Tom Douglas Quotes

I like gifts that provide a dual purpose.

With wok cooking, you chop things up into little pieces for maximum surface area, so they can cook in minutes, if not seconds. Sauteing is energy efficient; baking is not.

It's not just about turning up or down the heat, it's about the other experiences that come with turning up or down the heat - what are we doing about energy, what are we doing about your health and safety.

Consider a clock thermostat, and set it so that you're not using energy when you don't need it, when you're out of your house.

Like you can't have a car that can take the kids to schools on Friday and win the grand prix on Saturday, you can't make a microscope that can do it all.

Although a food processor is not an absolutely essential piece of equipment, because you can certainly chop, grate, slice, knead and mix everything by hand, it does do all these things very quickly and efficiently and saves you time and energy.

I always carry multipurpose products in my handbag.

I love my refrigerator.

I am a man without a furnace. My windows are insulated by 19 sheets of glass which cost less than installing a heating system.

In Tahoe, you want to be able check on the temperature of the house or turn it on before you get there. Because it's really cold in the winter.

My refrigerator is powerful. In fact, it has a direct link to my overall well-being.

Good asparagus needs minimal treatment and is best eaten with few other ingredients.

When I have to do something fast, I wear the most unflattering rubber pants over my pants and a big easy sweater. I can get on my knees in the garden in whatever condition, and when I'm done, I can take it off, get in the car, and drive to the office. It's the most practical thing.

I think that business leaders today have to be more rounded than they used to be, they have to be completely multi-functional and fast-moving.

While I was designing my home, I was living in different houses all around the world, and I saw thermostats that were just as bad as the ones in the U.S., or houses that needed them but didn't have them. I realised that this was a worldwide problem. I thought, 'Let's fix it.'

I like to abide by the seasons and let the natural flavor in food speak for itself. I use quick cooking techniques of high heat with very little fat, such as quick saute or wok stir-frying.

The most overrated tool: a pasta maker. Why make it when you can buy it? It's a lot of work!

Fridges can be modified to nudge their internal thermostats up and down just a little in response to the main's frequency in such a way that, without ever jeopardising the temperature of your butter, they tend to take power at times that help the grid.

I love using gas grills because they are easier to heat and it's much easier to control the flames with a gas grill than with a charcoal fire. Grilling is not just about lighting a fire.

One-pot meals make a lot of sense... because so much of what people hate about cooking is really the cleanup, the mess, the grease.

I have been working with Hive, part of British Gas, on reinventing the thermostat. Now you can control your heating at the press of a button on your phone. As I say, design should permeate every part of society.

People don't take enough advantage of the refrigerator door.

Nothing is worse than washing a head of lettuce or greens, then trying to blot the water with paper towels. A salad spinner lets you rinse, then spin all the water off completely. Plus, it's fun to use.

I keep a very cold apartment - I tend to crank my AC just about as low as it can go. I sleep with a big, warm comforter, even during the summer, and just burrow underneath it.

I use my Le Creuset dutch oven for everything you can think of. I even fry eggs in it.