Handy thread of quick cooking questions & tips

Kimia · 06-05-2012 9:47pm #1

I was thinking it might be good to have a thread for all the little questions you have from time to time without starting a new thread every time.

My question: I bake or fry chicken (depending on the cut) and then have it for my breakfast in the morning. However, anytime I leave it sit on a plate in the fridge, there is always some slimy fat at the bottom of the plate when I get to it in the morning. Any foolproof way to avoid this?

The Sweeper · 07-05-2012 12:10am

Hmmm not really, though there are some measures you can take. You can remove all skin from the chicken before cooking, and trim any fat. You can grill instead of frying or baking, and add no oil.

But what you'll end up with in the morning is pretty much chicken jerky.

Alternatively, poach the chicken, drain it well, leave it on one plate to cool and when cool, transfer it to a second plate with none of the juices before you refrigerate.

TeletextPear · 07-05-2012 12:17am

Maybe if you put greaseproof paper under it, would that soak up the fat?

Mellor · 07-05-2012 5:55am

TeletextPear wrote: »

Maybe if you put greaseproof paper under it, would that soak up the fat?

Greeseproof paper doesn't soak oil up too well. Hence the name.

Kitchen roll would do a better job.

pickarooney · 11-05-2012 11:30am

Do you reheat the chicken in the morning or eat it cold?

the beer revolu · 12-05-2012 1:11pm

That's not grease - it's delicious, set chicken juice (ok maybe a little fat too but mostly juice/jelly, I'd say)

Kimia · 12-05-2012 1:13pm

I eat the chicken cold.

GastroBoy · 14-05-2012 5:39pm

If your not already, use free range chicken. Much less fat content then the pumped up factory birds.

Mellor · 15-05-2012 6:59am

GastroBoy wrote: »

If your not already, use free range chicken. Much less fat content then the pumped up factory birds.

Afaik free range isn't any lower in fat

GastroBoy · 15-05-2012 9:23am

Mellor wrote: »

Afaik free range isn't any lower in fat

Yes, it is. Considerably lower in fat actually.

livinsane · 15-05-2012 11:12am

Mellor wrote: »

Afaik free range isn't any lower in fat

According to research I saw on the River Cottage show:

Intensively farmed chicken is highest in fat and lowest in Omega 3.

Corn fed chicken has less fat but is still considerably high (from the corn diet) and has higher levels of Omega 3.

Free range chicken has lowest levels of fat and highest levels of Omega 3.

The food scientist consulted said family dependance on cheap chicken and eggs is a real problem for the brain development of children.

Sorry to go slightly off topic but to offer an answer to the original question, I think the kitchen roll suggestion is the best!

Thoie · 15-05-2012 11:16am

Kimia wrote: »

I was thinking it might be good to have a thread for all the little questions you have from time to time without starting a new thread every time.

My question: I bake or fry chicken (depending on the cut) and then have it for my breakfast in the morning. However, anytime I leave it sit on a plate in the fridge, there is always some slimy fat at the bottom of the plate when I get to it in the morning. Any foolproof way to avoid this?

And back to the original question...

Stick a fork across the plate, put chicken on the fork, and it lifts it off the plate enough to stop slime gathering around the chicken. If you want you can put a sheet of kitchen roll under the fork, then dump that in the bin and use the same plate and fork for eating the chicken.

Mellor · 16-05-2012 7:39am

livinsane wrote: »

According to research I saw on the River Cottage show:

Intensively farmed chicken is highest in fat and lowest in Omega 3.

Corn fed chicken has less fat but is still considerably high (from the corn diet) and has higher levels of Omega 3.

Free range chicken has lowest levels of fat and highest levels of Omega 3.

I read something similar that suggested that the the variation in the fat levels is in the skin. But the meat is the same.

So as a whole, a free range bird is lower in fat, but free range breast fillets aren't much different.

Gloomtastic! · 16-05-2012 8:27am

According to Heston, the juice seeps out of the meat because we cook it at too high a temperature.

He suggests cooking at 90degrees. It keeps the juices (and flavour) in the meat. Google it if you don't believe me!

LaChatteGitane · 16-05-2012 11:27am

the beer revolu wrote: »

That's not grease - it's delicious, set chicken juice (ok maybe a little fat too but mostly juice/jelly, I'd say)

Indeed. Mainly gelatinous meat juices.
Proper chicken stock would have a similar consistency.

The Lovely Muffin · 18-05-2012 1:08am

I was hoping to cook this for lunch tomorrow, but don't have any oyster sauce, could I use fish sauce instead? Would it affect the flavour much?

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/10360/beef-mushroom-and-greens-stirfry

Curry Addict · 18-05-2012 8:59am

The Lovely Muffin wrote: »

I was hoping to cook this for lunch tomorrow, but don't have any oyster sauce, could I use fish sauce instead? Would it affect the flavour much?

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/10360/beef-mushroom-and-greens-stirfry

yes it would affect the flavor way too much. fish sauce is essentially flavored salt so you would be adding another salt element making it too salty. its a simple recipe so missing one of the dominant flavors will make it bland and horrible tbh.
nearly all supermarkets stock oyster sauce and its relatively cheap so pick some up today!

Loire · 18-05-2012 9:11am

Kimia wrote: »

I was thinking it might be good to have a thread for all the little questions you have from time to time without starting a new thread every time.

My question: I bake or fry chicken (depending on the cut) and then have it for my breakfast in the morning. However, anytime I leave it sit on a plate in the fridge, there is always some slimy fat at the bottom of the plate when I get to it in the morning. Any foolproof way to avoid this?

That's some constitution....I can only imagine what you have for dinner!

LaChatteGitane · 18-05-2012 10:26am

Loire wrote: »

That's some constitution....I can only imagine what you have for dinner!

Why ? It's certainly not as rich as a fry up.

The Lovely Muffin · 18-05-2012 12:23pm

Curry Addict wrote: »

yes it would affect the flavor way too much. fish sauce is essentially flavored salt so you would be adding another salt element making it too salty. its a simple recipe so missing one of the dominant flavors will make it bland and horrible tbh.
nearly all supermarkets stock oyster sauce and its relatively cheap so pick some up today!

Thanks so much, I didn't realise fish sauce is flavoured salt.

Will pick up some oyster sauce today.

Kimia · 18-05-2012 11:53pm

Loire wrote: »

That's some constitution....I can only imagine what you have for dinner!

What's wrong with it?

Sea Filly · 19-05-2012 7:13am

the beer revolu wrote: »

That's not grease - it's delicious, set chicken juice (ok maybe a little fat too but mostly juice/jelly, I'd say)

+1, love that gelatinous stuff!

The Lovely Muffin · 21-05-2012 4:26pm

I'm thinking of making this at the weekend, but am looking for a white wine to cook with the meat, I normally drink Blossom Hill Californian White, but I don't know if it would work with the meat, as has a sweet-ish, I think.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pork-recipes/pork-belly-roast-1

Can anyone recommend a wine to use please? Preferably nothing expensive.

the beer revolu · 21-05-2012 5:02pm

The Lovely Muffin wrote: »

I'm thinking of making this at the weekend, but am looking for a white wine to cook with the meat, I normally drink Blossom Hill Californian White, but I don't know if it would work with the meat, as has a sweet-ish, I think.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pork-recipes/pork-belly-roast-1

Can anyone recommend a wine to use please? Preferably nothing expensive.

I'd go to your local friendly independent wine seller and ask for an inexpensive, dry white wine for cooking with (I'd pay no less than €5 and no more than €8) - you won't get advice in a supermarket!

The Lovely Muffin · 21-05-2012 5:14pm

the beer revolu wrote: »

I'd go to your local friendly independent wine seller and ask for an inexpensive, dry white wine for cooking with (I'd pay no less than €5 and no more than €8) - you won't get advice in a supermarket!

Would an off licence be any good? I don't mean Tesco or Dunnes etc.

There are no independent wine sellers near me.

the beer revolu · 21-05-2012 5:16pm

The Lovely Muffin wrote: »

Would an off licence be any good? I don't mean Tesco or Dunnes etc.

There are no independent wine sellers near me.

Independent off licence/wine seller is what I meant.

whistlingtitan · 24-05-2012 1:40am

Keep the juices on the plate foe sauce that night mmmmmm

The Lovely Muffin · 26-05-2012 1:05pm

Back again

I'm making this for dinner tonight and wanted to have some spicy roast vegetables with it - http://eatlikeagirl.com/2009/07/12/spiced-roast-pork-belly/

I was going to use up some vegs I have in the fridge, carrots, 1/2 red pepper, baby potatoes (preferably unpeeled) and celery.

I have some frozen vegs too which I'd like to use, although I would have to cook them in a pot before roasting them, wouldn't I?

The frozen vegs I want to use are garden peas, broccoli and green beans.

I was thinking of using paprika and chilli powder or chilli flakes on the vegetable along with a dash of dark soy sauce, would this work with the vegs? If not, can anyone recommend a spice mix for them please.

Kimia · 27-05-2012 3:22pm

That recipe looks yum!

Why would you have to boil the frozen veg first? I'd say they'd be grand - i'd just put them in a different pan to the fresh veg because they'll take longer.

I would add a drop of honey to your spice mix. Enjoy!

The Lovely Muffin · 27-05-2012 4:00pm

Kimia wrote: »

That recipe looks yum!

Why would you have to boil the frozen veg first? I'd say they'd be grand - i'd just put them in a different pan to the fresh veg because they'll take longer.

I would add a drop of honey to your spice mix. Enjoy!

I would have thought that I'd need to boil the frozen veg because they wouldn't be the same if roasted from frozen, maybe I am wrong though. It was my first time doing roast vegetables so I was a bit unsure.

As it happens, I ended up not using the frozen vegs as I forgot about them

I used baby potatoes, carrots, half a red pepper, shallots and garlic. Although they were too spicy as I used paprika and cayenne pepper.

The pork belly was nice, but I didn't like the fennel, probably because I used too much and didn't grind them down, it was like I had put perfume on the meat to be honest. I ended up not being able to eat my dinner as there was too much fennel and spice for me unfortunately.

The one thing I would say to anyone who's gonna try this dish - is to have some gravy or something with it as it's quite dry on it's own.

Kimia · 28-05-2012 1:29am

Ah no, that's a shame. At least you've figured out how fennel tastes now - it's always good when you have that knowledge because it'll build your palette, allowing you to imagine what things taste like before you try them - and even better, you'll soon be able to imagine what things taste like after you mix them together!

The Lovely Muffin · 19-06-2012 12:20am

Could anyone recommend a quick, simple, spicy tomato sauce that can be frozen please?

I have half a bottle of passata which needs to be used by tomorrow and I don't' want to throw it out, so was hoping to make a tomato sauce which can be frozen into portions.

BBDBB · 19-06-2012 12:30am

The Lovely Muffin wrote: »

Could anyone recommend a quick, simple, spicy tomato sauce that can be frozen please?

I have half a bottle of passata which needs to be used by tomorrow and I don't' want to throw it out, so was hoping to make a tomato sauce which can be frozen into portions.

gently heat a chopped onion & some chunks of chorizo sausage with a sprinkle of dry herbs, you can add some paprika (i prefer the smoked) to add a kick, add your tomato passata and then salt pepper and sugar to taste, leave it cook down and serve with pasta

The Lovely Muffin · 19-06-2012 12:40am

BBDBB wrote: »

gently heat a chopped onion & some chunks of chorizo sausage with a sprinkle of dry herbs, you can add some paprika (i prefer the smoked) to add a kick, add your tomato passata and then salt pepper and sugar to taste, leave it cook down and serve with pasta

Thanks, would the tomato sauce on it's own be nice?

I don't have any chorizo and I was hoping to freeze the sauce as I won't get to use it all tomorrow.

LaChatteGitane · 19-06-2012 7:35am

Why not just freeze the leftover passata ? Take it out when you next need it for something.

BBDBB · 19-06-2012 8:55am

The Lovely Muffin wrote: »

Thanks, would the tomato sauce on it's own be nice?

I don't have any chorizo and I was hoping to freeze the sauce as I won't get to use it all tomorrow.

its very tasty so I suppose it would

as an alternative you could just chop up a stick of pepperami and fry that (though for not as long) which I have done on occasion

The Lovely Muffin · 19-06-2012 3:48pm

LaChatteGitane wrote: »

Why not just freeze the leftover passata ? Take it out when you next need it for something.

Because it has been opened since Saturday so I thought it would need to be cooked before being frozen, am I wrong? It'd be great if it could be frozen without being cooked actually.

BBDBB wrote: »

its very tasty so I suppose it would

as an alternative you could just chop up a stick of pepperami and fry that (though for not as long) which I have done on occasion

Might give this a try so, without the meat and just use it whenever I need it.

Thanks guys

LaChatteGitane · 19-06-2012 4:26pm

The Lovely Muffin wrote: »

Because it has been opened since Saturday so I thought it would need to be cooked before being frozen, am I wrong? It'd be great if it could be frozen without being cooked actually.

Might give this a try so, without the meat and just use it whenever I need it.

Thanks guys

I wouldn't put my hand in the fire for it.;) Maybe safest bet is to cook something with it first.

Faith · 10-10-2012 5:22pm

I'm currently making a recipe that called for cumin seeds, toasted and ground. I didn't grind them enough

. Should I just serve the meal with the fairly intact cumin seeds, or attempt to sieve them out?

GastroBoy · 10-10-2012 5:24pm

Faith wrote: »

I'm currently making a recipe that called for cumin seeds, toasted and ground. I didn't grind them enough . Should I just serve the meal with the fairly intact cumin seeds, or attempt to sieve them out?

You should be able to get away with putting them in semi ground. Whats the dish?

Faith · 10-10-2012 5:29pm

It's a lamb tagine. I wasn't paying attention. It tastes fine, but the seeds would get stuck in your teeth a bit...

The Sweeper · 11-10-2012 9:12pm

Cumin seeds are pretty small and are often served whole in flavoured rice. Should be fine and they shouldn't be too harsh on the palette. As opposed to trying to sieve them out, you could always take the lamb chunks out of the sauce and put the sauce through a blender, but honestly I don't think it'll make that much of a difference.

Faith · 11-10-2012 9:39pm

Yeah, it worked out fine in the end. When I was tasting it, I kept getting seeds stuck in my teeth, but once we were actually eating the whole dish, they weren't noticeable.

Merkin · 17-10-2012 4:12pm

To tone down a curry that's WAYYYYY too hot (---->this was genuinely the colour I went when I tasted it earlier :mad:) add some low-fat creme freche and a spoon of chutney. I know people say to add cream or to add coconut milk but the addition of those ingredients interferes with the authenticity of the curry itself. A light creme freche will tone down heat without changing the dish while the sugar cuts through any sharpness from the over-zelaous addition of some spices!!

Diddler1977 · 17-10-2012 4:21pm

Jambo221 wrote: »

Not a cooking tip, more of a serving tip, but I've found that this one gets overlooked so often. Heat your plates, I hate eating hot food from cold plates, a hot plate will keep the food hotter for longer, which makes it more enjoyable.
.

If you don't have room in your oven to heat your plates, pop them in a sink of warm water.

Cork Boy · 18-10-2012 11:42am

Diddler1977 wrote: »

If you don't have room in your oven to heat your plates, pop them in a sink of warm water.

I also heat up my plates by using them as lids/covers for any pots i'm using, especially if i'm only cooking on the stovetop and not the oven.

If you're cooking rice or pasta drain them over any other plates that need heating and give them a quick dry.

My own tip is freeze leftover wine in ice-trays - then you have cube size chunks of wine to add to sauces, gravies, etc.

Mellor · 19-10-2012 3:30am

Merkin wrote: »

To tone down a curry that's WAYYYYY too hot (---->this was genuinely the colour I went when I tasted it earlier :mad:) add some low-fat creme freche and a spoon of chutney. I know people say to add cream or to add coconut milk but the addition of those ingredients interferes with the authenticity of the curry itself. A light creme freche will tone down heat without changing the dish while the sugar cuts through any sharpness from the over-zelaous addition of some spices!!

why do you think creme fraiche is more authentic than cream or coconut milk/cream?

Isn't is just slightly soured cream anyway, and coconut milk is the base for lots of currys.

Merkin · 19-10-2012 9:15am

Because it was so much lighter than cream it didn't automatically turn it into some kind of Korma concoction! Also I only ever use coconut milk when cooking Thai dishes

Faith · 01-10-2013 4:54pm

I bought a deep fat fryer recently and it's time to change the oil. What's the best way to dispose of the old oil? I'm not mad about the idea of just pouring it down the drain.

ElleEm · 01-10-2013 5:11pm

Faith wrote: »

I bought a deep fat fryer recently and it's time to change the oil. What's the best way to dispose of the old oil? I'm not mad about the idea of just pouring it down the drain.

Never pour it down the drain! It will just clog up. I used to dispose of small amounts of oil in empty tins, but on a larger scale I would probably put old newspapers in a sturdy bin bag and pour it in there. Or even pour it into an old milk carton or bottle.

oscarBravo · 01-10-2013 5:25pm

I think most civic amenity centres (the artists formerly known as "dumps") have cooking oil disposal facilities.

Handy thread of quick cooking questions & tips

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