The Garden Fence - help and support in tough times

fuddle

Yeah Polly!! Oh enjoy the flakes
Fabulous. I will hunt it out

pollyanna_26

Just remembered my mum used to use Bisto gravy powder when she didn 't have time to make gravy the traditional way . It's still on sale in supermarkets .
Lovely to see her maj - GQ on here yesterday . I love her posts and looking forward to to her lottie tales . Beware GQ after all this rain you'll need good sharp steel
polly
Fuds Bisto does have some gluten which I seem to recall you're trying to limit . Not sure how much .

greenbee

Chicken stock is fine to freeze fuddle. And it keeps in the fridge for ages... if you check it every 3-4 days as long as it hasn't gone sour you can reboil it and it'll keep for another few days.

I don't thicken or brown my gravy. I'm quite happy with it just being meat juice. Once you get used to it, the way it looks doesn't matter. (In fact, I'm highly suspicious of brown gravy with chicken...)

fuddle

I'm ok with gluten, I just have to be careful with over consuming grains. I didn't realise bisto did a powder. I thought it was all little grains of fatty melty stuff. I must educate myself! Stock is in 2 bags in the freezer, ta. The little bit of fat will be used cooking tatties tonight. I'm doing rubber chicken with bits of bacon, broccoli and a cheese sauce.

fuddle

greenbee wrote: »

Chicken stock is fine to freeze fuddle. And it keeps in the fridge for ages... if you check it every 3-4 days as long as it hasn't gone sour you can reboil it and it'll keep for another few days.

I don't thicken or brown my gravy. I'm quite happy with it just being meat juice. Once you get used to it, the way it looks doesn't matter. (In fact, I'm highly suspicious of brown gravy with chicken...)

I did make chicken gravy without browning and it tasted really yummy but as you say it's a life learned acceptance of what it should look like and felt bizarre pouring what looked like dirty dish water over my food.

My grandma taught me gravy making when I was little and if I remember rightly she used veg water, meat stock and thickened with remainder of yorkshire pudding mix... and also that browning salt. So other than colour that browning stuff was probably only adding a bit of salt to the flovour.

Softstuff

Hester you're far from hogging the thread, we don't see enough of you if anything!

mardatha wrote: »

This retired couple is going to shrink by half fast if the other half of it - ie the RV - does not stop GRUMPING SO MUCH.
I need a loan of an axe.

I can lend you a mattock? I'm sure I can explain to customs why I have one in my suitcase...

Fuddle, yes to the chicken stock. At least in this house. No idea on gravy browning I'm afraid, I'm happy enough with dark beige gravy!

mancbird

Hester, I don't really know your situation but from what I've seen on here you are very selfless and go out of your way to help others! Hope the situation improves quickly and sending lots of positive thoughts and strength your way!

We don't have snow here, it's 7 degrees and quite sunny! Washing is out on the airer My FIL lives in Manchester and has snow. He sent us a photo this morning. My four year old is incredibly jealous as he has never seen snow (apart from when he was tiny and he doesn't remember that!)

My oil *might* be delivered today, I really hope it is!!

mancbird

I'm afraid I can't help with the gravy question, I have a phobia of it (!) and so we don't eat it in this house!

nuatha

fuddle wrote: »

Quick Q? Would chicken stock survive freezing and defrosting?

Another quick Q what can I use for gravy browning? My grandma would use comptons gravy salt, producing lovely gravy. I am making my own but then sticking some gravy granules in to brown and I hate that I'm defeating the object.nI can't seem to find comptons.

Tesco still stock Comptons Gravy Salt according to their online system.
My Grandma used gravy browning - a liquid, which a few drops was added to meat gravies to yield the dark colour. You can cook out a roux to fairly dark to both thicken and colour your gravy, I follow my Grandma's method with poultry gravy, which is a medium coloured roux which gives a medium brown thick sauce. I've been known to add a couple of drops of Yorkshire or Worcestershire sauce to meet gravies for colour - like gravy browning a little goes a very long way.
The colour in gravy salt and gravy browning is just caramel, but I haven't succeeded in making a caramel that works for this
HTH

Softstuff wrote: »

Hester you're far from hogging the thread, we don't see enough of you if anything!

Hear, Hear.

nursemaggie

Yes We have snow. Now I am deciding which way to get to Mr M this afternoon. I think it is melting so it could be the shortest way in a couple of hours because the two shortest ways don't get must pedestrian traffic. Whichever way I go it is a very steep hill with my shopping trolley.

GQ no I don't have lots of possessions, it's the things you normally put in an understairs cupboard that are really my problem. DD moves to Malta permanently tomorrow so they will be coming over in a couple of months and will collect the big box of stuff I have of theirs plus the blanket box. Hopefully after that I will be able to take my laundry basket off my chest of draws and not have to keep moving the vacuum cleaner and my shopping trolley around the bedroom to get my clothes and get into bed. I only have a single room with a single bed.

If I had a double bed I would not have room for anything else and I would not be able to get round it to change the sheets.

Neither of us uses a lot of toiletries so that's not a problem. I am looking at buying a little cupboard that goes under the sink to put them and a few toiletries in. They have a cut out bit to go round the pedestal.
They are £19 in B&M.

Update on DS some good news for a change. This week an new younger lad started in their department. DS is so good at his job he is training him and is in charge of him all day. As he says he has moved up the management level already.

They have told him they want to keep him but they don't have any vacancies. If no one leaves before he does they will keep his details and offer him the next job that comes up. They will fast track him into management.

He has not told them he is waiting to hear about an apprenticeship. This would be using his computer qualifications from collage. This would top him up to degree level. The training company have accepted him. They are just looking for a company to set him on with. He could not get a loan to do a degree. Everything looks much better.