Cupboard Foods to have stored

Hawthorn

Muhahahahaha Butterfly Brain - a girl after my own heart. Except I have honey too :P

Cat72 - I used to be the most awful cook, really. I would burn toast.
Start out with simple things, and follow a recipe - Get an old good housekeeping book, if you can, or Marguerite patten - these tend to be 'old style' recipes, not requiring fancy ingredients etc.
Follow the recipe initially, then start adding little things to it. Just try it.
One thing I was terribly guilty of - I was scared to death of seasoning, but this really can make all the difference between a good dish and a bad dish.
Yeah, I've made HUUUGE mess ups down the line, but it's a learning curve, and you don't get good at something without practice
I've been cooking for years now - I only learned pastry a couple of years ago.
I'd had an attempt at it a few times at home, did everything meticulously. Water in fridge, chilled bowl, etc etc. Honestly, making shortcrust pastry took me all afternoon......and it always failed.
Then, I went into hospital (psychiatric) and they had a day where a lady used to come in, and we would all chip in and make the days lunch. She thought I was an experienced cook, having four kids and a husband and the like, which I was to an extent, but the look of horror in my face when she assigned me the pie crust must have been priceless.
She gave me the courage to try it - I told her how I did it, and she laughed and said I try too hard. Wap it all together, roll it out, and bobs yer uncle
I've never made bad pastry since, and I will now have a go at anything It's been a long time since I made anything inedible. Some things are better than others, true, but my family don't seem to notice.

Here are some cheats tips for you
If roasting meat gets too dry, wrap it in foil for the roasting, and take the foil off for the last 20 - 30 minutes of cooking. Helps to keep it moist.
With cheaper joints of meat, cook for longer. Add onions to the water, cover it thoroughly in a casserole, and cook on a low heat for a long time. Slow, gentle cooking seems to be key here. Season/add gravy granules just before you're ready to serve, or I've found it sticks.
If you accidentally over salt something, peel a potato and pop it in - it helps to absorb the salt.
To counteract too much chilli, add sugar a little at a time, and natural yoghurt works well here.
At first, weigh/measure everything out carefully, and only make small adjustments at a time. Eventually, you'll be able to do most of it by sight, and be able to alter it to how you want it to be

Cooking really isn't difficult - it's more confidence than anything else, and having the guts to deviate from a recipe.
Most recipes for savoury dishes I've found, seem to be quite bland. This is where the seasoning comes in. Use the recipes as a guide, and take it from there.

Honestly, you CAN do it, just have a little faith in yourself

Anyway,this is the book I started with (though bidding seems a little silly on this one!)
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Good-Housekeeping-Cookery-Book-2000-recipes_W0QQitemZ160308944773QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Books_NonFictionBooks_NonFictionBooks_SM?hash=item160308944773&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1297%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

And this one
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MARGUERITE-PATTENS-EVERY-DAY-COOK-BOOK-1000-RECIPES_W0QQitemZ220340643015QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Books_NonFictionBooks_NonFictionBooks_SM?hash=item220340643015&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1297%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

Excellent starting points!

Butterfly_Brain

:rotfl:
Ahha ! - I have honey too and maple syrup just too much for my ickle fingers to type:p

Hawthorn

Oh AYE, forgot the maple syrup :rotfl:

I'm fairly sure I have a jar or two of molasses in there somewhere too. Have no idea why.....I just saw it and though OH, I have none of that in stores, and so I got some. I have no clue what to do with it

Butterfly_Brain

Gingerbread maybe or a parkin x

GhostWarrior

I'm not sure if it's been listed but I always have tinned tomatoes, tuna and kidney beans in the cupboard. Can use them as a base for practically anything and they're really cheap these days, excluding the tuna which has gone up in price for the dolphin friendly varieties. My girlfriend loves dolphins so I don't think I'd get away with it if I bought cheaper brands. Tesco usually has an offer on 3/4 tins of Princes tuna, either half price or buy one, get one free.

Olliebeak

Hawthorn wrote: »

Oh AYE, forgot the maple syrup :rotfl:

I'm fairly sure I have a jar or two of molasses in there somewhere too. Have no idea why.....I just saw it and though OH, I have none of that in stores, and so I got some. I have no clue what to do with it

Hello Hawthorn - I googled 'recipes using molasses' to look for some suggestions for you, but came up with so many different sites that you may be as well checking them all out for yourself.

Hope you find something useful. I remember my dad bringing back a tin of thick, black molasses from the old Tate and Lyle sugar refinery in the early 60's. Mum used some for HM Treacle Toffee around hallowe'en/bonfire night - and we ate the rest just spread on doorstep butties . There may have been another idea of taking a spoonful for a sore throat - but not 100% of that one.

pixie1

As Im moving to Oz Ive had to throw a lot of my cooking essentials away or re housed them.

So as i had a few things i hadnt used, i was wondering is anyone had a list of store cupboard essentials so i know what to get once im settled.

Im looking at baking my own bread and doing lots of home made goodies.

Any help would be fantastic

Thanks

Pix

Butterfly_Brain

Try this thread it is really useful
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1410121&highlight=store+cupboard+essentials

pixie1

Thats perfect thanks, i did try to search for some info but i can never get the search function to work properly

Thanks again

Pix

Butterfly_Brain wrote: »

Try this thread it is really useful
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1410121&highlight=store+cupboard+essentials