Home Made Vs. Shop Bought

watermelon88

That looks like a good idea, we're not big fans of it though tbh lol.

I may add onion to my fish cakes, it's not in the recipe but it might work. I'll try it without then try it with and see which I prefer.

I am not impressed. We bought four 2.5kg bags of tesco value spuds today and one WHOLE bag had to be thrown out as they were rotten! Some were all sticky with white stuff.

I thought about taking them to Tesco and complaining but it's too far for my fella to bike with 2.5kg of spuds on his back and getting the bus would cost more than they did in the beginning.

I wish we had a market in walking distance, or an Aldi's or Lidl's. Or even one of the big supermarkets... just in walking distance!

babyshoes

We make jams etc with re-used jars. The way we sterilise them is to wash well (a dishwasher is great for this) then rinse with hot clean water and put them in a low oven (we use gas 2) to dry while you make the jam. The lids are more of a struggle if they are from something like curry sauce - make sure they are well washed and no longer smell of the original contents. Also check for rust and dents/chips in the rim which would affect the seal. Most lids these days have a plastic liner which replaces the need for a wax/waxed paper seal, but if it is bare metal you will want to use one. When lids are clean, boil them for about 5-10 minutes to sterilise, then remove onto a clean tea towel or paper towel to drain.

Fill the hot jars with your jam/jelly/marmalade/other preserve while it is hot and put the lid on ASAP. The top section of a 2l / 4pt plastic milk bottle makes a decent improvised funnel, by the way. As the jars cool, the centre part of the lids often 'pop' down as the seal is formed - assuming your lids have the pop seal that many jar lids have now. The first time you hear the noise it can be a bit surprising! If your preserve has 'bits' in it, eg marmalade with bits of peel in it, they tend to float. Keep turning the jar upside down as it cools to distribute these a little more evenly, if it bothers you!

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

I think there has been a Damascene style conversion at Tightfisted Towers. To homemade soup.

First was beetroot, sprig of lovage, onion and a stock cube boiled up and blended with a glug of vinegar from a pickled beetroot jar and some soured cream, total cost about a pound.

Last night was an onion, about 8 mushrooms, a pint of stock and some cornflour, blended up with about 2 tablespoons of natural yoghurt. Total cost about 50p.

The cost is a big factor, but I prefer being able to recognise the ingredients in my meals - and coming out of the back garden certainly helps, as that means they're organic as well. How much would four pints of barszcz made by River Cottage type places cost, after all?

Next is parsnips.

watermelon88

I thought this thread could do with some visual aids :-D

Home Made Lentil & Veg Soup:



Home Made Crisps:



Home Made Oven Chips:



Later on I will put up a photo of the home made fish cakes :-D

bargainbetty

watermelon88 wrote: »

I am not impressed. We bought four 2.5kg bags of tesco value spuds today and one WHOLE bag had to be thrown out as they were rotten! Some were all sticky with white stuff.

I thought about taking them to Tesco and complaining but it's too far for my fella to bike with 2.5kg of spuds on his back and getting the bus would cost more than they did in the beginning.

Do you still have them? Take photos and send them with a copy of the reciept to the Customer Services. Make sure they can see the Best Before Date. Ask for the cost to be sent to you in vouchers, and point out you can't return them because of the journey time. With any luck, they might round it up a bit to say sorry!

watermelon88

Thanks :-)



And no we threw them out. It looks like one bad one turned the rest bad too

watermelon88

As promised, a photo of tonight's dinner. All homemade.

Tuna & Sweetcorn Fish Cakes with oven chips :-D



No sauce needed, I find with the chips they are perfect as they come, maybe with a little sprinkle of salt if I feel like it. No vinegar or sauce though. & the fish cakes didn't need anything either, tasted great and not too dry to eat on their own!