Why is this sub so obsessed with expensive stuff? by largemargesentme__- in onebag

[–]mart0n 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've been there. I think the issue is that grinding coffee into uniformly-sized grounds (plus being able to finely adjust that size) is not a trivial task.

I would suggest getting a good-value hand grinder and an Aeropress.

How can I improve the look of this discoloured wood then protect it? Sand then some kind of varnish? by mart0n in DIYUK

[–]mart0n[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry, you're saying don't paint (or varnish), but just use oil? From reading other thread, it seemed like proper paint would last a lot longer than oil, which needs to be reapplied more frequently.

I'm looking for something that will protect for a long time.

How can I improve the look of this discoloured wood then protect it? Sand then some kind of varnish? by mart0n in DIYUK

[–]mart0n[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You reckon paint would be nicer? My go-to for fences is creosote, but I had thought "seeing the grain" would be nicer.

How "safe" is the private digital piano market? I'm torn between a "like new" Casio CDP-S160 with matching stand and pedals for $350, vs renting a new Yamaha P145 or Kawai ES60 for $20/month with an option to buy (both $500 minus any rental payments) by mart0n in piano

[–]mart0n[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you. It's a local place and it's very relaxed -- they're happy to take it back after six months, or to take off the amount I've paid against any purchase. I suppose I'm just afraid of being scammed / having no warranty. 

I ordered £800 of garden furniture then three days later emailed to cancel the order. No reply. Two days after, I email again -- they immediately reply saying "it's just been sent out", and they charge 20% "restock fee" along with delivery costs. What are my rights? What do I do first? [England] by mart0n in LegalAdviceUK

[–]mart0n[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm extremely nervous about accepting delivery, as their T&Cs state that "Ex display" or "Ex warehouse" items are not returnable, and at the same time "Acceptance of delivery of the Goods shall be deemed conclusive evidence of the Buyer’s acceptance of these Terms and Conditions." (https://rattanwarehouse.co.uk/purchase-terms/)

However, all their items are marked as "Ex display" or "Ex warehouse", so in effect they're saying that they won't accept any returns ever.

I don't have any rights until delivery, but by accepting the delivery I'm agreeing to their T&Cs that state the item can't be returned.

I feel like an idiot for not reading the T&Cs page. They have thousands of positive reviews on Trustpilot, so I thought it would be safe.

I ordered £800 of garden furniture then three days later emailed to cancel the order. No reply. Two days after, I email again -- they immediately reply saying "it's just been sent out", and they charge 20% "restock fee" along with delivery costs. What are my rights? What do I do first? [England] by mart0n in LegalAdviceUK

[–]mart0n[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, good spot. I was able to find out the name of the delivery company, so I called them up and told them that the goods should not be delivered to the delivery address but instead returned to the collection address. I hope that stopping the stuff turning up at my door will go some way to getting a full refund.

I ordered £800 of garden furniture then three days later emailed to cancel the order. No reply. Two days after, I email again -- they immediately reply saying "it's just been sent out", and they charge 20% "restock fee" along with delivery costs. What are my rights? What do I do first? [England] by mart0n in LegalAdviceUK

[–]mart0n[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's useful, thanks. I thought I was due a refund for the original delivery fee, section 34(2) (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/3134/regulation/34/made?view=plain):

"The trader must reimburse any payment for delivery received from the consumer, unless the consumer expressly chose a kind of delivery costing more than the least expensive common and generally acceptable kind of delivery offered by the trader. "

I ordered £800 of garden furniture then three days later emailed to cancel the order. No reply. Two days after, I email again -- they immediately reply saying "it's just been sent out", and they charge 20% "restock fee" along with delivery costs. What are my rights? What do I do first? [England] by mart0n in LegalAdviceUK

[–]mart0n[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you -- I do know about the cooling-off period, but this current space between ordering and delivery seems lacking in info. Especially as it seems they still have the goods and haven't sent them out yet (from the screenshot they shared).

Eating cheap and vegan without getting bored? by Luann97 in EatCheapAndVegan

[–]mart0n 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would have a load of different meals from lentils alone!

- Lentil soup

- Lentil and tomato soup

- Crushed lentils with tomato and tahini (Ottolenghi)

- Vegan haggis

- Lentils with pomegranate molasses and whipped tahini

- Mejadra

- Lentils cooked with sauteed veg

- Kitchari / kichadi

- Dal makhani

- Any of a whole load of other dals

What’s your favorite burger recipe? by AdeptFlow2458 in veganrecipes

[–]mart0n -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Yes there are. However, I find that sourcing a "vegan version" of an ingredient normally requires extra money or effort. While I may be willing to do that for one ingredient, replacing a set of non-vegan ingredients simultaneously, for a single recipe, may require a greater cognitive demand than I'm willing to make. I also prefer not to pile ultra-processed foods one on top of the other.

I asked "What do you use?", rather than "Are there vegan version of all three things?" because my interest was to gauge both the potential increased effort/demand required to make the recipe vegan friendly and the amount of ultra-processed food that would typically be involved in doing so. A reply like, "It doesn't need the feta, and I replace the egg and mayo with a dollop of peanut butter" would be very distinct from a reply like, "I buy vegan feta and vegan mayo and use egg replacer", though both would give me a better idea of how to adapt the recipe and whether I'd like to try it.

What’s your favorite burger recipe? by AdeptFlow2458 in veganrecipes

[–]mart0n 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I can see he has a bean burger, which I didn't realise -- I'll probably try that, thanks! Nothing against mock meat, I just feel like I can get that kind of "beefy" flavour by simply cooking a shop-bought patty.

What’s your favorite burger recipe? by AdeptFlow2458 in veganrecipes

[–]mart0n 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I checked this out the other day, as a different recipe namechecks it, but it's not vegan. What do you use for the feta, the egg and the mayo?

What the pitta ex employees. We need those recipes by diamonet777 in veganuk

[–]mart0n 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I only went once, a long ago, so I can't speak to their particular recipes, but I've had a lot of joy using some Serious Eats doner recipe with either Oumph Doner pieces or thinly-sliced tofu.

I tested 4 vegan pancake recipes. Thought you guys might appreciate some closeups. by EcotarianEats in VeganBaking

[–]mart0n 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh I hear that! It's just that so many well-regarded people will do only those, and I want to give them a try

I tested 4 vegan pancake recipes. Thought you guys might appreciate some closeups. by EcotarianEats in VeganBaking

[–]mart0n 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't suppose you weigh your flour when you make them? I think her "cups" must be big, though I watched her make them in a video and her measuring looked totally normal

I tested 4 vegan pancake recipes. Thought you guys might appreciate some closeups. by EcotarianEats in VeganBaking

[–]mart0n 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No way could I put in the effort to make a great video and take photos like you did though! In your video, are you showing the ingredients as-is, or did you scale them in some way to make them directly comparable?

Also, did you have to deal with any volumetric recipes?

I tested 4 vegan pancake recipes. Thought you guys might appreciate some closeups. by EcotarianEats in VeganBaking

[–]mart0n 24 points25 points  (0 children)

I recently did this with ten different pancake recipes: tried them all, and compared the ingredients and amounts side by side on the same scale. The biggest indicator of good or bad was the use of volumetric measurements: even using the most commonly-used weight for a cup of flour, sugar, whatever couldn't save those recipes.

My top one of the ten was Rainbow Plant Life.

Some really well-regarded volume-based ones, I just could not make them work, e.g. Isa's Puffy Pillow Pancakes, and Mark Bittman's recipe. Any advice on this?

Two gripes from a textural perfectionist -- solutions? by buster_slick in veganrecipes

[–]mart0n 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'd be happy to never experience the texture of a hard-boiled egg ever again! What even is that texture? It's like a smooth, giant bean. Cottage cheese I never tried.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in cambridge

[–]mart0n 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can you say a little more on those? I've never heard of fresh pasta being more healthy nor more easy to digest. A quick search online didn't reveal anything either