What to do in isolation? Part 2

Stay at home dude: We are since 2 weeks in isolation and really enjoying the sun on our balcony. Nights are still cold but now is the perfect time to grow some tomato and cucumber plants. To give the plants perfect conditions, I use two Flex mini led lights which I do not use for my aquascape at the moment. I installed them on a small aluminium rail which is attached to a small wooden angle. I use two small green houses from Elho which are cheap and have a good ventilation system.

The light is on for 12 hours per day and after 2 weeks I count over 200 small plants.

I will start singling the plants now and plant them into small pots. As the amount of plants is so big, I will share them with our neighbours. Who knows how much longer the isolation stands, at least we will have plenty of tomatoes and cucumbers. Stay healthy and stay at home! Your stayathomedude.

What to do in isolation? Part 1

Hi all currently staying at home in quarantine. Some of you might ask yourself what to do at home whilst the Corona crisis. As you know I have some experience staying at home for a long time and want to share some ideas that might keep you busy at home.

Get your tools organized

Some of you might have some power tools and other equipment at home. Staying at home is a great time to reorganize your stuff. My daughter loves to help me getting things sorted and has her own box to play. I very much like the FIXtainer boxes from Fischer. I bought them here. They can be stacked together and can be carried around. Because the lid of the box is transparent it is very easy to keep a good overview about all the small stuff you have.

These boxes are a great way to organize any smaller items like screws, hooks or wall plugs.

In our apartment there is always something to fix. Install a new door lock, place a new wardrobe for the little one or just simply install a new lamp. The boxes help me to find all the stuff I need for the job.

The boxes can be stacked and easy be carried around

If you wonder what to do at home, order some of these FIXtainer boxes and start organizing all the small stuff you own. Stay healthy and stay at home! Your stayathomedude.

Stay-at-home-dude.com chef’s knife

Hi Dudes,

today I would like to show you my new Stay-at-home-dude.com chef’s knife. I sewed a knife sheath made of felt and added my logo. The knife is produced in Thailand, is really sharp and easy to sharpen with a grindstone. It has a total length of 28 cm. The blade is 16 and the handle is 12 cm long. It’s my favorite knife because it’s thin, but at the same time stable enough. I use it to cut meat, vegetables and for everything that has to be chopped. Like every other sharp blade it should not be washed in the dish washer.

I also own two much more expensive knifes, but I always use this one. It’s obvious that the geometry of these more expensive knifes is more precise than this one, but I think with this knife you get the best value for money. It’s sharp, it’s light and it looks good.

If you want to buy my chef’s knife, just click here and I will make one for you. The price is 14 EUR and includes the knife and the sheath. The shipping cost vary from country to country and are charged additionally. The photos here show my prototype.

Hi dudes,

Today I want to make a short review about a great portable grill called “Son of Hibachi“. 

I have used my Son of Hibachi many times and it just works. It’s a charcoal grill with an integrated chimney effect that allows it to be ready for cooking in less than 20 minutes. It comes with a “Snuff Out Pouch” made with fire-retardant lining that lets you pack up the grill while the coals are still hot. This makes it great for camping, picnics and balcony.




Preparing the grill

When you open the grill it has two sides to cook on. Getting the coals started is easy. Remove the grills on each side and fill both sides with a layer of charcoal. 3 to 4 pieces of charcoal are added to the ash drawer in the center at the bottom of the grill. Saturate the charcoal in the ash drawer with charcoal lighter fluid. Reinsert the grills into the lowest position of the grill holder bracket. Simply close it and light the lighter fluid in the ash drawer


Ready to grill


After 15 to 20 min, when the coals are red hot, open up the grill. You can move the grills with the “top slide tool” closer or higher from the coals. Although due to the very small size of the grill it’s big enough for up to 6 people. 


Cleaning and storing the grill 

After you are finished cooking, close the grill. The top slide has to be closed almost completely. This will cause the grills to self clean! Self cleaning needs about 10 min. Close the grill completely and store it, after 20 min cool down, in the Snuff Out Pouch. On top of that, Son of Hibachi saves the unused charcoal for later use. Next time you just have to fill up with little new charcoal and you are ready to go. 

Care 


Clean the charcoal trays and the grills from time to time. 
Also the ash drawer has to be emptied after use. The grills are made of cast iron and should be treated with a little bit of sunflower oil. This prevents them from getting rusty. 

My opinion

I have used this grill many times and I am still impressed. The Son of Hibachi has a compact design, grills really well and offers enough grilling space. The Snuff Out pouch allows to pack up the hot grill and store it. After grilling you are directly ready to go. All in all, the perfect 4-season grill! 

You can order the grill here: Son of Hibachi