Home made food or ingredients not worth the effort
Discussion
Hosenbugler said:
One thing I did make from scratch and would not do again, was fishcakes. I used a Sophie Grigson recipe , prep took ages, yes they were good, but I would have struggled to tell the difference in a blind tasting between the homemade and a decent high street fishcake.
Coincidentally I made fishcakes for the first time last weekend from some leftover fresh mackerel. Was my own recipe with riced potato, capers, spring onion and a dash of fish sauce. Were delicious and didn't take that long to make. cbmotorsport said:
Oh goodness. You need to master them. Then you'll feel slightly ashamed that you ever wrote the above. Aunt Bessie's are shocking.
You need equal quantities of milk/egg/flour and a good pinch of salt. Use a cup or mug for the quantities.
Preheat the oven to around 200c (if it's a good one) and put about 1/2cm of sunflower/vegetable oil in the bottom of each hole of a deep muffin tin. Preheat the oil for 5 mins or so, and then quickly pour your batter into the tin. I usually put the tin on the hob to make sure the oil stays hot. You want it to bubble and spit when you put the batter in.
You can do them a bit in advance and give them a flash in the oven before serving to crisp them back up.
Put in the oven, and don't open it for 20 minutes, they'll probably take around 25 mins in total.
I'm sorry, but as a Yorkshireman I can tell you they aren't Yorkshire puddings. They look sYou need equal quantities of milk/egg/flour and a good pinch of salt. Use a cup or mug for the quantities.
Preheat the oven to around 200c (if it's a good one) and put about 1/2cm of sunflower/vegetable oil in the bottom of each hole of a deep muffin tin. Preheat the oil for 5 mins or so, and then quickly pour your batter into the tin. I usually put the tin on the hob to make sure the oil stays hot. You want it to bubble and spit when you put the batter in.
You can do them a bit in advance and give them a flash in the oven before serving to crisp them back up.
Put in the oven, and don't open it for 20 minutes, they'll probably take around 25 mins in total.
t, more like some kind of deformed croissants or something.He never mentioned Aunt Bessies, but at least a bought Yorkie will look and act like one, not like those things.
I made Korean fried chicken once. 2 and a half hours it took me! It was pretty amazing but the amount of mess I made wasn't.
Bacon pancakes last week. Not just any old pancakes, but supposedly the fluffiest ever by folding whipped egg whites/meringue into the batter. Ended up using a whole box of 12 eggs because the last yolk broke and contaminated the separated whites and I had to throw it all down the sink and start again. FML.
Bacon pancakes last week. Not just any old pancakes, but supposedly the fluffiest ever by folding whipped egg whites/meringue into the batter. Ended up using a whole box of 12 eggs because the last yolk broke and contaminated the separated whites and I had to throw it all down the sink and start again. FML.
Always try to cook real food as opposed to buying crap full of preservatives , I enjoy it and time permits so why not ? Draw the line with pastry but my wife is fine with that side of things .
Had to chuckle at the previous posts regards making homemade chips , they're chips so part boil if you feel it's needed but some of the other ideas were complete bks , just because some of the poncy TV chefs mess up proper food doesn't mean it's right . As for par boiling the night before then freezing 
Complete and utter drivel .
Had to chuckle at the previous posts regards making homemade chips , they're chips so part boil if you feel it's needed but some of the other ideas were complete b
ks , just because some of the poncy TV chefs mess up proper food doesn't mean it's right . As for par boiling the night before then freezing Complete and utter drivel .Evoluzione said:
cbmotorsport said:
Oh goodness. You need to master them. Then you'll feel slightly ashamed that you ever wrote the above. Aunt Bessie's are shocking.
You need equal quantities of milk/egg/flour and a good pinch of salt. Use a cup or mug for the quantities.
Preheat the oven to around 200c (if it's a good one) and put about 1/2cm of sunflower/vegetable oil in the bottom of each hole of a deep muffin tin. Preheat the oil for 5 mins or so, and then quickly pour your batter into the tin. I usually put the tin on the hob to make sure the oil stays hot. You want it to bubble and spit when you put the batter in.
You can do them a bit in advance and give them a flash in the oven before serving to crisp them back up.
Put in the oven, and don't open it for 20 minutes, they'll probably take around 25 mins in total.
I'm sorry, but as a Yorkshireman I can tell you they aren't Yorkshire puddings. They look sYou need equal quantities of milk/egg/flour and a good pinch of salt. Use a cup or mug for the quantities.
Preheat the oven to around 200c (if it's a good one) and put about 1/2cm of sunflower/vegetable oil in the bottom of each hole of a deep muffin tin. Preheat the oil for 5 mins or so, and then quickly pour your batter into the tin. I usually put the tin on the hob to make sure the oil stays hot. You want it to bubble and spit when you put the batter in.
You can do them a bit in advance and give them a flash in the oven before serving to crisp them back up.
Put in the oven, and don't open it for 20 minutes, they'll probably take around 25 mins in total.
t, more like some kind of deformed croissants or something.He never mentioned Aunt Bessies, but at least a bought Yorkie will look and act like one, not like those things.
Must admit I user auntie Bessie’s too as does my 82 year old mum, and if they’re good enough for her...
It's like any other bland stodge, they're a receptacle for other flavour. I do only do them with roast beef though (with an honorary mention for road in the hole. 
) I use HFW's recipe with extra egg yolk, get the oil smoking at 230°+, get them in the oven quickly and don't open the door for 20 minutes. Never fails.
) I use HFW's recipe with extra egg yolk, get the oil smoking at 230°+, get them in the oven quickly and don't open the door for 20 minutes. Never fails.We also cook from scratch pretty much everyday. We are not a natural talent I. The kitchen but over the years you learn a few basics that come right every time. During the week after work there is plenty of time to cook from scratch but you need to be prepared so you have all the ingredients you need. Weekdays off course we are not cooking something that takes hours but normally we can cook everything we like and be sitting for dinner within 1h of arriving home. This includes sitting down and kitchen cleaned... just be organised. I don’t find it an effort no more so than having a shower or making a good breakfast it’s just part of living preparing good, fresh healthy food.
I appreciate some people say they don’t have time or don’t want to waste their precious time on such “menial” task of cooking. I find it’s quite a nice thing to do to cook for your family and with all gathering around/helping it’s a nice family time as well. Takeaways are the exception, perhaps 4-5 times a year. It works for us, the taste is ok and I know what I am eating. Only frozen things we use is peas. In the rare occasions we have chips we make them.
I appreciate some people say they don’t have time or don’t want to waste their precious time on such “menial” task of cooking. I find it’s quite a nice thing to do to cook for your family and with all gathering around/helping it’s a nice family time as well. Takeaways are the exception, perhaps 4-5 times a year. It works for us, the taste is ok and I know what I am eating. Only frozen things we use is peas. In the rare occasions we have chips we make them.
CrgT16 said:
We also cook from scratch pretty much everyday. We are not a natural talent I. The kitchen but over the years you learn a few basics that come right every time. During the week after work there is plenty of time to cook from scratch but you need to be prepared so you have all the ingredients you need. Weekdays off course we are not cooking something that takes hours but normally we can cook everything we like and be sitting for dinner within 1h of arriving home. This includes sitting down and kitchen cleaned... just be organised. I don’t find it an effort no more so than having a shower or making a good breakfast it’s just part of living preparing good, fresh healthy food.
I appreciate some people say they don’t have time or don’t want to waste their precious time on such “menial” task of cooking. I find it’s quite a nice thing to do to cook for your family and with all gathering around/helping it’s a nice family time as well. Takeaways are the exception, perhaps 4-5 times a year. It works for us, the taste is ok and I know what I am eating. Only frozen things we use is peas. In the rare occasions we have chips we make them.
I do the majority of the cooking and I enjoy it, it is my wind down after work. I appreciate some people say they don’t have time or don’t want to waste their precious time on such “menial” task of cooking. I find it’s quite a nice thing to do to cook for your family and with all gathering around/helping it’s a nice family time as well. Takeaways are the exception, perhaps 4-5 times a year. It works for us, the taste is ok and I know what I am eating. Only frozen things we use is peas. In the rare occasions we have chips we make them.
The wife gets home approx 45 minutes after me so I use that time to cook a meal for the 2 of us and my youngest if she's in.
We do have the odd "chuck in the oven" stuff in the freezer, for ease and if time is tight but I'd say 5 out of 7 days are cook from scratch for us.
The youngest starts uni tomorrow and she can be a bit fussy and safe with food, so I'm hoping to use the forthcoming time where it's just the wife and me, to try a few new things and particularly more fish.
Edited by HTP99 on Saturday 22 September 07:56
HTP99 said:
Never got the fuss with Yorkshire puds, sure if they are there I'll have one but if not, I'm not fussed.
Not a fan of them myself - nor of roast potatoes.Roasted meat of some description with some roasted veg (not potatoes) - just no stodgy bulk.
No gravy though - my mother's one was like engine oil and the mother in law makes it like coffee.
If the meat is good enough it doesn't need gravy imho.
Lucas CAV said:
Not a fan of them myself - nor of roast potatoes.
Roasted meat of some description with some roasted veg (not potatoes) - just no stodgy bulk.
No gravy though - my mother's one was like engine oil and the mother in law makes it like coffee.
If the meat is good enough it doesn't need gravy imho.
It sounds like you're doing the roast potatoes very, very wrong if they're coming out as stodge!!!Roasted meat of some description with some roasted veg (not potatoes) - just no stodgy bulk.
No gravy though - my mother's one was like engine oil and the mother in law makes it like coffee.
If the meat is good enough it doesn't need gravy imho.
They should just be a mixture of light and fluffy with nice and crunchy
thebraketester said:
Or just put it in the crusher with the skin on. The skin stays in the crusher and you can pick it out with a knife.
Who the hell uses a garlic crusher? Very 1970s, nasty fiddley things to clean, just crush it with a flat blade. Pizza bases are my can't be bothered thing. Morrisions basic pizzas are cheap, thin, crispy bases are perfect. You just need to add more toppings.
Beer is the other one, takes ages uses loads of equipment, and only a 30% success rate.
Edited by PositronicRay on Sunday 23 September 17:54
CrgT16 said:
I appreciate some people say they don’t have time or don’t want to waste their precious time on such “menial” task of cooking.
Not really, the point of the thread is assuming you generally cook from scratch, what specific things aren't worth the hassle. Prime example from OP is puff pastry. Yes you can make it yourself, but you can buy it in any supermarket for about 10% more than the cost of the ingredients; the result will be as good if not better; and you'll have an extra hour in your day! Kermit power said:
Lucas CAV said:
Not a fan of them myself - nor of roast potatoes.
Roasted meat of some description with some roasted veg (not potatoes) - just no stodgy bulk.
No gravy though - my mother's one was like engine oil and the mother in law makes it like coffee.
If the meat is good enough it doesn't need gravy imho.
It sounds like you're doing the roast potatoes very, very wrong if they're coming out as stodge!!!Roasted meat of some description with some roasted veg (not potatoes) - just no stodgy bulk.
No gravy though - my mother's one was like engine oil and the mother in law makes it like coffee.
If the meat is good enough it doesn't need gravy imho.
They should just be a mixture of light and fluffy with nice and crunchy
Evoluzione said:
Pizza bases.
Garlic
Herbs
Coffee
Expensive poncy knives
Ditto pans.
Ok getting a bit carried away there, but a decent £50 knife will do exactly the same as some ridiculous Japanese samurai £300 thing. Same with non stick pans. They all expire sometime so I just buy the very cheap Ikea ones, they do quite a few years before being replaced.
There is a lot of kitchen snobbery.
A £50 knife is an expensive knife to me!Garlic
Herbs
Coffee
Expensive poncy knives
Ditto pans.
Ok getting a bit carried away there, but a decent £50 knife will do exactly the same as some ridiculous Japanese samurai £300 thing. Same with non stick pans. They all expire sometime so I just buy the very cheap Ikea ones, they do quite a few years before being replaced.
There is a lot of kitchen snobbery.
Edited by Evoluzione on Thursday 20th September 12:33
PositronicRay said:
thebraketester said:
Or just put it in the crusher with the skin on. The skin stays in the crusher and you can pick it out with a knife.
Who the hell uses a garlic crusher? Very 1970s, nasty fiddley things to clean, just crush it with a flat blade. Pizza bases are my can't be bothered thing. Morrisions basic pizzas are cheap, thin, crispy bases are perfect. You just need to add more toppings.
Beer is the other one, takes ages uses loads of equipment, and only a 30% success rate.
Edited by PositronicRay on Sunday 23 September 22:07
Homemade pizza base is nothing like shop bought.... streets apart. But yes.... it can be a faff.
Integroo said:
A £50 knife is an expensive knife to me!
Well I did just pluck a figure out of the air, but you got me thinking how much mine cost so I went and looked. It's a Tesco 'professional' and was £20. It's a good knife, well weighted, comfortable to use, holds its edge well and I use it for practically every knife job in the kitchen.I bought that because the last one I had snapped whilst crushing garlic....
Evoluzione said:
Well I did just pluck a figure out of the air, but you got me thinking how much mine cost so I went and looked. It's a Tesco 'professional' and was £20. It's a good knife, well weighted, comfortable to use, holds its edge well and I use it for practically every knife job in the kitchen.
I bought that because the last one I had snapped whilst crushing garlic....
I think my whole set of five was £45 in TK Maxx (though no doubt it was RRP 199.99 or something! I bought that because the last one I had snapped whilst crushing garlic....
) and they seem quality. I do agree that cheap knives are crap but I can't imagine ever spending £300 on a single knife...Gassing Station | Food, Drink & Restaurants | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff