I love you so much 
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Finally getting back to responding… I’m going to check this brand out, because it would have been real nice to have (and there were no other recommendations)!
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Is there a thread on here that’s maybe worded different than I’ve been searching for folks who want to send each other letters or postcards?
Or who know someone who’d love to get a letter, etc?
I’d love to support the USPS and I know lots of folks love getting mail. 
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Haven’t seen one on this forum, although that doesn’t mean I didn’t miss it, but I know the schools here partner with nursing homes for various holidays and send cards and notes to residents without families. I’m not sure if that’s the kind of thing you’re looking for, but if so maybe there’s something like that close to you?
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There’s a Quarantine Pen Pals thread,but it hasn’t been active recently: Quarantine Pen Pals 2020
I would happily be part of such a scheme!
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So this is a really weird question. How do I teach my husband how to use Ziploc bags? He’s like, completely unable to do them right. He never got to help in the kitchen or do anything like that growing up, but everything else he’s overcome. But there are a couple weird things that stick around that he just has no propensity for. Like, he can’t figure out how to get air out of a bread bag before you close it. And he not only can’t figure out how to get air out of a Ziploc, he often fails on zipping it. He’s an incredibly intelligent person. And it’s not like he’s incompetent physically, he’s good at various sports and weightlifting and such. I just can’t quite figure it out. I don’t know if part of the issue is that he’s left-handed and I am right hand work so maybe the times I have tried to show him it just doesn’t Translate? Obviously, this is some thing that I want to be gentle with about him because this could easily be a pride issue. He’s not particularly prideful, but it’s just a sticky situation in general. But we just had a big batch cook of pancakes for the baby pretty much ruined because it’s all filled with ice now because it wasn’t sealed at all. I don’t know if part of the issue is that he’s left-handed and I am right hand mark so maybe the times I have tried to show him it just doesn’t translate?
Obviously, this is something that I want to be gentle with about him because this could easily be a pride issue. He’s not particularly prideful, but it’s just a sticky situation in general. We make a huge point of being really respectful to each other, so I’m just not sure how to address this. But we just had a big batch cook of pancakes for the baby pretty much ruined because it’s all filled with ice now because it wasn’t sealed at all.
I know it frustrates him, too, but the answer can’t really be that I always do it.
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So, I have problems with this sort of thing. It’s weird. I also still have trouble tying my shoes. New things I can pick up pretty well, but I haven’t been able to retrain some of the things from long ago.
Though when I think about getting the air out of a bag, often it’s more a case of something I just don’t think of compared to something I can’t actually figure out. In my mind, it’s like “Well, I’ve lived for 30+ years without doing this, so whats the big effin deal?” Not the best way to think on it, but I’m having to take these things one a time and redo them rather than being able to figure them out all at once.
ETA: this is also where I have to have brand name bags. I can’t ever get store brand ones to close.
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He definitely understands the value and tries for the air part but fails there. It frustrates him, too. That’s not even my biggest concern, I just want them reliably zipped so I stop losing food and such. And yes, name brand does seem to help so I always buy those. Food packaging with zip bags don’t go well, so I usually repack stuff (didn’t even occur to me that’s part of why I repack a lot of things into jars!)
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ETA whoops I didn’t see your latest! Disregard most of what I said haha
What about buying a different brand with the zipper on top (because they’re easier to seal properly), then approaching it from the angle of “Oh hey, I’ve noticed we’ve (we not him) had more trouble getting the air out of bags lately, so I thought we could try this kind and see if it’s easier to squeeze air out before sealing.” Or you could both try the straw trick for a few weeks and see if that works better for him.
Do you ever make/freeze liquids? That’s where I became proficient at getting the air out, so the liquid would lay flat without air bubbles.
I think looking at it as a We problem that you can solve together might be better for both of your potential emotional reactions.
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Double posting because I don’t want to keep editing just in case -
Have you looked at getting something like a Seal-a-Meal instead? It might be worth the plastic waste as opposed to food waste/frustration.
You can also use the sealing machine to remove air from jars - I don’t have an electric machine, just the battery hand thing, and use it on jars all the time (coffee beans were a big one).
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Oooh, I could DEFINITELY get him on board for something for coffee snobbery. That’s our specialty haha. I’ll look into that!
Unfortunately, any “we” type discussion won’t work here I don’t think. We’ve had enough conversations in the past that established that I’m the “expert” at it, and he’s just continually frustrated by his inability to do it. 
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Would writing “check seal”, “remove air” on the bags be helpful? If it’s something that he never used to do and he is on board with the concept, maybe he just needs a visual reminder of that extra step?
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Can you get the kind that you pull the zipper across the top instead of where you squeeze it all the way across? Those are hard for me to get caught sometimes.
ETA google tells me that “slider” bags are made by ziploc brand, but also at least Walmart great value brand. I assume other generics exist too. I’m sure they cost more, but less than wasting food.
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I second using the zipper types of bag.
Also: Can you switch him to a water displacement method for sealing? I know it’s an extra step, but you can actually see the amount of air that way AND let science do the work.
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Kitchen gadgets question:
I’m at the point where food is going bad again (but not nearly to the extent it was six months ago). I don’t have a lot of freezer space, so continuing to freeze food for later isn’t working well for me. Cooking in smaller batches would be more ideal, as would having less to clean up as I seem to be struggling with basic upkeep.
It’s been in the back of my mind for a while now to purchase one or both of the following:
- Air fryer
- Small George Foreman countertop grill
For those who have either appliance, is it worth it? Do/did you get daily/weekly use out of either?
I’m primarily looking to cook veggies, tofu and occasionally chicken.
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No, he simply can’t do it. He’ll try, and then often just come get me to do it. But like the pancakes, he thought it sealed and it just… didn’t. 
I’ll try those. I was under the impression they fail a lot more, but I’ve never tried name brand ones I don’t think.
That’s a good reminder. I showed him that before and he did it a couple times and it worked well. Got lost in the shuffle though. Doesn’t help that we’re often sealing while madly dashing after a turbo-infant right now.
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used a george foreman grill for about 8 years and really liked it. I mean, a charcoal grill is great, but not when you can’t have one because there’s no place to put it. I’m a fan of the ones with removable plates, makes cleanup way easier. I would use it maybe 3x a week?
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We borrowed an air fryer from my BIL. Honestly, I was not impressed. It was a highly rated one, too (by ATK). I just don’t think you get anywhere near the results as you do with a real convection oven.
Eta We gave it back after month. We tried broccoli, sweet potatoes, and regular potatoes, all several time with different recipes and setting. Never yielded adequate results to rival using the oven.
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We have the Cuiseinart version of the foreman grill, it has removable plates. We could use it more than we do. Usually we pull it out for “grilled” chicken or paninis. We usually do dinners with one or two pans/pots on the stove top so using the grill would just take longer due to having to cook whatever in batches. Even when we do paninis we will have rice pilaf or something on the side so we end up dirtying a pot anyway (salad would probably be a better option but Mr. Meer is not a huge salad person). We’re also cooking for two adults and a child and dinner is our biggest meal, so if you’re wanting to do smaller batches it’s probably what you’re wanting. I kind of wish ours would break so we could get a new one, the newer models have waffle plates available but those plates don’t fit our older model, sadly. 
To brute’s point, we do have a charcoal grill and I love it when we use it, but we almost never use it for just us. Only when we’re having people over.
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