Cooking for one (Mark Three)

PasturesNew

In my "must use it up" stash, I bizarrely purchased THREE tins of cherry tomatoes at a CoOp well over year ago. I've no idea what possessed me to do that really, I think it was the price as three tins were for £1 (33p each). I've never had these before, so not really sure what to expect to see when I've opened the tin.


It's for that reason that I've never got round to using them. I had thought they'd be good in a quiche, but until I've opened the first tin and looked inside, I was never confident enough to do it ...

I now think I have to get round to it, so, once I've finished off the pasties, I'll mix a couple of onions with a tin of those, with some of that basmati - and maybe a squirt of ketchup (have to see how it all looks at that stage). I might then choose to add paprika ... but until I open the tin and see what they look like/what juice there is, it's all a bit up in the air. I'll also possibly add sausages... which I've not got at the moment.

All I know is: I have to open/use these tins soon/somehow - and "fear" of opening the first one has stopped me so far as you can have something in mind, but when you see it you realise it's "not right to do that with it"...

moneyistooshorttomention

I'm saying nowt re "fear" of trying out a new food product - as I get nervous about using any new (technology type) product and some other products as well. Does take me a while sometimes to get round to trying a new-to-me food item I've bought - but that tends to be because I've forgotten it's sitting there on the shelf.

Reason being - in case they've been too poorly designed/explanation with them and they'll be a hassle to use. These days I worry about the (pretty likely) possibiity they'll have something wrong with them - poor quality manufacture etc, and the attendant hassle I'd then have of getting my money back/trying to have it fixed/etc (delete as appropriate). Yep....have been summoning up nerve to see about a fault in the cookerhob (new kitchen installed last year) - even though I took the precaution of buying a German one (rather than British) and it's finally on my to-do list for later today to go and tell them to "sort it".

I just want to buy something/know it'll be easy to use and clear instructions if required/it will last a reasonable amount of time and I know the odds of all that aren't very high...:cool:

Stoke

PasturesNew wrote: »

That'll be because you learnt to provide food for yourself
You don't need a woman.

Haha.... actually, it was because of this that I learnt to provide for myself When my missus left, I realised I was only good for baked beans and the occasional fry up

I'm a little bit better now.... not much mind

caronc

Good afternoon everyone,

Welcome to CFO Stoke- sounds as though you've found what works for you when you're tight for time and much more MSE than resorting to a takeaway:D.
You got a good load of stuff for £8 PN:cool:.
It's back to windy & stormy here with gales and rain forcast for this afternoon. I had some things I need to do outside today so have got them out of the way before the weather closed in.
In my mission to be cosier this year without ramping up my heating bills I've had a critical look through my winter wardrobe and while I bought a few bits this time last year I definitely don't have enough base layers etc. so I've made a list. I was ruthless in the Spring and got rid of stuff that was well past it's best. I wasn't intending to buy any more clothes this year but reckon this will be a good spend and should last me a few years. (That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it;):D).
Lunch is going to be a repeat of yesterday's scotch egg/kholrabi slaw. Tonight I'm veering off my meal plan as I have a whopping Brandywine tomato that just shouts "stuff me" :rotfl:. I haven't quite decided what the stuffing will be but dinner will be a stuffed tomato and kholrabi "chips".:)

PasturesNew

Stoke wrote: »

Haha.... actually, it was because of this that I learnt to provide for myself When my missus left, I realised I was only good for baked beans and the occasional fry up

I'm a little bit better now.... not much mind

So long as you live near a (good) kebab shop ... this doesn't matter

I love beans. Beans on toast, for breakfast, with pies, with chips. They are one of my main food items and I am rarely without 4 cans in the cupboard.

I have "weird issues" - I'm scared of anything/everything. Can't use the oven/scared, can't use the hob/scared. Scared of flames, scared anything electrical will start a fire (in itself, or in the walls of a house).

I've had to develop ways of cooking most things that I can bear to do... even the microwave or mini oven I use can only be used for X minutes, with me watching it. Microwave for 10 minutes = do it 3x 3 minutes ... oven/grill for 25-30 minutes = do it 3x at 10 minutes a go

Right now I'm making mashed spuds in the microwave.... 3 minutes at a time, although that doesn't matter too much as they do need turning to check.... but I do worry when there's a lot of water/steam/condensation inside the microwave, so will also wipe it down inside each 2-3 minutes

Stoke

PasturesNew wrote: »

So long as you live near a (good) kebab shop ... this doesn't matter

I love beans. Beans on toast, for breakfast, with pies, with chips. They are one of my main food items and I am rarely without 4 cans in the cupboard.

I have "weird issues" - I'm scared of anything/everything. Can't use the oven/scared, can't use the hob/scared. Scared of flames, scared anything electrical will start a fire (in itself, or in the walls of a house).

I've had to develop ways of cooking most things that I can bear to do... even the microwave or mini oven I use can only be used for X minutes, with me watching it. Microwave for 10 minutes = do it 3x 3 minutes ... oven/grill for 25-30 minutes = do it 3x at 10 minutes a go

Right now I'm making mashed spuds in the microwave.... 3 minutes at a time, although that doesn't matter too much as they do need turning to check.... but I do worry when there's a lot of water/steam/condensation inside the microwave, so will also wipe it down inside each 2-3 minutes

Have you tried an air fryer. Really really safe and although they're slightly less efficient than a gas oven, not much.

Edit: I live near several good kebab shops.... trust me, they're a constant thorn Weight loss sabotage!!

PasturesNew

Stoke wrote: »

Have you tried an air fryer. Really really safe and although they're slightly less efficient than a gas oven, not much.

Edit: I live near several good kebab shops.... trust me, they're a constant thorn Weight loss sabotage!!

It's on the list to work up to the nerve to try one.... but, here, I've no room to store/use it.... and my house is currently up for sale. So it's on the list as a "maybe" if the next place is bigger. I have a fear of "anything that plugs in" - especially anything designed to get hot.

For kebab shops (I don't live near a good one) - you can ask for "kebab meat only", most do it. That gets you the meat/salad, but no pitta bread - and don't ask for a dollop of the fattening mayo, choose the chilli sauce. Every little helps. A good sized "meat only" kebab, for me would last two meals. I weigh 8 stone 4lbs (52.6Kg)... so I keep meals smallish else I'd soon weigh double

caronc

I seldon have a kebab but when I do I want the "works" in all it's calorific glory:D.
I do sometimes make "fake" donner meat in the slow cooker. Not done one for a while- my son is home next week that could be dinner one night sorted as I have lamb mince in the freezer.:)

Stoke

PasturesNew wrote: »

It's on the list to work up to the nerve to try one.... but, here, I've no room to store/use it.... and my house is currently up for sale. So it's on the list as a "maybe" if the next place is bigger. I have a fear of "anything that plugs in" - especially anything designed to get hot.

For kebab shops (I don't live near a good one) - you can ask for "kebab meat only", most do it. That gets you the meat/salad, but no pitta bread - and don't ask for a dollop of the fattening mayo, choose the chilli sauce. Every little helps. A good sized "meat only" kebab, for me would last two meals. I weigh 8 stone 4lbs (52.6Kg)... so I keep meals smallish else I'd soon weigh double

So the reason I suggest the air fryer is because the inside is hot, but the outside really isn't. Mine is only a cheap one from The Range, but I've had it for going on 2 years now and it has been worth every penny. The hot air is expelled from the rear, so you can place it in a convenient location and not even know that it 's warm. It's quiet and has a safety shutoff and a timed shutoff so you can't really go wrong. Really, the only thing you need to remember is that the basket you put the food in will get hot, a bit like any other basket for cooking food in

Good effort on maintaining 8 stone 4 lbs!!

Stoke

caronc wrote: »

I seldon have a kebab but when I do I want the "works" in all it's calorific glory:D.
I do sometimes make "fake" donner meat in the slow cooker. Not done one for a while- my son is home next week that could be dinner one night sorted as I have lamb mince in the freezer.:)

I do like to do my own fakeaways. Burgers are my favourite. I make my own burgers from 5% mince and various spices.... If I want a proper job, I'll get brioche buns etc. If I'm just trying to minimise and do a health(ier)y version, then I'll use brown sandwich thins and just a smidgen of margarine to add a bit of flavour to the bread. The thins reduce the calories significantly.