Weezl's phase 1- recipe testing and frugalisation- come one, come all!

lorietta

[QUOTE=weezl74;31253347]

That's extremely kind of you, :A Howlin wolf is doing a big compilation of the terms we're using and explaining things like how to make a roux sauce, but if you could post some of the terms you think are confusing for a new (but doubtless very talented;)) chef, then that will help her enormously. Would you be willing to contribute to/write about how someone should go about adapting the planner if they are a single person, perhaps with limited storage?

[/QUOTE]


I can try, my first thought is it won't be as low as £25 a month but even if it cast say £35 that would be a lot less than most people spend on food. I will beg one of my foodie friends to help as he would love this resource.

I have a lot of time atm, as I am off for about 4 weeks then have 2 weeks exams in may and thats me til september (except I need to find a job :eek:) . In the mean time mum is buying me bacon and onions and I will have a go at some of the recipes over this weekend =].

I will have a look for terms this evening.

weezl74

lorietta wrote: »

I can try, my first thought is it won't be as low as £25 a month but even if it cast say £35 that would be a lot less than most people spend on food. I will beg one of my foodie friends to help as he would love this resource.

I have a lot of time atm, as I am off for about 4 weeks then have 2 weeks exams in may and thats me til september (except I need to find a job :eek:) . In the mean time mum is buying me bacon and onions and I will have a go at some of the recipes over this weekend =].

I will have a look for terms this evening.

oh sorry Lorietta I don't think I explained myself very well there at all silly weezl, I forget people can't see inside my brain!

You wouldn't need to cost anything or come up with recipes, it would be a few paragraphs explaining to single shirley how do divide a recipe into quarters and to remember to only buy a quarter of what's on the shopping list, does that make any more sense?

Like my main planner will say 1 kg of dried peas, and she needs to know to only buy a quarter of that, does that make sense?

Sorry I confused you there, that would be a mammoth task!
xxx

domesticgoddess789

Weezl, I wouldn't mind helping out with something if you need volunteers for tasks.

weezl74

weezl74 wrote: »

Tasks list if anyone would like to volunteer!

Each of the parts below will take a bit of writing/think collating, I guestimate this is quite an investment of your time. So do think if it's realistic, or if you just have a few ideas to share about a topic, maybe PM the main person who has put themselves forward, all tips will be gratefully recieved

why on earth did we come up with this mad scheme?

Shirley's big batch cooking day planner

Shirley's kit list and current best buys

glossary of food terms for a new cook

Tips for getting all the family on board, even the really stubborn ones

what to do when you arrive at the shop and there's no carrots?

We had some leftovers last night, I don't want to waste them!

I think I've just seen a better bargain what shall I do?

shirley's storecupboard of herbs, spices seasonings to make things just a bit more varied and interesting, but for teeny cash (or maybe for shirley's birthday pressie )

my current understanding of how the phases of this mad scheme might roll out:

Thanks loads PinkHayley Wow everyone is all enthusiastic all of a sudden, thank you all very much!:DDoes writing a little bit in response to one of the headings above appeal?

You can invite all the others on the thread to chip in and then just collect it all together in one big post?

the seasonings and the glossary, and the kit list are covered- although howlin may like some help as she has a wedding to plan:D

xxx

weezl74

actually that may have been a bit rash, Lesley, we have willing volunteers:A but am I giving out the most appropriate and timely tasks?:o

weezl74

Lesley the nut butter serves 4 people for 7 lunches so a total of 28 portions from 1 batch. The grams shown in the first column are for the one main batch and shouldn't be doubled...
HTH

xxx

weezl74

tangy bean pate, amounts shown are to be made 3 times, each batch serving 4 people 5 times, total of 15 lunches of sandwiches:)

Bob's liver pate (15g per serving): yields 15 sandwiches for 4 people out of the amounts you have there for 1 batch:)

lorietta

[FONT=&quot]I totally get this is not the finished guide or anything, but I just thought I would post the obvious questions I came up with looking through this month's recipes and a few questions that came to mind reading them as an inexperienced cook. However, I would like to say most of them seemed simple enough to do and I felt like I could tackle most of them even at this stage

[/FONT]What’s byriani? Not that necessary, just curious.
What does softened onion look like?
No method on Spanish omelette.
Ditto pizza dough- could probably go with a bread dough recipe?
Chilli Mince- What does the oats being “cooked out” mean?
Bacon and onion pudding-How do you steam something? Also “pleating the foil”? This one almost makes sense and I could have a go but extra instructions would make me feel more confident trying this dish.
How big will veggie burgers be? How big should the Patties be? Will they expand when cooked? How long do I fry them for?
Pasta Alfredo- Roux is something that definitely needs explaining, lol, sounds much more complicated than it is!
Also some explanation of how to make the stock for this recipe would be good.
Baked bean curry- What does reduced mean? I can sort of guess from the context but want to make sure I am right.
Lunchtime Pate- What is dry frying and what's catching? Is there a reason I shouldn’t handle raw liver (other than if I get squeamish about it)?
Chutney- Really I would like a lot more detailed instructions before I tried this. How does vinegar mellow? How do you know?
Apple Curd- The link slightly confused me, am I using oil or butter? How will I know when the apples are stewed?

In addition to all of this, an explanation of how to do the roast and how to bake bread would be great =] If this exists somewhere then I didn’t see it, only done this quickly. It would also be great if the recipes all said (eventually) how many portions you should get from them. In general, I find recipes where the method is detailed but broken down into doable steps easiest to follow. Details give me confidence everything is going as it should be!


I hope this is helpful in some way when you are writing this up for people who can follow a recipe but don't have lots of cookery experience.



On a side note, I like the inclusion of pate, because I love pate, but people always view it as an "expensive food". Not sure how my flatemates would feel about me chopping up pigs liver in a shared kitchen though!

lorietta

weezl74 wrote: »

oh sorry Lorietta I don't think I explained myself very well there at all silly weezl, I forget people can't see inside my brain!

You wouldn't need to cost anything or come up with recipes, it would be a few paragraphs explaining to single shirley how do divide a recipe into quarters and to remember to only buy a quarter of what's on the shopping list, does that make any more sense?

Like my main planner will say 1 kg of dried peas, and she needs to know to only buy a quarter of that, does that make sense?

Sorry I confused you there, that would be a mammoth task!
xxx

Yeah that makes sense. I could also have a look at how available things are in quater quantities although most things will obviously last. Poor Single Shirely having to get this all from the shops though!

If she lives on her own she could buy everything, and it would just last extra months, which is good, if she has a big freezer, but if she lives in a shared house I don't know where she will put it. Maybe she can get her housemates on board? I think some explanation of how things should be stored might be good "e.g. Will need to be frozen, will need to be kept in the fridge," might help or even a list of ingredients that could safely be stored under her bed!

I am so impressed with this project, as so many people have so little to live on and it will really help me over the next few years when I am working in entry level jobs and studying and trying to find enough money to survive on whilst not living entirely off pasta!

Sian_the_Green

lorietta, you are too cute So good to have you along!