explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1567: Kitchen Tips

2015-08-21T04:44:19Z

VandyCru: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1567
| date = August 21, 2015
| title = Kitchen Tips
| image = kitchen_tips.png
| titletext = Household tip: Tired of buying so much toilet paper? Try unspooling the paper from the roll before using it. A single roll can last for multiple days that way, and it's much easier on your plumbing.
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic, Cueball appears to be hosting a show giving out kitchen advice. He starts with a reasonable tip to use a meat thermometer instead of guessing when meat is cooked. His later tips, though, are little more than telling how to complete normal kitchen activities performed using common sense. Moreover, he repeats "If you're anything like me," suggesting he's actually ''done'' these things in his kitchen.

The first tip he gives is reasonable: to determine if meat is done cooking, one can either guess, or use a meat thermometer to check that the internal temperature has reached the correct level to render meat safe for consumption.

The second panel shows that Cueball throws away dishes and buys new ones every time they are used. This is perfectly normal if the plates were made of paper or Styrofoam, but we see his trashcan is filled with chipped ceramic plates and glasses. Naturally, this would be a very expensive and excessive practice. Cleaning them is the simple task of "washing the dishes," a chore he seems to be unaware of.

Cooking on a stove is typically done using a pot or pan, where food is placed in it to heat. Cueball seems to originally have cracked, and attempted to scramble, eggs directly on a burner. This will, of course, not cook the egg, nor will it be easy to clean. Moreover, his stove has open-flame burners, making the task even more impractical than cooking directly on, say, an induction stove or any range with a flat top.

Ice is usually manually made by filling an ice cube tray with water and leaving it in a freezer for several hours. Cueball, however, sprays a hose directly into his freezer compartment and quickly slams the door shut to trap some water inside. While this unorthodox method ''will'' make ice, it will result in a large sheet of ice on the bottom of the freezer. More importantly, it will also make it impossible to actually use the freezer to hold anything else (unless you don't mind breaking through a block of ice to get it out).
==Transcript==
[Cueball at a kitchen counter, holding a meat thermometer]

Cueball: If you're anything like me, you may have trouble telling when meat is fully cooked.

Cueball: Instead of guessing, try a meat thermometer!

[Cueball at a sink, holding a dirty dish, with a trashcan next to him full of broken ceramics and glasses]

Cueball: If you're anything like me, you probably throw away your plates and glasses when they get dirty. But if you clean them, they can often be used again!

[Cueball cracking an egg over a pan on a hot stove]

Cueball: Making scrambled eggs? Put a pan under them!

Cueball: It's easier, and it keeps your burners clean.

[Cueball holding a garden hose, spraying it into the freezer compartment of a refridgerator]

Cueball: If you're anything like me, you make ice by spraying a hose into your freezer and then slamming it shut.

Cueball: But there's a better way...

{{comic discussion}}

1567: Kitchen Tips

2015-08-21T04:43:25Z

VandyCru:

{{comic
| number = 1567
| date = August 21, 2015
| title = Kitchen Tips
| image = kitchen_tips.png
| titletext = Household tip: Tired of buying so much toilet paper? Try unspooling the paper from the roll before using it. A single roll can last for multiple days that way, and it's much easier on your plumbing.
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic, Cueball appears to be hosting a show giving out kitchen advice. He starts with a reasonable tip to use a meat thermometer instead of guessing when meat is cooked. His later tips, though, are little more than telling how to complete normal kitchen activities performed using common sense. Moreover, he repeats "If you're anything like me," suggesting he's actually ''done'' these things in his kitchen.

The first tip he gives is reasonable: to determine if meat is done cooking, one can either guess, or use a meat thermometer to check that the internal temperature has reached the correct level to render meat safe for consumption.

The second panel shows that Cueball throws away dishes and buys new ones every time they are used. This is perfectly normal if the plates were made of paper or Styrofoam, but we see his trashcan is filled with chipped ceramic plates and glasses. Naturally, this would be a very expensive and excessive practice. Cleaning them is the simple task of "washing the dishes," a chore he seems to be unaware of.

Cooking on a stove is typically done using a pot or pan, where food is placed in it to heat. Cueball seems to originally have cracked, and attempted to scramble, eggs directly on a burner. This will, of course, not cook the egg, nor will it be easy to clean. Moreover, his stove has open-flame burners, making the task even more impractical than cooking directly on, say, an induction stove or any range with a flat top.

Ice is usually manually made by filling an ice cube tray with water and leaving it in a freezer for several hours. Cueball, however, sprays a hose directly into his freezer compartment and quickly slams the door shut to trap some water inside. While this unorthodox method ''will'' make ice, it will result in a large sheet of ice on the bottom of the freezer. More importantly, it will also make it impossible to actually use the freezer to hold anything else (unless you don't mind breaking through a block of ice to get it out).
==Transcript==
[Cueball at a kitchen counter, holding a meat thermometer]
Cueball: If you're anything like me, you may have trouble telling when meat is fully cooked.
Cueball: Instead of guessing, try a meat thermometer!
[Cueball at a sink, holding a dirty dish, with a trashcan next to him full of broken ceramics and glasses]
Cueball: If you're anything like me, you probably throw away your plates and glasses when they get dirty. But if you clean them, they can often be used again!
[Cueball cracking an egg over a pan on a hot stove]
Cueball: Making scrambled eggs? Put a pan under them!
Cueball: It's easier, and it keeps your burners clean.
[Cueball holding a garden hose, spraying it into the freezer compartment of a refridgerator]
Cueball: If you're anything like me, you make ice by spraying a hose into your freezer and then slamming it shut.
Cueball: But there's a better way...

{{comic discussion}}

1567: Kitchen Tips

2015-08-21T04:33:21Z

VandyCru: