Cooking for one

PasturesNew

I've never been one for buying fruit. Growing up mum had two matching bowls on the sideboard, one would sometimes have fruit in it ... which would often just go off. I think a lot of what was in there were apples from the garden and, at Xmas, some oranges.

I did go through a phase of popping out and picking 4-5 apples and putting them into my school bag each morning, then scoffing those throughout the day ... but it was a phase.

I sometimes buy bananas as they keep quite well-ish. I tried Red Grapes the other month for the first time ever and they were delicious ... from Lidl ... then I picked up some from Home Bargains and they were pretty rank. I looked for a couple of satsumas for Xmas, but all were in netted bags of 1.5Kg or so, so I gave it a miss.

"Oh you can buy frozen fruit and keep it in the freezer, soooo handy" - yeah, if the freezer isn't full

caronc

PasturesNew wrote: »

I've never been one for buying fruit. Growing up mum had two matching bowls on the sideboard, one would sometimes have fruit in it ... which would often just go off. I think a lot of what was in there were apples from the garden and, at Xmas, some oranges.

I did go through a phase of popping out and picking 4-5 apples and putting them into my school bag each morning, then scoffing those throughout the day ... but it was a phase.

I sometimes buy bananas as they keep quite well-ish. I tried Red Grapes the other month for the first time ever and they were delicious ... from Lidl ... then I picked up some from Home Bargains and they were pretty rank. I looked for a couple of satsumas for Xmas, but all were in netted bags of 1.5Kg or so, so I gave it a miss.

"Oh you can buy frozen fruit and keep it in the freezer, soooo handy" - yeah, if the freezer isn't full

Apart from brambles from the garden (not cultivated they just invited themselves:)), I don't tend to keep fruit in the freezer. Actually that's not quite true I did freeze some strawberries and blueberries over Christmas and there are 2 bananas to make banana bread. The strawberries have been used in tonight's trifle and the bananas and blueberries will be used up in baking. But I'm going to lay off buying any at all (apart from lemons which I use a lot in cooking) until the summer fruits appear

Tiddlywinks

There's two of us but we still have the 'leftovers' dilemma and I take a different approach. I try to keep all the 'components' (rice, pasta, flour, canned toms, spices etc) of meals in the store cupboard so we can go with a bit more of what we fancy not just what we have to eat because it's there.

I tend not to bother with freezing leftovers; I go more for 'disguising' them with something else the next day(s).

So, something like stew can then be squizzed into a soup (with curry powder or chilli sauce for different flavour) or put a crust on it and bake it. Leftover veg chilli would go with a jacket potato and coleslaw (coleslaw then into sarnies or on a burger on other days).

Or - just put stuff in a pie... most leftovers taste great in a pie .

I think you just have to enjoy food and not force yourself to recycle what you don't fancy. Wasteful I know but life's too short to be miserable over food.

caronc

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

I think you just have to enjoy food and not force yourself to recycle what you don't fancy. Wasteful I know but life's too short to be miserable over food.

Absolutely some of the fruit may well end up in the compost bin - at least it will do some good there :-) That said I do hate waste so do find the freezer a godsend don't mind a bit of disguising of leftovers but if I've made a dish I've enjoyed I'd rather freeze and enjoy the same dish again in the future. Unless it's in a pie you can't ever go wrong with a pie

Tiddlywinks

caronc wrote: »

Unless it's in a pie you can't ever go wrong with a pie

I bought a pie maker last year and it's right up there as one of THE best things I've ever bought. EVER!

No heating up an oven, just switch the little pie making beauty on, it warms up, you shove on the pastry, stuff in the leftovers and close the lid.... 12 minutes later and it's pie heaven .

Just in case you fancy one, here's the one I bought:

Pie maker

Ooh I do love a pie :rotfl:.

caronc

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

I bought a pie maker last year and it's right up there as one of THE best things I've ever bought. EVER!

No heating up an oven, just switch the little pie making beauty on, it warms up, you shove on the pastry, stuff in the leftovers and close the lid.... 12 minutes later and it's pie heaven .

Just in case you fancy one, here's the one I bought:

Pie maker

Ooh I do love a pie :rotfl:.

Oh tempted .............

PasturesNew

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

I bought a pie maker last year and it's right up there as one of THE best things I've ever bought. EVER!

I'm tempted.... I always have my beady eye on them. A1d1 were selling two varieties a few months back: 2 smaller pies, 1 wide pie. Couldn't decide which one I'd buy if I were ever to decide. I can see the benefits of both.

The pie maker could probably fit behind the slow cooker .... so I would have room for it, in theory.

I love pies too, we all do .... they're something I have to "go easy" on though. 10 years ago I weighed 11st3 - today I weigh 8st7 .... pies were one of the high calorie things I am aware of.... I'd eat pies, quiches, pasties every day if there were no such thing as being overweight

Tiddlywinks

PasturesNew wrote: »

I'm tempted.... I always have my beady eye on them. A1d1 were selling two varieties a few months back: 2 smaller pies, 1 wide pie. Couldn't decide which one I'd buy if I were ever to decide. I can see the benefits of both.

The pie maker could probably fit behind the slow cooker .... so I would have room for it, in theory.

I've got mine stored in a Really Useful Box on top of my eye level cabinets so it's dust free and out of the way - I've done this with my sandwich toaster, Ninja and hand blender too.... then just use my little stool to stand on to get the boxes down as needed.

Anyway, back to PIES .

I'd go for the two smaller pie option rather than the big one - that way, you can make one sweet and one savoury or two savouries and put one in the fridge for the next day.

I chose the Salter one because it had the best reviews - some can be a bit hit and miss. Plus it's a 'deep fill' one so the pies are really substantial too.

Making the pies yourself is actually healthier than buying them ready made so it's practically health food :j.

We're probably having pie tonight filled with the leftover stew and mushy peas - food of the Gods .

PasturesNew

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

... on top of my eye level cabinets .... then just use my little stool to stand on to get the boxes down as needed.

I'd need more than a little stool... I need that for regular wall cabinets. 5'1"

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

.... it's practically health food :j.

Tip: Keep some frozen peas in the freezer - simply pop one frozen pea into the top of any pie and it's instantly "healthier". Fact
5 a day ... there's one.

monnagran

Quick query.
These halogen ovens - are we talking about Remouska type things?

x