Subsistence cooking equipment

Lily-Lu

zippychick wrote: »

There seems to be a bit of confusion about fish slice... I could be wrong, but i thought fish slice was the technical term for a spatula. A lot of people don't know that's what they are actuallly called? This is what i would call a spatula (which i wouldn't deem as necessary or essential), this is what I have been brought up to believe is a fish slice . I can't understand how anyone could lift a fried egg with that kind of spatula - and believe me I have tried

Yep, they've always been two different things to me. Just like in your links

Ceridwen - tray bake will (as others have said) double up for other uses. It'll also do as a tray for a couple of cottage loaves, if Shirley wants a variety of bread shapes

annie123

This has got me thinking tonight; did I give my son all the basics when he moved into his first flat some years ago?
Whilst he lives there by himself, most weekends he cooks for 4-6, gf and friends over etc. He's a great cook and enjoys doing it, in fact he's probably better than me now He has been a student and is now unemployed, so broke like the mythical family and has a tiny kitchen.
So have just asked him what he has/uses.

Large flat bottom wok with lid...does most things in this from batch amounts of chili and curries to fry ups...to stir frys
large saucepan.....boiling lots of spuds...cooking noodles...mixing bow..making soup
small saucepan.....sauces..custard....sometimes veg
1 med roasting tin....roasting a dead animal the right way up, pasta bakes, turn upside down cover in foil and uses as a baking tray
1 flan tin....giant yorkies....flans....quiche...tray bakes,
2 wooden spatulas...used for all frying, uses 1/2 teaspoon oil to fry egg so no drain needed
2 wooden spoons......beating/mixing most things
1 small plastic jug.....cooks frozen veg in microwave, makes gravy in it
1 med plastic jug......steam veg, heat baked beans and soups
1 1/2 ltr glass jug.....giant microwave sponge puddings, storing soup in fridge, mixing bowl, steam new potatoes, makes and serves jelly with fruit in it. This is his fav thing as he finds it so useful, ovenproof too.
1 sharp knife for cutting meat
1 paring knife for peeling veg
1 masher.....He said who wants to make mash for 8 with a fork! (He batch cooks everything:o) comes with a basic plastic set for £
1 sieve
1 rolling pin..........makes too many pizzas not to have one
1 colander........uses for rinsing salad and draining pasta, said not essential
2 chopping boards....said wouldn't compromise on this, health risk not worth it, keeping all raw and cooked meat separate is essential, he got 2 recently in MrS for 99p
1 large casserole dish.....beef casserole, veg casserole, good for cheaper cuts of meat. Uses the lid to cook home made flapjacks, stuffing, quiches
kitchen scales....he would struggle to follow a new recipe without them, for the sake of £2 he wouldn't want to end up with something inedible


He makes squareish pizzas and cooks them on the grill pan upside down and does the same with quiches.
He things could get that lot for £20.

No idea if that helps you, but made an interesting conversation with him.

I think he does really well with that lot but he did say would like a silicone baking mat so he can cut down on greaseproof paper....think its the least I can do

PasturesNew

A frying pan was the only thing I took on my travels with me. You can do anything with a frying pan.... that you can't necessarily do with a saucepan. I've used mine to:
- make toast
- make toasted sandwiches
- made some instant "frying pan bread"
- make chilli con carne
- fry eggs
- make chips, make omelettes, including spanish omelette
- make pancakes
- fry sausages
- make rissotto
- make fish cakes, corned beef/potato cakes, rosti and corned beef hash
- make my version of a full cooked English which included fried eggs, sausages, fried bread

So, one needs a frying pan as an essential imho.

PasturesNew

I notice people have named stores they can get things cheap at, that aren't nationwide... I think for fairness, it'd be best if items can be purchased from the main/national supermarkets. Many parts of the country don't have a Wilko, or a Poundland or an Ikea etc. But if it's kept to an Asda/Tesco list then most people will have one of those within 30 miles - at least for pricing the items for the list anyway..... if the fictitious people CAN look at the list and get them cheaper where they are then that's a bonus, but imho it needs to have the widest relevance and appeal.

shanks77

ceridwen wrote: »

I must admit I dont think I've yet come across a kitchen without a fish slice in it.....even chez ceridwen one gets used sometimes - for the odd occasions where I start fancying something like a fried egg sandwich...

I assumed that most people will fry things sometimes -and that a fishslice is necessary to take the items out of the pan and help them "drain" a bit whilst doing so.

Do people think:
- yes...leave the fishslice in
- have a spatula instead
- not bother with either?

I shall go back and delete the citrus juicer - as it seems to be regarded as not strictly necessary by many.

I think perhaps I will add a roasting pan to the Optional list.

I personally never use my set of measuring spoons - but most people feel they are necessary - so I have swopped the tablespoon for a set of measuring spoons.

I would leave both in as IMO a spatula is for scraping out bowls and completly diff to a fish slice but maybe that is a regional thing us Scots are a bit different lol

Also am i being blind i didnt notice a tin opener on list i would think it pretty useful for Shirl

SailorSam

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

As a student, a friend mixed a cake in a washing up bowl :T
Penny. x

Your friend used a washing up bowl to make a cake ?
If there had been dregs of washing up liquid in the bowl, would that have been a Fairy cake.

[Deleted User]

if you have an empty lemonade bottle, really cheapo one for around 15p fill with water and bung in the fridge or freezer and this will be a good replacement for a rolling pin I did this when I was in France around 13 years ago with my brother trying to cook for him in a tiny caravan whilst he was re-roofing his tumbledowned house(the wind had removed most of it the previous winter) Its amazing what things you can find to replace your 'normal 'kitchen aids' when pushed.He had bought his place for £2000, and it hadn't been lived in since 1948 and there originally been a tree growing through the roof of the place.!!!he completely renovated it and has since sold it and built another place with the profits. I spent a week there cooking for him as he was so busy working from dawn till dusk. The caravan had come with the house so we had to live in it, whilst doing the place up so the utensils were pretty basic to say the least.

ceridwen

I've been busily amending the original list that I put in post 46 as we go - from suggestions made. (See Weezls quote from me in post 53 to see the first draft list I compiled.)

So - I've made out the final list now - and just need a few prices. I take note that discount shops and Wilkos(?) arent nationwide. Ikea also isnt. Most of us have Asda and/or Tesco and/or Sainsburys near us. So- I have put many items as £1 (as I know they can be bought for this from a discount shop) but think people might be able to get more cheaply from Asda/Tesco/Sainsburys and would appreciate exact prices from one of these shops please (preferably Asda - as Weezl bases her mealplan on Asda prices - so it makes sense to base kitchen items on Asda prices if possible).

3 saucepans - Argos Value set of 3 - £6.99
Large frying pan - £2.99? (Tesco)99p (if near IKEA)
1 large rectangular baking dish - £1
1 litre Pyrex measuring jug - £1
KNIVES;
- 1 sharp knife for cutting meat )
- 1 breadknife ) Argos value set of knives £3.99
- 1 small chopping knife )
- 1 paring knife for peeling veg. )
1 large casserole dish - £1
large mixing bowl - £0.59 (Asda)(or use washing-up bowl)
1 can opener - 45p (Asda)
2 x chopping boards (1 for raw meat) - £1.49 (Asda)
4 x 2lb loaf tins (Weezl plans on Shirley making a lot of bread) - £1 each
2 baking trays (beg freebie ones nicely from the butcher or use grillpan of cooker)
2 wooden spoons - 20p each (Asda)
Mechanical kitchen scales - £1.97 (Asda)
Box grater - £1
Fish slice - £1
Spatula - £1
Rolling pin - 95p (Asda)(or experiment with large pop bottle filled with water/wine bottle/pushing roughly into shape in "rustic" way a la Penelope Penguin/inner tube of clingfilm or silverfoil)
Storage jars - freebie (recycling containers food came in/plastic "milkbottles"/baby milk powder tins)
Freezer containers - freebie (recycling margarine containers/plastic "milkbottles")
Metal sieve or colander - £1
Pair of kitchen scissors - £1
Set of measuring spoons - £1

So - I'll be glad of those exact prices - if anyone has them please - for those items listed above as £1 (giving Asda price if possible).:)

When I've firmed-up on those prices - that will be it - we'll be good to go on Bob and Shirley's Subsistence Kitchen List.

Thanks all...

ceridwen

This is the final "optional extras" list - ie those things Bob and Shirley cant afford at all for themselves - but are hoping a helpful friend or relative has and will pass on to them or buy them as a present:

- wok (for stir-frying/deep frying/mixing bowl/2nd large frypan)
- liquidizer
- soup ladle
- 2nd casserole dish
- steamer
- whisk
- potato masher
- omelette pan (could be used for small fry-ups/tortillas/pancakes - as well as omelettes if they can spare the eggs)
- traybake tin
- silicone baking sheet (thin lining sheet)
- 2 baking trays (if Shirley hasnt been able to get freebie ones from butcher and doesnt wish to keep using her grillpan)

Any prices (from Asda preferably - but Sainsbury/Tesco would also be possible) for these goods would be useful please.:)

EDIT: Tumbles back in fast - nearly forgot:

- a flan dish

(for that famous Delia-style quiche on the menu). Whoops!

got-it-spend-it

I used a cake tin for the onion tart and it made it nice and deep. I couldn't find a cheapy flan tin anywhere. I'm happy to get you some prices in Asda today, C. I will copy down the list and head out later.