so just in case my intentions haven't been clear: I'm going to blaze the crab post when the queen dies.

that's what I'm going to do

I'll put in the tags of the post that she has died, and then I will give tumblr my dollars and watch what happens. that's the plan

however, being american and not very well-connected to people in general, I may not find out for a bit when she dies. so it is your job, followers, to send me asks and @ me and such if and when that does happen. that's on you.

but when she does? oh, the crabs will rave on that day!

be prepared

“Mama, There Are No Armed Robbers Here” By ‘Tope Oriola

I attended the birthday party of the matriarch of a Nigerian friend’s family in Edmonton a few weeks ago. It was mama’s 82nd birthday. Her children and grandchildren decided to give her a truly memorable birthday party. The invitation card was tastefully done and regular reminders meticulously delivered. There was the ubiquitous “Adults only” warning on the card. That was a not-so-subtle warning to Nigerians in diaspora who liked to turn social gatherings to babysitting opportunities. In a part of the world where children were treated as expensive acquisitions, there were rarely extended family members to help take of children or neighbours to whom such colossal responsibility might be entrusted. Therefore, people would take young children to such gatherings or pay others to babysit. Mama was on vacation from Nigeria, where she lived. Mama’s children flew in from Europe and the US. They spoke eloquently about her hard work. She became sole breadwinner after her husband’s death. She was a teacher but her salary was insufficient. Mama grew several crops on her farm during the Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970). She processed some of the crops for sale to raise additional cash. You would expect the children’s education to suffer under such circumstances. It did not. Mama was a disciplinarian and insisted on high academic performance. Her children did not disappoint. They all went to school and became successful in various professions. Mama was that lion roaring in the jungle to protect its own. We all enjoyed mama’s timeless dance. Her moves made you want to board a time machine to have an idea how people lived and partied in those days. Mama gave a fine speech. It was a story of survival, courage and fearlessness in the face of danger. It was an emotional moment with grown women and men moved to tears. She ended her speech with the prayer “as you go back home, armed robbers will not attack you on the road”. The prayer caused lots of smiles, chuckles and respectful laughter in the largely hybridized Nigerian-Canadian audience. It was funny and entertaining to our Canadian sensibilities. Robberies happen in Canada but they are relatively few and armed robberies are rare. The master of ceremonies said what was on our lips “mama, there are no armed robbers here”. We finally had permission to laugh really hard. This example reflects how society shapes the kinds of prayers we offer. People may not realize it but how we organize ourselves or fail to has an overriding influence on the content of our prayers. Prayer requests are byproducts of human social organization (or lack of). Consider that the most materialistic person in biblical times could not have prayed for a Range Rover. There is no better place to feel the pulse of a developing society than church services. Pentecostal church services put on vivid display Nigeria’s internal logic. Prayers and testimonies, in particular, speak to broader socio-political, economic and cultural issues. I enjoy going to church in Nigeria. Churches are thermometers for measuring the country’s struggles, triumphs and the state of the human condition. Church services are now major security events in Nigeria. Police and private security are deployed to block streets leading to major churches. Abuja has become notorious for that as the fear of Boko Haram is the beginning of cleverness. Cars are parked with impunity right in the middle of the road. No warning signs are provided to drivers to warn them that a road has been blocked. God help you if you take Uber on a Sunday morning in Abuja. But don’t get angry; it is all worth the effort once you get to church, pass through security (screening is now routine) and find a comfortable seat. Testimony time is always a treat. On my first Sunday service last summer in Abuja, one woman testified that her house was infested with cockroaches. She said she did not understand where they came from and had to engage in prayers. Apparently, the cockroaches left. I wondered if madam had heard of fumigation. I wanted to say to her “madam: gather the family together to clean your house and allow no food leftovers on the floor”. Another person testified about her son’s university admission outside Nigeria. Sending children to study overseas is no longer just a quest for knowledge. It is now a status symbol among middle class Nigerians. The more children you have studying overseas, the greater the prestige. It does not matter that some of the children struggle academically having attended expensive but mediocre private schools. Another testifier spoke about her son’s National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) posting. She said “He is where I want him to be”. She seemed to suggest that she succeeded in influencing the posting but gave all glory to God for allowing it to work out. Shebi, God works through people. The young man’s agency appeared stifled in parental preference. We will never know if his choices aligned with his parents’. Nigeria’s precarious security situation received honorary mention. One church member said he was implicated wrongly in a kidnapping case. Six of the victims died in the hands of the kidnappers. He spent seven years and one month behind bars for a crime he knew nothing about and was released by a judge a week before his testimony. He said his mother and sister died in a road accident two years into his incarceration while on their way to visit him. At that point, some church members appeared frustrated by his testimony as if to suggest “brother, go for deliverance” (after all, we were in a church famous for deliverance). I considered the implications of the man’s experience for detention of suspects before trial, length of adjudication, evidence collection by the police and compensation for those unjustly detained. The man had no such analytical luxury: He was simply grateful to have his freedom. One woman narrated how several shops got burnt in a massive fire but hers was miraculously spared. It was an impressive miracle when you consider the condition of the fire service, which apparently showed up after the damage was done. We all covered the testimonies with the blood of Jesus and shouted seven hallelujahs. Tithe and offering time was a fine technological affair even in one of the most conservative churches. POS machines were moved around by ushers in uniform. The church had gone corporate given that this was a church where jewelry of any kind was banned and women were not allowed to wear trousers. There’s a way to dance in a conservative church. The talking drums (gangan) and other musical instruments may tempt you but don’t be too quick to dance. Simply allow the music to marinate in your body: Stand up, begin with your waist and slowly follow the rhythm. Don’t be vulgar otherwise brethren would assume you have backslidden. The Pastor mounted the pulpit and at the end of his message announced the matter of a missing 13-year old child of a member. There were prayers for the Holy Ghost to “arrest” the girl. Given the lack of comprehensive database for missing persons and ineffective policing, God must intervene in this matter as well. The kidnapping case was quickly forgotten as the new church building project was announced to cap a nice afternoon. The template was shown on large screens. There were prayers against witches and wizards and other evil forces but my favourite was a truly remarkable prayer point at the end of the service. It was “Fire of God fall upon me and deliver me from those who hate me either rightly or wrongly”. I resisted the temptation to unpack and analyze the prayer point. This social analysis thing will not put me into trouble. We all held our heads in our palms and prayed hard. Who does not want their enemies dealt with? I was making plans about my next visit when the pastor announced the date for dry fasting. Ha! Dry fasting ke? I knew when next not to show up. I went to a church at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel the following Sunday. Half a dozen sisters lined up to welcome people to church. Could that be a deliberate strategy? They were all of a certain age bracket, height and complexion. The guest worship leader was Steve Crown, who had his entourage and did his best to remain humble in an increasingly celebrity-worship culture. It was a different yet equally enjoyable kind of service with qualitatively different prayers. Just like there were no armed robbers in Canada, there were no witches and wizards pursuing the rich and those trying to hobnob with the rich in Abuja. Read the full article

Even though you may make every effort to become self sufficient, there are some things that cannot be made without a good bit of help from modern tools and equipment. Some of the best ammunition in the world will no longer be available once society collapses and the technology and skills are lost for making it.

Under these circumstances, you may feel that it is best to store away as much ammo as possible. At the very least, if you have a bigger stockpile left, there is a chance that you or your survivors can command greater resources once societies begin to form again.

In the meantime, storing ammo properly is also very important so that you will be prepared for smaller emergencies that require the use of the items in your stockpile.

Here are some basic guidelines for keeping your ammunition safe in a world where new technologies may make it a bit more complicated than expected.

Making Your Ammo Invisible

Ground penetrating radars, X-ray scanners, satellites, and other devices make it very hard to hide metallic objects even in your own home or in the ground beneath it. This, in turn, means that making ammo invisible will be harder than you may have expected. Here are some things you can try:

All of your ammo should be impossible to trace to you. When you buy ammo, always pay cash and only divulge your identity to people that you can trust. Never buy all your ammo in one place. If someone is watching your purchases at one location, they may not be able to gauge your stockpile as easily if you buy elsewhere.

Pack your ammo into smaller cans that can be harder to spot by scanners from above or at ground level. Smaller boxes can be hidden among metal pipes or other “scrap” as long as the metals in question are similar to those found in the bullets. If there is a reason why you would store away bullets with aluminum or steel casings over brass ones, this would be it!

If you purchase a square or rectangular shaped ammo can, it may be very easy to spot on some scanners. You may want to make unevenly shaped boxes from polymer or other materials that will keep the ammo dry, cool, and safe. When using polymer, do not forget to cover the outer surface of the container with rocks, bits of metal, or anything else that will help scramble the signature of the ammunition hidden within the can.

You may also be able to find paints and other materials that will absorb scanner signals or reflect them in a way that masks the presence of the ammo can. You will need to have a good idea of the technologies used to scan for ammo or metal, and then figure out which coatings will best suit your needs. While you may be tempted to try and jam scanners, the consistent failure of these devices in certain areas may draw unwanted attention. It is truly better to make the signature of your cache as small as possible so that it is overlooked or mistaken for something else.  Just remember that it can be harder to fool modern computers that do not get tired, bored, or lose focus as a human viewer would.

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Making Your Ammo Stockpile Mobile

One of the most important, but overlooked aspects of ammo stockpiling is making sure that you can move everything around with ease.  Here are some things you can do to make the task easier:

If you have ammo stored away from home or underground, make sure that you have pulleys, carts, and other devices to move the ammo around with ease.

Always make sure that you can clear pathways easily, yet cover them back up so that the presence of your ammo remains undetected.

Have a locus of four or five locations nearby that you can rotate each can in and out of. If you have two cans of ammo in your home, then you should have at least 10 hiding places that the cans can be moved in and out of.

Take the time now to practice moving ammo around so that you know what to expect. In an emergency, there is nothing worse than being pressed for time and unsure how long it will take to accomplish a task. Even if something does go wrong or the unexpected happens, these time frames will help you make better decisions about what to take along and what to leave behind.

Never forget that lighter weight is easier to carry around. Lighter weight cans are also less likely to break apart or puncture when jolted in transit.

When you practice moving ammo from one place to another, always include awareness of fires, excess heat, and water. Never put ammo near heat or flames even if you want to test your skills. It is safest to make sure that you are aware as you go through your drills. If you truly feel compelled to drill with live fire, then use ammo cans filled with sand; this will keep you safe and help you gain a sense of what must be done. Don’t forget to include a thermometer on top of the can and one that will record temperatures inside the can. If nothing else convinces you to avoid drilling with ammo in the presence of fire or excess heat, this may well do the job.

Video first seen on Patriotsurvival. 

Avoid Indirect Damage from EMPs and Nuclear Blasts

It is true that nuclear blasts and EMPs cannot directly cause primers to explode or gunpowder to ignite. EMPs are well known for causing fires.

If you have ammo cans stored near wires, cables, or anything else that might burn up from the EMP, then the heat from that fire may be enough to cause the ammo to explode. The thermal wave from a nuclear blast and the fires caused by it can also affect ammo in a harmful way.

There is only one real way to prevent EMPs and nuclear blasts from ruining your ammo supply. As with protecting yourself, all of your ammo will have to be stored in an underground bunker or shelter. Never hesitate to build additional tunnels or layers of tunnels so that you can move the ammo around underground.

If you cannot store ammo underground, then you can still take some steps to reduce the risk of ammo related explosions caused by an EMP. If you decide to stash ammo in the walls of your home make sure that the cans are far enough away from electrical wiring, metal pipes, or anything else that might conduct electricity. You should also avoid storing ammo in any location where only a bit of plaster or wood stands between an electrical appliance and the ammo hiding in the wall.

When storing ammo in a bug out bag, make sure that all electronic devices and conductive materials are stored away in EMP proof bags. As long as no fires start in the bug out bag, and everything stays cool and dry, then the ammo should also remain safe.

Safeguarding Your Stockpile

There are many different ways to safeguard your ammo stockpile. If you are prepping with a group, then you can always look for way to use conventional guard duty systems. That being said, no matter how much you trust the people around you, it never hurts to have a few hidden caches of ammo that only you know about.

If you have ammo stored in remote locations, the geography of the region itself should be able to deter electronic scanners and curious people. While you may not be able to actively patrol these areas, you should still be able to draw adversaries into fire zones or use traps to neutralize them.

When setting traps in areas you don’t plan on visiting very often, just make sure you remember what you did. There are few things worse in life than going to a cave where you hid some ammo, only to wind up hung up by a snare you set in front of the entrance, and then forgot about.

Depending on the location of your stockpile, some defense methods may be more feasible than others. For example, if you rent an apartment, or have very little room to hide ammo, then decoys, distractions, and diversions may offer some viable options.

Consider a situation where you have only one room suitable for storing ammo, you can still put one can in plain view. Even if it is empty, the invader may well move over to that can first. From there, you can choose any number of actions.

First, you can detonate traps that will prevent the invader from taking further action. If there is more than one person, you may want to use this diversion to grab your bug out bag and run. Should you be fortunate enough to have several minutes to make your escape, then you can always try to move one or two ammo cans to your bug out vehicle.

Without a question, if you have been drilling on moving ammo from one place to another, you will know pretty much how long it takes and then make your decision from there. If you feel that you cannot get the ammo out in time, it is truly better to escape with your life rather than lose it for the sake of a few rounds of ammo.

At its simplest, you can keep your ammo storage plans to choosing airtight and waterproof cans that will be stored away in a cool, dry location.

As a prepper, however, it is also important to be able to move, manage, and care for your stockpile even in extreme circumstances. Being able to effectively hide ammo, move it around, and use simple tools will all make it easier to have plenty of ammo on hand for years to come.

Keeping up with electronic technologies and polymers will also go a long way towards helping you keep your stockpile safe, sound, and in good condition.

No matter whether you are storing rounds or gunpowder, following some basic rules and maintaining a good level of stockpile awareness will truly be of immense benefit.

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This article has been written by Carmela Tyrell for Survivopedia. 

from Survivopedia Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies? #SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag

The Food Lab’s Step-by-Step Guide to Smoking a Turkey

Juicy turkey with sweet smoke flavor and a spice rub. [Photographs: J. Kenji López-Alt]

Thanksgiving is far and away my favorite holiday, but this year marks a new twist in the family fun: It’s the first Thanksgiving that my wife, Adri, and I are hosting, and the first Thanksgiving that my family is celebrating away from the East Coast. That’s right: The Alts are coming to California, and we’d better make it extra special for them.

I’ve been trying to figure out exactly what we’re going to do with the turkey this year. With much better access to outdoor space than in my mom’s New York apartment and its 40-square-foot kitchen, I figured something that took advantage of the yard would be in order. Rather than make my traditional spatchcocked roast turkey, this year we’re going to deep-fry at least one and slow-smoke another. Turkey and smoke are a natural pairing, as anyone who’s looked at a deli case can tell you, but there’s a difference between cold-cut smoked turkey, with its ham-like cured texture and questionable smoke flavor, and real barbecued turkey. I’m talking the kind of smoked turkey you want served in thick, glistening slabs that are shiny with juice and fork-tender, with deep smoke flavor.

I already had a basic idea in my head of how I was going to smoke the turkey (low and slow, indirect heat, a dry brine and spice rub to start), but I decided to take a look at our own published technique for pointers. Then I had a frightening realization: In all the years we’ve been writing about Thanksgiving turkey, despite all the recipes for grill-roasted turkeys cooked over relatively high heat, not once have we offered complete instructions for true low-and-slow, barbecue-style smoked turkey.

So I did the only sensible thing: I brought home four turkeys and started testing, modifying our existing grilled spatchcocked turkey technique to work with lower heat, more smoke, and a spice rub to bring out more of those barbecue flavors.

Oftentimes a Food Lab recipe will take dozens of tests and weeks of experiments to really nail, but this one turned out to be pretty straightforward, requiring only two solid days of smoking.* There are actually just five keys to perfect smoked turkey:

Butterflying or spatchcocking the bird to help it cook more evenly and develop crisper skin.

Dry-brining the bird by rubbing it with salt (or a spice rub that includes salt) and letting it sit in the fridge for a few nights in order to allow the salt to work its way into the meat and loosen up its muscle structure, thus keeping it juicy as it cooks.

Adding baking powder to the dry rub, which causes it to form tiny micro-bubbles on the surface of the turkey as it roasts, adding surface area and enhancing the crispness of the skin. It also slightly raises the pH of the surface, enhancing Maillard browning.

Slow-cooking over indirect heat, with the legs pointed toward the heat source (legs can handle higher heat than delicate breast meat can), in order to very gently and evenly cook the breast meat and give ample time for the turkey to build up smoky flavor.

Carefully monitoring the turkey’s internal temperature to ensure that the breast meat never gets above 150°F. Any higher than that, and it becomes chalky and dry. (Despite government warnings to cook turkey to 165°F, turkey is perfectly safe to eat at 150°F so long as it is properly checked with a thermometer and allowed to rest for at least four minutes before serving.)

Easy, right?

* My wife made me take my clothes off outside so that our bedroom wouldn’t smell like hickory. We’ll see if she gets any food on Thanksgiving.

Check out the FAQs and step-by-step instructions below, or jump straight to the recipe.

Should I brine my bird?

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Dry-brined meat is extra juicy.

You could brine your bird, and it certainly will make your bird juicier, but it won’t do anything in the flavor department. In fact, it’ll dilute the flavor of your turkey. Instead of a traditional wet brine, I recommend dry-brining. It’s easier, nearly as effective at helping maintain juiciness, and far better for flavor. To do it, just rub your turkey with salt and let it sit in the fridge overnight (or up to three days). That’s it. In the case of a smoked turkey, I like to rub it with a spice rub that contains salt, which will work just as effectively while also adding spice flavor. Here’s some more information on the mechanics and science of brining.

What about injecting?

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Unlike brining or dry-brining, in which only salt and water will really work their way into the meat, injecting can actually introduce other aromatic compounds, which makes it a useful way to get your turkey juicy without risk of diluting its flavor. If you want to inject, I suggest using a combination of chicken or turkey stock and melted butter, injected into various points throughout the breast.

Can I smoke my turkey whole, or do I have to butterfly it?

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This is a whole turkey. See how exposed that breast meat is, and how relatively protected the legs are? When you’re roasting a turkey in the oven, that’s a major problem. But what about on the grill?

Butterflying (or spatchcocking, if you want to use the cheekier term), is the best way I know of to roast a turkey more quickly and evenly to guarantee juicy breast meat, fully cooked legs, and crisp skin. On the grill, its benefits are not quite as obvious.

In a roasting pan in the oven, the legs of the turkey are protected, and you inevitably end up overcooking the breast meat by the time the legs are done. But on a grill, the legs cook quite quickly, as they have more exposure to the heat. The main advantages that butterflying will get you on the grill are faster cooking (it cuts cooking time down by about 30%) and crisper skin (the skin underneath the turkey will end up a little soggy if you don’t butterfly). Those factors alone make butterflying worth it in my book.

I tried to spatchcock my turkey last year, but it was so darn difficult to cut through that bone! Any suggestions?

[TOP]

Toughen up, young grasshopper. No, seriously. I know it can be hard to get through those thigh bones sometimes. I have a few suggestions: First, ask your butcher to do it for you. They have better equipment than you do and are used to handling raw meat. Barring that, your next best bet is to call in an airstrike: Grab the cleaver and give it a few swift, firm, and precise hacks to get through those bones. (Make sure to aim away from your thumb.)

Do I need to remove the wishbone?

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No, not really. It’s all just a question of convenience. Removing it before cooking the turkey will make carving it easier down the line, especially when you’re trying to carve a hot, juicy turkey. Then again, some people are squeamish about raw poultry and would probably rather not stick their fingers into the cavity that the turkey used to breathe and eat and gobble out of. The choice is really yours, though I typically remove mine.

I’m tempted to try butterflying my bird, but I’m worried about how untraditional it looks. What should I do?

[TOP]

I get it. A whole spatchcocked turkey looks like it belongs on a pornography set rather than on your Thanksgiving table. But the trade-off in terms of juiciness, even cooking, and crisp skin is worth the odd appearance. Besides, if you want to be civilized about it, you’ll be carving that turkey in the kitchen and serving it on a warmed platter anyway, right? Right?

Should I use natural hardwood instead of briquettes?

[TOP]

No! Natural hardwood burns quite unpredictably. More often than not, the coal is less dense than briquettes, and, with easier access to oxygen, it burns much faster and hotter. It won’t give you the slow, steady, reliable burn that you need for controlled low-temperature barbecue.

What kind of wood is best?

[TOP]

I recommend using hickory. It has a milder flavor than, say, mesquite or applewood, which I find can overpower the flavor of the turkey. It’s best to buy whole chunks of wood, which burn more slowly, adding sweet smoke flavor to your food as it slow-cooks. Wood chips will burn quickly, making a more acrid smoke.

What temperature should I aim for on my grill?

When cooking anything, the higher the temperature you cook at, the larger the temperature gradient inside the meat. That is, turkey cooked at 450°F will have a larger band of overcooked meat around its edges than turkey cooked at 250°F. With a spatchcocked bird, you can safely grill-roast or smoke at up to 375°F without burning the turkey, but at that temperature, the turkey cooks through in just over an hour, which doesn’t give it much time to absorb smoke flavor. It also develops a large temperature gradient within. I prefer to use the low and slow approach, aiming for a range of 225 to 275°F on my grill, give or take.

Unlike true barbecue which requires careful monitoring and maintaining of both internal and external temperature to guarantee tender and moist meat, a turkey does not have much connective tissue to break down, thus the only real variable you have to worry about is internal temperature. 50°F up or down on the grill will not negatively affect the quality of the finished bird much one way or the other (though it can affect cooking time. Plan on building a cushion into the afternoon before serving!).

Will my skin get crisp?

Many recipes for low-and-slow smoked turkey end up with dry, leathery skin. Why does this happen? You see, skin is mostly comprised of fat, water, and connective tissue. In order to get crisp, not only does the fat have to render and the water evaporate, but the connective tissue also has to break down; Collagen has to convert into gelatin. This process requires water which means that if your turkey skin dries out too fast, it will never crisp up. The high-convection environment of a smoker is enough to draw out the moisture faster than the skin can crisp. The result is tough, leathery skin.

We do a couple things to combat that effect. First off, the dry brine you apply will actually help the turkey skin retain moisture longer as it smokes. The baking powder also helps trigger browning reactions faster, giving the skin a jumpstart on browning. Finally, a quick rub with oil before applying the spice mixture will help slow down the escape of moisture from the skin. The results is deeply smoky skin that’s extra-crisp to boot.

Do I really need a thermometer? What if my turkey has a pop-up thermometer?

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The only time you should ever use a pop-up thermometer (or “overcooked-turkey indicator,” as I like to call it) is if you are really intent on winning a war against your own taste buds. Get yourself a good instant-read thermometer like the Thermapen, or its less pricey cousin the Thermopop, and you’ll never have to experience overcooked or dry turkey again.

How to Smoke a Turkey Step-by-Step

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Step 1: Remove the Wishbone

I always recommend using turkeys that are between 10 and 12 pounds, as they have the best flavor and texture. Rather than use a larger turkey for more guests, it’s better to cook multiple smaller birds (using different methods!). Removing the wishbone is not strictly necessary, but it makes carving easier down the line. To remove the wishbone, start by lifting the skin around the turkey’s neck opening to reveal the Y-shaped bone underneath. Use the tip of a sharp paring knife to cut into the flesh above both halves of the Y.

Cut along the bottom of each side of the Y with your knife.

Slide your finger behind the bone and start pulling it forward. The top should release pretty easily, though a little help with the tip of the paring knife might be necessary.

Pull the wishbone out. If it cracks or leaves behind bits of bone, you can grab them with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel and pull them out.

Step 2: Remove the Backbone

Butterflying, or spatchcocking, the turkey will help it to cook more evenly, cook faster, and deliver crisper skin. The easiest way to butterfly a turkey is to ask your butcher to do it for you. But to do it yourself, start by cutting along either side of the backbone with a set of heavy-duty poultry shears.

If there are any problem spots (the thigh joints in particular can sometimes be quite tough to get through with scissors), use a heavy cleaver or chef’s knife to cut through them. Save the backbone for stock or gravy.

Step 3: Spread ‘Em

Flip the turkey over and splay its legs outward as suggestively as you please.

Step 4: Crack the Breast

Press down firmly on the breastbone until you hear and feel it crack, so that the breasts will sit flat.

Step 5: Make the Spice Rub

You can use your favorite barbecue spice rub mixture for the turkey, or use mine: 2 tablespoons kosher salt, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon ground yellow mustard seed, 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seed, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin seed, 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder, 1 teaspoon granulated onion powder, 1 teaspoon ground sage, 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, and—here’s the secret ingredient—a tablespoon of baking powder.

Step 6: Rub the Bird

Rub the turkey with a tablespoon of oil on all surfaces, then rub it with the salt and spice mixture. At this point, place the turkey on a tray, cover it loosely with plastic wrap, and let it rest at least overnight and up to 3 days in the refrigerator. This will allow time for the salt in the rub to slowly work its way into the meat, which will not only season it more deeply but also help the turkey retain more juices as it roasts. Read up on how dry-brining works for more details.

Step 7: Arrange the Coals

When you’re ready to cook (that’s about 3 1/2 hours before everyone is ready to eat), ignite half a chimney’s worth of charcoal and dump it out into a kettle grill.

Pile the coals along one side of the grill. The goal is to create a cooler zone on the other side so that the turkey slowly cooks via indirect heat.

Step 8: Add the Turkey and Wood

Place the cooking grate over the coals, cover the grill, let it preheat for about 10 minutes, then scrub it clean with a grill brush. Place the turkey on top of the cooler side of the grill with the legs facing the coals. As leg meat can safely withstand a higher cooking temperature, the goal here is to keep the breast cooking as gently as possible so that it retains juiciness while gaining smoke flavor.

Step 9: Insert the Probe

If you have a leave-in probe thermometer, insert it into the deepest part of the turkey breast and set the alarm for 145°F. Bear in mind: A leave-in probe is useful only as an early-warning system to let you know when the turkey is close to finished. You’ll want to check it manually as it approaches doneness for complete control over its texture.

Step 10: Close the Grill and Adjust the Vents

Close the grill with the lid vent directly over the turkey. Adjust the vents in the top and the bottom so that they are half open. This will limit oxygen flow so that the coals burn gently, while also trapping in smoke to give the bird better flavor.

Step 11: Monitor Temperatures!

Keep a lazy eye on the thermometer so that you don’t miss the alarm when it goes off. We’re aiming for a final temperature of 150°F here—that’s 15°F lower than the USDA’s recommended temperature of 165°F, but the turkey you get will be much juicier, and so long as it’s rested for at least 4 minutes, it will be just as safe as a turkey cooked to 165°F—but I like to set my alarm at 145°F, because the last few minutes of cooking require closer monitoring.

The inside of the grill should hover between 225°F and 275°F for optimally gentle cooking. You can control the temperature by opening and closing the vents (the more closed they are, the less oxygen the coals will get, and the cooler they’ll smolder). Add more wood chunks to the coals every half hour, and, if necessary, add more coals if the original coals start to burn out too far. If you have a secondary air temp thermometer, it will give you a more accurate picture of what’s going on inside the grill than the built-in thermometer on the grill will.

Step 12: Almost Done

A 10- to 12-pound turkey will take around 3 hours, give or take half an hour in either direction. Once the turkey hits 145°F, continue cooking it, moving the thermometer around and taking its temperature in various locations as it approaches its final temperature of 150°F in the breasts.

For optimally juicy breast meat, you’re looking for a maximum temperature of 150°F. Don’t let it get any hotter. For the legs, you’re looking for a minimum temperature of 165°F, and you can safely go higher without drying out the meat because of its ample connective tissue and fat. Because the turkey was butterflied and the legs were placed closer to the coals, the breasts and legs should achieve their final temperatures at the same time.

Step 13: Let It Rest

Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let it rest for 15 minutes. This will allow the internal juices to settle and thicken slightly so that they don’t run around the board as you carve.

Step 14: Remove the Legs

To carve, start by removing the legs. Pull gently at the leg with one hand, and you should be able to easily slip a knife into the joint between the leg and the breast.

Step 15: Split the Legs

Find the joint between the drumstick and the thigh by moving the drumstick back and forth, then slice down in between the ball and socket to split the drumstick from the thigh.

Step 16: Remove the Hip Bone

Start removing the thigh bones by locating the large, flattish hip bone stuck to the inside of the thigh. It should come loose with a little prying and a few well-aimed nips with the tip of your knife.

Step 17: Cut Along the Thigh Bone

Use a sharp knife to cut along the side of the thigh bone with the larger pieces of meat on it to completely remove the meat.

Step 18: Remove the Rest of the Thigh Meat

Holding the bone upright, scrape the remaining meat off the thigh bone.

Step 19: Slice the Thigh Meat

Slice the thigh meat into 1/2-inch slices, with the skin side up.

Step 20: Remove the Wings

Remove the wings from the breasts by positioning the breast upright and holding it by one of the wings. Jiggle the wing back and forth a little to locate the joint, then cut through it with a sharp knife. Repeat with the other wing. You can remove the drumette from the flat/wing tip in the same manner that you separated the drumstick from the thigh.

Step 21: Remove the Breasts

Start removing the breast halves from the breastbone by running your knife down one side of the sternum.

Continue cutting, tracing the contour of the bones with the tip of your knife while applying a little outward pressure with your free hand. The meat should very easily pull away from the bone. Repeat with the other side to remove both breast halves. Reserve all the bones to make a stock.

Step 22: Slice the Breast

Slice the breast meat into 1/2-inch serving slices.

Step 23: Plate It Up!

The secrets to perfectly smoked turkey are: butterflying, dry-brining, adding baking powder to the dry rub, slow-cooking over indirect heat, and careful monitoring of the turkey’s internal temperature. Here’s how to do it, step by step.

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Review: Olympus Tough TG-6

Smartphones have replaced the need for point-and-shoot cameras for most people. There is, however, one kind of point-and-shoot that’s still going strong: the rugged, waterproof, shock-proof, take-it-anywhere camera.

Want a selfie next to a waterfall? How about a selfie in a waterfall? Even if you just want some shots of the kids playing the pool this summer, your smartphone camera, as versatile as it is, may not live to tell the tale.

These situations are exactly where the new Olympus Tough TG-6 camera thrives.

Familiar Favorites

Olympus is no stranger to rugged cameras and we’ve been using and abusing various models from the TG line for years now. The latest is the TG-6, which makes some welcome incremental updates to the successful TG-5.

The TG-6 looks nearly identical to TG-5 (available in either red or black). It fits well in both pocket and hand, though the buttons are on the small side. More important for this type of camera, the TG-6 offers the same indestructible body as its predecessors. There are limits, but the TG-6 is generally freeze proof, crush proof, dust proof, and shockproof (you can drop it from 7 feet).

To achieve this leveled of sealed-off serenity Olympus uses an all metal body and dual locks on each of the camera’s two hatches. The double latches make changing the battery or connecting a cable a little fiddly, but inspire more confidence that the hatch won’t pop open when you accidentally bang the TG-6 on the hull of that shipwreck you’re diving into.

Olympus

The same body design also means the TG-6 will work with all the existing TG-5 housings and accessories (on the flip side, this means the TG-5 should work with the new accessories as well, more on those in a moment).

The TG-6 uses the same fast f/2.0 lens with 4X optical zoom (25 mm to 100 mm) as the TG-5. It also sports the same 12-megapixel sensor, which produces very high quality images for a point-and-shoot cam. The TG-6 adds an anti-reflective coating on the glass surrounding the sensor, which helps reduce lens flare and ghosting.

The biggest and most welcome change in the TG-6 is the vastly improved resolution of the rear LCD panel. The screen jumps from the 460K dots on the TG-5 to over a million on the TG-6. The extra sharpness makes it much easier to see any images you’re reviewing while underwater. On the downside, Olympus has not improved the protective glass that covers the LCD. It still scratches quite easily, a problem that has plagued this otherwise tough camera for several revisions now.

If you’re using the TG-6 underwater there are some new white balance modes that will help capture better colors. The new modes help for snapshots, but if you’re serious about underwater photography you’ll want to get the full waterproof enclosure (it ups the TG-6’s depth rating from 15 meters to 45 meters) and the external flash.

The Olympus TG line has always boasted impressive macro capabilities for a compact camera. The TG-6 builds on that foundation by bringing macro controls to the program and aperture priority modes. This is one thing that may tempt TG-5 owners to upgrade.

Scott Gilbertson

Scott Gilbertson

The TG-6 employs the same focus stacking you’ll find in other Olympus models, which is handy for macro photography. Focus stacking is when a camera takes multiple exposures at slightly different focus points and then combines them to increase the depth of field, which tends to be lacking in macro shots. If you’ve ever seen a close up of an insect and the entire body was in focus, there’s a good chance focus stacking made that possible.

The TG-6 has some features you won’t find elsewhere, like a built-in compass, thermometer, manometer (pressure), and accelerometer. The camera tracks location and associates all the data from the other sensors with your images via an app. That way, not only can you know where that reef shot is from, but what the water temperature was like, how deep you were, and more.

Quality and Confusion

The quality of images coming out of the TG-6 are quite good for the small sensor inside it—the TG-6’s sensor is about the same as what you’ll find in top smartphones. Colors are nicely balanced and images are sharp. To my eye, Olympus uses too much noise reduction in its JPGs by default, but you can tone that down in the settings, or just shoot RAW and reduce noise in a photo editor.

The TG-6 can shoot 4K/30p video, and 1080p video at up to 60 frames per second, though video capture is always going to be limited because there are no mic or headphone sockets.

The trickiest thing about the Olympus is figuring out how to use it. The menu system is fine, but it’s not immediately obvious how you access some menus. The only way I found to change the shooting format to RAW was by simultaneously pushing Menu and OK, which brings up a menu to choose the format and capture mode. I didn’t figure that out on my own, either. First, I spent nearly an hour reading the manual and fiddling with the menus and modes. When that didn’t turn up any results, I turned to the internet and finally found the answer in forum post from equally frustrated users.

That’s not to say that the TG-6 is difficult to use; It’s not. Olympus just doesn’t do a good job of documenting the camera’s capabilities or how to unleash them. If you want to get the most out of the TG-6, it pays to do a little research on your own.

Accessorize

There are some useful accessories. The underwater case, which extends the depth to 45 meters, is new. There’s also a new fisheye converter lens for circular fisheye images. There’s even a new silicon jacket if you don’t want the full case.

The TG line has long had extra lens options like a fisheye lens, which fits over the front of the lens and extends the field of view to 105 degrees. It’s not as wide as a GoPro, but useful underwater where the natural magnification of shooting through water effectively narrows your field of view. If you want to go the other way, there’s also a telephoto lens attachment that extends the zoom to 170mm (35mm equivalent).

All the accessories make the TG-6 considerably more than just a rugged point-and-shoot. Costs can add up if you want a full kit, but it’s still much cheaper than leaping into the DSLR world. If you want beautiful underwater images without the sticker shock of a DSLR, the TG-6 will not disappoint.

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Inside macOS Mojave: Apple's Home app brings HomeKit to the Mac with limitations

It's a surprising boon to have the Home app on your Mac where you can control your lights and other smart devices right from the keyboard. Yet, the app is oddly incomplete compared to the iOS version. You've already got Apple's Home app on your iPhone and iPad. It's on Apple TV too. So on the one hand it seems natural that it should come to the Mac -- but also a bit pointless. This is the app that lets you control smart devices such as motion detectors and if you're sitting at your Mac, you're not exactly moving much. Yet even though that's true and even though you could pick up your phone to turn on your lights, Home on macOS Mojave is good thing. It's a central place to control all of your smart devices -- and it's the central place where you happen to spend an awful lot of time working anyway. If you've never bothered with the iOS Home app or you've not got around to getting any smart devices, this will get you into it. What you need first The Home app controls any device around you -- in your home, in your office, possibly on your yacht -- that are using Apple's HomeKit. So you need some smart devices and they need to be HomeKit compatible. Far from all such devices work with HomeKit and actually all of them have their own systems or even apps. Rather than using a Nest app for your thermometer or a Hue app for your lights, though, Home lets you combine everything it can into one place. None of these smart device apps are wonderful, not even Apple's Home one, but having a single place to go for them all is good. Which makes it a little odd that Home for Mac is missing a key feature. Specifically, you can't add a new accessory like a light bulb to your home Wi-Fi network using Home on the Mac. You have to do it via the accessory's own app -- or via Home on iOS. Home for the Mac is a direct port of the iOS app yet it is missing some key elements. That said, while you need to know about these elements or you'll be scratching your head a lot, you can expect these differences to slowly disappear. Already over the Mojave beta period we've seen significant improvements, for instance. Subscribe to AppleInsider on YouTube The chief improvement since that video is how Apple has added back in an iOS Home feature to easily the best aspect of having smart devices at all: the ability for it to know when you're home. Maybe that's just because this is a new toy but still we've not only played with it, we've been tempted into buying some new Phillips Hue bulbs. So Home is a free app but it's made us spend money. We're happy about it, though, because of how we've now used Home on Mojave to automate our office once it was all set up. Setup The first time you launch Home on your Mac, it will ask permission to connect to iCloud and when you've given that, it will check what HomeKit devices you have. It quickly builds up a list and shows you what it calls your Favorite Accessories in one display. When you first do this, Favorites is effectively a synonym for Everything. You have to remove items from the favorites list rather than add them. Unless you have an awful lot of bulbs, say, around your house, we wouldn't bother. Click on one of those rounded rectangle icons at the bottom of the screen and you will switch a device on or off. If the icon is grey, the device is off and if it's white, it's on. A simple, single click toggles between on and off. However, you can do more. Right-click to bring up a menu and you'll see Show Controls and Settings. Settings is where you can rename a device: if we moved our WG Office bulb to the kitchen, we'd best rename it or things will get confusing as we click away annoying people in the other room. Similarly, this is where you can say no, a particular device is not a favorite. Once you click that, the device vanishes from your list. To get it back, you have to click on the Home drop down menu to the top left of the screen and look for it there. Settings and controls You're not going to go into Settings very often but you might spend more time in Show Controls. For that's where you can say no, you don't want the living room light on full, you want it dimmed. Depending on the device attached, you can drag to reduce or increase the light level, increase or decrease the temperature and so on. If you're using bulbs then depending on the sort you have, you can get further options. With our White and Color ones , choosing Show Controls takes us to the brightness but there's a button marked Color too. Click on that and you now get to adjust just what color or temperature your bulb is. Sometimes there are simply no controls, by the way. Apple TV turns up in Favorite Accessories and so do items like dimmer switches or motion control sensors and when you choose Show Controls on those, you just get their name. Whatever the available controls, if there are any and when you're done setting them to what you want, you need to get back to the main page. With the iOS app you just tap somewhere on the screen that's away from the controls and you're right back at the main view. With Home on the Mac, you have to find and click a Back button which is oddly hard to spot. It's in the window bar, next to the traffic light icons. There you go So right from your Mac in your home office or the MacBook on your table in the kitchen, you can switch on or off any light. You can realize you've left the garage light on and switch it off without going back out to your car. If, instead, you're just not sure whether you left it on or not, Home will tell you. Tell us that all of this is lazy and we couldn't possibly argue. We'd just wait until you've tried it to and joined us on the lazy-yet-great side. Only, there is a step further that Home on the Mac makes particularly easy and which will make you a convert to all things smart device. It's automation. Automate your devices We haven't switched on the kitchen, landing or bathroom lights in our house in about two years. Correction: we switched them on two years ago and left them on - just then controlled them via the Home app. Your devices have to be plugged in and switched on in order to be connected to your Wi-Fi network and so be controllable remotely. When you see Home saying "No response", it usually means someone has unthinkingly switched off the light switch in that room. That stops Home being able to control the device -- and notice that we say Home. It doesn't have you be you who does the controlling, it can be the Home app working to your instructions. The reason we've not touched those switches in years is that we've got motion sensors and they turn on as we step into the room. You can immediately see that this means never again having to walk in carrying something heavy and stumble for the light. What you don't appreciate until you have this is that forever after it just seems right that the room lights up around you. Again, you need a motion sensor and a bulb but if you have these, they appear in Home on the Mac. So does a section called Automation. Click on that in the window title bar and you get a list of everything your accessories have been set up to do. The first time you look at this, it's probably an empty list. However, you can click on the + icon at top right and choose Add Automation. This gives you a series of options for when you want something to happen. Say you want to end up with your living room light coming on when you pull up to the driveway. The result is the lights coming on but first you have to think of what causes it, what triggers it. Home gives you options for when a sensor detects something -- say motion or perhaps smoke -- plus ones to do with the time of day or people arriving and leaving. It's a basic list but it's powerful. That time of day one, for instance, is more than just you specifying you want the thermostat to turn on at something specific like 19:21 every night. It lets you say you want something to happen only on Tuesdays -- and then at sunset. Whatever time sunset is on Tuesday where you live, Home will know it and do something about it. The second step is to think about what devices you need to do this thing you want. With the car pulling up example, that would be a motion detector. With the thermostat, it's the thermostat. Whichever it is, you first pick the device from Home's list. In the Automation section, you get the list of devices displayed in the same way you do on the main page: large, rounded rectangles. It would be better to just have an actual list because you can only see a couple at a time but we don't have that option. So scroll down until you reach the device and click on it. Choose Next from the top right and now you can say what you want to happen. This is again like the main page but in function as well as form: here you can double- or right-click to bring up controls. Click Done when you're finished and this automation will be added to your list. One nice touch The improvement since the beta is that alongside this business of triggering actions at a certain time or when motion is detected, Apple has added back in iOS's extra feature about you. You can set up as many automations as you like but have them only ever work when you're at home. Really it's when your iPhone is on the same Wi-Fi network as your Mac and your devices, but this means you can go on holiday and know the lights won't keep switching on at sunset every Tuesday. Every single bit of this has been possible with Home and HomeKit devices via iOS and your Apple TV for some time. All that's happened now is that a great majority of the features have come to the Mac -- but it's enough. We'd like to be able to add a new accessory directly from Home but that's chiefly because we're used to it now. Home on iOS is less fiddly than some accessory's own setup apps. That said, you don't often add a new accessory. Or at least, you don't intend to. Once you've used Home on your Mac, once you have lights and thermostats and motion detectors, you will keep buying more. Keep up with AppleInsider by downloading the AppleInsider app for iOS, and follow us on YouTube, Twitter @appleinsider and Facebook for live, late-breaking coverage. You can also check out our official Instagram account for exclusive photos. https://goo.gl/RSnkZP

Protect Your Glass Windows in Extreme Temperatures

Living in Canada, we have more or less adjusted to the extreme temperatures we regularly see here. With temperatures dropping to as low as a record setting -49.8°C in January 2018 in some parts of Canada, Canadians have had to brave some frigid winters throughout their lives. On the other hand, in 2017, temperatures in some parts of Canada reached a thermometer reading of 41°C in the summer months.

Even in our hometown of Alberta, early 2018 saw a number of record breaking winter temperatures with mercury levels dipping to -39.4°C in Brooks, causing a number of cities and towns to administer an extreme cold warning in multiple regions.

Extreme temperatures can not only pose serious threats to the human body—as it is not designed to survive in freezing cold temperatures—but also wreaks havoc on inanimate objects.

When faced with extreme cold, the human body starts to shiver to generate heat within the body in order to warm it from the inside. The focus of the body is on the internal organs, and so it centers all the heat within the body to the inner regions, leaving the extremities like fingers and toes cold. This is why these extremities are most susceptible to frostbite—caused by lack of blood supply due to which tissues can freeze and rupture.

Temperatures as low as these can not only have a hazardous affect on the human body but can also create problems with things we consider basic needs. For example, almost all materials contract upon freezing—with the exception of water and a few other substances—and this can cause power lines to burst, cutting off water and electricity.

Lubricants like oil and diesel have relatively low freezing points, -40°C for oil and -10°C for diesel. This means that in places with temperatures dropping to below -30°C, gas and oil becomes hard to come by too.

On the other hand, in extremely hot temperatures the human body experiences symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, heat exhaustion and in extreme cases, heat strokes which can be fatal. It can cause some materials to expand and explode, resulting in broken pipelines and electricity outages. In extremely high temperatures, such as those recorded in British Columbia, plastics can end up melting due to the heat!

Believe it or not, extreme temperatures can have a massive affect on the windows of your house as well as your automobile glass. If you live in an area that experiences extreme temperature shifts from one day to the other, the glass used in your houses and cars could be weakening over time without your notice.

But what is it that actually happens to the glass in high and low temperatures? Read on to find out!

How do Extreme Temperatures Affect Glass?

Extreme Cold Weather:

Condensation:

Condensation may not seem like a very serious problem at first but it can cause mildew and mold to form on glass surfaces.

Condensation occurs when the cold air outside the house hits the window that has been warmed due to the warmer temperatures inside the building and causes the water in the air to condense on the surface. When the outside temperature is too cold, these water droplets can freeze upon exposure to the frigid temperatures. This can cause a layer of frost to form, which can also affect indoor temperatures. Depending on the quality of the glass installed, frost can leave windows and windshields cracked. This water can also drip into the crevices of your window’s frame, accumulating over time and causing mold to form.

Windows with wooden frames can also rot over time due to condensation that emerges as a result of cold temperatures.

Cracking

Glass expands upon heating and contracts when it cools down. However, the cracks that emerge on a glass window are rarely because of the temperature itself but mostly because of the change in temperature in one area of the glass to another. We’ll discuss this phenomenon a little further down the line.

Extreme changes in temperature—whether hot to cold or cold to hot—can cause glass to rapidly expand and contract, resulting in it cracking under the pressure of having to adjust to the temperatures outside.

In the freezing cold temperatures recorded early this year, people across Canada and USA reported their glass windows cracking due to immense cold, with one woman likening the sound to that of a gunshot. That’s sure to be a scare—especially if it happens in the middle of the night while you are asleep!

Extreme Hot Weather:

Cracks and chips

A phenomenon known as thermal shock can lead to glass splintering when the temperature of the glass is rapidly changed from hot to cold or cold to hot. This is because the sudden change in temperature can lead to stress within the glass to adjust to the new temperature.

Why does glass crack in extreme temperatures?

Contrary to popular belief, it is not the temperature itself that causes glass to crack. The cracks occur because of a phenomenon called thermal stress. Thermal stress refers to when the temperature of the glass changes rapidly from either hot to cold or cold to hot.

The particles that make up glass expand upon heating and contract upon cooling, and the fast shift in temperatures can sometimes be too much for glass to handle. This results in it cracking under the pressure.

In extremely cold temperatures, ice can form on windshields and windows. People, in order to melt said ice, often think pouring hot water on the glass is a good idea. It is anything but!

The sudden change from cold to hot can cause existent chips to expand into large cracks. These cracks are often irreparable and you’ll then need to replace your entire windshield.

On the other hand, in extremely hot temperatures, cars can heat up very quickly, especially if they’re left out in the sun. Sitting inside such a car, most people are tempted to turn on the air conditioners on full blast, hoping to get rid of the heat in seconds. When the glass is forced to adjust to the sudden change in temperature, it can weaken the structure of the glass, leading to cracks.

Thermal stress cracks also occur when one part of the glass is warmer or colder than the other, leading to a varied temperature across the surface of the glass.

A few reasons why thermal stress may occur include:

1. Shadow: A car that has been parked half in the shadows and half out in the sun is more prone to automobile glass breakage as the temperatures of the glass is not uniform across the surface.

2. Glass Type: Thinner glass is less likely to experience thermal stress as they can adjust temperatures faster than thicker versions of glass.

3. Solar Absorption: The more heat a glass substance absorbs, the more prone it will be to thermal fractures.

4. Color of Frames: Darker colors absorb more heat, and so a window glass mounted on a black frame is likely to heat up faster than one on a white frame.

5. Type of Frame: Windows mounted on insulating frames like vinyl or timber absorb less heat than those mounted on metal frames.

6. Rapid temperature change: artificial heating and cooling through air conditioners, heaters and radiators can cause glass to expand and contract at faster rates, resulting in breakage. This change can also occur as a result of windows warming up during the day time and the night seeing a sudden decrease in temperatures, causing the window to cool up faster.

Protect Your Windshields from Cracking in Extreme Temperatures

Cold Weather:

Winters in Canada can be particularly harrowing for your automobile glass, what with the constant beating it has to suffer from snow, hail and ice storms. While this can already damage and weaken your glass, what may be the cherry on top is our propensity to want instantaneous results for everything.

People tend to switch on their car heaters as soon as they enter their cars, causing temperatures within the car to change rapidly. It may be a better idea to slowly ease into the temperature you want. If your frozen windshield is blasted with hot air, it will crack because of the sudden change in temperature.

Wait a few minutes after entering your car before switching on your heater at the lowest intensity. Adjust the temperature gradually until it has reached the temperature you want.

If your car windshield has a layer of ice frozen on it, the worst possible thing you could do for your glass is pour hot water on it to thaw it. Instead, use an ice scraper to remove the ice from the surface of the glass.

Using washer fluids is also a good idea to thaw out glass. When visibility is already low due to the bad weather, you are going to need as clean a windshield as possible. Keeping a washer fluid dispenser ready at hand is a great idea to make sure your windshield is the cleanest it can be.

Faulty wiper blades can become incapable of brushing away snow and ice, resulting in accumulation on the surface of your windshield and decreasing visibility. If you live in a particularly cold climate or experience cold temperatures more often than warm, it may be a good idea to invest in special winter wipers, designed for winter weather.

If your windshield does crack or develop chips, immediately take your car to an auto glass repair shop to get the cracks repaired before they spread. If the crack is too large to be fixed, you may need to get the entire windshield replaced.

Hot Weather:

Much of the same principles of cold weather damage apply to hot weather. Rapid heat changes from hot to cold in the summers can lead to breakages in the glass. However, there are a few extra precautionary measures you can take to reduce the risks of thermal stress cracks.

Always try to park your car in an area with uniform shade. Parking your car directly under the sun or in an area that is partially shaded can lead to the glass either overheating or having patches where the glass is colder than the rest of the glass.

When getting into your hot car, try not to urge your car’s temperature to go instantly from above 50°C to 26°C. Always start with a lower temperature, allowing your car’s air-conditioning to slowly cool your car.

Your air conditioning vents should not be angled towards the windshield, to prevent rapid cooling of the glass. Set your air conditioning temperatures to its lowest setting with the vents turned downwards when you first get into your car.

Protect Your Windows from Cracking in Extreme Temperatures

Similar to windshield glass, windows are also designed to keep debris and dust out of the house all the while letting sufficient warmth and light into it.

You want a window that will properly insulate your house against the harsh temperatures outside, but will also be strong enough to withstand said temperatures and not buckle under pressure. While there is not a lot you can do to protect your windows against exposure from the elements, you can however, take a few precautions to reduce the risk of cracking and breakages due to rapid temperature changes.

Natural temperatures rarely change fast enough to cause major damage to windows. Even the most sudden of temperature changes—such as when an uncommonly cool night follows a sweltering hot day—does not happen all of a sudden, but happens gradually. However, in the situation mentioned, it is still possible for glass windows to crack because of the change in temperature.

This usually happens when the window is mounted on a dark colored or conducting frame, when the window has not been properly installed or when the glass used for the window is of low quality.

Whenever you install windows, seek out the help of a reliable glass dealer and ensure the materials used are not of sub-standard quality. High quality glass may be more expensive at the offset but will give you more financial benefit in the long run as compared to its cheaper alternatives.

Whether you’re living in a warm climate with frequent heat waves or a frigid climate with snowstorms and the like, install a light colored, insulating frame for your window to keep sudden temperature changes at a minimum.

Install Energy Efficient windows, not only to keep your house properly insulated, but also to reduce the risk of condensation. These will also cut costs and reduce the amount of money you spend every month on temperature controlling your house.

Hire a professionalauto glass repair and window installation company in Edmonton today

Crystal Glass specializes in everything glass; from glass tabletops and showers to windshield repairs and window installations in Alberta.

With over 65 years of experience in the field, Crystal Glass prides itself on its expertise in choosing the choicest materials and providing you with quality service every time. Contact now to book an appointment and experience the best glass repair and replacement services of your life.

Essential Kitchen Tools

Long gone are the days where sharpened rocks, sticks, and fire were the only tools we needed to prepare a meal. Though that set of equipment might be an easier list to make, I’d much rather be living in today’s world of sharpened knives and heat-resistant spatulas. Life as a modern day cook is pretty good.

If you’re new to life in the kitchen, or you’ve just ventured out on your own, making a variety of dishes — especially healthy ones — can be frustrating if you don’t have the right tools. Today we’re going to learn about the 11 tools we feel are most essential to get you from 0 to 1 in the kitchen so that you are ready to go on the quest of making your first home-cooked meal.

Now my dear friend, don’t read this list and panic. You don’t have to buy all of these things at once. You can totally accumulate kitchen equipment over time, slowly switching out crappy equipment for new stuff. Building up a set of tools that feels comfortable for you can take time and depends on your preferences and budget. Choose wisely.

To give you a little head start, we’ve provided you with Amazon links where you can pick up some of this equipment. We’ve tried to find you some inexpensive tools with the best reviews. These are affiliate links, so feel free to search for these items yourself on Amazon. We just want your kitchen to be equipped for success!

Let’s get to the good stuff!

Chef’s Knife

The biggest game-changer for me when I started cooking was a nice, sharp knife. Have you ever tried to cut a sweet potato — or god forbid a spaghetti squash — in half with a dull, flimsy knife? I have, and it’s terrible. Not impossible, but using a crappy, dull knife makes preparing your meals tedious, time-consuming, and downright dangerous.

It may be tempting to buy an entire block of knives or several different shapes, sizes, and edges… and if that floats your boat, feel free. But if you’re looking for the most bang for your buck, I’d go with the simple chef’s knife. It’s great for cutting just about anything you might need to as a beginner. Plus, it keeps your kitchen simple and minimalist until you truly need the variety.

Cutting Board

If you want to take care of your knives (and your countertops), you’ll need a cutting board. This makes transferring food from where you cut it to your pan and pot super easy (just pick up the board with your meat/veggies on it and walk over to your stove). And it keeps your knife sharper for a longer period of time.

Go with a plastic, bamboo, or wood cutting board. Not glass or stone! Glass and stone boards will dull your knives much more quickly than the soft surface of a plastic or wood cutting board. Also, the sound of a metal knife rapping against a glass cutting board is just plain awful. We selected a very simple white cutting board.

Non-stick pan OR Cast Iron Skillet for a level up

Some people prefer stainless steel. Others like non-stick. I prefer cast iron. Though they take a while to heat up and they need to be seasoned first, cast iron skillets can be used for a variety of different things: cooking bacon, scrambling or frying eggs, pan-seared pork chops, stir-fries, sauteed veggies… the list goes on. This skillet is sort of your “do it all.”

Next, to your knife, your skillet is likely going to be your most used item in the kitchen. The reason I prefer cast iron is that they are tough, they last forever, and because they’re made entirely of metal. You can use them in the oven, on the stove top, or even on a grill. And because it’s so heavy duty, you can even use it to add weight to your goblet squats or to defend your home from intruders (please don’t do this).

The size of the skillet depends on how much food you’ll be cooking, but a 10-inch skillet should work great for most people.

If you have no idea what seasoning means, but a cast iron skillet has piqued your interest, check out Nom Nom Paleo’s article on how to season and care for a cast iron skillet.

However, for some kitchen newbies, the thought of caring for and seasoning a new cast iron skillet is a little too much work. For you folks, I’d suggest a good quality non-stick pan. Preferably one without Teflon. (Teflon is bad for the environment and it releases fumes that aren’t great to breathe if you heat them up past a certain temperature. Plus you have to replace them often because the Teflon comes off — more than likely in your food.)

If you’re making stir fries, eggs, sautéed veggies, etc., a non-stick pan is great because it’ll do all that with minimal cleaning. The only caveat is that you can’t put these suckers in the oven (especially not Teflon) because most of these types of pans have plastic or rubber parts (Some have silicone that you can put in the oven up to a certain temperature. Know what type of pan you have before you do this!). So if you opt for a non-stick pan, you’ll need a baking sheet to cook your steak or chops in the oven as illustrated in this recipe.

Sauce Pot

A small sauce pot is essential for making things like soups and sauces and boiling or steaming vegetables. Something small will do. If you’re cooking for a large family or doing a lot of meal prep, you could probably choose a larger soup pot, but if neither of these applies to you, a smaller 1.5-quart pot will be fine.

Meat Thermometer

This might seem like a somewhat excessive tool, but it could be one of the best investments you make.

When I was growing up and learning how to cook, no one ever cooked with a meat thermometer. But when I moved out on my own and started cooking for myself, I was afraid of giving myself food poisoning by undercooking my food. When you’re starting to learn, how can you be sure you won’t undercook your meats and make yourself sick? Especially if you don’t know what meat *should* look like when it’s done?

The simplest and “stress-free” way of doing this is to know the meat’s temperature. If this is an aspect that you don’t want to worry about, do yourself a favor and get one of these.

Measuring Spoons and Cups

If you’re following recipes and you don’t have measuring equipment, how on earth are you going to make sure you’re putting the right amount of Chemical X in your recipe for perfect little girls?

Norpro provides a wide variety of kitchenware that you can buy which are now available in India.

Professor Utonium didn’t use measuring cups and he ended up with super-powered, crime-fighting children. Okay, maybe on second thought, that isn’t the best story to warn you against not using measuring utensils, but really — especially when you’re first starting out — if you want food to taste good, use those measuring spoons and cups. I know your grandma never uses them, but that’s because she’s been cooking for the last 60 years. When you’ve got that much experience under your belt, I give you permission to stop using them.

Tongs

For the longest time when I first moved out on my own, I didn’t have a pair of tongs. I’d try to use two forks, chopsticks, or a spatula to flip my food. And though it worked, it made these tasks so much more difficult. I dropped things, I splashed my clothes with grease and sauce… basically, it made an even bigger mess than I was already making. If you’re ever going to grill anything, turn baked chicken, or cook bacon, you’re going to need a decent set of tongs. You’ll thank me later.

Heat Resistant Rubber Spatula

The rubber spatula is the ultimate mixing tool in my humble opinion. Great for mixing just about anything, and if you leave it in your pot/pan by accident, it won’t melt into your food and ruin it. (To be honest, it’s probably best to get into the habit of not leaving spatulas in hot, cooking food though.)

Oven Mitt, Hot Pad, or Kitchen Towels

Protecting your hands is a must in the kitchen. I’d venture to guess that two of the most common kitchen injuries are burns and cuts. Having a sharp knife will help prevent you from cutting yourself, and having proper protection for your hands when pulling food out of the oven or touching the handle of a metal skillet is going to be essential. Please make sure to never use a wet towel or oven mitt to touch a hot surface. The liquid inside the fabric will boil and evaporate, and you’ll steam-burn your hand.

Now, which of these you decide to buy depends entirely on your preference. For the lazy cooks out there or you minimalists, I’d suggest the simple kitchen towel. It’s multi-purpose and perfectly functional. Just make sure it’s not wet, and you fold it enough times to protect your hand from the hot pan!

USA online shopping has become easier with a lot of varieties which you can discover and have them shipped to you.