I'm eating out of the freezer and cupboards challenge

Florenceem

Out of freezer - Chicken drumsticks.
In to freezer - JJ's Herby Cheese Bread.
Used up some old cheese tonight.
Got 59 tins of the Branston Beans now in my garage.
For dinner we had HM Egg/Bacon Pie + roasted Butternut Squash and salad.
I made some of JJ's Herby Cheese Bread tonight.
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Welsh_Poppy

Why have you 59 tins of beans?
Courious in West Wales

Kirri

Welsh_Poppy wrote: »

Why have you 59 tins of beans?
Courious in West Wales

I'd just been watching The Returned when I read about the beans last night and had images of a similar scenario!

I couldn't bear stockpiling like that (even if it was free!).

joedenise

Kirri wrote: »

Am pleased how much I've used up - am just debating whether to buy dried or tinned chickpeas for my next curry... I've always had tinned in the past but dried are cheaper and supposedly taste better and I'd rather buy things as basic as possible, it's just the extra cooking...

You can cook all the dried chickpeas at the same time so only one lot of cooking and then freeze into tin sized portions to use as and when you want them, personally I don't do this and prefer to just cook them as needed - they don't take long in the pressure cooker as long as you remember to soak them overnight.

When I use them in curries I tend to soak overnight, rinse thoroughly in the morning and bring to boil in fresh water and boil rapidly for 10 minutes and then cook the curry in the SC.

HTH.

Denise

Billie-jo

After several half hearted attempts to use some store cupboard items up I think I need to join this thread if you don't mind. Hopefully it will spur me into action. I have just finished an inventory of both freezers and all but one cupboard and my list is 4 pages long
Found a tin of extra thick cream and got hubby to open it (OOD so thought it might smell a bit) :eek: Rancid isn't a strong enough word but cant think of one that is. So yes need to use up, have loads of tinned fruit in and a fair amount OOD.

Off to transfer list to p.c. now and have a think of how and what to use up first.

Jelly_Biactol

Kirri wrote: »

am just debating whether to buy dried or tinned chickpeas for my next curry... I've always had tinned in the past but dried are cheaper and supposedly taste better and I'd rather buy things as basic as possible, it's just the extra cooking...

Here's what chef Jenny Chandler has to say (from her forthcoming book 'Pulse: truly modern recipes for beans, chickpeas and lentils'):
"Why bother cooking your own legumes rather than simply opening a can? It’s not just about saving money, or being able to track down some of the more highly prized and elusive varieties. When you prepare your own pulses, you can ensure they reach the perfect creamy texture, as well as enhancing their flavour with herbs, vegetables, bones and fats. There’s the added bonus of the cooking liquid, too; this wonderful stock provides the base of many soups and stews. So don’t tip your bean water down the sink – it’s full of nutrients and flavour.
"Dried pulses can be incredibly good value: a bag of beans doubles in weight, at the very least, once cooked. But you do need a plan: legumes really only work for the budget-conscious cook if you prepare larger quantities. The idea is to get in the habit of boiling up a decent-sized pot of beans and using them over a few days in various different recipes or even bunging a few in the freezer."

Personally, I use tinned chickpeas. There's an Asian supermarket near me that sells 12 large cans for £2.99, or about 25 pence a can.

joedenise

Wish I could get tinned chickpeas for 25p a tin!

Denise

Kirri

Thanks Joedenise/JellyBiactol - I don't know why I hadn't thought of cooking the pack and freezing the portions. I think 100g dried is equal to 1 x 400g tin. The pack (organic) was 79p ish for 250g as opposed to £1.09 ish for 1 x 400g tin (organic). If I soak overnight and boil for 10 mins then hopefully they'll cook ok in the curry as I leave that cooking for quite a while..

^ I will have a nose of that book on Amazon when it's out too, sounds interesting.. I've been cooking with a lot more pulses this year and am enjoying that type of cooking!

Welcome Billie-jo - you'll have to post that huge list on here!!

Florenceem

Welsh_Poppy wrote: »

Why have you 59 tins of beans?
Courious in West Wales

Mr F thinks that the 4 for £1 Branston Beans is such a good offer so he is stockpiling them. The 4 pack is RRP £2.50 and Mr F loves a bargain.

Welsh_Poppy

Aha I now understand :-)