Cooking and following DU at the same time is dangerous to you dinner and you mental health!

[Paper Roses]

Again, I started to prepare both a soup and a corn chowder to portion out and freeze. Again, I started following posts here and forgot about stuff on the stove and in the oven. Again, into the disposal. Burned. Thank whatever for smoke detectors. Pity my poor wallet.
I promise myself, I will never start anything involving the stove and then go to the computer. Can't afford it!

[PADemD]

1. Do you have a smart phone?

I use the timer on my smart phone and carry it with me all the time in order to not burn meals. The stove timer is not loud enough to hear in my living room where I'm reading DU posts.

Three minutes to boil water for tea or coffee. Depending on what I'm cooking, a 3-5 minute check. If it's something fried, I don't leave the stove until it's done.

[csziggy]

9. I have a cheap little digital kitchen timer I carry around with me

Most of the time it's sitting here at the computer, counting off time till I need to do something else in the kitchen. I even use it now to time how long my coffee maker takes since the new one drips but doesn't keep the cup warm once it's done.

[catbyte]

2. I feel your pain, lol.

I've almost set fire to the stove a few times myself. I suffer from CRS on a fairly regular basis. I always make sure the smoke detector batteries work!

[Nac Mac Feegle]

3. Just a suggestion:

It may be considered 'obvious', but:

Do One thing at a time.

If you're going to cook; cook. If you're going to follow D.U.; follow D.U..

Trying to do both at the same time means you can't do justice to either.

I know it could sound patronizing, but I don't mean it that way. I'm cleaning up something my dad used to say, involving driving and girlfriends (this was in the '60's <sigh&gt .

I know there are 'slack' times in the kitchen, as well as D.U., but you can't count on them to arrange themselves conveniently so that you are free to tend to the other at the right time. I use the free time in the kitchen to clean things up. Wash a few pots or dishes, put away stuff, clean up the counter, whatever needs doing. And there's always something that needs it. If you clean the pot before the stuff in it sets up, it's a LOT easier to clean. And you may just be able to reuse it if needed.

Then there's the bit about getting your meal eaten and knowing that you only have minimal dishes to take care of, since everything else was already done as you cooked. It's a mindset to get in to that, to me, really pays off. It kind of freaks out my wife that I'm so clean in the kitchen when I'm cooking. but when a major Holiday is underway, things go much smoother. She's just learned to stay out of the way and enjoy the end product. Besides, I scare her when I make gravy. She can't ever get a smooth gravy, and I just pour out a silky, rich one that just drives her nuts. She doesn't understand the roux. I let her do her Mom's Spinach salad, but I've shown her a couple of tricks that help out a lot.

[hippywife]

4. Awwww.

So sorry about your food and your wallet.

I have come so very close to doing the same. Fortunately, my living room and kitchen are all one large room, so my computer isn't far from the kitchen, so I'm able to set the timer on the stove as a reminder. Anymore I set it for other things that don't involve use of the stove, as well.

[cbayer]

5. Like others, I have to have a timer because I also lose track of time.

I have one that keeps two different sets of time.

I hate throwing away food.

[Fumesucker]

6. I use this since my digital timer broke a while back...

http://www.online-stopwatch.com/countdown-timer/

Cooking often involves waiting some considerable time and I'm absent minded as all get out if I'm at all distracted, the online timer has saved my bacon many times.

[Paper Roses]

7. Wow, will sign up! Thanks n/t

[Fumesucker]

8. My pleasure, just make sure to turn your sound on so you can hear the alarm when it rings..

Also you can have more than one instance of the timer running simultaneously in different tabs/windows with different time periods set.

[raven mad]

10. LOLOLOL! I have so done this...........

Now I have a VERY loud timer that demands I must get up, walk across the room, remember where I put the timer, and shut it off.

Works great for the stuff I'm cooking, but plays hell with my lack of annoyance!