What new foods have you tried recently?

[hash tag]

Pah. You can get a cheap rice cooker for under £30. It will last 10+ years, make perfect unattended rice every time, and cost you far less in the long run buying bulk rice than crap in sachets.

We have a tiny flat with a tiny kitchen with little/no room for such gadgets.

 

[Chz]

Par for the course in Asia. They all have them. Rice cooker > microwave.
To be fair, we use ours almost every day either for breakfast porridge or rice with dinner. Not everyone will get that much use from it.
(I also have a £100 Japanese model, but I definitely don't recommend that for everyone.)

 

[hash tag]

Par for the course in Asia. They all have them. Rice cooker > microwave.

They may be great in Asia but I am in that thar London.

 

[Chz]

They may be great in Asia but I am in that thar London.

I just meant most places in Asia have you beat on "small kitchen".

 

[Mrs Miggins]

I'm with you hash tag
Cooked packet rice delivers 2 portions in 2.5 minutes and that's usually all I need at any given time. Can also be used as an instant salad base.

I could get a rice cooker. Indeed I've thought about it many times, but I rarely need more than 2 portions of rice at any one time.

I know it's expensive but it's my only real convenience food and it is so bloody convenient for me

 

[hash tag]

I'm with you hash tag
Cooked packet rice delivers 2 portions in 2.5 minutes and that's usually all I need at any given time. Can also be used as an instant salad base.

I could get a rice cooker. Indeed I've thought about it many times, but I rarely need more than 2 portions of rice at any one time.

I know it's expensive but it's my only real convenience food and it is so bloody convenient for me

Not to mention all the different flavours you an get

 

[Orang Utan]

Cooked packet rice is unjustifiable price wise imo

 

[Epona]

I just do rice in a pan on the hob using the absorption method, 13 minutes (white rice, brown will take a bit longer) plus 5 minutes "fluffing time", and larger bags of rice are not terribly expensive (yet).

And yes it is perfect every time and doesn't need to be hovered over.

 

[Chz]

I just do rice in a pan on the hob using the absorption method, 13 minutes (white rice, brown will take a bit longer) plus 5 minutes "fluffing time", and larger bags of rice are not terribly expensive (yet).

And yes it is perfect every time and doesn't need to be hovered over.

It's not a lot of faff, I agree.
But it hardly compares to the "fire and forget" of microwave or rice cooker rice. Having a timer function to have it ready as needed is great, too.
One thing I do use a lot of is the brown rice program, and that is a faff on the hob, if only for the amount of time it sits there taking up a burner. To get it nice and fluffy takes at least an hour and a half, I find.

 

[hash tag]

Having recently watched a programme on Berlin recently, I was gagging for a currywurst....don't laugh

Spoiler: Currywurst

 

[Epona]

Having recently watched a programme on Berlin recently, I was gagging for a currywurst....don't laugh

Spoiler: Currywurst

View attachment 313598

Not laughing mate, that's an international diplomatic incident on a plate right there.

 

[dessiato]

I've been eating purple tomatoes a lot recently. I'm very impressed by their flavour.

 

[The39thStep]

Having recently watched a programme on Berlin recently, I was gagging for a currywurst....don't laugh

Spoiler: Currywurst

View attachment 313598

Normally has sauce

 

[The39thStep]

I've been eating purple tomatoes a lot recently. I'm very impressed by their flavour.

I’ve grown them and yellow ones , ‘white ‘ ones as well.

 

[dessiato]

I’ve grown them and yellow ones , ‘white ‘ ones as well.

I plan to grow more when we get back full-time to uk. And jalapeños.

 

[The39thStep]

I plan to grow more when we get back full-time to uk. And jalapeños.

Greenhouse in England and they need plenty of good compost and later a weekly feed when the flowers set .

 

[dessiato]

Greenhouse in England and they need plenty of good compost and later a weekly feed when the flowers set .

That's how we grew them in Porto and Andalucía. Without the greenhouse though. We use Tomrite fertiliser. It seems to work really well.

We will grow in pots indoors until they can go outside in the greenhouse, possibly on the patio because it is a sun trap.

I'm not sure if there's a lot of work to do on the greenhouse, but heating and insulation will be high on the list.

 

[The39thStep]

That's how we grew them in Porto and Andalucía. Without the greenhouse though. We use Tomrite fertiliser. It seems to work really well.

We will grow in pots indoors until they can go outside in the greenhouse, possibly on the patio because it is a sun trap.

I'm not sure if there's a lot of work to do on the greenhouse, but heating and insulation will be high on the list.

I’ve got some tomato plants flowering as we speak. My late ones , cherries , ( sown in September) were producing in December and Jan . Tbh the taste wasn’t as good as the spring / early summer ones . By July it’s too hot here for them unless you have shade .

 

[hash tag]

Normally has sauce

View attachment 313607

They did not include sauce as it had anchovies in it.

 

[dessiato]

I’ve got some tomato plants flowering as we speak. My late ones , cherries , ( sown in September) were producing in December and Jan . Tbh the taste wasn’t as good as the spring / early summer ones . By July it’s too hot here for them unless you have shade .

That’s exactly what we found. But the growing season was well into 6 months. We will not get that in Scotland. We planted the seeds in October/November and would have the start of fruits from January, and be eating them by March.

 

[RubyToogood]

Oatly whippable vanilla custard. Nice going down. Repeated on me in a weird and very unpleasant way and felt sick for ages afterwards. Something about how it holds the air I think. Bleurgh.

 

[gentlegreen]

My sister ordered bananas and got this :-



Unsurprisingly I quickly found this :-

Mock bananas, A British Wartime recipe

This is more of a story than a recipe. I was talking to my Mum about the historic recipes section and she mentioned this

www.cookipedia.co.uk

I wonder if during WW2 they were actually able to import real banana extract or whether they were routinely synthesising isoamyl acetate by then ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isoamyl_acetate

The secrets of fake flavours

Artificial flavours are more complex than first appears. Chris Baraniuk discovers a world of sensory trickery – and a curious myth about fake banana.

www.bbc.com

 

[sojourner]

Baby aubergines, in a curry. Vile. Turned to slime.

Fresh figs, instead of the usual bumholes in a placcy bag that I've had previously. Yes, tasty. Only got them cos they were discounted.

 

[belboid]

Baby aubergines, in a curry. Vile. Turned to slime.

Clearly badly cooked then. Properly done they just soak up the flavour and have that little bit of bite left. I do a baby aubergine tagine and made it for a mate, who thought it was delish. He asked what was in it and upon being told, gasped astonishedly and said ‘but I hate aubergines’

 

[The39thStep]

Almond butter , like peanut butter but as Portugal has tons of almonds very easy to buy here and cheaper.

 

[gentlegreen]

Almond butter , like peanut butter but as Portugal has tons of almonds very easy to buy here and cheaper.

I daren't have that in the house ...
Someone recently told me about pistachio butter - luckily I've yet to find that in the shops ...

 

[Epona]

I daren't have that in the house ...
Someone recently told me about pistachio butter - luckily I've yet to find that in the shops ...

Irresistible fat in a jar that you can scoff with a spoon, innit?

I really miss peanut butter (peanut allergy) but am probably better off without it, have so far resisted the temptation to give alternatives a try.

 

[Orang Utan]

Clearly badly cooked then. Properly done they just soak up the flavour and have that little bit of bite left. I do a baby aubergine tagine and made it for a mate, who thought it was delish. He asked what was in it and upon being told, gasped astonishedly and said ‘but I hate aubergines’

They’re amazing in falafel wraps

 

[sojourner]

Clearly badly cooked then. Properly done they just soak up the flavour and have that little bit of bite left. I do a baby aubergine tagine and made it for a mate, who thought it was delish. He asked what was in it and upon being told, gasped astonishedly and said ‘but I hate aubergines’

How very fucking dare you!

I love aubergines in tagines, and melanzane parmiggiana, but I did cut and fry the baby ones first (as per the recipe), and they appear to have soaked up alllll of the oil. Hence slimy.

I'm gonna kick your head in though for accusing me of badly cooking anything.

 

[Orang Utan]

Ceviche - amazing fresh zingy taste!