The General Chat Thread

Dizzyblonde · 06-11-2015 01:17PM

I'd imagine it would dry out a lot in two hours. One hour would be okay, but you never know how long a doctor's appointment will take. If your oven has a timer it would be a better idea to set that.
Hope the baby's better soon

Whispered · 06-11-2015 01:29PM

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

I'd imagine it would dry out a lot in two hours. One hour would be okay, but you never know how long a doctor's appointment will take. If your oven has a timer it would be a better idea to set that.
Hope the baby's better soon

Oh it does! Ive never used it before

So my usual way of doing cottage pie is that I put it together still hot then brown it under the grill. If it's going on for an hour should I cover it? Then brown it when I get back?

Dizzyblonde · 06-11-2015 01:31PM

Yes I'd cover it, just in case the potato dries out too much.

Nemecis · 06-11-2015 01:52PM

Faith wrote: »

How do you drain a cucumber?

You use a grater first and then you toss the pieces on a kitchen towel and you start to tighten the towel and that removes the excess water

MissFlitworth · 06-11-2015 02:27PM

Has everyone else been alerted to the fact that Tesco are now doing frozen sweet potato fries?

Gloomtastic! · 06-11-2015 04:21PM

bigronnie9 wrote: »

Thanks all, will try each method and dee_mc's technique and report back once ive tried them all!

And to answer your original question. According to Nigella you can freeze them after they've been coated them in whatever. <snip>

Taboola · 06-11-2015 05:44PM

MissFlitworth wrote: »

Has everyone else been alerted to the fact that Tesco are now doing frozen sweet potato fries?

Saw a pic of them on facebook. Has anyone tried them yet?

MissFlitworth · 06-11-2015 07:59PM

Not yet

My freezer is borked and I don't have a sweet potato fry gap in my day till Monday. Will hopefully hit them for Monday dinner! Unless someone else reports back that they're rotten though.

rubadub · 07-11-2015 02:22PM

MissFlitworth wrote: »

Has everyone else been alerted to the fact that Tesco are now doing frozen sweet potato fries?

3.99 for 500g, very expensive. 800g of sweet potatoes there is 1.13
http://www.tesco.ie/groceries/Product/Details/?id=279570726

McDonalds are trialing them in some places at the moment.

homemadecider · 07-11-2015 02:42PM

I'm obviously easily influenced by this site, I have just put some chicken breasts in buttermilk for the day and they will become chicken goujons tomorrow for the freezer. Also we have leftover buttermilk which will be turned into delicious pancakes for tomorrow's breakfast.

Dial Hard · 07-11-2015 03:22PM

rubadub wrote:

3.99 for 500g, very expensive. 800g of sweet potatoes there is 1.13

Sweet potato fries are mad money everywhere, it drives me mad. â‚¬5.50 a portion in some restaurants. Considering you can buy a sweet spud the size of a baby's head in Aldi for about 59c, I have absolutely no idea why people buying them at wholesale prices seem to think they're somehow a premium ingredient.

MissFlitworth · 07-11-2015 03:46PM

rubadub wrote: »

3.99 for 500g, very expensive. 800g of sweet potatoes there is 1.13
http://www.tesco.ie/groceries/Product/Details/?id=279570726

Yeah, but they have that coating on them that will help them be crispy rather than my usual sweet potato fries which are softer with the occasional caramelised bit. And then I don't have to cut a sweet potato, which is on a slightly lower 'pain in the nuts' level than squash but still annoys me

Still a rip but a rip I am happy to deal with

dee_mc · 09-11-2015 12:53PM

So I offered to assemble some sweet tartlets for a party my aunt is having next week. I will need to prepare them about 3 to 4 hours in advance of when they will be served, so I'm going to paint the little (bought) biscuit pastry cases with a little dark chocolate earlier in the afternoon so that I can then fill them with custard or creme Anglaise later and top with fruit... happy with that plan, but she also wants meringues topped with cream or custard and fruit: assembling them directly before serving isn't an option, so does anyone know could I dip the (shop bought) meringue nests in dark chocolate without them disintegrating?

Gloomtastic! · 09-11-2015 03:42PM

dee_mc wrote: »

So I offered to assemble some sweet tartlets for a party my aunt is having next week. I will need to prepare them about 3 to 4 hours in advance of when they will be served, so I'm going to paint the little (bought) biscuit pastry cases with a little dark chocolate earlier in the afternoon so that I can then fill them with custard or creme Anglaise later and top with fruit... happy with that plan, but she also wants meringues topped with cream or custard and fruit: assembling them directly before serving isn't an option, so does anyone know could I dip the (shop bought) meringue nests in dark chocolate without them disintegrating?

According to HRH, Mary Berry, the cream should act as a barrier to prevent the juice of the berries seeping through. But if you want to add a chocolate layer too then it shouldn't disintegrate.

dibkins · 09-11-2015 04:17PM

Nigella does the chcolate if i recall correctly. Though she uses white.

dee_mc · 09-11-2015 06:16PM

Between Queen Mary of the cakes and Nigella the Domestic Goddess, I can't go too far wrong

Thanks guys

Loire · 09-11-2015 09:58PM

"You can't beat a big chicken"

That was the quote of the night! Had roast chicken for dinner yesterday with carrot squash and roast potatoes. Left over chicken with homemade pesto & pasta for the kid's supper this evening and we've just had a really good Green Saffron curry using left-over chicken, left-over roasties (cuts into cubes), left-over carrot squash with fried peppers, mushrooms and plenty chopped coriander. Had a homemade (gift) of chutney on the side with some Aldi Peshwari naan bread (really good actually) on the side. Still heaps for lunch tomorrow and there's still enough chicken for a Thai curry / laksa tomorrow night. Happy Days!

twibbles · 10-11-2015 10:34PM

Too Many Cooks etc.

:):)

Kat1170 · 12-11-2015 09:13PM

Just Wow ..

Diamond Doll · 12-11-2015 09:29PM

There is something really creepy about that video ...

Cedrus · 12-11-2015 11:23PM

Kat1170 wrote: »

Just Wow ..

I bet his knives never get put in the dishwasher!

Not a second time for certain. :eek:

Kovu · 12-11-2015 11:56PM

I was doing a stocktake of my freezer tonight and ye gods, I need to stop buying things 'cause it's good value and can put it in the freezer'
There's about 10 chicken thighs- mixture of boned, bone in & stuffed. A few steaks, a bone in roast, some prawn/pork burgers, five fresh beefburgers, ostrich steaks, chicken wings (marinated & plain), plaice, 2 x fish mixes, marinated lamb chops, BBQ chicken drumsticks & fillets, mussels in garlic sauce, a huge pot of lamb shank stew, lasagne......and the whole pile of frozen veg(peas, corn, stir fry mix, cooked cheapo aubergine & courgette from Aldi special weeks, cauliflower cheese) & some beige freezer matter- chips, onion rings, quiche etc.

I reeeeeeally hope the power does not go out any time soon.

Markcheese · 13-11-2015 07:57AM

My mam does ufo weeks. Unidentified frozen objects.
Can be interesting when thing arent frozen in their original packs..

Gloomtastic! · 13-11-2015 01:49PM

Kovu wrote: »

I was doing a stocktake of my freezer tonight and ye gods, I need to stop buying things 'cause it's good value and can put it in the freezer'
There's about 10 chicken thighs- mixture of boned, bone in & stuffed. A few steaks, a bone in roast, some prawn/pork burgers, five fresh beefburgers, ostrich steaks, chicken wings (marinated & plain), plaice, 2 x fish mixes, marinated lamb chops, BBQ chicken drumsticks & fillets, mussels in garlic sauce, a huge pot of lamb shank stew, lasagne......and the whole pile of frozen veg(peas, corn, stir fry mix, cooked cheapo aubergine & courgette from Aldi special weeks, cauliflower cheese) & some beige freezer matter- chips, onion rings, quiche etc.

I reeeeeeally hope the power does not go out any time soon.

Surprised you know what they are, you wouldn't be one of those organised ones who writes on the packet would you?

Spanish Eyes · 13-11-2015 05:08PM

I learned the hard way about freezers. Always stuffed to the gills, but could often not figure out what things were!

So a year or so ago, I was defrosting the dam thing and decided to be aha... organised lol

It's a four drawer jobbie.

So bottom one, which is not that big is for bread, cakes, scones, brioche buns. ok

Next is for meat and batch cooked stuff. Ok

Next is for veg etc.

Top is fast freeze for stuff batch cooked lol.

It worked for a week. Chaos again now. Any little hole or corner is stuffed to the brim.

Sigh......

Kovu · 13-11-2015 05:13PM

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

Surprised you know what they are, you wouldn't be one of those organised ones who writes on the packet would you?

Oh god no, if I were a Mr Men character I'd be Little Miss Dis-organised that knows where everything is in the mess. I have a strange memory for where I put what so I will remember exactly where I put what in the freezer. If not, I can usually tell by he shape or smell. I might get a bit confused with white fish or unknown tubs so I try to avoid those!

Dial Hard · 13-11-2015 05:29PM

My mother has a massive chest freezer.

It's where leftovers go to die.

kupus · 14-11-2015 10:28PM

So I had a lidl steak today. THe american one with all the marinade already over the steak..

It was beautiful. We have one for tomorrow.

However can anyone give me any tips to stop the marinade sticking to the pan.

I put about 2tbls of oil in the pan heated it high and then placed the steaks in it for ten minutes turning everyminute..
but the marinade always stick to the bottom. Its a ceramic pan but since the day we got it, its been sticky.

Old Perry · 15-11-2015 11:57AM

kupus wrote: »

So I had a lidl steak today. THe american one with all the marinade already over the steak..

It was beautiful. We have one for tomorrow.

However can anyone give me any tips to stop the marinade sticking to the pan.

I put about 2tbls of oil in the pan heated it high and then placed the steaks in it for ten minutes turning everyminute..
but the marinade always stick to the bottom. Its a ceramic pan but since the day we got it, its been sticky.

Not sure about preventing it happening but best way to clean is straight away. Right after cooking rub the pan down under cold or luke warm water no soap or washing up liquid needed.

the beer revolu · 15-11-2015 04:14PM

Almost any marinade will probably stick to any pan.
You could clean off the marinade, cook your steak and pour the marinade over at the end to heat through.

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