The Off Topic Thread...

Thud

Some useful info in this:
how-to-win-an-argument-with-a-nutritionist
http://authoritynutrition.com/how-to-win-an-argument-with-a-nutritionist/

runawaybishop

McChubbin wrote: »

Can anyone here recommend any informative books on the Paleo Diet?
I've really over indulged over Christmas and I want to get back in shape. My brother has brought up this particular diet a few times before and from what I've seen it looks pretty straightforward- high protein, low carbs, low sugar.
Could do with a bit more information, though.

McChubbin wrote: »

I also cooked my first reasonably healthy meal of 2014: Chicken stir fry with wheat noodles. It was very nice and incredibly simple to do.

Are you sure you mean a paleo diet? Paleo isn't specifically low carb, nor does it include wheat.

Sapsorrow

Hey guys! Hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year! Was just chatting to Met on Facebook and thought I'd come say hi and hope you're all keeping well Been a few years since I last popped in I think!? El D, how's the research going? Any exciting new projects you're working on these days?

El_Dangeroso

Sapsorrow wrote: »

Hey guys! Hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year! Was just chatting to Met on Facebook and thought I'd come say hi and hope you're all keeping well Been a few years since I last popped in I think!? El D, how's the research going? Any exciting new projects you're working on these days?

Hey you! Yep, got one study in the pipeline waiting to go through ethics, it's so painfully slow though, reading research is a heck of a lot easier than creating it that's for sure!

y u no update your blog no more?:(

Sapsorrow

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

Hey you! Yep, got one study in the pipeline waiting to go through ethics, it's so painfully slow though, reading research is a heck of a lot easier than creating it that's for sure!

y u no update your blog no more?:(

Oh cool! Are you still based in Galway? Oh just lack of time, got swept off my feet with work from around August last year and am just recovering from the madness now! We'll be getting cracking on with a new year in the allotment any day now, so I'm sure I'll manage an update then

Got a slow cooker for Christmas.

My life has changed immeasurably. I made a meal on Saturday that took 15 minutes to prepare and cost ~£12 and am currently on the 7th portion.

I think me and the Slow Cooker are going to get on just fine.

El_Dangeroso

Sapsorrow wrote: »

Oh cool! Are you still based in Galway? Oh just lack of time, got swept off my feet with work from around August last year and am just recovering from the madness now! We'll be getting cracking on with a new year in the allotment any day now, so I'm sure I'll manage an update then

Yep, still in Galway. Hopefully you and your not affected by the floods, look forward to the update!

Deleted User wrote: »

Got a slow cooker for Christmas.

My life has changed immeasurably. I made a meal on Saturday that took 15 minutes to prepare and cost ~£12 and am currently on the 7th portion.

I think me and the Slow Cooker are going to get on just fine.

My slow cooker sits gathering dust after a disastrous attempt at beef bourguignon. Recipe plz.

Stench Blossoms

+1 for the recipe

thegreatiam

this is a good thread for slow cooker aficionados

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=80433282#post80433282

Recipe was

2.2kg of pork shoulder (whole)
400g of braising steak (chopped) that was set to be eaten
a red onion cut into quarters
2 carrots (chopped into chunks)
2 parsnips
A butternut squash
A bag of diced carrot and swede that was reduced to clear.
A cup of red wine.
A knorr chicken stock in 200ml of water.

Put it on at 10pm on Low for 10 hours and woke to the scent of success on Sunday.

The texture the meat gets to is just unbelievable.

Marty McFly

Slow cookers are the best ever just makes meat taste unbelievable, always looking for new recipes though new ideas.

There a fair few slow cooked recipes on here the only one I've tried so far is the slow cooked balsamic chicken recipe it was delicious

http://www.facebook.com/highproteinfood?fref=ts

A simple one for preparing some easy meals is cooking a good few chicken fillets in it, using just water and whatever spices ya choose and as much you like gives a nice subtle flavour to the chicken then using it during the week maybe in a wholewheat wrap adding it to a salad or just add some sauce etc.

runawaybishop

Marty McFly wrote: »

Slow cookers are the best ever just makes meat taste unbelievable, always looking for new recipes though new ideas.

You should get a pressure cooker, takes meat feck all time to become delicious and tender.

thegreatiam

loads of slow cooker recipes here:
http://whoneedsacape.com/2012/11/crockpot-freezer-cooking/

Ill be hopefully doing this once ive room in the freezer

El_Dangeroso

Deleted User wrote: »

Recipe was

2.2kg of pork shoulder (whole)
400g of braising steak (chopped) that was set to be eaten
a red onion cut into quarters
2 carrots (chopped into chunks)
2 parsnips
A butternut squash
A bag of diced carrot and swede that was reduced to clear.
A cup of red wine.
A knorr chicken stock in 200ml of water.

Put it on at 10pm on Low for 10 hours and woke to the scent of success on Sunday.

The texture the meat gets to is just unbelievable.

Did the veg not come out totally uncooked? because that's what happened to me.

El_Dangeroso

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

Did the veg not come out totally uncooked? because that's what happened to me.

after 10 hours?

Not at all, the veg was great. Doesn't melt like the meat but I had chopped them into small enough chunks (box of matches size maybe?) and they were still not mush.

Lid being closed is important I believe.

Looking forward to doing a fair bit of tinkering with it. Ribs and Wings bound to be quite the experience.

El_Dangeroso

Deleted User wrote: »

after 10 hours?

Not at all, the veg was great. Doesn't melt like the meat but I had chopped them into small enough chunks (box of matches size maybe?) and they were still not mush.

Lid being closed is important I believe.

Looking forward to doing a fair bit of tinkering with it. Ribs and Wings bound to be quite the experience.

OK, you've convinced me, I'm dragging it out of the cupboard tonight and I'm going to do beef in bordelaise sauce but I'll parboil the potatoes just in case.

Will report back tomorrow!

thegreatiam

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

OK, you've convinced me, I'm dragging it out of the cupboard tonight and I'm going to do beef in bordelaise sauce but I'll parboil the potatoes just in case.

Will report back tomorrow!

its down to the way you stack it. root veg on the bottom thats where the heat is-veg will cook better there

El_Dangeroso

thegreatiam wrote: »

its down to the way you stack it. root veg on the bottom thats where the heat is-veg will cook better there

Thanks for the tip!

Dolbert

We always throw ours on before 8am leaving the house and don't get back til after 6, it's always well cooked by then!

El_Dangeroso

Ok so popped the parboiled potato, carrots on the bottom layer with some thyme. Chopped beef on tip of that and then some bordelaise sauce on top of it for close on 11hrs on low overnight.

Result? Meh.

The beef is more tender out of the pressure cooker, or even braised on low for 3-4 hours in the oven.

I'm going to try pulled pork next but I can see it's probably going to go back into the cupboard for the foreseeable.

thegreatiam

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

Ok so popped the parboiled potato, carrots on the bottom layer with some thyme. Chopped beef on tip of that and then some bordelaise sauce on top of it for close on 11hrs on low overnight.

Result? Meh.

The beef is more tender out of the pressure cooker, or even braised on low for 3-4 hours in the oven.

I'm going to try pulled pork next but I can see it's probably going to go back into the cupboard for the foreseeable.

is the lid on and is it tight?

El_Dangeroso

thegreatiam wrote: »

is the lid on and is it tight?

Yep. I'm just cursed with slow cookers.

thegreatiam

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

Yep. I'm just cursed with slow cookers.

maybe, but it seems strange that youre not getting tender meat. a slow cooker just hold the moisture in. It pretty much steams anything in it. So it should be better than braising in the oven at the same temp (ovens dont retain the moisture as well they also dont maintain the heat level the same)

Veg after 10 hours should be mushy, meat will be falling apart.

If I put a large pork shoulder in mine with potato and carrots and a little stock after 10 hours id just need to press on it with a fork and the joint would collapse and I have to get it out with a ladle.

the carrots and potato would be very very soft, if not dissolved.

What slow cooker do you have?

It should be maintaining a constant 160deg on high and about 100 on low i think. anyway you can test it with an oven thermometer?
The lid should fit securely and let no steam out (or very little)

Slow Cooker attempt #2

Chicken thighs
zest and juice of 2 limes
tonnes of coriander
Some chopped tomatoes and chillis

8 hours overnight

Delicious once again!

Bought 2 kgs of ribs yesterday that are going in tonight...

SteelyDanJalapeno

Deleted User wrote: »

Slow Cooker attempt #2

Chicken thighs
zest and juice of 2 limes
tonnes of coriander
Some chopped tomatoes and chillis

8 hours overnight

Delicious once again!

Bought 2 kgs of ribs yesterday that are going in tonight...

on low heat?

yup, low all the way!

I'm going to steer clear of recipes for a bit and just lump stuff in and see how I get on.

2/2 so far.

Saying that, is there anything you especially shouldn't put into a slow cooker?

thegreatiam

Deleted User wrote: »

Saying that, is there anything you especially shouldn't put into a slow cooker?

chillis go a bit bitter if they are in there for a while, add them near the end of cooking 1/2 hours max, same for chilli powder, keep your spices for the last few hours.

also things which are quite soft and delicate already would disintegrate in a slow cooker.

El_Dangeroso

My sister is doing slimming world (former weight watchers veteran) and was showing me her menu plan, and I have to say, of all the structured meeting centric plans out there it actually surprised me how not **** it was.

Big focus on protein, fresh fruit and veg, cooking from scratch. Not perfect but I'd feel OK recommending it to someone who liked that type of program.

Orla K

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

My sister is doing slimming world (former weight watchers veteran) and was showing me her menu plan, and I have to say, of all the structured meeting centric plans out there it actually surprised me how not **** it was.

Big focus on protein, fresh fruit and veg, cooking from scratch. Not perfect but I'd feel OK recommending it to someone who liked that type of program.

I can't understand the program, someone was trying to explain it to me and I just didn't get it. All I remember now is butter and a biscuit* or two were the same syn and she'd rather have a biscuit that some butter. Tried explaining how awesome butter could be for health but she wasn't having any of it.

I did think it was great about cooking from scratch until I saw a recipe of there's for sweet and sour, one ingredent was a can of diet fanta, which for cooking is just wrong! I love cooking to much to do that to food.


*Might not have been a biscuit but something like that.

El_Dangeroso

Orla K wrote: »

I can't understand the program, someone was trying to explain it to me and I just didn't get it. All I remember now is butter was a biscuit* or two were the same syn and she'd rather have a biscuit that some butter. Tried explaining how awesome butter could be for health but she wasn't having any of it.

I did think it was great about cooking from scratch until I saw a recipe of there's for sweet and sour, one ingredent was a can of diet fanta, which for cooking is just wrong! I love cooking to much to do that to food.


*Might not have been a biscuit but something like that.

Can of diet fanta?? Bleugh! Also you are not supposed to heat aspartame, it loses it's sweetness, so I would think that would be pointless anyway.

Maybe my sister has absorbed some of my nagging advice her as her approach to it seems to be quite sensible. She has grilled rashers and an egg for brekkie or porridge. Makes a ham and cheese salad for lunch and then has homemade shepherds pie for dinner, snacks of fruit and boiled eggs.

I suppose like any diet you can take the junky route or the healthy one.