What OS tip didn't work for you?

newlywed

I used to rinse out sandwich bags..... life's too short

I tried cheaper mince - back to lean steak mince for us.

Hated cheap washing up liquid.

Kept forgetting to soak beans overnight so never cooked them in time... so went back to tins

Didn't like cheaper teabags, or the cheap lidl wine I tried

troll35

Here's something I thought wasn't possible. I swapped from buying Aldi flour to morrisons value flour as you got far more flour for your money. Now the value flour has been fine for baking but for making playdough (I'm a childminder) it has been absolutely rubbish. The playdough was only lasting a few days before it was going all sticky and yuck. I tried making it in different ways (not cooking it, cooking it in the microwave, storing it in the fridge, wrapping it in clingfilm as well as putting it in an airtight box etc) without success. I thought it couldn't possibly be the flour...I mean flour is flour isn't it. But as soon as I swapped back to using aldi flour to make the playdough it's lasting for ages again.

KarrieBee

The slow cooker - i want it to work I really do but it just isn't a patch on the stews i make in the cast iron casserole dish in the oven! perhaps i shouldjust freecycle it and get it over with...
Stardrops I like but OH doesn't so when he cleans it is ecover stuff!

SunnyGirl

I won't buy thin bleach. I know its cheaper but I like a good clinging bleach for the loo. Stores own brand does it great.

vixtress

KarrieBee wrote: »

The slow cooker - i want it to work I really do but it just isn't a patch on the stews i make in the cast iron casserole dish in the oven!

me too! i have tried and tried but everything just tastes over cooked to me :rolleyes: any tips would be greatfully received!

s4aRainyDay

newlywed wrote: »

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Kept forgetting to soak beans overnight so never cooked them in time... so went back to tins

I always forgot to soak the beans as well, so one day i soaked 2 packets and cooked them all, have bags of cooked kidney beans and chickpeas in the bottom of the freezer. Then I just use a few as and when, also means I don't have to use a whole tin (there are only 2 of us)

But i was never sure if boiling them for 4hrs made it really cheaper!

geordie_joe

vixtress wrote: »

me too! i have tried and tried but everything just tastes over cooked to me :rolleyes: any tips would be greatfully received!

Try cooking it for less time. I see many people on here boasting that they cooked a meal, or joint of meat for ten hours in the SC. Then I think "I cooked the same meal/joint for five hours and it was perfect".

milkybars

Me and OH made a pact to try two lower brand/cheaper options in every supermarket shop (usually fortnightly). So far we've had a 50% success rate:

Shop 1: Success - value oats for porridge, Reverted back - to Nescafe gold coffee (him not me!)
Shop 2: Success - value flour (although no playdough making here!), Reverted back - tried frozen sweetcorn (just not as tasty as tinned)
Shop 3: Success - Value raspberry ripple freezer mousse (like a throw back to my tiny years), Reverted back - kitchen bin liners but we do still use any charity shop bags that come through the door and we can't fill, they seem to fit really well
Shop 4: Chose: Value kidney beans and lower-brand-but-not-quite-value toilet roll - will let you know how we get on with these!

Oh and I sneakily sniffed a bottle of Stardrops in a cheap shop the other day but decided I liked the smell of flash all purpose much better.

SnowyOwl_2

I tried a bread maker - yeah the bread was good but what a faff....and it took too long. I gave the bm to my mother.

I have tried soaking dried chickpeas then boiling them forever and a day on the hob. Unfortunately I just don't have the patience....a few times I have left them soaking for too long and the stink they gave off was ughhhhh yuk! You can't go wrong with a tin.

I love my slow cooker, Stardrops is alright I suppose, but since I've been using vinager to condition clothes find that there is no more mildew or sticky mess in the washing machine drawer.

funfairprincess

SunnyGirl wrote: »

I won't buy thin bleach. I know its cheaper but I like a good clinging bleach for the loo. Stores own brand does it great.

I'm the same SunnyGirl no thin bleach here and I do love my stardrops but then I think in my neck of the woods we are Stardrop fanatics, no need for supermarkets you can pick it up with the paper in any corner shop.
Value kidney and butter beans I won't buy now, back to the real tins. I buy other value tinned food but as I don't eat anything else I have no way of knowing exactly what it's like. The weans have only ever complained about value tomato soup so back to heinz for that but other things they seem happy with. Cheap tea,coffee, washing up liquid no way but I find shops own brand washing (clothes) liquid OK but still use lenor softener. Oh! and never buy value chocolate I want the real thing or nothing:rotfl: