@@WanderingRavens !!! Soft boiled eggs which you dunk bread (sliced into small rectangles). The egg cup keeps the egg upright and not y'know. Spilling all over the place. How on earth can you eat soft boiled eggs without then?!
Can I also add that most or us use digital scales since we no longer live in the Victorian era. 😄 Measuring cups confuse the hell out of me. You get different sized cups but a gram is always a gram. Use scales. Lol🤷♀️
Toast rack. The most essential breakfast implement ever. The toast is taken from the toaster placed on the toast rack so that condensation doesn't occur on the underside, making your toast soggy.
Oh my! This is a great example of not being aware of a problem until someone points it out for you! I never noticed that condensation before 😂 Welp...it's off to the shop for me. On what aisle can I find toast racks?
Also useful for sharing toast, you don't take it until you need it. I have never tested it but it might keep it warmer as well. Smaller surface for convection
In the absence of a toast-rack, simply leaving the toast in the toaster after it's popped up can help, as the rising hot air will keep it warm, without browning it further. I let the toast sit like that for maybe 20 seconds before transferring it to the plate. As most of the steam has been driven out by that point, sogginess isn't an issue.
@@tonym480 Exactly - nothing like, only similarity is... they have flour lol An English muffin (just called a muffin in the UK) - Breakfast item - McDonalds use them for Breakfast items. www.allrecipes.com/recipe/6947/english-muffins/
@@mishaplaysmsp6698 English muffings in the USA are a bit different to our muffins, theirs have more holes in (similar to a crumpet) but the mixture is more like our muffins. Crumpets are basically pancake mixture with holes running down the middle (British pancake mixture without the sugar!). Also not many people make their own crumpets as they're quite tricky, you can buy 6 for 60p in the shops!
Never, ever heard of a Spurtle but a quick Google search said that they're of Scottish origin and as I live in Sussex they've probably not made it this far south, unlike Irn Bru.
Washing up bowls: stop you chipping plates and so on against the metal sink and stops the sink getting scratched (important when renting and wanting your deposit back.) Plus, if you are soaking your washing up but need to use the sink, you can just lift the washing up bowl out of the way.
I never used a bowl in the sink ...I’m 44 preferred the sink it’s bigger and can just put everything in it! I loved Christmas pudding never used a pudding bowl or steamer? But lots of booze 😀👍🏻 Never use a tea cosy I have seen them But never used them maybe 40 years ago Never used a toast rack? In my life I’ve seen them in hotels or Bed and breakfasts I do use egg cups since being a toddler I still use them now with toast cut in strips with butter or Marge on them it’s dunked soft boiled egg...plus egg cups are really cheap! I crack an egg with a tea spoon crack it few times on head and take top off,some sliced with a knife! Up north we get in on with eating lol Pot noodle fork never heard of it or used it ...just a fork from my draw
When I was a kid, my mom just scooped them out into a bowl for me! Once I married an Englishman, I bought some egg cups there, and always use them for my soft-boiled eggs!
Egg cup holders ,often come with a cossie, a bit like the tea cossie, but much smaller to fit over the egg to keep it warm. As with toast racks usually only used in posh hotels to keep things wark from kitchen to table. Jay from UK
Sorry, Grace, but cooking by measuring everything by volume is really inefficient and prone to error. Weigh *everything*, including liquids: it's much more accurate and consistent. And use sensible units when you do...
Yes liquids change volume with increase in temperature, so always buy diesel/petrol for your vehicle when it is cooler (morning or evening)....but seriously weighing ingredients allows you to scale with increased accurately than the US volumetric method which I agree is quick to do. Depends on which you value speed vs accuracy
@@WanderingRavens Excellent. Then you can get as irritated as I do when I have to convert American recipes from sodding cups and pints that are too small. 😉
Exacting measurements are only followed by amateurs. Pros work by ratios fixed to volume to scale up and down according to covers required. Variations occur when using fluctuating quality of ingredients. No one has time to faff around with weights and measures.
Oh my! This is a great example of not being aware of a problem until someone points it out for you! I never noticed that condensation before 😂 Welp...it's off to the shop for me. On what aisle can I find toast racks?
When you said that crumpets are a lot like American 'English Muffins' I almost fainted. We have English muffins in the UK too. They are not remotely the same. TOTALLY different things.
Plus, if you drop something in the sink it will smash, but if you drop it in the bowl it will probably be fine. Plus it prevents you from wasting water.
And if you drop a plate while washing up, the plastic of the bowl softens the sound. Also it takes less hot water to fill a bowl rather than a much larger sink.
The toast rack prevents the toast from going soggy if you're preparing large amounts to be served at a table. It is essential for that purpose, not so much if you're just doing yourself a couple of slices... Though I'd still prop them up against each other for a minute before buttering them.
@@WanderingRavens Yorkshire pudding TINS can be cup cake sized for Southerners; they can be 15-20cm diameter for a decent Sunday roast; but, for a traditional Yorkshire Sunday Dinner (eaten at lunchtime) the Yorkshire Puddings are done in the roasting tin that the joint of meat was cooked in. This would be a rectangular tin about 20cmX30cm. The cooked pudding would be cut into squares and served with gravy as a starter. Some squares would be retained and eaten cold with jam or lemon cheese (lemon curd) by the children at tea-time!
@@nickbrough8335 My mum used to drain the fat from the meat tin, use the stuck on bits to make gravy in the tin, decant the gravy then put the fat back in the washed tin to make the puds.
@@tonycasey3183 I don't recall what my mum did, but I'm sure she would have used beef lard to make the Yorkshire's in if she didn't use the fat from the roast meet.
I was born and raised in Britain (1970s) but have never heard of spurtles, pie birds, crumpet rings, pie dollies, pudding steamers, egg topper eggshell cutters or Pot Noodle forks - I think you've made them all up.
re washing up bowls. British houses, and therefore kitchens, tend to be smaller than American ones. For that reason, many British kitchens only have one sink. If you've already filled the sink, what would you do with, say the dregs in a coffee cup? The washing up bowl allows access to the drain hole whilst doing the washing up.
I have the weights and scales and spend once a month polishing the brass weights to a mirror shine. I also have a herb mincer which I use to mainly shred fresh mint leaves to make mint sauce and an old manual winder meat mincer to make what you call ground beef.
Back when bread was cut by hand it tended to be thicker, so would retain more moisture when toasted. Putting it flat on a plate meant the underside went soggy, hence a rack to stand it up in.
@@WanderingRavens The other reason is when the kitchen was run by the matriarch of the family. She would toast all the bread and take it to the dining table for all the family on a toast rack.
Also they are useful when making large amounts of toast for a bunch of screaming kids. Ya can just pop it on the rack and carry the rack in. Don't have to carry several plates
As a chef I use both, but the digital ones are more precise for the details of patiserie. Yeast and other raising agents are best measured in small increments, and not just guessed.
I avoid making recipes from the US as the ingredients seem to be a guessing game...a cup of this, half a cup of that and cup (messy) of butter (or a stick(?!)) no actual measures. Recipes in grams are so much easier and precise...you just put your mixing bowl on the digital scales and add your ingredients directly into the bowl (setting the display to zero after each addition).
@@WanderingRavens The type of scales you had are used for decoration only now. Vintage accessories are a big thing in the UK now. Most kitchens have digital scales. In some kitchens now you will find other vintage stuff as well including brass measuring cups, brass jam pans, possers etc. I should know, I sell them to the idiots at good prices (for me)
We measure in precise amounts the cup system can be too variable. Plus cups have only recently started to be introduced as an alternative measure in UK cookery books.
Toast racks are usually used during large group meet-ups or at hotels. It means people can take as much toast as they want, one at a time without touching all the other pieces of toast. It also helps prevent crumb spillage, and makes it easier to grab.
Another great video. We have sliced buttered (in strips) bread to dip in runny eggs, we call them SOLDIERS. If you don't have an egg cup the yolk runs everywhere.
Just remember, France is England’s oldest enemy, Scotland’s oldest ally. Look up the “ Auld Alliance”. Fun fact, the oldest ongoing alliance in the World is between England and Portugal ( extended to include the other countries of the UK with the relevant Acts of Union).
Agree, they are egg rings for perfectly round fried eggs and three or four can be cooked in the same pan at the same time without combining and having to be cut. Of course can be used for Crumpets or hash browns and bubble & squeak.
Re the spurtle, the following should be read in a Scottish accent: Why is there no monument to porridge in our land? If it's good enough to eat, it's good enough to stand! On a plinth in Glasgow, a statue there should be Of porridge made in Scotland, signed "Oatmeal O.B.E." - Spike Milligan
What amazes me are the number of people who state that just because they are not aware of them will categorically state that they aren't used anymore, are rarely used, or are posh. We'll take it from me, not only was I aware of all the items you listed with the exception of the pot noodle fork, I have seen all of them used, with most of those in the so called no longer, rarely and posh caregories on many occasions. As for the toast rack, I like my toast crispy, and not too hot because I prefer the butter not to turn into a liquid almost immediately so I find a rack an essential item and will use it even for a single slice. The pudding bowl is used for steamed puddings which usually have either a cloth or greaseproof paper secured with string and traditionally a string handle can be created at the same time. If you notice, unlike many standard bowls they always have a pronounced lip - this is to stop the string sliding off when you either lower it into or lift it out of the steamer (or pressure cooker)
pudding to us is a stodgy thick cake like desert, it’s quite similar to fruitcake, we have christmas pudding which is when we do the dousing in brandy and ceremonious mini bonfire 🔥 (also toast racks are 90/100 on the toff scale but i’d say egg cups everywhere, someone will have at least one in the back of their cupboard)
Yo my slime I know you really don't know mandem like that, but I was like I was wondering if like, I could purchase something still fam. Just a bit of grub my drillar. I wanna know what your prices are saying cuz I'm tryna blem a zoot up with my boydem and gyaldem g, like you feel me? So get back to me cuz I know like you're the top dog around here. I wanna purchase the food from you bruce, nobody else. So peace out dawg, roll safe and get back to me on a quick ting brodem
I've never heard of a lot of those things. The only one you'd find in my kitchen are scales and they're digital. In Britain, recipe ingredients are given by weight so we need our scales.
@@johnleonard9090 We've got a gas oven...each gas mark is 25°F hotter than the last, or about 13.9°C hotter...when a recipe gives oven temps in °C, °F and gas mark I always wonder which was the original. Old recipes were often converted at 1 oz = 25g for ease as 1 oz is actually about 28.3g - when coffee went metric the amount in a jar went from 4oz to 100g (which is approx 3.5 oz)...I doubt there was a corresponding price drop. I was brought up cooking with gas, I have used electric but prefer gas.
Ive lived in the UK all my life and i have a toast rack, egg cups, and a washing up bowl, but i can honestly sat ive never ever heard of any of the other items.
To be fair, most Brits don't own or use many of those items and if they do then in most cases, such as the kitchen scales, we have managed to update the equipment. As for the egg top slicer thingumybob (there's a good English slang word), I have never seen one, and like most Brits I am sure, my first thought is, why not just use a knife? That gizmo is just an example of useless devices created to just make money. I guarantee every long established kitchen has at least one useless gizmo sitting buried in a cupboard or drawer that never gets used because, after all it's actually not easier than an old fashioned knife!
@@grandtheftmanualv945 came to comment on the scales. Even my grandmother had a digital scale back in the early 90's. I've only seen the lead weight ones in museums
My mum always made tea in a pot with loose leaf tea and used a cosy while the tea was steeping. So until I was 57 I always put the cost on my head when stirring the pot - relief to know I've now grown up! 🤣
On a cold morning you can take it off the empty tea pot and put it on your head to warm your head & ears before going to work. Remember to remove it before getting the bus
We use our toast rack whenever we have toast, rather than piling the toast on a plate, it stops the toast going soggy! How do you eat a boiled egg without an egg cup, must be challenging to dip your soldiers in!😀😀. Great video, use the majority of utensils though but was born in the 1950s so am getting ancient!🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧💕💖
For boiled eggs, we peel the egg shell off, cut them in half, and then apply salt and pepper! Delicious! :D So glad you enjoyed the video, Sue! We appreciate you x
Wandering Ravens With an egg cup, you eat the egg out of the shell. And dip your buttered toast soldiers in the yolk. Almost as nice as fried egg and chips, dipping your chips in the Yolk.
@@WanderingRavens People mean a soft boiled egg with the runny centre that you dip bread or toast " soldiers" in for use of an egg cup. We also have a variety of egg timer types to get your egg just perfect to dip. Do you not use an egg slicer for hard boiled eggs ? Its a sort of guillotine to slice them. A dished base with slots and a lever above with piano wires to match the slot spaces. You can slice any soft foods with one. We also use an apple corer/slicer too. That's a metal frame with handles both sides. Centre has a spider web shape sharp blade you press down through fruit and it cores and slices in one go 😁😁
@@WanderingRavens Grace, you could have given Eric the Pudding Basin haircut weeks ago. Just place it on top, basin rim above the eyebrows, then cut off anything below the rim. 😁😆🤣
@@missprimproper1022 Many young people are having pudding basin style haircuts. I told one lad that if a kid turned up at school in my day he'd have the mickey taken and got a very stony look in response.
But what do you do when you have soft boiled eggs? If you put it on the plate without an egg cup the egg yolk will just pour out on the plate. With an egg cup it prevents that and it helps when dipping slices of toast in it.
@@kroo07 Being an engineer in a food factory on a broken down machine that was my best answer. Manager: how longs it going to be Me: same length, im not shortening it Manager: be serious, whats wrong with it Me: It needs a part Manager: what part Me: a tuit Manager: Whats a tuit Me:its a special one, its a round one Manager: Whats a round tuit Me: When a get a round tuit il effing do it. Manager: Your sacked Me: OK, your stopped until you can get someone else to get a round tuit
Bro most eggcups in the uk aren’t even egg ups, they’re just shot glasses. We alternate one for the other. Need a shot glass? Use an eggcup. Need an eggcup? Use a shotglass.
English breakfast muffins and crumpets are both tasty, both available in the UK, but definitely not the same! Definitely deserve individual recognition
When you steam a pudding with a pudding bowl you cover the top with either grease proof paper or tin foil (aluminium foil) and you would tie that with string, put an elastic band round or scrunch the foil tight to create a seal and then pop in the steamer. There would be an air gap around the bowl and you would havdcaclid on to trap the steam. With a pudding steamer you have the lid with it and the size would fit on a pan of the same diameter so no need for the self made lid on the bowl. I usually make steamed syrup sponge and have it with custard.
With you on this one Richard. sweet steamed puddings, syrup, chocolate or jam. I'd like to add savoury, like meat & gravy. Best served as a winter comfort food specially a day outdoors work or leisure.
I have never known anyone have a set of "weights and measures" scales in their home ... I think the only time I've seen them being used in earnest was some fruit and veg stalls in the market 30 years ago. Most people have the sort of kitchen scales that make a needle go round a dial, although digital scales are slowly becoming a bit more common. Toast racks date from the days when you would cook toast under the grill rather than in a toaster, and so you would be doing everyone's toast at once. Putting it in the rack was seen as a more decorous way to get the toast to the table than just piling it all on a plate. I don't know anyone who uses one now. And I've never even _heard_ of a spirtle!
Billy Connolly - "Never trust a man who, when left alone in a room with a tea cozy, doesn't try it on." Tea cosies are essential when making proper tea in a proper teapot at home!
I’ve only ever seen a toast rack in American movies, you know, during those scenes where the student grabs a slice of toast and runs off onto the school bus even though their parents made a whole breakfast feast. I’m a Yorkshire lass btw
I feel I’m letting the nation down by not owning a single one of these items! However I’ll defend the humble toast rack: when making breakfast for a lot of people it’s the perfect way to stop the toast going soggy. Utterly pointless for me as I only have a two slot toaster... but if I had one of those fancy 8 slot toasters you can bet I’d get a toast rack =D
Oh my! This is a great example of not being aware of a problem until someone points it out for you! I never noticed that condensation before 😂 Welp...it's off to the shop for me. On what aisle can I find toast racks?
I don't own a toast rack but I think I vaguely recall having one as a kid so they're not upper class necessarily. They're of most use when you're preparing breakfast for a large group of people, so people can select however many slices they want, and without the toast getting soggy in a pile. It's been many years since I've seen anyone use one though.
Hi guys. I don’t know this for certain but I think the US penchant for measuring cups is a consequence of your pioneer heritage. Weighing scales need to be used on a stable and level surface and spring scales can be affected by being jolted about. However, measuring cups are much easier to use when you are living out of a wagon or in tents etc. For a similar reason cups are also popular in Aussie recipes. BTW I use both forms of measure when I bake. 😊😊
I love you Grace but I haaaaaate measuring cups 😅 It doesn’t help that Australian and American cup sizes apparently aren’t the same?! Weight is the only way to accurately measure something! Our kitchen scales is almost exactly like the one in your video, as it happens. We did have a pie bird too but I’ve never actually used it and don’t know what’s happened to it now that you mention it... 🤔 Also, harsh, we definitely used our toast rack when I was younger! Make a whole bunch of toast for the family and people can take it when they’re ready without it going all “wangy” (as Delia Smith once described damp toast) 😂 And SINCE WHEN ARE EGG CUPS POSH??
Neil Caress exactly that. Traditional ceramic pudding bowls (actually more correctly known as pudding basins) don't have lids. In order to avoid a soggy pudding it is necessary to cover them with a couple of layers of greaseproof paper (baking parchment) and foil, then tie around with string, which is also fashioned into a handle in order to retrieve said pudding from the steamer. The metal version solves both these problems by covering the pudding and providing a handy lifting ring,
@@spencerwilton5831 I'm glad they are useful. Are they expensive because these things can be. I remember friends buying a 'soup maker' some years ago for £138. There was me thinking a soup maker was a decent size saucepan or pot.
@@isabellenevill5770 savory meat suet pudding in the microwave? Whatever next, tea made with hot water straight from the tap and putting cream on your scone first of pronouncing Cornwall as Corn-wall? I feel abused
@@WanderingRavens You can buy premade steak and kidney pudding in foil. Place it in a pan with about 2 inch of water, place on the lid and steam. The suet pastry melts in your mouth. Don't let it boil dry though or its ruined.
@@WanderingRavens When you steam a pudding you need to cover it with grease proof paper rounds and then foil to stop water getting in to the top of the pudding (and fabricate a handle from some kitchen string to get it out when the bowl is really hot!). The steamer bowl looks to me to be just an easier way to do this - locking lid to keep the water out, with a handle to pull the hot basin out of the steamer! Oh and you only dowse a Christmas pudding in brandy and set it on fire, other puddings are served as they are, though with a good serving of custard (but not meat puddings!).
I think the tea cosy (egg cosies as well) and toast racks enable a longer shared breakfast. Some toast toppings which shouldn't be mixed on the same plate (think sausages and beans and toast followed by jam and butter on toast) hence why one set of toast on the toast rack and one on the plate. Also I always forget I've made a pot of tea and half an hour later finding it hot and extremely well brewed under a tea cosy is one of life's delights.
I believe tea cozy’s came about to start off with because tea was very expensive but after the second would war everything was rationed so they wanted to enjoy the tea for a longer period hot. That’s when they really became popular in the household.
I know other people have commented on the use of toast racks (especially useful if you are making a lot of toast for the table when you have guests), but I would like to point out that I have been served toast in toast racks in some American Hotela, so its not completely unheard of over there. Also, aside from fluids, for which we use measuring cups, or small measurements (from quarter teaspoon up to tablespoon) we only measure by weight, not volume as apparently its more accurate (assuming you get the weight right). The only time we might use a measuring cup is if we are using an American recipe (it does happen, but much less often) I think the reason you do not have egg cups is that boiled egg and soldiers (thin strips of toast) is not a thing in US, but we love them here and you cannot have boiled egg and soldiers without an egg cup
I've never heard of a bunch of these things before! As for scales, I've seen that type before in museums but never use ones. have both digital scales and the type where you watch the dial with measurements move around until the arrow points at the right thing. Scales are so much more accurate when you're doing anything - such as baking. I always die a little inside if I'm using a US recipe and it's all in cups. One problem with them is that a UK cup isn't actually the same size as a US cup whereas 1g is 1g. With cups you also have to work out if that's a heaped cup, a cup with stuff in as it comes or if you're meant to press the stuff down to make it compacted. There's a lot of room for error - especially if something calls for "chopped xyz" because how much you get will depends on how small you've sliced it. I do use cups occasionally though but that's mainly if a recipe (like crepes) just calls for the same volume of stuff or double the volume of 1 thing and the ratio is more important than the actual quantity. Using something more precise is also useful for those of us who are trying to lose weight. Washing up bowls can be very useful, especially for people who have a kitchen with just the 1 sink as opposed to the dual type (a bigger one and smaller one). If you just have the single one then it makes sense to use a bowl as 1) less water and 2) if you have any dregs of liquid left (like if you've boiled potatoes and have the water still in the pan) you can pour the liquid down the outside of the bowl instead of into the water you're washing up in or without having to drain it all first. I also know some people who use them to put dirty dishes in whilst waiting for enough to justify running the sink and washing them properly. It keeps the kitchen more tidy and prevents having dirty dishes just lying around on your bench.
The washing up bowl stops fragile items from smashing against the metal sink. Also a lot of British homes do not have utility rooms, so things like mop bucket water go down the kitchen sink, the bowl helps keep the dishware separate to where the dirt water gets put.
Toast racks are used to keep toast crunchy. Laying hot toast down on a plate will create condensation underneath so one side of the toast becomes soggy. We eat a lot of toast in the UK, mostly commonly during breakfast.
The washing up bowl is quite useful for chilling out in front of the TV after work by putting your feet in it, after a hot day (cold water) or a freezing cold day (warm water)
We were once staying at a B&B in Pennsylvania. At breakfast there was an American couple and us at a large table which was groaning with food of various kinds. The host came over and said to the American guests "Watch these guys". We didn't initially know what he meant but then realised the way he was expecting us to decapitate our boiled eggs with a teaspoon was to be the spectacle of the day.
I never knew you didn't have scales My family has two A digital one and one one a bit ike the picture of the measuring thing not the look (I hope you know what I mean becasue it's hard to add pictures XD)
The toast rack is essential to let your toast go cold without going soggy, while you eat your breakfast. Once a full breakfast has been consumed, can peruse the daily broadsheet while eating your now cold dry toast, with butter and marmalade. Lovely.
What era have you been staying in :) A lot of these items are old tradition items and will probably not find many them in most people's house. Especially anyone under the age of 80 :)
I'm in my 50s and I own all of these bar a roast rack and a spurtle. My kids in their 30s have most of these too, it depends what you used as kids I suppose and how much you cook from scratch
i own all of these, so far , except the spurtle......we use most of them at least weekly , and do a lot of home cooking , and we are waaaaay under 80.............i'm guessing you are still in your 20's ?
Toast racks are great for guests or large families at breakfast/brunch. You can make the toast and put it in rack, on the table so guests can help themselves:-) looks a little nicer than piling it on a plate!
To be honest, I don't think either of us have ever eaten a soft-boiled egg. Lots of hard-boiled eggs, but no soft-boiled (except for in Japanese ramen). The lack of soft-boiled eggs in the US is probably due to our lack of egg cups 😂
I think a toast racks are when you're having an English Breakfast with toast on the side. You can leave the toast on the rack (possibly to cool down) & have a slice when you want it. I think you tend to see them more in B&Bs and hotels these days. Egg cups aren't remotely posh. Dippy egg and soldiers is an everyday food (or was; bit old fashioned). It's a soft boiled egg with strips (the soldiers) of buttery toast that you dip in the egg
@@WanderingRavens its meant for children but a lot of adult brits still have it now and again because its something we were given as children that we still like and remember from our childhood :) type in egg and soldiers and you'll find some quite yummy pics of it :) but yeah thats whay the egg cup is specifically for XD
@@MagentaOtterTravels Hate hot toast, the butter melts making the toast even more soggy. If ones dining room was twenty feet from the Kitchen or more, when at school, most food was luke warm at best when served. It was no warmer at home, as placed on the sideboard before Mother served, often brought in from the kitchen 10 minutes earlier so she could take off the apron and do her hair.
I was on holiday in Daytona, Florida and wanted eggs and soldiers. Now I knew they wouldn't have egg cups, so I went to a tourist shop found a shot glass with 'Florida' written on and used that instead! It didn't quite have the same fit as an egg cup but it worked!
Back in the day you sat down to breakfast, lunch, dinner. Kitchens generally had no seating areas and everything was trayed into another room. Toast racks keep slices separate so stay crispy 😋 Hence tea cosies too.
I think the only things on this list which are fairly ubiquitous in British kitchens are egg cups and washing up bowls (although we currently have one chipped egg cup and no bowl).
I’ve never heard of spirtles. Most of the others I’ve heard of, but the only one I have are egg cups and even then, they get used rarely. They’re useful though for dipping ‘soldiers’ into the yolk of a soft boiled egg.
Egg cups are not posh.
You can't have eggs and soldiers without an egg cup!
What are eggs and soldiers? 😋
@@WanderingRavens not sure if you're serious there but the soldiers are toasted strips of bread that you dunk in the yolk if that helps.
@@WanderingRavens soft boiled egg with strips of cut-up toast (called soliders) to dip in the yolk. Cornerstone of British breakfasts for generations.
@@WanderingRavens !!!
Soft boiled eggs which you dunk bread (sliced into small rectangles). The egg cup keeps the egg upright and not y'know. Spilling all over the place. How on earth can you eat soft boiled eggs without then?!
@@WanderingRavens .
Soldiers are buttered bread cut into strips to dunk in the egg.
Measuring cups are the devil’s work, scales are accurate
Definitley!
Can I also add that most or us use digital scales since we no longer live in the Victorian era. 😄
Measuring cups confuse the hell out of me. You get different sized cups but a gram is always a gram. Use scales. Lol🤷♀️
It's simple fractions . And each is labeled
@Gaytony i thought by cups they meant measuring jugs and the like. God they are just awful
@Gaytony I think you mean millilitres, Millimetres are for length
Toast rack. The most essential breakfast implement ever. The toast is taken from the toaster placed on the toast rack so that condensation doesn't occur on the underside, making your toast soggy.
Oh my! This is a great example of not being aware of a problem until someone points it out for you! I never noticed that condensation before 😂
Welp...it's off to the shop for me. On what aisle can I find toast racks?
Also useful for sharing toast, you don't take it until you need it. I have never tested it but it might keep it warmer as well. Smaller surface for convection
Ceramic toast racks are definitely better for keeping toast warm but I suppose you warm up any metal and ceramic racks in my experience
@@WanderingRavens the toast rack aisle obviously 🙄
In the absence of a toast-rack, simply leaving the toast in the toaster after it's popped up can help, as the rising hot air will keep it warm, without browning it further. I let the toast sit like that for maybe 20 seconds before transferring it to the plate. As most of the steam has been driven out by that point, sogginess isn't an issue.
Crumpets are nothing like muffins - that’s like saying an apple pie is the same as a steak pie
I've never seen an "English Muffin" and have no idea what it is, but I'm willing to bet it is nothing like a Crumpet !
@@tonym480 Exactly - nothing like, only similarity is... they have flour lol
An English muffin (just called a muffin in the UK) - Breakfast item - McDonalds use them for Breakfast items. www.allrecipes.com/recipe/6947/english-muffins/
Insult to say crumpets are like muffins . Two different things .
@@mishaplaysmsp6698 English muffings in the USA are a bit different to our muffins, theirs have more holes in (similar to a crumpet) but the mixture is more like our muffins. Crumpets are basically pancake mixture with holes running down the middle (British pancake mixture without the sugar!). Also not many people make their own crumpets as they're quite tricky, you can buy 6 for 60p in the shops!
crumpets are heavenly.
Never, ever heard of a Spurtle but a quick Google search said that they're of Scottish origin and as I live in Sussex they've probably not made it this far south, unlike Irn Bru.
I'm from Sussex and I use a spurtle. I got it in Edinburgh though and love it.
Yes! We heard that they were Scottish! They seem like a really useful tool!
Spurtles are for people that aren't aware of spoons! ;-)
is it true that Scottish parents give spurtles to their kids in the hope that they'll move up to one day toss the caber?
Every year there is a competition for making porridge, the winner gets a golden spurtle.
Washing up bowls: stop you chipping plates and so on against the metal sink and stops the sink getting scratched (important when renting and wanting your deposit back.) Plus, if you are soaking your washing up but need to use the sink, you can just lift the washing up bowl out of the way.
Plus you do not use so much water.
Plus you can still rinse dirty items without dirtying your dish water.
I never used a bowl in the sink ...I’m 44 preferred the sink it’s bigger and can just put everything in it!
I loved Christmas pudding never used a pudding bowl or steamer? But lots of booze 😀👍🏻
Never use a tea cosy I have seen them
But never used them maybe 40 years ago
Never used a toast rack? In
my life I’ve seen them in hotels or Bed and breakfasts
I do use egg cups since being a toddler
I still use them now with toast cut in strips with butter or Marge on them it’s dunked soft boiled egg...plus egg cups are really cheap!
I crack an egg with a tea spoon crack it few times on head and take top off,some sliced with a knife!
Up north we get in on with eating lol
Pot noodle fork never heard of it or used it ...just a fork from my draw
Americans use a lot of disposable tableware because they're too lazy to wash up!
And you can pour away any left over liquid in cups and glasses outside the bowl!
Egg cups aren’t posh 😂 Everyone has egg cups in the uk. I can’t imagine how you never used them
When I was a kid, my mom just scooped them out into a bowl for me! Once I married an Englishman, I bought some egg cups there, and always use them for my soft-boiled eggs!
I've never seen an egg cup before but I will only eat hard boiled eggs so they probably wouldn't do me any good
My castle is full of the things!
Yeah, hard-boiled eggs you can eat with your bare hands if you wish. But if you like them soft-boiled, you need some structure.
Egg cup holders ,often come with a cossie, a bit like the tea cossie, but much smaller to fit over the egg to keep it warm. As with toast racks usually only used in posh hotels to keep things wark from kitchen to table. Jay from UK
Sorry, Grace, but cooking by measuring everything by volume is really inefficient and prone to error. Weigh *everything*, including liquids: it's much more accurate and consistent. And use sensible units when you do...
This makes a lot of sense! We'll be sure to get a scale when we eventually settle down!
Yes liquids change volume with increase in temperature, so always buy diesel/petrol for your vehicle when it is cooler (morning or evening)....but seriously weighing ingredients allows you to scale with increased accurately than the US volumetric method which I agree is quick to do. Depends on which you value speed vs accuracy
@@WanderingRavens Excellent. Then you can get as irritated as I do when I have to convert American recipes from sodding cups and pints that are too small. 😉
Dont forget American pint is different to uk pint, so are cup sizes etc
Exacting measurements are only followed by amateurs. Pros work by ratios fixed to volume to scale up and down according to covers required. Variations occur when using fluctuating quality of ingredients. No one has time to faff around with weights and measures.
First blackcurrants, now egg cups: my head's bent from how regular Americans lack some off the most basic necessities!
So many necessities are lacking across the pond!
Exactly, without an egg cup your egg just rolls around of your plate!
@@MonkeyButtMovies1 I think you mean eggsactly, old boy.
Whenever I've been in the US, I've always been puzzled by Americans chasing hard boiled eggs around their plate! Now I know why. :)
@@WanderingRavens So, do American's not eat soft-boiled eggs?
I don't even eat eggs and haven't had a boiled egg in literal years but I still have egg cups in my kitchen.
Toast racks stop your toast from going soggy before serving. My Grandparents had one. Everyone who eats boiled eggs in the Uk has egg cups.
Oh my! This is a great example of not being aware of a problem until someone points it out for you! I never noticed that condensation before 😂
Welp...it's off to the shop for me. On what aisle can I find toast racks?
@@WanderingRavens I am sure I have seen this before.
Still got my big ears egg cup somewhere. Think of Doc from 7 Dwarfs and give him massive ears and remove the top of head and hollow out for the egg.
@@dave_h_8742 mine are the Lurpack ones with Douglas, also have the butter dish.
Anybody else suddenly craving having a nice runny soft boiled egg?
As Dave Lister once said "Pot noodles aren't food"
University students across the world would like to have a word with Dave 😂
@@WanderingRavens Could be difficult he is a few million light years away.
In certain countries where they eat dogs, there's a snack containing synthetic dog-meat called "Not Poodle".
(I may have made that up.)
@@grahamsmith9541 Beam me up!
Yes, but Dave ate dog food once, so I wouldn't trust his judgment about anything.
When you said that crumpets are a lot like American 'English Muffins' I almost fainted. We have English muffins in the UK too. They are not remotely the same. TOTALLY different things.
don't diss the washing up bowl... stops the sink getting scratched
So sorry! In future we will endeavour to be more careful with our words ;)
Plus, if you drop something in the sink it will smash, but if you drop it in the bowl it will probably be fine. Plus it prevents you from wasting water.
@@WanderingRavens apology accepted, now get the kettle on and whack out the bourbon bickies
Another benefit of washing up bowls is the sink drain is always available for disposing of unwanted liquids.
And if you drop a plate while washing up, the plastic of the bowl softens the sound. Also it takes less hot water to fill a bowl rather than a much larger sink.
The toast rack prevents the toast from going soggy if you're preparing large amounts to be served at a table. It is essential for that purpose, not so much if you're just doing yourself a couple of slices... Though I'd still prop them up against each other for a minute before buttering them.
My dad makes 2 slices for himself and then props them up like a little tent for the air to circulate 😂
Yorkshire pudding TINS,not trays.
Straight outta Yorkshire, here!
Thanks for setting us straight on that one!
@@WanderingRavens
Yorkshire pudding TINS can be cup cake sized for Southerners; they can be 15-20cm diameter for a decent Sunday roast; but, for a traditional Yorkshire Sunday Dinner (eaten at lunchtime) the Yorkshire Puddings are done in the roasting tin that the joint of meat was cooked in. This would be a rectangular tin about 20cmX30cm. The cooked pudding would be cut into squares and served with gravy as a starter. Some squares would be retained and eaten cold with jam or lemon cheese (lemon curd) by the children at tea-time!
@@tonycasey3183 That's how my mum made it, but we used a separate tin most of the time.
@@nickbrough8335
My mum used to drain the fat from the meat tin, use the stuck on bits to make gravy in the tin, decant the gravy then put the fat back in the washed tin to make the puds.
@@tonycasey3183 I don't recall what my mum did, but I'm sure she would have used beef lard to make the Yorkshire's in if she didn't use the fat from the roast meet.
Going by weight is actually better when baking. Then you always get the right amount. This is especially true with flour.
I was born and raised in Britain (1970s) but have never heard of spurtles, pie birds, crumpet rings, pie dollies, pudding steamers, egg topper eggshell cutters or Pot Noodle forks - I think you've made them all up.
I am British (1962) and I have heard of Most of them
re washing up bowls. British houses, and therefore kitchens, tend to be smaller than American ones. For that reason, many British kitchens only have one sink. If you've already filled the sink, what would you do with, say the dregs in a coffee cup? The washing up bowl allows access to the drain hole whilst doing the washing up.
"Never trust a man, who when left alone with a tea cosy... doesn't try it on." Billy Connolly, Scottish comedian
Love this 😂
Wise words to live by
I have a felt tea cosy with felt mushrooms on it, and yes, I have been known to put it on. I think my Mum bought it years ago at a bring and buy sale.
The spout and handle holes fit nicely over the ears so the wind can't blow it away (but you have cold ears. Swings and roundabouts I suppose)
The tea cosy, an essential prop for any suburban brit situation comedy
I have the weights and scales and spend once a month polishing the brass weights to a mirror shine. I also have a herb mincer which I use to mainly shred fresh mint leaves to make mint sauce and an old manual winder meat mincer to make what you call ground beef.
Back when bread was cut by hand it tended to be thicker, so would retain more moisture when toasted. Putting it flat on a plate meant the underside went soggy, hence a rack to stand it up in.
That makes a lot of sense! Thank you!
@@WanderingRavens The other reason is when the kitchen was run by the matriarch of the family. She would toast all the bread and take it to the dining table for all the family on a toast rack.
David, are there still people who use sliced bread, shame on them.
Also they are useful when making large amounts of toast for a bunch of screaming kids. Ya can just pop it on the rack and carry the rack in. Don't have to carry several plates
A good pork pie with the jelly in is a work of art, food from the gods.
Scales: digital ones. Seems like the most obvious solution
We measure in grams/kilos/litres.
They are definitely more precise than cups! And I've heard that recipes turn out better when you use a scale instead of a cup.
As a chef I use both, but the digital ones are more precise for the details of patiserie. Yeast and other raising agents are best measured in small increments, and not just guessed.
I avoid making recipes from the US as the ingredients seem to be a guessing game...a cup of this, half a cup of that and cup (messy) of butter (or a stick(?!)) no actual measures. Recipes in grams are so much easier and precise...you just put your mixing bowl on the digital scales and add your ingredients directly into the bowl (setting the display to zero after each addition).
@@WanderingRavens The type of scales you had are used for decoration only now. Vintage accessories are a big thing in the UK now. Most kitchens have digital scales. In some kitchens now you will find other vintage stuff as well including brass measuring cups, brass jam pans, possers etc. I should know, I sell them to the idiots at good prices (for me)
We measure in precise amounts the cup system can be too variable. Plus cups have only recently started to be introduced as an alternative measure in UK cookery books.
Toast racks are usually used during large group meet-ups or at hotels. It means people can take as much toast as they want, one at a time without touching all the other pieces of toast. It also helps prevent crumb spillage, and makes it easier to grab.
Another great video. We have sliced buttered (in strips) bread to dip in runny eggs, we call them SOLDIERS. If you don't have an egg cup the yolk runs everywhere.
Sounds delicious! We don;t have eggs and soldiers in the States
Strips of bread? Do you mean strips of toast? I've only ever seen toasted soldiers myself.
@@dougfile6644 My mum always made them with bread, not toast. Standard food for when you were sick in bed.
@@jlr108 Bread soldiers are great, and have a distinctly different personality to their more famous toasty cousins.
@@dougfile6644 you a'int lived, mr File.... try 'em, buttered of course.
Just remember, France is England’s oldest enemy, Scotland’s oldest ally. Look up the “ Auld Alliance”.
Fun fact, the oldest ongoing alliance in the World is between England and Portugal ( extended to include the other countries of the UK with the relevant Acts of Union).
Hah, first thing I thought as well. Glad you beat me to it.
Yep, oldest alliance indeed. Portugal was great then. Now, to keep you happy, we let you explore our Port wine lands 🤣
@@Marisa-xu9pn I do like Port, but I’ve never been to Portugal. A shocking omission on my part.
Life's too short to make your own crumpets
Love this 😂😂
Agree, they are egg rings for perfectly round fried eggs and three or four can be cooked in the same pan at the same time without combining and having to be cut. Of course can be used for Crumpets or hash browns and bubble & squeak.
Totally agree! Just pop to the shops
If you have never made your own crumpets, then you haven’t lived.
Yes especially when you can get 6 for 32p in Tescos.
Re the spurtle, the following should be read in a Scottish accent:
Why is there no monument to porridge in our land?
If it's good enough to eat, it's good enough to stand!
On a plinth in Glasgow, a statue there should be
Of porridge made in Scotland, signed "Oatmeal O.B.E."
- Spike Milligan
Ah - but is it good enough to eat, though? Never liked porridge. "Oats are a cereal fed to horses in England and to men in Scotland" - Samuel Johnston
Pie Birds also help to prevent a soggy bottom!
Good to know! thank you!
@@WanderingRavens
I've never heard on whistle
In honour of Paul and Mary. Can’t be doing with a soggy bottom. x
Pie birds also help keep the juices from bubbling over into your oven.
are you refering to the watery diarrhea induced by your british pies?
What amazes me are the number of people who state that just because they are not aware of them will categorically state that they aren't used anymore, are rarely used, or are posh. We'll take it from me, not only was I aware of all the items you listed with the exception of the pot noodle fork, I have seen all of them used, with most of those in the so called no longer, rarely and posh caregories on many occasions.
As for the toast rack, I like my toast crispy, and not too hot because I prefer the butter not to turn into a liquid almost immediately so I find a rack an essential item and will use it even for a single slice.
The pudding bowl is used for steamed puddings which usually have either a cloth or greaseproof paper secured with string and traditionally a string handle can be created at the same time. If you notice, unlike many standard bowls they always have a pronounced lip - this is to stop the string sliding off when you either lower it into or lift it out of the steamer (or pressure cooker)
pudding to us is a stodgy thick cake like desert, it’s quite similar to fruitcake, we have christmas pudding which is when we do the dousing in brandy and ceremonious mini bonfire 🔥 (also toast racks are 90/100 on the toff scale but i’d say egg cups everywhere, someone will have at least one in the back of their cupboard)
‘Toff’ can only be used to describe a person, not a thing!
Yo my slime
I know you really don't know mandem like that, but I was like I was wondering if like, I could purchase something still fam. Just a bit of grub my drillar. I wanna know what your prices are saying cuz I'm tryna blem a zoot up with my boydem and gyaldem g, like you feel me? So get back to me cuz I know like you're the top dog around here. I wanna purchase the food from you bruce, nobody else. So peace out dawg, roll safe and get back to me on a quick ting brodem
When a Scot told me about spurtles, I thought he was talking about a moderately powerful pokemon (squirtle)...
😂😂
I've never heard of a lot of those things. The only one you'd find in my kitchen are scales and they're digital. In Britain, recipe ingredients are given by weight so we need our scales.
Gas ovens are not that common these days in the UK but our electric ovens are in centigrade
@@MagentaOtterTravels Yeah but Darla I'm SO tempted to say you often are :-) ...but I won't because you're sweet!
@@johnleonard9090 What? You jest of course...
@@johnleonard9090
We've got a gas oven...each gas mark is 25°F hotter than the last, or about 13.9°C hotter...when a recipe gives oven temps in °C, °F and gas mark I always wonder which was the original.
Old recipes were often converted at 1 oz = 25g for ease as 1 oz is actually about 28.3g - when coffee went metric the amount in a jar went from 4oz to 100g (which is approx 3.5 oz)...I doubt there was a corresponding price drop.
I was brought up cooking with gas, I have used electric but prefer gas.
@@cigmorfil4101 my preference is electric oven and gas hob, but currently got electric for both
Looking at British kitchen objects will make my mother say, "What in the world?" I love the video as always.
It made us say "What in the world?" too! 😂😂
Ive lived in the UK all my life and i have a toast rack, egg cups, and a washing up bowl, but i can honestly sat ive never ever heard of any of the other items.
Good to know! Thank you :D
Tony Dean Are you three years old?
@@MeStevely no 1 and a half
To be fair, most Brits don't own or use many of those items and if they do then in most cases, such as the kitchen scales, we have managed to update the equipment.
As for the egg top slicer thingumybob (there's a good English slang word), I have never seen one, and like most Brits I am sure, my first thought is, why not just use a knife? That gizmo is just an example of useless devices created to just make money.
I guarantee every long established kitchen has at least one useless gizmo sitting buried in a cupboard or drawer that never gets used because, after all it's actually not easier than an old fashioned knife!
@@grandtheftmanualv945 came to comment on the scales. Even my grandmother had a digital scale back in the early 90's. I've only seen the lead weight ones in museums
Tea cozies are very useful, you know when you are grown up when you see one and don't want to put it on your head.
😆😆
My mum always made tea in a pot with loose leaf tea and used a cosy while the tea was steeping. So until I was 57 I always put the cost on my head when stirring the pot - relief to know I've now grown up! 🤣
*Cosy*
On a cold morning you can take it off the empty tea pot and put it on your head to warm your head & ears before going to work.
Remember to remove it before getting the bus
@@lulusbackintown1478 Plural
Not only does a tea cozy keep the tea warm and allow it to brew better, when you leave the house after breakfast you can use it as a hat.
We use our toast rack whenever we have toast, rather than piling the toast on a plate, it stops the toast going soggy! How do you eat a boiled egg without an egg cup, must be challenging to dip your soldiers in!😀😀. Great video, use the majority of utensils though but was born in the 1950s so am getting ancient!🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧💕💖
For boiled eggs, we peel the egg shell off, cut them in half, and then apply salt and pepper! Delicious! :D
So glad you enjoyed the video, Sue! We appreciate you x
@@WanderingRavens Thats a hard boiled egg, what about soft boiled? defo need a egg cup for a soft boiled egg.
Wandering Ravens With an egg cup, you eat the egg out of the shell. And dip your buttered toast soldiers in the yolk. Almost as nice as fried egg and chips, dipping your chips in the Yolk.
Join the club, great time to be a kid, all those bomb sites to play on, born in the last week of George VI's life.
@@WanderingRavens People mean a soft boiled egg with the runny centre that you dip bread or toast " soldiers" in for use of an egg cup. We also have a variety of egg timer types to get your egg just perfect to dip. Do you not use an egg slicer for hard boiled eggs ? Its a sort of guillotine to slice them. A dished base with slots and a lever above with piano wires to match the slot spaces. You can slice any soft foods with one. We also use an apple corer/slicer too. That's a metal frame with handles both sides. Centre has a spider web shape sharp blade you press down through fruit and it cores and slices in one go 😁😁
Tea cosies are definitely useful. Essentially keeps your excess tea warmer for longer. It's for when you make too much and want another cuppa later 😅
They’re pointless in the US though as we don’t make tea in teapots.
Pudding bowl - or,more traditionally, pudding basin.
Also how British mum's cut their kids hair.
Ah yes the basin. Haven’t heard that word for yonks
😂😂
@@missprimproper1022 it was a common haircut back in the day if your family were poor. 😆😁
@@WanderingRavens Grace, you could have given Eric the Pudding Basin haircut weeks ago. Just place it on top, basin rim above the eyebrows, then cut off anything below the rim. 😁😆🤣
@@missprimproper1022 Many young people are having pudding basin style haircuts. I told one lad that if a kid turned up at school in my day he'd have the mickey taken and got a very stony look in response.
I use digital scales, I can get super accurate measurements.......And then burn the crap out of it.
😂
whats the difference between super accurate and accurate? ...........................yeah , i'm " that " guy :)
A word of wisdom regarding tea cosies - "never trust a man who, when left alone in a room with a tea cosy, doesn't try it on".
In the UK we use toast racks in hotels
You two are becoming more like us every time i see you, seems you are mastering irony and sarcasm, great stuff!
But what do you do when you have soft boiled eggs? If you put it on the plate without an egg cup the egg yolk will just pour out on the plate. With an egg cup it prevents that and it helps when dipping slices of toast in it.
the washing up bowl also doubles as a receptacle to vomit in. Btw how do you eat a runny egg without an egg cup?
"Messily".
Cats Chorus so true. Sounds pretty nasty when you think about it doesn’t it?
Yes!!!! Ours is used as an emergency vomit receptacle too. Handy to take with you to the sofa when you are ill. 😆🤢
@@richardsinger01 as nasty as my dad washing his feet in it, weekly!?!
Gross but so true lol.
One of the most useful, but seldom found housold items these days is a Round Tuit, everyone aspires to getting one.
Seen one. Not got around to buying one though.
Most people wont get that Brian, I use it regularly at work. 🤣
My mum had one, it was a gift from a 'friend'. 😀
Nice one Brian.
@@kroo07 Being an engineer in a food factory on a broken down machine that was my best answer.
Manager: how longs it going to be
Me: same length, im not shortening it
Manager: be serious, whats wrong with it
Me: It needs a part
Manager: what part
Me: a tuit
Manager: Whats a tuit
Me:its a special one, its a round one
Manager: Whats a round tuit
Me: When a get a round tuit il effing do it.
Manager: Your sacked
Me: OK, your stopped until you can get someone else to get a round tuit
Wild object roaming around British kitchen 🤔 is it Eric? 🤣
More like a wild animal 😆
Shhh...don't blow my cover! I'm looking for biscuits 😂
Wandering Ravens digestives ?
Crumpets are not muffins lol
They are not called pie-birds, they are called pie-funnels, they are to support the pastry in the centre during baking.
Bro most eggcups in the uk aren’t even egg ups, they’re just shot glasses. We alternate one for the other. Need a shot glass? Use an eggcup. Need an eggcup? Use a shotglass.
Ahh student life 😂
100% student life right there
Never in my experience.
English breakfast muffins and crumpets are both tasty, both available in the UK, but definitely not the same! Definitely deserve individual recognition
Egg cosies are available too! ;-)
A crumpet is entirely different to a muffin 🤦🏼♀️
When you steam a pudding with a pudding bowl you cover the top with either grease proof paper or tin foil (aluminium foil) and you would tie that with string, put an elastic band round or scrunch the foil tight to create a seal and then pop in the steamer. There would be an air gap around the bowl and you would havdcaclid on to trap the steam. With a pudding steamer you have the lid with it and the size would fit on a pan of the same diameter so no need for the self made lid on the bowl. I usually make steamed syrup sponge and have it with custard.
With you on this one Richard. sweet steamed puddings, syrup, chocolate or jam. I'd like to add savoury, like meat & gravy. Best served as a winter comfort food specially a day outdoors work or leisure.
@@russcattell955i I also make meat pies. I have a Christmas pudding mould basin as well that's over a century old - very precious!
I have never known anyone have a set of "weights and measures" scales in their home ... I think the only time I've seen them being used in earnest was some fruit and veg stalls in the market 30 years ago. Most people have the sort of kitchen scales that make a needle go round a dial, although digital scales are slowly becoming a bit more common.
Toast racks date from the days when you would cook toast under the grill rather than in a toaster, and so you would be doing everyone's toast at once. Putting it in the rack was seen as a more decorous way to get the toast to the table than just piling it all on a plate. I don't know anyone who uses one now.
And I've never even _heard_ of a spirtle!
We own both an old-fashioned scale and a needle one (though only actually use the needle one).
Billy Connolly - "Never trust a man who, when left alone in a room with a tea cozy, doesn't try it on."
Tea cosies are essential when making proper tea in a proper teapot at home!
Love the quote! We'll commit it to memory and use it as a gauge of which Brits to trust 😂
I’ve only ever seen a toast rack in American movies, you know, during those scenes where the student grabs a slice of toast and runs off onto the school bus even though their parents made a whole breakfast feast.
I’m a Yorkshire lass btw
I feel I’m letting the nation down by not owning a single one of these items! However I’ll defend the humble toast rack: when making breakfast for a lot of people it’s the perfect way to stop the toast going soggy. Utterly pointless for me as I only have a two slot toaster... but if I had one of those fancy 8 slot toasters you can bet I’d get a toast rack =D
Oh my! This is a great example of not being aware of a problem until someone points it out for you! I never noticed that condensation before 😂
Welp...it's off to the shop for me. On what aisle can I find toast racks?
@@WanderingRavens The toast rack aisle...
I had all of them but I love my kitchen gadgets...even if I don't use them as much as I should.
@@HighHoeKermit 😂😂
If you really want to level up your toast rack game then you can get a matching toast rack and egg cup set. That's balling.
I don't own a toast rack but I think I vaguely recall having one as a kid so they're not upper class necessarily. They're of most use when you're preparing breakfast for a large group of people, so people can select however many slices they want, and without the toast getting soggy in a pile. It's been many years since I've seen anyone use one though.
Washing up bowls can also be convenient when after-drinking.... well...as long as it's empty at the time...
Hi guys. I don’t know this for certain but I think the US penchant for measuring cups is a consequence of your pioneer heritage. Weighing scales need to be used on a stable and level surface and spring scales can be affected by being jolted about. However, measuring cups are much easier to use when you are living out of a wagon or in tents etc. For a similar reason cups are also popular in Aussie recipes. BTW I use both forms of measure when I bake. 😊😊
I love you Grace but I haaaaaate measuring cups 😅 It doesn’t help that Australian and American cup sizes apparently aren’t the same?! Weight is the only way to accurately measure something! Our kitchen scales is almost exactly like the one in your video, as it happens. We did have a pie bird too but I’ve never actually used it and don’t know what’s happened to it now that you mention it... 🤔 Also, harsh, we definitely used our toast rack when I was younger! Make a whole bunch of toast for the family and people can take it when they’re ready without it going all “wangy” (as Delia Smith once described damp toast) 😂
And SINCE WHEN ARE EGG CUPS POSH??
Pudding steam is a fancy and no doubt much more expensive version of the traditional pudding bowl.
Neil Caress exactly that. Traditional ceramic pudding bowls (actually more correctly known as pudding basins) don't have lids. In order to avoid a soggy pudding it is necessary to cover them with a couple of layers of greaseproof paper (baking parchment) and foil, then tie around with string, which is also fashioned into a handle in order to retrieve said pudding from the steamer. The metal version solves both these problems by covering the pudding and providing a handy lifting ring,
@@spencerwilton5831 I'm glad they are useful. Are they expensive because these things can be. I remember friends buying a 'soup maker' some years ago for £138. There was me thinking a soup maker was a decent size saucepan or pot.
When I was small, we always knew when we were going to have steamed jam roll poly. Mother would only wear one stocking.
Lol!
Egg cups along with mugs used to be the staple 'free gift' in Easter eggs back in the day.
Still are
Steamed pudding is the best! Takes hours but it's worth it. I sooooooo want a steak and kidney pudding now with proper suet pastry!!!
We haven't tried steamed pudding yet - looks wonderful though!
It can be done with a regular pudding bowl in the microwave, nowhere near as nice but useful for when you decide you fancy pudding as you finish tea
@@isabellenevill5770 savory meat suet pudding in the microwave? Whatever next, tea made with hot water straight from the tap and putting cream on your scone first of pronouncing Cornwall as Corn-wall?
I feel abused
@@WanderingRavens You can buy premade steak and kidney pudding in foil. Place it in a pan with about 2 inch of water, place on the lid and steam. The suet pastry melts in your mouth. Don't let it boil dry though or its ruined.
@@WanderingRavens When you steam a pudding you need to cover it with grease proof paper rounds and then foil to stop water getting in to the top of the pudding (and fabricate a handle from some kitchen string to get it out when the bowl is really hot!). The steamer bowl looks to me to be just an easier way to do this - locking lid to keep the water out, with a handle to pull the hot basin out of the steamer! Oh and you only dowse a Christmas pudding in brandy and set it on fire, other puddings are served as they are, though with a good serving of custard (but not meat puddings!).
I think the tea cosy (egg cosies as well) and toast racks enable a longer shared breakfast. Some toast toppings which shouldn't be mixed on the same plate (think sausages and beans and toast followed by jam and butter on toast) hence why one set of toast on the toast rack and one on the plate. Also I always forget I've made a pot of tea and half an hour later finding it hot and extremely well brewed under a tea cosy is one of life's delights.
Guys, come on, I’m a 52 year old man, a lot of this stuff has passed me by too....although everyone has a washing up bowl :)
Four year old grandchild, "grandma why does the teapot have a hat?"
Brings back memories my grandma had most of these objects
Most of these sound very useful!
@@WanderingRavens yes they were my grandad was a baker by trade
I believe tea cozy’s came about to start off with because tea was very expensive but after the second would war everything was rationed so they wanted to enjoy the tea for a longer period hot. That’s when they really became popular in the household.
Never seen that first item in my life🤣🤣🤣
I know other people have commented on the use of toast racks (especially useful if you are making a lot of toast for the table when you have guests), but I would like to point out that I have been served toast in toast racks in some American Hotela, so its not completely unheard of over there.
Also, aside from fluids, for which we use measuring cups, or small measurements (from quarter teaspoon up to tablespoon) we only measure by weight, not volume as apparently its more accurate (assuming you get the weight right). The only time we might use a measuring cup is if we are using an American recipe (it does happen, but much less often)
I think the reason you do not have egg cups is that boiled egg and soldiers (thin strips of toast) is not a thing in US, but we love them here and you cannot have boiled egg and soldiers without an egg cup
I've never heard of a bunch of these things before!
As for scales, I've seen that type before in museums but never use ones.
have both digital scales and the type where you watch the dial with measurements move around until the arrow points at the right thing. Scales are so much more accurate when you're doing anything - such as baking. I always die a little inside if I'm using a US recipe and it's all in cups. One problem with them is that a UK cup isn't actually the same size as a US cup whereas 1g is 1g. With cups you also have to work out if that's a heaped cup, a cup with stuff in as it comes or if you're meant to press the stuff down to make it compacted. There's a lot of room for error - especially if something calls for "chopped xyz" because how much you get will depends on how small you've sliced it. I do use cups occasionally though but that's mainly if a recipe (like crepes) just calls for the same volume of stuff or double the volume of 1 thing and the ratio is more important than the actual quantity. Using something more precise is also useful for those of us who are trying to lose weight.
Washing up bowls can be very useful, especially for people who have a kitchen with just the 1 sink as opposed to the dual type (a bigger one and smaller one). If you just have the single one then it makes sense to use a bowl as 1) less water and 2) if you have any dregs of liquid left (like if you've boiled potatoes and have the water still in the pan) you can pour the liquid down the outside of the bowl instead of into the water you're washing up in or without having to drain it all first. I also know some people who use them to put dirty dishes in whilst waiting for enough to justify running the sink and washing them properly. It keeps the kitchen more tidy and prevents having dirty dishes just lying around on your bench.
The washing up bowl stops fragile items from smashing against the metal sink. Also a lot of British homes do not have utility rooms, so things like mop bucket water go down the kitchen sink, the bowl helps keep the dishware separate to where the dirt water gets put.
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Toast racks are used to keep toast crunchy. Laying hot toast down on a plate will create condensation underneath so one side of the toast becomes soggy. We eat a lot of toast in the UK, mostly commonly during breakfast.
People don’t use those old scales anymore it’s all digital ones these days
it’s all digital ones these days....is it? we have 3 different scales in our house, all 3 get used.
The washing up bowl is quite useful for chilling out in front of the TV after work by putting your feet in it, after a hot day (cold water) or a freezing cold day (warm water)
Never used a toast rack myself! Hahaha. They seem pretty fancy! 😆 Maybe I'm not posh enough. 😬
We're not posh enough either 😂
Everyone had them in the 70s but I mostly see them only in cafes/restaurants nowadays.
I've only ever seen toast racks at breakfast in B&Bs
Hahaha I’ve got several and use them. Certainly not posh here lol
I've only ever seen them in B&Bs
We were once staying at a B&B in Pennsylvania. At breakfast there was an American couple and us at a large table which was groaning with food of various kinds. The host came over and said to the American guests "Watch these guys". We didn't initially know what he meant but then realised the way he was expecting us to decapitate our boiled eggs with a teaspoon was to be the spectacle of the day.
I never knew you didn't have scales
My family has two
A digital one and one one a bit ike the picture of the measuring thing not the look (I hope you know what I mean becasue it's hard to add pictures XD)
The toast rack is essential to let your toast go cold without going soggy, while you eat your breakfast.
Once a full breakfast has been consumed, can peruse the daily broadsheet while eating your now cold dry toast, with butter and marmalade.
Lovely.
What era have you been staying in :) A lot of these items are old tradition items and will probably not find many them in most people's house. Especially anyone under the age of 80 :)
I'm in my 50s and I own all of these bar a roast rack and a spurtle. My kids in their 30s have most of these too, it depends what you used as kids I suppose and how much you cook from scratch
@@elizabethgrimes1225 a pie dolly really?:)
i own all of these, so far , except the spurtle......we use most of them at least weekly , and do a lot of home cooking , and we are waaaaay under 80.............i'm guessing you are still in your 20's ?
@@richard6440 nearly 40!
@@mphys5370 well , how does under under 40 cook then ? or do you lot live on takeaway pizzas ? :))
Toast racks are great for guests or large families at breakfast/brunch. You can make the toast and put it in rack, on the table so guests can help themselves:-) looks a little nicer than piling it on a plate!
Egg toppers are pointless. When you can use a knife
But will the knife make such a perfectly smooth cut though 🤔😆
@@WanderingRavens
It's a dying skill.
@@WanderingRavens File hitting an egg with a knife just right so it cracks the egg and comes away in one clean piece under "life skills"
OK Eric and Grace, we need a demonstration of how to eat a soft boiled egg without an egg cup.
To be honest, I don't think either of us have ever eaten a soft-boiled egg. Lots of hard-boiled eggs, but no soft-boiled (except for in Japanese ramen). The lack of soft-boiled eggs in the US is probably due to our lack of egg cups 😂
I think a toast racks are when you're having an English Breakfast with toast on the side. You can leave the toast on the rack (possibly to cool down) & have a slice when you want it. I think you tend to see them more in B&Bs and hotels these days. Egg cups aren't remotely posh. Dippy egg and soldiers is an everyday food (or was; bit old fashioned). It's a soft boiled egg with strips (the soldiers) of buttery toast that you dip in the egg
Why would you want the toast to cool down? Hot toast is much better than cold toast.
Never heard of egg and soldiers! Sounds like a fun breakfast! Is it for children? Or all ages?
@@WanderingRavens its meant for children but a lot of adult brits still have it now and again because its something we were given as children that we still like and remember from our childhood :) type in egg and soldiers and you'll find some quite yummy pics of it :) but yeah thats whay the egg cup is specifically for XD
@@WanderingRavens All ages, still enjoy a dippy egg and soldiers, Marmite ones.
@@MagentaOtterTravels Hate hot toast, the butter melts making the toast even more soggy. If ones dining room was twenty feet from the Kitchen or more, when at school, most food was luke warm at best when served. It was no warmer at home, as placed on the sideboard before Mother served, often brought in from the kitchen 10 minutes earlier so she could take off the apron and do her hair.
I was on holiday in Daytona, Florida and wanted eggs and soldiers. Now I knew they wouldn't have egg cups, so I went to a tourist shop found a shot glass with 'Florida' written on and used that instead! It didn't quite have the same fit as an egg cup but it worked!
Phew, glad I was in the second row😉
😂Shoot. We're coming for you in the next one then
Back in the day you sat down to breakfast, lunch, dinner. Kitchens generally had no seating areas and everything was trayed into another room. Toast racks keep slices separate so stay crispy 😋 Hence tea cosies too.
This will be interesting 🙌🏻😹
Enjoy!! :D
Most of these items are things we haven't used in decades or never use at all.
how ...do...you...live...?
Us Brits are masters of sarcasm, you'll have to get up a bit earlier in the morning to sneak your feeble jibes through unnoticed.
I think the only things on this list which are fairly ubiquitous in British kitchens are egg cups and washing up bowls (although we currently have one chipped egg cup and no bowl).
I’ve never heard of spirtles. Most of the others I’ve heard of, but the only one I have are egg cups and even then, they get used rarely. They’re useful though for dipping ‘soldiers’ into the yolk of a soft boiled egg.