General Chat Thread II

confusticated · 06-10-2019 9:40pm

I had a countertop oven when living in a studio apartment with no room for a proper oven, and it was perfect. It was OK for baking - you wouldn't get massive quantities into it or anything but a tray of biscuits or queen cakes would be fine. Great for everything else, I wouldn't see it as an alternative to an airfryer tbh as it's a lot more flexible - frozen pizzas etc for example.

New Home · 06-10-2019 9:49pm

The other thing to keep in mind is (at least, as far as I can remember) that all those ovens (be they halogen, toaster ovens or combi) have a massive heat dispersion, compared to normal cookers/ovens, be they stand alone or built-in, so they wouldn't be the most efficient to run.

oscarBravo · 06-10-2019 10:25pm

Mine seems pretty well insulated. It definitely isn't quite as well insulated as the main oven, but the tradeoff is that it has a lot less volume to heat, so on balance I'd say it's more efficient for heating things that can fit in it.

BaZmO* · 07-10-2019 12:05pm

rubadub wrote: »

I like the fact they are wrapped in pairs. Some complain about packaging but loads of food goes to waste due to not being used up in time. Also I would just eat the lot in a couple of days if it was just 1 pack.

I tend to prefer the Jacobs Crackers that are individually packed in 4's. Much more likely to be eaten. If I buy a normal packet I'll eat a few and then it gets put back in the press to be forgotten about, only to be thrown out at a later stage.

I was watching a programme the other day and they were talking to big food suppliers in the UK and one of the guys was making the point about food waste. He said that plastic packaging, although not ideal from an environmental point of view, it does cut down on food waste by extending shelf life. The plastic wrapping on a cucumber increase it's shelf life by 14 days.

New Home · 07-10-2019 12:09pm

But a cucumber decomposes in just a few short days, whereas plastic...

BaZmO* · 07-10-2019 12:47pm

New Home wrote: »

But a cucumber decomposes in just a few short days, whereas plastic...

Yeah I know, but if you're importing Cucumbers from the other side of the world and they only have a shelf life of a couple of days.......

It's mad that it's gotten to this, but it really does highlight the source locally ethos.

New Home · 07-10-2019 12:51pm

Agreed 100%.

Faith · 10-10-2019 8:46am

Back in the day, were Cadbury Top Deck a layer of milk chocolate and a layer of white chocolate, or did they also have a thin layer of dark chocolate on the bottom? Obviously I’m talking about the ones we bought and ate in Ireland, not the versions currently available in Australia etc.

L1011 · 10-10-2019 8:53am

There was a different product with the three types, cannot remember it now. The dark wasn't as dark as Bourneville I think. Actually might not even have been Cadbury

Top Deck was just the two, and the white was basically stuck on rather than melted on like the Aus/SA ones

Same technique used for the Spots and Stripes bars during the 2012 Olympics but they don't use it on anything currently.

igCorcaigh · 11-10-2019 10:20pm

Got some more cans of the Tesco finest sardines. These are really nice, as they are smaller with no dodgy bits.

Around €1.20 per can I think for this one.

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/300601199

Also they do a paprika and rosemary one for maybe €1.80 (although those flavours were not really discernable. Nice fish though).

twignme · 20-10-2019 2:03pm

What do you do when life throws a half price fresh duck at you?
You make rillettes!

Gloomtastic! · 20-10-2019 2:35pm

Rillettes would be one of my favourite things to eat. Was it hard to make?

twignme · 20-10-2019 2:55pm

It’s time more than anything else, but it’s an easy enough process. The duck is in the oven for five hours, then in the fridge overnight sitting in the fat. Picking the meat while it’s cold the next day is a bit of a faff, but then combining everything is very quick. I have to resist temptation and let it mature a few days before I tuck in. I have some left over duck fat for roasties too!

otnomart · 20-10-2019 5:54pm

Gosh I do love rillettes !

igCorcaigh · 20-10-2019 5:57pm

Never even heard of rillettes.
Is it like potted pork?

twignme · 20-10-2019 6:18pm

It can be made with pork and is done so probably more often than duck, but needs some good tasting fatty pieces added like belly pork to provide the necessary liquid fat while cooking and also for when it’s finished off. Maybe your potted pork is similar, how do you make it?

igCorcaigh · 20-10-2019 6:25pm

twignme wrote: »

Maybe your potted pork is similar, how do you make it?

Have only had it in a restaurant.

twignme · 20-10-2019 9:20pm

QUOTE=igCorcaigh;111557966]Have only had it in a restaurant.[/QUOTE]

It’s basically duck or pork confit, just taken one stage further. It’s very indulgent but worth every mouthful. An acknowledgment here for Chef John who’s recipe I have followed for a long time and can’t find one any better. I need a padlock on the fridge for a few days now though ...

Graces7 · 27-10-2019 4:08pm

A food related mystery here. I keep vulnerable food ( deep rural so ..) in a top cupboard and the doors are always closed. No holes etc!

I was sorting it today looking for lentils then decided a stock take etc, And found things have been.... nibbled, chewed. eg shredded wheat double packets. Very definitely chewed . No sign of livestock. Never seen the like. Seemed too much damage for any insect? Do spiders do that kind of thing?

Faith · 27-10-2019 4:39pm

Graces7 wrote: »

A food related mystery here. I keep vulnerable food ( deep rural so ..) in a top cupboard and the doors are always closed. No holes etc!

I was sorting it today looking for lentils then decided a stock take etc, And found things have been.... nibbled, chewed. eg shredded wheat double packets. Very definitely chewed . No sign of livestock. Never seen the like. Seemed too much damage for any insect? Do spiders do that kind of thing?

Could be pantry moths (Aka Indian meal moths). When it’s dusk, keep an eye on the cupboard and see if you spot any small brownish moths in there. They’re a complete pest and will eat into anything meal-related. Also look for webbing inside packets.

That being said, it’s not impossible for rodents to get into high cupboards. They can fit through a space the size of a pencil.

L1011 · 28-10-2019 12:49am

I copped out and bought some tubes of premade pastes today for stuff I'd never, ever do it. Garlic, ginger, red chillis. Purely because I didn't have any (well, except garlic) and probably won't be cooking meals that'll use them until next weekend at the earliest

Lead me to think of the problems of food waste when catering for smaller family units. There's only two of us - if I get salad greens in it condemns us to having them for the next two days after, if they even last that long. Local shop doesn't help by prepacking stuff in multiples, meaning I had to buy four tomatoes when I wanted one for use on burgers* last week, and by the time I went to cook something that could use them they'd gone mushy. And this is with a fridge that appears to be magic - celery has lasted six weeks in a usable condition before.

Other stuff that we rarely use all of in time would be bottles/jars of sauces, prepacked mushrooms and even the normal supermarket sizes of bog standard cheddar cheese. Is there something I'm missing here that isn't just "eat the same damn thing till its all gone"?

*my partners burger actually. I hate tomatoes in burgers!

Graces7 · 28-10-2019 7:22am

Faith wrote: »

Could be pantry moths (Aka Indian meal moths). When it’s dusk, keep an eye on the cupboard and see if you spot any small brownish moths in there. They’re a complete pest and will eat into anything meal-related. Also look for webbing inside packets.

That being said, it’s not impossible for rodents to get into high cupboards. They can fit through a space the size of a pencil.

Thanks. No not seen any moths.... Any rodents would have to brave my zealous cats! Who kill anything that moves...

Only way is to box everything; I thought the wall cupboard would be safe. The bottom cupboard under the sink has only tins and bottles as that is more risky. .

Graces7 · 28-10-2019 7:28am

L1011 wrote: »

I copped out and bought some tubes of premade pastes today for stuff I'd never, ever do it. Garlic, ginger, red chillis. Purely because I didn't have any (well, except garlic) and probably won't be cooking meals that'll use them until next weekend at the earliest

Lead me to think of the problems of food waste when catering for smaller family units. There's only two of us - if I get salad greens in it condemns us to having them for the next two days after, if they even last that long. Local shop doesn't help by prepacking stuff in multiples, meaning I had to buy four tomatoes when I wanted one for use on burgers* last week, and by the time I went to cook something that could use them they'd gone mushy. And this is with a fridge that appears to be magic - celery has lasted six weeks in a usable condition before.

Other stuff that we rarely use all of in time would be bottles/jars of sauces, prepacked mushrooms and even the normal supermarket sizes of bog standard cheddar cheese. Is there something I'm missing here that isn't just "eat the same damn thing till its all gone"?

*my partners burger actually. I hate tomatoes in burgers!

This is even more of an issue when you live alone - and, as with me, only have access to a shop once a fortnight. Apples are a staple . Salad stuff un heard of and eg a cabbage is too big for o ne person.

Even raw carrots do not seem to keep well

Cheese I cube and freeze in a bag and just take out as needed. SV do 2 big blocks for E5. Never lose any or have to overuse. I keep the second block in the freezer.

rubadub · 28-10-2019 1:49pm

Graces7 wrote: »

Salad stuff un heard of and eg a cabbage is too big for o ne person..

tesco do a half cabbage for 59cent, full size is 99cent, so reasonable price, still quite big but it keeps well. I wish they did a half iceberg lettuce. The small packs of leaves are ridiculous prices. Same with many other things, loose onions cost way more per kilo than big ones.

If the gov was serious about reducing waste it would force them to charge the same per kilo, or a max % more or something. Just like if they were serious about tackling binge drinking they would force pubs to charge half price for a half pint.

The heavily discounted bulk buys, or rather overpriced single unit pricing, leads to both food waste and possibly obesity problems, for me anyway -e.g. multipack 4 bars often just cost 10-30cent more than a single one and then I scoff the lot way quicker!

When I get a sliced pan I will take out portions and freeze them, the half pans are just a few cent less than the regular.

B0jangles · 28-10-2019 2:00pm

I find iceberg lettuces keep extremely well (like, 3+ weeks in the crisper drawer) if you take off individual leaves instead of cutting through the whole head.

Graces7 · 28-10-2019 2:16pm

rubadub wrote: »

tesco do a half cabbage for 59cent, full size is 99cent, so reasonable price, still quite big but it keeps well. I wish they did a half iceberg lettuce. The small packs of leaves are ridiculous prices. Same with many other things, loose onions cost way more per kilo than big ones.

If the gov was serious about reducing waste it would force them to charge the same per kilo, or a max % more or something. Just like if they were serious about tackling binge drinking they would force pubs to charge half price for a half pint.

The heavily discounted bulk buys, or rather overpriced single unit pricing, leads to both food waste and possibly obesity problems, for me anyway -e.g. multipack 4 bars often just cost 10-30cent more than a single one and then I scoff the lot way quicker!

When I get a sliced pan I will take out portions and freeze them, the half pans are just a few cent less than the regular.

I do the same with bread as you do.

Other things need more ingenuity here; I am on a small offshore island, all but housebound now and my groceries come in once a fortnight from Supervalu. They have an excellent shopping web site and these days compete well with the "big 4"

I am not keen on salad anyways so rely on what I can get that will keep . I use apples a lot; grated with cottage or grated cheese with a baked potato is a favourite. And eat less and differently in old age.

kylith · 28-10-2019 3:48pm

So I bought Harina de Maiz thinking I could make corn tortillas (turns out that's that's masa Harina). Anywho, it seems that arepas is the thing you make with this stuff. Bit meh, imo. Anything else I can make with this stuff?

igCorcaigh · 28-10-2019 5:15pm

kylith wrote: »

So I bought Harina de Maiz thinking I could make corn tortillas (turns out that's that's masa Harina). Anywho, it seems that arepas is the thing you make with this stuff. Bit meh, imo. Anything else I can make with this stuff?

I make just arepas with it.
I was wondering perhaps polenta?
I haven't tried yet.

otnomart · 28-10-2019 7:17pm

L1011 wrote: »

I copped out and bought some tubes of premade pastes today for stuff I'd never, ever do it. Garlic, ginger, red chillis. Purely because I didn't have any (well, except garlic) and probably won't be cooking meals that'll use them until next weekend at the earliest

Is there something I'm missing here that isn't just "eat the same damn thing till its all gone"?

I also buy some pastes/pestos as they are handy and if they are oil based they do keep in the fridge for a while after opening.

Most of the vegetables I buy for cooking are frozen, actually. I mainly buy frozen leeks, peas and spinach. Avoids wastage and saves lots of time in prepping when coming home late and tired !

kylith · 29-10-2019 12:09am

igCorcaigh wrote: »

I make just arepas with it.
I was wondering perhaps polenta?
I haven't tried yet.

Any tips for them? Are they supposed to be quite wet inside?

General Chat Thread II

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