The Fora: A Higher Education Community

Quote from: ab_grp on August 27, 2023, 01:55:57 PM

Quote from: ciao_yall on August 27, 2023, 10:30:37 AM

Quote from: ab_grp on August 27, 2023, 09:56:09 AMWe picked up the Ninja 12-in-1 Smart Double Oven (https://www.ninjakitchen.com/products/ninja-12-in-1-smart-double-oven-zidDCT451) during the Amazon Prime Days sale after eyeing it for a while, and we've used it every day since (usually multiple times each day).  Our toaster oven was getting old, and we've been using an air fryer lid on our Instant Pot for air frying for a long time now, so this takes the place of both for us.  It has more capacity for air frying, so I can do all the potatoes or brussels that I want to do in one batch.  I have to keep reminding myself that the top and bottom are independent ovens, so if my husband leaves his jalapenos and serranos roasting in the bottom I can still reheat stuff or toast a bun in the top.  It can supposedly cook a full meal (cooking various parts in sequentially or together) and have things finish at the same time, but we have not tried that yet.  I want to roast a small chicken in it! I don't work for Ninja but have been happy with my Ninja purchases so far so wanted to add to the comments here.

I have tried the whole-meal-at-once thing and it doesn't quite work. Something was always overcooked and something else was always undercooked.

That's a shame! To say that I am skeptical of their claims is an understatement, but I still want to give it a try.  Do you happen to remember what all you tried to cook together? I assume there might be a narrow range of possibilities that have the potential to turn out well.

We made the chicken burrito bowl, recipe in the book that came with our Ninja, and everything turned out perfectly. We substituted quinoa for the rice and added frozen corn, and everything, quinoa, beans, corn, chicken breast, turned out perfectly. Gnocchi, spinach, tomatoes, and meatballs also turned out great. We've been very happy with the Speedi. I know other air fryer combo cookers have different modes.

I'm sure there are combinations of things that don't work. We've stuck to the "formula" provided with our Ninja for different combinations of things, and so far, it's been great. Maybe we've just been lucky, or maybe it's the type of meals we've chosen, but we've have great success. No, I don't work for Ninja!

I had a pipe break in a wall in June.  Fortunately, most of the flood waters went outside over the foundation. 
I will fast forward...
In my dining room (the room that had the pipe break) I had a carpet under the table.  We had to move the carpet to accommodate some of the repairs and I saw how pristine the tiles under the carpet were... what the tiles in the house looked like 21 years ago, when I moved in! 

Today a tile cleaning company is in and they are cleaning the formerly white tiles to get them back into brand new shape!  For about $300 they are cleaning the tiles in the kitchen/dining room and 2 bathrooms. 
They have only finished the dining room so far, and you can clearly see the changes as they go! 

As I type, the owner is supervising and videoing his worker. I may be in a 'before and after' post!...Our tiles are going to be featured on Facebook!!   (I dont know if that is something to be proud of!) 

In addition to a soap/cleaner, and the hot water jet/suction, they also use a set of counter rotating brushes.  It all does a great job!   

Quote from: MarathonRunner on August 27, 2023, 08:20:12 PM

Quote from: ab_grp on August 27, 2023, 01:55:57 PM

Quote from: ciao_yall on August 27, 2023, 10:30:37 AM

Quote from: ab_grp on August 27, 2023, 09:56:09 AMWe picked up the Ninja 12-in-1 Smart Double Oven (https://www.ninjakitchen.com/products/ninja-12-in-1-smart-double-oven-zidDCT451) during the Amazon Prime Days sale after eyeing it for a while, and we've used it every day since (usually multiple times each day).  Our toaster oven was getting old, and we've been using an air fryer lid on our Instant Pot for air frying for a long time now, so this takes the place of both for us.  It has more capacity for air frying, so I can do all the potatoes or brussels that I want to do in one batch.  I have to keep reminding myself that the top and bottom are independent ovens, so if my husband leaves his jalapenos and serranos roasting in the bottom I can still reheat stuff or toast a bun in the top.  It can supposedly cook a full meal (cooking various parts in sequentially or together) and have things finish at the same time, but we have not tried that yet.  I want to roast a small chicken in it! I don't work for Ninja but have been happy with my Ninja purchases so far so wanted to add to the comments here.

I have tried the whole-meal-at-once thing and it doesn't quite work. Something was always overcooked and something else was always undercooked.

That's a shame! To say that I am skeptical of their claims is an understatement, but I still want to give it a try.  Do you happen to remember what all you tried to cook together? I assume there might be a narrow range of possibilities that have the potential to turn out well.

We made the chicken burrito bowl, recipe in the book that came with our Ninja, and everything turned out perfectly. We substituted quinoa for the rice and added frozen corn, and everything, quinoa, beans, corn, chicken breast, turned out perfectly. Gnocchi, spinach, tomatoes, and meatballs also turned out great. We've been very happy with the Speedi. I know other air fryer combo cookers have different modes.

I'm sure there are combinations of things that don't work. We've stuck to the "formula" provided with our Ninja for different combinations of things, and so far, it's been great. Maybe we've just been lucky, or maybe it's the type of meals we've chosen, but we've have great success. No, I don't work for Ninja!

I think we tried the grain/vegetable/meat combos. Not bad but not quite the all-in-one approach, either.

Does anyone have a Roomba or other robot vacuum and if so, do you think it's worth getting one? Vacuuming is one of my least favorite chores, so I've been thinking about it.
For context, I have almost all hard flooring, two stories, and two cats.

I have one.  AS the floor pretty much needs to have everything picked up to start with, I dont use it as much as I should.  However, my mother has one and uses it very regularly! They have 'electronic fences'  to set boundaries and she lets them go.  Then she cleans them out and recharges them. 
She has carpet in some rooms and tile in others.  She loves it!  Her back has long prevented her from the motion htat the vacuum requires, so she loves it!!

I have one that primarily is used in the master bedroom because the big bed is a 'playboy mansion' for dust bunnies!  The roomba keeps them in check, mostly.

Quote from: Puget on September 03, 2023, 12:01:04 PMDoes anyone have a Roomba or other robot vacuum and if so, do you think it's worth getting one? Vacuuming is one of my least favorite chores, so I've been thinking about it.
For context, I have almost all hard flooring, two stories, and two cats.

Our Roomba died, likely because it tried to vacuum up cat litter. If you don't have pets, these types of vacuums seem decent. If you have cats, or furry dogs, you may have problems.

Quote from: MarathonRunner on September 03, 2023, 03:44:13 PM

Quote from: Puget on September 03, 2023, 12:01:04 PMDoes anyone have a Roomba or other robot vacuum and if so, do you think it's worth getting one? Vacuuming is one of my least favorite chores, so I've been thinking about it.
For context, I have almost all hard flooring, two stories, and two cats.

Our Roomba died, likely because it tried to vacuum up cat litter. If you don't have pets, these types of vacuums seem decent. If you have cats, or furry dogs, you may have problems.

We have one. We have mostly hard flooring and two short-hair dogs. It's set to run MWF and does great.

Well, we had a Roomba, and it fixed after 3 years, so now we have a Shark.

Thanks for the robot vacuum input-- it seems experiences are mixed. Interesting that they may have issues with pet hair as they are specifically advertised as good for pet hair! I will continue to consider- maybe next time there is a good sale.

My parents done have pets anymore. However, my brother's family does, and they bring them when they visit.  My mom runs the roomba before they arrive and again after they leave. The amount of hair that is shed, and picked up, is amazing. 
She does take care to clean the roomba after every use.  (she empties the drawer so nothing builds up in it and clogs things).  It has a sensor on it for when it gets full, and I think that her logic is that she would rather clean the roomba after each use, and be sure that it will be able to make it through the next task, than for it to stop in the middle and the job not be finished. 

Aftershokz headphones: Ear buds won't stay in my ears when I'm exercising, but these do the trick well. For some reason they seem to die every 12 months or so, but they always send me a new set for free, so I guess it is all good.

Spotify: Nearly every song and album for ten dollars a month is hard to beat. I use this most days for at least a few minutes, both to listen to new music and to listen to classics from my younger days.

Just don't let your Roomba escape through the door and get outside.  It won't last long at all out there, since nature abhors a vacuum.

Quote from: clean on September 07, 2023, 08:51:44 PMMy parents done have pets anymore. However, my brother's family does, and they bring them when they visit.  My mom runs the roomba before they arrive and again after they leave. The amount of hair that is shed, and picked up, is amazing. 
She does take care to clean the roomba after every use.  (she empties the drawer so nothing builds up in it and clogs things).  It has a sensor on it for when it gets full, and I think that her logic is that she would rather clean the roomba after each use, and be sure that it will be able to make it through the next task, than for it to stop in the middle and the job not be finished. 

I think the key is frequent cleaning. We have two dogs that don't shed too much. We run the Shark (like a Roomba) MWF. If we had, say, golden retrievers, we would definitely run it every day. Also, we have the kind that has a base that automatically empties it. While it's vacuuming the house, it will return to the base two or three times to empty itself.

My brother's cats seem to coexist well with their Roomba.  And they have kept their house from having the ghastly cat stench that I've noticed in the homes of certain cat owners I've known.

Just picked up a mechanical keyboard for my office.  I don't know why, but I enjoy typing on it so much more.  Odd to have such feelings over a keyboard, but we do spend a lot of time together.

I recently got an ergonomic memory foam cushion from Cushion Lab for my office chair —- it's made long days at the computer so much more bearable.