Nice People Thread Number 10 -the official residence of Nice People

Generali

PasturesNew wrote: »

I don't buy alcohol and don't have it in the house as I don't drink. I do, however, usually possess "something alcoholic" by accident. Right now I've got a small bottle of cider and a small bottle of crabbie's alcoholic ginger beer. I bought the ginger beer in 2010 at Xmastime, gave one bottle to dad and sibling to try and haven't got round to trying mine yet. The cider I bought to take to somebody's house when they were cooking me a dinner and I was offered it back when I left. I took cider as she only has/drinks wine and I don't..... and I thought I couldn't turn up with pepsi, so the ciders were the only thing I could think of

I'd chuck the beer if I were you. It's not alcoholic or sweet enough to keep for more than 12-18 months. If you drink it, it'll taste sour and probably flat.

SingleSue

Ex hubby bought me a crate of lager for Christmas 2012...it went with James to university!

PasturesNew

tomterm8 wrote: »

Nah, it's not a posh alert. My mother was (before her stroke) a professional church organist. I've listened to her perform carol services at all of the most posh churches nearby, because they pay the best.

The free mince pie/brandy butter was the posh alert bit. Probably those posh churches actually sell tickets to the event or the after-drinks ... and you got in for free without realising it.

I had a quick google, many charge £20 for a bit of music, mince pie and a drink.

PasturesNew

Generali wrote: »

I'd chuck the beer if I were you. It's not alcoholic or sweet enough to keep for more than 12-18 months. If you drink it, it'll taste sour and probably flat.

But I've been saving it "for best"!

Doozergirl

"My main jostling for space problem is hob. Current oven has sort of six rings. Its almost enough. "

I can't quote from long prose on the phone, but I'd suggest a pan with steamer inserts. We used to always have five rings and I'd use them all but we saw a very pretty hob with only three rings and I was outvoted, despite doing all the cooking. I only really use two rings now and have a long trivet to the side so I can take things off the heat. Trying to cook with control on six rings simultaneously must be impossible, some of must be resting or could be steamed?

I have this:
http://m.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/art/10100443/

With these:
http://m.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/art/30152346/

They're good quality and the pot is my absolute favourite.

I also have two inbuilt full size ovens, side by side, like Generali suggests, and that for me is perfect, for the same reasons as him. It depends on whether you really want a cooker that looks like a range, but a modular arrangement would give you the right combinations and could be styled in the right way, I think. I love the idea of add on domino hobs so you can pick the perfect wok burner, teppanyakis or an induction zone.

Generali

PasturesNew wrote: »

But I've been saving it "for best"!

So often those are grim words when accompanying alcohol which has been neither cellared nor is worth keeping.

We opened a bottle of 1976 'Para Port' (Australian Port) which had been kept under the in-Laws' house for the past 30 odd years. Words can't begin to describe how bad it was.

These days the average cellaring time for wine or beer is a few hours and so the product is designed for that.

tomterm8

For christmas or large party purposes it's possible to buy portable hobs for £20. So, you cook like normal on the cooker, then shufty the saucepan's across to stay warm.

Generali

Doozergirl wrote: »

"My main jostling for space problem is hob. Current oven has sort of six rings. Its almost enough. "

I can't quote from long prose on the phone, but I'd suggest a pan with steamer inserts. We used to always have five rings and I'd use them all but we saw a very pretty hob with only three rings and I was outvoted, despite doing all the cooking. I only really use two rings now and have a long trivet to the side so I can take things off the heat. Trying to cook with control on six rings simultaneously must be impossible, some of must be resting or could be steamed?

I have this:
http://m.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/art/10100443/

With these:
http://m.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/art/30152346/

They're good quality and the pot is my absolute favourite.

I also have two inbuilt full size ovens, side by side, like Generali suggests, and that for me is perfect, for the same reasons as him. It depends on whether you really want a cooker that looks like a range, but a modular arrangement would give you the right combinations and could be styled in the right way, I think. I love the idea of add on domino hobs so you can pick the perfect wok burner, teppanyakis or an induction zone.

What are you cooking that you need 6 rings at a time? I wouldn't have enough pots and pans to use 6 rings!

Last year I cooked for 50-80 people (can't remember exact numbers) using 4 rings, a slow cooker and a single oven. Even then I mostly had 2-3 rings only on the go at any one time.

A camping stove on the side would provide an additional ring or 2 although you'd need to be sure to ventilate the room properly so as not to get CO poisoning. It's a cheap solution as well.

For me, the BBQ has a wok burner on the side which provides that solution. Almost all gas BBQs have one and I don't think I've ever seen anyone else's used.

silvercar

I remember when.....,oven doors opened to the side, so you had room to access. Now they all seem to open downwards.

My friend has a new kitchen (posh alert) two side by side ovens and the oven doors slide away under the oven.

I also remember when you could get ovens with a rotisserie stick that would come out of the the back of the oven (or was it the side?).

PasturesNew

silvercar wrote: »

I remember when.....,oven doors opened to the side, so you had room to access. Now they all seem to open downwards.

Mine opens like a proper door. http://www.tesco.com/direct/beko-d532-white-electric-cooker/205-2993.prd

Just learnt something, it says "The main oven is self cleaning" - I've been cleaning it!

silvercar wrote: »

My friend has a new kitchen (posh alert) two side by side ovens and the oven doors slide away under the oven.

Definitely a posh alert.

silvercar wrote: »

I also remember when you could get ovens with a rotisserie stick that would come out of the the back of the oven (or was it the side?).

The one my parents 'inherited' when they bought their house (it was a really old, maybe 30 years old, oven) hada bunch of metal spears and stuff ...... I never inspected it to see how it worked, nor do I know if all the bits were there, but it was something you constructed and pressed a separate button for. Remove the gubbins it was a small oven the size of a microwave; add the gubbins and press the button, it was a rotisserie.

It was so old I couldn't ever even google the oven. Dad REFUSED to get a newer oven "unless it's exactly like this one" - what he meant, of course, was an eye level smaller oven...... but there was no talkng to him.

When we opened the door we had to be ready to "catch" the oven contents as the whole thing leaned forwards significantly.... something else he REFUSED to sort out. It would have only taken a small bar of wood placed under the front edge to fix that.

It was a dangerous old oven - and the first thing I had ripped out after his death; mum could never use it anyway.