Kenny202

Professional schmeshanal lol. Nah I don't think so mate. Been doing it a long time though. At least at the point now where results are at least consistent. I put a lot of that down to proving it gently in the oven at just above room temp. I was getting results all over the place before, hit and miss and seemed to have to do with the humidity / heat etc on the day. Attached a few photos of bread I made this morning. Like it is super light, soft and airy. Bread back quite a few years ago often come out really dense, like it hasn't risen. Just annoying me it doesn't keep the same structure as when I turn the oven on. Bread is what you want it to be and that always isn't how it would be from a bakery. Some "accidents" actually turn out to be very nice. I just do mine on a loaf tray now. I don't use deep loaf tins. I like the extra crust etc you get from free form and finds it cooks a lot more evenly.

I've sort of exhausted the too much liquid thing I think. Reduced the water content right down until the mixer was struggling to knead it. You know when you make bread for a long time you get to know your mix. Gluten too weak? hmmmm Always use white bread flour and would be 95% of the mix. I don't use wholemeal flour as such but broken whole wheat, pumpkin seeds, sesame, flax etc. I must say though do get the loaf falling even with white bread. I do often wonder as to the quality of the yeast and flour here though. I use the Swan brand. Which leaves me with proofing the likeliest offender. As a rule of thumb, time wise what would you suggest as guide times for the first proofing (covered in the bowl) and second (after shaping)? I usually leave it in the bowl for the first run, possibly 2 to 3 hours. I know they say after the dough doubles in size and for me that would probably be an hour or so. I didn't know there was any harm in leaving it longer, in fact I thought it would be better. Second rise I usually punch down, shape the loaves, slit them and put them in a lukewarm oven. And there maybe the problem because I tend to leave them proofing like that until they don't seem to be rising anymore. May be 2 to 4 hours. That would suggest the yeast has petered out right? Like I said before going in the oven the loaves rise like champions. Possibly 3 or 4 times more than the initial dough, certainly a lot more than double. its only when they go in the oven they deflate / flatten a bit. And it's not from knocking them about either as I proof them in the oven....once they have proved to an acceptable level I just turn on the heat...so they aren't being moved about. Any help appreciated

Thanks mate. I reckon you would need strong wrists to use that whisk! lol. Do you pull it through the dough or something? They reckon never let a baker get close enough to strangle you....Arm's like they have you are toast lol. Will let you know how the it goes when I cut down the proofing time. Not even really sure if it is better to prove twice? I prove it in a bowl first....then punch it down, shape it and put on the tray and proof it again where the loaves rise into shape and full height

Oh mine rises alright, rises hugely actually it just deflates a bit in the oven when I hit it with the heat. Like it shrinks a bit or something. I do knead mine in a commercial mixer and I know I knead it thoroughly (but not too much). Done a bit more reading and I reckon it might be over proofing. The theory being if you leave it to proof too long, your yeast is basically exhausted by the time you put it in the oven, and it is no longer pushing upward or has the strength to keep it up. I reckon proofing in the fridge would help a lot and apparently makes for a better structure. Usually not organized enough to plan that far ahead. The bread is always really nice, lovely texture and not cakey or doughy but really wish I could keep it at the height it is when it goes in the oven

I dunno about that lol. We used to have a grinning idiot in a pick up blaring mawlum music at 4am in our village, right at the front of our house.... a call for people to go collect money in another area for the temple. I shet you not I used to sleep with ear plugs but you could feel the vibrations of this morons doof doof bass through the pillow. People in pick ups and trucks driving slowly along the road in the day with a loud hailer selling stuff. Would have been a nightmare if you were trying to get a baby to sleep. Then there were the random parties and chickens and dogs all night. It was all new and an adventure at the time, but I really don't think I could go back to all the inconveniences of village life again. (Noisy, power / water cuts, poor internet...cost of fuel was huge living remotely). Really depends on where you live and your neighbors. We are in an estate now in the city and rarely hear a peep night time. Never heard a party or loud music in 5 years.

Been baking my own bread for about 5 years and always get a nice rise, and the texture of the bread always lovely but never comes out of the oven at the rise height it was when I put it in? Wholemeal / multi grain more so than plain white. I prove in a bowl for 2 hours then place the shaped loaves on another tray to prove for a further 2 - 4 hours. Usually prove them in the oven with temp set a tad over room temp. Tepid at most. Have tried everything....a bit more water...a bit less. Nothing seems to make much difference. The loaves always come out of the oven with a decrease in the proven height of around 10-15%. I would have thought they would rise even further? Anyone have any ideas or is it just the way it is? Maybe I am proofing it too long?

Again Pattaya / Bangkok stereotype I think. Normally meth heads by the sounds of it

None I have met were like that at all. If anything very reserved and lady like. I have heard guys talking about stereotypical loud, obnoxious whiney overtly gay in your face Ladyboys....but I think pretty much a Pattaya / sex worker type. Ones I have met working normal jobs not like that. Some real petite little stunners too. Immaculately turned out. Hair, nails, clothes, makeup... I guess its the same for a real women sex worker vs civvy. Depends on the outcome you want from living with a partner

Often pondered that question myself....re LTR LB are some of the nicest, most balanced, polite, well mannered and intelligent people I have met here. On the surface how you would expect a "good" Thai girl to conduct herself. I live up North so I am talking "girls" from normal walks of life with normal jobs. On the surface that is. Like many Thai girls the real person you have met may not show herself for some weeks / months in the form of the psycho, moody, irrational joy / cash vacuum that I have come across in the past. I would expect their would be potential there for a possibly good relationship. Life is about being happy for me, and met few Thai women I felt completely happy with for more than brief moments. Mostly a lot of pouting, selfishness, crazy outbursts, violent jealousy, inane conversation, Facebook / Tik tok addictions etc and a need to sleep most of the day. Would be very interested in what peoples experiences have been. There was a great doco on LB and mostly English blokes living together here and most seemed happy, though I did do a follow up a few years after and looks like most of the relationships had gone awry. To be fair to they were bargirl types. Seemed to have all the needy greedy family / support issues you would get with a Thai girl too. I think for many here with family, kids, friends etc here and back home a proper live in relationship like that would be difficult / awkward if not ballsy (no pun ????) I remember someone sent me one of those email joke things a year ago. Titled the perfect Thai woman or something, from the back...dark shapely body to die for...vacuuming the floor and doing the housework while the boyfriend was sinking beers watching TV. Looked like heaven until it showed a frontal photo and a schlong as big as your arm hahaha. Reality check Interestingly there are heaps of ladyboys where I live.....and know of at least 10-15 who work in pharmacies etc. And know they all have "husbands". After living here 7 years I don't remember once going out and seeing a man with a LB partner. Seen a few in Pattaya but never where I live. Must just hide out at home

Someone told me quite a few years back Kalasin had a few sneaky bars in one area I think from memory near the bus station. Thai bars but reports were pretty good. Anything could have changed with bars shutdown over covid bit someone may be able to come along and confirm

I remember first time I came to Phuket maybe 10 years ago....they had a big fair right on the beach. Food, games, shooting galleries and dunk machines. Fireworks and WW2 fighters mock dog fighting. The whole thing was magical. Subsequent visits never saw it again. Maybe it was only a Xmas / NY thing

I got the Joseph Joseph one I normally do 1 min 20 secs. I normally do two at a time and its ok, but I find you need to do them on the well done side as they don't always cook evenly. For eg maybe the yolk done but the white maybe on one side not done. Always position the thing right in the middle of the microwave plate. But yeah does the job. Sometimes use it for a couple of eggs just for me, but generally I have gone back to do them in water as normally cook for kids too and do at least 4 eggs at a time and a lot easier to get them done evenly and how I like em (yolks 50/50). The little microwave egg poacher does save a lot of time cleaning though. Just to mention cheap Joseph Joseph stuff from China more than likely counterfeit. Recently got a garlic crusher and looked ok from a distance but up close very cheaply made and more importantly just didn't work.

I think I may have seen Pampas in Tops and maybe online Lazada but was horrifically expensive. This one (photo attached) from Makro excellent. I ordered some yesterday. Can be hard to find sometimes either in the upright freezers in the bakery or may be in the floor freezers around where they keep spring roll wrappers etc. You got the code there so if you get stuck get your Mrs to ask someone to scan if they have stock and where it is. It's not exactly cheap either at 200 baht but I would say each pack with three rolls equivalent to about 8-10 sheets of pampas. It is really good, very close to the equal of Pampas. A few tips....Each frozen roll unravels quite easily but best to roll it out when it is sort of 80-90% thawed. After that can get a bit gluggy and stick to itself. Frozen and left overnight in the fridge usually ok to use next morning. Just don't leave it out in the heat to long as it gets condensation etc like I said harder to work with. The other thing I used to roll it out make it go a bit further but it pretty much kills the texture and puffiness of the pastry. Much better to just use the sheets....about 1.5 mm thick as they come, cut them to the size you want. Any extra or odd bits you can mix gently to roll out and use again but try to work it as little as possible. I do sausage rolls and stuff like that and you can join end bits of the sheets together gently with egg to make another full sheet.

Some of those cards have good benefits but can have horrendous yearly fees, particularly if you are not putting them to use. Usually anything that includes "gold" or "platinum" in the description falls into this category. What about cash advances say....from my Comm Mastercard to my Comm savings account? (Not ATM withdrawal here) I think from memory the thing use to be a cash advance attracted interest immediately at the full whack rate and a purchase would virtually be interest free providing you paid for same before the end of the month of the purchase.

Thanks all. I use Lazada a bit so will be a good excuse to test it out purchasing a few things (Good excuse for the missus ???? )

I appreciate the offer but really not that concerned about the fees so much....they are what they are...and don't want to go into the details of my bank account etc on a public forum. It just isn't wise. More concerned about my general OP question about using my card for overseas purchases. I am pretty sure using Mastercard or Visa the T&C of purchases is a global thing, not controlled by the banks. They may have some fees related to general purchases domestic or otherwise but as far as ex rate that is a Mastercard thing I think

I did go and have a look It was very obtuse and about buying stuff overseas was more on safety and protecting your account. I didn't paw over it for hours but couldn't find any clear information easily. And it appears they certainly go out of their way to intentionally have it this way

By the way how do credit cards work these days? Used to be if the credit card company / purchase was paid for before the end of the month of the purchase there was no interest. Still be ex rates etc if applicable of course

It would probably be more expensive delivering "gifts" here and there than the few percent I would get on the credit card buying a few things here that I may actually need

I have found that also or I seem to remember it that way. The cost of the purchase was similar in Aus dollars to Thai baht as I checked after the transaction. Was a couple of years ago though

I don't tend to take part in these petty squabbles but you seem to make a habit or this along with your "captain obvious" motherly advice on "maybe you should get a Thai bank account" lol.......and steering a post around to own off topic non related issues. Fenugreek? I don't need or use a credit card and would like to retain it as an emergency fund. I have had other cards not used for some time since I been here cancelled or credit limit reduced to nothing. What part of this in the OP didn't you understand or you couldn't join the dots as to the point of the post as everyone else did? You are not a mind reader but you certainly make a lot of assumptions. One of them being everyone else is some kid of moron that needs to have pointed out they should get a Thai bank account lol

You probably didn't read my OP and maybe missing the point. I have a Thai bank account and Mastercard which I use everyday. I just want to keep my Australian Mastercard active and not have it inactivated or the credit limited so I can keep it for emergency use. Just trying to find out how much that is going to cost me

Sorry not 100% sure on the terminology lol. In layman's terms you mean you will get a few percent lower rate than what you would see on XE currency exchange? That for purchases right? I was reading for Visa they have a worldwide ex rate or something. Mine is a mastercard. With companies like Ali express...they will give you a choice of currency you buy in I think?

I been here around 8 years now and still have a credit card with zero balance but a sizeable limit. I don't need or use a credit card and would like to retain it as an emergency fund. I have had other cards not used for some time since I been here cancelled or credit limit reduced to nothing. Just wondering if I used that credit card in Thailand for online stuff like Lazada, Ali express or even general things do they do the ridiculous ex rate thing or ??? I am pretty sure if you withdraw from an ATM it does the bank ex rate which is appalling. I think I have used my Australian credit cards and debit cards for things on Ali express and I remember there was no loss at all, parity per the advertised daily rate....not like where the banks give you an ex rate 20% lower than advertised rate. How does it work these days....talking online purchase...maybe in store Central or Big C? Just use it a bit here and there keep it active.

Yeah birds do need some sort of company and you need to get them at the right age too. For eg female birds can be right shunts (big surprise there lol) particularly one that hasn't been hand reared and used to being handled from a baby