The General Chat Thread

rubadub

Michellenman wrote: »

Recipe: ‘1 box yellow cake prepared’

eh I’m sorry but wtf is yellow cake

I like looking up walmart to see prices. Plenty of yellow cakes!

https://www.walmart.com/search/?query=yellow%20cale

I like the marketing on this one -honestly!

Product TitleImmaculate Baking Yellow Cake Mix, 18.3 oz

All natural
Honestly delicious
No artificial flavors or preservatives

oscarBravo

Michellenman wrote: »

Recipe: ‘1 box yellow cake prepared’

eh I’m sorry but wtf is yellow cake

I thought it was uranium ore.

New Home

Hmmm. I wouldn't buy it. Remember what we were all told about yellow snow?

BaZmO*

I can’t be the only person that grossly underestimates the time it takes to do a new dish can I?

Made Cannelloni last night from scratch, pasta, béchamel sauce, etc. Made a total mess of timings and ended up having dinner ridiculously late. Think I also managed to use every pot, pan and bowl in the house too!
In my defence though, Mrs.B did get me to put up a couple of shelves during my epic cooking session, but I don’t think that accounts for much of the time taken. I’m not even sure it was worth the effort, although I was happy with the pasta. On the plus side, lots left to have for dinner tonight.

Dial Hard

I think canneloni from scratch was one of THE most time consuming dinners I ever made too. And I didn't even make the pasta, just used lasagna sheets. Like yours, it wasn't worth the effort.

I use a completely different recipe now (vegetarian, so the filling doesn't need to be pre-cooked) and just use the pasta tubes. Never let ANYONE (I'm looking at you, Jamie Oliver) tell you it's easier to use lasagna sheets. They're lying.

BaZmO*

I feel even more embarrassed now. It WAS vegetarian! The filling was Ricotta, sundried Tomatoes, Basil and Mozzarella. I’d probably still be making it if there was also a meat element!

cefh17

BaZmO* wrote: »

Think I also managed to use every pot, pan and bowl in the house too!
.

If this was a super power both my GF and mother would agree that I'd be a superhero..

kylith

Faith wrote: »

Spotted on reddit...



Or, you know, you could just bake the cake from scratch in the first place :rolleyes:

Sure, throw in some flour, baking powder, and sugar and you have a cake!

Kat1170

New Home wrote: »

Hmmm. I wouldn't buy it. Remember what we were all told about yellow snow?

New Home

kylith wrote: »

Sure, throw in some flour, baking powder, and sugar and you have a cake!

Sounds like the recipe for stone soup. First put this stone in a pot of water...

Faith

Michellenman wrote: »

I got s food hamper gift earlier this year and in it there was a box mix of brownies included, I’m a big baker so was very intrigued! It’s mad though, you literally have to add EVERYTHING to it to make them. Sugar, eggs, butter, milk, chocolate chips optional. The box is just flour and cocoa mix. I much prefer baking from scratch but I would have thought that if you are using a box mix you should pretty much only have to add an egg or some oil or something like that. Very strange.

It used to be the case that you only added some wet ingredients, but people felt that they weren’t doing *enough* in those cases so the manufacturers added in more steps :rolleyes:

——

I feel like cannelloni are the most pointless thing I have ever made. Even using the tubes, they’re a total faff to fill. It’s really hard to pipe the mixture if it has any substance to it (spinach, sundried tomatoes etc). It’s so lumpy that you have to cut a huge hole in the piping bag, which increases the likelihood of it splitting, and using a spoon is messy AF. Tried it once or twice and never again!

rubadub

Faith wrote: »

but people felt that they weren’t doing *enough* in those cases so the manufacturers added in more steps :rolleyes:

Yeah, I heard of one who changed to having to add an egg instead of dried egg and the sales rocketed.

I saw this one in dealz a while ago and thought it was good value. Until I saw you did not get the icing!
https://www.tesco.ie/groceries/Product/Details/?id=289584735

All you need is:
120ml vegetable oil (8 tbsp)
230ml water
3 medium free range eggs
1 tub of Betty Crocker™ Indulgent Chocolate Fudge Icing
2 x 8" well-greased cake tins (or 2 x regular size muffin trays & cupcake cases)

Faith

We live in the UK and are going home for a week or so over Christmas. We're now in that really awkward phase where I don't want to do a big shop, but I'm also running out of things to make for dinners. Ended up doing one more big shop today and hopefully that'll keep us going we get back after Christmas.

(I long to spend Christmas in my own house!)

Faith

Faith wrote: »

We live in the UK and are going home for a week or so over Christmas. We're now in that really awkward phase where I don't want to do a big shop, but I'm also running out of things to make for dinners. Ended up doing one more big shop today and hopefully that'll keep us going we get back after Christmas.

(I long to spend Christmas in my own house!)

We're happily telling everyone that we will be spending Christmas day in our own house. It's great using a new born like that!

On the cake mix stuff, the only time I remember buying those mixes were for my wife's baby shower. We had someone coming who was a celiac so I got one of the gluten free brownie mixes for them, purely because the cost of gluten free flour was astronomical!

Graces7

Looking at the weather between now and Christmas and given that my car will be pensioned off any day now, have put an extra order in to SuperValu to be on the boat tomorrow.... Apart from treats will have the basics in house. If i get out even once will just have bits...I have the turkey and all the bits... no pudding or cake and not well enough to bake..Will be fine!

Ryath

Used fish sauce to season my cottage pie this evening. Really added to it, wife commented it was particularity nice today.

Definitely will be trying it out in other meat dishes. Must pick up some marmite to try it out.

Graces7

Made a pan of cheese sauce the proper way! ie a roux. You are inspiring me! Not done that for a long while... Will cook pasta later and add it.. ( It is rather good!)

igCorcaigh

the beer revolu wrote: »

Fish sauce can really lift a tomato sauce, too.

Can vouch for this, bought some fish sauce to try it out!

Surreptitious

Fish sauce is so nice in stir fries. Prawns, meat of choice, thinly sliced peppers and scallions, baby veg, and boiled rice all fried together. So simple and flavoursome and inexpensive. For the vegetarians just bulk up with more veg or tofu or whatever.

New Home

Surreptitious wrote: »

Fish sauce is so nice in stir fries. Prawns, meat of choice, thinly sliced peppers and scallions, baby veg, and boiled rice all fried together. So simple and flavoursome and inexpensive. For the vegetarians just bulk up with more veg or tofu or whatever.

And use soy sauce instead of fish sauce.

Surreptitious

New Home wrote: »

And use soy sauce instead of fish sauce.

That'll tell you what I know about vegetarians *shame*

Graces7

Missed bread off my shopping list... guess who will be at the stove top bannock making today!

L1011

New Home wrote: »

And use soy sauce instead of fish sauce.

Goodall's worcestershire sauce is vegan and vegetarian would be closer in taste probably

zell12

Needed some baking soda recently
It was €1.69 for 200g in Tesco
yet €1.79 for 500g in MrPrice

rubadub

zell12 wrote: »

Needed some baking soda recently
It was €1.69 for 200g in Tesco
yet €1.79 for 500g in MrPrice

shamrock 500g is 1.39 in tesco
https://www.tesco.ie/groceries/Product/Details/?id=253237822

zell12

rubadub wrote: »

shamrock 500g is 1.39 in tesco https://www.tesco.ie/groceries/Product/Details/?id=253237822

I've been ripped off! :mad:

BaZmO*

I hope you don't buy your spices in Tesco so. Mad prices compared to the likes of Eurasia.

Dial Hard

The problem with buying them in bigger quantities in the likes of Eurasia is that, while they're a fraction of the price, in many cases they'll have gone stale kong before you've even made a dent in them, even with proper storage.

If buying in large quantities, buy the whole rather than powdered versions wherever possible. You can toast and grind in smaller batches then and they stay much fresher.

Muahahaha

Dial Hard wrote: »

The problem with buying them in bigger quantities in the likes of Eurasia is that, while they're a fraction of the price, in many cases they'll have gone stale kong before you've even made a dent in them, even with proper storage.

Its a problem Ive had before- its so much cheaper to buy them in the bigger bags in an Asian shop than the main supermarkets but then if you dont use them quick enough they go stale anyway. I do try to buy seeds now instead of the powdered versions but the seeded ones arent always available for every spice you need.

Just on spice storage- what do people use? At the moment Ive about 20 different spices in a few stacks of small Ikea tupperware, have sticker labels on each one to make finding it reasonably quick. I do need to upgrade though. Ive seen nice spice jars in packs of three for €15 in Home Store before but was looking for something cheaper as I need about 20 containers.

oscarBravo

I have a spice cupboard that's just wide enough to hold two of these side by side. I've installed drawer slides to carry four shelves with two of those, each holding (I think) ten of these.

The cupboard is right beside the cooker, and it has the advantage of keeping the spices in darkness even though they're in glass jars.

New Home

I keep "excess" spices (and cloves of fresh garlic) in glass jars in the chest freezer, they don't go stale quite as quickly.

Gloomtastic!

My spice/herb drawer. Love the Tesco letters on the top that make for easy finding. They get refilled with whatever brand I come across first.

Then you have the right hand side that relies on my memory mostly. Luckily I haven’t added a new herb/spice in a long time so sort of know what’s there.

Muahahaha

It defintely seems a good idea to store them in a drawer you can look down upon. At the moment all mine are in a high cupboard as Im just very short on space. Generally I know where most of them are from memory but the odd time I get caught out looking for a spice you rarely use and Ive to tear the whole bloody cupboard apart ! Im looking at you Sumac

Im installing a new kitchen in the new year so definitely must think of getting the spices down to a lower shelf.

dee_mc

I have a shallow drawer at the top of a pull out Ikea larder press that works perfectly as a spice drawer - also keep stock cubes and garlic there. Takes up no space and everything can be found at a glance.
I recently rearranged it so it's alphabetical and it's even easier!

igCorcaigh

Amazon sells magnetic spice jars that you can stick to your fridge door.

beertons

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

My spice/herb drawer. Love the Tesco letters on the top that make for easy finding. They get refilled with whatever brand I come across first.

Then you have the right hand side that relies on my memory mostly. Luckily I haven’t added a new herb/spice in a long time so sort of know what’s there.

You need to make a few words out of all those letters.

Ryath

I keep all mine in a 30cm wide IKEA pull out 3 drawer pantry unit. It's from there older Faktum range. Bottom pull out is tall enough to store all my oils and vinegars.

Trying to only buy spices and herbs now that have a label on top of the lid. Does make finding them way easier. Must actually sort them alphabetically.

Gloomtastic!

beertons wrote: »

You need to make a few words out of all those letters.

Bit short on vowels.....

New Home

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

Bit short on vowels.....

Not if you use syllables instead.

odyssey06

Ryath wrote: »

Trying to only buy spices and herbs now that have a label on top of the lid. Does make finding them way easier. Must actually sort them alphabetically.

I wonder what price all those exotic spices would fetch at a 16th century market

BaZmO*

Dial Hard wrote: »

The problem with buying them in bigger quantities in the likes of Eurasia is that, while they're a fraction of the price, in many cases they'll have gone stale kong before you've even made a dent in them, even with proper storage.

True enough, but I don't ever buy more than the 100g bags of spices which just about fill up (with some leftover) these mini kilner type jars that I have from IKEA. Any leftovers I just dump. I make a lot of curries so I don't tend to have too much leftover. Even with that I still save a lot that buying spice jars in the likes of Tesco or Dunnes.

rubadub

BaZmO* wrote: »

I hope you don't buy your spices in Tesco so. Mad prices compared to the likes of Eurasia.

BaZmO* wrote: »

True enough, but I don't ever buy more than the 100g bags of spices which just about fill up (with some leftover)

I do not get spices that much cheaper in the asian supermarkets near me anymore. I think the prices in the supermarkets might have dropped, and the asian shops I go to might be more expensive than city centre ones.

e.g. 56g of garlic granules is 56cent in tesco (2.59 for 50g of schwartz)

52g paprika 69cent
50g chilli powder 69cent.

eurasia prices do not show anymore.

this place does 100g chilli power is 1.05
https://www.asiamarket.ie/east-end-chilli-powder-100g.html

100g garlic powder is 1.25
https://www.asiamarket.ie/east-end-garlic-powder-100g.html

Dizzyblonde

My spices - bedlam! I had to put a little push light in so I can see everything, but the shelf is low down and deep so I can rummage.

Markcheese

I have a jar of cinnamon sticks in the cupboard and am struggling to date it, it's probably about 25 years old, and they're still good..

Dial Hard

I suspect if you compared them to a fresh* batch you'd smell/taste a marked difference.


*Relatively speaking, given cinnamon sticks are dried, obvs.

Muahahaha

Ryath wrote: »

I keep all mine in a 30cm wide IKEA pull out 3 drawer pantry unit. It's from there older Faktum range. Bottom pull out is tall enough to store all my oils and vinegars.

Trying to only buy spices and herbs now that have a label on top of the lid. Does make finding them way easier. Must actually sort them alphabetically.

Wow that is a really neat solution, especially having the further two drawers below for oils & vinegars. I must pay Ikea a visit, they have some really clever designs when it comes to practical kitchens.

Ryath

Muahahaha wrote: »

Wow that is a really neat solution, especially having the further two drawers below for oils & vinegars. I must pay Ikea a visit, they have some really clever designs when it comes to practical kitchens.

Well worth a visit if you’re planning a kitchen
As I said mine is from the older range that they discontinued a few years ago. I put in the kitchen myself a bit over 8 years ago. I priced around a lot of places. Most were close to IKEA on price for just the carcasses shelves and doors but if you started adding on drawers and pull out larder prices shot up and still had cost of labour. We had a small enough space so needed the pull out larders to make the most of the space. It's still in perfect nick nothing broken and it does get a lot of use.

Can’t remember exact cost somewhere in the region of €3.5k including appliances which cost about 2k but there was great value at the time they had 10% cash back voucher then got induction hob, combo microwave oven and extractor in a 3 for 2 deal from them.

Nearest in the new range seem to be this.
https://www.ikea.com/ie/en/products/kitchen-products/kitchen-cabinets/metod-base-cabinet-pull-out-int-fittings-white-ringhult-light-grey-spr-49168899/

Only 20cm wide and two drawers so you might need two! There is other options with drawers that would work too though.

kylith

I was delighted with having a spice drawer next to the cooker. No more losing stuff down the back of a shelf. Bit of a hodge-podge of containers. I like the M&S jars cos you can get a teaspoon into them.

Gloomtastic!

kylith wrote: »

I like the M&S jars cos you can get a teaspoon into them.

Now that there is another discussion point entirely!! Think it was the old Aldi spice jars that had the letter on the top and you could stick a normal teaspoon in there. :rolleyes:

RasTa

Had some membrillo with my Manchengo for the first time today. Delicious stuff.