Subsistence cooking equipment

fav77

ceridwen wrote: »

Sounds like the correct sort of size. Just wondering whether the pastry/dough would cling a bit to it? Is this your experience? Presume you would only use one of these once?

I usually get a couple of uses if I scrape it well. In fact I have even used the roll of clingfilm itself and then unpeeled the dirty bit
I do have a rolling pin (somewhere) but can never be bothered to go through the cupboards looking for it!

ceridwen

lynzpower wrote: »

Personally I wouldn't use a tin lid off a tin of sweets instead of a baking tray.

I have a cake tin ( deep) that I have been using as a prop for the grill tray ( ie under the grill) as my grill trays don't fit in my grill tray slots if you know what I mean. All the paint has burnt and continues to flake off on to the base of the oven. I would not be cooking on this surface.

I get your point re the paint. I did for a while use a couple of these tinlids as baking sheets - turned upside down - so that the food was resting on the non-painted side. 'Twas actually a tip I picked up from this Board:). Do you feel that would be satisfactory at a pinch?

...BTW thanks for the list of items...I'll just go back and have a browse through that.

angeltreats

lynzpower wrote: »

masher- I guess other things will do this.

My mum has always just used a fork for mashing potatoes! Even if it was for three of us. Needless to say her mash was always very lumpy.

In the Hairy Bikers Mums Know Best programme, they got one of the mums to put together a 'baking kit' for under £25 which was to include ingredients for making cakes plus all the necessary equipment. Probably not quite what you had in mind but it's here if you fancy a look.

ubamother

ceridwen wrote: »

I get your point re the paint. I did for a while use a couple of these tinlids as baking sheets - turned upside down - so that the food was resting on the non-painted side. 'Twas actually a tip I picked up from this Board:). Do you feel that would be satisfactory at a pinch?

...BTW thanks for the list of items...I'll just go back and have a browse through that.

I'd be wary, it's not just flakes of paint you don't want in the food - it's the toxic fumes the paint may be giving off as it 'cooks!'

Bitsy_Beans

My mixing bowl is in actual fact a very large measuring jug that I think cost a couple of quid from a market In theory you could argue therefore it has a dual use for measuring liquid above 100ml as well as being a mixing bowl. Not sure how you'd get on though if you needed to keep measuring out liquids whilst using it as a mixing bowl though!

I have a small washing up bowl (not full size) which would easily work for a mixing bowl (think in years past my mum has used it for making the Christmas cake).

As for the use of inner tube of foil etc - personally I don't use cling film and I like to make foil last as long as possible (so basically avoid using it). If it's a use once and throw away then I don't consider that to be very economical and would have thought Bob and shirley would have been more thrifty

ceridwen

lynzpower wrote: »

They never had
peeler ( small knife does this but creates more waste sometimes If you are not skilled with the knife)
measuring spoons ( I tried to live without them and a lot of recipes went wrong- ie teaspoon/ tablespoon)
sieve/ colander ( unless you made your own??)
masher- I guess other things will do this.
whisk - (I cant think of anything that can replace this)
knife sharpener ( can you use a brick for this?)
mixing bowls ( large pans would do but
cake tins

I use empty water bottles and pop bottles to store stock and soup in in the freezer, I did this when we ran out of tupper-wares once.

Agree pastry with the wine bottle has never worked for me either.

Now wondering if empty water and pop bottles would do the trick as rolling pin substitutes? They are lighter weight than wine bottles - but this could be amended by filling them with water to weight them down a bit I guess. Maybe they would be too thick though - what do you think?

Actually - looking at your set of equipment and comparing to what I have personally and:
- I've only recently bought a vegetable peeling knife
- Way back in the dim and distant past I had a knife sharpener - but threw it out in the end - as I never used it.
- I've got a set of measuring spoons - but never use them
- and I dont have the microwave that your clients always have.

Errr...on the other hand I DO have:

- a wok (which gets a LOT of use in my kitchen) - but i guess that counts as a luxury too far for Bob & Shirley

..and we wont mention those items that I've never yet used (bet we all have a few of them:o).

So - I guess there will be some element of subjectivity to this - so I guess I am seeking to make a list that everyone has in their own kitchens/agrees is absolutely essential (bang goes my wok then....).

ceridwen

ubamother wrote: »

I'd be wary, it's not just flakes of paint you don't want in the food - it's the toxic fumes the paint may be giving off as it 'cooks!'

Good thought.....hadnt thought of that one.....

...shoulda thought of that one....as the thought had crossed my mind to wonder whether those silicon baking goods that have now become very fashionable would produce toxic fumes or no (being plastic).

Right - back to the drawing board then - as to whether there are any freebie substitutes for baking sheets...

lynzpower

ceridwen wrote: »

Good thought.....hadnt thought of that one.....

...shoulda thought of that one....as the thought had crossed my mind to wonder whether those silicon baking goods that have now become very fashionable would produce toxic fumes or no (being plastic).

Right - back to the drawing board then - as to whether there are any freebie substitutes for baking sheets...

NO the whole point of the silicone is to bake in whereas a biscuit tin- isnt.

I too use a wok a few times a week. I bought the cheapie one from Ikea and it has served very well think it was £4. I use it for deep frying too, and when a recipe calls for a large frying pan that we dont have - for example making wraps/ fajitas. Hell Ive even done fried eggs in it, to be fair one frying pan for 4 people is pushing it, even if you are just doing fried eggs for 4.

Again I have the cheapie frypan from Ikea these are superb for the money, but we have more than one think they were 1.50 a piece.

ceridwen

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

Do you need a toaster if you have a grill

Oh well - I'll knock the toaster off the list then. Shame about that - as I've checked out Argos and they have a Basics one for less than £5.

However - we'll assume they use the grill (not an unreasonable assumption then - as my own mother uses her grill - despite having a perfectly good toaster in her kitchen).

lynzpower

Now wondering if empty water and pop bottles would do the trick as rolling pin substitutes? They are lighter weight than wine bottles - but this could be amended by filling them with water to weight them down a bit I guess. Maybe they would be too thick though - what do you think?

I personally dont think so as the plastic is too thin and will buckle over the bumps in the pasty. You could fill them with sand? If you get a small pop bottle, eg coke/fanta they are all shaped- what you need is a flat, smooth, length. Glass milk bottles eg "stera" bottles Ive found to be the best, but not ideal really.

Again though a rolling pin in Wilkos is 50p.