bread makers, bread making, frugal cooking, frugal living, Uncategorized

A Very Comprehensive Guide To Buying A Used Bread Maker.

If you have been reading my blog, you know that I’m a chronic comparer.  I take great pleasure in seeing how a similar item or problem can be approached in different ways.  Variation is the essence of creativity; variation sometimes improves a product, and at other times it does the opposite. 

My habit of comparing things is lifelong. When I was a pre-school kid, I had no resources, so I collected and compared pencils. You would think that all pencils are alike, but they are not.  When I got a little older, I did the same thing with pens.  Why pens?  For the same reason as pencils.  They were inexpensive and varied by brand. 

Over the years, I have compared many things.  A few years ago, I compared many blood pressure cuffs and found most of them somewhat inaccurate, with the expensive ones not much better than the cheap ones.  A note about home blood pressure cuffs: although they’re not as precise as those in the doctor’s office, they still provide valuable information.  If your doctor wants you to record your blood pressure at home, please do.

It must sound funny to some readers that a person would devote energy to such trivial pursuits, but my chronic habit of comparing is harmless. It used to bug my wife, as it made little sense to her. To be frank, it makes little sense to me, but I love doing it. My wife now understands how much enjoyment my habit gives me, so she now accepts me for who I am.  Interestingly, this strange interest has benefited me throughout my life, as I am able to examine things with a critical eye trained since childhood.  It is easy for me to evaluate what is an important change vs. one that is just fluff. 

So why compare bread makers? I love gadgets, and few things are more gadgety than kitchen appliances. Most kitchen appliances are simple machines that need to differentiate themselves from one another.  Sometimes this is done by improving the unit’s quality.  For instance, a stand mixer may have a more powerful motor and an all-metal housing.  Sometimes this is done by fluff.  Using the same example, a stand mixer may come in a variety of colors. 

I have been comparing bread makers since the late 1980s, with my first purchase being a Sanyo that made a one-pound loaf.  Bread makers are interesting devices, as they are simple in design, consisting of a motor, a heating element, a thermostat, and a control board with a display and buttons.  All bread makers have these components, so why are some new ones $70 and others $500? Partially, this is due to brand recognition, but the price increase is also due to the level of construction, the feature set, and the quality of the components.  I’ll talk more about that later.

I have been able to coax just about any bread maker into making a nice loaf, but each has its quirks.  However, to quote Father Flanagan, the founder of Boys Town, “There is no such thing as a bad bread maker.”  Well, I think I almost got that famous quote right.  With that said, some do this with fewer adjustments than others.

My wife knows me and thoughtfully found a used bread maker, which she cleaned up for my birthday. This old Oster had a tendency to overproof, but with a little tweaking and some basic food chemistry, I was able to coax it back to its former greatness. My wife told me that she paid $10 for this gem.

It is surprising how robust bread makers are.  I have used many that were sold in the 1990s that are fully usable in 2026.  How many other small appliances can say that?  Perhaps a KitchenAid mixer, but that is about it. 

I picked up this used bread machine for $5.99. It was produced sometime during the 1990s, and it still works great today!

Are the older bread makers built better than the newer ones?  I can’t say for sure, but it would seem so on first blush. Many older units are made of solid metal and have a heavy, quality feel.  New premium brands continue this tradition, but many newer, less expensive bread makers are lightweights.  Does that impact their longevity?  There are no MTF (mean time failure) rates available on bread makers for end users to peruse. However, a lighter machine could suggest lighter-duty components, such as the motor and the drive belt. 

Since I have been unable to obtain actual statistical data on bread maker failures, I have had to use softer data.  This is what I know:  In a heavily used bread maker, the first component that is likely to go is the paddle.  Paddles are made of aluminum, a soft metal, and with heavy use, they tend to strip.  The next component to break is often the bread pan, which has several failure points, including the non-stick coating, the paddle assembly, and the seal around that mechanism.

The motor of a bread maker connects to the paddle assembly via a tough drive belt.  I have read reports that lower-cost bread makers’ belts will strip under heavy use, and I have also read that the premium Zojirushi brand is built with an extra-thick, strong drive belt.  

I bought up this used Zojirushi at a reasonable price. It is a quality machine that runs like new today.

Replacement belts are available for many bread makers, but installing one requires extensive disassembly. There are several YouTube videos where YouTubers have replaced a belt and restored their broken bread maker.

Naturally, any other component on a bread maker can fail, from displays, to buttons, to computer boards, to the heating element.  However, these seem less likely to do so.

How to test a used bread maker.

Ideally, the best thing you can do is to bake a loaf of bread, but that isn’t going to happen with a used purchase. You can run some basic tests to tell you whether a machine is likely to work.

  1. Check for obvious signs of severe wear and tear.  Make sure that the baking pan and paddle are present and in reasonably good condition. They don’t have to be perfect.
  2. Plug in the machine.  Make sure its display lights up.
  3. Press every button to make sure that they work.
  4. Press the cake/quick bread cycle.  The kneading paddle should start up.  If the machine doesn’t have a cake cycle, press the dough cycle.  This second option can be a little tricky, as some bread machines have a rest period to allow ingredients to reach an optimal temperature, and they can appear inoperable during that time.  Note: If you hear abnormally loud squeaking when the paddle is moving, the machine has failed, and move on. On most machines, the paddle starts and stops repeatedly; this is normal. The goal of this test is to see if the motor mechanism works; you only need to run it for about 30 seconds. Cancel the cycle by long-pressing the stop or cancel button, then move on to the next test.
  5. If the bread maker has a bake-only cycle, press it and wait a minute or two to see if the heating element starts to warm.  If both #4 and #5 work properly, the bread maker has passed a basic electrical/mechanical test. Long-press stop or cancel to end this cycle and move on.
  6. Look for obvious signs of misuse.  The stainless steel on newer bread makers is very thin, so don’t be discouraged by small dents.  However, such damage should lower the asking price.  However, if a machine has been clearly abused, give it a pass.
  7. Many machines at thrift stores are pretty grubby, but most will clean up well with soap/water and a bit of effort.
  8. It is possible to buy new paddles and even bread pans for selected machines, but some can be pricey, so be aware. 

What size loaf should you consider?

A machine that can make both a 1.5-pound and a 2-pound loaf is ideal.  But a machine with a maximum loaf size of 1.5 pounds can also do the job. Some machines make only a one-pound loaf.  That size can be limiting, but it may be adequate for a single person or a couple with low bread needs. 

Vertical or horizontal loaf?

Most modern bread makers produce a horizontal loaf that looks like a typical loaf of bread when making a 1.5-pound loaf, but can make a very tall yet horizontal 2-pound loaf. 

Some bread machines have a longer horizontal pan that has two kneading paddles. These tend to produce a more traditional loaf.

Some bread machines produce a vertical bread tower.  Cutting perpendicular to the loaf creates a slice that resembles some commercial sandwich breads.  I used to have negative feelings about these machines, but I have come to appreciate them.  The loaf may not be as aesthetically pleasing as a horizontal loaf, but in many ways, it produces a more practical slice of bread for sandwiches and toast.

What cycles are important to have?

Less than you think.  You need a basic/white bread cycle that allows you to choose loaf size and crust color.  This cycle can be used to make many types of bread.

Many machines have a whole wheat cycle that may allow for extra kneading or a slightly longer rise time.  If your machine doesn’t have this feature, you can still make whole wheat bread using the basic cycle.

Many machines have a fruit/sweet cycle that may bake a loaf at a slightly lower temperature, as sugary breads tend to brown quickly.  However, if you don’t have this cycle, you can still succeed with the basic cycle.

A dough cycle is very useful, as most will knead and ferment bread dough, which can then be removed to form and bake in your regular oven.  Think pizza, dinner rolls, and the like.

Many machines have a quick loaf cycle that bakes bread in record time. However, a quicker ferment often results in a less flavorful bread with a poorer texture.  I don’t think I have ever used a quick cycle on a bread machine.

Many machines feature a dozen or more cycles, but most are slight variations of the above cycles.  You may find them useful, but I typically don’t

Many newer machines have a gluten-free cycle that may or may not be useful for making gluten-free bread.  I don’t make gluten-free bread, but I have explored this topic, and it seems that some gluten-free users like using the gluten-free cycle, while others use the basic bread setting. If I had Celiac Disease, I probably would opt for a machine with a gluten-free cycle just to have that option.

Extra Features

Some bread makers have features ranging from a fruit-and-nut dispenser to dual heating elements to very fancy displays. Most of these features are unnecessary.  You may find some handy, but if you don’t have them, you can still produce a good loaf of bread.

Programmability

Most machines have fixed programs; some machines allow you to change some parameters of a program, some have additional programs that do a singular function, like kneading or baking, and some machines permit you to write a complete custom program that allows you to control every aspect of the bread-making process from start to finish.  

If you have a machine that is working up to spec and plan to make standard breads, like white, whole wheat, and raisin.  You don’t need programmability.

I have used a number of programmable machines and have made hundreds of loaves of bread, including many specialty breads, without ever needing to customize or write a program. One exception may be a used machine that is slightly off calibration.  If you had such a machine, the ability to program various parts of a baking program may be useful. With that said, I have used machines with slight calibration issues and simply adjusted the yeast or made other easy recipe fixes to achieve a good result.  

What has my experience been in buying used machines?

The least expensive place to buy a used machine is a thrift store, where you can often score one for under $10.  Next would be Facebook Marketplace. There are some great deals to be found on Marketplace, but you will also find resellers who buy thrift store machines and then jack up the price.  eBay is also a viable option, but it usually has the highest prices, plus shipping. However, eBay is often where you can find premium used machines, such as Zojirushi models. Amazon sometimes sells refurbished and used machines via affiliate sellers. 

This thrift store special looks pretty grubby, but she was less than $5. I had to rescue her!

A little soap, a little water, and a little elbow grease and she is as good as new!

I have purchased machines from all four venues.  Thrifted machines are often very grubby, but typically clean up well with some soap and water. Marketplace machines are usually cleaner, and Marketplace often has newer machines than thrift stores.  EBay is variable, but typically these machines are cleaned up and tested in a rudimentary way.  The one used machine I bought from Amazon looked brand new, but it was the only one that was D.O.A. Luckily, Amazon has a good return policy. 

When possible, I follow the above testing rules.  I consider machines under $20 to be a casual purchase, and as long as they seem to be working, I’ll buy them.  If a seller expects a high price, I expect the machine to be working at factory specs. 

What is the number one problem I find with used machines?

The number one issue that I find with used machines is a slight temperature miscalibration.  This usually means the machine is running slightly higher than normal, which can lead to overproofing and, sometimes, a darker crust. I wrote an entire post on how to deal with overproofing (see my March 9, 2025 post). You can always use a lighter crust setting if your crust is too dark, or take your bread out 5 minutes before the bake cycle ends. 

Once I know a particular machine’s quirks, temperature miscalibrations become a non-issue.

I have seen more minor temperature miscalibration issues with used Cuisinart machines than with other brands. However, I have also seen these problems with a newer KBS machine, a very old Breadman machine, and a very old Oster machine. I can make excellent bread in all of these machines with just minor recipe tweaks. What tweaking?  Again, see my post from March 9, 2026, for exhaustive details.

All the thrifted Cuisinart machines I have tried tend to overproof, likely because their thermostats are slightly mis-calibrated. However, with a little tweaking, I can get them to behave. In this case, all I had to do was reduce the yeast by 1/4 of a teaspoon.

Another issue

I have found a few machines (usually newer ones) that seem to have been programmed for a different market.  These machines can be used successfully, but they can be a pain, as each type of bread requires some trial and error.  These problems have occurred with bread makers from companies that also sell some excellent machines, so it is difficult for me to give advice on brands to avoid.

In-house, OEM, and OED manufacturing

Zojirushi designs its bread makers and has its own manufacturing facilities.  Other premium brands design their bread makers, but then have an OEM manufacturer build them.  A more recent trend involves OED manufacturers. These third-party companies not only build a product, but they also design it.  That is why you may find nearly identical bread makers sold under several different brands.  A company may sell an awesome machine alongside a so-so model, as the models may have come from two completely different OED manufacturers.

I bought a nice, lesser-known KBS machine for under $100, and found the exact same machine selling for over $200 under a different brand name at a different store. 

What brands to consider?

Premium brands like Zojirushi, Breville, and Panasonic are built very well and may last longer than those from a more price-conscious brand.  I have a Zojurushi Supreme BBCC-X20 from around 2008.  This almost 20-year-old machine was purchased used and runs like a new machine. I also have a Panasonic SD-150 bread maker that was purchased new in the 1990s, and it works flawlessly in 2026. 

Here is a Zojirushi Virtuoso (top-of-the-line) that I picked up for $70. You may think that is a lot of money for a used machine, but these bread makers retain their value. In fact, the price was low. It works perfectly, but it has some superficial dents, which lowered its resale value.

Every once in a while, I see a post from someone who scored a Zojirushi, Panasonic, or Breville machine for next to nothing.  However, these desirable machines are often picked up by resellers and up-charged on sites like eBay.com or sold on ShopGoodwill.com. With that said, I have bought a couple of premium machines on eBay at a reasonable (not bargain) price, and you can too if you are patient and catch the right deal. When it comes to eBay, always check the shipping costs, as I have seen sellers list a machine at a reasonable price only to tag on an astronomical shipping fee. 

My wife bought me this Panasonic YD-150 new sometime in the 1990s. It works perfectly in 2026.

Two quality brands you can still find at thrift stores are Breadman and Regal.  Both of these brands are built very well, and I have found units from the early 1990s that run perfectly.

Oster has been making bread makers since the 1990s.  They tend to be more lightweight (more plastic), but users seem to like them.  The same can be said of Wellbuilt.  I have never tested a Wellbuilt machine, but it is not uncommon to see people using old thrifted ones on YouTube videos. I also watched videos of people happily using thrifted Sunbeam machines.  On the surface, their construction appears similar to that of an Oster unit. 

There are many other machines from the past from brands like Toshiba, Toastmaster, and even Betty Crocker.  My view is that if a machine passes the simple test I listed above and costs under $20, it is worth giving it a try.  Your mileage may vary. 

A number of newer brands have emerged, many of which seem to be made by OMD manufacturers. I have tried several KBS machines with good results; however, one KBS machine tended to overproof.  I bought that machine on Marketplace for $20, and it looked brand new. The overproofing was easily corrected with a simple recipe adjustment.  I have also tried the brands Kitchen-In-A-Box and Osipoto with good results. 

I picked up this KBS machine on Marketplace for $20. It looked brand new, but it was overproofing, which is likely why the seller wanted to get rid of it. However, all it took was reducing the yeast by 1/2 teaspoon, and it is now making great bread.

So what do I do?  I make most of my own bread and bread products.  At this point, making bread takes only 5 minutes. I often rotate my machines for no reason other than that I think it is fun.  Yes, a bit weird to think that using different bread machines is fun, but no shaming, OK?

The bottom line is that you can very likely find a working bread maker for very little cash if you shop the used market.  It is also likely that you can buy a premium used bread maker for considerably less than new if you take your time and do a little hunting. 

You likely don’t need all of the bells and whistles that some bread makers offer, as most of us will only use the machine’s basic functions.  However, you may want those additional features if you do a lot of experimenting and recipe conversion.  The vast number of bread machine users (based on my watching of dozens of YouTube bread-making videos) make one or two types of bread.  Many also use their machines to make dough.  Those who are regularly making different types of bread seem to be the exception rather than the rule. Lastly, don’t forget that you can start with a decent used bread maker to test your bread-making chops and to see if using a bread-making machine becomes part of your regular routine.  If you then get the itch for a new premium machine, you have lost little in the process.

Happy purchasing!

Mike

This is a gag photo that I sent my wife, telling her that I “accidentally” found myself in a thrift store and couldn’t leave this lonely little breadmaker. In reality, I couldn’t pass up its $5.99 price tag.

frugal cooking, frugal living

Save Money: Let’s Make Some Homemade Corned Beef Hash!

Now that I’m retired, I have taken over a lot of the cooking. When our kids were small, my wife did 90% of the meal preparation, but I did certain holidays, like Thanksgiving and St. Patrick’s Day. I did the latter because we would make our corned beef and cabbage meal in a pressure cooker, a tool my wife is a bit uncomfortable with.

In the US, we waste almost 40% of the food that we buy. That is an expensive habit now that we have to deal with inflation, the Trump tariffs taxes, and fuel shortages due to the Iran war.

When our kids were young, they might eat part of a piece of corned beef and a small amount of vegetables. This meant that quite a bit of the dinner was left over. I’m big on not wasting food, but what to do? Repeat the meal the next day? A casserole? I went with option “C,” homemade corned beef hash.

I “winged” a recipe, but it turned out well. In fact, homemade corned beef hash has become a tradition that my kids look forward to. I’ll fry up the hash along with some sunny-side-up eggs, toast made from homemade bread, and (on occasion) fried potatoes as a “breakfast for dinner” meal.

This year, my kids will be visiting us the weekend after St. Pat’s Day. My daughter has already told me that she is looking forward to our traditional hash and eggs dinner. I’ll be very busy this weekend, so I had to do a little pre-planning. I’ll explain that in the photos.

As an aside, this year I made our corned beef in a slow cooker. I posted the recipe and wanted to make the preparation as accessible as possible. More people have slow cookers than Instant Pots. The corned beef turned out great, and the only difference that I could tell was the cooking time. Cooking corned beef in a pressure cooker takes around 90 minutes. Cooking corned beef in a slow cooker takes around 8 hours. However, the end products are identical.

Let’s get into this extremely simple recipe.

Here is the leftover corned beef. Don’t trim off the fat, it is an important part of the recipe.

Cut the corned beef into chunks.

It is easiest to make the hash in a food processor. You want a 50/50 mix of vegetables and corned beef. However, the exact proportions are not that important, so just eyeball it. I’m adding the leftover cooked potatoes, onions, and carrots. I’m also adding a small amount of the leftover cabbage. The cabbage is optional, but I like the additional flavor. Add the corned beef chunks to the vegetables, leaving the processor about half full. Then pulse the mixture until it looks like hash. Don’t overfill the processor, or you’ll get an uneven chop.

Our very old food processor is relatively small (7 or 8 cups) so I did the chopping in several batches.

This is the consistency that you want. Remember, pulse. Otherwise, you will turn the corned beef hash into mush.

As you can see, we made quite a bit of hash. Total prep time? Less than 5 minutes.

I made our dinner on Wednesday, and I won’t fry up the hash until Sunday. It would probably be fine in the fridge, but I would prefer it to be as delicious as possible. Therefore, I decided to vacuum seal the corned beef. Doing this will keep it fresh in the fridge at least twice as long. If I froze it, vacuum-sealing would keep it fresh for up to a year (or more).

Here is the hash after vacuum-sealing it. I like to flatten out the bags as they are easier to store. I’m not sure how many of my kids are staying for dinner. If they are all here, I’ll make both bags. Otherwise, I’ll freeze one for a quick future “breakfast for dinner.”

I believe that my kids prefer the hash dinner to the traditional boiled one. Turning the leftovers into hash not only prevents food waste but also creates a completely different meal. And my homemade hash is so much better than the hash-in-a-can stuff. Give it a try!

Peace

Mike

frugal cooking, frugal living, Uncategorized

Save Money, Let’s Make Some Corned Beef And Cabbage!

It is the day after St. Pat’s Day, but my wife was working yesterday, so we are having our corned beef today.

I almost didn’t use the “Save Money” tag, but I still believe it is cheaper to make this dinner at home than to go out to a restaurant. Corned beef has traditionally been a loss leader around St. Pat’s, but this year it was plenty expensive at close to $40, likely due to inflation, the Trump tariff taxes, and now the war with Iran.

Are the tariffs still a thing? I’m not sure, but prices haven’t gone down. During his first term, the US-based Whirlpool Corporation convinced Trump to impose tariffs on foreign washers and dryers, forcing them to raise prices in the US. However, Whirlpool also raised its prices (I think by $200). Guess what, those prices never went down. But I digress.

A corned beef dinner is one of the easiest dinners to make if you have a slow cooker or a pressure cooker. I often make my yearly corned beef dinner in a pressure cooker, but this year I thought I would go the slow cooker route. Why? More people have slow cookers than Instant Pots, so I felt a recipe using a slow cooker would be more useful.

I’m a big fan of slow cookers. You can buy expensive ones, and they are great. However, you can also get inexpensive ones that will do the job. In my post on 55 ways for seniors to save money on food, I mentioned that you can buy a 2-quart slow cooker for under $20. However, the slow cooker that I’m using for today’s corned beef dinner is a 6-quart one. I bought it for less than $25 a few years ago. It’s basic, but it works.

Slow cookers are famous for dump-and-go recipes, and the variety of dishes that you can make in them is amazing. There is nothing like coming home and having dinner waiting for you. If you don’t have a slow cooker, consider getting one. The higher-priced ones will include features such as timers, high-end construction, and a more precise temperature regulation. However, the cheap ones work well enough. If you have cash burning in your pocket, go with a premium brand; if not, go with a simple unit.

The recipe for corned beef in a slow cooker is simple, so I won’t list out the ingredients separately. Instead, I’ll mention them in the photos.

Add some potatoes. Red potatoes cut into chunks are traditional. However, I had these baby potatoes on hand. Wash and remove obvious blemishes, but there is no need to peel them.

Peel and cut up an onion into big chunks. Toss it into the pot.

Toss in some carrots. I’m using a bag of baby carrots, but you can also use peeled regular carrots cut into “baby sized” pieces.

I’m adding a very light dusting of some seasoned salt. You can use salt/pepper or omit any seasoning, as the corned beef is already salty. I also added a spoonful of garlic and a cut-up celery rib. All of these are totally optional. I just had them on hand.

Here is our corned beef, it is pretty large at over 4 pounds. I was going to make only half (and vacuum-seal the other half), but my daughter will be here over the weekend, and she loves the hash I make from the leftovers.

Put the corned beef in fat side up. Sprinkle the included pickling spices over the corned beef.

The jury is out on whether you should rinse the corned beef or not. I choose to rinse it. Fill the slow cooker to the top edge of the corned beef with liquid. Some use broth, some use water plus beer, I’m just using water today. The pot was so full that I could only get the water halfway up the corned beef. That will have to do.

How do I make the leftover hash? I put chunks of corned beef and the remaining potatoes and carrots in a food processor and pulse for a few seconds. I’ll fry the resulting hash and serve it with some sunny-side-up eggs and hot toast made from my homemade bread. Delicious!

Ready to go! Oh, why the cookie sheet? The pot is so full that I added the sheet as a precaution in case of a boil-over. Yes, the sheet is well-used. It has baked thousands of things over the years. If you see someone with a perfectly clean cookie sheet, they just bought it, or they are a cooking influencer with a budget bigger than mine. This cookie sheet will continue to serve us for many more years. Those aren’t char marks, they are love marks!

There is also a debate on whether to cook on high or low. Since I couldn’t add water to cover the entire corned beef’s side, I’m using high. The important part is to cook it for a long time so it is tender. Generally, that is going to be 8 (or more) hours. Usually, you add the cabbage during the last 1-2 hours of cooking.

The slow cooker was simply too full, so I had to resort to plan B with the cabbage. I quartered the cabbage and removed the core. I placed it in a microwave-safe baking dish. It was a bit crowded, but our microwave isn’t huge, so I couldn’t use a larger pan. I added a couple of tablespoons of water and a little salt and covered the dish with cling wrap. You could also use a covered dish if you had one. I microwaved the cabbage for around 9 minutes. This is a personal preference; you can go a minute or two less for crisper cabbage or a minute or two longer for softer cabbage.

Dinner was delicious. My homemade soda bread turned out well, and the corned beef was super tender. I liked using baby potatoes and may continue to use them on future St. Pat’s Days. For condiments, we had mustard and “horsey” sauce, which is mayo with a bit of horseradish. Add a little butter to the vegetables, and we were all very satisfied. And there is a ton of food left over for me to make corned beef hash.

Using a slow cooker made the process extremely simple. It was a simple dump-and-go dinner. Yet it felt very special and appeared labor-intensive. It was not.

Happy day after St. Patrick’s Day all!

Mike

personal growth, Photography

I Joined A Photography Club; It’s Complicated

Years ago, I was talking to a man who had just done something very uncharacteristic for him.  When I asked him why, he simply responded, “It’s complicated.” We live in a world where it is easy to make judgments about another person based on very limited observations. His statement was not of the throwaway variety; many things that we do are complicated and don’t always fit others’ expectations. And so it was with the photography club.

Depending on the setting, your impression of me may be completely different.  Yet, they are all me; it’s complicated.

I’m an introvert, but in certain settings you might think I’m an extrovert. I observed what extroverts do, as understanding this was necessary in my professional life, but I’m not one; I just know how to act like one.  It’s complicated. 

I’m also a strange mix of being very confident and, at times, vulnerable.  It’s complicated.

One of my strangest characteristics is my comfort level when dealing with others.  That is very complicated.

Many have an intense fear of public speaking; I do not.  I have lectured and taught at 5 universities.  I have been an assistant clinical professor at three medical schools and have given lectures to audiences ranging from college students to senior attending physicians. I have interacted with and instructed thousands of patients.  Once, I was one of the presenters for a two-day seminar attended by several hundred police officers. Some of the lecturers’ talks were very practical for the audience. For instance, ways to de-escalate an angry suspect or how to deal with a volatile domestic situation.  Topics that the officers could use. Do you know what my talk was about?  The biochemistry of monoamines and their role in addictive behavior!  How is that for a mouthful? Imagine giving that lecture to a bunch of cops, most of whose knowledge of monoamines was likely below zero. However, I had no problem giving the lecture and was told by the conference organizers that the officers gave my lecture the highest rating of the entire conference.  I don’t fear such interactions, and I give them my all.  I know those groups or individuals are asking for my help, so I put on my functional extrovert hat and deliver. In such settings, I actually enjoy the process, but it is exhausting at the same time.  That is the difference between a real extrovert and a functional one.  A real extrovert is energized by intense interactions, a functional one (like me) has to recharge post-event. 

Contrast the above behavior with my personal life.  It is very hard for me to join a group of strangers.  I have some wonderful friends, but do you know that I almost always have waited for them to approach me at the beginning of our friendship?  Further, they had to prove to me that they wanted to be my friend before I committed to the connection. In fact, I can think of only one recent time that I actually asked someone to be my friend.  That was my great friend, Tom. I felt compelled in that instance, and the compulsion exceeded my usual resistance. That connection is especially interesting because on the surface, Tom and I are complete opposites. Why did I do such a risky thing?  It’s complicated.

Am I some arrogant jerk who thinks the world revolves around him and that people need to “earn” my friendship?  Of course not, quite the opposite. I’m happy with my circle of personal connections.  I have my family, my extended family, and my friends.  I will never be a social butterfly.  My limited interaction reflects my concerns rather than arrogance.

I was able to teach myself how to reach out to others in my professional life, but it has been difficult to do so in my private life. Yet, I don’t like to limit myself because of fear.  However, sometimes it is easier to settle into a routine.  This can prevent me from growing.  Remember that my three turn-ons are learning, teaching, and creating. I don’t want my fears to prevent me from those adventures, but it is sometimes easier to say, “I’ll do that tomorrow.”  We all know that tomorrow never arrives.

When it comes to unknown interactions, I worry.  Does that person or group really want me? Am I intruding? Am I talking too much?  Am I not talking enough? Do they wish that I just leave? Did I interrupt a conversation that they were having or about to have with someone else? It creates a lot of anxiety in me, so I tend to avoid such situations.  Add to this a defect I have: it is very hard for me to remember names (I really try), and it is sometimes difficult to recognize people outside situations where I know them.  That is very embarrassing, because I fear the other person thinks I don’t care enough to remember their name, rather than this being a defect of mine (and the rest of my siblings, for that matter). 

I’ve developed new behaviors to address these shortcomings. I have mostly done this through watching my friend, Tom, interact with others.  Honestly, he could talk to a tree and in 5 minutes he would have the tree’s phone number, and they would be sitting down and having coffee. I have had some success, but mostly in casual interactions. What Tom has taught me is that most people are very receptive to interactions. In fact, many are lonely and welcome them. However, I still have a ways to go.

Why am I like this?  I’m sure some of it is personality-based.  Some is from my childhood experience. However, that is still a mystery to me.  I was raised in a time when children were seen but not necessarily heard.  However, I don’t have objective memories of being shut down by others, either at home or at school. In fact, I have always been a person of strong (some may say very strong) opinions, and many have told me that I’m a take-charge type. So, go figure.  I guess it’s complicated.

I have many interests, most of which are shared only by a limited number of others.  One that is a bit more generalized is my love of capturing images. I’m constantly taking pictures.  I love learning about photography.  I love camera equipment.  I love seeing beauty and interest in places where others ignore and walk by.  It really is a passion; it’s complicated.

I have wanted to join a photography club for ages.  What fun it would be to hang with others who share my passion.  I can learn, help others, and be creative in the process. I joined such a group over a decade ago, but it was a massive club, and I was lost in a sea of photographers, each vying for the same image.  I stopped going.

At another time, I was taking photos of a local parade, and a random man approached me and gave me a business card for another photo club. I remember telling Tom that I was going to look into it and kept the business card in my wallet for years. I never acted.  It’s complicated.

A few months ago, I was on YouTube when a random video from a photographer I didn’t know popped up. For some reason, I clicked on it.  Here was a guy talking about going to small towns to take pictures.  That is exactly something that I love doing. I recognized the university logo on his sweatshirt, which was where I earned my undergraduate degree.  I dug a bit deeper and found that he lived not only in Illinois but also not too far from me. A little more digging revealed that he organized a small photography club that met less than 20 minutes from my house.  Was this the answer that I was looking for?  An intervention from above? Small group, similar interests, close by? I hesitated reaching out. Why? It’s complicated.

I decided to use some of the same tricks I would teach patients to move forward. I researched and found the club’s Facebook page to make myself more comfortable.  I told others I was planning to contact him to set this goal as an expectation. I asked to belong to the club via the club’s page, putting the ball in the organizer’s court. Each step required some courage, but each was a baby step, so it was achievable with minimal discomfort on my part. Yet, the process was complicated.

I went to my first meeting, and everyone was incredibly nice and welcoming.  I decided to do something risky.  Instead of silently feeling uncomfortable, I would include the group by telling them I was an introvert and a bit anxious about attending.  Further, I told them that I’m terrible at names, as I don’t want to offend anyone when I will inevitably forget theirs. I’m reviewing the club’s roster to learn the members’ names, at least to the best of my ability.

What is my hope? Well, I feel that this experience is already a win, so I’ll take that.  It would be nice to find a camera travel buddy to go out to places to take photos.  Someone to share conversation and gas expenses.  I wouldn’t mind gaining a friendship or two, or at least a friendly acquaintance or two.  I would like to learn more about photography, but that is surprisingly a lesser goal.  Over the years, I have developed my own style, and I like it.  I always enjoy learning new things, but I don’t want to be a cookie-cutter of someone else. It is more important to me to like my photos than to have others praise them. As I write this, my true goal has appeared to me.  I think the goal would be to share a love of photography with others whom I enjoy and accept, and who feel the same way about me.  Sort of like how I feel with my friends.  A place where I don’t have to be “on” or the smartest person in the room.  A place where I can just be me, flaws and all.  Is that possible? I guess, but it’s complicated.

Dear readers, I’m a purpose-focused person.  Most of the things that I do have some sort of a goal, some of which are nonsensical or trivial. However, the goal of many of my posts is to encourage others to expand or improve their lives.  Too often, we let our fears stand in our way and are left with life regrets.  I would never encourage reckless behavior, but I absolutely encourage reasonable and healthy risks. Life is complicated; let’s just accept that and move on.

Despite being a doctor, I am just a person with some strengths and some weaknesses. I’m a retired guy who is still trying to move forward.  To grow, to become a better self. Why not… Consider doing the same.  I know, it’s complicated.

Peace

Mike

frugal cooking, frugal living

Save Money: Let’s Make Some Irish Soda Bread!

Dear Reader, Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I’m Eastern European, and my wife is Swedish, but on St. Pat’s Day we consider ourselves Irish.

On St. Pat’s Day, we follow tradition and make corned beef and cabbage. I enjoy the combination of corned beef, boiled potatoes, and carrots, so it surprises me that I only make this dinner once a year.

I picked up a corned beef at Costco about a week ago and was shocked by how expensive it was. I guess inflation, the Trump tariff taxes, and now the war in Iraq have impacted the holidays too.

Yesterday, I went to the market to buy the other ingredients for dinner and was mostly successful, except for one item: Irish Soda Bread. I love that massive and somewhat sweet biscuit that masquerades as bread. What to do?

Certainly, I could have gone to another store, but I was feeling lazy. Anyway, making this bread is super simple, so I decided to throw one together. There are many recipes for Irish Soda Bread; the following one is simple and doesn’t involve cutting the fat into the flour. Let’s take a look at the ingredients. This recipe is from Alexandra Stafford.

Ingredients

4 C AP flour (510 grams)

2 t kosher salt (12 grams)

1T sugar (13 grams)

1 t baking soda (5 grams)

1 C dried fruit (optional)

1 egg

1 3/4 C buttermilk

2 T melted butter

Preheat oven to 400° C (205° C)

Mix all of your dry ingredients in a bowl. I’m weighing my ingredients in lieu of using measuring cups, as it is easier and creates less mess.

I added some dried fruit. In my case, cranberries, as we have someone in the house who doesn’t like raisins, which are more traditional. Add whatever you like here. For instance, a small amount of caraway seeds is also a nice addition.

You can buy buttermilk, or just make your own. I’m doing the latter. In a measuring cup, place 2 T of vinegar and then fill the cup with milk to the 1 3/4 C mark. Stir and let this mixture sit for around 10 minutes (or so).

I then added the egg to the liquid and stirred it in.

I did the same with the melted butter.

I combined the wet and dry ingredients, making sure to incorporate all of the flour. The dough will be sticky. Don’t overmix.

I put a little flour on a surface (and also on my hands) and turned out the dough. I kneaded it a couple of times to pull it together, but not like you would work bread dough. I then form it into a disk.

Most recipes use a cast-iron skillet, but I’m using a 9″ pie pan. Make sure you grease the pan. I just used some cooking spray. I cut a fairly deep X in the bread. This is important, or the center won’t bake properly.

Bake at 400° F (205°C) for 35-40 minutes. I only baked mine for 30 minutes, and it was done, so make sure to check it. I let it cool on a rack for about 10 minutes before turning it out of the pan and allowing it to cool completely on the rack. I then wrapped it and froze it for the big day.

Making the soda bread was extremely simple and kept me from having to go to another store. If you make a thicker bread, you may want to make the center a bit more depressed in addition to making an X in the loaf. Otherwise, the center may not be completely cooked.

St Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland, and he is also the patron saint of engineers (who knew?). However, most of us celebrate his day with food and fun. Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everyone!

Cheers

Mike

family, Family relationships, spending time with family

A Roadtrip With My Son

I love my son, and so when he asked me, I didn’t hesitate, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

My son is my youngest child, and he still lives at home.  We live in the suburbs of Chicago, and he is currently a graduate student at a university in the city.  For now, it makes the most sense for him to live with us, but I know he will likely move to his own place within the next few months.

Before I went to medical school, I wanted to become a university professor and spent many hours as a graduate student at the very same university he is attending.  His personality is similar to mine; he tends to be easygoing and kind. We have a lot in common, and we get along well.

His work involves studying the effects of climate change on animals. The actual animal that he is studying is an insect. Understanding how insects respond to climate change is critically important, as insects impact crops and spread disease. However, they also pollinate flowers, help decompose waste material, aerate soil, control other insect populations, and do much more.  You may find bugs annoying, but without them, you could not exist.  About 70-80 percent of insects exhibit similar biological and behavioral adaptations to temperature changes, so it is easy to see how important understanding one bug can be for understanding the entire class. 

His research involves changes at both the macro and molecular levels, and one of his major efforts has been to extract and analyse a cellular component, RNA, from a specific region of the insect’s larvae.  You can imagine how difficult that is, as he has to dissect many, many larvae under a microscope.  Then he has to extract the RNA, a process that he has been trying to perfect for over a year.  He has finally succeeded in doing this, but now the RNA has to be “sequenced.”  RNA is a copy of DNA and serves as the blueprint for protein synthesis.  By studying RNA from insect larvae grown at different temperatures, we can see how the bug adapts to different environments.  

After over a year of work, my son has enough samples to sequence this RNA, but there is another glitch.  Research is driven by long-term goals, and basic research is mostly funded by government grants.  The government recognizes that this type of research often leads to practical applications.  For instance, in the late 1970s, I was working with monoclonal antibodies and conducting basic research at the University of Chicago. Now, monoclonal antibodies are used as a miracle medicine in the treatment of cancer.  It took over 20 years for monoclonal antibodies to go from a laboratory tool to a clinical treatment that saves thousands of lives.  Research moves slowly; that is the way it is. 

Unfortunately, when President Trump entered office, he cut off many established research grants in a very random way, under the guise of cost-cutting.  This is devastating, and it could put US research years, if not decades, behind other nations. The one big thing that the US had was its prowess with innovation and research.  Now, countries like China can move past us.  It really is a tragedy. Because of this, some of the grant money for my son’s project will run out in about a month.  A special lab is needed to sequence the RNA, and that lab charges a hefty fee. My son has been working overtime to prepare samples so he can get them to this lab before the grant money runs out.

The sequencing lab is in another state, and he doesn’t want to risk sending the samples by mail for obvious reasons.  His PI (Primary Investigator) very generously told my son that he would drive with him to this state.  My son thinks very highly of his PI, who he also feels is a great guy, but their relationship has been strictly professional, and I could tell he was anxious about spending 12 hours in a car with him. This was compounded by the fact that his PI is extremely busy, and I know my son felt guilty for taking him away from his work for an entire day. 

The day before his departure, my son approached me.  “Dad, you can say no, and I won’t be upset, but would you consider driving me to drop off the samples?” This would involve a very long drive and other complications for me.  I looked at my son and said, “Yes.”

Before driving to the other state, I would have to drive him to the city to pick up his samples during rush hour traffic, and that was my main issue. Dear reader, I have an absolute aversion to driving into the city during rush hour. I avoid it at all costs.  I would even say that I have a bit of a phobia about doing it.  Over the last few years, I have had to make the drive so my wife could get advanced health care. She is highly stressed during these times and doesn’t want to drive, so I do it for her.  However, it usually results in a blazing headache, a stomachache, or both. I do it because she needs me to and because I refuse to let irrational fears keep me from moving forward.  I accept the “pain” and move on. 

And so it is with helping my son.  He needs me to do this, I can do this, so I will deal with the discomfort.  However, the trip into the city was an absolute nightmare.  In fact, I got off the expressway a few miles before his campus just because I was about to lose my mind. Thankfully, leaving the city was much less congested, and in no time, we were on the road for 5.5 hours to the other state. 

Soon, we were having many conversations.  His life in grad school, my memories of being a grad student at the same school. Why I decided to go to medical school. The state of the world. Family talk. What his friends were doing with their lives.  His future plans. And, music, lots of talk about music.  He has an encyclopedic knowledge of music and has recently been into Miles Davis.  I also love jazz, so we had a lot to talk about. And yes, he was educating me on the topic, not the other way around.

Here and there, we stopped.  A bathroom break, a lunch break, a gas break.  Mile after mile we traveled. Finally, we crossed the Mississippi and left Illinois. I was somewhat familiar with the university that we were going to, as my one daughter was accepted there, but chose a school that offered her more money to attend. The school isn’t that far from that city’s downtown. However, traffic was light (thank God).

I found parking, and he rushed his samples in.  Fifteen minutes later, we were back on the road, talking, laughing, and observing the landscape around us. We left our home around six in the morning and returned late at night. I was tired, my back was hurting, but I was also happy.  Not only did I help my son, but we also got to spend more time together.  How many opportunities will I have to spend 12 hours with just the two of us?  He has a life well beyond me, a long-term girlfriend, friends from everywhere from grade school to grad school, his research, his music, and so much more.  Soon, I will be a footnote in his life.  I refused to let my fears deny me an opportunity to learn more about him and to increase our bond.  I refuse to let a fear or phobia  stand in my way of experiencing life.  Sometimes you have to experience a little pain.  That is just the way it is. Time moves forward, and some events can’t be recaptured.  

Despite my fears, my fatigue, and my backache I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to not only help my son, but to also learn just a little bit more about him.  A gift was given to me, and I’m glad that I had the common sense to take it.

Cheers

Mike

Stopping for a snack.

frugal cooking, frugal living, Uncategorized

Save Money: Let’s Make A Chicken Paprikash(ish) Dish!

I love one-pot meals. There is less mess, less cleanup, and often less cost. That last identifier is especially important as we are not only dealing with inflation and the Trump tariff taxes, but now we are facing increasing gas prices due to the war in the Middle East. We can’t catch a break.

My mom would make an awesome chicken paprikash using her Presto stove-top pressure cooker. She would serve it on a bed of Spaetzle that she made from scratch. I remember her making the dough, then rolling it into pencil-sized ropes. The dough ropes were kept on a cutting board, which she would balance over a pot of boiling, salted water. Using a knife, she would cut off 1″ segments of the dough into the boiling water to make Spaetzle dumplings. The paprikash would be served over the Spaetzle. It was delicious.

My mom made most of her regular dishes without a recipe, so I can’t duplicate her wonderful paprikash. However, there are many similar recipes for paprikash, which is a stew seasoned with paprika. Today, we will be exploring one, but with a twist. I don’t have all of the ingredients for a traditional recipe, so I’m going to do a lot of substitutions. Being able to substitute one ingredient for a similar one is an important step in saving money, as you can use up ingredients you already have. This also prevents you from going to the grocery store, which helps curb impulse purchases. Because of my substitutions, I can’t really call the dish that I’m making a true paprikash; it is paprikash-like. However, it will still be delicious.

I’ll list my ingredients as I go rather than using an ingredient list, since I’ll be flying by the seat of my pants. Remember, the goal of home cooking is to make good-tasting food, so let your creative juices flow! You are not a clone, so you don’t have to clone every recipe!

I think in-bone chicken thighs, or legs and thighs, work best. However, I had these boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the freezer, so I used them. I seasoned them with a little season salt, but you could use whatever you have on hand.

I set my electric pressure cooker to sauté and heated some oil. I then lightly browned the chicken on both sides. I did this in batches to avoid overcrowding the chicken. As the pieces browned, I removed them from the pot.

With the chicken removed, I added one chopped onion (two would have been better, but I only had one) and a heaping teaspoon of jarred garlic. I sauted these vegetables until the onions became more translucent.

I then added 1 T of tomato paste, plus around 3 T of sweet paprika, and stirred the mixture for about 30 seconds to “bloom” the spices. I added 1 cup of chicken broth (I used 1 cup of water with some Better Than Bouillon) and returned the chicken to the Instant Pot.

I cancelled the saute function, sealed the pot, and set it on pressure cook for 15 minutes. I then did a natural release for around 10 minutes before releasing the pressure and opening the pot.

I was too lazy to make Spaetzel and had about 1/3 of a package of noodles, so I boiled them up. In reality, I needed more noodles (likely around 1/2 of a bag), but this is what I had.

When the noodles were done, I drained them and added some butter and poppy seeds. The poppy seeds were totally unnecessary, but I thought that they added a nice touch. The noodles will be a base to pour the paprikash on.

I only had around 1/2 C of sour cream, so I added some cream and mixed it all up. I could have used only sour cream (around 1 cup), or sour cream with some milk, or whatever. However, some sour cream is a must for this recipe.

After the pressure cooker’s rest period, I released the steam and opened it. I canceled the pressure cooker function and placed the pot back on “saute” to get the paprikash boiling. I added a little of the hot paprikash to my sour cream/cream mixture and then poured the mixture back into the pot, stirring constantly.

I tend to like thicker stews, so I mixed a heaping tablespoon of cornstarch in a small amount of cold water and then drizzled it into the boiling stew, mixing constantly. This thickened the paprikash almost instantly.

Since the chicken was not on the bone, it turned into more of a shred than nice whole pieces. That’s OK.

I had all of this spinach that was starting to go soft, and I didn’t want to waste it, so I wilted it into the stew. That is absolutely not a paprikash thing, but as a home cook, I can do what I want as long as it isn’t too far afield.

I then adjusted my seasonings, mostly by adding a little salt and pepper. Dinner was served!

Here it is all served up. Honestly, it was delicious! My wife and I were the only ones home, so there is a huge amount left. Three of us will eat it for dinner today.

I wanted to do today’s blog to illustrate how easy it is to substitute what you have on hand and still wind up with a delicious final product. The trick is to stay within the recipe’s theme. In this case, meat, sour cream, and paprika were required. However, I used boneless chicken instead of in-bone chicken, stretched the sour cream with some cream, and used one onion instead of two.

Additionally, I didn’t make spaetzle; instead, I used noodles. I could have used pasta, rice, or even mashed potatoes. All of the above were similar enough that my final product remained paprikash-like. Lastly, spinach goes well with most soups or stews as it is pretty neutral, yet adds a ton of nutrition.

If you are starting your “make-from-scratch” journey, don’t think that you have to follow every recipe exactly; you just need to follow the “theme” of the recipe. What makes a beef stew a stew? What makes a chicken soup a soup? What makes a tuna casserole a casserole? Once you understand the theme, feel free to do a little substitution. For instance, you need tuna and noodles to make a tuna casserole, but after that, you have many other substitution options.

Happy substituting!

Mike

frugal cooking, frugal living

Bread Machine Users, here is how to fix overproofing issues.

I am a gadget nut, I really am, I love gadgets and comparing gadgets.  I’m also a former scientist, and these two characteristics combine to help me solve gadget problems.

One gadget I have been comparing since the late 1980s is the bread maker. I like bread makers for a couple of reasons.  First, I think that they are amazing.  Dump in some ingredients, press a button, and you get bread!  Second, many different ones have been manufactured over the decades, and I have found that subtle differences can significantly affect the finished product.  Third, I can acquire machines that were hundreds of dollars new for pennies on the dollar used.  I have purchased many bread makers at thrift stores for less than $10, some as low as $4.99.  Granted, they were often grubby, but a little soap and water easily fixes that problem.  

Over the years, I have tested 30 different bread makers.  Yes, thirty.  I have used high-end brands, such as Zojirushi, Panasonic, and Breville; classic household brands, like Oster, Breadman, Cuisinart, and Regal; and newer value brands, including KBS, Kitchen Arm, and Osipoto.

On my last birthday, my wife gifted me two bread makers she thrifted: one was $4.99, and the other was $10.  I thought they were the perfect gifts, as she put considerable time into finding and cleaning them. My wife isn’t into bread makers, so her efforts were absolutely a gift of love.

Premium brands are great, but let’s face it: a top-of-the-line Zojirushi now sells for $500, and the other high-end brands aren’t much cheaper.  Less expensive brands may not be as durable, but they can also make excellent bread. And let’s not forget those used bargains that can be picked up at thrift stores. Not everyone can drop $400-$500 on a bread maker, but everyone deserves great bread. Getting a reasonably good bread maker at an affordable price can be a reality with a little effort.

In my bread-making travels, I have discovered that bread makers fall into three categories.

  1. The first category: breadmakers that reliably make great bread.  They may have a glitch or two when making a new recipe, but those glitches are easy to correct.
  2. The second category: bread makers that generally do pretty well, but they have a singular problem, usually underproofing or overproofing. These problems can be corrected with a little experimentation. I most often see this issue in older bread makers, and it may be due to miscalibration over time.  For instance, the baking chamber may heat up a bit more than intended during the proofing period. This is the category I’ll be exploring today.
  3. The third category: machines that act oddly but consistently, suggesting they were designed for a different environment.  Perhaps a place where the temperature is different, or the flour is different, or where a different strain of yeast is used.  These machines tend to over proof 2 pounds loaves and under proof 1.5 pound loaves.  I have seen this characteristic across several machines, suggesting that the problem is a programming issue.  These machines can also work properly with ingredient adjustments, but new corrections may be necessary for each bread type and loaf size.  If you make one or two types of bread, then this is no big deal.  However, if you like to make many types of bread, these machines can be a pain. 

The two used machines that my wife found were different models of older Oster bread makers.  One made perfect bread, but the other tended to overproof.  Since the bread makers were a gift, I felt compelled to put on my scientist hat and fix the second machine’s problem.  Since these machines are old and not programmable by customers, I had to use my chemistry knowledge to fix them.  

I thought it would be useful to write about overproofing in general, and then look at how I fixed the overproofing in my old Oster machine that my wife gave me. 

A case of severe overproofing. The bread looked great until the baking process started, then the whole top exploded.

Some easy chemistry.

Gluten is what makes bread chewy, stretchy, and delicious.  Gluten is formed in the process of kneading.  Too little kneading and you will have inadequate gluten; if you knead your bread too much, you can break down the gluten.  It is hard to over-knead bread by hand, but a machine can over-knead dough.

Yeast is a living organism that converts the starches and sugars in bread dough to alcohol (burned off during baking), flavor compounds, and carbon dioxide gas.  

During the fermentation process, yeast grows and divides, releasing carbon dioxide, which is trapped in the bread by the stretchy, elastic gluten.  If the yeast doesn’t grow enough, you will have a low rise. If your gluten is inadequate, it will be unable to contain the carbon dioxide, and you will have large holes in your bread and a collapsed top during baking. A collapsed top can happen if too much yeast produces too much carbon dioxide gas, if the gluten is too weak to contain the gas, or if both occur. 

It is the balance between carbon dioxide production and the strength of the gluten that determines a properly raised bread dough.  Not enough carbon dioxide because of inadequate yeast or too much gluten, and you will have a poorly risen loaf. Too much yeast activity or not enough gluten development will cause your bread to overproof and collapse during baking.  Why does baking cause it to collapse?  The heat makes the carbon dioxide expand; if the gluten is weak, it can’t contain this additional pressure and bursts.

Properly risen bread is dependent on the interplay between yeast and gluten. If you understand this sentence, you can fix your over-proofing issues. 

Let’s look at three levels of “fixes,” from simplest to most complicated.  Every user of a bread maker should implement level-one fixes automatically, as they are good bread-making practices.  The other two levels should be applied in order if level one fails to produce decent, correctly proved loaves.

Please note that every ingredient impacts the rise of a loaf. However, some ingredients, such as sugar and salt, also affect the quality of the bread.  Although these ingredients can be altered, doing so will likely have an adverse impact on the bread and should only be done when simpler options are exhausted. 

Additionally, all-purpose flour has less gluten than bread flour and can lead to overproofing if the recipe calls for bread flour. 

Always explore a new machine by making the recipe for basic white bread in that machine’s manual. If you bake a successful loaf, you know that the machine is working properly.  Recipes from third parties, especially from individuals, may work well in one machine, but not another. However, you can then use your successful basic recipe to decode the differences between the two and get the new recipe to behave. If the basic recipe is overproofing and you are using good practices, then move on to level two, then three.

For me, overproofing is the most common problem that I encounter.  If there is an interest in underproofing solutions, I can write about that in the future. 

Level One Fixes (good practices)

  • Check out your ingredients.  Are you using the recommended yeast type? The correct type of flour?  The correct salt type?  Salt inhibits yeast, and large-grain salts are less salty by volume than table salt. Adjust accordingly. 
  • Check out the temperature of the ingredients.  They should be at room temperature for consistency. 
  • Measure correctly.  This is incredibly important.  I use a food scale to measure my flour, as using volume measurements for flour is notoriously inaccurate. Additionally, I use measuring spoons for low-volume items like salt and yeast and level them off. Some food scales can be inaccurate when weighing items under 10 grams, which is why measuring spoons are better for small quantities. 
  • Make sure the dough ball looks good during kneading. I check after a minute or two of kneading. If the dough ball looks too slack, I’ll add 1T of flour and repeat every 30-60 seconds until it looks good. Since I weigh my flour, I usually don’t need to add any, or if I do, only one tablespoon. The converse is also true.  If the dough ball looks dry and ratty, add 1T of water every 30 seconds or so until it is smooth, round, and slightly sticky. 
  • Check your room’s temperature.  If it is too hot, your bread may overproof.  Look for obvious problems, like exposing your machine to direct sunlight, which will heat it up. 

Level one quick fix

  • If you don’t want to go through the hassle of figuring out why your bread is overproofing, use your bread maker to knead and ferment the dough, but then place the dough in a bread pan for its second rise and bake it in the oven.  Some home bakers do this, but I’m a lazy guy and want a “door-to-door” solution. 

Level two fixes

  • Try a different high-quality brand of bread flour.  Bread flours can vary from brand to brand; look for one with higher gluten content. 
  • If using bread maker (instant) yeast, try active dry yeast, which is slightly less powerful.
  • Try reducing your yeast by ¼ teaspoon.
  • Try a commercial dough enhancer. However, dough enhancer ingredients vary by brand.  Some can actually make the dough softer or encourage yeast growth, which can have the opposite effect that you want.
  • If your bread maker allows custom programming, reduce your last rise time by 5-minute increments until you achieve an adequate, quality rise. 

Level three fixes

Now it is time to put on your scientist hat.  Let’s learn a little more chemistry.

Professional bakers use a variety of additives to create a perfectly consistent loaf. Some of those additives make the crumb softer, some preserve the bread longer, some help the yeast along, and some help the gluten. Since we are dealing with an overproofing problem, we need to either reduce the power of the yeast or strengthen the gluten so the carbon dioxide bubbles don’t burst during baking (and collapse the top of the bread). 

Here are some additives that can help correct overproofing by strengthening the dough’s gluten.

Vital Wheat Gluten (VWG). VWG is gluten in concentrated form.  If you add this to bread flour, you increase the flour’s gluten content and strengthen the dough. I often start at 2 T per loaf and adjust accordingly. 

Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C).  Vitamin C strengthens disulfide bonds in gluten, making gluten stronger and less likely to burst when baking.  I use a tiny amount of vitamin C powder. My Vitamin C came with a little plastic scoop that is likely less than 1/16 of a teaspoon.  That is the amount that I add.  You can also use vitamin C in the form of lemon juice, about 1 tablespoon per typical loaf. As an aside, using Vitamin C in baking does not increase the bread’s Vitamin C content, as the vitamin is destroyed by heat. 

Calcium Sulfate (Gypsum). Provides calcium ions that strengthen gluten’s bonds. If you are going to use Gypsum, you should only add the tiniest pinch, or 0.1% of flour by weight. If you want to go this route, I would suggest using Calcium Sulfate as part of a bread conditioner product. These products will contain other ingredients, such as VWG, which increase their volume, so it is easy to measure out the “diluted” calcium sulfate. For instance, the instructions may say to use 1 teaspoon of conditioner for every cup of flour. However, conditioners sometimes contain a variety of other enhancers, some that may be used to soften, not strengthen, the dough.  Using them may complicate your discovery.

Potassium Bromate.  This chemical is an oxidizer and works like super Ascorbic Acid, but don’t use it.  Why?  Because only a tiny amount is needed, and if you use more, it can be quite dangerous and possibly even contribute to causing cancer. The amount to add is ridiculously tiny at 1 teaspoon per 800 cups of flour.  Therefore, it is likely that you will over-add this chemical, and that is bad. This chemical is permitted in the US because, when used in proper amounts, it is converted into a harmless compound during baking.  However, the EU and other places have banned it in baking. Potassium Bromate is too dangerous for a home baker to experiment with.

The goal is to find the right balance by using the correct amount of yeast vs gluten.  In this series of experiment I’m using the basic white bread recipe developed for this bread maker. I always follow level one protocols.  

I did come up with a solution, but the process took me several weeks because I was eating most of the bread as I baked it.  If a bread is mildly overproofed, it is still perfectly good bread; it just doesn’t look great.  When conducting any experiment, it is best to change only one variable at a time.  However, my goal was to correct overproofing, not to publish a scientific paper, so I sometimes changed two variables at a time. Not best practice, but it still worked.  Let’s get into it!

Despite doing everything correctly, this initial test loaf rose spectacularly and then collapsed during baking. A case of classic overproofing.

Here is my first attempt at a fix, using vital wheat gluten and a commercial dough conditioner. This loaf is much improved, but I wonder if the gluten is too strong, as the bread didn’t dome.

Here is a slice from that loaf. Not terrible, but note the big air bubble, and there is some minor collapse on top.

The next experiment. I reduced the vital wheat gluten to 1 tablespoon, removed the dough conditioner, and added Ascorbic Acid. This loaf doesn’t look too bad. However, some collapse is likely due to overactive yeast.

The final experiment. This loaf looks good. A decent dome, and it is well risen. All I changed was to make a very small reduction in the yeast.

A decent crumb! I believe our experiment was a success!

frugal cooking, frugal living

Save Money: Let’s Make Our Own Deli Meat! Trial Two, This Time A Success.

I saw that some online creators were making their own lunch meat using a contraption called a “Ham Press.” This intrigued me. I initially tried it using the recipe from the ham press I purchased on Amazon (for around $24), and I deemed that experiment a failure. The product tasted OK, but the texture was weird, and the color was sort of yuck brown and grey.

I’m not one to give things up easily, so yesterday I tried again. This time I used ground chicken instead of the “tube” turkey that I had used before. I also changed the spices around, omitting those that likely gave my first attempt its gross color. Lastly, I did the experiment more simply using basic equipment. Why? Because it was easier.

I’m pleased to report that I did get a final product that was pretty good.

Here are the positives:

-The taste was much better than deli chicken.

-It is less expensive than deli chicken.

Here are the negatives:

-The texture was slightly different than deli chicken.

-Making deli meat involves some labor.

-One pound of chicken yielded slightly less than 15 oz of deli meat. This is likely due to all the water injected into the meat, which was lost during cooking.

Let’s take a closer look!

To one pound of ground chicken, I added 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, onion powder, and salt, plus 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. I also added around 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of gelatin. I mixed it all up with my impeccably clean hands.

I packed the meat mixture into my ham press and sealed the press. I placed the press into a Dutch oven with simmering hot water (around 200°F/95 °C). I waited until the slurry’s internal temperature reached 170°F (75 °C), which is about 5 degrees higher than the safe cooking temperature for chicken. It took around 90 minutes to reach the correct temperature.

I rapidly cooled the ham press in an ice bath. Then it was placed in the fridge overnight.

Here it is removed from the ham press. I ran the press under warm water to help the deli meat release. The yield was not quite 15 oz.

I used a meat slicer to slice the block, but a knife or mandoline would also work.

Here is an individual slice. Honestly, it looked good, and it tasted great. Its flavor was much better than deli chicken. It was less salty and tasted like real chicken.

But here is the real problem: what a mess to clean up! Cleaning a slicer can be tricky as you are handling a very sharp blade. This is a consumer-level slicer. I also have a commercial-level slicer, and that thing is outright dangerous to clean, as it has a huge circular blade that has to be removed and is extremely sharp and slippery. When cleaning any slicer, I recommend extreme caution and cut-proof gloves. Also, watch your feet. If you drop the blade, you could cut off a toe!

The slicer is all cleaned up and ready for its next job.

So what is the bottom line? Yes, it is less expensive to make your own chicken deli meat, and it tastes better. However, it did require work, and cleaning the slicer was no fun.

I know we are all suffering from inflation and the Trump tariff taxes. For me, it would only make sense to use two ham presses at their full 2-pound capacity. That would yield 4 pounds of deli-meat. This would justify cleaning the slicer. I would freeze the excess meat for future lunches. With that said, I have another idea that should be an even easier way to get better/cheaper deli meat at a lower cost. More on that idea in a future post.

Happy eating!

Mike

Filling retirement time, Life after retirement, retirement

The Three Musketeers

Yesterday was an interesting day as I was invited to a retirement party for my long-time friend, Steve. My history with Steve goes back to the early 1990s, when, along with my other friend, Ralph, we embarked on a 30-year adventure.

My connection with the two had been cursory.  I had just started to date my wife, who was the clinical director of the eating disorder unit at the hospital where I was the medical director of the chemical dependency program.  My wife was leaving her position to enter a PhD program when we started dating. Her boss, another doctor, had a big going-away party for her at her Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired home in horsey country, and my future wife brought me along.  Ralph had been working on the eating disorder unit, and rumor has it that he asked his wife, “What in the world is Dr. Kuna doing here?”  Little did either of us know that would be the start of a 30-year friendship.

Steve and Ralph were working for the doctor who threw my wife’s party, and that doc was good friends with the doctor I was working for.  Steve and Ralph were talking about moving on, and my boss saw an opportunity, but he didn’t want to jeopardize his relationship with their boss. “Mike, I want you to meet with these two doctors with the idea of having them join us.” He was my boss, and so I did what I was told.  In the end, this turned out to be a fortunate request.

The three of us hit it off, and it was clear that we would work well together.  That meeting eventually led us to form Genesis Clinical Services, which at one time was the largest psychiatric clinic in the suburban county where it was based.

To be honest, I don’t think any of us really knew what we were getting into.  We were doctors who wanted to take care of patients.  How hard could it be to manage over a dozen clerical staff and even more clinicians? OK, we were extremely naive. 

The three of us automatically fell into our roles, most likely based on our personality types.  Ralph loved the business aspects of Genesis and gravitated to all things numbers.  Steve is an extremely likable person. I used to joke, “Everyone loves Steve.”  However, that joke was more true than fiction. Steve was our marketing person.  In our little family of three, I always felt like the crazy uncle who lived in the basement. What would my role be? What were my skills that went beyond being a good doctor?  What could I bring to the table? I’m a creative guy who seems to grasp complicated technical subjects easily.  Those traits would have to do. I taught myself desktop publishing and started to write the clinic newsletter.  I taught myself how to use multi-track audio editing software, built a portable recording studio, and produced a psychiatric podcast for the clinic.  I taught myself web design, then taught myself portrait photography so I could create the clinic’s first website. I coded the first interactive clinic note system for the clinic, and so on.  My weekdays were spent seeing patients, and my weekends were spent learning and applying technology. 

Since we all had different roles, we never stepped on each other’s feet.  I can’t recall ever having a serious disagreement with Steve or Ralph during those years. We would meet weekly to discuss the clinic and to catch up with each other’s lives and families. I always looked forward to those meetings. However, these were also stressful times for me as I was chronically ill, constantly fatigued, and struggling to get through the day.  I was working 60 hours a week, plus all of the technical projects.  I don’t know how I did it, but it was necessary, so I did it. As you may recall, the problem that I was having was an unusual reaction from a common medication that I was taking.  No doctor, including me, could figure out that this was the issue, so I carried a variety of diagnoses from MS to Myasthenia Gravis. I finally made the connection decades later.  I was grateful to solve my problem, but I just wish I had done so earlier. That was then, but I like to stay in the present. Now, I’m feeling healthy and excited about life.

I thought I would just stop by the party to let Steve know I was there. I was certain that I would be one of many well-wishers and a minor one at that.  After all, I have been retired and away from the clinic for over 8 years.  I approached a circle of people with Steve in the middle.  I entered and gave him a hug, and we talked. I told him that I would just be here for a minute, but I wanted to congratulate him on his retirement. “Mike, stay around. I’m giving a little speech, and I’m mentioning you in it.”  I stayed, and Steve, in Steve fashion, said some very kind things about me. It made me tear up. 

I asked him about his plans, and he told me about some upcoming travels and a book he was planning to write now that he had time. I smiled, as his comments seemed to echo my thoughts when I retired. You see, no one mentors you on how to retire, so most of us try to make it an extension of our work lives, minus the stress. 

I wanted to give him more information.  I wanted to tell him what I had learned in 8 years.  I wanted to inform him about the art of retirement.  However, I knew that he wouldn’t listen.  Not because he is obstinate, but rather because that is the way it is.  We can’t learn what we don’t know.  No book, no class, and certainly no “wisdom” from an old retired doctor can teach someone how to move from a work life to a retired life. It is something that you have to experience. A natural process that, if done thoughtfully, can lead to a happy retirement life.

I woke up early this morning thinking about Steve’s retirement party and thinking about cartoons. Surprisingly, these two thoughts are more connected than you may think.  You see, when I was a kid, my life revolved around TV shows, especially Saturday morning cartoons.  Those shows gave me such pleasure that the thought of not having them in my life caused me distress.  I remember thinking, “I know some day I will be too old to watch cartoons and that will be a terrible, terrible day.”  But, do you know what?  That day came and went, and I didn’t even notice it.  One day, I had moved on, and cartoons were no longer important to me. Other things were now important; the transition was natural and painless. And so it is with retirement.  If you constantly think about how your life is different, it will be a miserable experience, perhaps a slow death.  However, if you just let it happen and navigate reasonably, it can be a wonderful, even glorious time.  I was so happy to be a doctor.  I am so happy to be retired.  Two different experiences, same Mike. 

When I retired, my sister told me, “Mike, from now on everyday is Saturday!”  To my friend, Steve, I would like to say, “Happy Saturday!”

From right to left: me, Steve, and Ralph from Steve’s retirement party.

Steve in the early 2000s. I had just taught myself portrait photography, and I was very excited to use my new DSLR. I don’t think Steve looks that different now. Not fair!

Ralph, from that same photo shoot. My first attempt at “professional portraits.”

Random thoughts and my philosophy of life.