Groceries: for suomynona

sky

Mon, Jan 03 2011, 8:53 am

Tova wrote:

Why do you toivel plastic? I am not aware that their is any opinion that says you need to toivel plastic (or wood).

I think its a Yekke minhag, without a bracha. I don't know too many others who do. (its a pain in the neck - bottles, sippy cups, kiddy bowls, cheap storage containers, etc)
It also means we can't use appliances that can't be toiveled but have only plastic working parts, like some coffee makers with computer chips.
Our rav, who also toivels plastic because of family minhag, once joked that the best wedding present they got was a wooden mixing bowl with wooden spoons, because before they toiveled anything, it was the only thing they could use.

HindaRochel

Mon, Jan 03 2011, 9:28 am

sky wrote:

Tova wrote:

Why do you toivel plastic? I am not aware that their is any opinion that says you need to toivel plastic (or wood).

Rav Riskin requires it as well.

Seraph

Mon, Jan 03 2011, 10:50 am

freidasima wrote:

I didn't know they had plastic in prewar Germany (lol!)

Tova I don't have exact measurements. I take an average strainer and fill it with the lentils and pearl barley, usually use one onion, ten small carrots and three or four potatoes. One level tablespoon of salt. In terms of water I use an 8 liter pot...

Thanks! I made a variety of your recipe- used red lentils, brown lentils, split peas, barley, onions, and carrots. It was delicious and made a very yummy and filling supper. Oh, I also added a dash of olive oil when it was finished. No fleishigs needed. :-D No bread even!

HindaRochel

Mon, Jan 03 2011, 11:07 am

freidasima wrote:

I do something similar, but generally with red lentils )I prefer, but honestly green lentils have a thicker taste to them, and a bit more meaty) Also with zucchini and a tomoato and I add spices...oh and a bit of oil. I love soup but my family isn't big on it.

I also make a bean soup, onions, carrots, celery if I have. I prefer white beans truthfully.

Mommyme1

Mon, Jan 03 2011, 11:59 am

sky wrote:

Mommyme1 wrote:

I wash out all aluminum pans - even ones that have burnt sauce from the chicken, and they come out gorgeous!!
This week I gave food to my aunt who is visiting from America, and since the chicken didn't fit in the bag in the pan she put it in a tupperware, and promptly threw out the pan.
The pan really looked liked it couldn't be reused so I wasn't surprised, but I sadly thought about how many more uses I'd have been able to get out of this pan that was only used twice. Smile

then why not get a set of baking pans, dishes, etc. They aren't too expensive and are much easier to wash then aluminum pans. This way at least what you are washing will last, and they bake better, I have a bunch of pyrex with covers, baking pans and 9x13s and use very few aluminum pans.

Like HY mentioned I use aluminum pans when I am making huge batches and freezing. Like I'll make 15 lbs of potato kugel at a shot in 9 inch round pans. I don't wash and reuse aluminum pans even if they are lined. some things I get away with freezing in parchment paper and zip lock bags. Or soups I just freeze in zip lock bags and stack in the freezer.

We also toivel all plastic containers, so I don't even use the disposable plastic containers unless I'm giving away. Its more worth it for me to invest in containers that will last me the long term. (I do have a few disposable ones that I toiveled once for meat soups, and I wash in the dishwasher and they have been reused multiple times, so maybe they are worth it to buy and rewash over and over again)

Nylon, thanks for the idea, regarding the slicer, I'm horrible at slicing my home made bread.

I bought 2 pyrex for kugels and used them every Shabbos, but one cracked recently and I haven't had the chance to replace it yet. DH bought a bigger sizecheap "fake Pyrex" for chicken and it broke while he was toiveling it. But for during the week I use aluminum pans, over and over and over Smile

I don't even have the room to store pyrex or baking pans, I use every bit of cabinet space as it is.

For baking - I usually make things in my milchig toaster oven so DH can have it with coffee and I haven't seen a good size baking pan for it. I also use muffin tins. I bought Challah pans once but they were really the wrong shape (too long and thin unlike the oval ones my mother uses in America), and no matter how much Pam I sprayed the Challahs wouldn't come out unless I cut them out (which often left me with few Shaleims). Now I use the disposable oval ones from America. I have them since last Shavuos and haven't thrown out any yet. Smile

Regarding tupperwares, I brought a few back from America last Pesach, but the non-disposable ones I've bought here have cracked pretty easily, whereas the "disposable" ones I can use for years.

Oh, I also reuse ziplock bags over and over and over. Those bags are precious, and happily my mother sends lots of packages in them Smile

amother

Mon, Jan 03 2011, 7:07 pm

Hashem_Yaazor wrote:

amother wrote:

I think what also makes a big difference is if you're makpid on heimishe hechsherim vs OU stuff. The OU stuff is definitely much cheaper.
And HY, where I live your grocery list would surely have come out more than $80.

That's fine. I'm not telling people to spend my budget. I just was shocked that a monthly food budget for a family of 2 adults and 2 children should be 1K. I think even spending $150/week is reasonable and would not add up to 1K by a long shot.

So I spend around $150 a week for my main shopping, but then you have to add all those smaller trips, plus $300 a month at BJ's, $200 every so often when I decide to stock up on cereals and condiments at walmart, plus occasionally stock up with a big meat order, plus occasional (more often than I'd like to admit) take out food, plus paper goods, cleaning supplies. That's easily over $1000 a month.

We are 6 of us at home this year.

Liba

Mon, Jan 03 2011, 11:36 pm

Marion wrote:

Mommyme1...why do you bake your challah in tins? Just shape and place on a cookie sheet/baking sheet. The only challot I ever made in tins were the "Keter Torah" ones for Shavuot. Even the bakery doesn't use tins!

I use loaf pans because I can't use baking sheets. I need more air circulations in my oven. I can only put 2 baking sheets in my oven at a time without the top of the top and the bottom of the bottom ones burning but I can put in eight loaf pans - which is my whole batch - at once with no problem. The challah pans probably provide similar air circulation.

merelyme

Mon, Jan 03 2011, 11:40 pm

sky wrote:

Tova wrote:

Why do you toivel plastic? I am not aware that their is any opinion that says you need to toivel plastic (or wood).

You could take a screwdriver and take the machine apart a bit and put it back together. Now it no longer needs tevillah since you're the one who put it together.

Anyone know a source for toveling plastic?

shalhevet

Mon, Jan 03 2011, 11:53 pm

merelyme wrote:

sky wrote:

Tova wrote:

Why do you toivel plastic? I am not aware that their is any opinion that says you need to toivel plastic (or wood).

You could take a screwdriver and take the machine apart a bit and put it back together. Now it no longer needs tevillah since you're the one who put it together.

I don't know about this particular case, but taking something apart and putting it back together again instead of toivelling has to be by someone skilled (eg an electrician, or I guess an amateur DIY-er), not what any unskilled person can do. If anyone can do it it's not considered that you completed the kli.

Quote:

Anyone know a source for toveling plastic?

AFAIK, it's because it's a safek which halachic category it falls into since it didn't exist during the time of the Torah. Is it like metal or glass which need toivelling, or is it like wood or clay that don't? (At that time they were the only materials for making keilim, I presume.)