Cooking for one

caronc

kittie wrote: »

Oh just remembered I did excess steamed potatoes, yummy that means fried crispy potato slices with the sauce tomorrow, might even add a scrambled egg

I love that sort of combo for brunch could I have a dash of tabasco in my egg:D

Tiddlywinks

I made some rice using cauliflower in the old processor yesterday and had half of it last night with ratatouille (gawd that took me four attempts to spell LOL) - it still tasted like cauliflower though.

I'm now knocking up the second half of the cauli-rice with the rest of the courgettes and am adding stuff left, right and centre to try to disguise the cauli-taste.... don't get me wrong, I love cauli BUT I want this rice to taste, well, like rice.... Oh well......

PasturesNew

Farway wrote: »

Just had a search, waste of time and more faffing, seems make a cake mix as per normal but stick the cake tin in Actifry instead of oven, could say same about using your car to bake a cake, put cake tin on engine and drive 200 miles :mad:

That's what I'd have guessed the method was as I was reading through ....

Yes, "you can" doesn't always mean it's actually reasonable or practical for most people.



You can make lemonade in them too .... remove the tin ... pour in the lemon squash and water, stir, drink. All under the heading of "pointless" init

Tiddlywinks

PasturesNew wrote: »

LOL. Car boot ... .

Ah... that was a good find - I've been looking for something like that for years - even tried to make one with a grill thing and some bricks... which kind of worked but wasn't portable and was a real eye-sore.

PasturesNew wrote: »

I like fondue, but the quantity involved simply makes it not worth bothering with.

You can always use the leftovers the next day as a sauce or something..... Fondue is great for pigging out (or grazing if you're more restrained) whilst sitting in the garden and reading. Reach, dip, munch .

PasturesNew wrote: »

The other thing I intend building at some point is a solar oven for one. Not this year though, next year I'll be in the mindset/mood to build it for the garden. That'd be to cook pies, burgers etc without any power source. Needs a bit of time/fiddling though to get it right..

Wow - that sounds like something useful to have come the zombie apocalypse. This frame of reference is now my 'go-to' consideration since I've been spending all my free time reading freebie Kindle horror books.

You must be very technical minded - I envy you.

Tiddlywinks

Farway wrote: »

I was reading Which magazine, doing a review on Actifry, ype is good. Point is they mentioned they can make cakes in them, and now I need to find out how and just make one

Just had a search, waste of time and more faffing, seems make a cake mix as per normal but stick the cake tin in Actifry instead of oven, could say same about using your car to bake a cake, put cake tin on engine and drive 200 miles :mad:

Those 'info-mercials' are always suggesting ways to use things which are even more time consuming than the original way... it's just to convince us that something is extra useful.

It's like the handbook says I could make a cake or jam in the bread maker BUT it's still going to be as messy and hard on clean-up as it would if using an over or hob..... so why bother?

Now my pie maker - that's another story.... I'd lose a lot of stuff before I let go of that .

PasturesNew

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

Ah... that was a good find - I've been looking for something like that for years - even tried to make one with a grill thing and some bricks... which kind of worked but wasn't portable and was a real eye-sore.

If you want it portable ... all you'd need would be four wine bottle corks to lift the grill bit off the ground instead of bricks.

If you've been searching "years" I'll sell you this one for £20

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

... sitting in the garden and reading. Reach, dip, munch .

Seagulls the size of small dogs says it's not a good idea to eat outside unless you've taken lots of precautions and tested it a few times to check for being poo'ed on ... surrounded/squawked at, or robbed of food.

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

Wow - that sounds like something useful to have come the zombie apocalypse. This frame of reference is now my 'go-to' consideration since I've been spending all my free time reading freebie Kindle horror books.

You must be very technical minded - I envy you.

The basis of a solar oven is: A small box that won't catch fire if it gets hot (but that's just my fear, a cardboard box will do), painted black, with a black pot for the food - and tin foil on the inside and a glass cover (optional) ... all concentrating heat. Having a sort of funnel with shiny sides, again directing more heat, it's better (but harder to make as it's more faff).

It's not hard .... if I actually set out to gather materials and bodge one together it wouldn't actually take THAT long ... but it is something you need to say "Yes, today I'm doing that".

Quite a few large/small/good/cr4p examples on youtube. Some really simple to make ... some quite overly-complex.

You can do it with just a simple cardboard box, black paper, foil .... open cardboard box, line with black paper. Line the inside of the four "flaps" (that were the top of the box) with foil, tilt those at an angle to catch sunrays and concentrate them down towards the black paper ... where you put your food. Wait a long time for it to cook ... eat. e.g. a pizza start to finish might take just over 2 hours to cook the base, then the toppings.

Worth it though, eh!

Tiddlywinks

PasturesNew wrote: »

The basis of a solar oven is: A small box that won't catch fire if it gets hot (but that's just my fear, a cardboard box will do), painted black, with a black pot for the food - and tin foil on the inside and a glass cover (optional) ... all concentrating heat. Having a sort of funnel with shiny sides, again directing more heat, it's better (but harder to make as it's more faff).

Ahhhh - I see - I thought you were going to use solar panels and have some sort of techie thing going on .

Feeling a bit stupid now.

PasturesNew

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

Ahhhh - I see - I thought you were going to use solar panels and have some sort of techie thing going on .

Feeling a bit stupid now.

There are a wide variety of "properly built, commercial products" in the market now .... but no need for panels as they all rely just on metal becoming very very hot when left long enough.

There's a fab looking BBQ solution if you're wealthy enough to afford it (about £75-80).

There's even a BAG - like a tote/shopping bag you simply put over your dish! But that's for the wealthy too (about £60).

"Everybody and his dog" are marketing their version... but it all comes down to "something that surrounds your food/dish so it gets really hot when left in the sun"

Looking at the bag solutions, it looks like anybody could make one from one of those windscreen covers and a bit of silver foil

caronc

PasturesNew wrote: »

If you want it portable ... all you'd need would be four wine bottle corks to lift the grill bit off the ground instead of bricks.

If you've been searching "years" I'll sell you this one for £20


Seagulls the size of small dogs says it's not a good idea to eat outside unless you've taken lots of precautions and tested it a few times to check for being poo'ed on ... surrounded/squawked at, or robbed of food.



The basis of a solar oven is: A small box that won't catch fire if it gets hot (but that's just my fear, a cardboard box will do), painted black, with a black pot for the food - and tin foil on the inside and a glass cover (optional) ... all concentrating heat. Having a sort of funnel with shiny sides, again directing more heat, it's better (but harder to make as it's more faff).

It's not hard .... if I actually set out to gather materials and bodge one together it wouldn't actually take THAT long ... but it is something you need to say "Yes, today I'm doing that".

Quite a few large/small/good/cr4p examples on youtube. Some really simple to make ... some quite overly-complex.

You can do it with just a simple cardboard box, black paper, foil .... open cardboard box, line with black paper. Line the inside of the four "flaps" (that were the top of the box) with foil, tilt those at an angle to catch sunrays and concentrate them down towards the black paper ... where you put your food. Wait a long time for it to cook ... eat. e.g. a pizza start to finish might take just over 2 hours to cook the base, then the toppings.

Worth it though, eh!

We used to make "sun ovens" when we did "wildish" camping in the guides - didn't realise it was the same thing doh . They do take an age though and don't think we managed anything more exciting than hotdogs and beans with baked bananas for pud We also used "hay" boxes (no actual hay involved) - stew was started on the morning camp fire - the pot was well wrapped in an old sleeping bag and left to cook while we did other things mainly hill walking, we were always starving when we got back and it cooked a treat:D

Tiddlywinks

caronc wrote: »

We also used "hay" boxes (no actual hay involved) - stew was started on the morning camp fire - the pot was well wrapped in an old sleeping bag and left to cook while we did other things mainly hill walking, we were always starving when we got back and it cooked a treat:D

Someone mentioned some kind of thermal bag that kept in the heat to keep stuff cooking - they made one themselves... if only I could remember which thread it was on. It was definitely on the Old Style board.

Just finished my cauli-rice... in the end I'd added garlic, olives, courgettes, mixed herbs, mixed peppers, onion and still it tasted like cauli.... then added a pasta sauce.... still cauli .

I've decided to abandon the cauli-rice idea and use couscous instead. Or - novel idea - just use rice .