Cooking for one

PasturesNew

sitesafe wrote: »

Up until a few months ago I'd never used things like coconut milk or ginger or thai green curry paste so it's all a bit of a learning curve

The trouble with this mixture is that there's no way to measure how much of the paste you need. Some jars will say 1-2 spoons, some will expect you to use half a jar/all of it.... so if you "grab a random one you find in a cheap shop" it's difficult to gauge how much to lob in. Of course you can just shove some in, then taste it after a bit, but that's annoying.

I use the combo for slow cooker easy meals. Pack of random meat purchased, tin of coconut milk, whatever paste in the cupboard looks like it needs using up. I keep an eye out for when I see tins of the milk at 50p, I'd not walk into a shop to buy a tin.... I always have one in the cupboard, which I pick up randomly when I spot a 50p one.

When I first got the SC I used to think "Right, meat/curry ... what else can I lob in here". Now I go the other way and just cook meat in the sauce. I figure if you buy a curry from a shop/takeaway it's just meat/sauce, so why was I adding all sorts of random veggies/beans to the pot when there was no need. I can always add those at the point of serving. I didn't want to "stretch it out" I decided. So it's simply meat/milk/paste to create meat in a sauce.

sitesafe

PasturesNew wrote: »

. I keep an eye out for when I see tins of the milk at 50p, I'd not walk into a shop to buy a tin.... I always have one in the cupboard, which I pick up randomly when I spot a 50p one.

I noticed that coconut milk can be quite expensive, even the own brands, the Asian brands seem to be much cheaper but it's getting hold of them. When I worked in Eton the nearest large supermarket was Slough and with it being so multicultural the stores really reflected this. I mean the first thing you saw as you entered the store was large sacks of rice on promotion. You used to get a lot of the KTC branded canned foods - a lot cheaper than even the store brands. But yes I intend to do what you do and stock up if I see any cheaper - I'm workng near the Cotswolds now and noticed the local supermarkets don't stock such a good range of world foods as Slough and surrounds....

PasturesNew

sitesafe wrote: »

... local supermarkets don't stock such a good range of world foods ...

This "world foods aisle" is something that confused me in a lot of threads in MSE when I joined as I wasn't aware of them.

I've always lived in fairly distant/remote areas - even now I'm close to a big town it's 8 miles away so I don't go there.

Any world foods aisles tend to be "a couple of haphazard and random shelves with odd things on them" in my experience.

I always look for 50p tins if I happen to find myself in a B&M/Home Bargains, or any other "cheap shop". I have a low consumption level, so 2 cans/year is enough for me.

2 cans would make 10 meals in a slow cooker .... which is quite enough across a year.

Having said that, I was peering at my sauce collection and my tin of milk the other day thinking "I should buy some meat and do something with that" - I don't buy meat very often as a raw product.... which makes it difficult for any to end up in the SC being made into a curry

I'm not a veggie, it's just that buying any form of meat is quite an overhead in thinking it through, working out what to buy, then actually buying it and using it.

Quite often, rather than making a curry in the SC and having five meals I'll just grab a supermarket meat for one curry and be eating it 10 minutes later without having all the faff

They're nice when done, but then you have to fancy all those other portions and get round to eating them.

caronc

Doom_and_Gloom wrote: »

Reminds me of my OH. He's 30 but loves a sandwich called the fluffernutter. This is a sandwich with marshmallow fluff and peanut butter. I don't know if it should have chocolate spread in it also by definition but that doesn't stop him adding that also, normal or duo versions! He does this toasted as a treat.
A banana would be too healthy in that for him. Only way to get him to eat bananas is banana bread/cake.

I'd never seen marshmallow fluff until someone used in Great British Bake Off a few years ago is it very sickly sweet? Now toast with peanut butter & banana now you're talking

caronc

Sitesafe that sounds like a lovely curry - not had a thai curry for ages must rectify that:)
PN - hope you enjoy your meal out, will be hopefully be worth the food juggling:)

I usually have a box (don't just now) of the Maggi Coconut milk powder as it's great if you just need a small amount if coconut milk. It's not cheap but often on special offer but is brilliant for cooking for one. The other thing I like is the wee pots of Blue Dragon thai pastes for 2 saves trying to use up a jar of paste. Again these are often on special offer:)

I'm having some lentil soup an indulgent smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel for lunch I bought the salmon and bagels for my friend coming over yesterday and there is just enough fish left to make another that's one use up I'm certainly not complaining about :drool:

PasturesNew

caronc wrote: »

Maggi Coconut milk powder

You wouldn't believe how much I've tried to find/buy this. I've visited loads of supermarkets - the biggest ones - and scoured shelves and even asked staff, but they simply don't stock it.

I was looking at this earlier today online as Sainsbobs allegedly have this on offer right now at £2.80.

It IS the answer.... if you live in an area where it's stocked (or are prepared to pay through the nose to buy it online and pay postage too, at which point it doesn't become practical).

I figured if I had that I could make lots of single portion curries on demand... and started looking out for it 3-4 years ago. 2 years ago I made my "special trips to big supermarkets" determined to get it ... but still never did.

Just checking and Asda says "out of stock", so presumably they no longer do it - and I'm sure it was ONLY Asda that used to sell it.

I will go RIGHT NOW ... to my Sainsbobs and if they have it in there I will own it.
mysupermarket says it's a 300 gram pack... that'll last years.

Back later.

caronc

PasturesNew wrote: »

You wouldn't believe how much I've tried to find/buy this. I've visited loads of supermarkets - the biggest ones - and scoured shelves and even asked staff, but they simply don't stock it.

I was looking at this earlier today online as Sainsbobs allegedly have this on offer right now at £2.80.

It IS the answer.... if you live in an area where it's stocked (or are prepared to pay through the nose to buy it online and pay postage too, at which point it doesn't become practical).

I figured if I had that I could make lots of single portion curries on demand... and started looking out for it 3-4 years ago. 2 years ago I made my "special trips to big supermarkets" determined to get it ... but still never did.

It's on special offer at Tesco at the moment for £2.50 I've just bunged one in my online trolley :Dmight be worth a look if you happen to be heading near to one

spirit

PasturesNew wrote: »

.

Today I woke up without much food in the house, feeling that today I'd go shopping for a loaf/eggs. QUOTE]



I don't eat bread these days, but when I did. I'd freeze a sliced loaf and then just take out a slice as I need one. Eggs will keep for a good week or more out of the fridge, longer in it. There will be a use by date on the box.

PasturesNew

spirit wrote: »

I don't eat bread these days, but when I did. I'd freeze a sliced loaf and then just take out a slice as I need one. Eggs will keep for a good week or more out of the fridge, longer in it. There will be a use by date on the box.

I freeze a loaf, but that's about 20% of the freezer taken up, so I try to juggle bread ownership/freezing. What I do is buy a loaf and remove 8 slices and immediately freeze the remaining 12.

I like to buy a loaf at the last minute, closest to when I'll actually start using it. There's often a gap between loaves.

But a loaf/half takes up a LOT of space and is annoying as it's not "interesting food" when you open the freezer hoping to find something fabulous.

PasturesNew

caronc wrote: »

It's on special offer at Tesco at the moment for £2.50 I've just bunged one in my online trolley :Dmight be worth a look if you happen to be heading near to one

I wouldn't be heading near to one for some weeks.

Sainsbobs didn't stock it when I got there - see, so much for these mythical shopping lists you have to make ....

I spoke to the woman doing food tasting (by god that was a hideous 'stir fry' she'd bodged together).... I said about "world food aisles" and she said "Yes, I've been up to cities and they have aisle after aisle - but there are no asians or similar anywhere near here, so we've just got 2 shelves of rice/noodles here".

You can't go online and find out which shops stock which products - the woman said they supply regionally, so even another Sainsbobs close by wouldn't stock them either in all likelihood.

I did ask a staff member which aisle I should look at - and she seemed confused that such a product even existed. I spent a full 10 minutes going up and down that aisle 6-8x double/triple/quadruple checking every product on every shelf, at all heights .... to make sure if it was there I'd find it.

No joy.