General Chat Thread II

igCorcaigh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122364446#Comment_122364446

I haven't tried that brand, just Colgins. But it is very potent. Use by the drop until you get the right amount of smokiness. I've added it to bean chilli dishes etc.

igCorcaigh

I think these ones are all natural @Hotblack Desiato

The Nal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122364446#Comment_122364446

Make your own bbq sauce.

Recliner

One of the downsides of renting is not getting to pick your own large appliances. We recently got a new gas cooker and I absolutely hate it. I can't trust the hob burners at all. The oven burner is on the middle of the oven floor instead of the back and I'm finding it so difficult to figure out cooking times, all I know is that everything takes longer.

And even though it's supposed to be the same size as the old one, none of my roasting trays or oven sheets fit. So I'm going to have buy all new ones.

I'm literally avoiding using it at the moment.

oscarBravo

Yeah, we recently moved to an apartment with a gas hob connected to mains gas - the old house had bottled. Even the smallest burner on its lowest setting is way too hot, so we're struggling to adapt our time-tested recipes for things as simple as cooking rice.

Planet X

Delia Smith’s Spiced Red Cabbage. I’ll freeze it in jamjars. Yes……it ain’t Christmas 😀

Gloomtastic!

So I was listening to Pat Kenny a while ago it was mentioned that Electric BBQs are the most eco-friendly BBQ. Plus it doubles as an Airfryer that you keep in the garden. (Haven’t used that yet).

Aldi have Wagyu steaks on special this week. Forgot to take pic while cooking….

.

I wonder should we create another category? 😉

igCorcaigh

^^^ Oh, to have a garden… :(

But on a very different topic, I bought some nooch recently, which I used as a soup topping, and it has reminded me of how good this food product is.

I love the umami cheesy hit from it (without the sodium bomb); obviously loved by vegans too for that reason as well as the fortified vitamin B12, and the nutritional qualities are also impressive.

It's good stuff to have in the cupboard! 👍️

(I'm using the hashtags below in in attempt to help with Boards' abysmal search engine.)

#nooch #nutritionalyeast #vegan #umami

Dial Hard

I can't say I've ever really got the whole "cheesy hit" thing from brewers yeast. If you're not actually vegan would you not just throw a sprinkle of parmesan on your soup and get an actual taste of cheese instead? Or throw a parmesan rind into the pot of soup? I throw them in the freezer when the cheese is gone for that very purpose.

igCorcaigh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122435864#Comment_122435864

I do that too. But it's interesting to have something different. Also a lot of health benefits from yeast.

Dial Hard

I would say the jury is still very much out on the health claims, but each to their own.

Anyway, I know I should probably ask this on the pizza ovens thread, but do people have a go-to same-day pizza dough recipe? Having SUCH a craving but obviously don't have time for an overnight ferment.

Comerman

I used this Friday and wasn't too bad

https://eu.ooni.com/blogs/recipes/quick-pizza-dough?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign%20Sport%20Hosting%20en-EU%2010473676

L1011

I've mentioned the slowest full house refurb in the world a few times before.

Today is the first day since January 2022 when I've had an extractor fan. And its about five times more powerful than any I've ever had before. Its also probably five times the price…

Probably can't use it on the boost speed if cooking later at night, as it makes the outside of the house sound, and smell, like the back alley behind a restaurant; but I'm really going to enjoy having less grease around the kitchen and also be willing to do curries etc again and not worry about the rest of the house smelling like them for a week.

Hotblack Desiato

What's the best way of filling jam jars without making a mess / getting it on the threads of the jar?

I'm using a ladle but it's too wide and difficult to avoid some spillage. I've only used up half of the blackcurrants today so there's another few large jars worth to be done tomorrow.

I have a small (half litre) Pyrex jug so I might give that a go

Gremlinertia

Bodge together a funnel with tape and card, toilet roll insert torn flared and taped back together would work then line with plastic like carrier bag or something

New Home

If you need to fill them with hot substances, card might not work. You coukd use a jug or something with a spout/"beak" (can't remember what the little pointy thing on the rim of a jug is called). Otherwise get a canning funnel (Home stores and more should have them).

Hotblack Desiato

Thanks I think I'll try the jug I have. I think that's what I did two years ago (got almost no crop last year, so didn't make any jam, but a huge one this year)

Apparently with blackcurrants you are supposed to cut away one third of the stems entirely each winter to ensure there's always a balance between new and old growth to get a consistent crop each year.

lilydonoghue

I couldn’t eat your jam if I thought a toilet roll was involved.

Hotblack Desiato

😁 the jam is supposed to hit 105℃ to make it set, so pouring it along non food-safe plastic might not work out great either.

Edit: OK we're done. 5.25kg wet weight of fruit (which took many hours to pick and destem), 5.25kg of sugar, in three batches. The half litre Pyrex jug worked out pretty well, barring the odd burning splash onto the back of my hand if I poured too fast, it's important not to flinch to avoid making a bigger mess 😉

Now after hours of "bubble bubble toil and trouble" I'm left with slightly scalded hands and a ton of washing up to do, just like when I make turkey (and ham/lamb) stock at Christmas, but the effort is worth it. I'll give at least two thirds of the jam away but nobody is getting at my stock, my precioussss 😋

Mystery Egg

Oh blackcurrant jam is just divine. Well done, I'm jealous. It will be delicious I'm sure.

Mystery Egg

If anyone else is a fan of the Happy Pear sundried tomato pesto, I've worked out the recipe so that it's very close. It's €4.25 in my local SuperValu for a tiny tub, so I've made a big jar of this stuff to keep us going for a while. It's absolutely delicious.

1 285g jar sun-dried tomatoes with the oil

50g blanched almonds

3 large cloves fresh garlic

Handful fresh basil leaves

Pinch sea salt

Pinch cayenne

Splash of olive oil to loosen

Splash of balsamic vinegar, to taste

Add to the food processor and pulse. Taste for seasoning and adjust to your preference.

Spread on flatbreads, toasted sourdough or crackers for an absolute taste sensation. :)

igCorcaigh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122476465#Comment_122476465

Will definitely have a go at this, thanks @Mystery Egg

Mystery Egg

Yay, delighted someone else will try this :D

igCorcaigh

Sweet pickle relish… it seems to be more of an American thing? Has anyone found the equivalent available here?

It's used for making burger sauce. I guess I could use our version of pickled gherkin, chopped up finely, and add sugar? 🤔

New Home

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122503781#Comment_122503781

The brand is Branston, it used to come in glass jars.

Brown sauce could do you, too.

The Nal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122503781#Comment_122503781

i used this before and it was similar

https://www.tesco.ie/groceries/en-IE/products/305730412

the beer revolu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122504907#Comment_122504907

No. That's a very different kind of relish/pickle.

IgC, I'd say a bit of pickled cucumber liquid and a finely chopped cucumber would do the trick, alright.

New Home

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122505753#Comment_122505753

I stand corrected, so. Apologies.

igCorcaigh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122504907#Comment_122504907

Oh no, that's exactly what I was hoping it wouldn't be. I have a weird aversion to any of those British brown sauces.

sammyjo90

You take that back! HP is the king! 😁

the beer revolu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122510582#Comment_122510582

Loyalist 😝

Gloomtastic!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122513172#Comment_122513172

The politics of condiments. Where’s my keyboard? 😝

the beer revolu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122513435#Comment_122513435

I just find it kind of funny that a product called Houses of Parliament with a picture of Big Ben on the front, gained any market share in republican Ireland!

I do quite like it, though, but I'd say I've never actually bought a bottle.

Gloomtastic!

Any product with the Royal Seal of approval on it is fair game……

Hotblack Desiato

Fun fact - the HP sauce factory used to be on two sides of a motorway, and a vinegar pipeline ran over the road from one side to the other.

Closed now and it's made in the Netherlands.

I think the relish you're looking for igCorcaigh is Bick's, but I've no idea where you'd get it.

sammyjo90

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122513172#Comment_122513172

Haha I actually grew up in England so fair enough 😅

the beer revolu

Not wanting to clog up the other thread with Italian food "rules", I thought I'd put this here.

A friend shared a flat with a couple of Italians. They were insisting that non Italians don't know how to cook pasta. My friend sought to demonstrate that he was perfectly able to cook pasta and proceeded to put on the kettle....…"No! No! See? You don't know how to cook pasta! You must boil the water in the pot, not the kettle!"

On the other hand, I had an Italian flat mate who didn't like garlic or coffee, put coke in her wine and insisted on sliced pan with every meal!

Dial Hard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122518709#Comment_122518709

I totally read that as he put the pasta in the kettle initially and was horrified 🤣

Not sure what difference they think boiling the water in the kettle first makes. The laws of thermodynamics apply whether you boil the water in the kettle or the pot. I always use the kettle, it's quicker and more energy efficient. My sister does it in the pot without even putting a lid on and then wonders why it takes the water 15 minutes to reach a rolling boil. Drives me crackers.

oscarBravo

Coke in wine is a travesty I first encountered in South America. Unadulterated horror.

New Home

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122519185#Comment_122519185

As opposed to blackcurrant in Guinness?

PARlance

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122505753#Comment_122505753

Wondering if that was a typo? I use pickled gherkins and some of the liquid for burger sauce, but I am very tempted to try picked cucumber now. Absolutely love pickled cucumber.

PARlance

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122519185#Comment_122519185

Went to college with a lot of French and Spanish students and that's what the majority of them drank. It's awful stuff.

Space Dog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122519185#Comment_122519185

That was pretty common among teenagers in Germany in the 90s as well, we called it Cola-Rot! And yes, it was rotten.

PARlance

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122518887#Comment_122518887

My OH will do similar but will put the pot on the boil about an hour before intending to use it. Give me strength!!!

The preheating of the oven is another one that drives me nuts, it takes 10 mins to preheat but it gets a good half hour minimum.

thesandeman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122518887#Comment_122518887

I'm nearly sixty years old and it's never even crossed my mind that I could boil the water for pasta in a kettle 😲.

Gloomtastic!

Wonder what the Italians would think of our Quooker? 😝

the beer revolu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122519446#Comment_122519446

I don't really distinguish between gherkins and cucumbers. Gherkins are just small cucumbers to me.

Mollyb60

Is it red wine they're putting the Coke into? When I started drinking white wine many years ago I used to add a splash of 7up to make it more palatable. I also once mixed Fanta Pineapple (a limited edition drink IIRC) with wine at a gig - rocket fuel! But I was a young whippersnapper at that point and haven't needed to use mixers with wine in a long time. 🤣

oscarBravo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122519413#Comment_122519413

I'm less of a Guinness purist than I am wine!

Dave_The_Sheep

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122519826#Comment_122519826

Honestly, this made me burst out laughing. Fair play.