The truth.
Israel is amazing.
My oven/stove top situation… is a disaster.
We inherited this thing with the place we are renting.
With so many seen and unforeseen moving expenses Hubby implored me to try to make it work. Well I am trying. Trying to give it a workout, the likes of which it has probably never seen in it’s seemingly very looong life. And the verdict, this thing is totally out of shape. I am used to boot camp cooking, yet it seems happy to just boil water, one very small pot at a time.
While I cry.
And Shabbos races in.
Scroll to continue
More Love
At first when I saw it, after entering a comatose-like state, I started to celebrate. Because while I had this mini-me oven, “thankfully” I didn’t have a stove top and would have to be “forced” to buy a new “top-of-the-line-American” stove top. Yes I am using a lot of “quotes” simply because I feel like it. Hubby was upset because that meant one more unforeseen expense on a list of bills that was growing as our bank account was diminishing. I was doing the dance-of-joy because why should two people worry about the finances, where would the fun be in that?
As I began to dream about whether I needed 5 or 6 burners, which brand I should buy and if I should splurge on a milichig and fleishig cook top, something I had never had in the states…. mid-dream, I heard Hubby laugh.
And to hear him laugh is to know what it sounds like when somebody rains on your parade. He has this cackle (his mom has it too) and in all my adult life I have never heard anything like it. It’s the kind of sound that turns heads at both intimate dinner parties and lavish kiddushim. It’s the kind of sound that stops one dead in their tracks, mid sentence, mid breath. It’s the kind of sound that instantly makes you feel you want in on that joke. Except of course when you are that joke. Because while I am measuring counter tops and moving walls to make way for my commercial cook top in our rental kitchen, Hubby lifted this white thing you see here and found my new Israeli stove top.
And I have been crying ever since.
Of the 4 burners only 3 work, the 3 smallest. With the tiniest one no larger than a silver dollar.
Hence that small pot of water of which I spoke. And the kicker is this mini mart oven only has 1 rack that actually cooks, the other just sits there and looks pretty like a garish float at the Macy’s day parade. Well I looked none too pretty when I discovered that my 2 pans of Herb Roasted Red Bliss Potatoes would have to be cooked in 2 rounds. Likewise when I bought 6 “pounds” of ground beef to make Grandma’s Meatballs so that I would have enough to serve and freeze for later use I stared at this “thing” wondering how many shifts and hours I would have to dedicate to my 40 balls of ground beef. Yes I know none of these dishes sound all too exotic, or even Israeli but I guess, subconsciously when things are changing all around you, and life as you know it is upside down and your oven/stove top thingy is giving you the silent treatment – one resorts to comfort food, the kind of stuff that makes you feel all is right with the world.
What do you cook when you are stressed and overwhelmed with life?
Answer this question in the comments below and be entered to win a caddy of 16 LÄRABARs, healthy and tasty bars for anytime. Contest ends Oct. 23rd at 9am. For details click here.
How long have you had your julliene peeler, Jamie ? The reviews on amazon said it dies quickly. Does it come out clean from the dishwasher? Is it usable on Shabbat ?
Sorry so many questions
Shabbat Shalom!!
Always remember, Israel is the land of miracles. Do you know what a wonder pot is? I used to use a wonder pot to bake chicken for Shabbos. It was fantastic, the taste of of an outdoor barbeque.
I had Israeli ovens for years, and miraculously, things most of the time came out good. Also, I have used different toaster ovens for fleishig, milchig, or pareve. It always came out good.
Shabbat Shalom, Chana Zelasko
8 sons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! KYH!!!!! and Whoa Baby! but my stuff is not a little gray it’s A LOT gray AND I am having trouble with the white areas of colored garments!?? Here is the Teriyaki Chicken: http://www.joyofkosher.com/recipe/teriyaki-chicken-and-peppers/ I added a few cloves of finely minced garlic was awesome!
my favorite – no real bath in my new place though – the kids have a tub but it’s too small 🙁
I use this one from OXO I love it Love it Love it – but hard to clean http://www.oxo.com/p-477-julienne-peeler.aspx
Jamie ,
What julienne peeler do you use. I’ve been shopping around for one and don’t know which one to buy. Are you happy with yours? Please advise!!!
I make soups, all that chopping is very therapeutic to me!
i like to take a nice long hot bath to relax
Congratulations!!! GM won the Larabars. Make sure to check out an enter to win our next giveaway, Cholent Kits – http://www.joyofkosher.com/2012/10/cholent-kits-review-and-giveaway/
pasta always makes me feel better
What machine do you have?
I use “Oxygen” liquid and Tide, though I’ve been told that Ariel is also great (it’s a wash powder. I’ll try it when I finish my 9 kg bag of Tide.
When the collars are really bad you can either use a cup of אוקונומיקה in the pre rinse (all white shirts only) or scrub the collars using the Oxygen liquid straight on the collars. Also, I use 60-70C hot water. With 8 sons I’ve often been desperate.
Jamie,
so glad it’s fixed! mazal tov!!! your dinner menu sounds tantalizing…
when i’m stressed i eat peanut m&m’s… and my “go-to” meal is paninis in the panini press: your favorite bread (or leftover challah), a thin layer of pesto, shredded mozzarella cheese, thin slice of tomato, and a spoonful of spanish eggplant dip. i bake a lot when i need to “decompress”… challah, cookies, cakes, muffins…
EUREKA!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wish me the HUGEST Mazel Tov! Dror the oven repairman came, saw and conquered. He pulled the oven away from the way – disconnected the back panel did a a few tests and said “at tzodeket” I nearly cried I was so happy – not because it was broken but bc my angst was confirmed. Dror fixed it and I made my first completely successful dinner! Just in time for my mother’s arrival. We had spiced chicken Skewers, My Baked Spicy Sweet Potato Fries: http://www.joyofkosher.com/recipe/baked-spicy-sweet-potato-fries/ and the Zucchini Spaghetti Salad cover picture/ recipe is on p.48 of the summer issue of the mag. My mom raved – the entire family ate and I almost cried tears of joy. Tonight is Taco Night and Tmrw is Teriyaki Chicken. HUGE HUGS to everyone for your comments, advice, love, and support xoxo – NOW DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO GET WHITE SHIRTS WHITE HERE?
oh Victoria!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I totally hear you! so horrible 🙁 But B”H you are in a new place
I love pasta and vodka suace, cream sauce, alfredo sauce – anything creamy!
I love love love!!!!!!!!!!! chocolate covered orange peels — totally guilty pleasure — best is my kids don’t like them so when I buy them I don’t have to share. As for PB and orange marmalade – I skip the rice cake and just combine the two and eat them right out of the bowl. Will try the bleach thanks so much for the tip!
Thanks so much! BusySavta a few people have been saying to clean the burners.
I have yet to make challah – I have all the ingredients and each shabbos they just look at me and I stare back. There was no room for them to rise because only the one rack/top 3rd worked. Maybe I will try this week.
hi Gana – zucchini. I use a hand held Julienne Peeler to julienne the zucchini into “spaghetti” like strips and then I saute in a non stick pan with a little bit of olive oil. You can also blanch them if you want. Sometimes I even toss it with pasta sauce and sprinkle with parm. This time I made the cover recipe of the Summer Magazine — and added julienned carrots as well – so it was zucchini, carrots, garlic, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, olive oil s+p – totally AWESOME!
ItaAriela awesome thanks! for the store info and the link
FunkyFrum thanks for the info
Hey, Jamie!
Whatever happened with the oven? We’re waiting to hear how it went with the repairman!!
I always turn to one of my grandmother’s recipes when I need to bake something to relax – carrot cake, coconut cake, anything that brings in warm, home-y memories! (A run to the bakery for donuts or a danish is also a great fix!). I’m so sorry about your oven disaster! I really, really hope it either miraculously starts to work for you or gets sorted out asap! I can relate to oven induced distress – in the last apartment I rented the oven didn’t have a window, the dials on the stove weren’t marked with temperatures (try setting the oven to “350” when “350” could be anywhere) and the oven couldn’t maintain a constant temperature for more than a few minutes at a time. It would take hours to make anything and even then it would be half raw! Many, many tears stemmed from checking cakes at 2am (that had gone into the oven hours earlier) that were still raw after a whole night of trying! I can totally relate and feel for you!! Good luck!!!
Hi Jamie,
Someone mentioned putting aluminium foil on the bottom of the oven. Be careful with this and only do it if you are using turbo mode. If your oven is heating from the top and bottom – don’nt use it! You will ruin the oven and have to buy a new one. I know – it happened to me! The best part of the story is it happened just before Pesach so I received a brand new oven for the Chug.
When I’m stressed, I make a grilled cheese or mac and cheese. Comfort food.
Wonder pots do work, but the intense heat causes food to stick. Be sure to coat with pam or even try baking paper. It’s a little hard since the paper is square and the pot is round, but doable…But wonder pots cost at least 100 nis each which is about 1/2 the price of a toaster oven FYI. I guess all beginnings are hard…Hatzlacha raba.
My favourite de-stresser food is a rectangle cracker that resembles matza with that pinkish pizza sauce you get at Israeli pizza shops (in ketchup containers), topped with a slice of cheese. That special sauce is so yum, we (especially the kids)buy it to use in the toaster maker (panini machine).
I love to eat a good lasagna or even pasta with melted cheese, anything pasta related
Jamie, see above. My reply got attached to the above comment.
Could be the smell is from the drains, since it’s worse when you don’t use them for afew days. Use bleach down the drains at least weekly if you don’t use it for cleaning the sinks. It’s אוקונומיקה here. When I switched from the white sinks which I cleaned with bleach to stainless the smell started.
My comfort food is anything good that someone else makes or buys for me for a change, as I am the family “comforter”. Anything carby and sweet.
Sorry, Jamie, no more ideas. Hopefully the repair guy figured it out. Sauter is supposed to be a good make. I have my trusty 25 yr old Caloric. You can get American sized ovens here for your dream kitchen. Check online by Kef shipping. Pricey but worth it . Meanwhile, if you need an Israeli size one I recommend the latest delonghi. All my married kids have them and are happy. It has a turbo oven so you can put multiple pans in.
I love your site. Made the chocolate coffee layered mousse you posted twice and it’s a big hit. Second time made it in a square pan and cut it into 24 portions. (8*3) they’re a bit too big though.
KUTGW!!!!
Before you call the repairman…did you try one of those sparking sticks which they sell at most supermarkets here in Israel, (or a match)while your pressing and turning the knob–to try and get the burner to light? Sometimes if the burner area is not clean it won’t get enough oxygen to light…
Also It really just might be clogged at the hole where the gas comes out of for that burner. You might want to try clearing it with a sewing needle…GOOD LUCK!
I hope you get it functional soon!!
You are all making me hungry !! Great ideas!
Hi there Jamie, I have the exact same piece and I got to love it. Well the first week I made challah, let’s not discuss it! But after that disaster someone told me to put a piece of aluminum foil on the bottom floor of the bottom oven and now it works amazing! Try it out.
What is the spaghetti made out of? On twitter you said it was low carb 🙂
You can get a Wonder pot in Home Place in the Mercaz in RBS A..
I found a blogger that posts how to use it:
http://aricooks.com/2011/01/19/%D7%A1%D7%99%D7%A8-%D7%A4%D7%9C%D7%90-the-wonder-pot/
Can I only get it near Machaneh Yehuda? If so I must try this — I will be in J’lem on Tuesday
oh sounds awesome!!! everything but the bus ride. I was never a fan of buses (not even in the States). The first thing we did was hang up our family picts/collages. Makes your house feel like a home! Hatzlacha Rabba, yishuv kal/klita neima!
We are in Ramat Gan. My husband is a fundraiser for the Jaffa Institute (amazing organization, you should check them out!) and I am doing an internship for my Masters in Social Work in the Jerusalem area (the commute by bus alone makes me crave comfort food when I get home!). I’m off now to pick up some pictures we had printed up to finally fill our blank walls of our apartment! Settling in is a slow and steady process! How are you holding up?
amen amen amen!!! my Grandpa’s Meatballs actually came out raw in the center after 2 hours!!! so i broke it down into a meat sauce over spaghetti and thankfully everyone enjoyed it 🙂 Where are you living?
Hi Jamie! I moved to Israel about a month before you made Aliyah. I totally understand your frustration. We bought an oven from friends and I was also unprepared for it’s small size and one rack. Being a newly-wed couple with no kids yet, it has worked out just fine. I completely understand your desire to make American comfort food. That’s all I seem to want for the past 4 months. I have been making my dad’s Spaghetti with meat sauce almost every week. I also have been making sure I have some banana chocolate chip bread around at all times. Don’t worry, breathe deep, it will get better!!!
amen amen amen!!! I would take both of those — first I need salty then sweet or vice versa – just both for sure!
my mom used to wake up in the middle of the night to eat a PB&J sandwich — to me it’s such an indulgent sandwich – I rarely have it but i absolutely adore it!
baked ziti is mine!
hot bread and muffins — slathered in butter is my kind of heaven!
WHOA!!!! Sora Deetza what an awesome comment not sure if I am more excited about the repair guys or the recipe. It sounds amazing and would be so much fun to make with the kids! and only 3 minutes — what immediate gratification! can you post this recipe on our site under submit a recipe? http://www.joyofkosher.com/submit-a-recipe/
Wait just checked — seems like microwave only goes to 700 watts? not even sure that’s watts I don’t see any settings to change/adjust that. I also have standard dairy mugs can I use a small bowl or would that not work. can you double the recipe in a bowl – and then how much time would you microwave it for?
Jamie – the Wonder Pot is about the size of a large tube cake pan, with the tube in the middle, but also with a lid (with holes to let out the steam) and a little metal piece that fits on the burner to direct the heat up through the middle of the pan. It really is a “wonder” and makes baking sooooo easy!
lol does it come out good? I always try not to make Challah unless I am in a good mood — I feel like the positive energy makes the challah special!
none just this faint smell (which is SUPER STRONG to my nose but faint to others…) every now and again — the landlord sent a guy who sealed the sink — it helped a little. Then we went away for the first day of Sukkos and stayed a second night out at my brother and sister in law’s and when we came back after not being in the house for 2 days – the smell was BACK?!!!
Suztours yup now I am hearing all about it– how big is this wonder pot? is it also called a Pike or Pique or something — someone was just telling me about it.
hi Savta Patricia — I have heard of this! just the other day someone said I should write a book about it — lol! but where or where do I have room for another thing in my kitchen…?
hi Yael! — we have to get together 🙂 my mom is visiting and then I go to the States for a few days — lets try to be in touch and schedule coffee at Holy Bagel!
myratwinkle: want to laugh my absolute favorite mac n cheese is the neon orange powdered one out of the box 🙂
Tamjlm: NO SUCH LUCK!!!! thank you thank you thank you so much for the advice – any other ideas 🙂
Katherine!!! I can’t believe it you too???!!! with your gorgeous blog and gorgeous food and gorgeous picts I am in shock! Thanks so much for sharing your woes — misery does love company… 🙂 You’ve given me hope that I may get into a grove, maybe, one day — but don’t you find it so stressful to entertain this way?