January 2017 - Snellings Gerald Giles

Viewing technology is moving faster than ever. Every year we’re seeing incredible innovations and inventions, with new systems hitting the shelves month after month. One of the latest technologies making waves in the home cinema world is Sky Q. Original and powerful, this new system is likely to change the way we watch TV for good.

Sky Q first became available to consumers in March 2016. Unlike previous Sky products, and unlike other systems on the market, Sky Q isn’t just a TV viewing service, it’s a complete family of devices. The idea is that Sky Q will change the way companies provide our home TV services, integrating other elements into the systems and making them an essential part of our home entertainment set ups.

If you want to upgrade to Sky Q, you’ll need to invest in a bit of hardware. You have the choice between the Sky Q Silver set top box and the basic Sky Q box. The Silver version is Ultra HD ready and has a larger hard drive than the basic version.

You can also invest in a Sky Q Mini Box – if you want to use the service in other rooms in your home – the Sky Q Internet Hub and the Sky Q Touch Remote. When taken together, this provides a comprehensive, integrated system that provides virtually all of your home entertainment services.

One of the biggest benefits of this integrated system is that you can view and save recordings onto mobile devices. So if you fall asleep before the end of your favourite show or need something to keep you entertained on your journey to work, you’ll be able to easily transfer data onto your mobile device and take your entertainment with you.

With just one Sky Q Silver box in your home, you’ll be able to stream content to two tablet computers and connect two Sky Q Mini Boxes. Though they’re all connected to the same main box, you’ll be able to view separate content on each device, with each running completely independently of other devices in the system.

The basic Sky Q box supports just one tablet and one Mini Box. However you can still store up to 150 hours of TV on the device.

If you want a TV set that will do justice to your new high tech home entertainment set up, explore the outstanding range of products on our site or get in touch with a member of our team.

Easter is upon us so we have listed our opening hours for the bank holiday weekend below. Please be aware that any online orders made over the Easter bank holiday weekend, will not be actioned until Tuesday 18th April so there may be a delay in the arrival of your order.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish our customers a very Happy Easter.

So you’re updating your kitchen appliances – great! But rather than stick with the type of appliances you usually cook with, why not consider something different? Cooking on hobs has changed dramatically in the last few years and now precision technology works behind the scenes opening the doors for you to create those sensational showstoppers with a bit more ease. So what are the options you have to pick from for your kitchen?
Induction hobs are sleek and stylish. With a minimalist design, these ceramic tops are not only easy to wipe clean after preparing a feast but they also fit pretty flush to your worktop making them a great choice for any style of kitchen. You can get some extra wide Induction hobs like Neff’s T41D82X2. At 80cm wide, not only does this Induction hob have 5 different cooking zones, it also gives you a large 28cm dual zone so you can cook with a large casserole dish. Like with a traditional electric hob, an Induction hob will display exactly which hobs are hot or in use, but unlike many standard electric hobs an Induction hob will only put in its hard work into the bottom area of the pan. This means no more escaping heat around the outside of a pan and no waste of energy. Not only that but it makes wiping away any spillages safe immediately after removing a pan and any splattered oil won’t become burnt onto the outside of a ring.

Induction hobs are also much more precise when it comes to temperature control. Once you’ve got a pan to boil, reduce the temperature and it will immediately slow to a simmer. Some newer Induction Hobs also have a TempControl so you can make a setting of say 105°C for jam, and the hob will keep the contents of the pan on the hob at exactly 105°C until you want to change the temperature. So if you’re really into your cooking, baking or jam making this feature in a hob can make things much simpler.
Gas is a reliable heat source for heating up a pan, it’s visible so you can see exactly where things are hotting up however unlike the Induction Hob, it doesn’t tell you which zone has been used so you run the risk of pesky fingers coming into contact with the hot iron pan supports. Gas hobs are easy to use for temperature control but with the flames being in a fixed place, unlike an Induction pan which will heat the whole base of a pan from centre to edge, a Gas hob may miss areas of a pan if you’re not using the correct size ring. A benefit to using a Gas is that you probably won’t need to invest in new pans when you buy. An Induction hob needs magnetic based pans so you may need to invest if you’re thinking about Induction which could have been an expense you hadn’t factored in.

If you’re still stuck for which to choose, come into us at Gerald Giles on Ber Street, Norwich where you can have a live demonstration of working hobs. See for yourself how easy they are to use and how technology is helping to make the cooking world much more innovative.

Chinese New Year 2016 heralds in the Year of the Monkey on Monday 8th February. So to celebrate in Cantonese style, Miele have come up with this super easy Pork and Prawn Dim Sum recipe so you can put your Miele Steam Oven to the test. Guaranteed to impress your friends and family if you try this Dim Sum recipe out, we want to know!

Pork & Prawn Dim Sum

250ml wheat starch (available from Asian supermarkets)
½ tsp salt
150-200ml boiling water
2 tbsp potato starch, to use when rolling out pastry

150g pork mince
110g raw prawns
1 tbsp coriander, chopped
½ tsp garlic, finely chopped
½ tsp ginger, grated
¼ tsp fish sauce
Zest of ½ lime
1 tsp sweet chilli sauce
Method

1. For the dumpling dough, in a bowl combine the wheat starch and salt. Add the boiling water and stir to make a paste.

2. Knead with your hands for about 1 to 2 minutes until smooth. Sprinkle potato starch on to a work surface to ensure that the dough does not stick.

3. Roll the dough out until it is about 2mm thick (has to be very thin) and cut out the discs using a pastry cutter. N.B. This dough should be used warm. Stuff with the filling straight away. If it becomes cold, reheat gently in the steam oven and continue to use.

4. For the filling, finely chop the pork mince and the prawns and place into a bowl. Add the coriander, garlic and ginger and mix well. Add the fish sauce, lime zest and the sweet chilli sauce and combine well with the mix.

5. Fill the dim sum dough parcels and place on to a perforated steam tray and put in the Miele Steam Oven. Steam for 4 minutes at 90°C. Serve immediately.