General Chat Thread II

Hotblack Desiato

F'kin imperial units should be blasted into space (irony alert - more than one space mission has failed due to conversion errors between stupid units and useful units)

Ireland is supposedly a metric country but it's impossible to buy metric measuring tapes (i.e. without one useless side) - I got mine from the UK!!!

oscarBravo

I've had good luck with mixing the polenta thoroughly into about its own volume of cold water, then adding the 'slurry' to the boiling water for a lump-free experience.

the beer revolu

On polenta.

I stir the simmering liquid getting it in a swirl and pour the polenta fairly slowly while stirring. Never clumps.

I disagree regarding stock/water. I always use a Knorr chicken or veg stockpot for polenta. I don't like it made with water.

eeepaulo

Thanks for the responses, feels like polenta is one of those things that everyone has their own technique.

I defrosted the ribs and they smelled off so will buy some more for mid week.

New Home

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120315266#Comment_120315266

The only issue I'd have with that is that the temperature of the boiling water would drop when the slurry was added.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120315766#Comment_120315766

That's fair enough. What I gave was the original recipe, but tastes differ, e.g. I know people who would add a sachet of oxtail soup to bolognaise sauce to add flavour, but I doubt it'd be one of the traditional ingredients.

oscarBravo

The only issue I'd have with that is that the temperature of the boiling water would drop when the slurry was added.

It does, and quickly comes back to the boil. As I said, it works for me. I think experimentation is the order of the day.

eeepaulo

As I mentioned, you'll need to stir it for at least 40 mins but if you can continue for an hour to an hour 10 mins it's even better. You can see it's ready when it begins to detach itself from the sides of the cauldron. Some of it will stick to the sides and bottom of the pot, you can then scrape the "flakes" the next day, they taste like plain doritos.

The stuff says 30 minutes on it, its polenta bramata, not quick cook.

I think what im aiming for is a mash potato type consistency, might leave the cheese out to start with, trying to be a bit healthy.

Do i need to cook for 1hr to 1:10 or is that just if you want it to set for grilling the next day?

I will watch a few youtube videos for an idea of consistency.

How much raw polenta do i put in per person?

Going to make some cornbread next time i make chili or have a bbq with it as well

the beer revolu

I generally cook polenta for about 40 minutes.

New Home

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120320892#Comment_120320892

30 minutes is the very bare minimum. I'd do at least 45 min but 1-1:10 is ideal. The consistency depends on how much meal (or water) you put in, but it will set either way, maybe a bit less if you use more water/less flour, but it won't stay as runny as when it's hot.

You can try a ratio of 1 meal to 5 water, if you want it to have a consistency like porridge, but if you make it more solid you can slice it and freeze it, or use the leftovers to make a sort of lasagna the next day - you just need to slice it relatively thinly (maybe a cm thick) when it's cold, then you layer it with white sauce, bolognaise sauce and lashings of parmesan and stick it in the oven until there's a nice, golden crust on top. Very, very filling and absolutely yum.

Oh, and just for the record: despite what it says on the label, polenta is only the name of the recipe, not the name of the corn meal. It'd be like calling oats porridge.

Sysmod

Does anyone know of a shop that sells marmalade pulp ? Homecook don't have it, so no supermarkets have it.

New Home

I know I saw it a while back in my local Spar, but a quick search shows that Tesco sells it https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/254850756 and so does Supervalu https://shop.supervalu.ie/shopping/food-cupboard-marmalades-homecook-make-your-own-marmalade-medium-cut-850-g-/p-1008550000

Sysmod

It's in their catalogue but not physically in the shops.

New Home

Does anyone know how to make an eggless, gluten-free, milk-and-milk-derivatives-free crust for my rice tart, please? :) Does anyone have a decent recipe to suggest? Sweet, not savoury, if it makes a difference.

If it's of any use, I have rice flour, aquafaba and coconut butter at hand.

Thanks.

(Good grief, the number of corrections I've had to make to this post is riduculous... I hope this is the last one...)

igCorcaigh

Kecap Manis, aka Sweet soy sauce.

Isn't this a great condiment to have in the cupboard.

All I had at hand tonight was a yellow pepper, cucumber and some leftover brown rice.

But what a lovely quick salad to have when combined with the katsup manis and a little sesame oil.

A bit of this condiment makes everything tasty 😋

With a couple of spring rolls reheated in the air fryer. Handy!

Gloomtastic!

Never heard of it. Would a teriyaki sauce do the same?

New Home

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120409446#Comment_120409446

Apparently this contains pineapple juice and ketchup (hence the "kecap").

Edit: Nope, it doesn't, I was looking at the other recipe on that page... it does, however, contain spices.

https://www.daringgourmet.com/homemade-kecap-manis-indonesian-sweet-soy-sauce/

I love mixing teriyaki sauce with mayonnaise, it's a delicious dressing for potato salads (and a zillion other things).

igCorcaigh

You can buy it ready made. I use ABC brand.

the beer revolu

This is probably my favourite ingredient from Asian shops.

Korean red pepper flakes (powder). It goes in almost everything as a seasoning, in this house. If you use enough it will give heat but it's mild enough for non spicy dishes. It's also a vital ingredient in Mrs Beer's Kimchi.

It comes in smaller bags than 500g,too!

igCorcaigh

Looking for advice: on where I can buy...

Metal skewers for kebabs.

I want them to be flat, so that the food doesn't twirl around, and also dishwasher proof preferably. And short enough to be used in a medium sized air fryer; not going to be using them on a BBQ or big grill. I'd only need two or three. And thick enough to hold heat, not skinny cheap ones.

I searched Amazon, but the options weren't great. Any advice?

keane2097

Think I got some flat ones in Homestore before but couldn't say if they were dishwasher safe or the exact length you're after. You could check their website. I think I might have seen similar in Woodies also.

New Home

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120463004#Comment_120463004

Only as a backup plan, if you can't find the exact ones you want, you could use two round skewers side by side instead of one, that would stop them from rolling around (and the food on them).

the beer revolu

Most you see are long with wooden handles.

You could always shorten them with a hacksaw.

pleasant Co.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120463004#Comment_120463004

Would these suit?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B086CBV9DN/

igCorcaigh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120465009#Comment_120465009

Oh they look good, thank you!

L1011

Been in my house approaching 11 years now and was still using mismatched hand-me-down plates. Had actually ditched loads of them before moving out for a big refurb, and was using the remains of a single set of six for the past few months - this meaning the dishwasher had to be run every two days or we'd end up eating steak out of soup bowls.

We ate steak out of soup bowls.

Couldn't decide on getting anything 'fancy' so just went and bought a set of 6 IKEA 365+, plus extra dinner plates - don't actually use side plates or normal bowls anywhere near as much anywhere. Dishwasher can take 13 place settings so 6 would still cause more runs than needed

Somehow feels like its a properly 'adult' thing to have done, as if buying the sodding house and, more recently, replacing the kitchen, bathroom, staircase, and basically everything else in the house was less important than getting a proper quantity of matching crockery!

Hotblack Desiato

I can relate, had to replace practically everything in this 1970s-built Celtic Tiger-sale-era 'turnkey condition home' but at least we didn't inherit any crockery off them, if we had I wouldn't have eaten off it if we'd boiled it in bleach for a month! The filth in the kitchen was absolutely unbelievable, after we got the professionals in to clean it out we were surprised to see that the worktops (long gone now of course, but you'd hope the place was habitable at purchase) were dark green not black. The oven didn't even work so how they managed to make such a mess was a mystery

IKEA crockery just works and is good value and all fits together nicely in the dishwasher

My mrs grew up literally across the road from this family and was friends with their daughter back in the day, the filth, filth! of the place when we bought it was an utter shocker. Not to mention the numerous DIY jobs, all bodged. We soon found out the boiler didn't work either.

igCorcaigh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120465009#Comment_120465009

They're too long for my air fryer unfortunately, so bought these instead (20cm).

Hopefully I haven't packed them too tightly, probably did... Let's see how they turn out...

Recliner

Handy air fryer conversion chart I came across.

Mystery Egg

My air fryer would be a good bit quicker than my oven. My rule of thumb is to knock one third off the recommended oven time. I also do all frozen items at 200 in the air fryer, and then vary the temps for fresh items by trial and error.

igCorcaigh

I think a food thermometer is essential for the air fryer. I use this one.