The General Chat Thread

Malari · 24-12-2016 03:45PM

B0jangles wrote: »

I always use Delia's stock recipe here:

http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/collections/gravy-sauces-and-stock/turkey-giblet-stock

Except I only use the neck and crop, not the liver because I don't like the flavour.

Once the stock is done, I pour the juices off the roasted turkey into it and thicken it with potato starch to finish; I gave up on bisto years ago because its quite salty, but its fine to use if it's what you have to hand

(It'd be handy to make the stock today and finish it with the turkey juice tomorrow)

Thanks! I had found this one:http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/giblet-gravy/ but I kind of thought lumps were generally discouraged in gravy so thought I'd better check...

B0jangles · 24-12-2016 04:00PM

Thought I had finished my Christmas shopping when I realised I'd forgotten to get the parrot her usual present of some toffees :mad:

I had to head back out and get them, or she'd be in such a stink in the morning, every year she unwraps them herself and has a little toffee for Christmas breakfast

On the other hand, the cranberry sauce smells very excellent right now!

Faith · 30-12-2016 03:57PM

Christmas has turned me into a remorseless eating machine.

Dizzyblonde · 30-12-2016 04:40PM

Faith wrote: »

Christmas has turned me into a remorseless eating machine.

Me too

Kat1170 · 30-12-2016 07:30PM

Just finished making my yearly Christmas Turkey soup.

Carcass from roasted turkey, carrots, celery, whole onion, salt, pepper and some Pearl Barley. It really is a lot tastier than the minimal ingredients would imply.

Place the whole lot in a large pot cover with water and simmer for two hours.

By far my favourite soup, and although I love turkey anytime this is my main reason for getting a whole turkey every year.

Surreptitious · 31-12-2016 05:37PM

I bought red cabbage for my New Year's dinner as there was hardly any veg left in the shop. I was going to simmer it in red wine and honey. Has anyone any suggestions?

Gloomtastic! · 31-12-2016 07:13PM

Surreptitious wrote: »

I bought red cabbage for my New Year's dinner as there was hardly any veg left in the shop. I was going to simmer it in red wine and honey. Has anyone any suggestions?

Melt a tablespoon of butter in a pan, shred 1/2 of the cabbage. Add to pan and turn heat to low. (If you like spicy, you can also add chilli flakes at this stage to taste). Shake contents to cover cabbage in melted butter. Cover with lid and leave to cook through for 15/20 mins (on low).

Remove from heat. Add a tablespoon of red wine vinegar (or any wine vinegar) and a tablespoon of honey and season. Serve.

The butter and the honey means this will last for weeks in the fridge. REheating in the microwave each time you want to serve it.

Great with breakfasts, sandwiches and dinners it really is the perfect accompaniment!

Surreptitious · 31-12-2016 09:00PM

Sounds lovely! I have some fresh chillis I might add. Thanks for the tip.

The Black Oil · 06-01-2017 10:21AM

Honey was solid from the cold. Put it on low in the microwave for a few seconds, grand. Came home from work and it was solid again.

Shenshen · 06-01-2017 10:33AM

The Black Oil wrote: »

Honey was solid from the cold. Put it on low in the microwave for a few seconds, grand. Came home from work and it was solid again.

I could be wrong, but I don;t think that's to do with the cold. Most honeys will set after a certain amount of time, it's to do with the glucose/fructose ratio in the honey I think.
Heating it will liquify it for a short period of time, but as soon as it cools down it'll set again.

Graces7 · 06-01-2017 04:06PM

Shenshen wrote: »

I could be wrong, but I don;t think that's to do with the cold. Most honeys will set after a certain amount of time, it's to do with the glucose/fructose ratio in the honey I think.
Heating it will liquify it for a short period of time, but as soon as it cools down it'll set again.

The cold will do it.. When I was still trading and selling honey I sold it as cloudy... Have had a stray jar at the back of the cupboard that stayed clear many a year

The Black Oil · 06-01-2017 10:03PM

The butter ends up solid too, rather than soft ish.

Graces7 · 07-01-2017 07:13AM

Running the freezer down ready to move house is leading to some interesting meals... added to which I was ill over Christmas so still have mince pies etc....

mrsdewinter · 09-01-2017 10:59AM

I should have known better but I made one of those super simple loaves of porridge bread (porridge oats, yoghurt, bicarb of soda; an hour in the oven) and while it's okay, it's not proper bread, imo. Any tips on how to make it look less like reconstituted breakfast porrridge? Gluten considerations do not apply in my case.

SB_Part2 · 09-01-2017 11:11AM

mrsdewinter wrote: »

I should have known better but I made one of those super simple loaves of porridge bread (porridge oats, yoghurt, bicarb of soda; an hour in the oven) and while it's okay, it's not proper bread, imo. Any tips on how to make it look less like reconstituted breakfast porrridge? Gluten considerations do not apply in my case.

Mine always looks like brown bread. You could try adding seeds and nuts to it.

mrsdewinter · 09-01-2017 11:26AM

SB_Part2 wrote: »

Mine always looks like brown bread. You could try adding seeds and nuts to it.

Yeah, I'd prepped the seeds (sunflower & sesame) but forgot to put them in with the dry ingredients, so they ended up being lobbed on over the top. I'll fix that on the next loaf.
Thank you!

Alun · 10-01-2017 04:06PM

If you have an induction hob, just a heads up that Powercity have the Electrolux Infinite Wok Set on special offer for only €79.95. They say the RRP is €119.95, but It hink that was a previous offer as on the Electrolux website it's for sale at €189.99, so quite a saving. They're display models so no box, but the one I got is spotless.

It's a stainless steel round bottom wok plus a metal stand with 3 rubber feet that the wok rests in that takes advantage of the fact that for an induction hob the pan doesn't actually have to touch the hob to still work as long as its within a few cm. The stand is of a non-ferromagnetic metal, so doesn't get hot itself.

http://www.powercity.ie/?par=60-90-1893287

https://spares.electrolux.ie/product/9441893287/Infinite+Wok+Set

Note that not all Powercity stores have them so best to ring to see what ones have them. My local Bray store didn't so I had to go to Carrickmines where I got the last one there.

They also have some display models of some decent pans too.

StripedBoxers · 13-01-2017 11:39PM

Can anyone post or suggest a nice white sauce that can be used in lasagne please?

Hoping to try make my own lasagne tomorrow so would appreciate any help at all with a white sauce.

humberklog · 13-01-2017 11:56PM

StripedBoxers wrote: »

Can anyone post or suggest a nice white sauce that can be used in lasagne please?

Hoping to try make my own lasagne tomorrow so would appreciate any help at all with a white sauce.

Instead of a white sauce I top off lasagne with macaroni cheese. Simple béchamel sauce, plenty of cheese, macaroni.

Gloomtastic! · 14-01-2017 12:04AM

StripedBoxers wrote: »

Can anyone post or suggest a nice white sauce that can be used in lasagne please?

Hoping to try make my own lasagne tomorrow so would appreciate any help at all with a white sauce.

Melt 50g of butter in a small pot. Add a tablespoon of plain flour and stir continuously for at least two minutes until it stops smelling of flour and starts to smell nutty. Remove from the heat.

Add a splash of milk and stir. It will go lumpy. Add another splash of milk, then another stirring continuously. Add about .5 pint of milk and return to heat. Bring to the boil always stirring. When it starts to bubble, turn down the heat and allow to simmer for a couple of minutes. Season well with salt & pepper. Get a whole nutmeg and finely grate a generous pinch into the sauce. Add a teaspoon of dry mustard powder and stir it into the sauce so you don't get lumps of mustard powder (if you don't have mustard powder you can just use a couple of tsps of English mustard).

Toulouse · 14-01-2017 08:50AM

Spot on Gloomtastic!

I do the exact same with 2oz butter, 2oz flour and 1 pint of milk.

I also stir in about 100 - 150g of cheese (Cheddar and/or Parmesan) into the sauce when it's bubbling to make it nice and cheesy. If you're doing this then be careful as you won't need as much salt. You can also use Dijon if you don't have any English mustard handy.

Enjoy your lasagne!!

Malari · 14-01-2017 09:06AM

I usually do a white sauce exactly the previous two posters but recently I did a quick mushroom sauce with mixed fresh and dried mushrooms, then added creme fraiche to make it creamy. Plenty of seasoning!

tinyk68 · 14-01-2017 10:29AM

I also do a white sauce like the first one but instead of mustard I stir in a handful of grated parmesan and some fresh pesto. Gives the lasagne a lovely richness.

StripedBoxers · 14-01-2017 12:26PM

Thank you all so much, I'll definitely be trying that white sauce and I will report back and let you know how I get on.

I haven't had much luck with white sauces so I am hoping this one turns out right for me

14-01-2017 12:56PM

They key thing with a white sauce is to get it ready off the heat, as Gloomtastic says above.

So you melt the butter on the hob and add the flour, and stir it together on a low heat for a few minutes, using a metal whisk if you prefer. (You're allowing the flour to cook so that the sauce doesn't taste, well, floury.)

Then remove from the heat, and add your milk one splash at a time, stirring it in thoroughly with the whisk. Don't worry about it being doughy at first, that's how it should be.

Once the milk is all incorporated, the sauce will be thin again like it's just a pot of milk.

Then, you return it to the heat and turn it right up, but you must stir continuously. This process pretty much guarantees a lump-free creamy white sauce.

Once you do it right the first time you will have it in the bag forever.

If you are unlucky and it comes out lumpy, push it through a sieve and it will be grand.

oscarBravo · 14-01-2017 08:21PM

I've also heard that you can heat the milk and add it all in one go, which it is claimed avoids lumps, but I've never had the courage to try it

Surreptitious · 14-01-2017 10:30PM

I've seen someone make white sauce in a microwave. Don't do it folks!!

Gloomtastic! · 15-01-2017 02:17PM

This is useful .......

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/tools/roast-timer

(Says he who's discovered he should have put the pork in an hour ago!) :rolleyes:

Graces7 · 18-01-2017 12:39PM

Getting used to a new kitchen is... interesting!

This one is so well equipped... Tell me if you can, what heat can you use under one of those super heavy casserole dishes? Are they Creuset? Way above my pay grade!

Even found poultry shears...

Gloomtastic! · 18-01-2017 04:12PM

Graces7 wrote: »

Getting used to a new kitchen is... interesting!

This one is so well equipped... Tell me if you can, what heat can you use under one of those super heavy casserole dishes? Are they Creuset? Way above my pay grade!

Even found poultry shears...

Using a Creuset with an electric hob you shouldn't have to go above a 4 to get a good boil/fry. You can also simmer on 1 with the lid on edge. Remember don't use anything metal inside the dish. Once the coating is gone, it's for the bin!

Enjoy your new kitchen!

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