Subsistence cooking equipment

ceridwen

hex2 wrote: »

I had a student cookbook that claimed a 34b bra cup was 4oz flour though.......

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Well - I've got a few student cookbooks myself - but I obviously havent got THAT one:rotfl::rotfl:

Thinks - in this day and age - would there actually be many women who are 34B anyway?:rotfl:

...goes off wondering how many ounces of flour would go into a "cup" of one of my bras....:rotfl:

ceridwen

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

I have 2 of these, use them loads, and they're spatulas





Are we assuming that people who've never cooked before have significant freezer space? Isn't it more likely that they have a little ice box at the top of their fridge, at most?



If you've been cooking for ages, though, you'll have an eye for what;s a tsp and what's a Tbsp; not so for novice cooks.

I imagine the amount of freezer space each household has will be very variable. You never know - with our assumption that Bob and Shirley have been eating readymeals for years they may well have a LOT of freezer space actually:) They may well have spent a long time thinking that shopping/cooking meant stocking-up with ready meals and then sticking them in the freezer. They could have more freezer space than me...:rotfl:

The comment re spoon measurements is actually precisely why I added in that set of measuring spoons a lot of posters feel is necessary - though I dont use mine. That is - because I can tell by eye whether one of my teaspoons is particularly small or large - and pick out one of my standard-size ones. A novice cook might struggle more with that...

rachbc

ooh I'm 4 oz's!!!

ceridwen

rachbc wrote: »

ooh I'm 4 oz's!!!

...and I'm a generous handful....,:rotfl:

-- shades of a student cookbook I was browsing through recently - where he was measuring a lot of ingredients in "handfuls".....:rotfl:....errrr....his hands or mine I thought?

Penelope_Penguin

ceridwen wrote: »

I imagine the amount of freezer space each household has will be very variable. You never know - with our assumption that Bob and Shirley have been eating readymeals for years they may well have a LOT of freezer space actually:) They may well have spent a long time thinking that shopping/cooking meant stocking-up with ready meals and then sticking them in the freezer. They could have more freezer space than me...:rotfl:

They might do, but as I said, it's a HUGE assumption to make Especially as the "essential list" assumes no saucepans, frying pans or tin opener.

Last time I had a ready meal was when I was working shifts, and we were given meal packs if we were required to work late. Those ready meals weren't frozen, they were stored in cupboards, so just because someone's existed on ready meals, they may not have been frozen

rosieben

ceridwen wrote: »

I never knew that one....

Hmmm....I wonder if that would work for garden tools as well - like spades, hoes, etc? What do you think Rosie?

Is there a particular technique used for doing this? - as I'm now looking meaningfully at my back door step wondering......:think:

rather oddly, my father used a flat oblong sharpening stone for his garden tools including his hand scythe which was very sharp (I know this Very Well ) but if he was using a knife that, literally, didn't 'cut it' he took it off to the back door step; not absolutely sure of the technique but I seem to remember him sort of stroking the edge of the knife on the edge of the step, and I'm sure he only stroked in one direction. :cool:

edited to add, not sure if the type of stone makes a difference? I can't remember what our back step was made of except that it was grey

ceridwen

rosieben wrote: »

rather oddly, my father used a flat oblong sharpening stone for his garden tools including his hand scythe which was very sharp (I know this Very Well ) but if he was using a knife that, literally, didn't 'cut it' he took it off to the back door step; not absolutely sure of the technique but I seem to remember him sort of stroking the edge of the knife on the edge of the step, and I'm sure he only stroked in one direction. :cool:

edited to add, not sure if the type of stone makes a difference? I can't remember what our back step was made of except that it was grey

Well - I guess I've got a choice there then between the front doorstep - some sorta stone. The backstep, on the other hand, is concrete.

I would imagine the stone one is more "the ticket"? My mind is boggling now at what the neighbours would think to see me out there sharpening my knives on that step......:rotfl:

Some very vague memories are surfacing from somewhere now come to think of it - so ..yep...the front doorstep it would be and one way with the knife and then turn it round and sharpen the other side I believe...

ceridwen

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

They might do, but as I said, it's a HUGE assumption to make Especially as the "essential list" assumes no saucepans, frying pans or tin opener.

Last time I had a ready meal was when I was working shifts, and we were given meal packs if we were required to work late. Those ready meals weren't frozen, they were stored in cupboards, so just because someone's existed on ready meals, they may not have been frozen

Whatever the case is - I would think Bob and Shirley will have SOME freezer space - so they might as well keep in some freezer containers (aka margarine containers, etc) - as they would have obtained them for free anyway.:). Come to think of it - you never know - they might get a free freezer from Freecycle/Freegle anyways - if they felt a bit short of freezer space.:).

Maybe it depends a bit on the family too - but, in my family, for instance its quite normal to buy a new item of machinery/furniture/etc to replace something thats still got a lot of "wear" in it - and, at that point, the item being thrown out is offered to anyone in the family that wants it first and I could certainly have gone a longways towards furnishing my house that way if need be. So - I imagine some other people would have those sort of offers as well - probably more than I would in fact (as a lot of people would have a bigger family than the one I come from...).

annie123

ceridwen wrote: »

I would imagine Bob and Shirley could perfectly well use the baking sheet (or freebie trays begged from the butcher) to make pizzas for themselves.

Have spoken to my son again who makes 12 hm pizzas a month.

He cooks then either on the upside down roasting tin or takes the grill pan rack and puts it on the oven shelf directly to get a closer grid (so the edges don't flop over) for a less crispy base, and said he cant see anyone else having problems doing the same.

And on the shelf below goes a batch of twinks hobnobs on the upside down roasting tin:)
followed by flapjacks:)

He's more organised than me:o:D

ariarnia

ceridwen wrote: »

Over a period of time Bob and Shirley will likely find they have bits they wish to freeze - leftovers/donations from other peoples gardens/etc - so I think everyone needs freezer containers.

To get those freezer containers (and storage containers as well) from leftover food containers they can always ask other people for "donations" of these things. Its certainly been my experience that other people are glad to see someone get some use out of something they would only throw in the bin anyway:)

To be honest that depends on how much you want to assume - my OH and myself for an example of a typical B&S-a-likes. We just had to move into a new area because my accommodation was linked to my job and I got made redundant. We're both largely unemployed - I do voluntary work at a local shelter and my parters just been taken on a short term contract at the local post office for 10 weeks, but the rest of the time volunteers at the local museum.

We have some debt - not as much as B&S but we're a young version of who this planner is to be aimed at. We've never budgeted really, I've never cooked at all until this September when I was made redundant (other than basic student style cooking) and I'm starting from scratch with access to no store-cupboard and no implements.

you say people like us, or like B&S can ask for donations - ask who(m)? I/we know no one in the area, it's not a community based area (mostly paranoid and keep to them self retires) so there is no one I could really ask for their old marg tubs. The local freecycle is practically none existent. It was the same when I used to live in Manchester. If B&S live in a city it's likely there's no one they think they can approach either, in italic as they may be wrong is assuming that, but it's their frame of mind that you need to think about.

They may not want to admit to others they need recycled tubs (think of the number of teenagers that are disgusted by some of the things that their parents do to arbitrarily save money but in reality just to embarrass the teenager. When it comes to some of those things, my mother thinks exactly the same way (she's wonderfully middle class - I quote "why would you put lentils in mince? Why do you need to bulk it, why not just use more mince?" - no kidding), they may not have any living relatives (especially if they're in their mid to late 40's and their parents have had poor diet/nutrition, cigarettes and alcohol.), if they've just taken a drop in income it might not even occur to them that they can use tubs for anything, and if you point it out as a money saving tip it might not occur to them that other people might have them to ask for - as odd as it seems this is not an unplausable or unlikely situation.

My mum lives in indonesia and my fathers never been in the picture, my step-dads family lost interest when my step-dad died about 3 years ago and my partner is the child of a single mother who's never cooked and has a load of the typical middle class gadgets in her kitchen covered in dust and no rolling tin, veg peeler or oven dish in the house - she lives out the microwave. Again, all fairly typical of the pre-plan B&S.

Given our personal family situation and given we can't afford to go out and meet people to make friends, the only likely source of 'useful gifts' is the MIL. She tried to get me something nice for Christmas that I could use in the kitchen and she ended up spending a fortune buying expensive glass containers full of multi coloured peppercorns - I don't have a grinder and pestle and mortar and don't really think I'll use the best part of a Kg of whole pepper anyway. She simply doesn't know what I would find useful and would be offended for me to tell her what I wanted or to ask me - the same way we're assuming B&S need a guide as to what they need to cook these recipes - we're assuming a type of person that has never cooked and doesn't understand the practicalities of cooking.

In 5 months (other than the cakes the MIL likes to buy to share) we've never been given anything by friends and family, we don't have any and while, come autumn, I might go knocking strangers doors in the streets to ask if they're going to use the fruit on their tree, I wouldn't personally feel comfortable asking the same when it comes to old marg tubs - it feels a bit too close to begging for my mind and even apples might be pushing it for a pre-plan B&S.

Sorry if I'm a bit rambly, but basically, I think you need to pick an all or nothing thing. Either you assume they have the basics or can beg/borrow the basics from F&F or they don't and you need to provide a list of what they need specifically for the meal plan and only the meal plan.

I didn't think the point of this thread was to kit out a kitchen for them, rather to tell Shirley what she needs for the month in question, but if it is a general list for a kitchen then I suggest you look at adding freezer tubs to the list, or look at what's on the shopping list and what packets that leaves behind that can be frozen, 'cause not being funny, but looking at the list as it stands, that's not many.

Does that make sense?