with a clean towel; never rub dry because you will exacerbate any micro cuts and make them worse.

Moisturize wherever the blade touched you. Even pros get get micro cuts, so you might want to invest in a medicated moisturizer.

The reward for being diligent?
Rub your freshly shaved legs together; it feels like heaven. It's really quite addicting.

-----------

Edit: added stuff

As mentioned, on many ships there is a retractable line. If there isn't I also recommend getting some heavy duty small magnetic hooks on Amazon (at least 25lbs strength or so probably) and some paracord and use that. The hooks come in super handy for other things too...we hung our key card lanyards on them so they didn't get lost and we'd pass them on the way out reminding us to grab them.

Anyway, no matter where we hung our clothes, they never seemed to dry. So the last time I cruised I brought a small fan in my carry on LIKE THIS . Best decision ever! Worth the spot it took up in my duffel bag. Very light, doesn't weigh much.

I'd aim the fan to where the clothes were hanging overnight, it helped give some nice air circulation in the cabin and also helps drown out hallway noises. We brought a small extension cord to make it easier to aim it where we wanted (in our case into the bathroom) And that was handy as well for the extra outlets to charge phones too. Just a regular extension cord, make sure it does not have a surge protecter.

With the fan the clothes would get dry no prob! You can leave fan on when you leave your cabin as well, just make sure to have a peace of paper or card in the switch by door so your elec doesn't turn off while gone. Our room steward said this was no problem.

directed at /u/QuantumCatBox but I'm going to 'reply' to this comment to keep things in the same thread.

> weight loss

I've found lately that I get better results with 2000 calories of people chow (DIY soylent) then I get with 1500 calories of soylent and allowing myself to eat other stuff. If you can stick with a lower calorie recipe then you'll have even better results but if you're anything like me (and sounds like you are =) you may want to try that. I created a low cal version of People Chow (maybe even the one you referenced, I be faymous!) in order to have it be 3 500 calorie meals and did that for a few months but my weight loss plateaued and I even gained 2 pounds over the last 3 months because I was letting myself eat stuff at dinner and ended up exceeding 2000 calories often (and likely exceeding 3000 some days). So I'm back on mostly just people chow, 4 meals a day, and anything extra I eat I'm doing that same amount extra on the elliptical (which takes forever and is highly inefficient - 30 minutes for a stupid slice of pizza).

> accessories

You might have already seen it but peoples like you are exactly why I made http://www.thebairs.net/2014/06/mixing-up-soylent-ingredients-for-7-days-at-a-time/ I'm using roughly the same stuff /u/SparklingLimeade mentioned and much of it is stuff you find around the house except the scale that I got from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SC3LLS/ and the cheese puffs containers I got from Sams Club.

> serving size

Here's another one for you http://www.thebairs.net/2014/07/mixing-up-a-meal-of-diy-soylent-video/ it all may seem daunting at first but it's really not

> startup costs

If you are looking at my recipe(s) then one caveat: I've looked for the least expensive per gram ingredients, that generally means buying major quantities like a $100 bag of protein. Like Sparkling said, there are smaller bags/bottles of many of the things. Hard Rhino sells a 500g bag of whey protein isolate that would last 9 days with most recipes.

One other option is that many of the more popular recipes do have people selling pre-mixed "weeks". I'm really not trying to be a shill (because I do sell my own recipe pre-mixed) but when I started out I wanted a way to see if it would work for me without all the startup costs and wish the option would have been available then. /u/axcho sells a bunch of variants on his site and I've got several permutations on mine. Both of us publish our recipes so you can make them yourself if you want though.

Loose leaf is really worth it with green tea, to start out with.

My favorite type of green tea is Japanese. O cha has some great stuff. Sencha is your basic Japanese green tea, don't worry so much about the other types unless you want to make a hobby of it. It is very strong, highly caffeinated stuff, which also means you have to be careful; don't brew it in boiling water or for more than two minutes, or it will take the roof of your mouth off.

China also produces some excellent green teas. I'd go to Silk Road Teas for that. Chinese tea is much more forgiving. It's pretty common to dump a scoop of leaves into a thermos and then just keep topping it up with more water all day. More subtle brewing techniques will let you play with flavor more, of course. Dragonwell is the most common everyday Chinese green, and it's easy to brew and drink, so it might be good for a beginner. Silk Road also does nice sample sets!

Many beginners also like Adagio. They're good at easing you into the world of tea, and sell a lot of teaware if you don't have any equipment yet. In-mug infusers are a fantastic approach if you don't feel like spending gobs of cash on decorative teapots, Amazon is also a good source there.

Green is only one category of tea, of course. Black is great stuff, oolong and white if you get interested in the complex flavors, and if you want a powerful hit of caffeine, try the pu erh. It's an acquired taste, but boy will it keep you awake.

ETA: Mug infusers that are in stock. They come in colors, but you'll have to look yourself. Also fill your own tea bags for the weak of heart who insist on tea bags.

I bought this lunch container for my daughter when she was in kindergarten and it's still going strong, and she loves it. It has two temperature-controlled containers and two "regular" containers, so I can give her hot and not-hot foods at the same time (e.g., soup and a sandwich). I can make her a hot lunch at 7:45am and by lunchtime it's still hot. As a bonus, the lid doubles as a bowl so I can give her foods to mix on the spot at lunch, which she adores.

My daughter is now 10 and in fifth grade and I've made virtually all of her school and preschool meals. I learned three distinct lessons in those years:

1. Never put food or drink that she's never had before into her lunch.
   
2. The ingredients of a food matters less than the presentation; it needs to be fun.
   
3. Think about the effects of preparation and packaging.
   
   The first point is easy enough to understand so I won't dwell on that.
   
   The second point ties into your frustration with your sandwiches and wraps. Those sorts of foods aren't fun for kids. Know what is fun? Finger foods, foods that look gross, and foods that they can assemble themselves. Turkey and cheese sandwich? Boring. Turkey, cheese, and bread, cut up into cubes, maybe with a little cup of mayo on the side for dipping? Fun. Add a drop of green food coloring to the mayo to make it "gross" and even more fun. Pizza bagel: Half a plain bagel, a small cup of pasta sauce, a small cup of shredded cheese, and a small cup of pepperoni. Let your kid assemble his own pizza before eating it. Fun. Chicken noodle soup is boring; chicken alphabet soup is fun. You can give your kid make-it-yourself tacos in his lunchbox with a couple of small flour tortilla wraps (they sell 6" wraps at my supermarket) and little containers of lettuce, cheese, and cooked ground beef. So much fun.
   
   Preparation and packaging is also very important, especially when you're dealing with breaded foods (chicken nuggets or fish sticks, for example). Through trial and error I discovered that I can fold half a dozen chicken nuggets into a paper towel, put it in the "hot" part of my daughter's lunch box, and she'll still have reasonably crisp nuggets when it's lunch time. PB&J is usually a soggy mess for kids; the jelly soaks into the bread which in turn gets mushy and gets squished in the lunch bag. This can be fixed by spreading PB on BOTH pieces of bread, then covering and refrigerating overnight. In the morning, apply jelly, put the sandwich together, and put it into a sandwich container. The PB acts as a moisture barrier to the jelly, the refrgieration keeps the PB's oils from soaking through the bread, and the sandwich container keeps it from getting squished. Perfect PB&J at school, every time. If you aren't sure how something will hold up, try it yourself. Make yourself the lunch you'd give to your kid, prepping it at the same time you would normally prep lunch for him, storing it as you would for your kid, and then take it out and eat it when it's your kid's lunchtime and see how it holds up. Soggy bread? Crushed chips? Unappetizing appearance? Keep those things in mind because if YOU see it then your kid is going to see it too.
   
   I'll also throw out a bonus tip: Take extra condiment packets any time you eat out. Individual serving packets of ketchup, mayo, honey, jelly, etc go a LONG way to making your kid's meal better.

If you are looking at teas from unusual origins, say the country of Georgia, try what-cha.com.

if you are looking mainly at Chinese teas, Yunnan sourcing and teavivre are good places to start.

you can get some wonderful Taiwanese teas at Beautiful Taiwan Tea, and they have a very reasonable threshold for free shipping. You can also go to Yunnan sourcing's Taiwanese sister site taiwanoolongs.com

If you want to go down the rabbit hole that is Puerh, try out white2tea (they also have some gorgeously yummy black teas and oolongs) as well as the aforementioned Yunnan sourcing.

yunomi is a decent place to go to for Japanese teas, but since it is a marketplace type website, you would have to do some hunting (and Japanese teas are not my speciality, so I will leave much of that to other users.)

for flavored teas- there's really a plethora of places to get those, but the one that I have found with the best tasting flavored teas of the bunch is New Mexico tea company. This is just personal opinion, some people like Adagio better (and I do love Adagio's chestnut tea as well as a few others, so don't take that as a strike against Adagio).

I would stay away from most mall-type stores like Teavana because a lot of their teas are more cheap filler ingredients and less tea, just to cover up the low quality of their teas.

On the subject of tools, seeing as you are a coffee guy, might I suggest a hario teapot? A gaiwan would be the next step in going towards the gong fu style of tea. A very basic 100ml gaiwan would cost you less than 5 bucks + shipping. (shipping is expensive from here, so I would suggest getting more than one item).

For very basic tea drinking there are always in mug basket infusers.

Or you could always go grandpa style, where you just toss your leaves in a mug and refil the water whenever it gets low.

Here is what I use, and I love it. This strainer actually lets the loose leaf tea expand, unlike little tea balls. It's also easy to clean. I get a pot because I like to brew 2-3 cups at once. I pour one in an insulated mug so it's drinkable by the time I finish the first. This set also comes as a brew-in-cup system for singles.

Infusing
1:Water temp. Either get an electric kettle like this that you can set to heat to a certain temperature, or bring to a boil and let cool to the right temperature. For greens that is always BELOW boiling. 170-190 degrees F, and it can vary by the type of tea.
2: Preheat your brewing vessel, be it cup or pot, by swirling some of the water inside and dumping that out. Starting with a preheated pot keeps the water temp. stable during brewing. You want a lid for the same reason.
3: Add loose tea leaves to the infuser.
4: Pour in your water.
5: Let steep. For green tea that is going to usually be 2-3 minutes, but it can vary by strain. Overbrewing green tea makes it bitter.
6: Remove the infuser. A good quality loose leaf tea can be brewed 2, and sometimes three, times! Let it cool between brewings, and you want to use it the same day.

7: Pour and enjoy! I like to brew in one cup/pot and drink from another. Pouring into a cold cup drops the temp of a green tea to almost drinkable right away.

Brands
I tend to order online and in bulk. I like to buy 8-16 oz of loose leaf at a time. I've enjoyed Republic of Tea, though they can be expensive and some of the flavors are a big miss. Their Vanilla Almond is to DIE for! Right now Rishi Tea is my favorite. They do greens very, very well. I recommend the Green Flight sampler pack to get started. The name is a play on taking a vacation across regions of the world by sampling greens from each.

I just ordered some Numi jasmine green tea, but I haven't gotten it yet. I'll update you when I do.

Obligatory /r/tea plug.

what-cha.com is fantastic! Great selection and good prices.

Use 1 tsp (5g) of tea leaves, and you can steep them multiple times (up to 3-5 depending on the tea you use), so 50g of tea is quite the value. You can also try samplers of more "exotic" tea if you want to try them out.

I highly recommend Yunnan black tea, tastes like chocolate and caramel black tea without all the watery fillers and flavorings. :D It also doesn't get bitter if left steeping for a minute or two longer than you intended.

I also just tried a sample of their Kenyan Flowery Orange Pekoe black tea recently, and it's basically a higher grade of the regular black tea you get in stores. Less astringency, more delicious juicy flavor.

I use this type of strainer and it works great in all sorts of mugs.

Hope this helps!

I have made banana ice cream with an immersion blender plenty of times! You can make pesto in it but I prefer a mortar and pestle, You can make pico in it, but I generally think pico gets ruined if you use any sort of blending/processing. If you want easy clean up, I'd get an immersion blender- it's great for soups and blending directly on the stove top! Theres a cup you can use to make the banana ice cream. If you want to do bigger batches, I'd get a cheap processor - great for making things like hummus, grating cheese and veggies, dough, etc.

This is the $45 processor I have and I like it.

This is the $30 immersion blender I have and also like.

Swiffer's are pretty great for cleaning floors and they aren't expensive. Also get a small vacuum for any carpeting. If you like coffee, definitely get a Keurig. If you're in an area that has cold winters, a comforter for your bed will be important (there are some really cute ones at Target). For when it's warmer out, having a small fan will help the air in your room circulate better. As for LED light strips, this one from Amazon worked really well for me.

The general consensus here seems to be to aim for a Gaggia machine as the absolute minimum. Preferably a Gaggia Classic (~$388).

I've heard people recommend the lower priced Gaggia New Baby (~$300) to try out espresso and to help decide whether "to get a real espresso machine".

A step up from that, the recommendation seems to be the Crossland CC1, but that's in the $600+ range.

To save some money, you might do better finding a used machine or see if they're on sale at different sites.

If you want to go cheaper than that, people have recommended the MyPressi ($170), but I have not seen that in stock anywhere recently. There's some buzz regarding the MiniPresso (Preorder at $39), but that won't be out until 2015. So there won't be any reviews regarding it for a while.

As for grinder, if you're looking for cheap, you might have to make do with a hand grinder, either Hario Skerton (~$35) or Mini (~$26) or Porlex (~$43). The cheapest acceptable electric grinder seems to be the Baratza Preciso at $300.

This is the information I've gathered anyway. I don't have any personal experience with an espresso machine, but I hope this helps. If you decide to go with something, post your experience and help some people out.

Personally, I'm thinking of saving up for the CC1 and Vario (~$1000) combo...

1. I got this cookbook as a gift for xmas and I'm obsessed. You don't need fancy ingredients and everything is delicious. You could get him this, or another cookbook if you wish, and the ingredients to whatever recipe catches your eye & have a romantic night in cooking it together!
   
2. I don't have dogs but I've heard this toy is awesome
   
3. cast iron is always a good gift for people that like to cook. He'll have it forever.
   
   Hope this helps, thanks for the contest!
   

You said you live at home, so you can't control all the food; that's fine. You can still do it, it'll just take some more willpower!

I echo everyone on meal planning. Every Sunday I make my lunches for the week (black bean soup this week), and I usually have the same breakfast (overnight oats) everyday (except this week I made a loaf of lemon blueberry poppyseed oat bread, yum!). Invest in a food scale (you can get a great one for under $30; here's mine) and take an hour or two on the weekends to plan meals. This way you don't have to worry about overeating or what your days are going to be like. This should help stop the anxious fasting. You do all the work at once and then have breakfast/lunch everyday ready for you.

As for snacks, do you get a say in what snacks are "yours?" I freaking love potato chips and would get a bag every week. Once i started getting more serious about making a change, I started getting the reduced fat kind. Then I tried pop chips. Now I don't eat so many chips at all, and I have reduced my snacking. Just gradually make healthier choices until it's not too hard to say, "I don't need chips today." I also keep cookie dough in the freezer, the kind that are individual cookies? So if i want a cookie i have to wait about thirty minutes for the oven to preheat and the cookies to cook. This also saves me from just reaching in the pantry.

I've got plenty of gluten free recipes if you are interested! My husband isn't gluten free, but he doesn't complain. Most of my recipes just use regular ingredients so it's not like you miss gluten. Also I prefer recipes with lots of protein to keep me full longer.

Lemon Poppyseed Oat Bread (8 slices) Adapted by reducing honey to 3 tbsp, Poppyseeds to 2 tbsp, used 2% Fage greek yogurt, and added 1.5 pints of blueberries. (237 kcal, 35.3 Carbs, 6.1 Fat, 11 Protein)

Overnight Oats
I was using Bob's Red Mill Muesli, but now I'm making my own blend with oats, pepitas, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and coconut. You can tailor it to what you like! Mix together and let sit overnight; I usually eat it with diced apples.
1/4 cup Muesli (or your own mix)
80 ml Coconut/almond milk (I use Califia Farms)
60 grams Fage 2% Greek Yogurt
1/2 tbsp ground Cinnamon
1 tsp chia seeds
(278 kcal, 27 Carbs, 11 Fat, 19 Protein)

Here's the soup I have in the slow cooker now! (5 servings)
I used chicken broth instead of veggie broth, so it's not vegan. I'm still debating about cooking some lean ground turkey to add in, but i'll decide after it's done! (305 kcal, 65.5 carbs, 2.1 Fat, 21.7 Protein)


Hope these help a bit!

*Edited links

I'm with you (recently started drinking coffee after leaving Mormonism and spouse not excited about having a coffee maker in the kitchen). We just visited my wife's friend while on vacation and she made me a cafe au lait that was delicious and easy to make without expensive equipment. In fact, I'm about to invest in the following two things:

• A Bialetti Stovetop Espresso Maker https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000CNY6UK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_9AyBzbA35C50N
  
• A Bellemain Stainless Steel Hand Pump Milk Frother https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010E1ZQVC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_yGyBzbGC2QH3P
  
  It takes a few minutes but that is part of the fun.
  In fact I came here looking for advice from experienced coffee drinkers. I know this combination is great for making strong coffee or a latte, but can I easily water down the coffee to make coffee well suited for a thermos? i.e. Can I use a Bialetti to make something more comparable to brewed coffee?
  

There is a whole world of gadgets you can get to make tea in! Our FAQ is really helpful here If you are just stepping into loose tea an infuser mug like this is a good place to start. They're not super expensive and they make tea just for you and if you decide you are done with tea forever you have a nice mug. This is a good one too.

Teapots come in a ton of shapes and sizes, I'd pick something that 1. Is not too big (cups of tea should be small not big imo) 2. Won't break easily 3. Is easy to clean.

Give this a read while you're at it.


EDIT: Points 2 and 3 mean stay away from glass pots if you're clumsy like me and is made of a material that won't degrade and absorb like plastic. Good old ceramics are your best bet unless you know what you are looking for in a clay pot.

I will have to do so! Thank you so much for your help - I am not super experienced with Chinese teas but hopefully I'll be able to taste whether it's the quality it claims. (But, I'm not picky so I'll probably enjoy it regardless). I'll have to open up the tins and see.

Do you have a recommendation on brewing style? I normally brew Western-style with a stainless steel tea infuser - do you think this method would be good for this type of tea? I don't have access to a gaiwan set or anything like that, although if it's really superior I could be convinced to buy something....

That looks like a good starter green tea. I'm not sure how happy you'll be with "Mister tea" though. It doesn't leave a whole lot of room for the tea to expand, and that gunpowder green definitely will. The basket for your contigo mug looks pretty good. You may want to look in to a basket type infuser for normal mugs, as well. This ForLife infuser and this Finum basket are both pretty popular around here.

Welcome to the world of tea. Cheers!

I really appreciate what you're trying to do here, but unless this or something like it gets stickied (and even then) newcomers will still probably just post whatever inane, redundant question they came to ask in the first place without bothering to look. Serious props for the effort, though.

That being said, add in a link for the porlex, a list of local roasters, and maybe drop the sections where you give your own recommendations, as some of them are slightly contentious within the community.

Some of your text content here is not really as simple as it should be to be accessible to newcomers, such as when you say "gooseneck is best" they're not going to have a clue what you're talking about.

Your section on pourovers is woefully lacking. I would move the discussion of a gooseneck kettle to this section-especially with regards to the v60, as it's really not going to help nearly as much with other brew methods.

Wherever you mention espresso, there should be a strong disclaimer to not expect excellence (or even good/very good results) until you invest >$600 in your setup (cheapest good/decent grinder and machine combo I can think of is Gaggia Classic+Preciso).

I would also leave out the suggestion for "no cream or sugar". Coffee is really a deeply personal experience. If you are trying to tell people what (not) to put in it, or how to enjoy it, they won't listen. In my eyes, the main purpose of this sub and the coffee enthusiast's prerogative in general is to offer help and advice to those who seek it, ie those striving for improvement, aka DADT.

Definitely a good start, though. I'll revisit this when I have more time to see what else I come up with.

Two pieces of advice that I hope are helpful for you.

First, get a Snoogle... This will help her stay comfortable, and will give her something to wrap around so that she doesn't wake you so much during the night. It's been a life saver for the wife and I, and she'll get more uncomfortable as things progress.

Next, something that's worked for me, when the wife has been passing out early (which has been pretty consistent the entire time she's been pregnant, since she's a bit anemic), is to go lay down with her at 7:30, then when she starts to doze, go find something else to do for a few hours. When you come into the room later on, since hopefully the Snoogle will be keeping her comfy, you can slip into bed without waking her.

The Snoogle will take up a decent amount of space, so unless you have a King bed, you'll be relegated to a smaller portion of the mattress, but hopefully she'll stay sleeping, and you'll be able to get to bed at a more normal time, and sleep through the night.

Hopefully this is helpful, best of luck with everything!

Before you go out and buy a lot of tea, only to find out it's not to your liking, explore your options a bit by trying out sampler packs.
A bunch of good samplers where linked to over here, but that's mostly for straight unblended teas.

I hardly drink flavoured teas myself, so I can't really give you any good recommendations on that, but perhaps someone else will chime in.
Adagio carries a lot of samplers, many of them containing fruity tea blends, so you might want to check that out.

If you don't have anything to steep your loose leaf in, I recommend picking up an infuser basket that allows you to brew directly in your cup/mug. If you end up liking hot tea, you can always invest in teapots and whatnot later. (And so begin the hopeless teaware addiction many of us suffer from!)

This, and this should do well. Avoid smaller infusers such as this, as your leaf needs the room to expand and interact with the water while steeping. A cramped infuser will not allow your leaf to do so, and may lead to an inferior brew.

> I think I will start with some fruity tea, is it acceptable to put honey/sugar into that?

It's your tea, you're free to drink it however you like it best. I do recommend steering away from your usual preferences every now and then to experiment a bit. There's a lot of different flavours to be found in straight tea, and it'd be a shame not to give it a shot. If you like it better with sweetener though, by all means drink it with sweetener.

> I had some tea bags but wasnt a huge fan, not very strong of a taste, would loose leaf tea be better?

You betcha!

A loosely filled level teaspoon is ~ 2g, a tightly packed level teaspoon is ~ 3g. Hope this helps... but yeah, get a scale.

I love this one that I got off Amazon; it can take a small regular weight bowl without damage, the platform is big enough to use (about 2" square), and the lid folds all the way back and lies flat so that it doesn't interfere with what you're doing. I used calibrating weights to test it when it arrived and found it was perfectly accurate already. Best of all it's $9.95 with Prime shipping, if you're signed up for Prime.

And that's not the only one; there are plenty of good sub-gram scales out there, usually cheap (<$20). No reason not to have a scale if you've tried kratom and feel like you'll be kratoming for a while.

Oh oh I love coffee! Some cool products to check out on the cheap:

Hario Mini Mill Slim Hand Coffee Grinder: It's a hand crank grinder, but it's a burr grinder so it produces a more consistent grind which in turn produces a better cup of coffee.

Chemex 3-Cup Classic Glass Coffee Maker: Not as cheap as the french press, but since it uses a paper filter so there isn't as much sediment in the cup. I find that I prefer it over the french press.

Bodum Brazil 8-Cup French Press Coffee Maker: Classic french press.

Optional:

Etekcity Digital Kitchen Scale: Scales are helpful in getting a consistent cup every time. You can measure out the water and coffee and dial in the perfect ratio.

Also check out Pinewood Roaster's coffee. I think they're on Franklin and 11th in the same building as Alpha Omega. Grab a bag of Ethiopian Beriti and enjoy!

Hey, congratulations!

The first thing I bought for my wife, after we found out we were pregnant, was the Snoogle pillow. Basically a contoured body pillow for you to sleep with. It especially helps in the later weeks of pregnancy.

A sitz bath is awesome, for you, right after childbirth.

The newborn Boppy is good for the beginning. We used it A LOT, especially in the first couple of months.

The regular Boppy is a must have, in my opinion.

Swaddling is the best, and BREATHABLE swaddle blankets are important. We have a couple of muslin blankets that we’ve used from day one.

The American Academy of Pediatrics book, ‘Caring for Your Baby from Birth to Age 5’, is a an absolute must-have general reference book to keep around, in my opinion. It gives you a lot of the exact same advice and tips as your pediatrician will. Every now and again, my wife and I read or re-read the section that correlates with his current age range, and then we read the upcoming age range. It also answers a lot of basic health and care questions that many people just don’t think to ask.

Also, quick piece of advice: Don’t get attached too early to any specific brand for anything that’s meant to go in a baby’s mouth (bottles/nipples, pacifiers, teethers, etc.). Your baby will choose her preferences. It kinda sucks to go ahead and buy and wash the full Dr. Brown’s bottle set, only to find out that your baby doesn’t like Dr. Brown’s, and prefers Munchkin Latch instead. Trust me.

I almost missed it! I've got a few upgrade from my last post! Here is my gear.

From left to right:

• Bodum Bistro - Got this guy at the famous JCP Bodum Sale. For the price, I've been very happy. I'd like to upgrade but can't justify the purchase at the moment.
  
• Hario Skerton
  
• Aeropress
  
• Bialetti Moka Pot - 3 cup
  
• Melitta pour over
  
• Grosche York 350 ml french press
  
• 2 Oxo pop airtight containers - I love these and recommend them highly
  
  What's next you ask? Well with my neck paycheck, I'm buying the following:
  
  
• Bonavita Variable Temp Gooseneck
  
• Chemex
  
• This Digital Scale
  
• Clever Dripper (maybe)
  
  Any recommendations for other gear? Specifically, scale recs?
  
  Edit: Added Amazon links for anyone interested.

Ditch the infrared bulb. It messes with their sleep. And I would get a timer for your basking lamp and uvb - I got a cheap $5 one that they had at target for Christmas lights but you can find them on Amazon too. For me it's a lot easier having his lights going on and off automatically than having to remember to switch them on and off everyday. What kind of substrate are you using? Do you have a basking rock under the basking lamp? You should and you should also get an infrared thermometer to make sure the basking rock is at the proper temp. I think it's 105-110 for juveniles and 100-105 for adults but I could be off a bit. That part is important though for digestion. What size crickets are you offering? They should be no bigger than the space between your beardie's eyes. If your beardie is at least 16" you can also try super worms. My beardie is 8 months old and it took a lot of veggie buying before I found the two leafy greens he likes best - collard and turnip greens. He also hates it if I try to add fruit or veggie toppings he just wants the leaves. He eats more veggies when I just give him leaves. Oh! What kind of substrate are you using? Tile is recommended in here and works really well.

ETA links - thermometer https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00DMI632G/ref=sxts1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487564979&sr=1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65

Timer - https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00P76URH8/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1487564997&sr=8-6&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=outlet+timer&dpPl=1&dpID=41oJZwx0ioL&ref=plSrch

I bought this guy as a cheap machine a while back. Twice the price as your Mr. Coffee.

http://www.amazon.com/DeLonghi-EC155-Espresso-Cappuccino-Maker/dp/B000F49XXG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347649968&sr=8-1&keywords=delonghi+ec155

Delonghi EC155. It was an okay machine at first, espresso okay with its pressurized basket and steamed okay milk with its little plastic attachment. I bought a non pressurized basket and changed the steam wand out along with chopping off the bottom where the basket goes.

NIGHT AND DAY DIFFERENCE especially with the new basket. It made okay espresso before with fake crema but NOW IT DOES IT FOR REALS.

Also my grinder wasn't cutting it much anymore (bodum burr grinder) so I just hooked up my power drill to my kyocera hand grinder and that works like a charm until I can afford a better grinder

Edit: For anybody interested in the new basket it is this basket: (MP68) La Pavoni Europiccola/Professional - Millennium Model Double Shot Basket

Also steam wand is (R_1054) Rancilio Silvia Steam Wand I don't recommend if you are not mechanically inclined, I had to basically take apart the entire unit to swap it out.... but the pressure now is AMAZING.

Ok I think if you want to take your cooking game to the next level start with this. Learn how to use cast iron and cherish it. It might seem hard at first but it's actually really easy. Will last you years if properly taken care of.

If you want to just cook to survive, and have a pan that is easy to clean and not worry about too much, get this. And to be honest this is pricy for a non-stick pan. I would go to your nearest Walmart and get a non-stick pan for 20 bucks or something.

Well then! Back in High School, I was in the Marching band. Additionally, I was also in Jazz band as a drummer / percussionist. One of my most favorite moments was when the band director (also a drummer / percussionist) let me bring my drumset to a football game. Needless to say, this pissed off the drumline (not that I really cared) and the "drum line instructor." I loved playing my set in front of the crowd at games :).

I wish you the Most wonderful time at school and good luck with year 3! I think everyone needs one of these at school. Or anywhere really :P

Thank you for the contest!

I’m not sure what your current financial situation is, but I wanted to share this anyway. Maybe you could quickly save up for it or make a mini GoFundMe.

My husband and I purchased this mattress when we moved to an apartment together. It’s super inexpensive but has been the best mattress either of us has slept on, ever. It’s a perfect combination of firm and soft. The prices also vary depending on what size/length you get

mattress link

Adagio has a pretty good teapot/tea sampler to start out with. This:

http://www.adagio.com/gifts/holiday_ingenuiTEA.html

is what I use. I also recommend buying a programmable electric kettle since different varieties of tea require different water temperatures. I have this:

http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-40996-Programmable-1-7-Liter/dp/B0083I7THI/ref=sr_1_52?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1395218831&sr=1-52&keywords=electric+kettle

and it's been amazing. I drink mostly Oolong and green teas, so I wanted something that had temperature control.

The best way to find what your preferences are, and to understand your palate is to try what sounds appealing to you. Adagio is a pretty good place to start. :)

Exfoliating is a big help, these are awesome for in the shower. I lather one up with soap and use it to wash with, then shave, and then I lightly exfoliate with the cloth again with just water before getting out. Moisturize after with something that doesn't irritate your skin (I like Lubriderm Sensitive Skin personally).

I'm not sure I agree with the sentiment that women's razors are necessarily better. I spent quite a bit of time looking online for what the best razor to use on my legs would be and the general consensus was the main difference between women's and men's razors is just the handle shape and packaging/cost. Many cis women actually posted about preferring the Mach 3 which is a "men's" razor. I already had one of those so I've been using it for body hair and personally it's been working very well. It's also pretty economical compared to many when it comes to buying blades (you can get a pretty good deal on them in bulk on Amazon).

Also, how much pressure are you using? It should be quite light, let the razor do the work. I wonder if you're pushing down harder than you need to without realizing it.

Your steam machine makes moka style coffee, more akin to that you would get from a Bialetti than an espresso machine. It produces coffee by pushing water at moderate pressure of 1-2 bar through your coffee grounds.

An espresso machine pushes water through coffee at 9-11 bar - a much higher pressure which produces a drink which has an entirely different extraction profile and character.

To make decent espresso coffee takes a high quality grinder, able to grind finely, uniformly and with a lot of control, which on its own typically costs around 3-4 times your budget for entry level options, and an espresso machine capable of controlling pressure and temperature of the water flow at a similar level that costs much the same. Sadly, $100 is not a realistic budget to achieve this.

If you want to learn more about what distinguishes espresso machines from one another and why they cost what they do, read this; if - in time - you decide you want to start to explore espresso making at home, this post may help you plan out the most cost effective way to do so.

In the meantime, there is nothing wrong with making and enjoying great moka-style coffee - aim to maximise the quality of what comes out of your steam machine by using the best quality beans you can find, and - ideally - by investing in a grinder to grind your beans fresh before using them. A small hand-grinder like the Hario Mini-Mill is a great reasonably affordable option to start with.

I have no idea what you ate, but what you are describing is now easily achievable with sous vide. For chicken beer cooler sous vide works until you decide you want a rig. A few years ago I decided to get an Anova and am glad I did. In the summer I use it about once a month; in the winter about once a week; around the holidays, it never gets put away. The cooking style is totally different, so I recommend a slow start with things like the beer cooler method to see if the results are the ones you like, but if you do, the timing freedom for busy folks is a game changer.

Malcolm, I'm happy that you're happy :)

1. When you use too much yeast, the dough overproofs and deflates (and smells like alcohol). The local flour didn't deflate, because it didn't have enough protein/gluten to trap the gas.
   
   
2. Smaller quantities of ingredients, unless you have a jeweler's scale, should always be measured in volume (tablespoons/teaspoons).
   
   
3. Oven thermometers are pretty much useless. I know you've invested quite a lot into this endeavor, but, if you're ever going to track your stone temperature properly, you're going to need an infrared thermometer. Amazon has some for pretty cheap, although I'm guessing shipping is going to drive the price up. All IR thermometers come from China, so you might look into getting one from China directly from an outfit like dealextreme or aliexpress. For your immediate needs, you'll need one that goes to 650 F, but, if you think you might ever have a wood fired oven, you should look into something that goes up to around 1300 F.
   
   
4. Your oven has no top heat source? That sort of sucks. Does it have a broiler drawer on the bottom? Does it have a convection feature? Some higher end ovens can be calibrated. Calibration can typically buy you as much as 35 F. higher. The instructions are in the manual. Have you looked into calibration?
   
   Just so we're on the same page, you're using Caputo 00 pizzeria flour,, right? 65% water is a little high for Caputo. For your next bake, go with this:
   
   100% flour
   
   62% water
   
   3% oil
   
   1% diastatic malt
   
   2% salt
   
   .3% instant yeast
   
   1% sugar
   
   Your yeast should be 3.2g per teaspoon. Your malt is 14g per tablespoon (3 teaspoons). You'll need to check the packaging of your salt to check it's density. If it's a fairly standard fine grain salt, it should be around 13g per tablespoon, but definitely check for greater precision. How are your excel skills? A spreadsheet can be enormously helpful for these kinds of conversions and for scaling a recipe up/down.
   
   And don't forget... photos :) Right now, I'm just helping you reach a somewhat generic really good pizza realm. To hit Glascow more precisely, I'm going to need to see photos of the underside of the dough (right before stretching) and of the finished pie.

You could try out Harney's sachets (they're shaped like a small pyramid, and filled with loose leaf, so it's kind of like drinking loose. Its much better quality than what is put in teabags, and the sachet provides the leaves room to expand). I don't know where you're located, but they're pretty far reaching (I'm in NZ and they're in several stores here... which is definitely saying something), or you could order online;

https://www.harney.com/irish-breakfast-tea.html

*Edited to add; if you did want to look at an infuser, I think these are incredibly fantastic and super low hassle;
http://www.amazon.com/FORLIFE-Brew-Mug-Extra-Fine-Infuser/dp/B001JPA3Y8

You just pop them on your mug, scoop in the tea, pour hot water, take out when done. Boom! re-useable metal teabag!

You can cook them in shell. Set the water bath to 170f, drop eggs directly into water. Remove after 14min or so, and you have perfect poached eggs. Crack to serve.

Sous Vide is slow cooking done perfect. It will give you an exact result, each time. Its consistent, which is a rare feat in most cooking, and makes amazing dishes. Chef steps has some great tutorials and recipes.

I use the Anova in a 10Qt soup pot. Works great. Note that the price does drop to about $130 at times, so if you want to save a bit of money, wait it out. If you want to save a lot of money, you can DIY a sous vide cooker yourself.

As someone who has enjoyed the pleasures of his lovely above the tree line many times, I suggest the following:

1. A condom is a pain in the arse. If that is not your normal BC don't worry about it. See below.
   
   
2. Bring some hypoallergenic (fragrance free and flushable) baby wipes. Have both of you clean up BEFORE and AFTER. Advantages to this:
   
   A. You can enjoy the oral manifestations of the situation
   B. Baby wipes can be used to clean up in general, clean the face, hands etc.
   C. To get rid of them you just throw them in the fire or bury them like toilet paper.
   
   
3. Other than that, just make sure you are in a remote camp site.
   
   If you are camping (as in car camping) just bring blankets and forget the sleeping bag. Blankets will absorb the moisture without getting gross and you can just wash them. If you are hiking in and camping, e.g; backpacking then bring some lightweight camp towells and just wipe down when done.
   
   Coffee while camping is easy just get one of these:
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Finum-63-421-50-00-Brewing-Basket/dp/B000I68NCS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1368721513&sr=8-3&keywords=tea+filter
   
   Morning meal? Bring some freeze dried peppers, eggs, onions and potato slices and make a kick ass omelette.

Hario pour over filters and Ceramic Funnel. A grinder. A sauce pan to heat your water in. I've never bothered with buying the gooseneck kettle. A steady hand when pouring out of the sauce pan works fine for me, just remember to barely soak the grounds and then let them sit for a minute before pouring more water through. It's a very cheap set up that makes the best coffee I've ever had. Yes, it would be great to have a bur grinder, but I was given a $30 "blender" grinder from Target for Christmas and it works great. All you have to do is learn to slowly pour your water in. Probably around a $60 investment that you will not regret. If you want to learn more, just go to a local coffee house and ask them for a pour over cup of coffee and watch them. It never has a scorched taste, and it never turns out too strong like a press sometimes does for me. It's so damned simple that I've kicked myself for not learning it earlier.

Funnel can be found here.

Did you get the same kind? Make sure you're pointing the right part of the thermometer at the banger (you're using a quartz banger?). It's not the laser pointer part, it's the opening below it. Usually from about 6 inches away, it'll read pretty consistently. Since it's so close, DON'T USE THE LASER POINTER! Or at least don't pay attention to where it's pointing. You want to aim the sensor opening at the banger, not the laser.

Also, it reads in real time, you don't have to hold and release!

Yes, it jumps up and down a little bit at the beginning, probably because it's reading the heat of the air rising around it. But you should be able to read a downward trend, especially after it cools down slightly.

Message me back if you don't figure it out, I'd be happy to post a video or something. I'm super-happy with mine, and would be glad to help you get your working. Good luck!

I might recommend this kettle, mostly just cause it's cheaper than the one you chose. The one you linked to will work well, I'm sure. If you're looking to splurge, this is the kettle I'd like the most, but I'm gonna get this kettle soon.

The pour is actually very important in making good tea, and most people don't realize that. Gooseneck kettles have a great, easily controllable pour. You might not notice it for a while, so that's why the first kettle is good for beginners.

>Breakfast and lunch are super important (coffee is a runner up). You don't realize it till you go without. Then it hits you.

Yupper

For lunch...

http://luckypeach.com/recipes/miso-claypot-chicken-no-claypot/

Make a big batch of that and freeze the leftovers.

https://www.amazon.com/Gordon-Ramsays-Fast-Food-Ramsay/dp/1554700647

These are all great too.

Nutritious and most freeze well.

For breakfast, always have spare cooked rice in a baggie in the fridge, eggs, tortillas, condiments, cheese, etc... so you can just throw stuff together. My favorite:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2016/08/how-to-make-omurice-japanese-omelette-fried-rice.html

Coffee in the morning your type of thing?

https://www.amazon.com/AeroPress-80R11-Coffee-Maker/dp/B000GXZ2GS/ref=sr_1_2?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1482258230&sr=1-2&keywords=aeropress

Cheap and works great, makes an excellent cup of coffee with hot water quickly.

https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-DCG-12BC-Central-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B0000A1ZN7/ref=sr_1_23?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1482258296&sr=1-23&keywords=coffee+grinder

This is my grinder.

It's the details that count, decent quality stuff that just gets the job done.

Congrats!

Lots of great advice already on this thread, but I wanted to recommend this book as well. It is witty and playful, but has a lot of really good information.

Also, be the best husband in the world and as soon as your wife starts getting big, buy her a body pillow. I made it through my first pregnancy without one, but now at 31 weeks along with my second, I can't imagine how I survived without it.

So all you really need is a brew basket and a cup (and the brew basket is optional if you're willing to drink around the leaves). Also you'll need some tea.

I imagine you have a mug. As for a brew basket, something like [this] (http://www.amazon.com/Finum-Brewing-Basket-medium-black/dp/B000I68NCS) should be good. Just put leaves in a basket and add hot (usually not boiling) water.

When I started out, I bought a bunch of tea and samples from adagio.com. It's good to find what kinds of tea you like (there is black, green, white, oolong, puerh, yellow, but tons of subvarieties). It's been a while since I've purchased from adagio, so I'm not sure how they are now.

I like buying from verdant tea now. It's pricey and has a smaller selection, but it's delicious.

Best of luck!

Disclaimer: I literally just switched from bags to loose leaf tea drinking today after hours and hours of research.

I bought a Bonavita Electric Kettle (http://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-Variable-Temperature-Electric-Gooseneck/dp/B005YR0F40/) and chose it for it's precise tempature control and the ability to dual-purpose it for coffee pour-overs as well.

For infusion, I purchased an in-cup stainless steel one (http://www.amazon.com/FORLIFE-Brew-Mug-Extra-Fine-Infuser/dp/B001JPA3Y8) mostly because it has good reviews and Amazon Now had it in stock for 2-hour delivery. There is some well-reviewed plastic infusers as well, but I like the visual of stainless steel in my new ritual.

The process is super easy. I fill up the kettle with water and punch in the temp (160 degrees in my case for Harney Japanese Sencha). Once it's hot I put the infuser in my mug and add a heaping spoonful of loose leaf. Then I pour-over the leaves and set my phone timer for a couple minutes. In no time, the tea is ready and I remove the infuser and dump the contents into composting.

The resulting tea is perfect. Easily twice as good as the experience as using the tea bags (I've been drinking Harney Japanese Sencha in bags for 2 years).

Grinder

>Capresso Infinity - $89
>
>or
>
>Hario Mini Mill Slim - $30 - If you don't mind hand-grinding your beans


Coffee Maker

>Aeropress - $23 - Balanced flavour, easy cleanup
>
>or
>
>Hario v60 - $19 - If you enjoy the process of preparing your coffee, and enjoy a brighter (more acidity) cup of coffee.
>
>or
>
>A french press - $20 and up - If you want to make more coffee at a time than the Aeropress, don't mind a "thicker" (more coffee particulate and oils in the cup) coffee, and are not opposed to having a little bit more clean-up.

You'll need a kettle for any of these brew methods; a programmable/temperature controlled kettle like this one ($95) is ideal for manual brew methods, but any kettle (and a thermometer if you'd like to get fussy) will do just fine.

Personally I would get the Capresso and the Aeropress if I were you. It's a very balanced and forgiving brew method that can make coffee a few different ways (eg. paper filter for a "brighter" cup, metal for a thicker one). Set aside the rest of your budget and find a good coffee roaster near you!

I am actually in love with my stick blender - it's super fast and effective, and waaaaay cheaper than the Vitamix. It makes really smooth baby purees and can do smoothies too, and it can also be used for larger volumes like whole pots of soup (so it's versatile too). I swear I don't work for this company, I just really love the hand blender. :-)

I just dug up the receipt, I paid 100 for it a year ago (apparently it's only been a year, not 'years'). After I bought it I saw it below 90$.
It's probably a discontinued model at this point but I'm sure you can find the next generation of it.

There's also the DeLonghi EC155 which has excellent reviews, costs $75, and I think you can even get it at target so you can try it out to see how much you like it. I ordered this one for a friend and she likes it but I've only used the Salton which I wouldn't be surprised if was a better build.

This is by far the easiest and cheapest way to make “fancy” coffee. Coffee snobs can spend hundreds to thousands of dollars on all this equipment that really isn’t necessary for regular people who would be happy with a Starbucks latte.

Here is a spice grinder that can be used for grinding coffee because fresh ground coffee tastes way better and you can control how fine it’s ground.
I suggest looking up a photo of how ground coffee should be for the “Moka pot”
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004SPEU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_xH02DbEBEGM6D


Here is the “moka pot” I’ve found it’s the cheapest and easiest way to make something close to espresso. (It’s stronger than regular drip coffee but weaker than espresso, and it doesn’t have the brown foam that come on top of espresso)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000CNY6UK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_2F02DbAZHNRY3


Here is the milk frother that is a easier and cheaper way of making “steamed milk” (this isn’t exactly steamed milk because usually you need to put a steam wand into milk and use a technique to steam milk properly and it’s expensive and takes practice)
You just push a button and a minute later it’s done.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V9HHMZM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_xG02DbC0AG7B5


The thing that really effects the flavor the most is getting good coffee! Maybe you could splurge on more expensive coffee that you save for dates, special occasions or when you want to feel fancy!

Could you get her good coffee-making equipment? An aero press is $30 and a hario v60 is about $20. Actually hario has a hand grinder that’s pretty cheap too. Throw in a bag of beans from your favorite toaster if you have any surplus.

Edit to add link and update price. My bf loves the v60, might be good!

Edit 2: it looks like it looks like the grinder is $40? which blows my mind. I swear it was cheaper

i love my memory foam mattress, very comfortable and resilient. it was also much cheaper than the average mattress. the 2 main downsides i have come across though are that they can be a little hot. so not great in summer and if you lay in one spot to long it can be hard to move. so if your say watching a movie in bed or reading a book it can be hard to adjust your position into something that is more comfortable for sleeping. i won't lay in my bed anymore unless i know for sure i am going to sleep. other than that though the mattress is fantastic, it's very easy to fall asleep you don't get lumps in the bed, and if you have a partner movement doesn't transfer much so you don't wake them up. oh thats one last complaint, sex is a bit harder since you sink into the bed more. i would definitely recommend getting one though if your looking for a mattress. i purchased a Zinus Memory Foam 12 Inch Green Tea Mattress, Queen for 200 bucks at the start of 2016. when it was on sale. it's 279 now.

Depending on how long it is from when you leave home until when you eat you could just bring something you don't mind eating at room temp.

My old office only had 2 microwaves for over 100 people, probably over 150. The office before that had 2-4 and for a few months none. Needless to say there was always a wait at lunch time. I just started eating my food room temp.

Obviously not everything tastes as good at room temp. I've had good luck with Japanese bento style meals; rice, veg, a bit of meat. Just bento cookbook is a good resource. She has tips for making ahead and freezing parts of the meals as well.

If you have time to cook something quick or heat up some soup a good lunch jar will keep it warm until it's time to eat. It great for pasta and sauce.

For a heartier meal and/or more variety mr bento can't be beat. The stuff at the bottom stays warmest. Again it requires some prep time in the morning though

lived on the first floor of a UWP court during fall and spring term. highly recommend bringing a fan or two, especially a (reversible) window fan. had a small honeywell fan to circulate air around and a reversible window fan that fits in your sliding window.

i used my window fan to exhaust the air out in the morning or when it got hot. at night past 12:00 AM, the temperature would dip to below 20 degrees so i would use my window fan to blow air in to cool my room down by a huge factor. my room went from a sauna to a standard room with AC in 20 minutes. a window fan is very useful for a decent amount of temperature control in your room. very helpful for sleeping at night.

general ways of beating the heat would be to only go to your room to cook, shower, drop stuff off, or sleep. go to a place with AC (like grand commons or CMH) to study or do whatever instead. close all of your blinds and keep the lights off to keep your room as cool as possible. sleeping without a blanket became a necessity during the first couple weeks of september and all of july and august.

TL;DR - buy a reversible window fan

edit: formatting

> spiceindiaonline.com/crispy-chicken-65/

I'm inclined to mostly agree with /u/Amnizu. I dont think I've ever seen deep frying in a pot like that, even if it is heavy bottomed, the outside is not heavy so it will not retain the temperature of the oil as well as cast iron would. A $20 Cast Iron pan is usually my go to for frying. Even safer and probably better would be something like this. A Quart of Oil is actually quite a bit in that kind of pot. When using the Cast Iron get an 1-1.5 inches of oil up to temp then slowly add in each piece of chicken. The recipe you are using has water in the ingredients which is ok, as long as you don't have excess sauce on the chicken when you put it in. Water and frying are not friends. You might even want to reduce the amount of water just a little. To be safe keep some Baking Soda near by to put out any potential grease fires. I'm no pro so take what I say with a grain of salt. I usually use a cast iron pan and it comes out great, makes the house smell though. Hope this helps.

Aerobie Aeropress is easily the best coffee maker around. I have made coffee and espresso for some of my pickiest coffee nerd friends, and they love it and always ask me how I made it. Great Christmas gift for your coffee-loving friends.

This is the one that I use:

https://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-40996-Programmable-1-7-Liter/dp/B0083I7THI/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1502487352&sr=8-5&keywords=variable+temperature+kettle

It's pretty cheap ($35.00USD) and definitely not the best on the market, but it's reasonably accurate and heats up pretty quick. What I love the most is that the temperature is customizable at 5 degree increments. I brew most of my tea gongfu style so I really like that feature, and also the "keep warm" function is automatic--it'll keep the water within ~5 degrees of your desired temperature for an hour.

Hope this helps!

I think you answered your own question. If you have been using and enjoying a french press then stick with it there is a whole range of size and price options and even places like Target sell them. As far as other inexpensive options there are a variety of pour over devices that use paper filters which may be easier to clean up. I have a Cilio #4 that I use at work with a Hario Skerton grinder and a cheap electric kettle. The Cilio is porcelain and has held up well but there are some stainless ones. There is also the Aeropress which is a fun little gizmo and makes great coffee. The Porlex grinder nests nicely inside the Aeropress plunger so it takes up very little space in a bag.

Wait...what is your budget? Are you willing to spend £150?? If so, we could probably put together a great beginners setup for your boyfriend.
I'm thinking:
Aeropress
And Baratza Encore but that's a little over 150. Instead of an Aeropress, a Clever would work, too, but you would also need #4 filters.

Actually, if you want to give him a lot of options for 150, you can get him the Aeropress (23), Clever (18), #4 filters (4), Hario Hand Burr Grinder (22), and a Mocha Pot (23) for a grand total of ~90 quid. I'd also add a .1 gram digital scale for 15 extra. So 105 for quite a good introductory setup for coffee (and I'm assuming you have a kettle for boiling water).

So far I've just been browsing Kinja deals and had one recommendation as well as interested in others' recommendations. Here are some:

$52 Instant Pot 3 quart. Love the 6 quart version, but it's huge. I think 3 qt would've been fine for me.

$26 dinnerware set don't know this item.

$37 Lodge enameled cast iron dutch oven. Considering this. Anyone own it? Do I need a cast iron dutch oven? Is it better than a stainless steel one? Already have a cast iron pan.

$25 Stick blender

The sous vide immersion circulator was sold out but will be back, let's hope.

I’m not sure if this has been said....but if you go to Asian supermarkets they have this exfoliation scarf thingy that’s like a really long loofa kinda thing. I think that would be helpful in scrubbing hard to reach places And it’s pretty cheap too. Also I don’t know if there’s any scientific proof but I try to scrub only in the direction my hair grows to prevent ingrown hairs and not scrub too hard that you hurt yourself because that can cause new wounds etc. Good luck and congratulations on your love life!

Edit: I found a link on Amazon that sells the exfoliation thingy I was talking about, just to give you an idea about what I was talking about

wash cloth towel

I have a this : https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000246GSE/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1479099554&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=bento+thermos&dpPl=1&dpID=41p5bbuAleL&ref=plSrch

I absolutely love it. The bottom two are great for warm food while the top two are good for colder food like fruits or other type snacks like that. You can even have soup!

Definitely something that might suit what you want.

Its not a good plan to invest that much $ without knowing if you honestly like tea or not. To begin just get a simple infuser this one works , hopefully you already have a mug. Just boil or microwave water to start before you are sure you really love tea. You could always get a cheaper kettle but the most basic way to start is just infuser+mug+tea . Grab yourself a few sample from adagio or harney. I like harney to start since their samples are 2$ each. Grab some from as many of the major tea groups as possible. Find what you like. Good luck.

TL:DR Spend more money on tea, less money on accoutrements

I have this food scale which I love... scale
A full size mirror was helpful before i fell off the wagon(got sick and was put on medications) because even if the body scale wasn't showing progress the mirror does. I know you probably share finances, but it may be helpful to get her a gift card for the grocery store or costco or something because I know it was hard for me to splurge on ingredients and foods i needed to stock my pantry because the initial cost is pretty high. the giftcard will help because she won't feel guilty 'treating herself' to these foods! A wok was also helpful!

Absolutely. You can have top grade coffee for £50.00 total:

• Grinder
  
  
• Press
  
  And source some beans from a good local roaster to you. I have a few recipes I like but coffee is very subjective. Best to experiment with different beans, brew times etc. My go to recipe :
  
  
• Dark Roast Coffee Beans
  
• Filtered Water 30s off the boil
  
  
• Grind beans very fine, 18g
  
  
• Pinch of Himalayan Rock Salt (trust me)
  
  
• I use the inverted press method. Add salt and grind to press as shown.
  
  
• Pour in a finger of water. Agitate in the press with the handle end of a spoon for 15s.
  
  
• Fill up to brim of press, leave for 3min.
  
  
• Pre-wet filter and add filter/cap to press.
  
  
• Place cup on end upside down and revert back to normal orientation. Slowly less water through (should take around 30s) until just as air starts to come through the press.
  
  
• No milk
  
  Enjoy. It’s very strong, rich coffee though. Not a very delicate brew.

Reddit is firmly on the victorinox train and that's great. They're great knives. I want to offer you another option though. I've used a lot of knives throughout the years and I loved my forschners, but at the end of the day they're never going to be as sharp and stay as sharp as you would like. I moved onto the Tojiro DP they're a big step up from the victorinox chef knives for roughly $10-15 more in price. They're made of good quality Takefu VG10 steel, the same steel used in a knives that are a lot more expensive. If you maintain it you won't have to upgrade to something better when you're ready.

Here's something I wrote in a similar post from the day after this one:

I'm lazy and don't use as many spices in my black tea "chai" as you do, but I have several versions of "Pumpkin Pie Spice" that have many of the same spices. I just sprinkle in one of the PPS's, and use a milk frother to mix the very dry powdered spices pretty easily. Sometimes I'll add another spice if not in the PPS, like cardamom, more ginger, etc.

Before I went low carb, I'd add milk and sugar to each strongly brewed cup of black tea. Now I sometimes use milk or cream, sometimes not, and add only a tad of sugar (unfortunately can't tolerate any of the alternative sweeteners), and also add coconut oil sometimes (don't particularly like butter in this as I would in BPC).

Great flavors, and has always made me feel almost like I'd "eaten" a snack!

I steep a fair amt of tea leaves in a mesh tea basket, for about 5 min with 3/4 cup of very hot water:
http://amazon.com/Finum-Brewing-Basket-medium-black/dp/B000I68NCS (I have the "large" one)

This may get some down votes but I've heard great things about the De'Longhi EC155 and it's only $90. www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000F49XXG I don't personally own one but the reviews on it are worth at least considering it. And if you look hard enough, you can even find a few others recommending it in this sub. I do agree with everyone else, it's all about the grinder (and IMO, more importantly the beans). Look into getting the baratza encore or the capresso infinity, $130 and $80 respectively. And if you're lucky, you can score a refurbished baratza encore on their website. Check every Thursday, that's when the post their refurbished items.

If you want true Espresso the first one you list isn't gonna do it.

I think one of the cheapest useable option is the Gaggia Classic. You can get it with a hand grinder and are all set to go. This one is pretty good.

Want to spend more? The Rancilio Silvia is beloved by many, from beginners to advanced. Here it is with a matching electrical grinder.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of those devices, because my kitchen is way to small for more than an AeroPress but I have friends who own this stuff and they make great coffee.

I bought the tojiro gyuto (amazon link https://www.amazon.com/Tojiro-DP-Gyutou-8-2-21cm/dp/B000UAPQGS) for my first knife. It's served me well for just about everything, holds an edge incredibly well, sharpens without too much effort, feels great, and has an aesthetically simple beauty. I also appreciated it later on since I found that it's more forgiving than many japanese knives wrt the blade and point without needing to use japanese knifework. I've heard equally good things about their 7" santoku, though it obviously won't rock at all.

Just going to toss this out there, the sweetened Starbucks tea will be much different to a plain Japanese green tea or matcha. My husband can drink the Starbucks/other shops version but complains that my tea tastes like bitter vegetables and grass.

You might have better luck with mild Chinese green teas or, as was suggested, a Jasmine green tea since it is a sweet Chinese tea. It can be iced. Some of the greener oolongs are mild and sweetish, too. A milk oolong and oolongs in general are good for anyone that doesn't have much tea experience. (They can be easier to brew)

If she doesn't have tea ware or much experience with loose leaf (if you get her loose leaf) then you might look at a Finnum brewing basket. I know with my mother in law that she claims to really like tea but doesn't have much experience, interest, or patience for anything beyond bagged teas. Not everyone wants more then 1-2 step teas.

Steeping = leaving your tea leaves in hot water so you can get the flavour (and the caffeine) out of them. Different teas do best with different temperature and times. For green tea, you want around 165°F for 1 minute, or check the instructions your tea comes with. Adjust to your liking.

You can use teabags or "loose leaf", which is when the tea leaves come as they are. Both are easy to use and loose leaf can be cheaper, especially if you know where to look or order online. If you do decide to use loose leaf, you will need some kind of basket strainer or other infuser, to hold the leaf while it steeps so that you don't get bits of tea leaf in your cup. My personal favourite is this Finum Brewing Basket.

You don't need to use a teapot. I just brew and drink my tea out of a mug. The teapot I have is only used if I'm sharing tea with someone else.

For brands, check out the User's Choice list from the wiki. I started off buying from Adagio and Upton. Nowadays, I buy from Adagio, Verdant Tea, O-Cha, and Yunnan Sourcing, but all the shops in that list are good ones. As for supermarket brands... I don't really like any of them, because I don't like flavoured tea, and those non-flavoured teas tend to have been on the shelf long enough that they're a little stale. (Also I have a huge backlog >_>)

Some green teas worth trying out:

• Chinese Dragonwell a.k.a. Longjing
  
• Chinese Jasmine Green Tea
  
• Japanese Sencha
  
• Japanese Genmaicha (this is green tea with toasted rice added, great when it's cold out)
  
  Hope this helps.

I ceramic hand grinder works well. This seems like a popular one. I have this one and it works pretty well. If you drink coffee pretty regularly, then you should probably go with an electric one. This Baratza is considered really good for the price.

Since you're 17 years old and likely don't have access to a few hundred dollars to really get started, I would save up and get a Hario Skerton grinder and V60 single cup pour over here: http://www.amazon.com/Hario-VDC-02W-Dripper-Ceramic-Funnel/dp/B000P4D5HG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372182859&sr=8-1&keywords=hario+v60

then I would save up for a bag of intelligentsia, just buy whatever single source sounds good to you. watch youtube videos on how to do proper pourover technique. learn how to use a kettle (there's no need for a gooseneck one just yet), figure out how to pour slowly with a standard kettle. maybe buy a cheap thermometer so you can get the water temperature right. start pouring yourself coffee, but remember to drink coffee right after it's been roasted, not months later.

if you're rich, do the same thing, but buy the bonavita temperature controlled gooseneck kettle in addition to the v60. and a baratza virtuoso.

actually do whatever you want, there's no good answer. just about any advice you take from this subreddit will be significantly better than what you're currently doing.

posting this topic is the equivalent of 17 year old with a casio keyboard asking a concert pianist for advice in becoming a musician.

For me, fine grind and good beans made all the difference. As for espresso machine, I have been using older version of this machine for years. As for the grinder, I had to hack this Mr Coffee burr grinder to make it finer (a hack similar to this). If you don't want to mess with the machine, better to get a good grinder. As for the beans, I have tried a lot of things form Starbucks brand to 100% Kona coffee beans. So far, the best tasting ones were freshly roasted beans from a local coffee company (roasted 1-2 weeks before I purchase). If you have good fresh beans, finely ground, then I wouldn't worry about getting an expensive machine too much because they won't magically enhance the taste.

https://www.amazon.com/Porlex-JP-30-Stainless-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B0002JZCF2

Looks a bit like a porlex. I wouldn't use it in a machine without a pressurized portafilter. If you feel comfortable with it, get the Gaggia classic but keep the pressurized Porta filter for now. Save up, buy a better grinder and start upgrading the Gaggia. Good luck!

I use this one for both business and personal yarn. You probably don't need 1/10ths of a gram for general knitting purposes but I needed it for measuring dye so... yeah. I definitely recommend digital since you can zero and calibrate it pretty easily, and it's a lot more accurate than a standard scale. If you do go standard, I'd recommend one that has a little slider as opposed to just a dial. They're more accurate and less likely to break.

Teasource is a great company you can order loose leaf tea from. Their basic stuff (earl grey, breakfast teas, simple oolongs) is like $6-10/4oz and the nice stuff goes to like $20/4oz.

I like very black teas like some Assam blends for mornings, and greener-oolongs in the afternoons with honey.

And also Harvey and Son’s “Paris” is my favorite bagged tea. Only floral black tea blend I like

Idk if you have a strainer for loose leaf already but they are cheap online and can take you to new places tea-wise. Nice metal ones with really small holes are best

Finum (63/421.50.00) Brewing Basket, medium , black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000I68NCS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_EeXWAbHYC1EG4


Tea Infuser,Tea Strainer,2 PACK 304 Stainless Steel Water Filter with Double Handles for Hanging on Teapots, Mugs, Cups to steep Loose Leaf Tea and Coffee,Cold Brew Coffee Maker. FDA Approved. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075KK731Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_TfXWAb6P870HT

People will say things like 'screaming hot cast iron'. I disagree.

Let me recommend one of these. Then buy a bunch of high quality unsalted butter and make ghee (just cook the butter very low, crockpot even, until all the layers are seperated. Scrape the fat off the top, then pour the middle layer into a container, do not let the stuff at the bottom get in. You will lose a tiny amount of ghee but it's just butter so don't worry about it.). Ghee won't smoke till like 485. anything between 400 and 450 is plenty hot enough for a good sear.

Cast iron doesn't heat evenly. It retains heat exceptionally well. So what I do is preheat the pan for about 5 minutes on a 4/10 on my stove (flat glass stovetop). By then, at least half the pan's about 400. I throw in the fat, wait for the fat to get up between 400-450 (takes seconds), then drop the seasoned steak on a part maintaining that heat large enough to cover the steak. I do 3 minutes a side at that temp.

Sear's great. I can leave up the smoke alarm. I don't even need to open windows. I don't even put the overhead fan for the stove on...cause there's next to no smoke.

Here's a steak I made last night (half eaten).

I've yet to try, but I will next week; putting a cast iron weight on the steak while it vacuum seals. This, in my head, should keep the steak perfectly flat instead of getting 'scrunched' a little by the vacuum sealing. The only part on my steaks that haven't seared well were where the steak got 'scrunched' and wasn't flat and even. I think that will solve that.

EDIT: Quick note since people like this comment...Someone made a comment that changed my life a bit with sous vide. They said to just cook the meat sous vide, ice bath, then fridge. You can then keep it in the fridge for like 2 weeks (I've never let it go that long, usually within a week) but it ends up being like 75% meal prep'd. Searing takes all of 10 minutes with the pan preheat. Pop steaks out in no time flat.

Applicable point about searing is that from cold is key (3 minutes per side from hot will 100% overcook it).

You can't go wrong with a #8 (10.25") or #10 (12") Lodge skillet. They are both pretty cheap on Amazon or at Walmart.

Do read through all the great tips and information in the FAQ. Cast iron is different than most other modern cookware, so learning cooking, cleaning, and care tips is important.

For searing steaks, I like to use the "reverse sear" method, and Alton Brown's method works great.

http://www.amazon.com/DeLonghi-EC155-Espresso-Cappuccino-Maker/dp/B000F49XXG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421873498&sr=8-1&keywords=espresso

On sale. The cheapest true (pressurized correctly) espresso machine that I know of, has a decent enough frothing tip for foam, and it pulls some great shots. I have a friend who has had one for a couple of years, and his is still running great- if you're starting out or even pretty knowledgeable about coffee, I recommend this. Plus, it's almost 50% off!

I personally would get the following way sooner if I was building my kitchen all over again.

Also if there is a place you can get bulk spices near by I would go there for your spices, because if you havent already noticed spices are pricey at your local megamart.

Lavatools Thermowand - Same form factor as the much more expensive thermopen but at 1/3 the price.

Lodge cast iron skillet - great for searing meats or as a good starting pan.

OXO Bench Scraper - Makes prep work much easier and safer as you don't use your knife to scrape your food off the cutting board.

Immersion Blenders - When you dont want to use your big blender or want to blend something in your pot or pan.

Stainless Steel Cookware - Has a little bit of a learning curve but is great after the fact.

Aeropress - Life is too short to make shitty coffee.

Edit: added a thermometer/spelling

Ignoring aesthetics,

A cast iron teapot can be great, especially with a tea candle to keep it warm.

The most important thing is to use a basket style infuser.

I would recommend a 330mL French Press (for making single cups) because they have a wire filter built in, are cheap and easily available.

I've also enjoyed using this basket style infuser because it makes single cups, the lid keeps the heat in, and the lid doubles as a drip catcher if I plan on doing multiple steeps of the same tea.

My S.O. and I are a big fan of her Bredemeijer vacuum insulated 1.2L tea pot, which keeps tea for two hot for a couple hours. On that note, having a vacuum insulated mug is great for tea on the go, or for keeping tea warm while you pour into smaller, traditional cups.

You could get some good quality loose-leaf tea and cold brew it! It's super easy and usually flavorful!

• Fill pitcher with water
  
• Add loose leaf tea (it really depends on the type of tea - 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon per cup)
  
• Stick in refrigerator overnight.
  
• Strain the liquid to remove all of the leaves (I have this infuser and I pour all of the liquid through it into a bowl and then back into the pitcher)
  
• If you like tea just a bit sweeter, make a simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar in a saucepan. Constantly stir and bring to a boil until dissolved) and add!
  
  I believe /r/tea is a pretty active subreddit. I'd search and ask there for recommendations of good types of tea to cold brew!

I can’t refrain from commenting on this since I’ve been having the exact same thought process. As of now I cannot afford an actual espresso machine and other proper gear, and since I only have a French press, I’m considering the Moka pot. Here’s my take on this:

I’m very much a coffee nerd and I love espresso-based drinks, particularly a latte or a cappuccino. To make a good espresso shot with lovely ‘crema’ on top, you’d need around 9 bars of pressure, which can only be supplied by a proper espresso machine. Even certain ones (worth, say, $100) advertised with more than 10 bars of pressure are not very good because they lack the pressure regulation to maintain 9 bars throughout the whole 20ish second shot. The Moka pot, of course, cannot supply such pressure either. Most Moka pots gravitate around 1.5 to 2 bars of pressure, which is significantly lower than what you need. That being said, I do recommend getting one until you can have a professional setup because:

• Moka pot coffee is still delicious and much richer/stronger than other types of homemade coffee;
  
• You can make your coffee slightly stronger (to get closer to a proper espresso shot) by changing the coffee - water ratio in favour of the coffee;
  
• You can buy an inexpensive ($10-15) milk frother or use a French press to froth the milk for your tasty lattes (to use the French press to froth, pour warm milk inside and pump the plunger up and down rapidly);
  
• The pot itself isn’t too expensive and can be maintained easily.
  Without doubt, I would recommend to go for a Bialetti such as these:
  
  Bialetti 6-cup stove pot espresso maker
  
  Bialetti Venus Induction coffee maker
  
  Happy coffee making!

It's never too early to invest in a Snoogle! http://amzn.com/B0000635WI

I also started with a chiropractor around maybe 18 weeks and am finding it to be extremely beneficial.

Best of luck to you!! And congratulations!! :)

For me, I've found the best value in having two scales. I have this one for smaller items. It goes to the nearest tenth of a gram, so that's good enough for me for smaller quantities. This is good for jewelery, small coins, etc.

For weighing a whole stack or something, I also have one of these. It's only accurate to the nearest gram, so the small one is better for small quantities, but this one supports up to eleven pounds and is definitely the best you'll find for the price. I also measure stuff other than my stack on it as well, so this is a decent multipurpose scale.