General Chat Thread II

Dave_The_Sheep

Just posting this Mexican online place here (no I don't have any affiliation) as I made an order from them a few weeks ago and I was pretty happy with the results. Fast delivery, good stock (at the time - there seems to be a few things out of stock at the moment) and prices are grand, run by an Irish-Mexican couple, it seems. Nice place to pick up some ingredients if you're into your Mexican food that might not be in the local supermarkets. I used it to pick up a load of dried chillis and a few sauces to try out.

Anyone know of any other good Irish online retailers for a particular cuisine? I know some of the Asian supermarkets have an online presence, but haven't used them yet.

sammyjo90

I use picado all the time! Always wanted to make a trip up to dublin to do one of their classes. I wonder will i ever get to now!

Dave_The_Sheep

I didn't know they did classes. I'll have to look into it once current circumstances change.

conor_ie

I'm getting a 74p refund from Ramen bowls I bought on Amazon! I don't know what to spend it on!

Comerman

There's an infra red thermometer in Lidl today for €20 if anyone is looking for one.

woodchuck

conor_ie wrote: »

I'm getting a 74p refund from Ramen bowls I bought on Amazon! I don't know what to spend it on!

The answer always has been, and always will be, get the change in penny jellies

New Home

Or, in this case, ramen noodles.

Glad you got your bowls, Conor.

Gloomtastic!

cubatahavana wrote: »

Here you go. I’m hanging it in the attic. I think once it’s a cool and dry place, the garden shed would be fine!

My pork belly was 2.3 kg, so I changed the dry brine quantities accordingly. Next time I’ll add less salt as my wife said that it was a tiny bit salty for her liking (it was fine for me)

And we’re off! When I removed the skin and bones, my 3kg of belly pork teduced to 1.5kg. Does it shrink much when it’s drying?

Muahahaha

Dave_The_Sheep wrote: »

Just posting this Mexican online place here (no I don't have any affiliation) as I made an order from them a few weeks ago and I was pretty happy with the results. Fast delivery, good stock (at the time - there seems to be a few things out of stock at the moment) and prices are grand, run by an Irish-Mexican couple, it seems. Nice place to pick up some ingredients if you're into your Mexican food that might not be in the local supermarkets. I used it to pick up a load of dried chillis and a few sauces to try out.

Anyone know of any other good Irish online retailers for a particular cuisine? I know some of the Asian supermarkets have an online presence, but haven't used them yet.

I cook Mexican food at least once a month and find Picado great, it has the best range of Mexican ingredients in Ireland bar none. However their prices arent always the best, one product I use a regularly is achiote paste which is what cochinta pibil (Mexican pulled pork) is based on. In Picado it is 4.50 for a 100 gram box of the El Yucateco brand. Down the road in Fallon & Byrne the exact same product and the exact same size is half that price- 2.25. Its no biggie but if Im visiting Picado then I'll also be visiting Fallon & Byrne anyway so now I just get it there instead.

Have also found corn tortillas cheaper in Fallon & Byrne than Picado though their stocks can be sporadic. They also sell those corn tortillas that have cactus in them (they're green in colour) which are delicious, have never seem them in Picado but theyre now my corn tortilla of choice when I can get them in Fallon & Byrne. As said stocks can be sporadic so when I see them I stock up, currently have about 30 of the cactus corn tortillas in the freezer so Im sorted for months to come.

Have a friend who did a Mexican cooking class with Lily in Picado, she said it was excellent and well worth it. Will likely go for one myself at some stage when things get back to normal

cubatahavana

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

And we’re off! When I removed the skin and bones, my 3kg of belly pork teduced to 1.5kg. Does it shrink much when it’s drying?

It did shrink a good bit for me. I forgot to remove the bones myself. The butcher removed the skin. Now the horrible waiting time begins

sporina

no more fresh Brussel Sprouts .. sniff sniff.. had been enjoying them since start of Dec.. oh well..

Recliner

sporina wrote: »

no more fresh Brussel Sprouts .. sniff sniff.. had been enjoying them since start of Dec.. oh well..

Literally the saddest time of the year veg wise. I love them and the frozen ones just aren't a patch on fresh.
This makes me so sad..

Actually if anyone has recipes to make the frozen ones more palatable, please share.

Mystery Egg

Recliner wrote: »

Actually if anyone has recipes to make the frozen ones more palatable, please share.

Roast them! They are sweet and delicious. Important that the oven is not too hot. Toss with a little salt, pepper and olive oil, garlic if you like, lardons if you have them... Serve as they are or with some toasted almonds and pomegranate seeds. Yum. And very cheap.

New Home

I add nutmeg.

Recliner

Mystery Egg wrote: »

Roast them! They are sweet and delicious. Important that the oven is not too hot. Toss with a little salt, pepper and olive oil, garlic if you like, lardons if you have them... Serve as they are or with some toasted almonds and pomegranate seeds. Yum. And very cheap.

Straight out of the freezer I'm assuming.
Sounds good.

cubatahavana

Mystery Egg wrote: »

Roast them! They are sweet and delicious. Important that the oven is not too hot. Toss with a little salt, pepper and olive oil, garlic if you like, lardons if you have them... Serve as they are or with some toasted almonds and pomegranate seeds. Yum. And very cheap.

We add bacon. Yummy

igCorcaigh

Oh, look! Chips cooked from cold oil.

This goes against all my instincts, but...

https://twitter.com/AdamRutherford/status/1373708134255067142?s=20

New Home

I dread to think how much oil they'd absorb...

con747

igCorcaigh wrote: »

Oh, look! Chips cooked from cold oil.

This goes against all my instincts, but...

https://twitter.com/AdamRutherford/status/1373708134255067142?s=20

I have been cooking them in the deep fryer like that for years, I posted it on a thread here somewhere. You would be surprised how little if any extra oil they actually absorb compared to normal deep frying in hot oil. I checked the oil levels on my fryer after a few batches and not much more than normal was used.

rubadub

New Home wrote: »

I dread to think how much oil they'd absorb...

this page reckoned they take on less.

https://www.americastestkitchen.com/articles/3102-for-restaurant-quality-french-fries-start-with-cold-oil

If you’re worried about your food coming out greasier with this method, don’t be. Vegetables fried using the cold-start method spend more time in the oil than when using the more traditional frying method, but they don’t taste or feel greasy—and they’re actually lower in fat. As the vegetables cook, they lose surface moisture, which is replaced by oil. Because the cold start cooks them more gently, less moisture is lost, and less oil is absorbed during frying.

If watching your fat intake I have been partially frying stuff really quickly and then finish it off in an airfryer. Like onion rings or chicken in batter, you cook just enough to set the batter and let it absorb some oil, the way food processors do for many fresh or frozen things which are to be done in an oven.

The Nal

Always cook my chips and roasties starting in cold oil. Par boiling first to remove starch and that will crisp them up in the oven too. Also easier to coat in oil when the oil is cold.

conor_ie

When I cook chips, I'd cut them out.. wash the starch off. Par boil them for about 5 minutes. Drain them and let them dry out over a few hours until they are cold. Heat the oven to 220c and give them a good spray of olive oil and bake for 35-40 minutes. Always crispy!

For roasties I'd do the same but add Olive oil and real butter to the baking tray and let that melt in the oven as it's heating up. Give them a good sprinkle of baking powder and then into the tray turning every 15 minutes or so!

sporina

conor_ie wrote: »

When I cook chips, I'd cut them out.. wash the starch off. Par boil them for about 5 minutes. Drain them and let them dry out over a few hours until they are cold. Heat the oven to 220c and give them a good spray of olive oil and bake for 35-40 minutes. Always crispy!

For roasties I'd do the same but add Olive oil and real butter to the baking tray and let that melt in the oven as it's heating up. Give them a good sprinkle of baking powder and then into the tray turning every 15 minutes or so!

interesting - why the baking powder?

Gloomtastic!

Day 2 cured bacon hanging in the shed. Still smells good! :eek:

conor_ie

sporina wrote: »

interesting - why the baking powder?

Helps make them lovely and crispy..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5wupVSVlTI

cubatahavana

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

Day 2 cured bacon hanging in the shed. Still smells good! :eek:

It's already been 7 days? time flies!

Gloomtastic!

cubatahavana wrote: »

It's already been 7 days? time flies!

5 days in the fridge and 2 days hanging. Looking forward to the cold weather coming this weekend.

Bredabe

I'm using a salad dressing with mustard, the usual ingredients otherwise.
I'm told to keep it in the fridge, if I do that, the mustard rises to the top and forms a plug making it hard to pour out.

I know the if I leave it out of the fridge it would be better, but I was told to keep it cool for a reason(tho I don't know what that is)
should I be blending the mustard with the oil differently or mixing the oil and vinegar first and then blend it into the mustard?

sammyjo90

Bredabe wrote: »

I'm using a salad dressing with mustard, the usual ingredients otherwise.
I'm told to keep it in the fridge, if I do that, the mustard rises to the top and forms a plug making it hard to pour out.

I know the if I leave it out of the fridge it would be better, but I was told to keep it cool for a reason(tho I don't know what that is)
should I be blending the mustard with the oil differently or mixing the oil and vinegar first and then blend it into the mustard?

Do you shake it before using it?

Cheshire Cat

sammyjo90 wrote: »

Do you shake it before using it?

This! A good shake will solve the problem. I make salad dressing in an ancient glass baby bottle. The scale on the side is handy, no spoons needed. It holds enough for 3-4 times and lives in the fridge.