Economy Gastronomy - new budget cookery programme; BBC

cw18

redmel1621 wrote: »

Well after watching that show I am tempted to get myself a chilli plant. I never actually buy chilli's but always use the powder(mild so the kids will eat it) so this way we could use that great tip of sprinkling some fresh chopped chilli over the adults portions to spice it up a bit....I thought that tip was great that because I LOVE spicy food.

I was also intrigued by the chilli......

I only ever buy fresh when on Whoopsie, tending to rely on powder (but the hot version here).

But I was always told to remove the seeds, yet on the show they said to leave them in as they're the strongest part So do I leave them in the part that gets cooked, but only use the outer to sprinkle? Or do I use the whole thing for both?

Gigervamp

Depends how hot you want it. She said to leave the seeds in so that you don't need to use as much.

geordie_joe

redmel1621 wrote: »

I think food tech in schools is generally crap.....

My kids were born in the mid to late 70's (I say that because it is easier than trying to remember/work out how old they are). But it means that I have no experience, first or second hand, of today's food tech lessons. But from reading in here I think today's lessons are more about teach kids to get jobs in the food industry than cooking at home.

Rachel021967

My girls aged 13 and 15 have done food tech at school. They started off with making breakfast (egg, toast and freshly squeezed orange juice), to pack lunch ideas to main courses from scratch. I was very impressed with what they were taught and use some of their recipes myself.

Butterfly_Brain

I like many others was astonished not to see any fruit in house.... As low a budget as I have the fruit bowl is always full.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

My DD1 did food tech. Four weeks studying the theory of the sandwich. Then they got the practical. Shopping list: 2 slices white bread, 1 jar jam. Next was chicken tarragon. Shopping list - 1 chicken breast, 1 onion, 1 chicken oxo - plus bring £1.50 to pay for the expensive ingredients (1tbsp tarragon vinegar). They produced 4 items all term.

At the end of term, they had the chance to cook anything they wanted. I sent DD1 and her friend in with ingredients for cup cakes, covered in glace icing and edible flowers/crystallised violets/rose petals, etc - really pretty girly things.

Wrote out the instructions. Included usual advice that if the mix curdles, just add some of the flour and keep going - it'll sort itself out. Food Tech 'teacher' was very suspicious and wasn't convinced that flowers were edible. Then made snorting noise when DD1 said the recipe was Mum's. They ignored her and continued their baking. When the teacher saw their cake mix curdle, she shoved them out of the way, snatched mixture and went to throw it in the bin. But DD1 stopped her.

Usually placid DD1 went spare at the woman, asked her exactly where she got her ideas from, as she obviously had never had to actually feed a family real food, and told her, as she had apparently never cooked in real conditions, perhaps she would like to explain to Mum (me) why exactly she had tried to chuck £x worth of perfectly good ingredients - but, if she didn't understand the principles of baking, Mum was very patient and would explain it to her very carefully.

DD1 then went on to complete the cakes with her friend and, when the head popped in to see the class, he asked if he could try one of her 'lovely flower cakes' and remarked that Food Tech teacher was wonderful if they had learned to make things like that with her.

Humph!

Good food tech. teachers are a rare breed indeed.

cw18

I rarely have fresh fruit in the house - but I do have loads of tinned (in juice).

We eat fresh fruit in such fits and starts that I end up binning more than half when I buy it - regardless of how little I buy unless I walk to the shops to buy one piece when I really fancy some. Over the years it's been the single food category that's generated the largest amount of waste from us :eek:

So I hadn't even noticed the absence of fresh fruit - and I've watched it twice!

tracyk

Maybe if we use real sausages in the 'hotpot' it could be a nice recipe??

cw18

As I don't like hotdog sausages, that was a 'tweak' I was planning to try

Butterfly_Brain

cw18 wrote: »

I rarely have fresh fruit in the house - but I do have loads of tinned (in juice).

We eat fresh fruit in such fits and starts that I end up binning more than half when I buy it - regardless of how little I buy unless I walk to the shops to buy one piece when I really fancy some. Over the years it's been the single food category that's generated the largest amount of waste from us :eek:

So I hadn't even noticed the absence of fresh fruit - and I've watched it twice!

I find that with fresh fruit if you turn it every day it stays fresher for longer not that it gets much chance in my house.
Nothing to be ashamed of using tinned and frozen fruit, it is just as healthy.
If fruit looks like it is on the turn use it for cooking or freeze it x