Economy Gastronomy - new budget cookery programme; BBC

helyg

redmel1621 wrote: »

I really hope there are a few nice pasta dishes next week, as I am starting University in September, and will need to cut both spending and time spent cooking....I know dh and the kids LOVE pasta, and dh and I love rice dishes, so I think we will be eating plenty of those kinds of things.

I still eat just about as much pasta and baked potatoes as I did when I was a student, as you say they are popular with the kids. OH isn't quite such a fan of pasta, but he gets outvoted...

Olderbutnotwiser

Reverbe wrote: »

secondary schools finish at 2.30 pm?:eek::eek::eek: Perhaps they should put a full day in and we wouldnt have so much problems with literacy and deliquency...:rolleyes:

How ignorant! (is deliquency like delinquency? shouldn't wouldnt have had an apostrophe and surely much should have been many!) Sorry would not normally do that but :mad:
My three children attended a school that started at 08:00 and finished at 14:30, but they only had a half hour lunch break.
I guess I am just lucky that they are worthwhile members of society and make me so proud;)

Aside from that has anyone made the Gravadlax yet? Mine looks rather strange and rather like green mush at the moment (30 hours in)!
The boiling of the head, central bone etc for the chowder went well until I drained it and an eyeball was stuck fast to the bottom of my pan_pale_

mini

My deepest sympathy for the fish eye, I am one of those people who can't deal with things with eyes when cooking!

wendy+5

Did it wink at you?

zippychick

zippychick wrote: »

So, tonight I am making my own mdified version of chicken and biryani

Chicken - made as recipe. Added honey and garam masala

Biryani -
Replaced biryani rice with brown
Replaced mushrooms with peppers
Replaced tinfoil with greaseproof
Replaced tomato with Sweetcorn

I'm using all frozen veg and am excpetionally dubious how it will turn out. The chicken looks gorgeous. Quiality control (me):rotfl: have reported it is satisfactory and devine. :T

Will report back on the Biryani . I was so determined not to go to the shops today! I shall make do!:o

Conclusions

Chicken was to die for. ABsolutely gorgeous. I could have eat ten pieces done like that

Biryani was ok but I suspect the brown rice may have made it more bland? Or am i wrong? Black pepper on top made a difference, and the biryani was very filling all the same. I now have a massive tub on the fridge - i made hald the quantity, and there is heaps left! Must see if i can freeze it? I've never froze rice before.

valk_scot

Flat_Eric wrote: »

Iwe have these people coming round for dinner and they will be here in 3 hours etc etc and then out of the freezer comes frozen prawns?! How can the prawns be safely defrosted and cooked etc in time for when the guests arrive? I know the prawns are only small and wont take long to defrost but......

Defrost prawns? Put them in a sieve then in a basin of cold water, or under the tap. They defrost in ten minutes max. Anyway prawns are one of these things that are so small that you can actually use them quite safely from frozen as they heat right through easily. The only downside to this is that they can make the sauce or whatever watery if cooked from frozen. I prefer to defrost them then squeeze them gently to get some of the excess water off.

Now chicken...defrosting a chicken in three hours is not for the faint hearted.....

redmel1621

Olderbutnotwiser wrote: »

The boiling of the head, central bone etc for the chowder went well until I drained it and an eyeball was stuck fast to the bottom of my pan_pale_

Oh Goodness, that made me heave just reading it_pale_

valk_scot wrote: »

Defrost prawns? Put them in a sieve then in a basin of cold water, or under the tap. They defrost in ten minutes max. Anyway prawns are one of these things that are so small that you can actually use them quite safely from frozen as they heat right through easily. The only downside to this is that they can make the sauce or whatever watery if cooked from frozen. I prefer to defrost them then squeeze them gently to get some of the excess water off.

Now chicken...defrosting a chicken in three hours is not for the faint hearted.....

Yep prawns defrost very quickly indeed. I used to eat loads of them when I was younger. For some reason ever since I was pregnant with ds1 I have gone off seafood....but I am trying to wean myself on to it slowly....I can now manage a small amount of tuna on a sandwich, cod/haddock in breadcrumbs (ready done from freezer type) and have once managed a small portion of salmon....this is in nearly 9yrs!!!!

Chicken.....I always defrost mine in the micro

Reverbe

Olderbutnotwiser wrote: »

How ignorant! My three children attended a school that started at 08:00 and finished at 14:30, but they only had a half hour lunch break.

Sorry when I attended secondary school we put a full day in til 4.30 at least. I wasn't aware that this had now changed to 2/3rds of a day..:rolleyes:

cw18

Reverbe wrote: »

Sorry when I attended secondary school we put a full day in til 4.30 at least. I wasn't aware that this had now changed to 2/3rds of a day..:rolleyes:

But the point we're making is that the number of hours in school HASN'T reduced. The children start earlier, and get a much reduced lunch break.....

The idea we were told is behind this, is that it's closer to the European times - and they seem to do better at school as the 'brain is more active early in the day' (or some such propoganda)

HariboJunkie

Reverbe wrote: »

Sorry when I attended secondary school we put a full day in til 4.30 at least. I wasn't aware that this had now changed to 2/3rds of a day..:rolleyes:

4.30pm??? Really???? I've never known secondary schools to stay until that time.
Children do not do 2/3rds of a day now:rolleyes: but I suspect you realise that and are just winding us up now.


Zippy, I will definitely try the chicken out on your recommendation. :T