General Chat Thread II

Hotblack Desiato

At the back of a press I have found a nearly full bottle of rapeseed oil, best before... 2009 😯

No I'm not planning to cook with it.

What's the best way to dispose of this? Compost heap?!?

the beer revolu

It's oil. It's either rancid or it's not. Taste it. (this is not food safety advice)

New Home

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121141300#Comment_121141300

Recycling centres have specific containers for the collection of oils (both cooking and not). It's illegal to dispose of them in any other way as they are highly polluting. If you ring your local authority they should be able to point you in the right direction.

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121140494#Comment_121140494

I think it's possibly spicier than a Zinger, but it's been a while since I've had one.

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121141701#Comment_121141701

Sod's law - I was just up there a couple of weeks ago and disposed of a lot of stuff including a couple of bottles of used motor oil. I'll hope to remember the veg oil when I'm up there next in a few years time 😀

New Home

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121142113#Comment_121142113

Ask your local chippers if they can take it and dump it with theirs, they might be obliging enough.

Dial Hard

You can put solid grease in your brown bin but not liquid oils. Tbh I'd agree with the beer rev - you'll know as soon as you open it if it's rancid or not.

Gloomtastic!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121143884#Comment_121143884

I put cooking oil in the compost bin all the time.

https://www.mywaste.ie/what-to-do-with/cooking-oil/

New Home

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121144025#Comment_121144025

Small quantities might be what you use for a stir fry, not a litre of oil.

igCorcaigh

So, those chicken and stuffing with mayo mixes you get from the supermarkets, like the photo below.

I'd like to try to recreate them at home, but without roasting a whole chicken.

Any advice? I could buy some ready made chicken slices... but I have never used those stuffing things like Paxo either.

Gremlinertia

Sage and onion stuffing oven baked to instructions and bone in chicken pieces sans skin would be close enough, often do this when roasting chicken

L1011

Larousse Gastronomique for Kindle was 99p for some reason at the weekend - its back to £40 now. Was on the train so managed to grab a copy but didn't get the URL to copy right for here.

Now, how do I make good use of this? Fully searchable but obviously far less readable than the paper version (and can't be put on a shelf to look good)

oscarBravo

The Kindle app on a tablet is my go-to for cookbooks.

Mystery Egg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121144867#Comment_121144867

Poach and chop some skinless chicken. Cook some stuffing. Allow both to cool and mix together with mayo.

Black Sheep

For that, yeah you wouldn't need a whole chicken, you could use nearly any chicken cut, on the bone or not.

I'd use a good amount of cooking liquid.

Get it to a boil then let it simmer away, you can get it to a point where the chicken will barely need to be chopped, it'll be 'pullable'.

I use this approach but make the cooking broth more flavoursome, with bay leaves, garlic, chilli, lemongrass and spices, then pull the chicken for a taco filling with whatever other bits and pieces.

igCorcaigh

Thanks all!. Should the stuffing be cooked in the oven or can I just add it to the poaching liquid?

Dial Hard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121160083#Comment_121160083

Oh jesus, oven. Soggy boiled stuffing??? Gak.

igCorcaigh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121160835#Comment_121160835

Right! I'm such a novice when it comes to stuffing. I remember my mother cooking baked beef tomatoes with stuffing inside, they were delicious... I should probably get her advice too!

Recliner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121160835#Comment_121160835

That made me laugh. I can actually see and taste what it would be like.

the beer revolu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121160835#Comment_121160835

I think it's a wet mix of chicken, mayonnaise and stuffing that they are trying to achieve here. I'm not sure where an oven comes into it.

Dial Hard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121162582#Comment_121162582

The stuffing still needs to be cooked first, and I really can't see how boiling it would improve the end result in any way.

Black Sheep

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121160917#Comment_121160917

If you want to make a basic stuffing, you need several handfuls of breadcrumbs (or torn up stale bread), a bit of chopped onion, a few tablespoons of butter, an egg and some seasoning / herbs (Salt, pepper, sage would be traditional).

Melt the butter and cook the onions gently until softened, not browned or discoloured, so use a low heat.

Let the above cool a bit, then add in the rest of your ingredients and mix. It should be semi-dry... Neither very dry or really soupy/liquid.

If it were me, I'd then take the above stuffing and mix with your pulled chicken, which you'll have cooked seperately, and the mayo. Then you're done.

I agree with Dial Hard that I don't think you'd get a good result if you just added the breadcrumb / stuffing mix into the cooking liquid with the chicken, it would come apart and be very soggy. Your final chicken, stuffing and mayo mix will be wet, but the moisture should come from the butter and mayo, not from cooking liquid.

the beer revolu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121162684#Comment_121162684

Dunno really..Mixing mayonnaise with stuffing is where it goes south for me. I think the idea was that there'd be next to no liquid left, anyway.

Stuffing is just breadcrumbs, onion (should be pre cooked) and herbs. Does it really need to be "cooked", particularly if its going to be mixed with mayo and made "uncrispy"?

Recliner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121162730#Comment_121162730

I always cook stuffing. My mothers recipe that she got from her mother, who worked as a cook in a "big house" back in the far flung past.

I've been in houses where the stuffing is served straight after mixing the cooked onions with the breadcrumbs. I would always decline, cooking it in the oven after mixing everything together just elevates it to another level.

the beer revolu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121163205#Comment_121163205

Normally, I'd agree. It gets a bit toasted and swaps flavours with whatever is stuffed. But in this case, you're just mixing it with mayonnaise. Would it really make much difference?

Recliner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121163283#Comment_121163283

I'd have to say it does, you have that extra level of toasty flavour.

Black Sheep

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121163762#Comment_121163762

There's be a maillard reaction when the butter in the pan slightly browns the breadcrumbs, and it makes a difference in terms of taste, yes. I think that would be the reason to bother, in addition to the difference the butter and fat would make to the consistency of the stuffing.

But equally I agree the consistency aspect becomes a moot point considering how the stuffing is going to be used.

igCorcaigh

I'm thinking I could just fry the stuffing in butter and onion to brown it a bit. Using the oven seems a bit OTT for what the end product is.

Thanks for all the input 👍

Hodors Appletart

have you an airfryer?

Mollyb60

Unfortunately it's a subscriber only article but i had a great laugh at the Irish Times this weekend with their article:

"Cheap eats: 10 quick, no-fuss dinners for starter cooks. Easy dinner recipes for starter cooks – or anyone – working on a limited budget"

It included ingredients like fennel (that you have to crush), or molasses and meals like lasagne that you serve with a salad and garlic bread. On no planet is lasagne a 'quick and easy' meal to make unless it comes ready made by M&S or Tesco. It was so far removed from reality it was laughable.

(Disclaimer: I do not subscribe to the Irish Times)