Eric Wright (u/ericw93)

Posts

Swapped butter for shortening in my pie crust and finally got flaky layers

I was trying to make a double crust apple pie for Thanksgiving and kept getting tough, dense dough. Read online that butter has too much water for flaky pastry, so I tried a 50/50 mix with Crisco from the Piggly Wiggly in town. The crust came out super tender and actually held together when I cut it, but it didn't taste as rich as all butter. Has anyone else gone half and half on fats for pie dough?

3 comments

c/binge-worthy-shows•

ericw93•1mo ago

Tried binging Succession after watching Breaking Bad and it felt like a different planet

I finally caved and watched Breaking Bad last month, 5 seasons in 2 weeks. Then I jumped into Succession thinking it would be similar drama. Man, the pacing is so different, Succession feels like 90% talking and 10% action compared to Breaking Bad's constant tension. Has anyone else had that shock switching from a faster show to a slower one?

3 comments

c/blacksmiths•

ericw93•1mo ago

Vent: I just finished my 100th Damascus billet and the number hit me weird

It's not a huge deal, but I started counting them a couple years back just for fun. I hit number 100 last night, and it made me think: is there a point where you're just making stuff to make it, or does each piece still matter as much? I know some smiths, like a guy I met at the Ashokan hammer-in, treat every billet like it's their first. Others see it as a step toward a bigger project. Where do you all stand on that?

3 comments

c/bathroom-remodeling•

ericw93•1mo ago

Heard my dad talking about his old bathroom and it made me think

I was over at my parents' place last weekend and my dad was telling my uncle about redoing their main bathroom back in '92. He said they just put in a basic white tub, a single vanity, and some beige tile, and that was considered a full remodel. It cost them about $3,500. Now I'm looking at my own tiny bathroom redo, and just the tile I want is almost that much. It's wild how much the whole idea of a nice bathroom has changed. Anyone else feel like the goalposts for a 'simple' update have moved a mile?

3 comments

c/bricklayers•

ericw93•1mo ago

Rant: I mixed a batch of mortar with ice water on a hot day and it set way too fast

It was over 90 degrees on a job in Austin, so I thought using cold water from a cooler would help slow things down. The mix got stiff and crumbly in like 20 minutes, which totally threw off my rhythm for laying the soldier course. Has anyone else had this happen, and what's your go-to trick for working in serious heat?

3 comments

c/arborists•

ericw93•1mo ago

That 'simple' stump removal in a tight backyard took me two full days

Got a call for a big oak stump, maybe 30 inches across, behind a shed in Cincinnati. Figured half a day with the grinder, tops. The roots had grown under the shed's concrete pad and wrapped around an old, buried gas line that wasn't on the city map. Had to hand-dig and cut everything with a sawzall to avoid hitting the line. What should have been a 4-hour job turned into 16 hours over two days. Anyone else had a hidden utility line turn a simple job into a nightmare?

3 comments

c/electricians•

ericw93•1mo ago

Just realized I was using the wrong size hole saw for a 4-inch can light in a client's kitchen remodel last week.

I was cutting into a ceiling joist and the wobble made me stop and check the specs, which saved me from a bigger mistake, so what's your go-to method for keeping your cuts clean and true in tight spots?

4 comments

c/baking-fails-and-wins•

ericw93•1mo ago

Hot take: hand mixing my cookie dough for 5 minutes straight beats my stand mixer every time

I used to just let the KitchenAid run on medium for 2 minutes, but the cookies spread like crazy. Slowing down and doing it by hand gave me way more control over the butter texture. Anyone else ditch the machine for certain doughs?

3 comments

c/diesel-mechanics•

ericw93•1mo ago

I hit 500 hours on a single set of injectors in a 6.7 Powerstroke and everyone said I was crazy.

The common shop talk is you swap them at 300 hours to be safe, especially on the high-pressure units. I kept a strict fuel filter change schedule every 50 hours and used a specific additive, running it in a fleet of delivery trucks. They just kept testing fine. It made me question if we're replacing parts too early just because it's the easy answer. Has anyone else pushed a component way past its supposed life with good results?

3 comments

c/budgeting-wins•

ericw93•1mo ago

My cheap meal plan app tricked me into buying a year of stuff I never used

I saw an ad for this app called 'EatCheap' that said it would make a grocery list for you based on sales. I paid $40 for a year up front thinking I'd save more. The first week it told me to buy a huge bag of quinoa and like 10 cans of chickpeas because they were on sale. I ended up with a pantry full of stuff I don't even like and still had to buy my normal food. Has anyone else fallen for one of those 'smart' shopping apps that just tells you to hoard beans?

3 comments