Cooking for one (Mark Two)

Glad

PasturesNew wrote: »

Brisket's now in the SC, started at 9am, so it'll be ready about 3pm.

As I've a 3.5L SC and it was a 1Kg brisket I couldn't actually cover it with the liquid ... so I just filled the SC to within 1" of the rim and will keep an eye on it.

Just rereading this, and sorry if advice not needed but when I cook joints in the SC I only ever put an inch of liquid in the bottom, as long as you don't touch the lid the heat inside cooks the meat and the steam keeps it moist. Covering with liquid means the meat will 'poach'

caronc

Glad wrote: »

Just rereading this, and sorry if advice not needed but when I cook joints in the SC I only ever put an inch of liquid in the bottom, as long as you don't touch the lid the heat inside cooks the meat and the steam keeps it moist. Covering with liquid means the meat will 'poach'

Me too unless I want to "pull" it when I find more liquid works better. Either way you get fab gravy:D

PasturesNew

caronc wrote: »

... 'm so tempted to hoick a piece of brisket out of the freezer to slow cook tomorrow...

I've just cooked mine in the most basic way - using what I've got/could get ... to prevent ingredient overload and faff.

How will you do yours?

Mine's just carrot/onions chopped, lob it in, Bisto stock/Worcs, bit of pepper. Lid on, Low, wait.

As it was poking above the liquid level when it started, 10 minutes ago I lifted the lid and poked it once and it fell into two halves, so I could shove it under the liquid level.

I bought 2.5Kg of spuds while out .... and I'm currently thinking: Giant Yorkie filled with the meat + swede/carrot mash, mashed potatoes, peas, lashings of gravy. That also gets rid of the final piece of swede that's been lurking for the last 3-4 weeks.

PasturesNew

Glad wrote: »

Just rereading this, and sorry if advice not needed but when I cook joints in the SC I only ever put an inch of liquid in the bottom, as long as you don't touch the lid the heat inside cooks the meat and the steam keeps it moist. Covering with liquid means the meat will 'poach'

I did start by thinking I'd do that, then I decided that as I was going for fully moist meat, I'd cover it. I'd use a low level of liquid if I were doing "pulled" that can benefit from the different colours of meat when it's pulled/served.

I'd planned to do it the other way next time... when I next buy one (so Jan/Feb probably).

As for "so long as you don't touch the lid" - one of the troubles is, I'm a bit of a "fiddler/poker" Can't help myself.... have to keep poking things about

caronc wrote: »

Either way you get fab gravy:D

This was also a reason - I wanted to get some gravy to freeze for future Yorkies, actual gravy with meat juices in it, rather than purely relying on granules all the time.

With meat being very rare in my house, there are scant opportunities to make any form of proper meat gravy... probably usually one chance in 1-2 years.

I've probably had just 2-3 pieces of "actual meat" cooked in the last 5 years, relying mostly on small portions, not whole lumps like this.

Need2bthrifty

caronc wrote: »

I had to Google that - sounds lovely:)

It was a new one to me too, I have a couple of slices of baked ham to use up so just googled ham recipes and this came up, I often have a tin of condensed soup in the cupboard so bingo. Although I have made something similar in the past just didnt know it was called Tetrazzini :rotfl:

caronc

PasturesNew wrote: »

I've just cooked mine in the most basic way - using what I've got/could get ... to prevent ingredient overload and faff.

How will you do yours?

I've left the brisket in the freezer but taken out the bit of topside instead. I'm cooking mine pretty basically too: bed of veg (carrot, onion, celery, clove of garlic, bay leaf, thyme, black pepper- I have all of these in), I like to brown the meat in a hot pan before popping it in the SC. I'm defrosting some beef stock LO from a previous roast. It's about 200mls. I'll add that and cook on high for two hours and low for 2-3 hours. I prefer to cool mine overnight so I can take the fat off and will probably pop the meat in a bowl with a saucer & weight on it so it is semi-carveable:)

PasturesNew wrote: »

I did start by thinking I'd do that, then I decided that as I was going for fully moist meat, I'd cover it. I'd use a low level of liquid if I were doing "pulled" that can benefit from the different colours of meat when it's pulled/served.

I'm the opposite- more liquid if I'm pulling it and less if "pot roasting".

Need2bthrifty wrote: »

It was a new one to me too, I have a couple of slices of baked ham to use up so just googled ham recipes and this came up, I often have a tin of condensed soup in the cupboard so bingo. Although I have made something similar in the past just didnt know it was called Tetrazzini :rotfl:

Yes I looked at the rexcipes and thought - oh the pasta bakes I used to make never knew that was what it's called :rotfl:

[Deleted User]

Back from hol in scotland last night, with children and grandchildren. Fab but am exhausted and caught a cold/cough, alone, on the crowded plane. 2 of my family are full on vegans and imo are short on essential minerals but you try telling a vegan that we have omnivore teeth for a reason. I only broached it once and zipped it. Like mention it once and stand back hoping that they have the commonsense to google mineral deficiency when they are home. They are aware of vitamins and take the right supplement for that but minerals are even more important

Back on my normal food thank goodness, spelt and full cream non homogenised for breakfast, dark choc soon after, scrambled egg on spelt with butter for early lunch and soon after a berry/rhubarb medley plus pecans plus half a yoghurt. The feeling of unwellness is stopping me from proper cooking, oh crikey I just remembered my, now brown topped, baked apples, 5 done with raisins and honey in water. Will be gorgeous. Last meal will be hm pasta sauce and spelt pasta. Then I will try and stay awake until 10, 5 more hours after eating. I have added some astragalus to my daily pill intake for a few days and am staying in until better

caronc

kittie wrote: »

Back from hol in scotland last night, with children and grandchildren. Fab but am exhausted and caught a cold/cough, alone, on the crowded plane. 2 of my family are full on vegans and imo are short on essential minerals but you try telling a vegan that we have omnivore teeth for a reason. I only broached it once and zipped it. Like mention it once and stand back hoping that they have the commonsense to google mineral deficiency when they are home. They are aware of vitamins and take the right supplement for that but minerals are even more important

Back on my normal food thank goodness, spelt and full cream non homogenised for breakfast, dark choc soon after, scrambled egg on spelt with butter for early lunch and soon after a berry/rhubarb medley plus pecans plus half a yoghurt. The feeling of unwellness is stopping me from proper cooking, oh crikey I just remembered my, now brown topped, baked apples, 5 done with raisins and honey in water. Will be gorgeous. Last meal will be hm pasta sauce and spelt pasta. Then I will try and stay awake until 10, 5 more hours after eating. I have added some astragalus to my daily pill intake for a few days and am staying in until better

Hope you had good weather and not the wet, cold, miserable stuff here today!

PasturesNew

I've made up a thick batch of Yorkie pud mix.... I'm going to go for more of a "stodgy pudding" bake later on today .... I DO love a bottom stodge.

Years ago there were TWO types of Yorkie: The batter pudding style - and the crispy puff. These days Yorkies have tended more towards the puff variety, still calling them puddings, but I've always preferred the old "thick pudding/stodge base" style.



I'll have to see how that turns out in the dish I've got, I suspect it'll be a little shallow, but I'll watch and adjust things as it bakes.

I don't know when I'll make it - I'd pop out for some sausages ... but that's just food overload, so I might simply open a tin of beans/sausages to serve with that. So HARD to decide... so many directions one could go in.

EDIT: Just realised the flaw in the above... worktop room. I've not got the space to do that. With the SC plugged in, beside the nuker, I've no room to put the mini oven as I usually move the nuker to the right and put the mini oven where the nuker was - trouble is, I put the SC to the right of the nuker... so no space.

Not sure what I'll be eating now. I can only make something that doesn't involve the mini oven... or JUST requires the mini oven, which I can do by removing the nuker entirely.

That's the trouble with small/poorly designed kitchens... there's nowhere to put things you want/need.

I only realised I couldn't do it after I'd put out the recycling (to free up space) and decanted 1 litre of gravy from the SC... I was hoping to move it along just enough to fit the 3 items in side by side... but I've only two plugs and it all seemed such a faff by then that I've just wandered off.

EDIT 2: Sorted. Jiggled the SC to the extent of its cable (too close to the sink for comfort) ... jiggled up the nuker ... put the mini oven next to that.
Just re-heating two sausage rolls for lunch

The meat's starting to REALLY smell gorgeous now ....

Farway

Need2bthrifty wrote: »

It was a new one to me too, I have a couple of slices of baked ham to use up so just googled ham recipes and this came up, I often have a tin of condensed soup in the cupboard so bingo. Although I have made something similar in the past just didnt know it was called Tetrazzini :rotfl:

Same here, I got my original recipe from the side of a condensed soup tin, but it was not called that. Now I fancy it again after all these years

PN, A good spot on the brisket, bet it is lovely. Reminds me of a lunch I had this summer, it was brisket in a bun, here http://www.hareandhoundshotel.net/ jammed full of yummy beef

Bit windy but bright, up early, just right for a porridge breakfast, with banana, Greek yoghurt & honey

Lunch I decide should be easy on tum stuff, so it was nuked scrambled eggs on toast, with a fresh tomato.

Plus a slice of my HM tea cake, still lots left due to gippy tum the other day

I think dinner will be light & easy to accommodate tum, don't want to start it off again.

Plan is a 1950s style salad, slices of cold ham, boiled eggs, lettuce, tom & cuc, plus salad cream

If I had the bits in I could make a 1950s trifle for after, or tinned mixed fruit with evaporated milk:)