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These 113 comments are related to the topic:
Who likes to cook ?
Who likes to cook ?
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Replies: 113
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I can cook 'proper meals' quite well (so they tell me) but sometimes like tonight I had a breaded chicken breast (tesco 100% breast) and a packet of bbq super noodles (love 'em)
It just hits the spot every time  |
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Onions are lovely . Are you an onion man ?
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Don't have much chance to be Culvin, the wife never buys them.
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It's quite easy to shop , you know .You just go in one with money and say " I'd like a big onion , please" . As long as you go in the right shop , like . You don't wanna ask for a big onion in a chemist's .
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Not quite sure what I would do with it though Culvin.
Beans on toast, boiled eggs, porridge and tinned soup my limit. |
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You could use it as a cricket ball , if don't know how to cook it . I like to eat it raw , with a pickle and cheese .
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I once knew a Romanian who thought nothing of eating a raw white sweet onion as if it was an apple. If onions are not to one's taste use more ginger and garlic paste or replace it with leeks; finely chopped and after cooking for several hours one can barely taste it.
The restaurants and takeaway curries are mainly made from freshly ground spices (fried) and ingredients eg ginger, garlic, fennel seed, cumin, chillies, cinnamon, cardamon, etc; these ingredients form the base of any curry. As it is cooked to order and eaten straightaway it does have the edge over shop-bought bulk-produced ones. As curry tastes better overnight I usually cook more than for one meal, and sometimes freeze if necessary. |
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impossible123 , You are definitely a man of taste and culinary education .
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I received a cookbook through the post this morning, 'Nigella Express' which I just found out my sister bought for me. I think she's taking me seriously, for once
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Talking about curry's. I made one last week (admittedly from a jar) and froze half of it. After defrosting two nights ago it was so much tastier than the freshly cooked one. Surprised me that.
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The flavour in overnight or frozen curries increases as the spices continue to marinade the meat after it's been cooked thus it is so important to slow cook meaty curries; if seafood is used, it's best to add new ones to it after defrosting (and 1/2 heated) than cooking loads and freezing.
I left my comfy home at the age of 17, and lived on cod steaks (£1.99 2 per packet) and takeaways for 18 months; I'd even put orange juice on porridge instead of milk - that was how incompetent I was. I'm no big eater, but enjoy simple home-cooked food not ponsy ones; one meal a day person; fish is fav especially steamed rainbow trout with veggies. |
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Two things to mention here....
The old adage "N'er a savoury without an onion make".... For frying ingredients for a curry it is necessary to use Ghee aka Clarified Butter. Easy enough to make, and it keeps, and will also freeze.... |
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I can't stand onions, mushrooms or garlic which restricts my choice a bit. Give me unadulterated Beef or Venison Steak and fresh vegetables.
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I'm not a fan of fried onions (or onions in salad) either eg on buggers (caramelised or not) as they are pungent, but used in curry as a base when finely chopped and cooked for a long period will turn it into a paste and dissolved into the curry as liquid; could use fennel (costly) and mushy sweet potatoes instead. I think a rich base is the vital foundation for a good tasty curry; some curries are very light-bodied which resemble a broth eg Chinese curry.
I haven't had beef for a very long time; lamb curry about 12 months ago for a friend on a visit. I might have lamb (boneless shoulder) in the near future when it is on special offer. |
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If you haven't tried it yet, Sainsbury's buttery mash (nuked) is as good as anything I've ever tried to do. I've already booked my next order and after the pasta bake this weekend I'll be trying my hand at a sausage casserole, from scratch, with just the mash as a cheat.
Btw I123... why is it that the curry taste so much better but for some reason the bolognese just doesn't hit the heights after freezing? |
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Chili con carne improves overnight in the fridge. Right simpletons
 One pot Muller light. 40gms porridge. Blueberries. Mix ingredients and put in fridge overnight, ready to eat in morning or bake in oven until risen. Be aware cooked fruit will have a higher sugar content. |
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Tonight at 6 , I'm having a 3 course meal . My starter will be one pickled egg , with a slice of cucumber , half a tomato and some french cheese . My main meal will be a vegetable curry that my father made two days ago , and i will ravish that with some bread that i bought yesterday from the pound bakery . My desert will be a fairy cake , topped with some golden syrup and custard . I'm liking this cooking lark ,.
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Mash is nice,...a bit of an effort to make though given the small quantity I consume; freezing is not an option either for me.
I'm no food scientist, but I'd hazard a guess. I think because bolognese is minced meat ie it does not need much cooking thus unable to absorb further flavour post cooking whereas a lamb or beef (big chunks) curry will retain/continue to absorb the goodies from the curry -further marination; microwaving (low to medium)/steaming will allow the chunky meat to release the goodies absorbed which gives it the extra intensity in flavour, I believe. Similarly, minced meat with pasta (nature of ingredient), and seafood curry. They do not taste as good post freezing, I noticed, unless further ingredients added to enhance flavour. 'Culvin', your dad...you sad individual. What you just described resemble what I'd see outside a greasy spoon window. |
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Probably a bit above the level of most on here, but this Masterchef clip may give you some ideas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSaAQ352mnA |
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impossible123 , My mouth is watering and my taste buds are all a tingle at the prospect of what i'm putting in my gobb tonight .
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I've saved that video to favourite Jack... one can never stop learning
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Slippy , That sounds absolutely delicious .
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Enjoy your 6pm meal-of-a-life-time 'Culvin' - I'm salivating (or not).
I love steamed lobster in light soy and ginger with leafy veggies eg pak choi and fennel as the sweetness in ts meat is wunderbar. But no creamy sauce though. Enjoy your 6pm gourmet meal 'Culvin',...my mouth is salivating (or not). |
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My first pasta bake and possibly first ever home cooked meal of repute... I'm up and running!
A whole onion, finely chopped and 4 small cloves of garlic, gently fried before adding 500g of (5%) mince, followed by 8 smoked bacon rashers, chopped into small pieces. A 1/2 pint stock of Bovril (cube), 1/4 teaspoon of mixed herbs and oregano and 1/2 teaspoon of rosemary, poured over the mix on a medium heat followed by a 3rd of a tube of puree. Meanwhile, 300g of pasta (penne) that surprisingly cooked in the same time it took the stock to absorb/evaporate. Once drained all of it mixed together and then poured into a baking dish with a layer of grated cheddar, a layer of grated mozzarella and finally a topping of parmesan. Oven baked for 15 minutes until nice and brown and voila! Shared with a friend who had come round to watch the footy and a very agreeable response from him, even if the football sucked  Suffice to say it was too much for just the two of us and could easily feed three if not four!Next stop... sausage casserole |
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Respect 'Aspro'! Sound jolly delicious, may I say. I've never cooked a pasta bake, only ever had it at my sister. You know what, I might use your recipe and instruction to attempt one soon. Will update.
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Thank you I123, kind of you to say. I'm sure I don't need to tell you but to clarify the cloves of garlic were also finely chopped and the bacon (all fat removed) was added after the mince was starting to brown and then fully browned before adding the stock/herb mix... oh and I did add a little black pepper to the mix too. I look forward to your update in due course.
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Well done sir....
One dish meals are the way to go when getting into the swing of things.... Have a bash at Lasagne, seeing as you can make a bolognese sauce (you will learn how to make a Roux as a thickener for the cheese sauce), and of course "Spag Bol".... A tip whilst browning the mince, is to add a splash of cream/creme fraiche or yoghurt before it is finished. This prevents the mince from being "gritty" and makes it creamy, as you might expect. Not sure about "Rosemary" in the sauce though, but I like to add Chicken Livers.... "Spaghetti/Pasta Carbonara" is another simple, but delicious dish, which adds egg yolks, and can be on the table in fifteen minutes. The most simple of all is "Pasta Gorgonzola", served with crusty bread, to mop up the delicious sauce.... If you want the ingredients, and method, give me a shout.... |
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The rosemary (and recipe) was from my sister; I just done what I was told after she sent me the details, but I may tinker with it in future.
As a beginner I will always listen to advice from more experienced cooks and appreciate anything you lot can give. If you have any recipes, methods, ingredients etc please post them LFV... This is a perfect thread for that. As posted, sausage casserole next and maybe liver and bacon in the not-too-distant future. I'm retired, a little bored and learning to cook is certainly one outlet to pursue |
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Cooking is brilliant, Aspro. You get a sense of reward from all the work you put in, when it comes out lovely.
I can give you my method of Liver & Bacon (casserole). It's very much spelt out, as much for me as you, so I haven't missed anything and so as to explain some of the little basics of cooking, I hope you don't mind. Get a Frying Pan, a med/large size Casserole dish, Saucepan (for potatoes). Masher for potatoes, 2 shallow med sized bowls or deep plates. Ordinary dinner plate About 1lb (450gm) Sliced Lambs liver (less strong than Pigs), 6 (preferably thick cut) unsmoked back bacon, a largeish onion. Some plain flour, a (beef - though it doesn't matter) stock cube, in a pint jug or receptacle to add water when ready 1/2 a pint or so of milk (semi skimmed, or even skimmed is fine), Worcester sauce, butter (Just have a block ready), A little cooking oil (olive oil is fine, but any other will do) OPTIONAL - red wine. Potatoes (about 2 med size per person). 1st. Put liver in shallow bowl/deep plate, cover with milk. leave it for an hour or so in the fridge. This reduces any bitterness in the meat and improves flavour. 1 hour later.... Pour milk down sink, leave sliced liver on plate, pat liver dry(ish) once, with a bit or 2 of kitchen roll. Put oven on (gas 4, 180 deg), then while it's reaching temperature... Peel Onion, slice into rings, put on dinner plate. (Always remove "core" [the hard dense bit near the bottom of the onion]) Get frying pan, on med-high heat, fry the bacon in a little oil. Just a few minutes until cooked, put on dinner plate for later, take the onion off the plate and fry the onion in the bacon fat/oily pan, just leave the bacon on the plate. Fry the onion for 5 minutes, until at least translucent, but not burnt and blackened. Once done. Sling it in the casserole dish. Add a reasonable dollop of butter to pan, which is still over a medium heat. The on the other deep plate, put some flour,(a couple of big spoonfuls or so) a little salt and pepper (quick mix with your finger will do). dip each piece of liver, both sides (lightly coat) in flour then fry for 2 minutes or so each side... chuck liver in the casserole dish with the onions. Add a pint of boiling water to make your pint of stock while the liver has its 4 minute cook... once liver is in casserole dish, add a little of the (stirred cube fully melted)stock (about 100mls ish - enough to cover bottom of pan) to the oily, buttery, bits of flour stuff in the pan which is still on med/high heat. Stir well (wooden spoon is good for this) to remove any lumps for a minute or so, then chuck it in the casserole dish, chuck the rest of the stock in the casserole dish. Turn pan off now. Add biggish splash of Worcestershire sauce to casserole dish, add optional Red wine to casserole dish (about a big glassful, if you do add it). Put lid on casserole dish and put it in the oven. Peel the potatoes, cut quite small (about 1 to 2 inch cubes, if mashing - this makes them cook slightly quicker and less lumpy for mashing - put them in a saucepan of cold water as you do them, then when done, change water for fresh, enough to cover potatoes, in a pan with room for water to still boil without boiling over, add some salt (about a teaspoon) to water, put on heat. Bring to boil, when it reaches boiling turn it down to fast simmer (bubbling quite vigorously without boiling over). While potatoes cook, take casserole dish out of oven (it should have been in 20-25 mins by now), stir gently, leave lid off, put back in oven. After about 12 - 15 minutes of simmering, potatoes should be cooked. You can tell by putting a fork in a couple of them and the fork going in easily, if the potato disintegrates when you fork it, it's over cooked. Drain potatoes (either by colander, or using pan lid, but leave them in the pan, not on heat. Open oven and add previously fried bacon to casserole dish with everything else and stir gently. Leave in oven until potatoes are mashed and on plates ready for liver and bacon to join them. Put pan of potatoes on a very low heat, add some milk (a splash) and some butter (about a sq inch) and mash, over the heat. once mashed, put on plate(s). Then get casserole out of oven, put liver and a slice (or 2 if you want) of bacon. Spoon some onion and gravy over it all.... Enjoy. One other thing I make to go with this is Green beans (frozen). Just add a handful to some boiling salted water in a small pan, bring back to boil, simmer for 2 mins and serve. Doing a 3rd thing at the same time is a real sign of cooking improvement imo.  As a guide, if things get out of sync. The casserole should be in the oven for about 40-45 mins. Any liver and bacon left will be OK for many days and will microwave well. Not the potatoes though, they don't microwave well (except Jackets and even they aren't great). It should freeze OK as well Just allow to thaw and nuke - again not the potatoes. Sorry if this is a bit basic, Aspro. If it works I'll tell you about the easiest to make and best apple pie/cake thing which would be a superb dessert and is lovely. I enjoyed writing that out and will be making this dinner in the next few days too. |
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* should read - obviously - 6 RASHERS of bacon.
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Do you care much for spicy foods, Aspro? Chilli, curry, etc?
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Love spicy foods trilby even up to a take-away vindaloo! - Post it mate, let's see what you've got.
Thanks for taking the time out to post that Study, I will definitely be doing this in the near future after my sausage casserole (next few days), sounds lovely (I love liver & bacon). I was looking up liver yesterday. I noticed you mentioned lamb or pork but what about beef liver? What's the difference? I've been building up on my kitchen equipment over the past few years and I think I have all I need for now but if not, I'm sure Amazon would deliver it the next day, however; in saying that there is always something missing when you try new recipes and the proof came at the weekend where I bought a new ceramic dish (for the pasta bake) and scratched the surface using metal spoons to scoop out. Today, I bought a few nylon spoons etc from Sainsburys (which will come with the delivery today) all £1 each; much cheaper than anything I found on Amazon. This should prevent further scratching of delicate surfaces. Because I've never really cooked before I was void of many necessary tools, bowls etc and have spent several hundred pounds building it all up. Although I've got knives, they were cheap and I've been advised that a good set of knives should be #1 in the kitchen... maybe after my next accumulator comes in. YouTube has been invaluable too, especially highlighting the ease at which one can finely chop an onion; so easy when you know how, amongst other useful cooking tips. |
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For those of you who cut off both ends of an onion before finely chopping try this method... I've tried it now and it is so much better and it takes just seconds AND it saves buying/using gadgets that are a pig to wash-up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCGS067s0zo - Mr Ramsay explains I'm sure experienced cooks know this but for those new to cooking (like me), tips like this makes cooking even more fun |
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We are all animals . We need to realise this . We share and we will forever share , a bond with all our fellow animals and every other living thing on earth . We are connected to Ants and Elephants , Robins and Eagles , Goldfish and Blue Whales . ..I've very recently become aware that it's very , very important to eat plenty of raw food .I feel this truth deeply within myself , i feel it in my blood . For my breakfast , i've just had , two raw eggs , which i whisked and then added a little pepper , pink salt and half a teaspoon of soy sauce . I'm now having a black coffee with two spoonfuls of honey . No other living thing on earth eats cooked food .The advice my blood gives to myself is eat as much raw food , as possible . We should all avoid processed food as much as possible . We shoud never eat food in which chemicals / additives , have been added . Make your own jam , condiments , eat raw garlic , onion , pickled onions , beetroot . Drink only , drinks that are pure . Drink vodka . This is also important to myself , when i eat food , i try to eat it under natural light , candlelight , moonlight or i even eat it in the dark . I believe too much electric light is harmful . I could say much more , but i now need to go out to meet the Flowergirls .
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Should have added previously that having made satisfactory Bolognese Sauce you are one step away from Chili Con Carne!
Simply wash, and add Red Kidney Beans and Chili Powder, or actual Chilis, being of course careful with the amount, and tasting as you go...... Alternatively, put some sauce in a suitable sized dish,and top with mashed potatoes, and a few slices of tomato (not essential) and cheese of your choice (cheddar and Parmesan are good and,voila, you have Cottage Pie! |
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Excellent LFV... amazing what you can make from just one recipe. A great addition to this thread.
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I just love cookery threads, as much as music threads!
Aspro, I just skimmed your Bolognese recipe, and you need to add a splash of red wine, after browning the meat! |
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OK, will keep that in mind, although I do have a question for you?
I found the mix a tad salty, although not over-bearing at all. My friend thought it was ok and not too salty at all so I guess its a matter of taste. Should I cut down on the smoked bacon a bit (e.g 6 slices instead of 8)? |