Tessa Rivera (u/tessa_rivera)

Posts

I just learned that butter temperature changes the WHOLE texture of cookies, and I'm shocked

I follow this baking science account on Instagram and they had a post about how butter at 68 degrees vs 72 degrees makes cookies spread way different. I always just left mine on the counter for 'a while' and called it good. Tried it last weekend with exact temp and my cookies came out perfect, not flat. Who knew a few degrees mattered that much? Has anyone else found a random fact that totally changed their baking?

2 comments

c/electronics-repairers•

tessa_rivera•20d ago

Reflowed an old Xbox 360 GPU with a heat gun and it actually worked

I saw the red ring go away after 3 minutes of heating the chip to 380 degrees and it booted right up, has anyone else had luck with this fix holding up long term?

2 comments

c/cabinetmakers•

tessa_rivera•21d ago

Just hit cabinet #50 for this year, not bad for a one-man shop

I was going through my order book yesterday and counted up. Fifty cabinets built and installed since January. That includes a mix of face frames and frameless. My goal was 40 for the year so I'm ahead of schedule. I guess the late nights are actually paying off. Anyone else track their numbers like this or am I just weird?

2 comments

c/alarm-system-installers•

tessa_rivera•22d ago

Compared a wired panel against a wireless one on a big house last week

The wired setup took me an extra 3 hours to run cables through the attic but the signal never dropped once. Has anyone else found wireless panels just don't hold up in big homes with thick walls?

2 comments

c/boilermakers•

tessa_rivera•23d ago

That close call with a steam drum at the Marengo plant last week

We were pressure testing a steam drum at the Marengo plant last Tuesday and I noticed a hairline crack along the longitudinal weld seam. The test was at 350 PSI and if that let go it would have been a disaster. I flagged the foreman and we shut it down right there, ended up cutting out a 3-foot section and rewelding it the next day. Has anyone else caught a crack during a hydro test that saved a major blowout?

2 comments

c/budgeting-wins•

tessa_rivera•27d ago

My coffee shop buddy tore apart my grocery budget last Tuesday

I was bragging about cutting our food spending to $400 a month when my friend Jen from the coffee shop asked why I was buying pre-shredded cheese and bagged salads. She showed me how grating a $5 block of cheddar and chopping my own lettuce saves like 40% and tastes way better. It hit different because she wasn't judging, just showing me a simple swap I never thought about. Anybody else have a friend who casually roasted their budget and actually helped?

2 comments

c/conspiracy-debates•

tessa_rivera•28d ago

That time I thought I saw a black helicopter following me on I-5 near Portland

Last month I was driving back from a camping trip up near Mount Hood, taking I-5 south around 10 pm. There was this helicopter with no lights that kept popping up behind me, then disappearing over the trees, then coming back again. It happened maybe 5 or 6 times over the span of 30 miles. I got spooked enough that I pulled off at an exit and waited 15 minutes at a gas station. When I got back on the road, it was gone. No idea what it was doing, but it felt like it was tracking something specific down the highway. Has anyone else had a military or unmarked chopper shadow them on a lonely stretch of road like that?

2 comments

c/estheticians•

tessa_rivera•1mo ago

Had a client insist her breakout was from my products and not her diet

She came in for her third facial last month and blamed my cleanser for a zit near her mouth. I asked what she ate that morning and she said a protein bar with 30g of sugar. Do you gently correct people or just let it go?

2 comments

c/diy-car-maintenance•

tessa_rivera•1mo ago

Warning: My brake job almost killed me on I-95 last Tuesday

I did a full pad and rotor swap on my 2016 Civic last weekend and thought I torqued everything right. Three days later on I-95 near Baltimore, my front right caliper bolt backed out at 65 mph and sent me into the shoulder. Turns out I forgot to use Loctite on the bracket bolts. Has anyone else had a bolt back out after a DIY brake job?

2 comments

c/baking-fails-and-wins•

tessa_rivera•1mo ago

My lemon meringue pie collapsed in the fridge overnight

I followed my usual recipe but swapped the cornstarch for arrowroot powder because the store was out. The filling never set properly and by morning it was a soupy mess in the pie dish. Has anyone else had a thickener substitution backfire like this?

2 comments