#sharp compact microwave

[andsewingishalfthebattle]

SiliNOT! Testing and Review

Since I run a lot of casting workshops, I've had several people in the costuming/maker community ask me my opinion on SiliNOT!, a relatively new product advertised as a budget- and eco-friendly moldmaking alternative to silicone, urethane, and other single-use materials.

I finally bought a couple of bottles to play with, so I did a test project. My experience and findings are below! (It's not a recipe blog, but if you want to skip the play-by-play and get to the TL;DR, it's under the big "In Summary" header near the bottom.)

First, if you aren't familiar with this material, SiliNOT! is a remeltable, reusable medium for making molds. Though its exact ingredients are not disclosed, it purports to nontoxic, food-safe, and compostable. It melts in a household microwave or double boiler and solidifies at room temperature (or in a refrigerator/freezer for faster results). The website is https://silinot.com/.

(I am not an affiliate, and have no connection to this company apart from having made one retail purchase from them. I just have a lot of casting experience and like trying out new products.)

The Positive Original

I’m still in the middle of a Vincent Valentine build, so I decided to test the SiliNOT! on his custom buttons. My original is a stack of various nonporous materials: an antique (probably Bakelite) coat button, an epoxy resin dome I cast using a mold I already had in my library, and some engraved Worbla’s Pearly Art for the raised detail. The button shanks won’t be added until the final casting, so the original can be mounted flat for the moldmaking process.

Sample Worbla on the left; completed button stack on the right:

The Mold

I built the mold container the same way I do for silicone pours, with the flat back of the button fixed to a styrene plate and a cylinder (actually a small paper cup with the bottom cut off) surrounding it for the walls. The lip of the cup is sealed all the way around with Monster Clay to prevent leaks.

Heating and Pouring

The SiliNOT! didn’t take long at all to heat up; I did maybe four or five 20-second bursts before it was completely fluid. The bottle does get rather warm, so hand protection isn’t a bad idea. If you have heat-resistant gloves, you can use those; I was working in my kitchen (yay for nontoxic stuff!), so I just grabbed an oven mitt with a silicone grip.

The melted SiliNOT! looks a bit like Luke Skywalker’s blue milk. It’s about the consistency of a yogurt smoothie and likes to pour in a thicker stream compared to silicone. While silicone can be stretched into a thin ribbon for delicate pours or chemically thinned with solvent for really tricky jobs, SiliNOT!'s viscosity is dependent on temperature and never seems to get quite as thin as silicone.

I’d automatically made my mold compact to conserve material (not really a concern with a reusable moldmaking material like SiliNOT!, but after using silicone for more than a decade, I’ve trained myself to be as efficient as possible), so the walls of my mold container were only about half or three quarters of an inch from my object. Because the target was so narrow, I found it difficult to accurately fill from the lowest area of the mold with the SiliNOT! The heavier pour also means more air can get trapped in or under the material.

Bubbles are one of the areas in which SiliNOT! is decidedly inferior to silicone. SiliNOT! has higher viscosity, so bubbles don’t want to rise to the surface without vigorous tapping, which can distort the mold edges or affect leveling depending on your mold container. The bubbles that do make their way to the surface are difficult to pop, even when poked with a sharp implement. Heat gun degassing doesn’t have much effect.

Since the bubble surface cools and skins over quickly, I actually had to use a tool and scoop some large bubbles completely out of the mold to allow the surface to level. Critically, the SiliNOT! is opaque, so you can’t spot bubbles clinging to the surface of your original. (This is why my first mold was a reject, and I had to repour. More on that below.)

Hardening

Once the surface had set, I carefully moved the mold into the refrigerator to cool faster. Here’s another area where some types of silicone can have an advantage: I typically use fast-curing Smooth-On products (because I always have random quantities left to use up after our casting workshops), so I rarely have to wait more than half an hour for a silicone mold to cure, regardless of its size or mass.

The SiliNOT! has to chill completely before handling, though, and discharging that amount of heat requires a fair amount of time even in a cool environment. My mold was pretty small, maybe 2 1/2” wide by 1” deep, and it still took around 40 minutes to cool completely. A larger, deeper mold could hold considerably more energy in the center, and might have to be left in the freezer for a couple of hours before use.

Demolding the Original

When the mold was completely chilled, I removed it from the refrigerator and popped it off the plastic plate I’d used for the base of the mold. The texture was very different from what I’d expected: Unlike other meltable materials (Monster Clay, et al.) that have a firm surface when cool, the SiliNOT! remains tacky, which means it promptly collects any debris that crosses its path. In my case, this meant I had to pick dog hair off the surface throughout the casting process (and I don’t want to think about what would happen if glitter had contaminated the work space).

I’d used a paper cup for my mold walls, which usually works fine with fast-curing silicone. But the SiliNOT! must have a high oil content, because the cup absorbed some of it:

Lesson learned; use only nonporous containers with this stuff.

The SiliNOT!! really wanted to cling to the edges of my original, so I had to go slow at first to avoid tearing the thin flanges of the mold off. However, it did demold nicely from the smooth surfaces, and preserved texture very well. You can see the Worbla pebbling and the engraving channels clearly in the mold (as well as some dust and dog hair, because I made the mistake of setting it down briefly):

Unfortunately, as you can see, a large bubble had stuck to my original and created a pit in the mold, so I decided to do a second mold pour. I figured I’d tear up the failed mold and put the pieces back in the bottle to remelt… and discovered I couldn’t. The mold would stretch and twist, but not tear. It also seemed to return to its original shape relatively faithfully. Here’s a video of me manhandling the mold:

As you can see, the SiliNOT! has much better stretch and recovery than many silicone products (there are silicones that stretch well -- some of the Dragon Skin products come to mind -- but they’re not typically marketed for moldmaking). This means it’s likely well suited to casting objects with moderate undercuts or oddly-shaped bits that need the mold to stretch during demolding.

You can cut the SiliNOT! easily with scissors, which is the recommended method for getting it back in the bottle when you’re ready to remelt.

Take Two

Using what I’d learned from the first pour, I did the second one inside a hard plastic ramekin. This gave me a bit more room to pour into the floor of the mold, reducing the bubble risk, and also eliminated the porous paper cup that had absorbed oil. I still had the issue with bubbles that didn’t want to pop, but there were fewer of them this time.

The ramekin made for a much cleaner mold, buuuuut there was ANOTHER BUBBLE right in the middle of the design. >.<

Take Three

Lather, rinse, repeat. Or in this case, melt, pour, chill.

This time I heated the SiliNOT! as much as I dared and did the absolute slowest, narrowest pour I could manage, giving the air extra time to escape as the mold was filled from the bottom. The risk with stringing out the pour like this is that in a thinner stream, the heat escapes faster, leading to uneven viscosity as the liquid fills the mold. I don’t think that’s a major problem for this particular piece, but it’s something to pay attention to as regards leveling and degassing, especially for larger molds that will take longer to fill.

The result of pour three:

/siiiiigh/ Well, at least the bubbles are smaller, this time. They may not show up enough to matter in the final cast. I’ll give it a try.

Casting

I had leftover workshop resin that was getting on toward the end of its shelf life, so I used Smooth-On Smooth-Cast 300 for my initial resin trial. It’s an opaque white resin with about a 10-minute cure time (the fast turnaround is why we use it for workshops).

Before pouring, I had to do a little mold cleanup where the SiliNOT! had managed to sneak under the edge of the Worbla (I think I’d loosened the corner of the star from prying it out of so many molds), but since the SiliNOT! stretches so well, it was pretty easy to invert it to get little scissors down into the bottom of the depression.

For the first cast, I didn’t use anything but the resin in order to get a baseline. Ideally I’d like to cold cast or dye the resin so I don’t have to worry about paint chipping, but since I’m doing a trial here (and need multiple buttons anyway) I figured some plain white extras wouldn’t hurt.

So, my first cast…

…smacked into a big problem, which I probably should have seen coming: The resin I’m using is a fast cure formula, which means it discharges a fair amount of heat as it's going through that rapid chemical reaction -- enough heat to melt the SiliNOT!, as it turned out. When I tried to demold it (after giving it a few extra minutes beyond label time to be sure it was done), the surface of the mold had melted to the resin and even embedded itself in a few places. It’s difficult to see the resin detail in the photos (my camera went into white balance panic mode with all the shades of white and blue), but you can see how pitted the formerly-smooth mold surface is.

In fairness to the SiliNOT!, the bottle does say that you should put the mold in the freezer for half an hour before casting high-temperature materials. But I assumed high-temperature material was something like candle wax or melted chocolate, rather than ordinary resin. (And the mold had just come out of the refrigerator.)

So, on to pour FOUR of the SiliNOT! mold…

Take Four

NGL, this is getting a little old. >.<

Fourth mold definitely needed some cleanup around the edges, and there are still a couple of tiny bubbles I can’t seem to get rid of, but it’s good enough for a test. (I’m starting to despair of using these for actual production, given how many times I’ve had to redo the molds because of bubbles...)

Deep in the recesses of my basement, I found some transparent epoxy resin with a 24-hour cure time -- much slower and lower-temperature than the Smooth-Cast. Since it cures clear, I went ahead and mixed in some metallic powder pigment on the off chance that I get a usable button out of this one. I had excess resin after mixing, so I poured that into my first mold, which has a bubble in the design but is otherwise fine. Two test pieces are better than one, right?

Results

Here are the results of the slow-curing resin out of mold #4:

Finally, a (mostly) clean cast!

As you can see, the detail reproduction is excellent -- certainly on par with the pulls from the silicone mold I ended up making while waiting on this set to cure (purely for time reasons; I couldn’t afford five days to cast the buttons using slow-curing resin, and with a silicone mold and fast-curing resin I could get them all done within a couple of hours).

However, you can also see a few spots where bits of the SiliNOT! embedded themselves in the final cast. Part of that may be due to design flaw in the original; I didn’t want to glue anything permanently to the antique button, and that resulted in a tiny gap between the button and the resin hemisphere. Silicone has enough strength to resist tearing out in that kind of area, but apparently the SiliNOT! doesn’t. The bits of mold around the outer edge seem to have stuck just to be difficult, as there was no structural reason for those to have become embedded in the resin. This means the mold could be damaged by successive casts, reducing its usable life and accuracy.

Still, the mold definitely produced decent results for a first cast, and a different shape might not have had as much of a problem with tearing off mold parts. The slow-curing resin is a bit of a limitation, but not a unique one (I use this same epoxy resin for any glass-clear casts I do, and only use the Smooth-Cast 300 for opaque items or things I need very quickly). I don’t personally use UV resin, but I’d be curious to learn how it performs with the SiliNOT!

IN SUMMARY:

Here’s the TL;DR on SiliNOT!

Pros

Cost effectiveness. This is the most obvious advantage of SiliNOT! over silicone; it’s (theoretically) infinitely reusable, and even with natural attrition/inevitable contamination from use, you can likely get over a hundred pours out of a bottle. That's a lot cheaper per use than silicone.

Non-toxicity. SiliNOT! is touted as food contact-safe, so you don’t have to panic if you get it on your skin or kitchen counters. While platinum-cure silicone is also relatively harmless (some varieties are labeled for food or life casting), other common moldmaking materials such as tin-cure silicone or urethane are not. (NOTE: Since the company is very hush-hush about what actually makes up the SiliNOT! secret formula, I do not know if it might release any vapors or fumes that would be irritating or harmful to pet birds. In general, I advise not doing any kind of casting around birds.)

Eco-friendliness. This is the biggest draw for me personally: Given the number of casting workshops I run and all the things I sell commercially, I have constant guilt about the amount of waste I generate for creative projects. In most areas of life I’m an aggressive reduce/reuse/recycler and try to use organic materials instead of synthetics whenever possible, so a mold that’s reusable and compostable is very appealing.

Ease of use. It’s honestly pretty hard to mess this up -- just microwave according to the directions and pour. No measuring, no A/B mixture, no concerns about chemical contamination from latex or sulfur, etc.

Shelf life. Unlike silicones, which have a shelf life of anywhere from six months to three years depending on storage conditions, the SiliNOT! purports to be shelf-stable. It's compostable, so don’t bury it in your yard, but otherwise it appears that it could be kept on hand for years.

Cons

Bubbles. Honestly the most irritating thing about this stuff for me. I’m used to being able to see bubbles forming as I pour, tap them to the surface, and remove them. The fact that I poured four molds of the same object and never once got one without bubbles is super irritating.

Stickiness. I’m not a big fan of the tacky surface texture, and while I haven’t done any cold casting yet, I can imagine that it would be very difficult to clean out any pigment or mica powder that got where you didn’t want it. I probably wouldn’t use this for any kind of cold casting that required isolated colored areas or changing colors between casts.

Set time. The SiliNOT! may take longer to cool than a fast silicone would to cure when dealing with larger molds, so it’s not ideal for projects with a really tight turnaround. (But cosplayers would never be casting something the night before a con, right? We always plan ahead and never, ever procrastinate!)

Library life. The SiliNOT! may or may not structurally degrade over time the way urethane, latex, and tin cure silicones do, but I noticed even in my very limited casts that it was prone to having tiny bits of the mold (particularly at edges) stick and pull off. While I keep most of my platinum silicone molds for years and reuse them, I don’t feel that the SiliNOT! molds would hold up to repeated casting, and they’re far more sensitive to ambient temperature, so they’re probably best used for short term only. (I also wonder about the possibility of oil leaching out in long-term storage.)

Comparative Ranking

Ranking it against other mold-making materials, I’d place SiliNOT! below platinum-cure silicone in terms of performance, but maybe somewhere in the neighborhood of urethane and tin-cure silicone. It's definitely superior to latex. (Though to be honest, I'd rank Play-Doh above latex. I hate working with that stuff.)

Factoring in cost and environmental impact, it beats out urethane and tin-cure silicone. I'm still not sure if I'd rank it above platinum-cure silicone, though... Silicone costs much more and isn't eco-friendly, but the performance and lifespan is significantly better, so it still makes more sense for some projects.

Alginate is another type of material entirely, but in some ways SiliNOT! is comparable to it -- both are more cost-effective than silicone, both are biodegradable, both are skin safe, and both have long shelf lives. But SiliNOT! is easier to use for beginners than alginate, which has to be mixed to the right consistency and has an extremely short lifespan once poured.

Overall, I would recommend SiliNOT! for:

People who want accurate, non-shrinking molds but don’t have the budget for platinum-cure silicone

People who are committed to eliminating waste from single-use materials, and are willing to trade off a little performance for a more eco-friendly material

Projects with smooth surfaces and no indentations/sharp edges/undercuts where bubbles might stick (e.g. cabochons; simple geometric forms)

Projects where you need only one or two casts of something, rather than many casts from the same mold

Casting oddly-shaped pieces around which the mold needs to stretch in order to demold

Use with slow-curing resins that do not generate much heat

I would NOT recommend SiliNOT! for:

Extremely complex or detailed pieces, or pieces with a lot of surface texture that bubbles might stick to

Two-part molds

Projects requiring many identical casts out of the same mold

Molds that you intend to add to your library for future or repeat casting

Use with fast-curing resins, melted wax, melted Monster Clay, or any other material that emits heat

Cold casting with precise color application

My Overall Opinion

It's... okay? I will almost certainly keep SiliNOT! in my toolkit for certain specific applications. It's MUCH cheaper over the long term, I love the idea of recycling mold material, and there are some projects for which it will likely perform very well (those listed in the above bullet points). I will also admit that three days of working with it does not constitute a comprehensive familiarity with the product, and it might be the sort of thing that you get better at working with after more practice. (Just learning how to eliminate bubbles would go a long way toward making me adopt this for more projects!)

However, I don't quite buy the "better than silicone" tagline. It's definitely more difficult to get a perfect result, and there are some projects for which platinum-cure silicone is always going to be more reliable (e.g. high-temperature casting, mass production, large-scale life casting).

For those looking for a recommendation of whether or not to buy, I'd say look at your project budget and the applications for which you're going to be making molds, and let those factors guide which mold material you go with. People doing some kinds of projects are likely going to find this a godsend, while those doing different projects would probably hate working with it.

[tamanna31]

North America Microwave Market Research Report by Regional Analysis and Forecast Till 2030

North America Microwave Industry Overview

The North America microwave market size was estimated at USD 6.57 billion in 2023 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 3.9% from 2024 to 2030. Continuous advancements in microwave technology, such as smart features, improved energy efficiency, and enhanced cooking capabilities, are driving consumer interest and adoption. Furthermore, the trend of urbanization in North America has led to a surge in demand for compact, multifunctional appliances like microwaves that efficiently utilize limited living spaces. This, coupled with the region's rising disposable income levels, has empowered consumers to invest in kitchen appliances that offer both convenience and time-saving benefits, further fueling the microwave market's growth.

Gather more insights about the market drivers, restrains and growth of the North America Microwave Market

Smart technology in microwave ovens, such as remote-control capabilities and automatic cooking programs, has enhanced user convenience and experience. In January 2022, Panasonic introduced its advanced smart microwave, the Panasonic Smart Inverter Countertop Microwave Oven (model NN-SV79MS), at the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held in Las Vegas. This innovative appliance can be operated through any Alexa-enabled device or directly via the Alexa app. With 69.7 percent of smart speaker users in the U.S. preferring Alexa, the NN-SV79MS is designed to seamlessly integrate into the smart home ecosystems of these users. In addition, advancements in cooking sensors and precision cooking technologies have improved cooking outcomes by ensuring consistent results and optimal food quality.

The fast-paced lifestyle of many North American consumers is a significant factor contributing to the market growth. With more individuals leading busy lives, there is a growing demand for appliances that can reduce cooking time significantly. Microwave ovens offer a convenient solution for quick meal preparation without compromising on quality, making them essential for modern households.

The increasing demand for ready-to-eat meals, busy lifestyles, and technological advancements in microwave oven designs have contributed to the growth of the microwave market in the region. As more individuals rely on microwaves for quick meal preparation and reheating, the market continues to expand. According to a survey published in February 2024, conducted by OnePoll for Whirlpool on 2,000 U.S. adults, 25% of the respondents preferred using microwave to heat food.

Browse through Grand View Research's Electronic & Electrical Industry Research Reports.

The global beverage fridge market size was estimated at USD 6.54 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.2% from 2024 to 2030. 

The global chicken & meat shredder market size was valued at USD 121.3 million in 2023 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.8% from 2024 to 2030.

Key North America Microwave Company Insights

The North America market is highly competitive, with a range of companies offering various products. Many big players are increasing their focus on new product launches, partnerships, and expansion into new markets to compete effectively.

Key North America Microwave Companies:

Whirlpool Corporation

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.

Robert Bosch GmbH

LG Electronics Inc.

Frigidaire (Electrolux Inc.)

Kenmore (Transform Holdco LLC)

GE Appliances (a Haier company)

Panasonic Corporation

Breville

Sharp Corporation

Recent Developments

In December 2023, Kenmore, a home solutions provider in America, unveiled an entirely new collection of major kitchen appliances. Among the highlights of the new range are advanced features like TurboBoil, which accelerates food preparation, Steam and Self Clean functions for simplified maintenance, and Air Fry capability (complete with a basket) to promote healthier cooking alternatives

In January 2022, Panasonic unveiled its first smart microwave, the Panasonic Smart Inverter Countertop Microwave Oven (NN-SV79MS), during the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. This innovative appliance is compatible with Alexa, allowing users to control it through any Alexa-enabled device or the Alexa app

In January 2022, Blue Apron announced a strategic alliance with Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company, a renowned global leader in pioneering products and solutions. This partnership aims to provide customers with convenient cooking alternatives by combining handpicked recipes with quick and delicious techniques utilizing the Panasonic 4-in-1 Multi-Oven.

Order a free sample PDF of the North America Microwave Market Study, published by Grand View Research.

[barnshenntoys]

Buy Kitchen Toys for Kids Online

Introduction

Children love to imitate adults, and one of the most fascinating activities they often mimic is cooking. Kitchen toys are a fantastic way to nurture this interest, encouraging creativity, responsibility, and a sense of accomplishment in young ones. The market is brimming with a variety of kitchen toys, ranging from simple play food sets to elaborate kitchen playsets. This blog will delve into the benefits of kitchen toys, what to consider when buying them online, and some of the best options available.

Why Kitchen Toys?

Developmental Benefits

Imagination and Creativity: Kitchen toys provide a platform for imaginative play. Children can create their own recipes, host pretend dinner parties, and mimic the cooking processes they observe at home. This creativity is crucial for cognitive development.

Fine Motor Skills: Handling kitchen toys such as utensils, play food, and appliances helps in honing fine motor skills. Actions like stirring, chopping, and pouring can improve hand-eye coordination and dexterity.

Social Skills: Kitchen play often involves role-playing, which can enhance social skills. Children learn to take turns, share, and communicate effectively, fostering teamwork and cooperation.

Language Development: Through pretend play, children expand their vocabulary. They learn the names of different foods, utensils, and cooking processes, which enriches their language skills.

Basic Math and Science Concepts: Kitchen play introduces basic math concepts like counting, measuring, and recognizing shapes and sizes. It also lays the groundwork for scientific understanding through activities like mixing ingredients and observing changes.

Psychological Benefits

Self-Esteem and Confidence: Successfully preparing a pretend meal or setting up a play kitchen can boost a child’s self-esteem and confidence. They feel a sense of accomplishment and pride in their creations.

Emotional Regulation: Playing in a kitchen set can be a soothing activity, helping children manage emotions and reduce stress. It offers a safe space for expressing feelings and processing experiences.

What to Consider When Buying Kitchen Toys Online

Age Appropriateness

When buying kitchen toys, consider the age of the child. Toys designed for older children might have small parts that pose a choking hazard for younger ones. Always check the recommended age range provided by the manufacturer.

Safety

Safety should be a top priority. Look for toys made from non-toxic materials, with no sharp edges or small parts that could be swallowed. Ensure that the toys meet safety standards and have been tested for durability.

Educational Value

Select toys that offer educational benefits. Look for sets that include a variety of food items, utensils, and appliances to teach children about different aspects of cooking and nutrition.

Size and Space

Consider the size of the toy kitchen set and the available space in your home. Some sets are large and require significant floor space, while others are compact and portable.

Quality and Durability

Invest in high-quality toys that can withstand rough play. Check customer reviews and ratings to ensure that the toys are durable and long-lasting.

Price

Kitchen toys come in a wide range of prices. Set a budget and look for toys that offer the best value for money. Keep an eye out for sales and discounts on online platforms.

Brand Reputation

Opt for reputable brands known for their quality and safety standards. Brands like Melissa & Doug, KidKraft, and Little Tikes have established themselves as reliable manufacturers of children’s toys.

Top Kitchen Toys Available Online

Play Kitchen Sets

KidKraft Vintage Kitchen: This retro-style kitchen set is both stylish and functional. It includes a fridge, freezer, microwave, oven, and sink, all with doors that open and close. The knobs click and turn, adding a realistic touch.

Little Tikes Super Chef Kitchen: Compact and affordable, this set is perfect for smaller spaces. It features a play stove, oven, microwave, and refrigerator, along with various accessories.

Step2 Best Chef’s Kitchen Set: This interactive kitchen set includes electronic sounds for the stove burner, providing a realistic cooking experience. It comes with a variety of accessories, including pots, pans, and play food.

Play Food Sets

Melissa & Doug Food Groups: This wooden play food set includes items from the five food groups. It’s great for teaching children about balanced nutrition and food categories.

Learning Resources Play Food Set: This set features a wide variety of foods, from fruits and vegetables to meats and grains. The pieces are made from durable plastic and are perfect for pretend grocery shopping and cooking.

Hape Healthy Basics Kid’s Wooden Play Kitchen Accessories Food Set: Made from wood and water-based paint, this set includes milk, orange juice, and other essentials for a pretend kitchen.

Cooking Accessories

KidKraft 27-Piece Cookware Set: This set includes pots, pans, and utensils, all made from durable plastic. It’s a great addition to any play kitchen.

Melissa & Doug Stainless Steel Pots and Pans: This set includes high-quality, stainless steel cookware that looks just like the real thing. It comes with a storage rack for easy organization.

Play Circle by Battat – Pantry in a Bucket: This set includes a variety of kitchen accessories and play food, all stored in a convenient bucket for easy cleanup.

Interactive Cooking Toys

LeapFrog Smart Sizzlin’ BBQ Grill: This interactive grill features sound effects and learning phrases. It teaches counting, colors, and vocabulary while children play.

VTech Chomp & Chew Food Truck: This toy combines a play kitchen with a food truck. It includes a variety of play food and interactive features to teach numbers, colors, and more.

Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Servin’ Up Fun Food Truck: This playset features over 20 play pieces, songs, and sounds. It encourages imaginative play and teaches basic math and language skills.

How to Make the Most of Kitchen Toys

Encourage Role-Playing

Encourage children to role-play different scenarios, such as being a chef, a customer, or a waiter. This helps in developing social skills and creativity.

Teach Real Cooking Skills

Use kitchen toys as a gateway to teach real cooking skills. Start with simple tasks like stirring, mixing, and measuring ingredients.

Organize Playdates

Organize playdates where children can play with kitchen toys together. This fosters teamwork and helps children learn from each other.

Combine with Educational Activities

Combine kitchen play with educational activities like reading recipes, counting ingredients, and learning about different foods and cultures.

Conclusion

Kitchen toys are more than just playthings; they are tools for learning and development. By choosing the right kitchen toys online, parents can provide their children with hours of educational and imaginative play. Whether it’s a simple play food set or an elaborate kitchen playset, the right toys can inspire a love for cooking and learning in children. So, explore the options, consider the factors mentioned, and invest in kitchen toys that will bring joy and learning to your child's playtime.

[tinyhomes1]

What are the best tiny home appliances?

Tiny homes allow comfortable living in a minimalist, eco-friendly way. But fitting all necessary appliances in limited space can get tricky. Choosing space-saving and energy-efficient appliances is key for a smooth-running tiny home.

This blog reveals the top tiny house appliances perfect for compact spaces. Discover the best tiny living equipment Australia enthusiasts prefer, from essential kitchen appliances to innovative laundry options!

Mini Fridges

Standard refrigerators dominate kitchens but take up prime real estate in small homes. Thankfully, mini-fridges provide sufficient chilled storage for tiny house residents. Top options like Westinghouse 60L fridges, Chef 142L models, and Omega 46L variants occupy narrow widths under 600mm.

Their compartments also split efficiently to organize fruits, veggies, drinks, or meal ingredients. For expanded capacity, stackable mini-fridge modules let you double capacity while controlling footprint.

Benchtop Ovens

Typical ovens also need substantial floor space. So tiny homeowners in Australia frequently install 300-600mm wide benchtops or slide-out ovens instead. These ovens contain all core functions, from grilling and baking to reheating.

Leading benchtop oven picks comprise Omega appliances, EuroChef ovens, and Premium compact ovens with preset modes or manual dials. You can even find space-saving ovens with stove cooktops for additional utility.

Portable Induction Cooktops

Induction cooktops are the darling of cramped kitchens! Portable single/double induction cooktops only need a flat surface for placement. Their cooking technology heats vessels directly without occupying permanent space.

Some top models are Eurolux and KitchenHQ portable induction cooktops with rapid heating, safety shut-offs and easy maintenance. For tiny home on wheels, these cooktops offer the ultimate flexibility during transportation too.

Washer Dryer Combos

Tiny living requires smart multifunctional appliances like washer-dryer combos. As the name suggests, washer-dryers incorporate washing and drying in one unit. This allows the installation of just one appliance instead of two separate ones for washing clothes.

Fisher & Paykel and Electrolux washer dryers with 120-150L wash capacity are well-rated compact choices. Tiny house builders like Tiny Homes Melbourne can also recommend the most suitable washer-dryers for your micro-dwelling dimensions!

RV Microwaves

Microwave ovens deserve a spot in every tiny home but need fitting minute models. Affordable RV microwaves actually work perfectly! Around 25L capacity RV microwaves spanning 300-400mm widths make meal prep simple while conserving space.

Sharp, Panasonic, and Daewoo are leading producers of dependable RV microwaves ideal for warming leftovers or reheating packed lunches inside your customized tiny abode.

Tiny Home Toilets

Small homes need compact toilets. Full bathrooms use lots of space. Tiny home toilets solve this issue.

Some top tiny toilet picks are:

Thetford portable toilets

Girard tankless toilets

Nature’s Head composting toilets

These toilets fit into tiny homes well. Portable toilets can move around easily. Tankless toilets use less water. Composting toilets don’t need plumbing or tanks.

Many size and design choices exist. You can choose an electric, crank, or gravity flush type, as well as a basic or modern style. All of this helps save space in tiny houses.

Conclusion

Appliance selections make or break tiny house functionality. Thankfully, Australia’s market today has no shortage of space/energy-saving appliances well-suited for small-footprint living. Investing in the right mini fridge, oven, induction stove, microwave, washer dryer, etc., powers seamless off-grid or eco-grid living comfort.

Get specialist guidance on appliances from award-winning tiny home builders like TinyHouse.com.au! Their experienced design consultations provide appliance recommendations that exactly match your lifestyle needs and micro-space constraints.

[applianceguest]

Designed with safety and convenience in mind, it includes features such as child lock protection and a removable turntable for easy cleaning. The compact footprint makes it an ideal choice for apartments, dormitories, offices, or any space where versatility and efficiency are paramount. Upgrade your kitchen experience with the Sharp 20 L Compact Microwave Oven and enjoy the convenience of fast and flavorful cooking at your fingertips.

[homekitdecor]

Top 10 Magic Bullet Blenders to Buy on Amazon

Magic bullet blenders can be used to make soup from vegetables, butter from nuts, silky emulsions from dressings and sauces, salsas from chopped components, and, of course, smoothies. They’re incredibly helpful, often likened to stoves or microwaves, and come in various options to streamline the vast choices.

Magic Bullet Blender 2023

The Magic Bullet Blenders is a popular and highly rated kitchen appliance that is designed to quickly blend, chop, and mix a variety of ingredients. It is known for its compact size, versatility, and ease of use, making it a popular choice for those with busy lifestyles who want to eat healthy, homemade meals on the go.

The Magic Bullet Blenders  features a powerful motor and sharp blades that can easily blend and puree fruits, vegetables, and other ingredients in seconds. It is perfect for making smoothies, dips, sauces, and more, and is easy to use and clean.

One of the key features of the Magic Bullet Blenders is its versatility. It comes with a variety of cups and lids, allowing you to blend and store your creations in the same container. This makes it perfect for people who want to take their smoothies or other products with them when they are on the go.

The Magic Bullet Blender is also very easy to clean, with most parts being dishwasher-safe. Overall, the Magic Bullet Blender is a convenient and time-saving tool that is perfect for busy individuals who want to eat healthy, homemade meals without sacrificing convenience.

Read on to learn more about the best magic bullet blenders to buy right now:

KOIOS 850W Smoothie Bullet Blender

Pros

Powerful Personal Blender

Offers Unlimited Versatility

Upgraded 304 Stainless Steel

Larger Capacity and More Convenient

Cons

Leaks Occasionally

Overview

The 6-leaf cross and flat 2-leaf blade design of the KOIOS bullet smoothie maker & juicer makes it simple to combine and extract nutrients. The hardest whole foods can be transformed in 10 seconds into nutrient-dense drinks, smoothies, and nut butter.

Your single Magic bullet blenders for shakes and smoothies has an 850W copper motor with pulse technology, allowing you to get more creative in the kitchen. With the KOIOS bullet blender, operations like chopping, blending, mixing, grating, pureeing, and grinding becomes quick and easy jobs that make cooking more enjoyable.

While traveling, quickly prepare your shakes, juices, and smoothies before engaging in physical activity. Vitamin and nutrient extracts are conveniently concealed in fruits and vegetables. To ground coffee beans and nuts, use an additional flat blade and cup.

It comes with two bullet BPA-free cups with travel lids, and a flip-top cup is included. It adds more portability for transporting to the office, the gym, or class, as well as in the car or your luggage, and can help your healthy drink become the to-go mixed beverage. Drink delicious and nutritious homemade beverages anywhere.

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Specifications

Color: Black

Material: Plastic, Stainless Steel

Special Feature: Single Serve, Removable Blade, Pulse Technology

Motor: 850W

HOMCS Magic Bullet 17-Piece Express Mixing Set

Pros

Easy to Use

Versatile

Easy to Clean

High-Quality Material

Cons

Expensive

Overview

Introduce yourself to the Magic Bullet blenders , a portable countertop magician that truly works like magic. You can chop, mix, blend, whip, grind, and more with the Magic Bullet, all in under ten seconds, for the quickest, tastiest meals ever! It works well with everything, including spaghetti sauce, snacks, shredded cheese, and chopped onions.

The Magic Bullet blenders  simply takes up the space of a coffee mug while replacing a food processor, blender, and coffee grinder. It remains accessible on your counter for quick meals and snacks. No buttons need to be pushed. Simply place the ingredients in one of the four mugs, the tall cup or the short cup.

You can make spaghetti sauce, salsa, soup, chicken salad, smoothies, shakes, and more in a matter of seconds by twisting the cross or flat blade, setting the bullet on the power base, and pressing down. Simply put the magic bullet cup or mug in the microwave, fridge, or freezer to preheat or cool.

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Specifications

Color: Coffee

Material: Stainless Steel

Weight: 0.95 Ounces

Wattage: 200 Watts

Magic Bullet Personal Blender

Pros

Microwave Safe Cups

Dishwasher Safe Components

Easy to Use

Easy to Clean

Cons

Comes with Only One Cup

Overview

The Magic Bullet Personal Blender is a compact and convenient appliance that is perfect for making smoothies, shakes, and other blended drinks. It is also great for chopping, grinding, and pureeing a variety of ingredients.

One of the best things about the Magic Bullet is its size. It is much smaller than a traditional blender, making it perfect for small kitchens or for those who don’t have a lot of counter space. It is also very lightweight, making it easy to store and transport.

The Magic Bullet blenders is very easy to use. It has a simple one-touch operation and comes with several different cups and lids so that you can blend, grind, or chop your ingredients right in the cup.  One potential downside to the Magic Bullet is that it may not be as powerful as a traditional blender.

It is not designed for heavy-duty blending, so it may struggle with tougher ingredients like ice or frozen fruit. However, for everyday blending needs, it is more than sufficient.

Overall, the Magic Bullet Personal Blender is a great appliance for anyone who needs a compact and convenient way to make smoothies, shakes, and other blended drinks. It is easy to use, comes with everything you need to get started, and is perfect for small kitchens or those short on counter space.

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Specifications

Weight: 2.42 Pounds

Wattage: 200W

Color: Black

Magic Bullet Kitchen Express

Pros

Small But Mighty

Own the Kitchen

Less Mess and Less Stress

Compact Size and Countertop-Friendly

Cons

Can Get Overheated

Overview

The Magic Bullet Kitchen Express is an all-in-one appliance that can chop, mix, slice, shred, blend, and do a lot more in the kitchen. You can quickly move from a compact food processor to a personal blender thanks to its high-torque 250-Watt motor base and suitable work bowl and cup accessories.

It includes a recipe book that will assist you in starting to prepare quick, simple, and delicious meals, from appetizers to desserts. This system, which is intended for daily use, is small and countertop-friendly. All of its components are also top-rack dishwasher safe, which minimizes cleanup.

The bowl and cups are constructed of incredibly durable, BPA-free plastic, while the blades are composed of stainless steel.

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Specifications

Color: Silver

Capacity: 1.8 Pounds

Motor: 250W

Speeds: Pulse Control

M.B Magic Bullet Essential Personal Blender

Pros

Easy to Use

Hassle-Free Cleanup

Compact and Easy to Store

Easy to Use

Cons

A bit Expensive

Overview

The Magic Bullet is a kitchen tool that chops, blends, and mixes ingredients to produce a limitless variety of mouthwatering dishes in a matter of seconds. Magic Bullet can complete almost any task in less than ten seconds! Use the Magic Bullet to quickly prepare tasty party dips like salsa, pasta sauces, icy milkshakes, and more.

The Magic Bullet uses up little counter space while displaying maximum speed and variety. It is handy and simple to use. The Magic Bullet blends, chops, mixes, whips, and more with its distinctive appearance, small size, and reasonable price in less time than it takes to install typical kitchen appliances

Just insert the cup on the power base, spin the blade, and line up the tabs with the ingredients inside. In a hurry? No issue! Take your treats with you by using the handy takeout cup. Rinse with soap and water only! The mugs are suitable for top-rack dishwashers.

Quickly assemble and portable, this blender is microwave-safe with a handy cup. Ideal for cocktails, sauces, smoothies, and more, it comes with Blades, Blender Cup, and Motor Base.

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Specifications

Color: Sage

Special Feature: Portable

Capacity: 18 Fluid Ounces

Wattage: 250W

Nutribullet Personal Blender

Pros

Offers Nutrition in No Time

Easy to Clean

Easy to Use

Good Blending Power

Cons

Can be Loud While Working

Overview

The quickest and simplest method for creating smoothies that are rich in nutrients is the Nutribullet. Fill it with your preferred whole foods, such as spinach, berries, and almonds, and then press, twist.

blend your way to a healthy way of life. Its strong 600-watt motor and nutrient-extraction blades quickly turn whole foods into liquid fuel for your body.

Discover the original NutriBullet, a portable but potent personal blender. To get the most out of each ingredient, you decide what goes in every day. You’ll use this smartphone daily because of its straightforward, user-friendly design. Simply push, twist, and combine. It truly is that simple.

Did you know the majority of smoothies can be prepared in under a minute? You may now incorporate a nutritious diet into your hectic day! Put the cups on the top rack of the dishwasher after simply twisting off the blades and giving them a good wash with soap and water. That is good health with no hassles.

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Specifications

Color: Gray

Special Feature: Manual

Capacity: 0.6 Liters

Wattage: 600W

Ninja Fit Compact Personal Blender

Pros

Pulse Technology

Offers Frozen Blending

Easy to Clean

Comes With a 50-Recipe Inspiration Guide

Cons

A bit Expensive

Overview

The strong 700-watt push-to-blend motor base drives everything inside the cup to offer you the greatest Ninja mixing. Uncover the nutrients that are hidden in entire fruits and vegetables.

Produce a beverage from fruits and vegetables that is rich in vitamins and nutrients. It uses the whole, typically discarded sections of fruits and vegetables in the blending process.

For resort-style frozen cocktails, smoothies, frozen snacks, and more crushed ice grind frozen ingredients. It has simple, straightforward controls and is so small that it may fit on any countertop.

Directly blend in the 16-ounce single-serve cup, secure the spout cover, and take your concoctions with you wherever you go.It includes a 50-recipe recipe inspiration book to help you get started with simple smoothies, frozen drinks, sauces, and other dishes.

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Specifications

Color: Black

Special Feature: Programmable

Capacity: 16 Fluid Ounces

Material: Plastic

Mueller Austria Ultra Bullet Personal Blender

Pros

Powerful and Compact Design

One-Touch Power Blending

Portable Blending Jar

4 Stainless Steel Ultra-Sharp Blades

Cons

Not Much Powerful Motor

Overview

In less than a minute, the Mueller UltraBullet portable tiny blender is ready to whirl your favorite fruits! It is effective for all types of blending and can handle both frozen fruits and leafy greens with ease.

And what’s the nicest part about it? Start juicing as soon as you’d like because the personal blender won’t produce a lot of noise! The ideal blender for making shakes, smoothies, juices, and other things! Whether your components are fresh or frozen, this blender will quickly combine them into a delicious and nutritious meal.

For the smoothest possible smoothie, pulse away. There are larger and more complex blenders available, but are they really necessary for the same functionality? You can quickly prepare drinks, sauces, and even baby food with this smoothie blender!

All it takes is a touch to get going. Those who need to juice quickly might consider the Mueller juice blender as an excellent alternative. You may relax; your personal protein smoothie mixer will handle everything.

Protein shakes can be blended and served directly from the jar as a post-workout snack, or you can prepare your morning drink to bring it with you to work. Additionally, this powerful portable shake blender is the ideal size to fit on small countertops, whether they are in a house, office, or RV! Just blend, lift, and proceed!

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Specifications

Color: Gray

Number of Speeds: 1

Voltage: 120 Volts

Blade Material: Stainless Steel

OSEYM 19-in-1 Bullet Blender

Pros

Offers Pulse Technology

Unlimited Versatility

Convenient Portable Blender

Easy to Clean

Cons

Manual Operation

Overview

OSEYM is a cutting-edge brand dedicated to providing you with kitchen appliances and home goods. OSEYM blenders and other home products were designed to help you live a more vibrant, healthy, convenient, and high-quality life. This blender makes everyone’s life in their own homes more comfortable and enjoyable.

The 850-watt push-to-blend motor base powers through everything inside the cup for the best blending. And the 22000rpm speed allows your personal blender for shakes and smoothies to expand your culinary creativity.

OSEYM bullet blender with a 6-leaf cross blade for more powerful blending pulverizes fruits, vegetables, superfoods, protein shakes, green smoothies, seeds, keto shakes, and breakfast shakes effortlessly. Of course, we also include a 2-leaf blade for grinding coffee beans or condiments.

Make your healthy beverage into a to-go mixed beverage for easy transport to the office, gym, or class, in the car, or your bag. Everywhere you go, you can enjoy tasty and healthy homemade beverages. All components are BPA-free, disassembled, and simple to clean.

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Specifications

Color: Silver – Black

Special Feature: Portable and Removable Blade

Capacity: 1.3 Pounds

Peak Power: 850W

Abuler Smoothie Blender

Pros

Powerful Bullet Blender

Convenient Versatile Cup Blender Set

Easy to Clean

Healthy and Safe

Cons

A bit Expensive

Overview

Your various blending, mixing, and grinding requirements are met by the Abuler personal blender for shakes and smoothies. You may make frozen or healthy fresh fruit smoothie bowls for breakfast with the cup blender protein shake blender, grind coffee beans for a cup of good coffee in the morning, mix ground black pepper for your delectable meals or pasta, or make crushed nuts for your wonderful bread, cakes, or salad.

You don’t need to travel far to a coffee shop or juice bar for drinks after a long day at work because you can quickly produce iced blended coffee, smoothies, and other frozen drinks at home with the cup blender for smoothies.

Freshness is the secret to flavor in juices. You can energize whenever you want, thanks to the compact shake and smoothie blender. Imagine being able to make a cup of delicious juice to treat yourself immediately after buying fresh fruits from retailers.

You can prepare your favorite homemade sauces or spices, such as crushed almonds, cumin powder, pepper, or salsa, for your meals or desserts using a kitchen blender.

When it comes to blending, pureeing, and grinding ingredients for shakes and smoothies, there is nothing the single blender cannot handle. When you lead a busy life, the powerful feature substantially reduces the amount of time it takes to produce fruit shakes or smoothies.

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Specifications

Color: Silver and Black

Material: Stainless Steel

Style: Countertop Blenders

Weight: 3.22 lbs.

Final Words

In conclusion, the Magic Bullet Personal Blender is a handy and versatile appliance that is perfect for making smoothies, shakes, and other blended drinks. Its compact size and one-touch operation make it convenient and easy to use, and it comes with everything you need to get started.

While it may not be as powerful as a traditional blender, it is more than sufficient for everyday blending needs. If you are in need of a compact and convenient blender, the Magic Bullet is definitely worth considering. We have reviewed the top 10 best magic bullet blenders to buy on Amazon so that you can pick the one that is ideal for your needs and budget.

Things to Consider While Buying Magic Bullet Blender

Purpose of Use

If you plan to use the blender in a commercial setting, make sure you buy a sturdy one that can withstand its regular use.

Things to Consider While Buying Magic Bullet Blender

Purpose of Use

If you plan to use the blender in a commercial setting, make sure you buy a sturdy one that can withstand its regular use.

You won’t need a blender as durable as those meant for professional usage if you’re only intending to use it at home. You’ll need to know how frequently and by how many individuals it will be used.

The quality you need to purchase will depend on that. You’ll need one better built than one meant to be used by one person twice to three times per week if it serves three to four individuals daily.

You should also think about whether you’ll be consuming your product at home or when you’re on the go. A blender that only includes lip rings for the cups will work perfectly if you’re using it at home. Purchase one with lids if you want to prepare drinks and bring them with you to consume while traveling to prevent spills.

Price

The price of a magic bullet blender can be anything from $40 to several hundred dollars. Given the vast range of costs available, you’ll want to obtain the best value for your money, but it pays to be completely certain of your intended use of the product before making a purchase.

Look for a magic bullet blender at the lower end of the price range if you’re simply testing them out to see if you like them. They are functional but not as long-lasting in their construction. If you intend to use a blender frequently to add healthier foods to your diet, focus more on the product’s quality than its cost.

Power Level

There are numerous wattages available for magic bullet blenders. The finer your food will be pureed, the more power a blender has.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Magic Bullet Personal Blender?

The Magic Bullet Personal Blender is a compact appliance that is designed for making smoothies, shakes, and other blended drinks. It is also great for chopping, grinding, and pureeing a variety of ingredients.

What comes with the Magic Bullet Personal Blender?

The Magic Bullet Personal Blender comes with several different cups and lids so that you can blend, grind, or chop your ingredients right in the cup. It also comes with a recipe book to give you ideas for new and delicious drinks to make.

How powerful is the Magic Bullet Personal Blender?

While the Magic Bullet Personal Blender is not as powerful as a traditional blender, it is more than sufficient for everyday blending needs. It may struggle with tougher ingredients like ice or frozen fruit, but it is more than adequate for most blending needs.

Is the Magic Bullet Personal Blender easy to use?

Yes, the Magic Bullet Personal Blender is very easy to use. It has a simple one-touch operation and comes with several different cups and lids so that you can blend, grind, or chop your ingredients right in the cup. It also comes with a recipe book, so you can get ideas for new and delicious drinks to make.

How big is the Magic Bullet Personal Blender?

The Magic Bullet Personal Blender is much smaller than a traditional blender, making it perfect for small kitchens or for those who don’t have a lot of counter space. It is also very lightweight, making it easy to store and transport.

nutribullet Personal Blender

for Shakes, Smoothies, Food Prep

Magic Bullet Blender

Small, Silver, 11 Piece Set

Ninja BN401

Compact Personal Blender

Hamilton Beach Power

Elite Wave Action blender

Hamilton Beach Blender

For Shakes and Smoothies

Amazon Price $44.99

[mattadrawing]

Power and Precision: Square Wire in Electronics and Circuitry

In the world of electronics and circuitry, where precision and efficiency are paramount, innovations in materials can have a profound impact on the devices we rely on daily. Enter Square Wire, a seemingly unassuming yet highly specialized component that has quietly revolutionized the electronics industry. Its unique characteristics make it the ideal choice for applications that demand both power and precision.

In this blog, we'll embark on a journey to explore the dynamic role of Square Wire in powering the electronic devices that have become an integral part of our lives.

A Geometric Marvel in Electronics

Electronics and circuitry rely on precise connections and the efficient flow of electrical current. Square Wire, with its geometric perfection and straight edges, aligns perfectly with these requirements. Its consistent dimensions and sharp corners make it a standout choice for various applications within the electronics industry.

●      Square Wire - High-Frequency Applications

In the world of high-frequency electronics, Square Wire shines. Its uniform cross-section and reduced skin effect at high frequencies allow it to efficiently transmit electrical signals without significant attenuation. This makes it an essential component in applications such as RF (Radio Frequency) circuits, antennas, and microwave devices.

●      Square Wire - Compact and Reliable Connectors

The compact nature of Square Wire connectors makes them an ideal choice for space-constrained electronic devices. They are frequently used in applications where precision connections are critical, such as in aerospace, automotive, and telecommunications. The square shape ensures a snug fit, reducing the risk of signal loss or disconnection.

●      Square Wire - Power Distribution

Square Wire's excellent electrical conductivity and high current-carrying capacity make it a key player in power distribution systems. It is used in the construction of busbars and power cables, ensuring efficient and reliable transmission of electrical energy in various industrial settings.

●      Square Wire - Heat Dissipation Solutions

Efficient heat dissipation is crucial for the performance and longevity of electronic components. Square Wire's flat profile allows for better thermal contact with heat sinks and cooling systems. This enhances heat dissipation, helping electronic devices maintain optimal operating temperatures.

●      Square Wire - Precision Coil Winding

Square Wire is also employed in precision coil winding applications. Its flat profile ensures tightly wound coils, reducing the wasted space between windings. This results in compact, high-performance electromagnetic components used in devices like transformers and inductors.

●      Square Wire - Coaxial Cables for Data Transmission

Square Wire plays a crucial role in the construction of coaxial cables used for data transmission in telecommunications and networking. These cables are designed to carry high-frequency signals with minimal interference. The use of Square Wire ensures precise impedance control, which is essential for maintaining signal integrity over long distances.

●      Square Wire - Miniaturized Electronics

The trend toward miniaturization in electronics has been driven by the demand for smaller and more portable devices. Square Wire's compact design and efficient use of space make it an invaluable component in miniaturized electronic devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and wearables. Its contribution extends to the delicate connections within these devices, ensuring that they remain reliable and functional despite their diminutive size.

●      Square Wire - High-Precision Sensors

Square Wire is a critical component in the construction of high-precision sensors used in various industries, including automotive, aerospace, and healthcare. These sensors rely on accurate and stable electrical connections to provide real-time data and measurements. Square Wire's geometric precision ensures that these sensors deliver the accuracy and reliability required for critical applications like airbag deployment systems, aircraft navigation, and medical devices.

The Bottom Line

In a world where electronics are woven into the fabric of our daily lives, the significance of Square Wire cannot be overstated. Its unique geometric characteristics and excellent electrical properties have propelled it to the forefront of the electronics and circuitry industry.

Matta Drawing Works, an industry leader known for its commitment to precision and quality, may not always be in the limelight when it comes to electronic components like Square Wire. However, their dedication to excellence mirrors the spirit of innovation and precision upheld by engineers and designers who harness the potential of this remarkable material.

As we celebrate the power and precision of Square Wire in electronics and circuitry, we recognize the profound impact of materials that quietly shape the devices we rely on and the technologies that drive our modern world.

[yashallied]

North America Microwave Oven Market is Expected to Reach $7.9 Billion, by 2023

Request To Sample :-https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/1318

North America Microwave Oven Market Report, published by Allied Market Research, forecasts that the global market is expected to garner $7.9 billion by 2020, registering a CAGR of 5.1% during the period 2015 to 2020. By volume, the market is expected to reach 24.3 million units by 2020. The rising disposable income and adoption of premium range kitchen appliances have majorly contributed to the growth of the North America microwave oven market.

Summary of the report can be accessed on the website at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/north-america-microwave-oven-market

Based on structure, the North America microwave oven market is bifurcated into built-in and countertop microwave ovens. The countertop microwave oven segment accounted for the larger market share by revenue, as the penetration rate of countertop microwave ovens in most of the households in countries such as the U.S. and Canada is high. However, the built-in microwave oven segment is expected to exhibit a higher growth rate during the forecast period. Although built-in microwave ovens are high priced, consumers are increasingly opting for these owing to the fast growing trend of modular kitchen coupled with the increase in purchasing power.

Request To Customization:-https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-for-customization/1318

The report provides a country-wide analysis of the North America region into three countries, namely the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The U.S. is the major revenue contributor in the North America microwave oven market. Further, the economic stability and increasing purchasing power of consumers to spend on technologically advanced cooking appliances in developing countries such as Mexicoare anticipated to foster the growth of the microwave market in North America. In addition, the rising disposable income and improving living standards encourage consumers to opt for premium range microwave ovens, which is majorly contributing to the growth of this market.

Purchase enquiry:-https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/1318

Key Findings of North America Microwave Oven Market:

The North America microwave oven market is growing at a moderate rate owing to increasing disposable income, improving living standard of consumers, and rising working class population

Convection microwave oven market is the fastest growing segment, anticipated to register a CAGR of 6% from 2015 to 2020

Households would be the major revenue contributors in the application segment, constituting around 60% of the market revenue throughout the analysis period

The U.S. contributes the highest share, owing to high penetration rate of microwave oven in the region, while Mexico is likely to be the most profitable market in terms of growth

Product launch and acquisition are the prominent strategies adopted by leading players such as General Electric, Samsung and Life is Good (LG), to achieve a strong foothold in the market. These players have launched new appliances that are equipped with numerous advanced cooking features, consume less energy, and are compact in size. The prominent companies profiled in this report include General Electric Company, LG Electronics, AB Electrolux, Samsung Electronics, Sharp Corporation, Hoover Limited, Whirlpool Corporation, Galanz Enterprise Group, Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW), Alto-Shaam, Inc., and Panasonic Corporation.

[tigeherilanecookbook]

proovida

Ingredients Cinnamon Roll Dough 4 1/2 – 5 cups all purpose flour 1/3 cup (75g) granulated sugar 2 packets Fleischmann’s® RapidRise® Yeast (about 4 1/2 tsp) 1 tsp salt 1 1/2 cups (355g) water 6 tbsp (85g) unsalted butter 1 large egg Filling 1/4 cup (55g) unsalted butter, room temp 1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar, packed 1 tbsp cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing 4 oz cream cheese, room temp 1/4 cup (55g) unsalted butter, room temp 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar 2 tsp vanilla extract Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark Instructions Cinnamon Roll Dough In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 2 cups flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. In a heat-safe bowl, combine the water and butter (cut into tablespoons). Heat in the microwave for 30 sec – 45 sec, until warm to the touch but not hot. The butter will not melt completely. Pour into the dry ingredients with the egg and mix with a wooden spoon. Add in 2 more cups of flour and mix. It should turn pretty thick and sticky at this point. Add in 1/2 cup of flour and mix again. It should now turn shaggy and become difficult to stir. Once it reaches that point, set the spoon to the side and use your hands to mix and knead the dough. It will be sticky, so add another 1/4 cup of flour and continue to mix and knead by hand. It should turn into a smooth mass that’s soft and tacky. With a clean finger, press it into the dough. If your finger is sticking, add another 1/4 cup of flour and knead. If it’s not, then shape it into a ball and let it rest uncovered for 10 minutes. When the 10 minutes is up, the dough should have puffed up quite a bit but not quite doubled in size. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and pat it into a rough rectangle shape. Roll it into a 10×15 inch rectangle using a rolling pin. Spread the room temperature butter into a thin and even layer, leaving about 1/2 inch border all around the outside of the dough. Sprinkle with the brown sugar and spread it even with your hand. Then top it with the cinnamon. Working from the 15 inch end of the dough, roll it up into a log. Place your hands at each end of the log and give it a gentle squeeze in to compact the log of dough. It may have stretched out a bit during the rolling process so this brings it back together. For best results, use unflavored dental floss to cut the rolls. If you don’t have floss, you could also use really thin sewing thread. If using a sharp knife, gently saw back and forth and try not to press straight down into the rolls. This will squish them into an odd shape. Using the floss, slide it under the roll and toss both ends of the floss over top. Pull them through to create a cut. Cut off the two ends of the log and then cut the remainder into 12 pieces. Cut the entire log in half, then cut those two halves in half to create 4 segments. Cut each of those 4 segments into 3 rolls to get a total of 12. Place the rolls in a buttered or greased 9×13 dish (you could also use two 9″ round pans, placing 6 rolls in each). It’s OK if all of the rolls are touching. *See notes for overnight instructions Place in a warm spot and cover with a towel to rise for 1 hour. If you live in a colder climate, preheat the oven to the lowest temperature. Once it’s ready, turn the oven off and place the rolls inside. This creates a warm environment for the rolls to proof. Preheat the oven to 350F (first remove the rolls if you proofed them inside) and check on the rolls. They should have doubled in size and now take up the entire dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the tops are a light golden brown. While they cool, make the icing. Cream Cheese Icing Place the cream cheese and butter in a bowl and use a fork to mash the two together. Make sure they’re both softened to room temperature, otherwise the icing will be lumpy. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and mash again with the fork. Once the mixture starts to loosen, switch to a whisk and mix until smooth. Spread onto the warm rolls and dig in!

[anantradingpvtltd]

Price: [price_with_discount] (as of [price_update_date] - Details) [ad_1] MEMOXY :The cutter head is made of high quality stainless steel, 35 degree angled design, hard, food safe, high temperature and corrosion resistant.45W low-power motor, fully stirring, effectively reducing noise and long service life. Intimate safety design, the cup must be aligned with the main body position and rotated to a safe locking position before it can be used.Easy to Operate .Put the food in the cup, cover the main unit, press and hold the switch, and then cut in a few to ten seconds. USB can be charged. USB charging port with waterproof design. The whole body is waterproof and easy to clean. Intelligent Electric Garlic Machine Put the blades into the center of the bowl carefully Cut the ingredient into small piece and put them into the bowl, don't put more or less, half is appreciated. Cover it before chopping. Hold down the lid with one pull the rope with another. Take out the blades carefully first, and then the chopped Ingredients. Safety Design The cup must be aligned with the position of the main engine, and rotated to a safe lock position, the garlic chopper is ready to work. It prevent danger by children's accidental touch. Easy to Clean Body washable, waterproof material, you can wash it directly after use, very convenient. USB Power Supply International charging port--accept a variety of charging methods, computer USB, car power supply, adapter, mobile power bank supply Mini food chopper is powered by USB, with 3 hours charge, you can enjoy a long battery life of up to 10 days. It comes with a light weight,compact and stylish design, which is very suitable for traveling, family outdoor meals, camping, or other outdoor activities. PLEASE BE AWARE: The Blades are very sharp, Please take care and keep them away from children. Do not microwave or cook this product [ad_2]

[random-thought-depository]

Continuing from my last post about science fictional “hyperspaces” (wow, I think that might be the most viral original post I ever wrote; it’s amazing what being reblogged by @argumate can do for a post!):

As a science fiction writer, these are the features I find attractive about “hyperspace” that incline me to favor it over other explanations for “fast” interstellar communication and travel:

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Hyperspace lets space still feel big. Wormholes/portals and instantaneous “jump drives” tend to make space feel small (though wormholes lend themselves nicely to space outside the wormhole network feeling big and to a feeling of sharp discontinuity between “known” or “civilized” space within the network and “unknown” or “wild” space where the network doesn’t reach). Start-anywhere go-anywhere jump drives without serious limitations have the additional issue that they’re more-or-less equivalent to teleporters, so they create the ultimate MAD setting where defending multiple fixed locations from a peer adversary is very difficult, and they minimize the strategic advantages of sustainable stationary banditry over unsustainable hyper-exploitive mobile banditry, and since the likely implications of that are very depressing I prefer to avoid it (except maybe if I was deliberately setting out to write a dystopia or explore the idea).

I want space to feel big in my writing, to give the reader some feeling of the vastness, grandeur, and inhuman scale of the universe. For my main science fiction setting, I think I’ll give hyperspace travel an effective “speed” of something like 5-10 c in Sol’s local neighborhood. That way interstellar journeys are more manageable than they’d be with journeys through our space, but journeys to other inhabited solar systems usually take at least a year or two (Sol to Alpha Centauri may be less than a year in hyperspace, but add in travel time to and from the Sol and Alpha Centauri hyper-limits, which is probably going to be at least a couple of months for each leg, and it’s probably about a year).

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Hyperspace feels more like the sort of thing that might plausibly be useable to almost hairless apes with near-future-ish technology. With warp drives and wormholes and jump drives and so on I get the niggling feeling that’s the sort of thing you should probably have to be on approximately the level of an Orion’s Arm Archialect to do. Real theoretical warp drive and wormhole proposals tend to involve stuff like exotic forms of matter and energy and very large amounts of energy. Hyperspace would be a natural phenomenon, so it’s easier to explain it in terms of people exploiting natural phenomena we just don’t know about now, no weirder than being able to travel faster than rowing would allow by building a sail to catch the wind.

You can say that there are some rare atoms that naturally have a structure that extends into hyperspace. With human senses and 2020s technology they just look like ordinary atoms of silicon, iron, etc., but with the right kind of machinery you can detect them, sift them out of the surrounding 3D atoms, and concentrate them. Once you’ve got enough of them, you can make them the core of a pair of transmitters that you can use to send and receive radio messages through hyperspace. With more energy, you can “push” on these structures and “push” those atoms into hyperspace, and then if those atoms are part of a larger solid object the rest of the object and anything touching it gets dragged along with them (with a certain size limit, perhaps related to mass being “pushed” and energy used, so you don’t have to worry about accidentally sending the whole Earth into hyperspace the first time you try this - that’d be one heck of an oops; maybe a later disproven small theoretical possibility of that happening would go down into the history books along with “before they exploded Trinity they were worried it might ignite the atmosphere”); thus you can send a whole ship into hyperspace instead of just information. When you want to leave hyperspace you can reverse the operation and “push” the ship back into our space.

That gives you a nice highly valuable “handwavium” that can be a hook for various plot and worldbuilding points, e.g. there’s not much obvious economic reason to colonize Mars IRL except maybe tourism (anything you could mine there you get more easily from near-Earth asteroids, and it’s too inhospitable to make much sense as a settler colony), but maybe there’s a huge mother lode of these hyperspace-touching atoms somewhere on Mars. These hyperspace-touching atoms would be especially valuable if the process of using them for communication or in hyperdrives “strained” these structures and at some predictable rate caused some of them to “snap,” causing the atoms to become ordinary 3D atoms of silicon or iron or uranium or whatever. Then there’d be a continuous need for (relatively) large amounts of new ones even in a steady-state economy; you couldn’t just keep recycling them and recycling them and just do a little mining to make up for recycling inefficiencies. This would also be an interesting limit on use of hyperspace; using hyperspace radio or doing a hyperjump involves destroying a small amount of a precious resource, so people wouldn’t want to do it frivolously. This might augment that sphere analogy limitation on hyperspace communication I talked about in my other post; even if a hyperspace radio message from Saturn to Earth got there a little ahead of a radio message through our space, you’d probably send a radio message through our space for anything that isn’t time-critical, because the message arriving ten minutes sooner usually just isn’t worth the predictable cost in “snapped” hyperspace-touching atoms.

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Hyperspace would be an environment, so you can do interesting things with it.

Since hyperspace offers a short-cut because it’s more compact than our space, I like to pull on the idea that it’s like our space but in a more compact state, so it’s similar to what our space looked like when the universe was younger and smaller. Going to hyperspace might be a little like time travelling back to a few tens or hundreds of millions of years after the Big Bang, before the first stars formed. The environment of hyperspace might be a little like the inside of a giant molecular cloud, but “warmer” and extremely impoverished in heavy elements. The gas density might be a few thousand to a few billion atoms per cubic centimeter (by comparison, sea level air is about 10^19 molecules per cubic centimeter while the interstellar medium averages around 1 atom per cubic centimeter). The gasses and plasmas in hyperspace would be almost pure hydrogen and helium. The cosmic microwave background temperature in hyperspace might be around 50 K; that’s warm in comparison to what it is in our space (around 3 K), and warm enough to probably be a big part of the reason hyperspace has no stars (present day star-forming giant molecular cloud regions have gas temperatures around 10-20 K), but by human standards it’s deeply cold; it’s upper atmosphere of Uranus temperature. With no stars, I’d guess hyperspace would be a place of more-or-less total darkness outside the range of any lights humans passing through might bring with them.

Alternately, if I want hyperspace to have a murky and mysterious quality and be a place where visibility isn’t good and sensors don’t work well (so a vibe a bit like B5 hyperspace), I could say the Big Bang nucleosynthesis era lasted longer in hyperspace and there produced a substantial amount of heavy elements, some of which then condensed into dust (probably more like smoke if it’s similar to interstellar dust in our space - nanometer to micrometer particles). This dust would probably be pretty insubstantial on human scale distances (again, if it’s like the interstellar medium matter in hyperspace would be about 99% mostly hydrogen and helium gas and plasma and 1% dust, and even a relatively “dense” hyperspace with billions of atoms per cm^3 would have less than a billionth the gas density of sea level air), but over AUs it would scatter light and that effect might add up. This would make hyperspace similar to a dark nebula.

If I want to take the “hyperspace is a scary place” further, I could add sources of energy that might further confuse sensors and add dangerous radiation and other dangers to the mix. Maybe hyperspace has a few large black holes or something, with energetic accretion disks and polar jets fed by all that relatively dense gas and adding turbulence to it. Or maybe spacetime in hyperspace is “lumpier” than spacetime in our space and hyperspace has weird “rivers” formed by something related to whatever force drives cosmic expansion and some of the gas/plasma gets caught in that and accelerated to large fractions of the speed of light and then slams into the low-velocity material in the “still” parts in places, creating lots of turbulence and various other interesting and scary things (powerful magnetic fields, radiation, locally intense heat, maybe some of these collision zones are even giant naturally occurring inertial confinement fusion reactors; maybe that’s where the heavy elements in the dust come from). Maybe hyperspace has a lot of cosmic strings; it makes a certain intuitive sense that, hyperspace being more compact than our space, its cosmic eggshell might be densely veined with cracks.

This gets into another interesting aspect; hyperspace might have something equivalent to terrain; hyperspace travel may be easier in some directions than others. And there’s lots of worldbuilding and plot hooks you could hang from that idea.

For example, let’s look at that idea of hyperspace having “rivers” formed of exotic spacetime structures and filled with gas/plasma streams moving at high fractions of the speed of light. If the edge of these “rivers” has a gradual enough velocity gradient and the plasma in the “rivers” is ionized, with enough skill a spacecraft pilot might be able to catch that “current” with a magsail and ride it, then when they’d gotten about as far as they needed to go they could leave the “river” and do magsail braking against low-velocity plasma in the “still” areas. Just gotta be careful to stay well away from the dangerous collision zones! This might be a huge part of the short-cut offered by hyperspace travel! It could be that distances across hyperspace are only modestly shorter than distances across our space (say, Alpha Centauri is 1 light year away in hyperspace), but the really big savings is you can catch one of these hyperspace “currents” and use it to get up to large fractions of c without expending any fuel. A set-up like that does raise some awkward questions about conservation of energy, but I could say something like “the hyperspace ‘rivers’ are areas where dark energy is being converted into kinetic energy, slightly slowing down the expansion of the universe in the process.” It’s not like we know much about how dark energy works, or even what it is, so for all we know that’s a thing that might happen under certain conditions.

Those collision zones would generate substantial radiation, including light, so unlike a calm hyperspace a turbulent hyperspace with energetic “currents” would probably have light. Don’t know how bright it would be; all that dust (made of heavy elements built up over the eons by inertial confinement fusion in collision zones, I like that idea!) would absorb a lot of light over cosmic distances, and stars are pretty bright but most of our space is pretty dark.

That set-up would make hyperspace travel kind of like sailing; there would be “currents” or “winds” you want to catch, and travel might be a lot faster along directions where the currents are favorable. Travel times in hyperspace might only loosely correlate with distance; Alpha Centauri might take longer to reach than Zeta Reticuli. There would also be hazards you’d need to avoid, e.g. the collision zones.

Maybe part of the explanation for the Fermi Paradox might be that Earth is in the middle of a big “still” part of hyperspace; few ships went here because we’re in the middle of a cosmic doldrums that takes years to crawl across.

With a set-up like this, hyperspace may have “weather” that influences interstellar commerce, and “climate change” on historical timescales that influences the trajectories of interstellar societies. Ages when hyperspace is particularly turbulent might cause Dark Ages as hyperspace travel becomes very dangerous. Ages when hyperspace becomes unusually calm might also cause Dark Ages as there are no fast hyperspace “currents” to ride and hyperspace travel becomes relatively slow. In one age hyperspace “currents” may be arranged such that a world is isolated; a few thousand years later the hyperspace “currents” might have shifted and that previously isolated world might be much more accessible and back in the mainstream of interstellar civilization.

One wrinkle: a turbulent, energetic, opaque hyperspace such as this probably wouldn’t be good for sending radio signals across. Maybe the universe actually has multiple “basement” levels, hyperspace is just the one that’s “closest” to our “living room” level and the only one that’s “close” enough that ships can travel to and from it, but there’s a clearer layer that’s “farther away” but still “close” enough that you can send radio signals through it, and that “deeper” clear layer is the one used for interstellar communication. Bonus idea I like: the deep clear layer is even more compact than hyperspace (by orders of magnitude) so it’s overall a much better short-cut in every way except being “too far away” to send ships through it, so finding a way to send ships through it is a huge potential breakthrough that tantalizes generations of scientists and engineers who so far have not managed to figure out a way to do it.

Really, on that note, I like the idea that the universe is analogous to an onion with many “layers,” and hyperspace and the deep clear layer are just the layers that are most easily accessible from our space. There are a lot of “basements” below the deep clear layer, and generally as you get farther “down” the “basements” get smaller, denser, and hotter; going “down” is a little like time travelling to eras closer and closer to the Big Bang (though this isn’t a completely reliable rule - the deep clear layer is smaller than hyperspace and perhaps warmer, but seems to be a lot emptier; maybe most of its matter has been sucked into black holes?). Maybe the whole thing is a bit timey wimey wibbly wobbly and if you go “down” far enough you eventually hit what 2020s science knows as the moment of the Big Bang. As well as “basements” there are also “attics,” but they’re less accessible because going “up” is harder than going “down.” If going “down” into the basements is a little like time travelling to the early universe, going “up” into the attics is a little like time travelling to the deep future, to places that look kind of like what our space may look like in the deep future black hole era (assuming the Big Rip doesn’t destroy our universe before that deep future proton decay story has time to play out). The “attics” are vast, empty, and deeply cold; cosmic microwave background temperatures a tiny fraction of a degree above absolute zero and precious little else to generate energy, maybe one atom in every cubic kilometer of space. They probably expanded too quickly for stars to ever form there. The total number of layers might be large; maybe hundreds or thousands, maybe billions, maybe a number so big it would need to be expressed in scientific notation. I like this idea because it makes hyperspace feel less implausibly convenient for humans; we’re just taking advantage of a particularly convenient part of a big macrostructure that’s mostly inaccessible to us.

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Hyperspace is a natural phenomenon, so it probably isn’t going to be neatly quarantined to just being a thing humans can use for communication and travel. Hyperspace-related phenomena are going to show up in nature, and this offers a neat explanation for any exotic soft SF-ish natural phenomena you may be interested in incorporating into your setting.

Hyperspace (and other “basements” of our universe) also gives you a built-in parsimonious explanation for any other bits of soft SF technology your setting might feature. Want your setting to have e.g. Star Trek style forcefields? You can say they work through interaction with one of the “basement” layers of the universe.

On that note, I have an idea for a more hard SF version of the Babylon 5 “going beyond the Rim” thing or Stargate ascension, based on the “onion universe” concept I described above, which might serve as a partial explanation for the Fermi Paradox. Maybe some “layers” of the “onion” are “superhabitable” to advanced machine intelligences (though not to primitive flesh and blood beings like us). You know the aestivation hypothesis? If advanced machine intelligences could move to an “attic” they wouldn’t have to wait billions of years for our space to cool down; the cosmic microwave background temperatures in many of the “attics” would already be some tiny fraction of a degree above absolute zero. Maybe they could move to a nice big cold “attic” and live there and “mine” a nice compact “basement” that is rich in matter and energy, getting the best of both worlds. Most of these “attics” and “basements” would be completely inaccessible to humans, but beings with better technology and more resources might be able to access many more of them (or maybe even get beyond the “onion” and search the entire multiverse for universes with conditions more to their liking). So the universe’s most powerful and most enduring civilizations might usually leave our space and move to another “layer” or universe that has conditions more ideal for them, and thus be mostly undetectable to us.

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See: the concept of hyperspace is loaded with potential plot and worldbuilding hooks if you use a little imagination, and I like that!

[mymoonagedaydream]

ps, idk what the biker/college bucky story will include but i can throw out the idea of doing the modern day army veteran Bucky as a one shot or something? or whatever you don't include in the series lol

Recluse

Summary: You barely even expected to get a conversation out of Steve’s reclusive roommate, never mind anything more than that.

Pairing: Modern Veteran!Bucky x y/n

Word Count: 2.8k

Warnings: Language, smut references, references to military service

Author’s Note: You bet your butt I can do that for you anon. This one really got out of hand idk what happened man I couldn’t stop.

---

You’d been living with your friend Sharon for a couple of years now, and it was still going pretty well.

Your ground-floor apartment was very compact, but she was so considerate and easy to get on with, you barely even noticed the lack of space. She cooked for you occasionally, always paid rent on time, even did your laundry without being asked.

You just couldn’t help thinking that things were much more fun when you were both single.

Nothing much had changed in your life, you were still a lone wolf, but she’d been with Steve for almost six months now and you barely ever saw her anymore. 

Most nights you were just left to your own devices, clattering around the apartment like some sad old spinster.

It got to the point where, one Friday when you got home from work, you heard Steve and Sharon talking in the kitchen and got excited at the prospect of just having some company for the evening.

Sharon almost jumped on you as soon as you walked in. ‘Y/n! Are you free tonight?’

‘Yeah, totally, completely. You guys sticking around?’

‘You think he’d ever agree to that?.’

‘We were actually thinking of going out for some drinks. You in?’ You contemplated for a second, not wanting to come across too eager, then gave her an enthusiastic nod.

As she grinned back at you, you saw an idea dawn on her. ‘Steve, you should totally bring Bucky.’

Sharon frowned in resignation. You had no idea who they were talking about, their conversation going completely over your head.

Steve went home to change, leaving you and Sharon with a couple hours to get ready before heading out, so you thought you might as well try to probe a little deeper.

‘Who’s Bucky?’ You asked casually, sitting on her bed, watching her hold dress after dress up to herself in the mirror.  

‘Steve’s roommate.’

‘I didn’t know Steve had a roommate?’

‘I’d be more surprised if you did.’ She turned towards you. ‘In six months I’ve only met him twice.’

Your eyebrows darted up. She spent so much time at Steve’s place, that made no sense at all. 

‘What? Why?’

‘I’m pretty sure he makes a point to avoid people generally.’ She flopped herself down next to you on the bed, her tone lowering to one of deep sincerity. ‘He was in the army with Steve. Apparently he just really struggled to adapt when they got back, collapsed in on himself for a while. I think he’s a mechanic now but Steve is still the only person he really speaks to.’

‘Shit, that’s awful.’

She gave a grim nod and shrugged slightly, before standing back up and starting to get changed. 

You figured you should do the same, shuffling back to your room and finally taking off your work clothes, relieved at the thought of getting out of the apartment for the evening.

Just as you were about to leave, Sharon’s phone pinged.

‘Holy shit.’

‘What?’ You’d never seen her look so shocked. She put her index finger up at you while quickly typing something back. ‘You’re killing me here Sharon, what the hell is going on?’

‘Bucky’s coming.’

---

You managed to find a cramped table in the back of the bar. Sharon made you wait for Steve to arrive before ordering drinks, because for some reason he always insisted on buying the first round.

About ten minutes after you arrived, she glanced over to the door, grinned and waved her hand above her head. Following her gaze, you saw Steve pushing through the crowd, followed closely by a statuesque, tower of a man.

Studying him intently as he approached, you noticed how visibly uncomfortable he was, his jaw clenched tight and his hands folded into slowly whitening fists. You let your eyes dance over his huge shoulders and wide chest, feeling your stomach flip a little as he got closer.

‘Hey guys. Sharon, you remember Buck?’ Steve gave his friend a proud pat on the shoulder. Sharon nodded and grinned at Bucky, getting only a short, tight smile in return. ‘And this is y/n.’

Looking up to his face, his sharp blue eyes briefly met yours, prompting you to quickly avert your gaze. He looked tense enough without you gawping at him.

‘Nice to meet you.’ You adopted the friendliest tone possible, doing your best to put him at ease.

Steve went to grab some drinks and Sharon volunteered to help him, leaving you at the table with Bucky, bracing yourself for some intensely awkward small talk.

‘So, you’re a mechanic?’ He nodded. ‘Do you enjoy it?’ Another nod.

Alright, he obviously wasn’t in the mood for chatting. 

Christ. If you didn’t break free from this spinster shit soon, that’s exactly where you’d end up.

You didn’t want to force it if he wasn’t comfortable, you could happily sit in silence if that’s what he’d prefer.

You moved your eyes to scan the room, eventually landing on an older woman propping herself up at the bar, downing martinis, eyeing up young men and wobbling on her insanely high heels.

‘What do you do?’

It was barely a mumble, you hardly heard it over the bar’s background music. 

Your eyes returned to Bucky’s face, meeting his hesitant gaze.

‘I work in HR, so boring admin stuff mainly.’ He nodded slightly, his eyes flicking nervously between the table and your face. ‘But occasionally I get to use the shredder, which is pretty rad.’

He cracked a brief smile, the sight of it giving you a wave of goosebumps. ‘Sounds thrilling.’

‘I’ve never been here before, have you?’ You were determined to keep this conversation going, especially if there was a chance that you’d be able to make him smile again.

‘No. I haven’t been to any bars recently.’

‘You’ve got quite a bit of catching up to do then.’

Resting your head on your hand, you gave him a mischievous smirk, and felt a little smug as you noticed his shoulders relax slightly and the corners of his mouth curl upwards.

Hours passed, the bar called last orders, and the four of you traipsed out to begin walking home.

Then Steve and Sharon came back with the drinks, pretty effectively ruining the moment you’d been setting up.

Bucky went quiet again, keeping to himself for most of the evening, only speaking when spoken to. You felt his gaze fall on you occasionally, but each time you tried to meet his eyes they were quickly averted.

‘Oh hey, I forgot to ask.’ Steve gestured towards you. ‘Sharon said you went to visit your parents last weekend? How was that?���

‘I couldn’t go in the end, my car's fucked. It’s my own fault, everyday there was a new rattling sound but just ignored it.’

‘I’ll take a look at it.’ Your eyes snapped over to Bucky, a little shocked at how enthusiastically he’d come out with that. ‘If you want.’

You gave him a wide smile. ‘Wow, yeah, that’d be amazing. Thank you.’

---

A few days later, you were faced with another evening alone while Sharon was at Steve’s.

You unenthusiastically pulled a ready meal out of the fridge and poked some holes in the plastic, shoving it in the microwave and reaching for the half-empty bottle of wine on the counter.

‘Hi. Sorry. I was coming this way and Sharon said you’d be in, I thought I could take a look at your car?’

Just as you went to grab a glass out of the cupboard, you were stopped by a faint knock at the front door.

Shuffling over and yanking it open, you saw Bucky standing on your doorstep, looking just as uncomfortable as he did walking into that bar.

You were a little embarrassed that he’d caught in your pyjamas at 6:30, but that feeling was hugely outweighed with how pleased you were to see him.

‘Yeah, great.’ You gave him a warm smile. ‘I’ll just grab my keys.’

You found your gaze pretty quickly drawn to his arms, propping him up as he leant over the machinery like thick, hefty tree trunks. It was amazing how entranced you were by them, but considering how long it’d been since you’d even brushed past an attractive male, it made sense. God the things you’d let him do, if he-

You slipped on your shoes and led him over to the rustbucket, badly parked on the street outside. He flicked open the bonnet and immediately started tinkering.

You had less than no idea what was happening, but it looked very impressive.

‘Could you start it up?’ His deep voice pulled you out of your hazy fantasies.

‘Hmm? Oh, yeah.’

You tried your best to hide how flustered you were as you climbed into the driver's seat and turned the key. An intense rattling started, which he listened to for a second before signalling for you to turn it off and closing the bonnet.

‘You were right, it needs a lot of work. It’s definitely not safe to drive.’

‘Shit, stuck with the bus then.’ You sighed and climbed out, slamming the door behind you. ‘Thank you so much, you really didn’t have to do this. I appreciate it.’

‘Anytime.’ He smiled politely, taking a couple steps backwards before turning, dropping his head and starting to walk away.

‘You can come in for a drink if you want?’ You called after him, a little shocked at your boldness but not at all mad about it. He spun round. ‘It’s the least I can do.’

He took a sip and turned himself slightly to face you. ‘Look, if you bring your car to the shop where I work, I can probably keep the price down.’

His polite smile evolved into a wide grin as he nodded, following you inside.

You grabbed him a beer from the fridge and gestured for him to join you on the couch, smiling to yourself at how nervous he seemed as he balanced himself right on the edge of the seat.

‘Are you sure?’ He nodded. ‘That's so nice, you barely even know me.’

He looked a little sheepish at that, scurrying around for his words. ‘Sharon was pretty keen for me to come take a look, it’s probably best to keep Steve’s girlfriend on side, y’know.’

‘Oh I do know, Sharon can be terrifying.’ You both chuckled as Bucky edged back, settling himself into the couch a little more. ‘So you and Steve met in the army?’

‘We’ve been friends since we were kids, we signed up together.’

‘That’s nice.’ You tilted your head at him, deciding to take a slight gamble on your next question. ‘Do you miss it?’

He fixed his eyes on the ground and faintly shook his head, nervously starting to pick at the label on his bottle.

Shit, you really didn’t mean to make him uncomfortable, you were just curious.

A swift subject change remedied the situation somewhat, and after a while you sensed him beginning to relax again.

You finished off your glass of wine and checked your phone, your hand shooting up to your forehead in shock when you saw that it was close to midnight.

Over the next couple hours he slowly came out of his shell even further, eventually chatting and laughing with you like you were his good friend. The two of you unconsciously edged towards each other throughout the evening, ending up face to face with legs folded up on the couch, as close as you could get without touching.

‘Shit, I have work tomorrow.’

‘I’m really sorry.’ He put his bottle on the coffee table and stood up quickly. ‘I didn’t mean to keep you up.’

‘Oh you don’t have to apologise, it’s not your fault. I had a really nice evening.’

‘Me too.’ He smiled and buried his hands in his pockets, following you to the front door. ‘I’m working every day this week, you can come in whenever.’

‘Friday would be great? I have the day off.’

‘See you then.’

You watched him disappear down the street, feeling your limbs tingle with excitement at the prospect of seeing him again so soon.

---

You usually used your days off to sleep in till midday, but on Friday the tow truck showed up at 7am to take your car to the shop. You didn’t even get up that early on workdays. A pint of coffee was barely enough to keep you from passing out on the ride there.

He eventually noticed you stood there, staring, and your face immediately heated up as he approached.

You hurried inside the garage, scanning the room and eventually spotting Bucky underneath a hoisted truck, reaching up to work on it. His arms were glistening with oil and sweat and his shirt was riding up, exposing the faint trail of hair starting underneath his bellybutton.

Lord in heaven, what a view.

‘Sorry, didn’t want to interrupt.’

‘That’s alright.’ He pulled a dirty rag out of his pocket and roughly wiped his hands. ‘Did you bring the deathtrap?’

‘Yep, just outside.’

‘It’s gonna be a while. I finish at four, d’you wanna come back then?’

‘Sure.’

You walked up the driveway ten minutes early, which you thought was reasonable, and asked the very intimidating guy out front for Bucky. He just eyed you up and down and gestured vaguely to the side of the building.

On the way home you kept accidentally walking into roads, your mind completely occupied with Bucky’s midriff.

The whole day dragged. In your boredom you ended up leaving for the garage about an hour too early, meaning you had to loiter in an off-license, probably looking like you were shoplifting.

Turning the corner, you were met with a pretty impressive, cinematic wide shot of Bucky’s arse as he was leaning over the inside of your bonnet.

You should probably say something. Tell him you were there. Say hello.

Yeah, probably should.

Yeaaah.

You sighed and reluctantly shuffled towards the car.

‘How’s it-’ Bucky jumped and whacked his head against the propped-up bonnet. ‘Fuck! I’m so sorry, are you alright?’

He smiled at you, standing up and rubbing the back of his head. ‘Yeah, all good. Happens all the time.’

‘Oh, really? In that case you might want to consider a career change, could end up with some permanent damage.’ Chuckling, he reached up and slammed the bonnet with one powerful movement. ‘How’s it looking?’

‘Not bad. Want to take it for a spin?’

‘Sure.’ He held up the keys and you grabbed them out of his hand, excitedly hopping in the driver’s seat while he walked around and got in the passenger side. ‘You coming?’

‘Can’t just let you drive off without paying, you might never come back.’

You shot him a wide smile as you fired up the engine, amazed at how smooth it sounded, and pulled away from the garage.

‘I can’t believe it, it didn’t even run this good when I first got it.’ He smirked a little and nodded. ‘Thank you, Buck.’

You were already in the outskirts of the city, so you decided to drive out into the sticks a little, eventually pulling up into a dusty layby on a narrow side road.

Glancing to your side, you saw that Bucky was struggling not to look very pleased with himself.

As he began stroking his thumb along your knuckles, he cautiously pulled his gaze up to your face, looking at you like you’d just told him he’d won the lottery.

His hands were resting on his thighs and, almost unconsciously, you reached out to grab the one closest to you and squeeze it lightly.

He stared down at it for a few seconds, eventually turning his hand over and squeezing back.

You could barely even remember what happened next. You remember the back of your neck tingling, your stomach tightening almost to the point of becoming painful, the feeling of Bucky’s rough, calloused hand against your cheek and the way your heart jumped when he leaned towards you and pressed his mouth against yours.

Eventually pulling away, he buried his face in your neck, planting short kisses along your jawline between laboured breaths. You pushed his head back against the seat and pressed your forehead to his, closing your eyes and letting your hands dance down his chest.

It was slow and tender at first, but it quickly picked up, becoming feverish and passionate.

He threw his arms around your waist and roughly pulled you over onto his lap, holding you so tight to his chest that you couldn’t tell whose heart you could feel thumping like a steam engine.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve done that.’ He sighed, bringing a hand up to bury itself in your hair.

‘Me too.’ Your mouth curled into a smile. ‘It’s been even longer for other stuff.’

Melting into each other in a cacophony of limbs and flesh and tearing clothes, both of you eventually found the release you so desperately needed. 

There was a loaded silence, you opened your eyes to see Bucky staring at you intently, wearing an expression that made your toes curl.

You dived clumsily into the backseat and pulled him after you, giggling as you both adjusted yourselves, trying to get even slightly comfortable in such a tight space.

And both of you did all you could to savour the feeling of finally having someone to hold close.

---

[love-takes-work]

Korean Lunch for the Universes 

Why yes I did make an entire Korean meal for two based on less than five seconds of footage in “Steven’s Dream,” why do you ask?

Instructions and commentary below!

See more SU food tutorials!

It's that time again where I have to spend an entire morning cooking a full meal because seconds' worth of food on a cartoon

Steven and Greg went to Korea and Did All the Things. That includes lunch.

Welp. I'm that weirdo who makes Every Dish In Steven Universe, so get ready to learn now to make all this food.

Four Parts

Sushi

Noodle Bowl

Dumplings

Pickles

I'm pretty familiar with the Japanese equivalents, but this is Korean food and honestly I'm a total tourist to this. So I'm afraid I'm going to mostly approach it like a tourist and take some shortcuts. Some of my stuff is from packages instead of from scratch. Sorry!

SUSHI

This Korean sushi is called gimbap . You will need to make the sushi rice a specific way and then prepare the sushi roll.

Ingredients:

11 1/2 ounces sushi rice

1 1/2 cups cold water

4 tablespoons rice vinegar

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 package nori (seaweed sheets)

1 carrot

1 danmuji (pickled radish)

Some leaves of spinach

First, sushi rice is made a special way. I am no expert, but the way I do it has worked fine for sushi in the past. First you measure out your 11.5 ounces of rice and put it in a sieve, then wash thoroughly with tap water.

Put it in the pan you will cook it in, pour the 1.5 cups of cold water on, and let sit WITHOUT COOKING for 30 minutes.

When the soak time is up, turn on high and boil. As soon as it hits boil, turn to low, cover, and cook 15 minutes. Then turn off the heat and let steam in the pan for 10 more minutes. You now have fluffable, tasty, sticky steamed rice!

Next, make your vinegar concoction. Combine the vinegar, the sugar, and the salt in a small dish. Microwave it to dissolve the sugar. I did this in a few 20-second bursts. It smells strongly but I love that smell. Make sure when you stir it, there's no sugar on the bottom! It must be dissolved.

Pour the concoction over the hot rice and stir it in. You are ready to work with it!

While you're waiting for soaking, boiling, and steaming, you can prepare veggies.

• Pickled Radish: Cut discs and chop in six to eight pieces each.

• Carrot: Wash, peel, and cut into medallions. Chop those medallions into halves or quarters depending on how big they are.

• Spinach: Chop off the stems and cut into ribbons.

Put a sheet of nori on your rolling mat, rough side up. Spread some rice on using a wooden implement designed for this and get it out to the edges evenly.

Place a line of each vegetable toward the upper third of your mat of rice.

Roll, compacting as you go, and pull the rolling mat out with a tuck before the top edge goes under. Roll up the rest of the way, remove from mat, and cut in thin slices with a sharp knife.

Gimbap is DONE!! (Sorry, it’s messy. Not my first time doing sushi, but it was my first time trying to slice thin.)

NOODLE SOUP

This particular kind of noodle dish reminded me of a dish I once ate in Japan: Zaru Soba. It's buckwheat noodles served cold! Well, turns out the Korean equivalent is very similar. It's called naengmyeon .

There are many varieties and choices when it comes to making your own naengmyeon. You should have thin brown noodles (buckwheat works), a chilled broth of either beef or kimchi/radish water, seasonings (usually mustard powder and chili paste), and various garnish.

As mentioned above, I am taking some shortcuts here as I'm no expert to this cuisine, so I got a packaged naengmyeon kit that included noodles, broth, and seasonings.

For garnish, after looking at naengmyeon recipes and comparing Steven and Greg's soup to them, I determined they have strips of English cucumber, strips of beef brisket, slices of Korean pear, and a hard-boiled egg. The garnish was up to me. I got these items and substituted pan-fried soy bacon for the brisket.

NOODLES

I boiled water, added the cold noodles, boiled them for only ONE MINUTE, strained them, and ran cold water over them before placing them in serving bowls.

BROTH

The broth is supposed to be literally icy and mine was but it was no longer apparent once I poured it out and stirred seasonings in, to taste. Then I added it to the noodle bowls.

PICKLE

I chopped an English cucumber into strips to lie on top.

"BEEF"

I fried soy bacon in oil in a frying pan and added soy sauce for color to make it resemble beef brisket.

KOREAN PEAR

These things are more like apples from where I live! But taste like pears. Crunchy and good. (I also read that you can juice these into your broth if you want more kick.) Slice thin slices and add to the pile.

HARD-BOILED EGGS

I boiled six eggs like this: Put cold water in a pan until there’s enough water to cover the eggs by about an inch. Boil the water. Once it’s boiling, add eggs cold from the fridge. The water will briefly stop boiling. Wait for it to start boiling again and wait 30 seconds.

Then turn the heat down to LOW and put a cover on the pot. Let the pot simmer for 12 minutes.

Then turn off the heat, remove the eggs from the water, and put them in ice water. Let them chill briefly, then peel.

Cut an egg in half and add to the pile.

Congrats! It's naengmyeon.

DUMPLINGS

Here's another one where I took a shortcut. Most likely Steven and Greg are eating mandu, which is kinda any kind of dumpling, but the pork buns are super popular so they are probably pork buns.

I decided I should make my own since I don't eat pork. I was planning to fill them with tofu, carrots, and scallions. But guess what.

Couldn't find the dumpling wrappers.

So instead of making my own, I just bought some frozen ones that contain vegetables only and I steamed them at home.

I used a lightly oiled steamer in a pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes.

Wish I could have made them myself but these will do. I arranged them nicely on a plate.

RADISH

If you notice, there's a small bowl of pickles on the Universes' table. They are danmuji, pickled radish.

I reserved some from my sushi and chopped it in slices like we see in the illustration.

Great!!

COMPLETE MEAL

In my attempt to earn the title of Most Over-Enthusiastic Steven Universe Fan, I set up my table to look very much like Greg and Steven's from the trip to Korea in "Steven's Dream"!

I hope you like it!

And yes, it was all delicious!

See more SU food tutorials!

[greedygreedyphilza]

the results of the netherrack texture, smell, and taste survey!

95 responses + my own response! this got very long obviously so below the cut it goes

note: to clarify i was thinking of the new texture but any answer thinking of the old texture is not wrong and i love them all so

what do you think netherrack feels like?

- beans

- I feel like it would be similar to impacted dirt. Not quite solid like stone, but still pretty hard. The same vibes you’d get from Mars, yaknow?

- i think it feels like crumbly rock. idk how to describe it. soft-ish

- you know like cracked dirt? maybe somehow more squishy. my perception of netherrack is that it’s just evil dirt.

- that dirt thats like not together like beady gritty loose dirt

- squishy, a bit wet, and hot to the touch. Like felt soaked in hot water.

- rock

- semi-spongy semi-rock. if you know you know

- Like those large stones in Central Park that people climb on, but bumpier and warmer

- like that weird black rubber shit they use as the floor of some parks

- stone bricks but worn down and like chunky if that makes sense idfk but a bit more soft like able to fall apart CRUMBLY CRUMBLY YEAH CRUMBLY

- Hard. The noise is too deep for it not to be. Softer than normal rock, so like compacted sand but not as gritty

- The layer of netherrack that is exposed to open air is hard like rock from the heat and proximity to lava. Break through it and you get a softer dirt like texture that ‘grows’ in clumps like an aggregate fruit (fascinated)

- very very dry and crumbly, imagine oreo crumbs that sap the moisture out of your hands like chalk

- flesh

- Something like bumpy and rough, kinda like bricks

- Sort of like a dry natural sponge. It’s firm with many jagged holes and would probably hurt you if you brushed against it too hard

- river bed sand but not wet but not dry

- A bit greasy, like rocks are clumped together using a not very greasy component but the grease is still definitely there.

- It’s crumbly and warm, I think. Like that volcanic ash stuff. It’s also porous, and kinda makes your hands feel dry after you touch it.

- gravel but made exclusively of tumbled stones and very hot. like hot water when u wash dishes hot. wont burn you but you think “oh thats kinda hot” and do nothing.

- probably very rough

- hot cement

- Sort of like IRL sandstone. Soft-ish rock

- The rubber floor they have on playgrounds. You know, it’s kind of textured and rough but also a little springy?

- If you chopped bricks up into gravel and then the heat melted it slightly and solidified into a Rock

- Limestone

- You know the sorta rough, but soft mats that cover the ground outside playing areas or jungle gyms? Yeah.

- A malleable rock that easily crumbles in your hand to dust, like ash

- firm but vaguely soft, crumbles like chalk

- hot kinda bumpy, not like gravel but like. god idk. like those big clumps of nerds candy you find sometimes at yogurt places

- jagged rocks. not sharp enough to cut anything, just not smooth in the slightest

- concrete but like… Red. yknow

- Depends on which texture. The first one would feel wet and moist with what I can only assume is blood? The red shit that’s leaking from the cracks. The new one looks dry and brittle.

- Rocks, but spongy

- Dry mulch or densely packed flakes of dry skin

- squishy gooey hot gross

- VERY crumbly, like if you tried to climb up a wall of it you couldn’t grip it at all, it would come apart in your hands

- like hot stone the sun has warmed

- Meat, but hard. Like the crust of a honey baked ham. Just a tad crunchy

- The same feeling as slightly freezer burnt beef you defrosted in the microwave and now it’s like both slimey and sticky. It has a slight crunch but feels like walking over a spot you spilled soda and you shoes stick slightly.

- crumbly, but smooth somehow

- Like rubbing your hand over hot rough stones

- Dusty but solid, sandstone like.

- hard rocks

- that rubbery material used for playground surfacing, with all the little granules and very Warm

- a smooth lake rocks but softer and stuck together

- Squishy, not like a sponge but like flesh. Like rock with a slight squishy give to it.

- Almost like talc— world’s softest rock/mineral, because of how fast it mines. Or like… one of those foam play mat tiles, but somewhat scratchier.

- old netherrack? bit like steel wool, more tightly compacted. new netherrack? hot rocks that have melted together and reformed, still a little bit melty.

- Hard, like cobblestone, but more crumbly. Leaves a powder on ur hands that gets under ur fingernails. If u don’t wash ur hands after a long time it burns. Slightly unstable to walk on and unpleasant to step on with bare feet. Actively absorbs moisture.

- rough but not brittle

- slightly damp red clay, it doesn’t stick to your shoes though

- sulfur but not as soft, like in-between sulfur and regular rocks? really soft crumbly rocks?

- coarse sand but with dirt

- Bumpy and soft with a slight roughness to it

- a weird gray line between fairly solid like a rock and crumbly like wood that’s been in a fire

- chalky, crumbles like sheets

- really crumbly rock. kinda soft but not soft enough to break if u stomped on it. ever since i saw the block i always thought 'hm yes. this is how it feels.'

- Squishy- very very squish. Yknow the kind of chunky uncomfy stuffing?? That stuff!!! But compact enough to walk on

- squishy but like firm

- skin but not the outside. like the inside of skin the red part

- Rough stone

- like. Marble I think actually but really lumpy

- like really clumpy dirt. or like you know wet sand? that sort of clumpy-ness but not wet

- 1. it's hot. 2. there are a few hairs. they are not soft. 3. it has some give but it's definitely firm.

- a soft rock! it feels like kinetic sand when it sets in-between your fingers, and you can break up the Big Chunks with a little water to turn it into a paste

- shitty fucking gravel. i bet like you go to kick it and instead of flying through the air for a minute it just cracks. but like if you touch it, the stones hold. it takes a minute for them to burn you, so it's like a game of hot potato. but with rocks.

- rough

- hard marshmallow

- hard/rough and bumpy, definitely like a root

- Slightly squishy rock. Sort of sandy?

- dry scab

- dirt but mean and hot

- sponge

- kinetic sand and lava rocks

- slightly squishy, like how walking on it sounds

- rocks. cobblestone but. different? like on the surface its smooth but its not matte. and with all the rocks like cobblestone (important to note here: i am not that familiar with the old texture)

- smooth rock w/ cracks. very oily

- bumpy and fleshy. Like cobblestone, but instead of stone, its just the flesh of beans

- gravel and chalk

- very smooth gravel

- chicken u left out on the counter for 3 days and now its all dry and hard

- hot, rough, like blacktop left in the sun in the middle of a heatwave

- Very rough but crumbly. The overall stone isn't actually crumbling but you feel a lot of dust and rock pieces fall off if you brush part of the surface of it. (The dust is more like sand)

- okay so like. imagine hard playdough. like really hard playdough. it feels like solid rock when ur just walking on it but if you break the surface of it its soft like putty and holds shape?? so you can makes molds out of it and stuff. its very cool trust me

- Like a mix of obsidian and stone. Smooth boi

- smooth rock

- wet sand minus the wet but not like dry sand. compact and oddly squishy, but like still kinda rough.

- Ummm kinda smooth but with bumps and craters. idk but I got this moon that lights up n I think itd feel kinda like that

- Kinda squishy but still firm. Like cheese. Rlly hot cheese

- coarse dirt and/or hardened mud

- Playground fake mulch: rough and firm but a bit squishy when pressed on

- i feel like since it’s supposed to be the dirt of the nether (or at least it is to me) so i feel like it had a similar texture but more grainy and less put together. as you walk on it you sink into it, it invokes a slight panic the first time someone walks on it. it feels as though it might not hold your weight but it does. a little bit tougher then normal dirt but not as tough as stone. it’s very rough to the touch and if you were to scrape against it too hard or fast it would surely cut your skin. hot to the touch but not enough to burn, more like almost comforting like the warmth from holding a hot drink but it saps the moisture from your hands. the warped and crimson ones feel more put together and you don't sink into it as much as normal netherrack, it feels like moss to the touch

what do you think netherrack smells like?

- beans

- fire

- red

- Sulfur (obviously)

- burning. even if its never been lit thats just its scent

- sulfur

- strangely rotten, like that off smell u get when u know something is going bad but like it smells hot at the same time

- bitter, a bit metallic, just a touch of cordite.

- rotting corpses

- like someone crushed a jalapeno using a rock they got from a parking lot. the la croix of smells: faint, but there is Something there

- Ham that's like 10 days away from expiration but already funny-smelling; only when rubbed. Default smell is that one rock that smells like rotten eggs.

- some sort of smoked meat

- nothing

- smoke. maybe faintly like period blood

- There's a hint of sulfur (of course) but what surprises most people upon chancing to smell the softer netherrack underneath the shell is... slightly. eggy. Not rotten egg like sulfur but... like an eggy dessert. Not quite as sweet though.

- i think it smells the same as when you have a campfire going on a hot day or when you step into a car thats been in the sun for too long

- flesh

- Something that's been burnt

- Nothing until it's lit on fire, after which it smells like fireworks.

- burnt popcorn

- Like ash?

- I think it smells like soil, but spicier.

- like burnt tire rubber

- Smoky coals :)

- BBQ sauce but slightly warm with like chili peppers int here and slightly burnt

- Hot pavement.

- Probably kind of acidic

- Hot asphalt

- Very very burnt, almost like you overcooked toast or popcorn and it takes a while after leaving the nether to stop smelling like it

- The distant burning of a substance not found elsewhere, like tainted minerals bubbling in a furnace coming from your neighbor's window

- burnt toast

- hot. but no probably really bland but people think it smells like this or that due to plants or skin burning on it

- my cooking. completely burnt.

- strawberry

- Netherrack txtr1: rotten and metallic. Netherrack txtr2: probably like warm/hot rocks

- Sulfur, heat, and what I imagine a volcano to smell like

- You know when you turn on your stove and inky gas comes out but no fire ? And then you lean forward and catch a sniff adn your like "WoW! Thats awful!"

- hot brick

- Burnt bacon

- Burnt but like not bad

- Smokey, definitely, but acrid. Like when you're burning green wood. I feel like if you sniffed it too close your eyes would water.

- Over smoked beef and soup thats like a day away from going bad being heated up.

- that smell you get in hardware stores/the warehouse portion of ikea but more ... earthy and burnt

- Warm rock...

- Rusty, Tangy, with a hint of sulfur

- warm rocks

- mild rotting meat honestly

- Brunt dirt

- Vaguely sulfuric, mixed with a hot, earthy scent, like fungus.

- the actual rocks dont smell like much. a bit singed and whatever the antithesis of wet rocks is. the nether itself provides more then enough smoke to inhale

- Sulfur. Sulfur and something burning, somewhat like gunpowder just fired. The smell of explosives but to the left. Warmer, more rank. The smell is faint unless you pulverize it or actively smell it by holding it close to your nose. One of those smells that is strong, but easily blends with other scents instead of smothering them.

- mmm the smell of heat which is definitely a smell you know what i mean.

- the ground after rain with traces of campfire smoke

- rancid, burns your nose so much you cant even properly smell it, hot smell

- burnt bacon and burnt chocolate mixed together

- Sulfur

- burnt...anything really. but like really faint brunt smell, depends on what biome it's in. can netherrack be in different biomes?

- metal smell. like the one that happens when metal comes in contact with skin

- like hot rocks. like the rocks u see in fireplaces. charcoal i think? ive always thought of netherrack smelling like that and idk why.

- Burnt.

- like a semi decaying mushroom. so like. a little gross but enough to eventually desensitized to it

- spicy!!!!! it smells spicy .

- Nothing much, it just caught the smell of fire and smoke from the Nether

- You know when your about to sneeze or it's really hot and your nose is feels like it's slightly / medium burning in pain yes definitely that but like all of the time and also smells like it's a hot day

- h o t

- when you walk past a dumpster behind an elementary school on a hot day

- smoke, but that's just because it's in The Nether. if you like, let it sit out for a couple of days and then smell it it'll smell like the sun

- probably like a dirty grill y'know? like you just made the world's fattiest burgers and all that gunk is in the grill? like that but burning. probably bad.

- faint blood or an irl rock

- rot and death

- rotting dead mixed with expired milk

- Sulfur

- blood and fire probably

- by itself it doesnt rly smell like anything, but its hard to divorce it from the smell of brunt pork and sweat

- uhhh smoked wood/ charcoal

- hot rocks. like how somethings hot and you can kind of smell it? like a desert smell? or is that just your smell receptors getting hot and not knowing how to deal with it

- burning oil

- like limestone would, i bet. but like. a very very musty version

- smoke and salt

- ash

- raw meat (bad)

- warm concrete

- Burnt, very very burnt. Just... just literally the smell of fire almost- like the rest of the Nether. It's not very pleasant and you'd likely not want to sniff it up close (unless you enjoy the smell of fire?)

- d. dirt.

- Idk rock probably. Maybe also ironish.

- rock

- Hot Dirt. what does hot dirt smell like? oh, you know ;)

- Big smell. Very big smell. Like charcoal and cinnamon but turned up to ten (maybe a hint of onions cause like if your around it too long your eyes start to water)

- Burnt

- coals on a grill

- Asphalt in the summer

- i think it smells like smoke, but it's stronger and sticks to you like chlorine. you can tell someone has been in the nether recently because of the smell of netherrack (unless they have been in a soul sand valley, then the scent of death follows them). Or it smells like hardware stores like some else said, metallic, earthy, almost smokey. in warped and crimson forests it smells more earthy and way less like smoke.

what do you think netherrack tastes like?

- beans

- dirt

- charcoal

- also burnt tire rubber. dont eat it. its a stone.

- very sour and bitter at first, and then becoming almost repulsively bland. Very bad rubbery texture.

- rock flavored la croix. basically nothing but with a hint of dirt

- Kinda chalky texture, kind of bitter but ultimately not disgusting

- Charcoal

- mmm cronchy brunt rock

- Warm rocks

- hot rocks

- Bacon

- sand with a hint of either artificial cherry, artificial strawberry, or artificial watermelon

- hot brick

- you know when you overcook bacon and it's super crispy and really brunt tasting to where its inedible? that but a sandy texture

- Igneous rock?

- hot!

- raw meat.

- good.

- smokey spong

- dirt in a good way. or sand

- spicy rock :)

- volcanic ash. mixed with like. the bitterest coffee ever. just really bitter.

- you know when you trying to swallow a tablet but you just end up swallowing the water and the tablet is now disintegrating in your mouth and you're just trying to get more water in to get the taste and texture of the tablet out? that

- spicy.

- Stone

- like "crakclckecklcaeckkcle" gravel if it were smooth water rocks (you know those rocks that's like, much cooler when they're wet, and are perfectly oval shaped, no cracks in them), but im sure if u open your mouth and breathe while its in your mouth, it tastes like burnt milk ice cream in the form of smoke hitting the top of ur mouth. Pretty sure if you exhale while it's in your mouth, smoke comes out too, like if you were exhaling a cigarette. Expect its dirty black and not just, smoke.

- sexy yum crunch

- like dirt. but more hard and red.

- To the player who attempts the unthinkable, the taste of netherrack is rumored to be that of rotten flesh. That the consumption of the soft pulpy netherrack clumps beneath the shell tastes of slimy and inedible gray matter, and that to eat it would cause the brain to simply fail at comprehending what the body had consumed. The rumors are false. It tastes, against all odds, like a spicy egg custard. That being said, it should not be eaten in large amounts, as it can make one quite sick and is worth almost nothing nutritionally despite filling the stomach. It can be used to starve off the feeling of hunger in this regard, but gives no sustenance. Source: me, unfortunately.

- burnt dirt

- pop rocks: lava edition. aka hot dirt

- Netherrack txtr1: rotten with some crunch. Have you ever ate rocks as a kid? Well that taste but with putridity. Netherrack txtr2: idk probably like lava rocks.

- nothing good

- spicy, like if you put it in your mouth it's like overly spicy...pop rocks?

- SPICY DIRT. specifically like clay but spicy. if u took the hard shell surface and crumbled it up you could use it as a spice.

- ketchup

- very very bitter, also once wet starting to crumble up

- it's too hot to taste, you're just burning you taste buds. but if it was a reasonable temperature, like coal that's already been used in a fire pit probably

- terrible

- hot and i think like. if you chewed on rocks and when they split apart its just,,, freakin burning

- burnt rubber

- idk but NOT GOOD! LOL

- Dry dirt but no mineral aftertaste

- gravel but if pretended to be coal

- MEATY ALSO. There's a theme of meat with it. A very fatty, unpleasant meat, similar to how people are describing as tasting.

- Gross probably

- ur mom (SLASH JAY SLASH JAY i think probably like burnt tasting but weirdly bitter too)

- Rocks

- Why are we eating grou- /j but the most unpleasant burnt food you could think of

- wet dirt mixed with a little bit of stone

- Hot rock...red flavor

- Salty, bitter, leaving an unpleasant rush of iron on the tongue due to buring the delicate tissue there. In trace amounts, it's not unlike pure malic acid mixed with salt and unsweetened cocoa.

- Gross. The texture is awful. The top layer crumbles in ur mouth and leaves hard rock bits along with sand parts and it's not pleasant. It probably soaks up moisture in your mouth as if you just licked a deodorant stick. It really just tasted like charred rust or rocks or something, not exactly a pleasant feeling. It also probably fucking hot?? Like maybe not actively bringing but it is much warmer than your body temperature (which is why it soaks up moisture in ur mouth). Anyway- overall please don't eat netherrack.. it's just a sandy rock on fire :(

- sand?

- raw meat (bloody)

- sweat, liquid smoke and weird meat

- roasted cashews

- Sulfurous sand

- rock

- Alarmingly bitter and very dry (not like lemon bitter. More like the nail polish you put on so you wont bite your nails but different)

- cat piss and mold

- Blood and rock. Crunchy

- The default taste is copper mixed with granite. Will taste warmer when near lava and the taste will be more distinct. Will taste cold and stale when farther away from lava.

- im not too creative but kind of. okay mostly rocks, just kind of no taste and hot, but with the tiniest hint of. dried pizza? hot pockets? like bread and sauce and herbs.

- Blood and gold

- it's fucking rock

- Specifically lava rocks

- wall paint but more brunt

- its very dry. tastes like sheetrock

- donuts that have way too much oil on them

- Burnt chalk and a dash of rancid eggs (tie back to the sulfur).

- Again, something burnt that would probably make you gag

- legit just cobblestone so like if you ate some rocks

- ...not good

- very very bland. like dirt but instead of being earthy it tastes like hot water

- i actually have eaten hot coals before /srs (don't do that please) but i imagine it's like that but with barbecue sauce on. just hot. you know how things taste like they're burning you? yeah.

- Stone? Burned stone, I guess?

- Burnt

- like a rock, for sure. maybe a bit ashy? maybe like piglin feet? maybe like lava? depends where its from and how long its been there ig.

- Salt and oil and dirt.

- I have never thought about this... probably just grosser, hotter, rocks

- pain

- Very bitter, like very badly burnt sugar.

- grandmas ashes

- Too hot to taste, your tongue just burns and you're left with the aftertaste of your burned mouth and the dame vague acidity of its smell

- It burns your tongue and make your mouth dry, and leaves an aftertaste like eating a hot pepper.

- spicy rock

- Bitter, like really bitter and it melts in your mouth

- flesh or something meaty but like. more like jerky

-r. rocks??? idk i didn't think this far

- red again

- i think it tastes like rocks but it's spicy and instead of making your mouth water it just sucks up the moisture, and it pops in your mouth like pop rocks, and like another person said when you open your mouth you exhale smoke a thick dark smoke like when smoking a cigarette. eating it will kill a regular player but love the idea that piglins will clean it and occasionally use it as a spice in very small amounts because too much can kill them as well unless an immunity is built up

[tinyhomes1]

What are the best tiny home appliances?

Tiny homes allow comfortable living in a minimalist, eco-friendly way. But fitting all necessary appliances in limited space can get tricky. Choosing space-saving and energy-efficient appliances is key for a smooth-running tiny home.

This blog reveals the top tiny house appliances perfect for compact spaces. Discover the best tiny living equipment Australia enthusiasts prefer, from essential kitchen appliances to innovative laundry options!

Mini Fridges

Standard refrigerators dominate kitchens but take up prime real estate in small homes. Thankfully, mini-fridges provide sufficient chilled storage for tiny house residents. Top options like Westinghouse 60L fridges, Chef 142L models, and Omega 46L variants occupy narrow widths under 600mm.

Their compartments also split efficiently to organize fruits, veggies, drinks, or meal ingredients. For expanded capacity, stackable mini-fridge modules let you double capacity while controlling footprint.

Benchtop Ovens

Typical ovens also need substantial floor space. So tiny homeowners in Australia frequently install 300-600mm wide benchtops or slide-out ovens instead. These ovens contain all core functions, from grilling and baking to reheating.

Leading benchtop oven picks comprise Omega appliances, EuroChef ovens, and Premium compact ovens with preset modes or manual dials. You can even find space-saving ovens with stove cooktops for additional utility.

Portable Induction Cooktops

Induction cooktops are the darling of cramped kitchens! Portable single/double induction cooktops only need a flat surface for placement. Their cooking technology heats vessels directly without occupying permanent space.

Some top models are Eurolux and KitchenHQ portable induction cooktops with rapid heating, safety shut-offs and easy maintenance. For tiny home on wheels, these cooktops offer the ultimate flexibility during transportation too.

Washer Dryer Combos

Tiny living requires smart multifunctional appliances like washer-dryer combos. As the name suggests, washer-dryers incorporate washing and drying in one unit. This allows the installation of just one appliance instead of two separate ones for washing clothes.

Fisher & Paykel and Electrolux washer dryers with 120-150L wash capacity are well-rated compact choices. Tiny house builders like Tiny Homes Melbourne can also recommend the most suitable washer-dryers for your micro-dwelling dimensions!

RV Microwaves

Microwave ovens deserve a spot in every tiny home but need fitting minute models. Affordable RV microwaves actually work perfectly! Around 25L capacity RV microwaves spanning 300-400mm widths make meal prep simple while conserving space.

Sharp, Panasonic, and Daewoo are leading producers of dependable RV microwaves ideal for warming leftovers or reheating packed lunches inside your customized tiny abode.

Tiny Home Toilets

Small homes need compact toilets. Full bathrooms use lots of space. Tiny home toilets solve this issue.

Some top tiny toilet picks are:

Thetford portable toilets

Girard tankless toilets

Nature’s Head composting toilets

These toilets fit into tiny homes well. Portable toilets can move around easily. Tankless toilets use less water. Composting toilets don’t need plumbing or tanks.

Many size and design choices exist. You can choose an electric, crank, or gravity flush type, as well as a basic or modern style. All of this helps save space in tiny houses.

Conclusion

Appliance selections make or break tiny house functionality. Thankfully, Australia’s market today has no shortage of space/energy-saving appliances well-suited for small-footprint living. Investing in the right mini fridge, oven, induction stove, microwave, washer dryer, etc., powers seamless off-grid or eco-grid living comfort.

Get specialist guidance on appliances from award-winning tiny home builders like TinyHouse.com.au! Their experienced design consultations provide appliance recommendations that exactly match your lifestyle needs and micro-space constraints.