Thursday 17 December 2020

Life can be Complicated.


I am partial to fried Haggis for my breakfast.


Previously the tins were of the old fashioned sort that you opened with a tin-opener; in my case both the top and the bottom ends.

In their wisdom, Grant's have now put ring-pulls on the tops of their cans, and the bottoms are no longer openable with my simple tin-opener.


Now, you are probably wondering why this poses a problem. Well, previously I had pushed the Haggis from the bottom, and sliced however many pieces that I required as it protruded from the top. Now, without being able to push from the bottom, I have to 'dig-out' the amount I require, making rather a mess. I much preferred having neat slices to fry.

It's often the little things that annoy us the most. Change isn't always for the better; certainly not when it comes to my 'slices' of breakfast Haggis.

40 comments:

  1. That reminds me of motto, before you change it find out why it is like that in the first place.

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  2. Cro, for the past 30 years we have had a side cutter tin-opener.... a safety opener as it cuts through the side of the foldover rim.
    This allows the lid of the tin to remain intact....... ours came from LIDL at £6.... it allows top and bottom of a corned beef tin to come off smoothly, and.... go back on as lids... it would allow the same for your haggis!!

    This site compares some of the more modern designs, which are frankly, better than our old one... ergonomically!

    Site address:
    https://www.finecooking.com/article/equipment-review-smooth-edge-can-openers-are-a-cut-above

    American site, so 'orrible spelling.... but this is why I like them....

    "Big advantages to smooth-edge openers

    No sharp edges. The cutting mechanism smoothes the edges of the lid and the can, so you can lift the lid off with no worries of cutting yourself. (Manufacturers warn that if you roll the opener too far past the starting point, you might compromise the smooth edge, but I did this more than once and found it mostly just roughens the edge, like a snag.)

    The lid doesn’t fall into the can. No more fishing out fallen lids.

    No more gunky cutting wheels. The cutting mechanism never touches the can’s contents, so there’s no risk of cross contamination.

    Plows(sic) through dents. These openers tend to do their job flawlessly, even when a can is dented."
    That last I can [pun] vouch for... those rectangular Cassegrain tinned veg cans for starters! It also doesn't baulk at the very tight corners on those or tinned mackerel cans!
    Go on, it's Chrishmash.... treat yourself and make your haggis fun to cook again!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alternatively, get a burger press and create a new disc in that!

      Delete
    2. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Safety-Manual-Opener-Stainless-Ergonomic/dp/B01C6QIBZQ/ref=sr_1_30?crid=1YWFN9U69OU2S&dchild=1&keywords=safety+can+opener+no+sharp+edges&qid=1608187971&sprefix=Safety+Can+Opener+%2Caps%2C366&sr=8-30

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    3. The bottom of the can doesn't have that 'fold-over' edge, so there's nothing to grip onto. I do have another opener, that I use for big Confit tins, that has a small shark-fin type blade that sticks out sideways. I expect that would do the job. Next time I'll give it a go.

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    4. Yes, I should have looked more closely at that second photo.... nada, no chance!!
      That's the same sort of can as our cats' food comes in.....
      get a burger press!!

      Delete
  3. If that’s all you can complain about lol .........

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You'd be amazed how annoyed I was. It doesn't take much!

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  4. Or tell Mr Grant about the problem.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He might even send me a case of freebies; all with proper can lids.

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    2. You never know your luck. I just ordered some special gf crackers and a lot were crushed so I emailed them and just received four boxes and a fig paste.

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  5. I would definitely send an email and complain. Like Susan I have also received boxes of goodies after telling them what was wrong with their product. Go for it! You might have tins of haggis filling up the pantry, if only you could get it out of the tins

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If I can find an Email address, I shall send my complaint.

      Delete
  6. Or find out where they unloaded the former stock and order from there, asking for a discount because it isn't the current model.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Now there's an idea! Actually I have just sent-off an Email.... and am expecting a large carton of free pukka cans any day!

      Delete
  7. If you have a tyre compressor then punch a hole in the bottom and gently blow the haggis out. It works on Spam tins.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm pleased to say that I don't have one. It sounds as if my Haggis would end-up in Toulouse!

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    2. Possibly, one has to have a certain level of hand eye coordination. Let the children do it. It's easy.

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  8. It's the same on hubby's corned beef tins, bloody nightmare.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ring-Pulls certainly have their uses (Beer, Sardines, Paté, etc) but not for Haggis. Corned Beef tins always used to have a little key on top.

      Delete
  9. I have stopped buying corned beef because I find the tin such a nightmarer - like you I usually end up with a heap of lumps.

    ReplyDelete
  10. When I open my Spam i just slide a knife round the sides, inside, and the Spam pops out. Wouldn't that work with the haggis?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No, it doesn't work; it's too solid. I tried, but it just made a mess.

      Delete
  11. Worse still is when the ring pull comes off in your hand, lol
    Briony
    x

    ReplyDelete
  12. The ring pull top has been the source of a deep cut requiring surgical repair for a friend.

    ReplyDelete
  13. They did the same thing to the jellied cranberry sauce. Can't slice it into uniform disks anymore. :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You've confused me here Kris. I can't really imagine 'slices' of Cranberry Sauce; my wife makes ours and it's the consistency of 'lumpy sauce'.

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    2. My husband has the same complaint as Kris...he liked to see the Cranberry Sauce cylindar complete with can lines
      nestled into the jelly dish.

      Delete
  14. It's a bloody pain isn't it! I do wish they wouldn't keep re-designing things that worked perfectly well before. It's like these plastic squeezy sauce/salad cream/mayonnaise bottles and various jars that are specially shaped so that you can't get the last little bit out of them without fiddling about with a bent teaspoon!They obviously haven't got enough to do and of course must have been designed by a man, haha!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Join the bloody club... these things drive me crazy. If it ain't broke....

      Delete
  15. Those ring-pulls on cans are okay when they work but a right pain when they snap which they seem to do with every tenth can.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Which is why I keep my old fashioned can opener handy!

      Delete
  16. I use the can opener to open both ends of the can and the contents slides out perfectly. Like you, I prefer uniform slices.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Well, thanks to you and Le Pré, I've just gone down the rabbit warren of the Modern can opener. I was unaware the technology had moved on so far!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In this particular case, the technology has moved backwards.

      Delete

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