Cooking for one (Mark Two)

Farway

PasturesNew wrote: »

I popped to L1dl - and for those CFO moments when you only need a tiny frying pan ...they're selling Ernesto small frying pans at the moment, £2.99. Difficult to say how small they are .... think "individual small quiche" sized, so 4" or so. You'd fit just ONE fried egg in one ... or one burger. No more.

Found a link: https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/Offers.htm?articleId=5315

Thanks, I was in there this morning but was not looking in that area. Seems a handy CFO size, my lonely egg tends to go everywhere in the pan, this size may control it. I'll look out for them next time I'm in, which I think may be Sunday 'cos I'm thinking of getting a min oven https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/Non-Food-Offers.htm?articleId=5383

Stewed the apples, added cinnamon which I think someone here mentioned using

Now time to put the steamed on

moneyistooshorttomention

Farway - another thought re cooking a solitary egg being to poach it direct in water.

I always just sort of assumed eggs had to be poached in an egg poaching pan with a little bit of oil put into the container bits for them.

Duh! ....and then I read about boiling up a saucepan of water and swirling the water round madly in there and gently pouring the egg/s into said water. Actually - so no oil and they actually cook a good bit faster than in an egg poaching pan.

[Deleted User]

Yet again, I need to go backwards to read posts, manic life at the moment. I have to `blame` mostly the allotment and all the picking and processing I need to d,o to preserve the produce for all through the winter months. Its going very well, loads of veg done in a way that will make cooking good food very easy

I needed something quick to eat that satisfies mouth hunger and I turn to scones for the freeezer but not yer normal scones. They are a quick 15 minute bake and are cooling now.The same sr flour, rubbed in soya spread, added xylitol for a bit of sweetness but not needed, this time, chopped pistacheos and dried raspberries, whatever is in and handy, I added kefir which had been frozen. Quickly mix with a knife, light roll out into any shape and cut into any shape portions with a knife. Easy peasy and all cleaned up while they baked. Could add an egg for extra goodness but I only have 6 for the week

I`ll be back properly when the growing season slows :wave:

yes money, scarey alright

PasturesNew

Farway wrote: »

.... thinking of getting a min oven

That is precisely the one I've got. I'd recommend them to anybody, but I would just check what they expected.

Issues you can encounter come from the fact that the bottom element can get a little hotter than you'd like - this means if you try to cook something like pastry, it can burn on the bottom before it's cooked on the top - really needs some way of distributing heat better or shielding the bottom of a dish at times like that.

I did actually melt an oven meal for one container as it stuck to the little grill tray.... and entirely melted holes - using just the bottom element (which is the oven mode). Once cooled, the plastic did just crack off OK... but if you are putting a meal for one in a dish in there, then remove it from the supplied dish and put it in a proper dish of your own.

My dad's one used to have more of a traditional black thicker little baking tray, the one supplied with these is aluminium.

Overall - they're good. Mine's worked every time without issue (owned 18 months now). It cooks, heats, reheats .... and if this one blew up I'd get another (although I'd look more carefully at features/finishes as this time I'd KNOW I get on with them).

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

.... poach it....

I do these in my nuker.

It's not the same as an oily eggy with crispy bits though is it

I've made more of a "faux" one by cracking the egg - so letting it spread like a fried one does... and just nuking it in the smallest amount of water, so it "looks like a fried one".

PasturesNew

Trying to avoid going out to buy a bag of my ex-favourite choccies (favourite for flavour/price originally, but now not such a good price deal at all).... I've cracked open a new jar of drinking chocolate and the mini marshmallows

Farway

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Farway - another thought re cooking a solitary egg being to poach it direct in water.

I always just sort of assumed eggs had to be poached in an egg poaching pan with a little bit of oil put into the container bits for them.

Duh! ....and then I read about boiling up a saucepan of water and swirling the water round madly in there and gently pouring the egg/s into said water. Actually - so no oil and they actually cook a good bit faster than in an egg poaching pan.

If you had seen the poached eggs I have tried & ruined over the decades you would understand why I fry them. I know exactly how to poach eggs, and I have loads of "easy" egg poachers, including nuker ones.

Result is always disaster, never looks like the ones on the TV, or in a cafe when I have eggs Benedict, mine look more like an exploding spiral galaxy, so due to CBA anymore I now just fry or scramble the devils :mad:

Thanks for info on the cooker PN, I will continue to use the gas oven mainly, for things like crumbles / pies / casseroles but thought a little mini oven would be ideal for say a quick pizza. One reason is bending to lift hot food out of the oven, sometimes I think it gets a bit dodgy. I've got a nice enameled solid steel tray which should do the job from your description

Dinner was the last of freezer chicken, steamed along with last of the fresh cabbage & broccoli, plus runners. Then some of the still warm stewed apples & Greek yoghurt

PasturesNew

Farway wrote: »

.... continue to use the gas oven mainly, for things like crumbles / pies / casseroles but thought a little mini oven would be ideal for say a quick pizza. One reason is bending to lift hot food out of the oven, sometimes I think it gets a bit dodgy. I've got a nice enameled solid steel tray which should do the job from your description

A 10" pizza usually "juuuust" grazes, or almost touches, the sides of the oven ... so if your tray's <10" it'll fit.

Today I've used it twice...to heat up my sausage rolls.

I don't usually pre-heat it, making a saving in time as well as cost. If I am just using the oven function then I'll give it a 4-5 minute blast of the top and bottom elements to get it up to temperature, that's all it needs, then knock it back to oven (bottom) only.

It's VERY lightweight - they weigh about the same as a toaster to bring home. Not heavy like a nuker.

I had planned on getting one, then decided that I was going to cook my own Xmas dinner. I decided that the night I came home from going out elsewhere for Xmas dinner 2015, so bought it early 2016. I used it to cook the roast parsnips, potatoes, stuffing and (premade) Yorkies for last year's Xmas Dinner in it.... doing the turkey in the slow cooker. Not one for eating skin (ewww) I didn't need a crispy skin - and it was "just me" for dinner, so nobody to moan.

I don't use a full oven at all, ever. Nor a hob. Everything I do is "small scale" with the nuker, toaster, SC and mini.

caronc

Good evening everyone,
Through a combination of meds, will power and the support of my lovely hair dresser I've been thoroughly shorn , I've gone from thick bushy hair halfway down my back to a sleek, jawline bob. She took a whopping 2lb 7ozs of hair off of it (she got the junior to weigh it!) and suffice to say I left a very good tip as she only charged for a standard dry cut despite the time and effort. I feel and look like a different person
I'm off to my friends' in the country for a wee overnight tomorrow, she making fish "tapas" so I've been asked to make trout pate. The trout has been poached and once cooled a bit I'll whack it in the blender with the other ingredients so easy peasy. I've got some nice mini chilli oatcakes to go with it. I'm fair looking forward to staying over as the chat is always good and they are very welcoming hosts. I must remember to take some treats for their pooch or she will never forgive me!

Still haven't decided what to have with the oven chips......

PasturesNew

caronc wrote: »

... dry cut ...

I used to have those... difficult to find places that'll do them now! I just want my hair streaking ... local salon £70+, local hairdressing college £70+ ... hairdressing college 30 miles away's about £30 so I keep intending to book in there (then I forget).

caronc wrote: »

Still haven't decided what to have with the oven chips......

Seconds!

It can be hard to choose sometimes .... this or that, or this AND that ... and what of beans/peas....and before you know it you've spent 5 hours wondering what to go with them ...

caronc

PasturesNew wrote: »

I used to have those... difficult to find places that'll do them now! I just want my hair streaking ... local salon £70+, local hairdressing college £70+ ... hairdressing college 30 miles away's about £30 so I keep intending to book in there (then I forget).


Seconds!

It can be hard to choose sometimes .... this or that, or this AND that ... and what of beans/peas....and before you know it you've spent 5 hours wondering what to go with them ...

Tbh streaking etc. is expensive at my hairdresser too and she only usually does a dry cut for kids & OAPs. However, I've had the same hairdresser for over 20 years so she knows the problems I'm having so just charges me that though I'd happily pay for a bit more on top which I appreciate as I couldn't manage anything else that involved sinks & hair driers!

Have decided on a steak bake, peas & chips with a spot of extra gravy. Though if it's anything like the other in the pack I'll be hunting the steak in the bake. Tasty though and it's what I fancy