General Chat Thread II

New Home

Alun wrote: »

I got one of those Sistema yokes in Woodies a while back, might be worth looking there. Can't say I'm too impressed with it to be honest, the rice is far from "fluffy", more like a sticky mess, but maybe that's just me.

I remember seeing them in Lidl, Dunnes and TK Maxx, too.

Mystery Egg

Faith wrote: »

Once you get the technique down, it's really easy. I used to do it exactly as the post below describes, but now I use an Instant Pot as a rice cooker.

Faith I make utterly crap rice. But I have an instant pot and would like to try cooking it in that.

Can you talk me through your method as though you are talking to a complete moron and I will give it a try. Don't leave any details out. I am sick of making crap rice!

the beer revolu

Dial Hard wrote: »

Fucking rocket, to give it its correct name, is still utterly ubiquitous and I will never understand why. I loathe the stuff. Going straight in the gulag when I stage my benevolent coup.

I've been growing rocket for twenty years, now. Love the stuff.
Watercress, though, that's another story!
Vile stuff.

Faith

Mystery Egg wrote: »

Faith I make utterly crap rice. But I have an instant pot and would like to try cooking it in that.

Can you talk me through your method as though you are talking to a complete moron and I will give it a try. Don't leave any details out. I am sick of making crap rice!

Absolutely! I can’t speak to being an expert, but I can tell you what I do. I’m also only referring to white rice below, not brown, and I’ve only used this to make rice for 2 people, not tried it on a larger scale yet.

I use a plastic measuring cup to measure out my rice (I have one that came with a cooking kit ages ago, but you could use any you have. It should hold 150g - 200g rice ideally, full to the top - a ramekin might do too). I fill that with rice, and either rinse the rice under water for a few minutes in a sieve or leave it in a bowl with water for a while and then rinse it.

I put the rice in the instant pot and use the same cup I used to measure the rice to measure water - for sushi and basmati rice, I use about a 1:1.5 rice:water ratio, and I use about 1:1.25 for jasmine rice. I sprinkle some salt in, swirl it around and put the lid on.

Cooking it depends on how much time I have and personal preference. For basmati, I use the pressure cook setting, set it for 4 minutes and do a quick pressure release once it’s done (maybe give it a minute or two to settle). Lately, I’ve been doing this with sushi rice too, but historically I gave it 2 minutes and then did a natural pressure release for up to 15 minutes, or until the pin dropped. I find the 4 minutes + QPR gives a stickier rice, which i prefer for the dishes I use it for.

For Thai jasmine rice, I’ve been cooking it for 3 minutes + QPR.

It’s all a bit of trial and error. I’ve tried pot-in-pot cooking and it hasn’t worked AT ALL for me. It’s definitely worth experimenting with though, because once you’ve figured out what works for you, it’s just a matter of repeating it every time for perfect rice!

Mystery Egg

Faith wrote: »

Absolutely! I can’t speak to being an expert, but I can tell you what I do.

Thanks so much.

igCorcaigh

On rice, I like to dry fry it first for a few minutes. It helps prevent sogginess and brings out the nutty flavour.

L1011

Got pastrami in Lidl which I used on pizza - and while I know that's not the normal way to use it; I can now see why american sandwiches use about a kilo of the stuff. It barely tasted of anything. May as well have a margarita and cracked pepper pizza!

Dizzyblonde

I bought pastrami in Aldi recently and I was underwhelmed by it too. I think the name is the most exciting thing about it :rolleyes:

the beer revolu

igCorcaigh wrote: »

On rice, I like to dry fry it first for a few minutes. It helps prevent sogginess and brings out the nutty flavour.

And if you let it cook just the right amount after the water is absorbed, you can get the lovely rice crust!
But that's a whole other can of worms.

Space Dog

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

I bought pastrami in Aldi recently and I was underwhelmed by it too. I think the name is the most exciting thing about it :rolleyes:

Agreed, the pastrami from Lidl and Aldi is very bland. I used to get lovely pastrami from our SuperValu (from the deli counter with the cheeses and cured meats, not pre-packed!), very peppery and flavourful. Haven't gotten it in ages though...

RasTa

Dial Hard wrote: »

Fucking rocket, to give it its correct name, is still utterly ubiquitous and I will never understand why. I loathe the stuff. Going straight in the gulag when I stage my benevolent coup.

Every pizza should have this much

L1011

The Rusticella (I think) in Milano was my guilty pleasure for a while. Basically a rocket salad on top of a charcuterie pizza as far as I remember - rocket, parmesan shavings and caesar dressing added after the oven.

pigtail33

Faith wrote: »

I’ve tried pot-in-pot cooking and it hasn’t worked AT ALL for me. It’s definitely worth experimenting with though, because once you’ve figured out what works for you, it’s just a matter of repeating it every time for perfect rice!

I've used pot-in-pot cooking for brown basmati rice and it works every time. I don't rinse brown rice as it doesn't seem to release as much starch as white. I use an American ¼ cup measure, which is perfect for one portion. I add one measure of rice and 1¼ measures of water (¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon) and a pinch of salt to a metal container. I actually use an old 1lb loaf tin. Place this on the trivet with 250mls of water in the main pot and set it for 22 mins High Pressure and allow 10 mins NPR.

I've only ever cooked one portion at a time, but it should be easy to scale up.

Mystery Egg

pigtail33 wrote: »

I've used pot-in-pot cooking for brown basmati rice and it works every time. I don't rinse brown rice as it doesn't seem to release as much starch as white. I use an American ¼ cup measure, which is perfect for one portion. I add one measure of rice and 1¼ measures of water (¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon) and a pinch of salt to a metal container. I actually use an old 1lb loaf tin. Place this on the trivet with 250mls of water in the main pot and set it for 22 mins High Pressure and allow 10 mins NPR.

I've only ever cooked one portion at a time, but it should be easy to scale up.

Can I ask why you pressure cook it for so long?

Brown rice takes 25 minutes at the normal rate for me, so I would have expected that the pressure cooker would cook it in about 40% of the normal time - around 10 minutes? I could be wrong, just wondering.

BaZmO*

M&S Pastrami is the only prepacked Pastrami in town as far as I'm concerned. Absolutely love the stuff. Not the cheapest but they're usually included the 3 for €10 deal. The spice is heavy on the coriander (which I love), but it might not be to everyone's taste. The texture is perfect imo.

As for cooking rice, as Faith mentioned above, I think it has a look to do with what works for you. I think I've finally perfected making rice through the absorption method but it took me years to get it just right.

pigtail33

Mystery Egg wrote: »

Can I ask why you pressure cook it for so long?

Brown rice takes 25 minutes at the normal rate for me, so I would have expected that the pressure cooker would cook it in about 40% of the normal time - around 10 minutes? I could be wrong, just wondering.

I cook the same rice for 28 mins on the hob, so brown rice doesn't seem to cook any quicker in the pressure cooker, I don't really know why... But I find it handier to do it in the Instant Pot as I can set it and forget it. For my taste, it's definitely not overcooked at 22 mins, plus 10 NPR.

Dial Hard

RasTa wrote: »

Every pizza should have this much

*blocked*

Dial Hard

Getting the 777 box for nibbles to have with the match tonight, dying to see what it's like.

Faith

pigtail33 wrote: »

I've used pot-in-pot cooking for brown basmati rice and it works every time. I don't rinse brown rice as it doesn't seem to release as much starch as white. I use an American ¼ cup measure, which is perfect for one portion. I add one measure of rice and 1¼ measures of water (¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon) and a pinch of salt to a metal container. I actually use an old 1lb loaf tin. Place this on the trivet with 250mls of water in the main pot and set it for 22 mins High Pressure and allow 10 mins NPR.

I've only ever cooked one portion at a time, but it should be easy to scale up.

Mystery Egg wrote: »

Can I ask why you pressure cook it for so long?

Brown rice takes 25 minutes at the normal rate for me, so I would have expected that the pressure cooker would cook it in about 40% of the normal time - around 10 minutes? I could be wrong, just wondering.

The only times I've tried PIP rice cooking in the IP, I cooked (white) rice for 6 minutes + 15 mins NPR, then another 6 minutes and it was still bloody raw. Then I tried a different dish (a thin metal one) and it still took forever PIP. So I think the PIP method definitely slows down the cooking and is only really useful for A) things that stick to the IP pot and cause the 'Burn' notice, and things you prefer to just walk away from and forget about while it's cooking, regardless of time taken.

That being said, how do you fit a loaf tin in the instant pot?! I would have thought it would be way too long to fit in.

The Black Oil

Made this recently. Couldn't find cannelloni, so had to go with something else. Probably a little more cheese and seasoning the next time, otherwise it was good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JHKcYqrLAw

pigtail33

Faith wrote: »

That being said, how do you fit a loaf tin in the instant pot?! I would have thought it would be way too long to fit in.

It is a very small 1lb loaf tin, I got two in a set in Aldi a few years ago. They are just under 8" long and less than 4" across. Sometimes, if I forget to plan something for dinner, I put the rice and water into one loaf tin, place the second tin diagonally across the top with a frozen meal in it and pressure cook for 22 mins. It takes just over 30 minutes to start to finish, but zero effort.

Mollyb60

The Black Oil wrote: »

Made this recently. Couldn't find cannelloni, so had to go with something else. Probably a little more cheese and seasoning the next time, otherwise it was good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JHKcYqrLAw

I saw this recently and would love to try it, but my husband despises mushrooms. :rolleyes: Ah well.

I always found that dried cannelloni or lasagne sheets never cooked properly for me in these sauces. I use fresh lasagne sheets nowadays.

Shenshen

Mollyb60 wrote: »

I saw this recently and would love to try it, but my husband despises mushrooms. :rolleyes: Ah well.

I always found that dried cannelloni or lasagne sheets never cooked properly for me in these sauces. I use fresh lasagne sheets nowadays.

I would usually pre-boil them a little. Not until they're fully cooked, just until the outside is a little softer. I find they cook more evenly that way once you put them in the dish.

Mollyb60

Shenshen wrote: »

I would usually pre-boil them a little. Not until they're fully cooked, just until the outside is a little softer. I find they cook more evenly that way once you put them in the dish.

Yeah that's what I had started doing but it was a lot of faff and the fresh sheets were so much easier.

rubadub

Cast iron stuff in Aldi at the moment.

No sizes on many things and I am not 100% sure if the skillets are enamelled or not.

https://www.aldi.ie/search?sort=popular&q=cast+iron%3Apopular%3AtransactionalStatus%3Atransactional%3AtransactionalStatus%3Anontransactional%3AclassProductType%3AOvenware&lowerBound=3&upperBound=80&text=cast+iron

There was a photo in the brochure which can give an idea.



The pan would be too small for my liking, I wanted to use it for smash burgers and pizzas. When doing the burgers you need room to get the scraper in underneath, for this reason on small pans you might not put the burger down dead centre in the pan.

The Nal

The one you really want is the one on the top right but that doesn't seem to be on sale.

I got one in TX Maxx years ago and it would survive a nuclear bomb. Still perfect today. Just needs the odd clean and seasoning.

New Home

rubadub wrote: »

Cast iron stuff in Aldi at the moment.

No sizes on many things and I am not 100% sure if the skillets are enamelled or not.

https://www.aldi.ie/search?sort=popular&q=cast+iron%3Apopular%3AtransactionalStatus%3Atransactional%3AtransactionalStatus%3Anontransactional%3AclassProductType%3AOvenware&lowerBound=3&upperBound=80&text=cast+iron

There was a photo in the brochure which can give an idea.



The pan would be too small for my liking, I wanted to use it for smash burgers and pizzas. When doing the burgers you need room to get the scraper in underneath, for this reason on small pans you might not put the burger down dead centre in the pan.

Wouldn't that be the skillet they mention with the griddle pan?

rubadub

The Nal wrote: »

The one you really want is the one on the top right but that doesn't seem to be on sale.

I thought the same when I saw the leaflet first, thought it was just background decoration

New Home wrote: »

Wouldn't that be the skillet they mention with the griddle pan?

then I copped it was this, both under item 3.

I don't think it is coated but the features said interior and exterior enamel, and I am pretty sure I have seen ones that did have the coating yet looked like they were bare.

It looks about 10" diameter, that would be measured across the very top, so the cooking area is less.

I use my 12" one upturned under the grill like its a pizza stone.

I also got mine in TK maxx for a decent price.

Faith

The Nal wrote: »

The one you really want is the one on the top right but that doesn't seem to be on sale.

Me too. I bought the casserole dish online on pre-order but the flat frying pan wasn’t available (it was listed but you couldn’t buy it). The casserole dish has just arrived and it’s indistinguishable from ale Crueset. I’m going to pop into a couple of local Aldi’s today to see if they have any available. The cast iron stuff sells out insanely fast, for good reason!

rubadub

Ikea do some cast iron stuff, a 28cm/11inch pan is €22

It does not look as thick as mine.

https://www.ikea.com/ie/en/search/products/?q=cast%20iron

Mine takes ages to heat up but holds the heat so well I can bring it out the back and do one side of a burger on it, smoke everywhere, smells like a massive BBQ is going on. Then I bring it inside to finish the other side.