Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with POTS

Greener cookware recommendations?

cadge — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:56:17 -0800

Can you recommend greener cookware (preferably not cast iron)? My small set of cookware (one frying pan and two saucepans) is getting really old and worn out, and it's time to replace it all.

I've read up on safer and more environmentally-friendly cookware, but I'm having trouble figuring out what would be the best type to buy. It's a bit overwhelming.

In every writeup (and previous Ask MeFi post), dozens of people recommend cast iron. But I've looked at cast iron cookware in my local shops (a cookware shop and a camping shop) and it's just too heavy for me! It was effort just to pick the smallest pan off the shelf! I'd really like to avoid buying cast iron cookware if I can.

My cooking needs aren't much. Mostly I use the frying pan for simple stir fries, tofu, grilled cheese sandwiches, and browning ground meat. I don't fry eggs. I use the saucepans for vegetables and pasta sauces. I'd like to cook more, but I doubt it'll be anything elaborate. That said, I don't mind investing in higher-quality/higher-price cookware that I can use for years to come.

Is non stick cookware going to give me cancer in 25 years?

thewalrus — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 10:08:56 -0800

What are the dangers and benefits of non stick cookware (teflon/generic teflon type)? It's obviously healthier to cook without using lots of oil, but I've heard rumors of health problems such as cancer being linked to long term use of non stick pans. I have some non stick pots and pans which are getting older. They have gradually shed small bits of their surface into food. This isn't enough to notice in any particular dish but I can tell that a pan which has been used for 3, 4 or more years doesn't have as much non stick surface on it as it used to.

The alternative is to use stainless steel pots and pans but this will require using a larger quantity of oil.

Is there any scientific documentation on the risk/reward of using non stick cookware versus the well-documented heart-disease risks of using more oil? Assuming that oil is extra-light canola oil or olive oil, not the cheap stuff...

Are scratched pots/pans safe?

mateuslee — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 11:53:20 -0800

At what point do I throw out slightly scratched pans/woks? I have a couple frying pans and a wok which over time are acquiring scratches. Is it still safe to cook with them? At what point should they be tossed?

I've tried to find some answer online, but, as is often the case, it is hard to find a clear answer.

Upright non-voip telepone hunt

devnull — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 12:40:28 -0800

Where can I buy an upright non-voip telephone? I'm looking to buy a desk telephone for the office. Previously I've used upright Cisco VOIP phones like the 7961G.

Because this new phone will not be within a secured network, I can't use VOIP this time (insecure initial key exchange) so am looking for a traditional POTS phone.

Apart from being upright, the phone needs to have a decent keypad so that I can dial quickly, and heavy enough that it doesn't move across the desk when I dial.

I can't find anything on Amazon or in electrical dealers. Any ideas?

stainless cooking

plexi — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 13:33:25 -0800

I am transitioning to a Calphalon stainless cooking set, but everything is sticking to the pans, despite much olive oil. What are some tricks from moving from teflon/non-stick to stainless steel on a gas range?

Mobile-to-POTS convertor?

Electrius — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 08:32:17 -0800

How do I hook up a mobile phone to a regular, POTS "hard phone"? Most of the time, I'm at home and it would be easier for me to use a regular, large-size telephone instead of craning my neck to try to use the little mobile phone that I have. If it matters, I'm in the USA and have Sprint.

its a tureen, its not a tureen. what is it?

chasles — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 01:27:00 -0800

What is this item? image1 image2(its NOT called a soup tureen, i'm pretty sure) I believe it is used in indian or middle easter cooking...

Avoiding RJ-11

JParker — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 08:56:46 -0800

I’m planning the wiring for a new home, and I'm paralyzed by the variety of options for getting phone service throughout the house. Do I even need RJ11 any more? What's the best way to link up VoIP and POTS to a CAT6 home phone system? My house: 4BR home, 4xCAT6 everywhere all wired back to central wiring closet, plus 802.11g wireless. Out in the country, so my only communications options are satellite dish (for both TV and high speed Internet) and Verizon POTS line. I'd like to avoid doing traditional phone wiring inside the house completely if possible. I’d like to use cheap VoIP service for calls, but I definitely want 911 capability

I’m not sure the VoIP call quality will be good enough long term, so it seems smart to plan for easy fall back to POTS service. Presumably I can always continue to use the CAT6 cabling inside the home to wire the phones. Has anyone successfully navigated this maze? Any suggestions on specific phone systems, routers, VoIP providers, or the MagicBoxTM that ties it all together would be greatly appreciated!

Basic requirements:
• Local telephone number.
• Telephones (8) in the home connected to wiring closet via Ethernet.
• Default outside connection via VoIP provider.
• POTS line to line-powered phone in wiring closet in case of power outage.
• Voicemail.

Wish list:
• MagicBoxTM = Ethernet phone router that features a hard-wired RJ-11 jack where I can plug in that line-powered phone.
• MagicBoxTM = When the internets are down but power is still on, calls can be made from extensions through POTS line.
• MagicBoxTM = Some kind of QoS monitoring that will use the POTS line if VoIP call quality is bad?
• Multi-line capable (at least 2 concurrent calls).
• Extensions for each person (6).
• Mailboxes for each person.
• Visible “Message waiting” indicator.
• Vmail delivered (copied) via email.
• Conferencing (3-way) and in-home conferencing between extensions.

I can dream, can’t I?
• Telephone interface to allow integration with A/V systems (mute sound on call).
• Wireless integration – switch my AT&T Wireless cell over to 802.11g when in the house.
• Telephones as intercoms (call the kids for dinner).
• Programmable “follow me” call routing for each extension, including routing to cell phones.
• Internet interface for changing settings remotely.

Copper pans and electric heat, do they mix?

aussicht — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 21:42:04 -0800

Can I use my three-ply (out-middle-inner) copper-aluminum-stainless steel pots and pans on an electric range? Will it mess them up?

I weep for my pan

klangklangston — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 07:48:44 -0800

In a moment of epic dumbassery, I turned on the wrong burner this morning and managed to melt part of a spatula to an $80 calphalon fry pan. If it wasn't coated, I'd just use steel wool. Is there any way to get the melted plastic off? How fucked am I? Can I heat it up again? If so, how should I do it?

Vintage finds in Ireland?

seekingsimplicity — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 12:19:01 -0800

I am traveling to Kilkenny Ireland and Clifden Ireland next week. Is there any good antiqueing in either of those towns? I am not looking for furniture but rather tea pot/china/silver and flea market type stuff. Thank you!

How often do you replace your nonstick pans?

synapse — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 14:36:44 -0800

How often should you / do you replace your non-stick pans? The husband and I have jobs that get us home late, but we prefer cooking and eating at home to restaurant food. I've completely grown to rely on my nonstick wok for quick dinners and quick cleanups. I use it at least three times a week. Aaand, this is the second time I've had to replace it in 3 years. Is this as ridiculous as it seems?

(Yes, we plan to try to use our stainless cookware more. However, the nonstick is easier and faster and I refuse to give it up entirely.)

No more POTS. What else to do with wiring?

bartleby — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 11:26:31 -0800

No more landline. What else can I use my home phone wiring for now? Just moved, decided to skip the landline.
Gets me innernet through cable modem.

It's a rental, so I can't rip it all up.
But all those RJ-11 jacks in each room must be good for SOMETHING.

What?

Korean Soapstone Pots

kuujjuarapik — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 18:36:24 -0800

How does one properly heat a Korean soapstone pot? Looking for that mad-hottedness that makes the rice so crunchy and delicious... I just got my pots in the mail. I've read that I should fill them half up with salt water and boil, then season with sesame oil. Got it. But, when I am ready to make my bibimbab, how is the pot heated? In the oven? Stovetop? What temperatures can they take? Do they need re-seasoning after cooking?

I've already got recipes and marinades, but I wouldn't mind hearing any good ones. I'm not a kitchen noob. I really am just curious about Korean technique.

Eek my pot

gorgor_balabala — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 16:58:46 -0800

I burned some quince on my stovetop. The sugar from the fruit makes the stickiest black goo when burned. Do I have any chance of getting it off?

Where can I find a cast iron skillet with a removable metal handle?

bomboleco — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 09:12:17 -0800

I want to cook delicious things without needing the bulging biceps necessary to move a laden skillet from oven to stove. Help! I saw Alton Brown cooking steak with one on a recent show. I tried looking for a way to contact the show to find out what kind it was but can't find a link.

What I liked about it was:
It was a medium sized skillet
The (metal) handle was removable and rubberized (protects against heat!)

I found a similar, very small one at my local TJ Maxx. The handle wasn't rubberized. I could buy that and then dip the handle in that tool stuff from Home Depot but that's a little more involved then I really want to get. I've checked at local kitchen supply stores and haven't found anything.

Appreciate the help!

Traditional Voice Connection Modem over CDMA digital Cellular?

loquacious — Thu, 29 Dec 2005 00:15:51 -0800

Can I do a modem data connection over voice-only CDMA digital cell phone? How about other data/SMS/email hacks? I have Cricket cell service with unlimited minutes, unlimited US long distance, and unlimited incoming SMS and unlimited outgoing US SMS.

However, Cricket neither offers data service nor does it offer WAP web access.

I can call any number in the continental US. I'm open to suggestions for any ISP, especially if it's cheap or free. But it should offer a compliant TCP/IP and IP based connection of any sort.

Is it possible to do a POTS style modem connection over CDMA/triband digital voice? Or is it too compressed/filtered? Are there PCMCIA modems/protocols designed to deal with this bandwidth/frequency compression and filtering?

Is it possible to hardwire an RJ-11 or similar phone/audio connection to the headphone port for use with a PCMCIA or other modem, as though it were a landline?

(Trickle-slow data rates are better than nothing. My first modem was 75 baud, so I know how to still do many things like, say, telnet to my friends box from a proper ISP and browse with Lynx)

Part 2:

What SMS functions (besides AIM-to-SMS forwarding) can I play with? Are there any decent free webmail clients that forward to SMS? (Gmail, sadly, doesn't seem to offer this, and my Cricket SMS service doesn't offer a proper phonenumber@service.tld bridged email address)

What about IRC-to-SMS bridges? Other fun toys, alert services, and tools? (I'd love to get, say, NWS/NOAA weather alerts and forecasts.)

Stop, drop, and roll

lpctstr; — Tue, 15 Nov 2005 16:25:24 -0800

I left the stove on and went to bed. When I woke up, all the food turned to ash and I'm having trouble clenaing the black stuff off the pot. I've scrubbed it down with a wire meshy thing, and it's gotten most of it, but it's still very black on the bottom. Any tips?

Williams-Sonoma makes me feel funny.

patgas — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 05:57:48 -0800

I need to step up my capability to cook for myself. To motivate myself I want to get new pots and pans, but only the essentials. I'm guessing that I probably need two pots and two sautee pans. Oh, and probably a decent chef's knife. Anything else? Any recommended brands I should look for? Practicality and affordability are key.

Hanging Pots from Ductwork

MrMoonPie — Tue, 28 Sep 2004 12:41:23 -0800

We want to hang our pots and pans from the HVAC ductwork on our kitchen. We're thinking strong magnetic hooks. [mi] The hooks sold at the local Home Despot look too flimsy. There was a MetaFilter thread on strong magnets, but there are no hooks on the magnets site; since our pots are mostly aluminum, magnets alone won't work. These look pretty good, but I'm wondering if there's a solution I'm overlooking.