Ben West (u/benw87)

Posts

benw87•10d ago

My mother in law told me my pie crust was 'too tough' and I finally fixed it

She said it right at Thanksgiving dinner in front of everyone. Man that stung. I always just used my grandma's recipe which calls for ice cold water but I never actually measured it. Turned out I was adding way too much water. After she said that I started weighing my water on a kitchen scale and now my crust comes out flaky every single time. Has anyone else had a family member's blunt feedback actually improve their baking?

3 comments

c/air-fryer-recipes•

benw87•12d ago

Just realized preheating the air fryer makes a HUGE difference for frozen foods

I used to always toss frozen chicken wings straight into a cold air fryer and they came out soggy every time. Last week I tried preheating it for 5 minutes at 400F on a whim and they turned out perfectly crispy on the outside. Am I the only one who skipped this step or do most people preheat before dumping in frozen stuff?

3 comments

c/book-club-debates•

benw87•13d ago

Blew $80 on a deluxe book club kit that was all fluff

Bought one of those fancy subscription kits with discussion cards and themed snacks for my mystery book club last month, and the 'debate prompts' were just basic plot questions we could've come up with ourselves in 5 minutes. Anyone else find those prepackaged discussion sets are a total ripoff compared to just winging it with your group?

2 comments

c/cabinetmakers•

benw87•18d ago

Plywood doors vs solid wood - picked plywood for a kitchen job and it came out better than I expected

I had a client last year who wanted shaker-style cabinet doors for a full kitchen reno. She was dead set on solid poplar because that's what her father used. I talked her into trying 3/4 birch ply with solid wood edge banding instead. Saved her about $1,200 on material. Two years in and none of them have warped or twisted like solid wood ones I've seen in other kitchens. The paint finish is actually smoother too because the plywood surface is more consistent. Has anyone else made the switch for door panels?

2 comments

c/exterior-design•

benw87•1mo ago

I used to think a plain white house was boring, but a neighbor changed my mind

A guy down the street, Mike, painted his whole house a soft gray with bright white trim. I saw it last Tuesday and it looked so clean and sharp. He told me he picked the gray because it hides dirt better than white and makes the green from his plants pop. I always thought adding color was too much work, but his place looks great without being loud. Has anyone else picked a color they were unsure about and been happy with it?

3 comments

c/finance-reviews•

benw87•1mo ago

Question about tracking expenses with apps versus a notebook

I wrote everything in a physical notebook for five years, but after a trip to Denver where my budget got messy, I switched to a free app. Do you find apps make you more accountable, or is the old-school method better for actually remembering where your money goes?

3 comments

c/color-contrast-checks•

benw87•1mo ago

Just realized my new app's button colors were a problem for my colorblind friend

I was showing my buddy the prototype and he couldn't tell the 'submit' button from the 'cancel' one because I only used red and green. I swapped the green for a blue with a different icon, and now he says it's way clearer. Has anyone else had to fix a design like this after getting real feedback?

3 comments

c/elevator-mechanics•

benw87•1mo ago

Bought a $300 laser alignment tool for hoistway rails and it was a total game changer

I was doing a full rail replacement in a 12 story building and the old string method was killing my time. This thing got the rails dead straight in half the time, no guesswork. Anyone still using the old way or have you switched over too?

3 comments

Posts

My mother in law told me my pie crust was 'too tough' and I finally fixed it

Just realized preheating the air fryer makes a HUGE difference for frozen foods

Blew $80 on a deluxe book club kit that was all fluff

Plywood doors vs solid wood - picked plywood for a kitchen job and it came out better than I expected

I used to think a plain white house was boring, but a neighbor changed my mind

Question about tracking expenses with apps versus a notebook

Just realized my new app's button colors were a problem for my colorblind friend

Bought a $300 laser alignment tool for hoistway rails and it was a total game changer

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