Christmas Carbon
Last time I flew off to Spain I didn't exactly come clean about it. I wanted to save you the bother of making those corny carbon footprint jokes.
I'm off to Barcelona again on Thursday - but this time I've found a solution. Please help by following this advice.
If you don't preheat your oven before cooking your turkey, each one of you will save half a pound of carbon.
According to my calculations this is equivalent to 453 litres of carbon dioxide.
Surely that's enough to offset my flight and probably the one back home as well. And if you choose a Waldorf salad for your Christmas feast - you'll be saving the turkey as well as the planet.
The current state of the pound means this will probably be my Christmas dinner.
I'll be turning on and tuning in from Spain - so I'll be able to come round and thank you all personally.KAZ
Labels: The abuse of Science
posted by KAZ at 7:23 am
47 Comments:
But where can you spend your 50p of carbon?
Have muchus fun in Espana dear Kaz and give Thierry a big kiss from me.
xx
Excellent advice dear lady.
On a pedantic note, you can't "pre-heat" your oven any time other than before. Please try to avoid using "pre" - you have been pre-advised.
I shall not, of course, be eating any flesh to commemorate the nativity of the saviour. I shall not be eating salad either. Salad is for girls.
I never preheat the oven
I don't own a microwave
I do like a good Waldorf Salad
one of these facts is a trick answer
¡Felices Navidades! and ¡Felíz año nuevo! in case you're not back by then. . .
XX
(oooh look, vicus sneaked in in front of me - how wonderful to be able to agree with him!)
Oddy, when I first heard about the £/€ parity, my first thought was how pensioners would cope in Spain.
Ziggi:
This will give you enough credits in the carbon bank to toast a crumpet.
Thanks - I'll certainly enjoy the Thierry bit.
Vicus:
I was emphasising for effect. Please remember that I am a semi literate scientist.
Nut Roast?
View:
I take it you don't like salad either.
I can't imagine life without a microwave - I've had one since 1982.
Thanks - I shall be back for Nochevieja.
Dave:
Oddy?
I may be a shortarsed bird watcher - but I am NOT called Bill.
I think I meant oddly.
I shall pass your advice on to the houseboys.
Dave means everything oddly.
ooooo...Vicus snuck up from behind!
Dave;
Well I'm glad you didn't mean Humbly.
I'd rather be Bill than Kate.
mj:
Enjoy the salad.
VIcus:
Yes - or Humbly (see above) as befits his calling.
mj:
That's the second time today - though I think 'View' rather enjoyed it!
He came after me as well - the perfect gentleman :)
Our oven actually produced 5 pounds of carbon - last time Drew cooked a Chicken and got his timings wrong.
I hope you are taking Kev along to Barce and not going to Barcelona.
actually I love salad and don't own a microwave. . .
and I always enjoy Vicus coming just in front of me (or behind, for that matter)
If the oven isn't hot when you put the turkey in, does this mean you have to heat the turkey for longer, therefore cancelling out the carbon saving?
Judging by the arguments we're having with our family, it looks as if we may be having a turkey made for two this Christmas ... or maybe we'll have a break in Spain and turn up at yours on the off chance.
Just warning you.
I made it 462 litres......but then it's warmer dahn sahf.
But in principal there should be a lot more of this. Most things I cook in the oven I do from cold but that's because I know my oven. But not how to cook turkeys. Roasted butternut squash with goat's cheese for me.
Enjoy the sun....wish I was going somewhere warmer, I hate this weather. :(
It pains me to say this, but I love you all.
Ziggi:
I've told you lot before - Don't encourage him.
Murph:
Mmm - crispy.
According to Google - Barce = Bayesian Application for Recombination and Gene Conversion Estimation.
Apparently - BARCE has recently been incorporated into TOPALi, which provides a user-friendly GUI and automates many aspects of recombination detection. ...
Nope - still don't geddit
View:
I thought you'd like salad - so it must be the pre heating that's the trick.
re Vicus - See comment to Ziggi.
Betty:
Probably - but it'll still be frozen solid in the centre whatever you do.
You will be very welcome - comfy spare bed but no turkey.
They don't really do Christmas in Catalunya so unfortunately Geoff won't hear those Christmas Carols that he loves so much.
NiC:
It's the sig figs.
That butternut squash thingy sounds delicious.
I don't think it will be very warm, but it will be sunny.
Vicus:
Have you been on the Warnink's Advocaat already?
Cheers!
I shall make the kids eat nothing but bread and jam for the entire festive season so do feel free to hire an expensive gas guzzling limo while you are there. Condiser it my Christmas present to you, Kaz - have a great time!
Condiser? Sorry. Opened the Christmas wine early...
Cooking? Moi?
Sx
Karbon Kaz is off to patronise the Catalans again?
I suggest you read Orwell's 'Homage to Catalonia' and subsist on snails. Snails are eco-friendly, even if they are slimy and slow on their feet.
Which makes them easy to catch.
Barce Alone or Barce avec Kevin? That was all...
zzzzzzzzzz
I'm serving duck so that'll cut my carbon footprint down quite a bit.
Lucky you though, going away to a (hopefully) warmer climate.
I don't understand why Vicus is in any kind of pain
Steve:
I note the wonderful sacrifice from your kids. But I don't hear anything about your personal deprivations.
Still - mucho appreciated and muchos gracias.
Condiser is a lovely word which demands a good definition.
Scarlet:
Moi Aussi.
You probably didn't read this
Garfer:
I like to eat low on the food chain - but that's going too far.
I'll stick with the carrot.
Murph:
I feel thick now.
Whenever you mention Kev I suspect evil intentions - habit of a lifetime.
No I shall not be alona.
XXXXXX
Pete:
DUCK - did you say DUCK????
No - you just can't eat a dear little ducky like the ones that swim on my pond.
Is it too late to reconsider?
View:
It is so hard for chaps like Vicus to show their feelings.
He isn't like Gazza or Graham Norton.
Paul and I discussed the joys of eating gherkins along with one's cold turkey on Boxing Day, in the kitchen at the Head Hospital this summer
didn't see him using the microwave, altho he did buy me a pencil sharpener on the QT (how these two facts are related I don't know)
he's good looking and witty, but not as hansome or urbane as our vicus
I Kid You Not! Our Oven Broke earlier in The Year & we cook via Grill&Microwave at the moment! Actually dont miss it! (would be rubbish for Turkey tho!)
Hey! I,d rather be eating Xmas Dinner in Spain !
I will be interested to know how you find the £ vs EURO....
Have A Great Time!
View:
Well - rather like the urbane Mr Scurra, I don't eat meat - so I'll try the gherkins (cornichons) with a little goat's cheese.
I have 2 pencil sharpeners - one for my kohl pencil and one for the HB.
Tony:
I use one of those tiny table top ovens when I need one which isn't very often (only pizza).
I had the proper one taken out.
No mystery - It'll just be more expensive.
Thanks
Were we separated at birth?
Sx
I've just had my works do and am looking forward to egg on toast tonight. I will not be using the oven.
There is a 70s song by Dr John
"If I don't do it
Somebody else will"
Now let's toss aside the notion that Humans are going to curtail the squandering and reduce the amount of energy wasted..not going to happen.
Therefore I suggest that you preheat the bloody oven and turn on all the lights. Energy expenditure is a zero-sum gain equation..use it or lose it!
Would you rather the energy be consumed by some terrorist fiddling about with dirty bombs in some cave in Afghanistan?
I think not.
Of course here in the Colonies we have more energy than we could waste in a million lifetimes, plus we own the rights to the Sun, so it's not a fair question for one of us to answer.
Scarlet:
Only by several (!) years.
But you are obviously 'A girl after me own heart' as the saying goes.
(X to you too)
Geoff:
Will we hear all about it in your inimatable prose?
Everything tastes better on toast doesn't it?
(X - and one for you too)
Donn:
Where did you come from?
Glad you called round though - you were making so much sense until that bit about Canadians owning the sun.
Thought you were referring to HE power.
No I don't mean that HE!
don't I get an X. . .
*sniffs*
XxXxX
All right I won't preheat my oven but if I get salmonella can I sue you?
Nah, just believe me when I say the duck has been adopted by a nice family who lives near water and woods.
And if we keep up the good work of saving our carbon, we might even save enough for you to come home again one day Kaz!
Well I'm doing my bit - I don't eat Turkey and mushroom & chestnut pie only takes an hour.
L x
View:
I'm coming over now to give you a couple.
Emma:
Er - probably best to stick with the waldorfs.
Pete:
Gullible is my middle name.
Laura:
Ooh - pies!
That pie sounds worth coming home for.
Merry Christmas Kaz. Felice Navidad and all that.
I'm glad That's settled then.
Will you take offence if I tell you that we will probably also enjoy some pork?
Gracias - Nora!
Pete:
Everyone I know eats pork, beef, chicken etc.
It's just the ducks I love so much.
I love ducks too! I used to have Indian Runner ducks, they were the best!
I hope you've arived safely, the lights haven't dimmed so I don't think you've done too much damage.
I love ducks too. They taste very good with red cabbage, potatoes and a nice sauce.
Yes, the ones that live in nature are really cute. I also like Donald but hey, it's Christmas and Donald did his filming on A Very Disney Christmas back in the fourties so he won't be missed.
Ziggi:
Great!
Those Indian Runner Ducks are like the Super Models of the duck world.
Yes - I'm still in one piece and the earth is still turning.
Pete:
Ha Ha Ha - you are really pushing it sweetie.
Donald must be even older than KAZ.
I don't like turkey. I did, however, enjoy my holidays to Greece.
Sorry. I'm a bit addled from Christmas shopping. Enjoy your holiday!
sss:
Thanks.
I'd like to go back to Greece soon.
I'm not fond Turkey (bad memories) or turkey (meat).
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