General Chat Thread II

Dave_The_Sheep

I have the same problem. Going to have to plan more to not end up throwing out more yoghurt than I should (ie any).

L1011

Got the bits to do grilled (gas grill) marinated chicken pitas with tzatziki.

Next two Lidl+ freebies are a chocolate bar and some sliced ham. Croques for lunch on Sunday I think, I'll have a Madame but my partner won't eat fried eggs! So one Monsieur there.

igCorcaigh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119332299#Comment_119332299

Croque Monsieur is so good! The proper version takes a bit of work, so I haven't made a real Croque Monsieur. Had one in France once, and it was lovely.

I would go with gruyere over cheddar, I love that cheese on French onion soup too.

L1011

There's now an Indian food channel on satellite - foodxp (712 on Sky). And I do like Indian food.

However, it's impossible to watch.

Most of the shows are in Hindi (I'm assuming) with subtitles, but they drop in to English for specific words or entire sentences and I stop reading the subs. And then its back to Hindi and I've missed an entire line.

Some of the shows are actually dubbed from another language in to Hindi to begin with; so I'm seeing lipsync failures and then not reading the subs at all.

igCorcaigh

I'm sure the Indian viewers are equally frustrated by Irish cooking shows (sorry @L1011, I'm joking).

I find it's the same on YouTube, but they usually display the ingredients and such graphically. It's more the timing and heat control that I look out for when it comes to Indian food, so the words don't matter so much. Also, the quantities. I think we are too afraid of using large amounts of oil and salt, but that's what usually makes a curry good. Too little oil, I find, doesn't fry the spices enough.

L1011

Discovered, by way of frenetic beeping, that one of my Brabantia pans that claims to be induction capable... isn't. Bought in TK Maxx, years ago so can't really complain. But I do like it a lot.

Just as well I actually ordered the gas hob for the kitchen rebuild today. Has a 5kW wok ring, going to be quite a change from the 3kW that my old one could do max.

Portable induction I'm using now has a 2kW ring but they are not comparable like with like - a kW of inductive power should transfer a lot more effectively to the contents of a pot than a kW of gas. But I can also hear the pulse wave modulation - apparently this is too high pitched for most people my age to hear so it should go away - so it had to go.

Gloomtastic!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119369358#Comment_119369358

I have no idea what the hell you’re talking about but that wok gas ring sounds great. Would be good for very hot deep frying too?

L1011

Yes - or for heating a cast iron griddle / flat top.

L1011

Had a Bosch stick blender with a chopper jar for a few years now, but the blade has gone AWOL and not turned up despite the entire kitchen being demolished. And it's not a stock spare part as far as I can see.

So I bought its replacement:

https://www.bosch-home.ie/productlist/food-preparation/hand-blenders/ergomixx/MSM6S90BGB#/Togglebox=manuals/

If you don't need to use the (usually quite poor) dough attachments (and yet don't need them enough to have a stand mixer) in a full food processor I don't see why you'd want one now.

All I ever bought the original one for was the stainless steel stick bit - any white ones I've had go yellow from tumeric in curry sauces - but we ended up using the chopper jar more than anything.

Dave_The_Sheep

So I grabbed some of this stuff for making dashi broths. However, the box is all in Japanese (I presume, I can't read Japanese). So does any have any kind of experience with how much of it I should use per litre or whatever of water? I don't mind playing around with it, but a baseline would be handy to have.

New Home

Google translate on your phone, using your camera, can translate that for you.

Dave_The_Sheep

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119401127#Comment_119401127

Huh. I did not think of that. Down there for dancing, New Home.

igCorcaigh

Does anyone know where I can buy organic or free range skinless and boneless chicken thighs in Cork city?

snowgal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119456097#Comment_119456097

Dunnes usually have them in.

Dave_The_Sheep

Anyone ever make cultured butter before and if so, is it worth it? Seems relatively easy, just time consuming.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119382733#Comment_119382733

Further to this, I found that the chopper for the old one is available as a spare part now, and has arrived. So I now have a marginally smaller/lower powered, but still approaching the full capabilities of a food processor, setup for my holiday house.

Black Sheep

Had a lamb shish kebab in Reyna on Dame Street last night. They’re the only kebab shop I know that gets plaudits from the IT and the foodie crowd… Since maybe Zaytoon.

Anyway, legitimately good, I would go back.

You have to accept the other customers are almost all drunken messes, you’ll be subjected to their shouted conversations about god knows what as they mash half their doner kebabs into their shirts, but c’est la vie…

igCorcaigh

I accidentally ordered one duck egg from Neighbourfood instead of one box. LOL!

The put it in cardboard and wrapped it in twine for me. 65c. How lovely! It looks like an IED.

.

igCorcaigh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119509440#Comment_119509440

The photos of the food on Google Maps looks very nice, and good value, must make sure to visit the next time I'm in Dublin!

The Black Oil

Ah, Chef's Table it's been a while. With some Big Statements™ too.

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

Graces7

Just enjoyed my favourite breakfast... Maybe too.. simple.. for tastes here but 100% Irish...

Smoked bacon, lightly fried...drizzled with honey... a fried egg.. "best butter" as it was called in post war England to set it apart from the cheaper margarine.... on a white floury bap....mmmmmm

Sheer glorious decdence... oh and coffee... Instant but grand even so

New Home

A good while ago (must have been over a year ago, anyway) someone was asking what the pickling liquid from the jars of gherkins could be used for.

Aside from using it as in a dressing, I can't think of much else. However, I've found a great use for the liquid in jars of Lidl's Baresa Borettane onions (which can also be used in dressings, it's delicious).

Wash, clean and chop red and yellow peppers into chunks. Fry them in a little oil in a frying pan, then add the liquid from the jar of onions. Cover with a lid and let them cook on a low heat until soft, remove the lid and let the remaining liquid reduce until it begins to caramelise. No need for any additional seasoning. You'll get delicious sweet and sour peppers, that can be eaten as an accompaniment, both warm or cold, or in sandwiches, or with cheese (cream cheese or cheddar or blue cheese), or even stirred into cooked pasta instead of a sauce. They can also be used to make tartlets or quiches.

Black Sheep

The best use for old pickling brine I came across is as a way to inject a savoury dash in mixed drinks.

Although if you google it you'll mainly find martini recipes the way it was introduced to me was in a negroni.

1 measure gin

1 " sweet vermouth

1 " campari

1/2 pickling brine

Dash of orange bitters

A similar riff on the above is a Spanish negroni, which is with an olive or two on a stick. You get some of the bitterness and savouriness but not a whole lot.

If you have it to hand a great finish is to bend a piece of orange peel over a lit flame, you'll hear a pop from the juice released, and also pop that in. Google 'flame an orange peel' for the technique.

Black Sheep

I was in Dublin city centre and decided to spend no more than a tenner on a nice but cheap lunch option.

Once you rule out sandwiches, pizza slices, crepes and obvious fast food options, I reckon one of the best deals for bang on a tenner is a Fallon and Byrne protein plus two sides from their counter. They'll heat it and you can still eat it at tables on site.

This lamb curry, pilau and slow cooked vegetables.

The quality, portion size and setting make this a value deal for me, lack of a real plate or not.

the beer revolu

It has become difficult to find a feed for under a tenner, hasn't it.

Black Sheep

Indeed.

If you wanted to maximise your tenner I guess McDonalds' or cooking your own meal would obviously be the best way to go from a strict volume / value point of view.

I've got a bit of a soft spot for the McDonalds breakfast menu, in fact.

But in general ten euro doesn't go far if looking for a "nice" lunch option. You can get a fancy sandwich, toastie or crepe but gone are the days when you could get a 12" neapolitan style maragrita pizza in the likes of Sano for €8.95.

I did almost get a Pablo Picante burrito for €9 incidentally, but they don't take cash and I only had two fivers on me. That's not too bad either.

There's a cohort of people who give out about the price of hospitality who basically wouldn't be happy unless prices returned to mid 1990s levels, or perhaps if City Centre restaurants were charging as if they were peasant canteens in rural Spain, but ... Yeah, it's pretty pricy right now. I know it's rent / leases, insurance and a whole host of factors, but either way, the winter is gonna get spicy when those high electricity bills start to come in - for private citizens and businesses alike...

Muahahaha

yeah its hard to find anything decent around a tenner at this stage. The mexican place Mamas Revenge down Nassau St has a good few dishes under a tenner, I like their chilli beef nachos. They were 7.50 last time I was there about six months back, might be more now. The basement sit down area is a bit grotty though. Umi Falafel also have a few things under a tenner.

Havent been in a few years but in the Duke pub off Grafton St you could ask for a half portion of carvery, its more like a normal portion as you know how carverys lash on way too much food on their giant oval plates. Back then it was 7.50 for a half portion, if they still do it then its likely around a tenner now.

With McDonalds theres a good thread over on bargain alerts. About 80% of their menu can be got for 30-40% off, like a Big Mac meal for 4.20 instead of 7.70, etc by using the codes on that thread.

Dave_The_Sheep

So I may have accidentally ordered a kilo of ginger online. What do I do with it all?

New Home

Freeze it, pickle it?

pigtail33

Ginger freezes perfectly, but that's a lot of ginger, even for freezing. You can make crystallised or stem ginger very easily. It makes great presents for any home bakers you know.