More Food Experiments

 It's pretty well known that I don't love to cook.  I tolerate it, but it doesn't give me any satisfaction, so I'm looking to my new air fryer as a stimulus for doing more of it.

I might not like to cook, but I like to play with my food.  I did an experiment a little while ago about baking eggs (shell on) in a muffin tin in the oven.  I think they turned out just okay.  Nothing special.  Nothing to make me give up my boiling in water method.

I just happened to see an article in my news feed this morning about using the air fryer to make hard-boiled eggs.  Since I do eat a good many eggs - maybe 4 times a week for breakfast alone - I decided it wouldn't hurt to try it.  

It sounded simple.  Pull out the basket, put your eggs in, select time and temperature and turn it on.  And forget about them.

I pulled out my eggs - two white and two brown - and put them in the basket.  You can put in as many as eight, but they're not supposed to fit too tightly together.  I could probably get eight in mine.

My first - and, I guess, only - problem was that when I tried to set the fryer to 260 degrees, it only went down to 300. I'm not sure if I've overlooked something or not, but mine is not a top of the line appliance.  You'd think it would go below 300 though.

The whole time they were cooking, I kept listening for an explosion or a bad smell or something, but it was fairly quiet.  There was a smell about halfway though but not a bad one.

Sitting in ice water after coming out of the fryer.

Wow, what a pretty picture!  Too bad it's not mine.

This is mine.  Minus the yolks.

And those yolks were lovely - round (mostly), yellow, and pefect.

I knew immediately why they weren't peeling evenly, and that's because of my impatience.  I think if I had cracked them and let them sit longer in the ice water, they all would have peeled as well as the last one.

My plate doesn't photograph as well, but it doesn't mean they weren't delicious.  I saved two for later.

Again, I can't see any reason for doing it this way.  It's not like in a pandemic emergency, I'll have access to an air fryer and not boiling water.  It's fun to try things though.

I bought a package of chicken thighs to cook for tonight.  I can't say I've ever cooked thighs alone, but chicken breast tenders turned out okay, so I wanted something different and found a recipe that looks promising.  

Layla is still missing.  The trap is set, and I went down every few hours last night to check on it but saw no signs of any animal having been there.  Water is in bowl.  Food is in bowl.  Trap door is ready.  Missing Cat signs are up.  

On one visit, I let Bowie go halfway down the stairs with me.  He is mourning her, and he sat there crying softly.  I figured if she were anywhere around and could hear that, she would certainly come.  But she didn't, and I have not too much hope right now.  

Bowie is just pitiful.  He will go to the door and sit and cry.  It makes me think that maybe she did get out without my knowing it.  Or maybe that's just where he thinks she will come back.  He doesn't sit on the balcony and cry.  He depended on her like a mother.  He doesn't like human touch that much but will tolerate it once we get started brushing or petting him, but he and Layla were friends almost from the start and groomed each other and played like two maniacs up and down the halls.

I've had the laser out more than usual, and he does love that.  He never wants to stop, and will watch my hands even after I put it down.  He's come so far with his socializing, so I want to make sure to keep him happy.  

I have Mah-Jong in about 30 minutes, and then I'm going to pick up my books at the library.  They're mostly books for the girls, but I have a few mixed in there.  I enjoyed Lonesome Dove a LOT over the past week(s), but I need something more light-hearted to listen to for a while.  

I need to come home and make a batch of pumpkin muffins for the girls for their Halloween bag - along with chocolate, which Graysen reminded me that she is able to eat, even with her expanders.  It will be a different Halloween, for sure.  I think they are all going to a party with their school mates and their family and not do trick-or-treating.  

Even with losing hope of finding Layla, I'm propping myself up a little this morning and trying to overcome some of my worry and hopelessness.