Quick Questions on ANYTHING part 2. Please read first post for links to other threads

Penelope_Penguin

flutterbyuk25 wrote: »

I did post this on the Daily but no-one has replied so I'll ask here too..

I made bread in my BM this morning for first time in few months, but it did not rise The yeast packet had been open since before Xmas but was taped shut and in tupperware box.

Do you guys think it was the yeast that was off? Don't want to waste money on new one if I don't have to!

The 'bread' looks and smells like bread but is only 1 inch tall :rotfl:

TIA

x

To see if the yeast is working, take a cup of warm (not hot; it'll kill the yeast) water. Add a tsp of sugar and a tsp of yeast. Leave in a warm place (kitchen at this time of year) for 15 mins. It should smell yeasty and form bubbles if it's still active. If you get neither of these, the yeast is past it.

I'd recommend storing your new yeast in an airtight box, in the fridge if you can.

nimbo

hey - i'm having a desperate moment, because my bin reeks....

it's the outside one, and i'm not brave enough to empty it. and remove the really offensive meat that is now a public health hazard....

i have to wait for wednesday to get it removed.... the council have told me i should have double bagged - really useful after the event of throwing something out....

in the meantime is there anything that i can add to it that might help with the smell - i have normal household products in and peopel coming round tonight.....

please help - also sorry if this has been asked before but the peopel coming round was last minute and i have to clean so no time to look.......

thank you sooooooo much for being the guru's of all things clean and tidy.

Penelope_Penguin

nimbo wrote: »

hey - i'm having a desperate moment, because my bin reeks....

it's the outside one, and i'm not brave enough to empty it. and remove the really offensive meat that is now a public health hazard....

Take a look at this older thread Hope you manage to get it clean.

Hannah_10

I am wanting to bake a tart this afternoon, it needs to be done blind, in a tin (if you were curious it's this one).

1. Will it make any difference if I do it in a bakeable pyrex dish not a metal tin? And 2. I've seen and used baking beans a long time ago but can't think what they are or what I could use instead as unlikely to get them on a sunday afternoon in my town. Any ideas?

zippychick

Hannah_10 wrote: »

I am wanting to bake a tart this afternoon, it needs to be done blind, in a tin (if you were curious it's this one).

1. Will it make any difference if I do it in a bakeable pyrex dish not a metal tin? And 2. I've seen and used baking beans a long time ago but can't think what they are or what I could use instead as unlikely to get them on a sunday afternoon in my town. Any ideas?

Hi Hannah

I would say there will be no difference - i would use a ceramic flan dish as that's what I have. I would only be guessing, but wouldn't have questioned it would go wrong. Let us know how you go.

Baking beans- from memory you can use coins, pasta, rice, pulses etc. There is a whole thread about them here Just don't try to cook the rice/pasta you use. pop them in a jar to use as baking beans the next time.:A

Savvy_Sue

Hannah_10 wrote: »

I am wanting to bake a tart this afternoon, it needs to be done blind, in a tin (if you were curious it's this one).

1. Will it make any difference if I do it in a bakeable pyrex dish not a metal tin?

zippychick wrote: »

I would say there will be no difference - i would use a ceramic flan dish as that's what I have. I would only be guessing, but wouldn't have questioned it would go wrong. Let us know how you go.

I have a distant memory of my cookery teacher saying that metal flan tins were better than ceramic / pyrex etc because the heat would be conducted faster and more evenly, so you were less likely to get a soggy bottomed offering at the end of it. But maybe that's why you bake blind, to avoid the soggy bottom effect.

zippychick wrote: »

Baking beans- from memory you can use coins, pasta, rice, pulses etc.

coins? :eek: crikey, would never have thought of that, presumably you'd wash them first! Or do you put a sheet of greaseproof paper or foil under them? I'd worry they'd taint the base with a metallic taste. I'd also say they might conduct the heat rather faster than the 'conventional' things like pasta etc. So you'd have to watch that it didn't burn or overcook.

Mind you, I suppose that's all covered in the dedicated thread, so maybe I should just keep quiet ...

zippychick

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

I have a distant memory of my cookery teacher saying that metal flan tins were better than ceramic / pyrex etc because the heat would be conducted faster and more evenly, so you were less likely to get a soggy bottomed offering at the end of it. But maybe that's why you bake blind, to avoid the soggy bottom effect.

coins? :eek: crikey, would never have thought of that, presumably you'd wash them first! Or do you put a sheet of greaseproof paper or foil under them? I'd worry they'd taint the base with a metallic taste. I'd also say they might conduct the heat rather faster than the 'conventional' things like pasta etc. So you'd have to watch that it didn't burn or overcook.

Mind you, I suppose that's all covered in the dedicated thread, so maybe I should just keep quiet ...

You are absolutely right about the tin! you jogged my memory about this thread discussing the very same thing. It's obvious I'm not a seasoned flan/quiche maker!

Thriftlady mentions using coins here i knew i hadn't imagined it!:eek::p

CCP

Can anyone recommend the best way of storing aubergines, please? I've just gone to get one out to make a curry, and it's rotten all the way through. :mad:

I've tried storing them loose in the fridge, putting them in one of Lakeland's veg preservation bags, and keeping them out of the fridge entirely, but in every case the same thing happens - within a few days it's furry and inedible. Is there anything I can do to keep an aubergine fresh for longer, or do they only last a couple of days and I just need to eat them more quickly?

Many thanks for your help!

Penelope_Penguin

CCP wrote: »

Can anyone recommend the best way of storing aubergines, please? I've just gone to get one out to make a curry, and it's rotten all the way through. :mad:

I've tried storing them loose in the fridge, putting them in one of Lakeland's veg preservation bags, and keeping them out of the fridge entirely, but in every case the same thing happens - within a few days it's furry and inedible. Is there anything I can do to keep an aubergine fresh for longer, or do they only last a couple of days and I just need to eat them more quickly?

Many thanks for your help!

What do you want to do with your aubergine? When I have a glut of HG I chop and freeze

CCP

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

What do you want to do with your aubergine? When I have a glut of HG I chop and freeze

I tried freezing aubergine for the first time a couple of months ago (I think because I'd seen you suggest it - I didn't know before then that you could even freeze aubergines ), but I find they tend to go a bit soggy - fine for somethings, but not for everything. I wanted to use my one to make a sort of layer bake (it's sliced aubergine stuck together with herby ricotta cheese, then topped with tomato sauce and baked - very yummy, BTW), and I didn't think frozen aubergine would work.

I guess I'm really wondering how long an aubergine will stay fresh for (if that's not a "how long's a piece of string" type question ), and if there's any way of keeping one fresher for longer.