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.
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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?
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hi Rachel thank you so much for the warm welcome and uber helpful tips — you are so spot on… I have found myself doing alot of what you suggested and have learned a bunch more from you comment – thanks for taking the time to share your awesome hard earned tips…
Welcome to Israel…
Things we’ve learned that may be helpful to fellow cookers with small, one rack, ovens:
Timing is important – while one thing is in the oven you cook your stovetop dishes. As soon as the dish in the oven comes out you put the next one in.
Cook more stovetop dishes (or at least try to balance stovetop vs oven dishes).
Make multi food dishes (ex. chicken baked on top of rice or potatoes).
Boil water in the kumkum not on the stove.
Do your baking earlier in the week (vs erev shabbat).
and plan ahead!
Oxygen is good, but burns my hands!
As for detergents, I find Tide which works well in American water doesn’t work as well in Israel. But most Israeli detergents don’t dissolve enough and leave remnants on clothes. Ariel is the best in my opinion, followed by Persil (both are imported but do go on sale).
I’ve tried Kalia both in the link and white ( supposed to be for whites only) and prefer Oxygen ( in the turquoise bottle). It’s bleach free, using hydrogen peroxide. But I have a European machine.
If you have an American washer, whites will never be white. European machines boil the water and clean better. I was told to use soap flakes (hard to find in Israel but possible). I filled the washer with hot water, dissolved 1/2 cup soap flakes, then let the laundry soak like this for several hours/overnite. Then I ran the cycle. This apparently works but it’s labor-intensive and the clothes came out much more wrinkled….Another alternative is to try adding Kalia (in the pink bottle) which is like Chlorox 2. I was told davka not to use bleach here in Israel. Hope this helps! Even though I buy undershirts and white shells more often than my friends with European machines, I wouldn’t trade my Maytag for anything! 🙂
Whoa Baby was meant as WOW how amazing not in a negative way. Hashem should bless you and answer your tefilos l’tova.
Tide is supposed to be good for all your concerns. Be careful with Oxygen liquid whitener on colored items. I use it in my hot wash and it didnt fade colored towels.
Why “Who baby”? I’d have more if I could. My baby is 15 and I have one daughter for nechama.
I’m deliberating between the Kuhn- Rikon with the rubber handle ( to minimize slipping) and the Oxo. Problem with the Kuhn Rikon is that some say the strips come out too thin. Decisions decisions. I may get both.
How to get white shirts white? I use Tide and I am very pleased with the results. Use whatever is good for you, but don’t use the real cheap detergents, they did not clean well.
I have had it for at least 6 months – so far no signs of it slowing down. I never put it in the dishwasher bc I find the oxo grip handles don’t do well there and we needed a water filter for our dishwasher in Monsey bc there is a lot of calcium in the water there but never splurged bc we were moving so twd the end we washed a lot by hand especially the oxo stuff and now I don’t have a dishwasher here. Its hard to clean inside the blade – hard to get into the small crevices. Re: usable on Shabbos I don’t know – I never asked…