Cooking for one

Hollyharvey

PasturesNew wrote: »

While I do occasionally pick up the odd random cookery book at car boot sales, they're usually "slightly unusual" and I have no intention of making anything from them - I'd not spend more than 50p - and it's just to look at pictures of food

I have an Evernote account and keep all my cooking/notes in there as it's searchable. So I'll add a note/recipe and photo of something - it might remind me to make something I'd forgotten about, or it might be for an idea... they're never for "the recipe". Just inspiration/ideas.

I have a few cookery books. Most of them are ones that were mine from the 1970s and 80s and stored at my parents' house. When they passed away I kept some of them. I do make some of the old recipes from that era now. In fact I may have a look through some of them later this evening. They wouldn't appeal to many people much younger than me unless they were researching food for something because a lot of the ingredients available today weren't then.


I also have some baking books as I enjoy baking.


I just had to look up what and Evernote account was, it looks interesting. I think I will open an account it could be useful. Thanks for mentioning that PN.

PasturesNew

I've not been used to having a freezer for most of my lifetime... so it's only since I got one about 2 years ago or so and felt I was "going to stay" here etc.... that I've been trying new foods/things that work/don't work for ME in a freezer.

You have to be really careful that what you put IN really will be used up in 1-3 months max. Any longer than that and you've suddenly a freezer full of food you don't fancy

While I have my "basics" that I buy, stuff like bread, eggs, cheese, potatoes, baked beans .... I've been trying other things here and there to see how it goes. Some things I'm happy to freeze as I know I really WILL get through them at a reasonable rate (eg onions). Some things I discover I should never have bought as a 1Kg frozen bag as they hang around too long (e.g. brussels).

It's a personal and individual preference of what products you buy/freeze/cook because we're all so very different and there's a LOT of choice out there in the world!

I will happily buy family pies and cut them into four, say, as I know I'll be happy to reheat those and eat them. Worst thing I bought, so will never do it again, was two small slabs of raw sausagemeat as I really didn't fancy that at all...took months to get round to resigning myself to cooking it regardless.

Hollyharvey

PasturesNew wrote: »

So it's a big bill.

He's based just 4-5 streets away, so it's not a 20 mile away firm that'll never call. I did try to find/phone others, but didn't get any joy.... so just went with this guy. Proper firm and all that.

These things always seem to cost such a lot of money.


I like to use local people as well if I can. I find that when they are close by they tend to be less likely to let you down or do a bad job because they know that you will 'talk' to other local people and they want to preserve their reputation.

PasturesNew

Hollyharvey wrote: »

I just had to look up what and Evernote account was, it looks interesting. I think I will open an account it could be useful. Thanks for mentioning that PN.

It is free. I've had my account a few years. But, I don't use it as they intend you to. I've got my own little quirky way of using it. There is a toolbar icon where you can just click on that and it adds the webpage you're looking at into your Notebook. I didn't like that as the pages were formatted so differently it made it hard to read for what I was trying to do.

I used to have it installed on my PC (Windows XP) - and it would synchronise between my PC and any device/online and I always had an actual copy on my PC. But they stopped that a while back and so I now just access it entirely online.

PasturesNew

Hollyharvey wrote: »

These things always seem to cost such a lot of money.

Yes, only other people seem to get things done for free, or super-cheap.... for those of us alone, without skills/contacts/mates .... we just have to suck it up.

To put it in perspective.... I never have holidays, can't afford them ... if somebody put the amount down on the table and said "buy a holiday with that" I'd be able to get a week peak season in a caravan in most English resorts!

Hollyharvey

PasturesNew wrote: »

To put it in perspective.... I never have holidays, can't afford them ... if somebody put the amount down on the table and said "buy a holiday with that" I'd be able to get a week peak season in a caravan in most English resorts!

I haven't had a holiday for years now. Thinking about it, it is about 23/24 years.

Anne_Marie_2

PasturesNew wrote: »

I just look at the pretty pictures of things I could have, until something comes to mind of what I'm actually prepared to make.

I'd not buy an ingredient I don't know/don't have just for a recipe I saw; I'd spot the recipe and then aim for "something similar, that looks a bit like that, using what I've got in".

Singles have to have fewer differing items in the cupboards, in order to get round to using them up. That's why I've only ever got ONE jar of jam open at a time...

You can't just have everything in, just in case you might use it.

And, if you buy something and don't like it ... there's a huge cloud hanging over you about using up the rest and getting through those special ingredients.

Most recipes "don't really exist" except to get booked for TV programmes and to write more books to sell. What I mean is, say, there is "cheese & spud pie". That's it. That's all there is in the world ... and all the book writers do is rename it and change something. e.g. "Wensleydale & Jersey New Potato Bake".... that's still cheese/potato pie. So I keep things to being in their purest form, with least additions.

I've seen a lot of telly chefs sliding in a "for one" dish occasionally - what they do is start with cupboards stuffed FULL of ingredients.... they use a lot of ingredients .... they make a HUGE panfull....then they spoon out one bowl full and say "There - for one. Tasty". And I'm thinking "what about all the stuff you had to buy to use a spoon of this, a pinch of that, a stalk of the other" - how're you going to use all that up before it goes off....and let's not forget that 4 pints of the dish you've still got in the big saucepan you used

Love the plain talk you do and no faffing about. :beer:

I actually like trying out new things. If I don't like it, pass the stuff on to someone else. Better that than wasting it, and at least tried.

I don't want to stick to same old all the time, want to try new food/spices that may tickle my taste buds. Love smoked paprika, albeit in tiny amounts, as it can be overpowering. Srirachi sauce, just heard about that a couple of years ago. I like it, but again in moderation, blooming lovely on a fried egg, in a sandwich or roll. It has very likely all the additives, that I normally avoid, but once in a while is okay with me, it hits that spot.
I love chilli, fresh or pickled, again in moderation. Unfortunately two pickled from a jar is my limit without adverse reactions nowadays. Know that I managed more in my twenties to forties. Whatever the reason, I am more careful in how many I take, and really have to stop myself, as know that I will suffer.

PasturesNew

Anne_Marie wrote: »

I actually like trying out new things. If I don't like it, pass the stuff on to someone else. Better that than wasting it, and at least tried.

I've nobody to pass anything to. If I buy it I have to eat it.

My sibling had a cupboard clear out and I ended up with a mixed bag of random stuff (all unopened).... I'm still getting through it. Trying to use food other people have bought is tricky if you've never bought those things for yourself before. I've still 2-3 pouches of curry sauce I keep forgetting to turn into chicken curries as I so rarely buy chicken of any sort. So I have to think of it, remember and get to the point where I'm in a position to fancy/make a chicken curry using one of those pouches.

One item is a jar of harissa... now.... I've never tasted it - I'm sure I'll like it - but I do need to get round to working out how I think I'd best enjoy it, even though I don't know what it tastes of. I'm guessing "it'll be something a bit hot and spicy". I might, one day, try a dab of it on the side of some chips But I'd like to "do it justice" and "use it properly" .... then it comes down to "being bothered.... as it's just me" and any great recipe ideas wouldn't get used.

Who knows...maybe it's a great chip dip

karcher

PasturesNew wrote: »

Yes, only other people seem to get things done for free, or super-cheap.... for those of us alone, without skills/contacts/mates .... we just have to suck it up.

To put it in perspective.... I never have holidays, can't afford them ... if somebody put the amount down on the table and said "buy a holiday with that" I'd be able to get a week peak season in a caravan in most English resorts!

Hollyharvey wrote: »

I haven't had a holiday for years now. Thinking about it, it is about 23/24 years.

If we ask nicely enough, maybe we could have a CF 'Oneskis' holiday at Anne_Marie's gaff in Cyprus :cool:

Only joshin' A_M

Hollyharvey

karcher wrote: »

If we ask nicely enough, maybe we could have a CF 'Onekis' holiday at Anne_Marie's gaff in Cyprus :cool:

Only joshin' A_M

Hehe, that's a good idea