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Chief executive Vinai Venkatesham, in conjunction with sporting director Johan Lange, made the call - one the club had been reluctant to make.

But the sorry state of Tottenham's season meant not even Frank's biggest advocate could disagree with the decision.

Early on Wednesday morning, Venkatesham made the recommendation to the Lewis family - the club's ownership - to dispense with Frank.

In recent weeks a furious fanbase have directed their ire towards the Lewises amid a widely held belief that supporters' views about Frank were not being listened to.

According to conversations with those closely connected with the ownership, that was not the case - and the Lewis family were attuned to the widespread discontent from Spurs fans.

Of course, it would have been harder not to notice given the ferocity of ill feeling towards the Dane in recent weeks.

But given they effectively handed the running of the club to Venkatesham when appointing him chief executive last summer, it is fair to say the ownership have not sought to intervene - feeling a decision should be made 'on the ground'.

So, when the recommendation from Venkatesham to terminate Frank's employment arrived in the hours after the loss to Newcastle it was accepted immediately by the ownership board, who formally approved the decision.

All that was left was for Frank to be officially informed of his departure - a formality that took place on Wednesday morning in a meeting between the manager, Venkatesham and Lange.

Frank's appointment in June was welcomed at the time as a shrewd move.

He had done a superb job at Brentford to, firstly, earn promotion from the Championship and then, crucially, consolidate their position as a Premier League club.

But he lasted just eight months at Spurs amid player indiscipline, a split executive team and doubts over his tactical approach.

Frank's struggle to create a successful culture

Frank was intent on implementing a positive culture at Tottenham - having done so at Brentford - which was one of the factors behind the decision to appoint him as Ange Postecoglou's successor.

There have been instances, however, when Frank's efforts to build respectful working conditions for his players and staff were tested.

Towards the start of his reign, Frank dropped a player from Tottenham's starting XI after the squad member reported late for a pre-match meeting and then did not apologise for the indiscretion.

However, after being removed from the team the player did later apologise.

The way Frank handled apparent threats to his authority ultimately impressed some players, who liked the fact there were consequences for below-par behaviour.

An example came when Yves Bissouma was left in London for August's Uefa Super Cup against Paris St-Germain because of persistent lateness.

In recent days, meanwhile, Frank had no intention of stripping Cristian Romero of the captaincy despite the defender's social media outbursts against the club or his red card against Manchester United.

Romero is said to be more difficult to manage around the club's training centre, and it is claimed some players felt the Argentine has been afforded preferential treatment.

When Micky van der Ven and Djed Spence appeared to refuse to shake Frank's hand after the home loss to Chelsea, the manager defused the situation by insisting the players were simply "frustrated" before later revealing they had apologised.

There was always a sense Frank put his players before his own agendas. Certain members of the squad certainly appreciated that.

But that is not to say he left a positive impression on all of them.

In the opening weeks of his reign, some players are believed to have found Frank indecisive.

They were used to Postecoglou's big personality - although the Australian had become increasingly isolated during his final months in charge.

There were consistent reservations about Frank's tactical approach, too: concerns he was not assertive enough in matches and was too focused on adapting to the opposition rather than imposing Spurs' own strengths.

That image of Frank will do little to dispel the narrative the Tottenham job was simply too big for him.

'Tottenham considered replacing Frank in November'

Concerns over Frank's appointment have been lingering for months.

One leading executive recommended the Dane should be sacked after the 2-1 home defeat by Fulham on 29 November - Tottenham's third-straight loss after reversals to Arsenal and PSG.

Former Brighton head coach Roberto de Zerbi - who was managing Marseille at the time - was also pushed as a potential replacement.

But that recommendation was rejected with the club continuing to put their faith in Frank.

It is interesting that the club's leadership group, led by Venkatesham, stuck with Frank for as long as they did.

The Dane's appointment was ultimately led by Daniel Levy - Tottenham's divisive former executive chairman who unexpectedly departed after 24 years in September.

While Venkatesham was involved in the execution of the deal that took Frank across London, the groundwork was completed in advance of the CEO joining last summer.

With Levy gone, it appeared the easiest decision for Venkatesham would be to sack Frank given the increasing vitriol towards the head coach from fans.

But for Venkatesham, it was not as simple as that, despite the fact he knew it could increase his popularity.

For starters, Lange - who played a key role in Frank's identification as a leading candidate - was a close ally of his Danish compatriot.

However, it is also true to say Tottenham's former co-sporting director Fabio Paratici, who has since joined Fiorentina, was not overly convinced Frank was the best man for the job.

But there is also a sense during the post-Levy era at Spurs that after years of chopping and changing managers they would benefit from a period of stability.

Venkatesham saw first-hand at Arsenal what sticking with a manager when there are calls for his head can do for a club in Mikel Arteta, who has since established the Gunners as one of the best teams in Europe.

Likewise, there was a belief from within Tottenham's hierarchy that Frank had been dealt a rough hand given the campaign has been disrupted by injuries to key players.

There is also recognition that the squad needs repair work – particularly considering the departures of their two main sources of goals in Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.

Last season's top scorer Brennan Johnson has also left - although that was down to Frank deeming the Wales attacker was no longer part of his plans.

There is also a sense Tottenham's squad is lacking in leadership. It was why they signed England midfielder Conor Gallagher and tried to land Andy Robertson - both of whom have vast Premier League experience.

Ultimately, the foundations of Tottenham's faith in Frank were irreparably shaken after the home loss to relegation-threatened West Ham on 17 January.

Sources have suggested Spurs were close to ending Frank's reign after that defeat, which was attended by members of the Lewis family - Vivienne Lewis was confronted by an irate fan after the match.

Champions League victories over Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt bought Frank some time - but the loss to Newcastle extended Tottenham's winless league run to eight matches and proved to be the Dane's last.

Tottenham 'weigh up short-term appointment'

Venkatesham and the club's new leadership team will now be tasked with making their first appointment.

It remains to be seen whether they seek an interim manager with a view to appointing a permanent boss in the summer, or want a full-time choice immediately.

There is certainly consideration behind the scenes to the interim option given how drastically the managerial landscape will change in the summer.

One option until the end of the season could be John Heitinga, who joined Tottenham as an assistant coach last month. The former Netherlands defender managed Ajax this season and was part of Arne Slot's Premier League title-winning coaching staff at Liverpool.

For the long term, the most obvious development will be the potential availability of Mauricio Pochettino after the World Cup.

The USA head coach has made no secret of his desire to return to Tottenham one day - and supporters have made no secret of their wishes for him to return.

It seems like a perfect match. But Spurs will have to wait until after the World Cup to appoint Pochettino.

Even if it is not Pochettino, the likes of Oliver Glasner, Andoni Iraola and Marco Silva will be available for nothing in the summer.

Other World Cup coaches including Thomas Tuchel, Carlo Ancelotti and Julian Nagelsmann may also be obtainable.

So there is sense in buying time until the summer. Equally, however, the recent availability of De Zerbi, who left Marseille on Tuesday night, may interest Spurs.

De Zerbi is viewed as someone who can hit the ground running, a trait Tottenham could do with given their spiral towards the relegation zone.

Yes, he can be combustible. But if Spurs are looking for an instant impact, the Italian could fit the bill.

Sources are indicating Tottenham want an appointment in place by the time the players arrive back on Monday after a pre-planned five-day break.

Amid on-field troubles, there have also been off-field rumours for the club's hierarchy to deal with - amid persistent rumblings Spurs could be sold.

This is despite it being reinforced to staff that Tottenham are not for sale. That correlates with public messaging despite industry rumours the Lewis family are open to selling.

Former Newcastle owner Amanda Staveley has been heavily linked with a continued interest in Tottenham despite a statement in September that she does not intend to make a formal offer for the club.

Other consortiums, including groups from the USA, have also been linked with an interest in purchasing Spurs, while there were reports last week that Levy was looking at selling his stake in Tottenham after his departure.

Combined with the results on the pitch and the changes off it, it has been an uncertain time.

For now though, all the attention is on the dugout and how Tottenham replace Frank.

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Nevertheless, this is not a story of the woes of life in a place where the safety of a single pipe affects… everybody. No, this is about cooking, naturally, and how we managed in the (thankfully?) only four months in which my kitchen was not functioning as a so-called professional kitchen should. [Let’s pretend for editorial sake that my kitchen ever functions as a professional kitchen should.] Because while I might have kept my experience of this chapter of my cooking life offline forever — too niche! — I’ve recently received emails from two different people, one whose building is experiencing the same elsewhere in the city, and one who is about to undertake a kitchen renovation and both wanted advice on how a cook might cook when deprived of their galley. And I’m incapable of not answering a good question.

• A countertop convection oven: Not sponsored, but I love my Breville Smart Oven. I bought it a decade ago because it was the ideal second oven for me, a person with a significant mismatch between the scale of my entertaining ambitions (big) and the size of my space (small). I use it to heat up an additional dish or two when the oven is at capacity; we also use it as a toaster. What I learned when it became my primary oven was that it turns out almost 80% of the stuff we cook fits in a 9×13-inch pan or smaller, i.e. the oven can handle it. Another bonus? It cooks evenly and doesn’t heat up the kitchen in the summer, the way a full-sized oven often does. [Breville, Williams-Sonoma, Amazon]
• A plug-in induction burner: The gold standard of electromagnetic field/ferromagnetic cookware (just rolls off the tongue!) in test kitchens and almost anywhere you’ve seen a chef demo is the Breville brand one, but I wasn’t quite ready to cough up for it. Instead, I used the camping burners I keep around for video shoots. I can’t say I’d recommend them per se; they’re not winning any environmental awards but, as a temporary solution in a well-ventilated kitchen, it did the job.
• A slow-cooker and/or InstantPot: While I don’t lean heavily on slow-cookers and/or InstantPots these days, they’d also be heroic to call in for making dinner without an oven or stove. We did, however, use our small outdoor grill a lot, as it was warm out.
• The surprise item: A rice cooker: I’ve had two Zojirushi Micom 3-Cup rice cookers over the last 15 years and I’d still be on the first if it hadn’t slipped out of my hands once or twice. Oddly, it still worked fine even with, uh, a couple chunks of plastic missing but it was a little slower so replaced it this year. I aspire to keep my newer one forever. [Zojirushi, Williams-Sonoma (5.5-cup model), Amazon]

And what did I use that rice cooker for? Obsessively, this. I made miso chicken and rice (and variations) almost every week, and 10 months later we’re not even a little sick of it. It hails from the late Lucky Peach Magazine. I remember it having a kind of viral moment in 2016, which means it’s due for a reminder tour because it’s just plain excellent: full of flavor and honestly exemplary in weeknight ease. In the original recipe — Miso Claypot Chicken (No Claypot), the rice cooker is meant to act similar to a claypot, in that the rice is cooked with marinated meat and vegetables, although it doesn’t get the traditional crisped rice at the bottom. But you don’t need a rice cooker here, either. I find that this bakes in a foil-covered casserole dish in the oven in almost exactly the same amount of time, directions below.

* Oops, I forgot to finish writing this trip up. Please nudge me. It was so magical to be in the Netherlands during tulip season.

Miso Chicken and Rice

I’d say this safely serves 3 people but if you’ve got other food on the table — we always make a cucumber salad to go with, if not another vegetable — it might stretch to 4 servings. I’ve updated the added kosher salt to be optional as several commenters have reported it wasn’t necessary.

• 2 tablespoons (30ml) soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon (15ml) oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon (15ml) Shaoxing wine
• 1 tablespoon (15ml) white or red miso
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• White pepper or freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound (455 grams) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch strips
• 8 fresh shiitake mushroom caps, thinly sliced, or 4 dried shiitakes, soaked, stemmed, and thinly sliced
• 1 cup (200 grams) jasmine rice
• 1 cup (235 ml) chicken broth or water, plus 2 tablespoons extra for the oven option
• 1/4-inch slice of fresh ginger, minced or grated
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced, whites and greens separated

Both cooking methods: In a large bowl, combine the soy sauce, oyster sauce, wine, miso, salt (if using), sugar, sesame oil, and several grinds of white pepper. Add the chicken and mushrooms and stir so that they’re evenly coated.

In a rice cooker: In the bowl of a 3-cup or larger rice cooker, combine the rice, 1 cup broth, and ginger. Scrape the chicken mixture and any marinade left in the bowl on top. Scatter with scallion whites. Close the cover, start a Quick or Regular cycle, and cook until the cycle is done. Open the lid and check the chicken for doneness; occasionally I need to move the pieces around and give it 5 more minutes to finish. Scatter with scallion greens and eat right away.

In the oven: Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). In a 1.5- to 2-quart baking dish (I used this), combine the rice, 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons broth, and ginger. Scrape the chicken mixture and any marinade left in the bowl on top. Scatter with scallion whites. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, checking on the early end, until rice is tender and chicken is cooked. Double-check the chicken for doneness; you might need to shuffle the pieces around and give it 5 to 10 more minutes to finish. Scatter with scallion greens and eat right away.

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Ludmila Viotti at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Italy and her colleagues have now shown that some time crystals could be a good building block for very accurate quantum clocks.

They mathematically analysed a system of up to 100 quantum mechanical particles, each of which had two distinct states determined by the property of quantum spin, similar to how a coin on a table has two distinct states determined by which side is facing up. The specific spin system that the researchers studied could become a time crystal or exist in a more conventional phase that didn’t spontaneously oscillate in time, and it could be used as a clock in either phase. The team calculated how the performance of the clock made from spins – its accuracy and precision – in the time crystal phase would compare with a clock made from spins in this “normal” phase.

“In the normal phase, if you want to resolve smaller intervals of time, you will lose accuracy exponentially. In the time crystalline phase, for the same resolution, you can get much higher accuracy,” says Viotti. Although the spin-based clock would normally become less accurate if you wanted to, for example, measure seconds rather than minutes, this didn’t happen if the spins formed a time crystal first.

Mark Mitchison at King’s College London says it isn’t surprising that a time crystal would be a promising starting point for making a clock, but a rigorous analysis of that advantage was missing until now. He and his colleagues previously proved that nearly any random sequence of events can be turned into a clock, but a system that has self-sustained oscillations provides a more clock-like structure from the start, he says.

“For about 10 years, we have known that time crystals can exist, but it is still unclear how to exploit them,” says Krzysztof Sacha at the Jagiellonian University in Poland. “Just as ordinary crystals can be used both for jewellery and for building computer processors, we would like time crystals to enable useful technologies as well.”

Time crystals are unlikely to overtake the current best clocks in the world, which are made from extremely cold atoms, he says, but they could still be an alternative to timekeeping based on satellite systems such as GPS, which can be disrupted by nefarious actors. Clocks built from time crystals could also become the basis of sensors for magnetic fields, since even tiny amounts of such fields would disturb the clocks’ ticks, says Mitchison.

Yet, a lot more work remains before time crystals can be used practically, says Viotti. For instance, her team’s spin system ought to be compared with other systems that behave as accurate clocks and tested in an experiment with actual spins, she says. %!s()

The force of friction opposes motion, dissipates energy and exists everywhere around us, enabling us to walk without slipping, for instance, and to light matches. Within machines such as engines, friction wastes energy and causes wear, so it must be fought with lubricants and surface engineering. Yet, some friction can persist regardless of those methods because objects are full of electrons, which interact with each other.

Now, Zhiping Xu at Tsinghua University in China and his colleagues have devised a way to control this “electronic friction”. They made a device composed of two layers: a piece of graphite and a semiconductor made from either molybdenum and sulphur or from boron and nitrogen.

All three materials are good solid lubricants, which means that mechanical friction from them sliding against each other was nearly zero. This enabled the researchers to focus on the more “hidden” mechanism of electronic friction wasting energy when the device’s layers moved, says Xu. “Even when surfaces slide perfectly, mechanical motion can still stir up the ‘sea’ of electrons within the materials,” he says.

The researchers first studied how electronic states in the semiconductor layer corresponded to how energy was lost during sliding to confirm that they were really looking at electronic friction. Then, they tested several ways of controlling it.

They managed to fully turn it off by adding pressure to the device, which made electrons between the layers share states instead of interacting in energetically costly ways, and by adding a “bias voltage” to the device, which controlled how stirred-up the electron sea could get.

Changing the voltage along two different parts of the device, which affected how easy it was for electrons to flow within it, allowed the researchers to weaken electronic friction – it served as a control dial rather than an on-off switch.

Jacqueline Krim at North Carolina State University says the first studies of electronic friction date to 1998, when her team used a material that conducts electricity perfectly at extremely low temperatures – a superconductor – to see it disappear in this special state. Ever since, researchers have been developing new ways to control it without having to fully switch out materials or add new lubricants into their devices, she says.

Krim says the ideal situation would be analogous to using a smartphone app to adjust the friction of the soles of your shoes as you walk, for example, from an icy sidewalk into a carpeted room. “The goal is this real-time remote control with no down time or material waste. To achieve this, one needs a material that responds to external fields in a way that yields the desired friction level,” she says.

Xu says managing all types of friction present in a device is difficult, in part, because researchers have not yet developed a mathematical model that would rigorously relate all of them to each other. However, in cases where electronic friction is the dominant cause of energy waste or wear, his team’s findings could already be promising, he says. %!s()