General Chat Thread II

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?

igCorcaigh · 29-10-2019 5:30am

kylith wrote: »

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

Not wet as such, but not dry.
Keep the heat medium, they do take a while to cook.

I cook them in an iron skillet on the hob, but I see a lot of recipes finishing them off in the oven.

My attempt:

You can also slice them open, and fill with black beans, cheese etc.

But the texture is very tight. Not like breads.

To be honest, I really don't know.
This was just my attempt, I got the wrong corn flour too.

I'm sure any South American person here would laugh at me.

Shenshen · 30-10-2019 11:38am

igCorcaigh wrote: »

Not wet as such, but not dry.
Keep the heat medium, they do take a while to cook.

I cook them in an iron skillet on the hob, but I see a lot of recipes finishing them off in the oven.

My attempt:

You can also slice them open, and fill with black beans, cheese etc.

But the texture is very tight. Not like breads.

To be honest, I really don't know.
This was just my attempt, I got the wrong corn flour too.

I'm sure any South American person here would laugh at me.

A friend from Venezuela made these for me once, with lots of different fillings. I'm not sure I'd be keen on them without filling, I think they'd be very bland.

I'd say google different fillings and try some, maybe?

kylith · 30-10-2019 2:01pm

I'm going to give them a try again and maybe stuff them with cheese from the start.

igCorcaigh · 30-10-2019 2:10pm

kylith wrote: »

I'm going to give them a try again and maybe stuff them with cheese from the start.

I had problems getting them big enough to stuff as they would crack at the sides.

I guess it's a matter of practise.

L1011 · 02-11-2019 11:04am

Rare thing before a weekend work day, or an exceptionally early weekday one is a McDonalds breakfast which does quite well in the comfort food stakes

Nearest outlet was a Burger King today. McDonald's are dead to me now

Already preferred the normal burgers but the breakfasts are streets ahead. Brioche of the usual bits and cheese + a bag of hash brown bites really does make a McMuffin look rather sad

Suspect the calories and other figures will make this have to become an even rarer occurrence though!

RacoonQueen · 10-11-2019 5:24pm

Has anyone ever stored egg whites in the fridge overnight to use the next day?
Made lemon curd today and going to make the cake tonight but will wait until tomorrow to make the buttercream...would be a shame to throw them out

*not looking for food safety advice. All research says uncooked whites ok to store in the fridge for a few days. It just seems like an odd thing to do.

Alternatively, I could just make cookies tonight from the egg whites

Got the hello cookie do cookbook during the week and she uses pasteurised egg whites to make the dough she eats raw, but I could use the unpasteurised ones to make the dough to go into cookies, her recipes give the instructions for baking to dough too.

While on the subject, has anyone ever 'heat treated' flour to allow you to eat things with 'raw flour'? I've never had an issue with eating raw cake batter and stuff but then you only have a bit of that, her book says the raw flour in cookie dough is a much bigger issue than raw eggs and gives instructions on heat treating flour. Not sure I'd be big on eating raw cookie dough, I like my cookies in a delicious, solid crispy form but interested to see what the fuss is about.

New Home · 10-11-2019 5:51pm

You can freeze them, too. The egg yolks not so much (they come out of the freezer looking like they've been hard boiled), but the albumen is fine.

As for the flour, I was always told it can give you a tummy ache if eaten raw (in large quantities, I suppose). I don't know if it's the starch, the gluten or something else entirely that causes the problem.

You can always add leftover eggwhites into omelettes, or to make meringues.

Yum.

RacoonQueen · 10-11-2019 6:05pm

Realised after that I could make the buttercream tonight either and just put it in the fridge and make the actual cakes tomorrow.

BaZmO* · 14-11-2019 3:34pm

Anybody got any good tips for cleaning the big heavy cast iron cooker tops like the pic below.

Enamel-Cast-iron-pan-support-gas-cooktop.png_350x350.png

Enamel-Cast-iron-pan-support-gas-cooktop.png_350x350.png

I know elbow grease is king but is there a quicker/easier way? Oven pride is great for cleaning oven parts but I don't think you can use it on cast iron?

New Home · 14-11-2019 3:48pm

Yes. Get a large basin (something big enough to submerge the lot). Fill the basin with boiling water, and dissolve a good amount (don't overdo it, though) of washing soda/soda crystals (NOT caustic soda!!!) into it, then soak the grills. It works very well but repeat as necessary. If you have a metal container (like a large oven tray) that could contain them, you can actually boil them with the soda/water mixture (crack a window just in case, and don't let it evaporate completely.

Alternatively, you can boil them in a mixture of water and wood ash (NOT coal or peat ash, or a combination. It has to be pure wood ash).

If you want something more "delicate" (but you may have to repeat the process more than once), replace the washing soda with baking soda/sodium bicarbonate/bicarbonate of soda (they're all the same thing, but don't confuse them with baking powder).

BaZmO* · 14-11-2019 3:57pm

Cool. Thanks.

I think I'll try the washing soda method. Just need to find something big enough to soak them in now!

How long would you soak them for?

New Home · 14-11-2019 4:05pm

Until the water is cool/lukewarm. But the hotter the water you start off with, the more effective/faster it is.

You can thank my Granny for that!

New Home · 14-11-2019 5:07pm

Forgot to mention - you can still give them a scrub with a washing up brush while they soak.

Gloomtastic! · 14-11-2019 6:30pm

Stick them in the dishwasher on a high temperature?

beertons · 15-11-2019 8:20pm

Toying around with Bazmo's stuffing balls, not a euphemism, and said I'd try finely chopping a small mushroom selection and trying them with the onions. Will report back in an hour if I like them more than before.

BaZmO* · 15-11-2019 8:29pm

beertons · 15-11-2019 10:56pm

Oh God, they're amazing. I had another thought there of adding garlic granules to a plate of bread crumbs,that I roll the balls in before I put them on the tray for roasting.

I flew out earlier, got ingredients and had them in the oven before herself knew it. Had them on a plate cooling, asked her what she thought.

She said nothing, but went out to the kitchen 2 more times. Silence is golden I suppose

the beer revolu · 20-11-2019 10:23am

Anyone else notice lately that, by far, the busiest threads here are the Aldi and Lidl threads.
I wonder why this is? It's curious.

No Dunne's, Tesco or Supervalu threads or general supermarkets thread but consistently busy Lidl and Aldi threads.

Now, I'm not complaining, I like both shops.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 20-11-2019 6:07pm

I've just heard about this Flavacol stuff that you use to season home made popcorn so it tastes like cinema ppopcorn. Anyone know a reputable online seller in Ireland? I see it on Amazon and then a couple of other sites I've never heard of, FunFoods.ie is one. Anyone familiar with them?

New Home · 20-11-2019 6:27pm

Sounds like an acronym for flavour+cholesterol...

(Sorry I can't help)

caviardreams · 20-11-2019 8:01pm

the beer revolu wrote: »

Anyone else notice lately that, by far, the busiest threads here are the Aldi and Lidl threads.
I wonder why this is? It's curious.

No Dunne's, Tesco or Supervalu threads or general supermarkets thread but consistently busy Lidl and Aldi threads.

Now, I'm not complaining, I like both shops.

I think part of it is they tend to have more new products and own brand stuff than the other supermarkets. I personally would like a general supermarket recommendations thread for other stuff - I often find good stuff in other supermarkets too. The supervalu 85% chocolate is very nice for example!

tangy · 21-11-2019 1:34pm

the beer revolu wrote: »

Anyone else notice lately that, by far, the busiest threads here are the Aldi and Lidl threads.
I wonder why this is? It's curious.

The thing I think curious is that the Aldi thread has about 5800 posts, while the Lidl thread has about 1800. The Lidl thread started in 2012, the Aldi in 2015.

Gloomtastic! · 21-11-2019 2:01pm

The german discounters have been a godsend. Quality non-branded food at great prices. I, like loads of people obviously, am very proud to shop in them and will sing their praises at every opportunity. We owe the other supermarkets nothing!

If we analysed the posts further, I wonder what percentage would be recommendations for deserts, cakes, biscuits and confectionery? I'm guessing 50%+ (Probably followed closely by those Lidl onion rings!) :rolleyes:

caviardreams · 21-11-2019 2:49pm

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

The german discounters have been a godsend. Quality non-branded food at great prices. I, like loads of people obviously, am very proud to shop in them and will sing their praises at every opportunity. We owe the other supermarkets nothing!

If we analysed the posts further, I wonder what percentage would be recommendations for deserts, cakes, biscuits and confectionery? I'm guessing 50%+ (Probably followed closely by those Lidl onion rings!) :rolleyes:

Ah now the chicken thigh burgers practically accounted for a thread by themselves!

Mollyb60 · 21-11-2019 3:06pm

Guys, I wonder would you have any advice for me? I'm planning on making brie and cranberry parcels for Christmas dinner and am wondering which would be better? Filo or puff pastry? I'm just gonna be buying the pre-made stuff but I think filo can be a PIA to work with. Also I'd like to assemble them the day before so I don't have to faff about with them the morning of the dinner. I think the filo would dry out if I left it in the fridge overnight? Thoughts?

B0jangles · 21-11-2019 3:12pm

Mollyb60 wrote: »

Guys, I wonder would you have any advice for me? I'm planning on making brie and cranberry parcels for Christmas dinner and am wondering which would be better? Filo or puff pastry? I'm just gonna be buying the pre-made stuff but I think filo can be a PIA to work with. Also I'd like to assemble them the day before so I don't have to faff about with them the morning of the dinner. I think the filo would dry out if I left it in the fridge overnight? Thoughts?

I'd go with puff - filo looks really gorgeous but it tends to be either very dry or kind of leathery. I made little flower-shaped goats cheese/ caramelized onion tartlets one christmas and while they looked really pretty, the pastry 'petals' were a bit of a chore to actually eat.

Puff tastes as good as it looks

Faith · 21-11-2019 11:07pm

Mollyb60 wrote: »

Guys, I wonder would you have any advice for me? I'm planning on making brie and cranberry parcels for Christmas dinner and am wondering which would be better? Filo or puff pastry? I'm just gonna be buying the pre-made stuff but I think filo can be a PIA to work with. Also I'd like to assemble them the day before so I don't have to faff about with them the morning of the dinner. I think the filo would dry out if I left it in the fridge overnight? Thoughts?

Filo is what they’re usually made out of. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Brie and cranberry parcels made from puff. But that being said, I’ve made them before and even using shop bought filo, they were a complete pain in the ass to make!

L1011 · 21-11-2019 11:20pm

tangy wrote: »

The thing I think curious is that the Aldi thread has about 5800 posts, while the Lidl thread has about 1800. The Lidl thread started in 2012, the Aldi in 2015.

Aldi are targetting themselves as the discounter M&S; Lidl as the discounter Tesco (to hideously simplify both) so it would be expected that there would be more variety of and interest in food from Aldi.

Shenshen · 22-11-2019 10:26am

L1011 wrote: »

Aldi are targetting themselves as the discounter M&S; Lidl as the discounter Tesco (to hideously simplify both) so it would be expected that there would be more variety of and interest in food from Aldi.

My personal shopping experience in both (they're right opposite each other here, so it's easy enough) is that Lidl is fantastic for ingredients - fresh fruit and veg are brilliant, good selection of dairy and cheeses, good selection of ingredients for baking, etc etc.
But they don't do an awful lot of ready meals.
Aldi on the other hand are somewhat more restricted when it comes to ingredients, but have a much larger selection of ready-made items.

Few people would be compelled to come online to rave about the fantastic leeks they bought yesterday, or brilliant flour and sugar, or even amazing butter.
They're much more likely to talk about the Korma, the Thai Curry, the shepard's pie and so on.

beertons · 02-12-2019 9:41pm

Was watching something on the telly earlier, James Martin was doing a pasta dish. He had an automatic pasta machine. Looked deadly. Drop everything in a vat, it mixes, goes out a funnel, let it set for 10 mins, then boil. I've used the deep fat fryer 3 times, so it's gonna make room if I do purchase. Am I mad? Had anyone got a pasta maker?

igCorcaigh · 02-12-2019 9:44pm

beertons wrote: »

Was watching something on the telly earlier, James Martin was doing a pasta dish. He had an automatic pasta machine. Looked deadly. Drop everything in a vat, it mixes, goes out a funnel, let it set for 10 mins, then boil. I've used the deep fat fryer 3 times, so it's gonna make room if I do purchase. Am I mad? Had anyone got a pasta maker?

Unless you really really love fresh pasta...

You're mad

Faith · 02-12-2019 11:26pm

I’ve got a pasta roller attachment to my stand mixer, so you just put the ingredients into the machine, turn it on, rest the dough and run it through the roller. Easy as pie.

I have probably made fresh pasta about 5 times in a year.

beertons · 02-12-2019 11:56pm

igCorcaigh wrote: »

Unless you really really love fresh pasta...

You're mad

It's amazing.

Been told I'm mad numerous times too, so you were right.

Away to Amazon with me so.

odyssey06 · 03-12-2019 3:01pm

Looks like the Strawberries are shifting from the Irish\Benelux 'Elsanta' type varieties to the Mediterranean varieties if my local LIDL is anything to go by... I'll put them on hiatus as far as my shopping list is concerned til springtime.

beertons · 03-12-2019 3:57pm

beertons wrote: »

It's amazing.

Been told I'm mad numerous times too, so you were right.

Away to Amazon with me so.

2315, excluding vat. On nisbits. Think I'll just keep buying the fresh stuff.

Dizzyblonde · 05-12-2019 8:46pm

odyssey06 wrote: »

Looks like the Strawberries are shifting from the Irish\Benelux 'Elsanta' type varieties to the Mediterranean varieties if my local LIDL is anything to go by... I'll put them on hiatus as far as my shopping list is concerned til springtime.

If I need to use them during the winter I macerate them in a sprinkle of icing sugar and a splash of lemon juice, it helps.

Sharp MZ700 · 06-12-2019 10:51am

I bought a chicken cushion in the butcher's last Friday. It's chicken fillet filled with stuffing, wrapped in rashers and tied to resemble a cushion, I forgot to freeze it but it has been in the fridge since. OK to cook it today would ye say?

Davexirl · 06-12-2019 10:53am

Sharp MZ700 wrote: »

I bought a chicken cushion in the butcher's last Friday. It's chicken fillet filled with stuffing, wrapped in rashers and tied to resemble a cushion, I forgot to freeze it but it has been in the fridge since. OK to cook it today would ye say?

Give it a good smell and see, if it doesn't smell right I would throw it out.

Sharp MZ700 · 06-12-2019 10:58am

Davexirl wrote: »

Give it a good smell and see, if it doesn't smell right I would throw it out.

You're right, doesn't smell 100%. Shame, waste of money.

Dizzyblonde · 06-12-2019 11:49pm

Folks please remember, food safety advice isn't permitted.

General Chat Thread II

Comments