General Chat Thread II

New Home · 03-09-2020 2:40pm

Alun wrote: »

I got one of those Sistema yokes in Woodies a while back, might be worth looking there. Can't say I'm too impressed with it to be honest, the rice is far from "fluffy", more like a sticky mess, but maybe that's just me.

I remember seeing them in Lidl, Dunnes and TK Maxx, too.

Mystery Egg · 03-09-2020 2:57pm

Faith wrote: »

Once you get the technique down, it's really easy. I used to do it exactly as the post below describes, but now I use an Instant Pot as a rice cooker.

Faith I make utterly crap rice. But I have an instant pot and would like to try cooking it in that.

Can you talk me through your method as though you are talking to a complete moron and I will give it a try. Don't leave any details out. I am sick of making crap rice!

the beer revolu · 03-09-2020 5:56pm

Dial Hard wrote: »

Fucking rocket, to give it its correct name, is still utterly ubiquitous and I will never understand why. I loathe the stuff. Going straight in the gulag when I stage my benevolent coup.

I've been growing rocket for twenty years, now. Love the stuff.
Watercress, though, that's another story!
Vile stuff.

Faith · 03-09-2020 7:54pm

Mystery Egg wrote: »

Faith I make utterly crap rice. But I have an instant pot and would like to try cooking it in that.

Can you talk me through your method as though you are talking to a complete moron and I will give it a try. Don't leave any details out. I am sick of making crap rice!

Absolutely! I can’t speak to being an expert, but I can tell you what I do. I’m also only referring to white rice below, not brown, and I’ve only used this to make rice for 2 people, not tried it on a larger scale yet.

I use a plastic measuring cup to measure out my rice (I have one that came with a cooking kit ages ago, but you could use any you have. It should hold 150g - 200g rice ideally, full to the top - a ramekin might do too). I fill that with rice, and either rinse the rice under water for a few minutes in a sieve or leave it in a bowl with water for a while and then rinse it.

I put the rice in the instant pot and use the same cup I used to measure the rice to measure water - for sushi and basmati rice, I use about a 1:1.5 rice:water ratio, and I use about 1:1.25 for jasmine rice. I sprinkle some salt in, swirl it around and put the lid on.

Cooking it depends on how much time I have and personal preference. For basmati, I use the pressure cook setting, set it for 4 minutes and do a quick pressure release once it’s done (maybe give it a minute or two to settle). Lately, I’ve been doing this with sushi rice too, but historically I gave it 2 minutes and then did a natural pressure release for up to 15 minutes, or until the pin dropped. I find the 4 minutes + QPR gives a stickier rice, which i prefer for the dishes I use it for.

For Thai jasmine rice, I’ve been cooking it for 3 minutes + QPR.

It’s all a bit of trial and error. I’ve tried pot-in-pot cooking and it hasn’t worked AT ALL for me. It’s definitely worth experimenting with though, because once you’ve figured out what works for you, it’s just a matter of repeating it every time for perfect rice!

Mystery Egg · 03-09-2020 8:01pm

Faith wrote: »

Absolutely! I can’t speak to being an expert, but I can tell you what I do.

Thanks so much.

igCorcaigh · 03-09-2020 8:20pm

On rice, I like to dry fry it first for a few minutes. It helps prevent sogginess and brings out the nutty flavour.

L1011 · 03-09-2020 9:46pm

Got pastrami in Lidl which I used on pizza - and while I know that's not the normal way to use it; I can now see why american sandwiches use about a kilo of the stuff. It barely tasted of anything. May as well have a margarita and cracked pepper pizza!

Dizzyblonde · 03-09-2020 10:35pm

I bought pastrami in Aldi recently and I was underwhelmed by it too. I think the name is the most exciting thing about it :rolleyes:

the beer revolu · 03-09-2020 11:00pm

igCorcaigh wrote: »

On rice, I like to dry fry it first for a few minutes. It helps prevent sogginess and brings out the nutty flavour.

And if you let it cook just the right amount after the water is absorbed, you can get the lovely rice crust!
But that's a whole other can of worms.

Space Dog · 04-09-2020 9:20am

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

I bought pastrami in Aldi recently and I was underwhelmed by it too. I think the name is the most exciting thing about it :rolleyes:

Agreed, the pastrami from Lidl and Aldi is very bland. I used to get lovely pastrami from our SuperValu (from the deli counter with the cheeses and cured meats, not pre-packed!), very peppery and flavourful. Haven't gotten it in ages though...

RasTa · 04-09-2020 11:25am

Dial Hard wrote: »

Fucking rocket, to give it its correct name, is still utterly ubiquitous and I will never understand why. I loathe the stuff. Going straight in the gulag when I stage my benevolent coup.

Every pizza should have this much

L1011 · 04-09-2020 12:07pm

The Rusticella (I think) in Milano was my guilty pleasure for a while. Basically a rocket salad on top of a charcuterie pizza as far as I remember - rocket, parmesan shavings and caesar dressing added after the oven.

pigtail33 · 04-09-2020 12:24pm

Faith wrote: »

I’ve tried pot-in-pot cooking and it hasn’t worked AT ALL for me. It’s definitely worth experimenting with though, because once you’ve figured out what works for you, it’s just a matter of repeating it every time for perfect rice!

I've used pot-in-pot cooking for brown basmati rice and it works every time. I don't rinse brown rice as it doesn't seem to release as much starch as white. I use an American ¼ cup measure, which is perfect for one portion. I add one measure of rice and 1¼ measures of water (¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon) and a pinch of salt to a metal container. I actually use an old 1lb loaf tin. Place this on the trivet with 250mls of water in the main pot and set it for 22 mins High Pressure and allow 10 mins NPR.

I've only ever cooked one portion at a time, but it should be easy to scale up.

Mystery Egg · 04-09-2020 1:25pm

pigtail33 wrote: »

I've used pot-in-pot cooking for brown basmati rice and it works every time. I don't rinse brown rice as it doesn't seem to release as much starch as white. I use an American ¼ cup measure, which is perfect for one portion. I add one measure of rice and 1¼ measures of water (¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon) and a pinch of salt to a metal container. I actually use an old 1lb loaf tin. Place this on the trivet with 250mls of water in the main pot and set it for 22 mins High Pressure and allow 10 mins NPR.

I've only ever cooked one portion at a time, but it should be easy to scale up.

Can I ask why you pressure cook it for so long?

Brown rice takes 25 minutes at the normal rate for me, so I would have expected that the pressure cooker would cook it in about 40% of the normal time - around 10 minutes? I could be wrong, just wondering.

BaZmO* · 04-09-2020 1:53pm

M&S Pastrami is the only prepacked Pastrami in town as far as I'm concerned. Absolutely love the stuff. Not the cheapest but they're usually included the 3 for €10 deal. The spice is heavy on the coriander (which I love), but it might not be to everyone's taste. The texture is perfect imo.

As for cooking rice, as Faith mentioned above, I think it has a look to do with what works for you. I think I've finally perfected making rice through the absorption method but it took me years to get it just right.

pigtail33 · 04-09-2020 2:11pm

Mystery Egg wrote: »

Can I ask why you pressure cook it for so long?

Brown rice takes 25 minutes at the normal rate for me, so I would have expected that the pressure cooker would cook it in about 40% of the normal time - around 10 minutes? I could be wrong, just wondering.

I cook the same rice for 28 mins on the hob, so brown rice doesn't seem to cook any quicker in the pressure cooker, I don't really know why... But I find it handier to do it in the Instant Pot as I can set it and forget it. For my taste, it's definitely not overcooked at 22 mins, plus 10 NPR.

Dial Hard · 04-09-2020 2:57pm

RasTa wrote: »

Every pizza should have this much

*blocked*

Dial Hard · 04-09-2020 2:58pm

Getting the 777 box for nibbles to have with the match tonight, dying to see what it's like.

Faith · 04-09-2020 3:43pm

pigtail33 wrote: »

I've used pot-in-pot cooking for brown basmati rice and it works every time. I don't rinse brown rice as it doesn't seem to release as much starch as white. I use an American ¼ cup measure, which is perfect for one portion. I add one measure of rice and 1¼ measures of water (¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon) and a pinch of salt to a metal container. I actually use an old 1lb loaf tin. Place this on the trivet with 250mls of water in the main pot and set it for 22 mins High Pressure and allow 10 mins NPR.

I've only ever cooked one portion at a time, but it should be easy to scale up.

Mystery Egg wrote: »

Can I ask why you pressure cook it for so long?

Brown rice takes 25 minutes at the normal rate for me, so I would have expected that the pressure cooker would cook it in about 40% of the normal time - around 10 minutes? I could be wrong, just wondering.

The only times I've tried PIP rice cooking in the IP, I cooked (white) rice for 6 minutes + 15 mins NPR, then another 6 minutes and it was still bloody raw. Then I tried a different dish (a thin metal one) and it still took forever PIP. So I think the PIP method definitely slows down the cooking and is only really useful for A) things that stick to the IP pot and cause the 'Burn' notice, and

things you prefer to just walk away from and forget about while it's cooking, regardless of time taken.

That being said, how do you fit a loaf tin in the instant pot?! I would have thought it would be way too long to fit in.

The Black Oil · 08-09-2020 8:35pm

Made this recently. Couldn't find cannelloni, so had to go with something else. Probably a little more cheese and seasoning the next time, otherwise it was good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JHKcYqrLAw

pigtail33 · 09-09-2020 10:09am

Faith wrote: »

That being said, how do you fit a loaf tin in the instant pot?! I would have thought it would be way too long to fit in.

It is a very small 1lb loaf tin, I got two in a set in Aldi a few years ago. They are just under 8" long and less than 4" across. Sometimes, if I forget to plan something for dinner, I put the rice and water into one loaf tin, place the second tin diagonally across the top with a frozen meal in it and pressure cook for 22 mins. It takes just over 30 minutes to start to finish, but zero effort.

Mollyb60 · 09-09-2020 7:37pm

The Black Oil wrote: »

Made this recently. Couldn't find cannelloni, so had to go with something else. Probably a little more cheese and seasoning the next time, otherwise it was good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JHKcYqrLAw

I saw this recently and would love to try it, but my husband despises mushrooms. :rolleyes: Ah well.

I always found that dried cannelloni or lasagne sheets never cooked properly for me in these sauces. I use fresh lasagne sheets nowadays.

Shenshen · 10-09-2020 8:47am

Mollyb60 wrote: »

I saw this recently and would love to try it, but my husband despises mushrooms. :rolleyes: Ah well.

I always found that dried cannelloni or lasagne sheets never cooked properly for me in these sauces. I use fresh lasagne sheets nowadays.

I would usually pre-boil them a little. Not until they're fully cooked, just until the outside is a little softer. I find they cook more evenly that way once you put them in the dish.

Mollyb60 · 10-09-2020 10:12am

Shenshen wrote: »

I would usually pre-boil them a little. Not until they're fully cooked, just until the outside is a little softer. I find they cook more evenly that way once you put them in the dish.

Yeah that's what I had started doing but it was a lot of faff and the fresh sheets were so much easier.

rubadub · 11-09-2020 10:26am

Cast iron stuff in Aldi at the moment.

No sizes on many things and I am not 100% sure if the skillets are enamelled or not.

https://www.aldi.ie/search?sort=popular&q=cast+iron%3Apopular%3AtransactionalStatus%3Atransactional%3AtransactionalStatus%3Anontransactional%3AclassProductType%3AOvenware&lowerBound=3&upperBound=80&text=cast+iron

There was a photo in the brochure which can give an idea.

The pan would be too small for my liking, I wanted to use it for smash burgers and pizzas. When doing the burgers you need room to get the scraper in underneath, for this reason on small pans you might not put the burger down dead centre in the pan.

The Nal · 11-09-2020 10:57am

The one you really want is the one on the top right but that doesn't seem to be on sale.

I got one in TX Maxx years ago and it would survive a nuclear bomb. Still perfect today. Just needs the odd clean and seasoning.

New Home · 11-09-2020 11:01am

rubadub wrote: »

Cast iron stuff in Aldi at the moment.

No sizes on many things and I am not 100% sure if the skillets are enamelled or not.

https://www.aldi.ie/search?sort=popular&q=cast+iron%3Apopular%3AtransactionalStatus%3Atransactional%3AtransactionalStatus%3Anontransactional%3AclassProductType%3AOvenware&lowerBound=3&upperBound=80&text=cast+iron

There was a photo in the brochure which can give an idea.

The pan would be too small for my liking, I wanted to use it for smash burgers and pizzas. When doing the burgers you need room to get the scraper in underneath, for this reason on small pans you might not put the burger down dead centre in the pan.

Wouldn't that be the skillet they mention with the griddle pan?

rubadub · 11-09-2020 11:23am

The Nal wrote: »

The one you really want is the one on the top right but that doesn't seem to be on sale.

I thought the same when I saw the leaflet first, thought it was just background decoration

New Home wrote: »

Wouldn't that be the skillet they mention with the griddle pan?

then I copped it was this, both under item 3.

I don't think it is coated but the features said interior and exterior enamel, and I am pretty sure I have seen ones that did have the coating yet looked like they were bare.

It looks about 10" diameter, that would be measured across the very top, so the cooking area is less.

I use my 12" one upturned under the grill like its a pizza stone.

I also got mine in TK maxx for a decent price.

Faith · 11-09-2020 12:04pm

The Nal wrote: »

The one you really want is the one on the top right but that doesn't seem to be on sale.

Me too. I bought the casserole dish online on pre-order but the flat frying pan wasn’t available (it was listed but you couldn’t buy it). The casserole dish has just arrived and it’s indistinguishable from ale Crueset. I’m going to pop into a couple of local Aldi’s today to see if they have any available. The cast iron stuff sells out insanely fast, for good reason!

rubadub · 11-09-2020 12:41pm

Ikea do some cast iron stuff, a 28cm/11inch pan is €22

It does not look as thick as mine.

https://www.ikea.com/ie/en/search/products/?q=cast%20iron

Mine takes ages to heat up but holds the heat so well I can bring it out the back and do one side of a burger on it, smoke everywhere, smells like a massive BBQ is going on. Then I bring it inside to finish the other side.

Faith · 11-09-2020 6:38pm

Whoop whoop, I picked up a cast iron skillet in store!

Muahahaha · 11-09-2020 7:27pm

Whats peoples opinions on fresh fish vs. frozen? You always hear people say there is nothing like fresh fish compared to frozen, is that an exaggeration or is there something in it, i.e. does fresh fish degrade a lot more than red meat if you freeze it?

Reason I ask is Ive been trying to get more fish into myself. Earlier this year I designated every Friday as fish day (back to my childhood ha). For a couple of months I was always having some frozen fish from the airfryer but invariably that comes breaded and I think with the amount of breading on it you're only convincing yourself you are eating healthy whereas its probably about 50/50 breading to fish.

So over the summer I moved onto fresh fish only, always bought it on the Friday in Aldi and cooked it within an hour of getting it home. I cook it with the steam function on the Instant Pot and it comes out great. But now Im getting a bit tired of the same old cod/coley/haddock rotation and would like to try out some other species. Came across this site www.eatmorefish.ie which has an unbelievable range of choice and loads of stuff Id like to try for the first time. But with delivery costs you would want to be stocking up at least 50 or 60 euros worth which would then mean freezing the bulk of all that fresh fish. I think I'll give it a punt anyway but just wondering how much of a drop off in flavour from fresh fish is there to frozen?

oscarBravo · 11-09-2020 8:02pm

I think it depends on the fish. While you can freeze mackerel, it definitely suffers in the process. I don't think fleshier/less fatty fish are affected to the same extent.

Dial Hard · 11-09-2020 8:17pm

I freeze fresh fish all the time with no noticeable deterioration in quality.

As OscarBravo says, very oily fish won't fare quite as well but that's not an issue for me as I don't eat it!

Gloomtastic! · 12-09-2020 7:59am

Muahahaha wrote: »

Whats peoples opinions on fresh fish vs. frozen? You always hear people say there is nothing like fresh fish compared to frozen, is that an exaggeration or is there something in it, i.e. does fresh fish degrade a lot more than red meat if you freeze it?

Reason I ask is Ive been trying to get more fish into myself. Earlier this year I designated every Friday as fish day (back to my childhood ha). For a couple of months I was always having some frozen fish from the airfryer but invariably that comes breaded and I think with the amount of breading on it you're only convincing yourself you are eating healthy whereas its probably about 50/50 breading to fish.

So over the summer I moved onto fresh fish only, always bought it on the Friday in Aldi and cooked it within an hour of getting it home. I cook it with the steam function on the Instant Pot and it comes out great. But now Im getting a bit tired of the same old cod/coley/haddock rotation and would like to try out some other species. Came across this site www.eatmorefish.ie which has an unbelievable range of choice and loads of stuff Id like to try for the first time. But with delivery costs you would want to be stocking up at least 50 or 60 euros worth which would then mean freezing the bulk of all that fresh fish. I think I'll give it a punt anyway but just wondering how much of a drop off in flavour from fresh fish is there to frozen?

Great website, thanks!

the beer revolu · 12-09-2020 2:15pm

Freeze away.
As said, mackerel is the only fish I've come across that doesn't freeze well.
Just make sure it's well wrapped and airtight.

Muahahaha · 12-09-2020 3:23pm

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

Great website, thanks!

yeah it seems really good and the variety is excellent. My nearest fishmonger is a 30km round trip so its not really viable unless Im in the area anyway. But that site has way more variety than your typical fishmongers so reckon I'll put in an order to try it out soon.

Anyway thanks for the advice on freezing, will avoid mackeral and other oily fish in doing so.

New Home · 12-09-2020 8:05pm

Lidl has cast iron cookware, too. https://www.lidl.ie/en/c/kitchen-heaven/c1284/w1

The Black Oil · 12-09-2020 8:12pm

Currently hungry due to having watched the first episode of Chef's Table BBQ. What a character.

sammyjo90 · 13-09-2020 3:25am

The Black Oil wrote: »

Currently hungry due to having watched the first episode of Chef's Table BBQ. What a character.

Neighbours are acting the bollix so I just watched it.
Such a lovely woman!

The Black Oil · 13-09-2020 12:26pm

sammyjo90 wrote: »

Neighbours are acting the bollix so I just watched it.
Such a lovely woman!

Delighted she found happiness is more recent years, after some hard times.

L1011 · 13-09-2020 3:20pm

Anyone changed their cooker hood recently? We've a ~7 year old, awful, Whirlpool that still uses disposable filters (the harder to find stiff 'paper' ones).

I'd far prefer the ease - and no waste - of the metal ones but I've never actually used one so don't know how good they actually are. Something keeps nagging me that it'd be less efficient despite it seeming like it should be vastly more efficient.

Current one seems to be 340m^3/h; I'd presume the extract rate is with the filter in place so a 620m^3/h metal one is going to be vastly superior.

Muahahaha · 13-09-2020 3:31pm

The Black Oil wrote: »

Currently hungry due to having watched the first episode of Chef's Table BBQ. What a character.

What time/channel is this on?

The Black Oil · 13-09-2020 3:56pm

Muahahaha wrote: »

What time/channel is this on?

Netflix.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnvG08masio

Dial Hard · 29-09-2020 5:04pm

Dough Bros pizza kit is back on sale and I have one ordered already. That's dinner on Thursday, Friday and Saturday sorted!

sammyjo90 · 29-09-2020 9:39pm

Dial Hard wrote: »

Dough Bros pizza kit is back on sale and I have one ordered already. That's dinner on Thursday, Friday and Saturday sorted!

They are a great bunch of lads. They're pizza with a few pints in o'connels is a good night!

odyssey06 · 02-10-2020 1:25pm

Food & Wine Magazine will be returning...

"We're delighted to tell you that FOOD&WINE Magazine will finally be available as a free monthly magazine with The Business Post and on businesspost.ie on Sunday, October 4th. Going forward, the magazine will be available on the first Sunday of every month, offering readers and subscribers an unrivalled package to include recipes, features, travel and news from the industry."

I think this means the first one will be free with the business post on Sunday, but after that it's a usual monthly magazine?

https://foodandwine.ie/news/food-and-wine-magazine?utm_source=F%26W&utm_campaign=a4d2961332-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_08_11_04_06_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c1c29837d4-a4d2961332-66542933

L1011 · 03-10-2020 7:54pm

My reading is that it'll be free ever month on that Sunday. The SBP already has a monthly tech mag; the Irish Times has a monthly fashion and quarterly interiors mag etc - common enough value added setup for weekend papers which are often the only issues that make money anymore!

In a ridiculous enough thing when I think about it; I only recently realised that the IKEA glass food containers I considered to be solely for freezing food are actually freezer to oven safe. Life making double batches of pies, lasanges and pasta bakes has suddenly got a lot easier and a lot less messy. Only had them, oh, eight years maybe!

Muahahaha · 03-10-2020 10:17pm

In fairness I doubt many people would have known that about Ikeas glass pie/lasagna dishes being freezer to oven safe, I certainly didnt. Its a feature I would only associate with Pyrex who shout about it from the rooftops whereas Ikea tend to tell you these things by using unintelligible symbols on the packaging.

Sometimes they have signage in store explaining what the symbols mean but if you leave without knowing then the symbol on the packing will rarely be intuitive in my experience. Was only up there the other day seeking an induction non stick pan and between the packaging symbols for induction, gas, electric and ceramic only the gas symbol was intuitive. I suppose its the result of selling the same products across 40+ countries and perhaps 30 odd languages but they could make the symbols bigger and more detailed rather than just being just some unintelligible squiggle.

mr_fegelien · 03-10-2020 10:19pm

Am I the only one who hates chocolate? Doesn't matter if it's white, milk, or dark. It all taste like **** to me personally.

I prefer sour sweets like Haribo Gummy worms.

General Chat Thread II

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