General Chat Thread II

conor_ie · 17-01-2021 12:15pm

Mystery Egg wrote: »

This happened once when my husband poured washing up liquid into the roasting tin while the chicken was resting on a plate.

I was like, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

If my better half did that.. she'd be out the door!

Muahahaha · 17-01-2021 1:03pm

Faith wrote: »

I would like the option to make things with a batter or coating on them at home, like tempura vegetables, croquettes, onion rings etc. I'm thinking of buying a deep fat fryer for this, but I just wanted to check and see if that's the best option? When I searched on Amazon, lots of air fryers came up, which I wouldn't have thought would work...

Funny you mention that as Im thinking of getting a deep fat fryer myself for the likes of tempura prawns and fried chicken. One thing though Im uncertain about is how do you get the oil out of them after use? I know commercial ones have a drainage spout but I havent seen that on any of the ones for domestic use. Id imagine it would almost be a two person job trying to turn the unit upside down to drain it which puts me off buying one.

For those using woks/deep pots to deep fry are you measuring temperature with some kind of specialised thermometer? The small deep fat fryers I have seen usually have two settings at 170c and 190c.

oscarBravo · 17-01-2021 1:05pm

Muahahaha wrote: »

Funny you mention that as Im thinking of getting a deep fat fryer myself for the likes of tempura prawns and fried chicken. One thing though Im uncertain about is how do you get the oil out of them after use? I know commercial ones have a drainage spout but I havent seen that on any of the ones for domestic use. Id imagine it would almost be a two person job trying to turn the unit upside down to drain it which puts me off buying one.

The one I currently own has a removable pot - you lift out the electric element, then the pot. It's then straightforward to pour out the oil.

My previous one involved lifting the whole machine to pour. Not fun.

tangy · 17-01-2021 1:27pm

Muahahaha wrote: »

For those using woks/deep pots to deep fry are you measuring temperature with some kind of specialised thermometer? The small deep fat fryers I have seen usually have two settings at 170c and 190c.

I usually use a jam thermometer

There's bit of overshooting and undershooting the target though. Is that what they call hysteresis?

Alun · 17-01-2021 1:37pm

tangy wrote: »

There's bit of overshooting and undershooting the target though. Is that what they call hysteresis?

It certainly is.

Faith · 17-01-2021 2:08pm

Muahahaha wrote: »

Funny you mention that as Im thinking of getting a deep fat fryer myself for the likes of tempura prawns and fried chicken. One thing though Im uncertain about is how do you get the oil out of them after use? I know commercial ones have a drainage spout but I havent seen that on any of the ones for domestic use. Id imagine it would almost be a two person job trying to turn the unit upside down to drain it which puts me off buying one.

For those using woks/deep pots to deep fry are you measuring temperature with some kind of specialised thermometer? The small deep fat fryers I have seen usually have two settings at 170c and 190c.

My rationale for having one would be they don’t stink the place up as much as a wok/pot full of oil (my current solution) and you don’t have to mess around with constantly pouring oil in and out. Also because they maintain a constant temperature - holding a thermometer in a pot of boiling oil is fairly dicey!

But cleaning can be a faff. I saw one that has a kind of self-cleaning system, wherein the oil drains into a bottom drawer through a fine mesh and leaves the crumbs and burnt bits in the upper chamber, which you then remove and clean.

I know it’s an expense and an extra machine but I’m all about convenience!

That said, I don’t know how much I’d use if all the same. Even if I had one, I’d probably par-fry a lot of things and finish them in the oven to make them a fraction less unhealthy.

Muahahaha · 17-01-2021 2:56pm

oscarBravo wrote: »

The one I currently own has a removable pot - you lift out the electric element, then the pot. It's then straightforward to pour out the oil.

My previous one involved lifting the whole machine to pour. Not fun.

ah right, that sounds good. Any of the cheapo ones that Lidl/Aldi sell from time to time dont seem to have that function and the only way of getting the oil out seems to be to turn it upside down which would be really messy.

Faith wrote: »

My rationale for having one would be they don’t stink the place up as much as a wok/pot full of oil (my current solution) and you don’t have to mess around with constantly pouring oil in and out. Also because they maintain a constant temperature - holding a thermometer in a pot of boiling oil is fairly dicey!

But cleaning can be a faff. I saw one that has a kind of self-cleaning system, wherein the oil drains into a bottom drawer through a fine mesh and leaves the crumbs and burnt bits in the upper chamber, which you then remove and clean.

I know it’s an expense and an extra machine but I’m all about convenience!

That said, I don’t know how much I’d use if all the same. Even if I had one, I’d probably par-fry a lot of things and finish them in the oven to make them a fraction less unhealthy.

Do you have a link for that model?

Yeah I dont think I would use one a whole lot myself, maybe once a month at the most. But I have lots of storage space and they arent that expensive these days so why not.

Regards the smell I think its a good idea to get one with a lid and a carbon filter inside it. And yeah the ability to set the temperature to 170/190c for various foods is definitely a good feature of them

Ryath · 17-01-2021 3:25pm

I use a pot but I have a induction hob so have accurate and instant control with it. I wouldn't really fancy using an older style electric ones where as they are so slow to heat you turn the up full then down when it's at the flame point! Parents when I was young had a small pot left permanently full of oil that was used for sausages every Sunday morning. I do remember it going up a couple of times. Luckily lid on and pull it of the ring works well! We had a deep fat fryer but that was for chips and Chicken Maryland! Deep fried breaded pineapple ring and bananas seemed quite nice with them as a kid!

Induction hob I set the ring to 6 and it comes up to temp and stays there. Never actually checked the temp just test with a of bread or a piece of what ever I'm cooking. Must check next time. As I said I don't deep fry that often air fryer does a lot of what I used deep fry. Main thing I do now is the lidl Spanish jambon croquettes and churros! Small pot is enough with half a litre of oil I can reuse several times. Easy wipe out the pot afterwards and wash it. And saves having to store the deep fat fryer.

This one with oil filter and storage does look handy if you do fry bigger amounts.
https://www.littlewoodsireland.ie/tefal-fr804040-oleoclean-pro-deep-fryer-12kg-capacity-2300w-exclusive-oil-filtration-system-stainless-steel/1600243605.prd?param1=wgmedc&ffb&gclid=Cj0KCQiA3Y-ABhCnARIsAKYDH7vmYwJq522fGh5UudaYiLBYb7pn6QOz1tNy6b-LEU7_DXNLz7QDVyAaAjpCEALw_wcB#sku=sku20485709&cm_mmc=Google-_-Generic-_-WG+-+Smart+Shopping+-+Electricals+-+Appliances-_-Electricals

Faith · 17-01-2021 4:03pm

Muahahaha wrote: »

Do you have a link for that model?

It's this one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01I06PEBU. There's a smaller version too.

We're in the middle of buying a new house so I'm waiting too see how much storage space we'll have in the new place before I commit. I know there's dead space behind a door in the kitchen, though, and I'm thinking I could use that to put in a cabinet or shelves to store all my extra appliances!

Muahahaha · 17-01-2021 4:28pm

Thanks Faith, that looks decent enough. Keepa is telling me it was £79 just a couple of weeks ago but is now back up to £99.

Renovated my own kitchen last year and got 40% extra press space so I need new gadgets to fill it ! The sliding pull out pantry I got is the best part, no more digging out ingredients from deep presses, everything is on view and easily accessible when its pulled out. Great invention.

L1011 · 17-01-2021 4:41pm

I have one of those. It is easier to handle than a conventional one but maybe not as much as I'd hoped

Faith · 17-01-2021 5:48pm

On a different note, I've had Amazon Subscribe & Save deliveries set up on various bulk grocery products for a good while, and they continued being delivered when I moved back to Ireland. I've just gotten an email to say that, due to Brexit, they can no longer deliver them :mad:

Shenshen · 18-01-2021 8:55am

Faith wrote: »

On a different note, I've had Amazon Subscribe & Save deliveries set up on various bulk grocery products for a good while, and they continued being delivered when I moved back to Ireland. I've just gotten an email to say that, due to Brexit, they can no longer deliver them :mad:

Brexit is starting to bite. Well, nibble.
I'm out of kimchi and want to get a new batch started. I don't really feel I should go to the Chinese shop in town (30km away) just for gochugaru chili powder, so I figured I'd get it online again. Trying to get it from the UK, they'd want £5 for 200g, and £30 for delivery and charges....

So now I'm getting it from Germany instead, 500g for €20, all in.

rubadub · 18-01-2021 4:27pm

Faith wrote: »

It's this one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01I06PEBU. There's a smaller version too.

They get great reviews on a cooking group I was looking at.

Aldi or lidl have their own version of it too.

Gloomtastic! · 18-01-2021 4:56pm

Shenshen wrote: »

Brexit is starting to bite. Well, nibble.
I'm out of kimchi and want to get a new batch started. I don't really feel I should go to the Chinese shop in town (30km away) just for gochugaru chili powder, so I figured I'd get it online again. Trying to get it from the UK, they'd want £5 for 200g, and £30 for delivery and charges....

So now I'm getting it from Germany instead, 500g for €20, all in.

I just use normal chilli flakes with some paprika added (not smoked paprika).

Muahahaha · 18-01-2021 6:53pm

Heres what we will be eating in 2021 according to food marketeers and Instagrammers

How do food trends happen – and what will we be eating in 2021?
Food fanatics used to obsess over kimchi – and this year it might be teff or guanciale. Brand consultants, market analysts and chefs explain how a product gets to be cool

What we’ll be eating and drinking in 2021. Possibly ...
Corn ribs
Cooked corn cobs carved to resemble spare ribs; pioneered at David Chang’s Momofuku Ssam Bar, spotted at London’s Fallow or Glasgow’s Ka Pao.

Guanciale
Essential to an authentic carbonara. Previously a specialist product, now in Waitrose.

Young garbanzo
Green, early-harvest chickpeas. Sweeter, almost pea-like, used in various dishes from salads to pilaf. Marks & Spencer is launching a green chickpea hummus later this year.

Hard seltzer
Flavoured, low-calorie, alcoholic sparkling water. Huge in the US. Launches from Kopparberg, Coca-Cola and Brewdog suggest the UK could follow.

Teff
This fast-cooking, nutritious east African grain is “on the horizon” here, says Waitrose’s Martyn Lee. Sustainable sourcing is a challenge.

Carob
One-time healthy (and unpersuasive) stand-in for chocolate and cocoa powder in baking, which may yet return on its own terms.

Table beers
Usually 2.5% to 2.8% – big on flavour, low on alcohol. Try Northern Monk’s Striding Edge or Howling Hops’s Pocket Rocket.

Smoked salt
Flavoured salts (herbs, lemon zest, seaweed) are taking off. “Smoked salt can be used in meat rubs or on boiled eggs,” says Sous Chef’s Nicola Lando.

Banana blossom
Popular in south-east Asia, the budding flower from the banana tree is increasingly used in vegan dishes to replace fish.

Eringi mushrooms
Martyn Lee is excited about potentially using king oyster or eringi mushrooms to replace steak or scallops. Chinese cooking has a rich history of such substitution.

Full article here, some interesting tidbits in it
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2021/jan/17/what-will-be-eating-in-2021-and-how-do-food-trends-happen-kimchi-teff-lao-gan-ma

igCorcaigh · 18-01-2021 6:58pm

The smoked salt from Sostrene Grene is very good.

sammyjo90 · 18-01-2021 7:28pm

I'll be shot by anyone who is vegan here/ meat alternative fans but I just dont get why anyone would want to carve a corn on the cob and pass it off as Ribs
And i actually like david chang. Just dont get it

Scratch that. Just googled it and its not a meat alternative just a strip of corn fried and flavoured!
Lesson to google first and comment after :pac:

the beer revolu · 19-01-2021 7:48am

igCorcaigh wrote: »

The smoked salt from Sostrene Grene is very good.

Smoked salt has been popular for about a decade, I'd say.
Some of those things are new to me but, smoked salt?

tangy · 19-01-2021 9:07am

A few years back Aldi had a selection of salt grinders in one of their specials:
- black
- red
- Himalyan pink?
- smoked
- and one other I can.t remember.

We liked the red and the smoked; the black just made things look mucky.

Lady Haywire · 19-01-2021 8:04pm

I know there's a hot sauce thread but does anyone else use this sauce?
Ate with my cousin & Korean wife & they dared me to try it but I adored it & surprised the life out of them:D

L1011 · 22-01-2021 9:58pm

Can anyone who has a sous vide setup (vacuum sealer and a circulator) honestly tell me how often they use it and for what?

I have a very gadget storage friendly kitchen - gaff was kitted out to rent out rooms before I bought it so more cupboards than normal - and it seems like something sort of obvious that's missing. But I'm not sure I'd use it.

cefh17 · 22-01-2021 10:30pm

I would honestly say that I use the vacuum sealer more than the sous vide a lot of the time haha. Sous vide maybe three times a month depending..

Sealer (got on amazon warehouse for 25e back in the day) would be for the likes of loose chicken breasts, leftover steak etc to save space more than anything and save from freezer burn. Apparently it's good for keeping the likes of asparagus and chopped peppers etc fresher in the fridge for longer (where the bag could be resealed once opened).

Sous vide is great and some stuff I've used it for was steaks, creme brulee but I've seen recipes for other things like eggs, bulk cooking chicken thighs. Chef steps is a good YT channel that uses sous vide more than any I've seen so may be a good starting point.

igCorcaigh · 22-01-2021 10:36pm

Question for boardie food people!

I want to make pulled pork (for carnitas), and the recipe calls for pork shoulder.
How would I go about obtaining this?

I was in the supermarket earlier and none of the pork products was labelled as shoulder.
Does it go by another name, or should I ask a butcher?

TIA!

L1011 · 22-01-2021 10:38pm

Basically only ever called shoulder; or occasionally "pork butt" - which has nothing to do with that meaning of butt. You won't get it in a conventional supermarket. Head to a real butchers.

igCorcaigh · 22-01-2021 10:41pm

L1011 wrote: »

Basically only ever called shoulder; or occasionally "pork butt" - which has nothing to do with that meaning of butt. You won't get it in a conventional supermarket. Head to a real butchers.

Thank you very much!

Any recommendations from Cork people?
I guess I could try the English Market.

BaZmO* · 22-01-2021 10:57pm

igCorcaigh wrote: »

Thank you very much!

Any recommendations from Cork people?
I guess I could try the English Market.

Any half decent butcher will have pork shoulder. The Cooking Club Pulled Pork recipe has pork shoulder from Tesco. It used to be really cheap too, that is until Pulled Pork became popular here.

Dizzyblonde · 22-01-2021 11:59pm

I've seen pork shoulder in Dunnes. If it's hard to find, I've used pork neck and it makes really good pulled pork too.

awec · 23-01-2021 12:01am

You can definitely get pork shoulder in supermarkets. I've seen it in both Tesco and Aldi.

L1011 · 23-01-2021 12:18am

awec wrote: »

You can definitely get pork shoulder in supermarkets. I've seen it in both Tesco and Aldi.

I've the second largest Tesco in the country as my local and I've never seen it. Only non-cured non-processed pork they usually have is chops, mince and possibly pork steak; so maybe they just have an atrocious selection.

the beer revolu · 23-01-2021 8:38am

igCorcaigh wrote: »

Thank you very much!

Any recommendations from Cork people?
I guess I could try the English Market.

I'd recommend O Mahony's in the English market. Proper pork with some actual flavour as opposed to the white, tasteless pork most butchers and supermarkets have.

Muahahaha · 23-01-2021 3:12pm

Pork shoulder used to be in my local Tesco but hasnt been for about 2 years now. Have never seen it in Aldi, only pork loins. But any butcher should have it, its typically 8 euro a kilo or so. I always ask him to chop it into 2 inch cubes with the fat left on. I think having it like that means theres more surface area to soak up the orange juice its cooked in.

Dial Hard · 23-01-2021 3:42pm

An Asador-Prado at Home deluxe box just arrived at my front door. Early birthday present from my two closest friends. It looks absolutely SUBLIME. Cannot wait to get stuck in. It's an unbelievable amount of food.

Gloomtastic! · 23-01-2021 11:19pm

I’ve used the plain loin of pork from Aldi loads of times and it’s been great. It’s what you add to the pulled pork that makes the big difference.

Gloomtastic! · 26-01-2021 11:49am

Is it hard to get mutton in a butchers? Watching Hairy Bikers last night they were singing it’s praises in slow cooking. Might try and get some, just to taste the difference.

the beer revolu · 26-01-2021 1:57pm

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

Is it hard to get mutton in a butchers? Watching Hairy Bikers last night they were singing it’s praises in slow cooking. Might try and get some, just to taste the difference.

I've rarely seen mutton.
A lot of what is sold as lamb is actually hogget (between lamb and mutton).
If you have a relationship with a butcher, ask. Many will deny selling mutton as it isn't popular over lamb.

tickingclock · 26-01-2021 4:09pm

Completly agree. It has a bad reputation and most people don't know the difference. Most decent butchers should be able to get it. It has a lovely flavour

Faith · 28-01-2021 2:17pm

L1011 · 28-01-2021 10:08pm

I'm off tomorrow, had to use the last of 2020's leave by the end of the month and even taking basically all of December off didn't kill it... and when outside the office today I felt the first actual warm sunshine of 2021.

Would I be insane to get the BBQ cleaned up and do something on it for dinner? Real proper dark is at 18:23 but I have some outdoor lighting.

Dizzyblonde · 28-01-2021 10:14pm

I say go for it! We barbecued our pork chops tonight

Alun · 29-01-2021 12:14pm

Has anyone else had problems finding tinned chickpeas in the supermarkets recently? Not a sign of them in either Aldi or Lidl at the moment. This seems to be a recurring theme, and some Googling would suggest that there have been crop problems in the past in the countries where they're grown, wherever that is.

cefh17 · 29-01-2021 12:21pm

Same in the local lidl but got them in Dunnes in the end

Dizzyblonde · 29-01-2021 12:26pm

They seem to come and go in Aldi, but our Tesco have lots at the minute and they're at least as cheap and the Aldi ones.

conor_ie · 29-01-2021 3:17pm

Would anyone know where to get proper Ramen Bowls? I know I could get a set from Amazon but trying to shop local where I can!

New Home · 29-01-2021 3:25pm

Stock (beside St Stephen's Green S.C.) used to have them years ago. Also try one of the larger TK Maxx, or one of the Asian food shops. Ask Wagamama or one of the Japanese restaurants, they may have some for sale, too.

conor_ie · 29-01-2021 3:27pm

New Home wrote: »

Stock (beside St Stephen's Green S.C.) used to have them years ago. Also try one of the larger TK Maxx, or one of the Asian food shops. Ask Wagamama or one of the Japanese restaurants, they may have some for sale, too.

Thank you! I'll have to wait for the restrictions to be lifted before I can go anywhere!

New Home · 29-01-2021 3:35pm

Ah yes. That.

They may have websites, you could take a look - maybe they can deliver them.

BTW, sometimes Tesco have bowls that look a lot like ramen bowls, only they're not advertised as such. Worth having a look, if you've a branch nearby.

conor_ie · 29-01-2021 3:38pm

New Home wrote: »

Ah yes. That.

They may have websites, you could take a look - maybe they can deliver them.

BTW, sometimes Tesco have bowls that look a lot like ramen bowls, only they're not advertised as such. Worth having a look, if you've a branch nearby.

Yeah we've an extra beside us so I'm sure I'd get one there if I looked.

New Home · 29-01-2021 3:49pm

Oh, you just reminded me, when you said "extra": try Argos, you never know!

cefh17 · 30-01-2021 6:32pm

Wondering if anyone that has a Kenwood Kmix (specifically the KMX750 ) has had the same issue as me.. I'm finding when I'm using it whether its for doughs, cookie batters or meringues that it's not quite getting the bottom of the mix eh, mixed.

I tried adjusting the attachments but I'm finding it difficult. For any videos I've seen online the nut just below the 2 forks that hook into the actual machine doesn't separate. In the videos you can slide it up and down slightly before tightening it. By loosening the nut to the height I want it's not exactly tight against the base and I'm worried would cause issues when the machines in use. Any ideas?

General Chat Thread II

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