Kitchen Timer puzzle

[john west]

Three quite recently bought different timers when they count up and get to twenty minutes they start all over again counting only up to twenty minutes. Whereas older timers don't do this, they count up to nine hours or nineteen hours. What might be a reason for these newer timers to be like this? Especially since there are applications like doing a roast over several hours, where its convenient to have one timer counting up and another counting down at the same time.

[Sqwertz]

I've never seen a kitchen timer that counts up. Let alone three of them.

-sw

[CB]

One of last weeks (still in my local shop) lidl specials is a kitchen timer with three countdown and one count up timer.

[Sqwertz]

That says it's just three countdown timers. But how hard is it to set a countdown timer and then simple math will tell you the count-up.

-sw

[Ed Pawlowski]

Kitchen timers? Mechanical or electrical? I can see plenty of uses for a short time timer and reasons for it, especially mechanical. It is easier to turn to an exact time on the dial. If it was a 4 hour timer and you had to turn the dial for a three minute egg, it would be difficult to be accurate.

OTOH, if it is a digital timer, it should be good to 99.99 hours.

[Nunya Bidnits]

Kitchen timers? Mechanical or electrical? I can see plenty of uses for a short time timer and reasons for it, especially mechanical. It is easier to turn to an exact time on the dial. If it was a 4 hour timer and you had to turn the dial for a three minute egg, it would be difficult to be accurate.

OTOH, if it is a digital timer, it should be good to 99.99 hours.

===========================

The one hour mechanical timers are notoriously inaccurate. I have one that actually goes off with about two minutes on the dial. OTOH the amount of error remains the same whatever time is set, so it's easily accounted for. But for short timing where accuracy is critical I just use my phone. I can set the alarm by just talking to it once it's turned on, no need to touch the screen with cooking hands.

MartyB

[Ed Pawlowski]

But then we start divide the thread about "Why I don't need a smart phone".

What is also nice about it, you can easily carry it with you and do something else and not miss the buzzer.

[pltrgyst]

Interesting. Every one of the dozen or so I've owned has had a count up function -- I couldn't do without it.

-- Larry

[Sqwertz]

Curious, why would you use a count-up? Do you then set alarms?

If I want to count up I just look at the current time on the stove. That's pretty much how I time everything I cook in the oven rather than fiddling with any timers or smartphones. I like to think I'm smarter than the phone. They should start calling them "dumb phones" because that's what they're doing to people.

-sw

[Tough Guy no. 1265]

Not sure why a cook would want a count-up. But if they did, why would they want to be doing sums and add the possibility of a mistake? You'd have to remember what it was counting down from.

[Nunya Bidnits]

But then we start divide the thread about "Why I don't need a smart phone".

What is also nice about it, you can easily carry it with you and do something else and not miss the buzzer.

===================

Yep. They are great for my barbecue contests where timing-critical actions come fast and furious all morning. Next I'm going to see if I can sync phone alarms with my laptop somehow. The native clock/timer app in W8 sucks. Somehow I suspect that's going to involve tolerating Google Chrome.

[Nunya Bidnits]

Interesting. Every one of the dozen or so I've owned has had a count up function -- I couldn't do without it.

-- Larry

Count up = Stopwatch.

I'm pretty sure most of these folks talking about their electronic timers have that function. lol

"When in doubt, read the instructions"

[Nunya Bidnits]

Curious, why would you use a count-up? Do you then set alarms?

If I want to count up I just look at the current time on the stove. That's pretty much how I time everything I cook in the oven rather than fiddling with any timers or smartphones. I like to think I'm smarter than the phone. They should start calling them "dumb phones" because that's what they're doing to people.

-sw

Nonsense. A phone does what a daytimer, calendar, phone book, notepad, grocery list by store, and most anything any other planning or organizing tool does, all in one, with a lot less fiddling and NO damn PAPER to keep track of (YAY). Only one tool to include all those things, plus make calls and view websites. Used properly it frees one from menial minutiae and contributes to efficiency.

You're becoming a Luddite.

[Sqwertz]

I maintain that the whole idea of a cooking timer counting UP is for culinary morons.

It must be a British thing. Lord knows they haven't been able to cook for 5 centuries so why not start the clock there and count upwards?

-sw

[Tough Guy no. 1265]

A clockwork one needs winding to the appropriate number of minutes, one operation.

P.S. your character is a 100% match to Rod Speed. Are you a sock?