Cooking for one (Mark Three)

AndyCF

caronc wrote: »

Good evening everyone,
:wave:Andy nice to see you posting, did you by chance get the spuds in Farmfoods? It's only place I've noticed the "Smedley" brand in recent years.

Hi! No, there were in the local B+M , which is all I have for a 'supermarket' now save a long 45 min walk. They are not on their site either, I found them by accident lurking on a lower shelf hidden by an isle display. Hence my partially silly comments about pre-decimal price and checking for a suitable use-by date!

There is a mini Tes and mini Sain in opposite directions (from here), they are both about 20 min away. Unfortunately they are both relatively small and by their nature are more a 'local' type place rather than too much branded, the former is to be honest quite bad at this but the latter is a bit better. The prices having said that are reasonable all in all. Other local shops really are just the small corner type places and a selection of Eastern European outlets, to be fair they are quite good and I get a few cheap bits from one of them. I can't complain really as aside from the 20min thing the others are all within 5 minutes.

caronc wrote: »

whmf - I have an tin of PEK in my cupboard, I like it chopped through nasi goreng or singapore noodles. I was less keen when my Mum used to make us a quick dinner of that, the dreaded tinned mixed veg and tinned or instant potatoes. I used to always hope she'd open baked beans instead of the veg:). I used to like it or similiar in sandwich when we got them in our packed lunch, usually towards the end of the week when the fresh stuff had run out.

A couple of places have that here quite cheaply, but the tins are the larger ones. I cannot usually stretch to it that often however there is a different brand (Plum) of something similar 'bacon-roll' one is very nice, the blue/grey tin and they are small tins so there's little waste. Their luncheon tin is greenish and OK but the former is a bit better. 'Nearest almost supermarket' has them in usually.

Its a shame they don't have a freezer there as the local shops freezer selection, its not good. To be fair they did expand their coolshelf/fridge area a while back so there's a decent selection of chilled meats and bits/pieces there. A coolbag would be needed I think for a trip to the 20min local places or further afield for frozen bits. Shame as the larger one has a freezer. I did ask about this and they said they might 'eventually' be having one.

caronc wrote: »

I've decided to keep my steak dinner until next weekend. I'll get the unopened pack in the fridge split up and frozen tomorrow. I cba cooking tonight, I'm really tired for no apparent reason, so an easy dinner of savoury mince and mash from my "here's one I made earlier" freezer stash and I'll nuke steam some savoy cabbage to have with it.

Enjoy your rest. I had some instant mash earlier and just used a tin (yes I know but as I say frozen = difficult) of peas, worked well very simple and easy.

The slightly ironic thing about this is only a few months ago I accidentally grabbed a tin of Marrowfat pea's, thinking they were the normal ones. Did not realise till I was home, decided to have them anyway and really enjoyed them! :T So the next time I grabbed a couple of tins for emergencies, large-ish tin (well known brand for 39p , figured I could not really go too far wrong with them.

PasturesNew

It was one of the downline of the founder of Smedley's that went to dignitas.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/8562266/Millionaire-hotelier-Peter-Smedley-named-as-man-whose-Dignitas-assisted-suicide-was-filmed-by-BBC.html

caronc

AndyCF wrote: »

Hi! No, there were in the local B+M , which is all I have for a 'supermarket' now save a long 45 min walk. They are not on their site either, I found them by accident lurking on a lower shelf hidden by an isle display. Hence my partially silly comments about pre-decimal price and checking for a suitable use-by date!

I suspect Farmfoods, B&M etc. may use similiar if not the same suppliers. Plumrose bacon grill reminds of carvan holidays when I was growing up, my Mum took a lot of tins and packets away with us that she had stashed in the run up to our hols. My Dad used be in charge of breafasts while we were away, always a "fry up" of some description. He used to slice it and fry until it was really crispy then use the grease that came from it to fry bread or tattie scones, eggs etc. Definitely case of a heart attack on a plate:eek: but did set us up for a day of fresh air and exploring - no lazy, poolside holidays for us, long hikes were the norm regardless of the weather!

AndyCF

PasturesNew wrote: »

I remember the Smedleys brand.

I shop 95% of the time in 4ldi/L1dl, who don't have brands and am happy enough grabbing their spuds when I need to..

Yes I was quite shocked to be honest to see it, I think the last time I probably saw them was either donkey's years back or perhaps on something like OpenAllHours etc. I am quite guilty sometimes if I am in the mood to pause the TV (when it decides to work which is not often) to look at older programs food displays etc just to see what was 'about' , hence my post about the price in old money, aka 11s 0d so they were 55p.

The two 'L's not too nearby. To be fair now you mention it they have opened the one they were planning on apparently but I've not been that way, est 15-20 minutes and the other L is about 5 mins away from that. A couple of people have recommended 4l actually so I really ought to go and look, not brand fussy if the stuff is reasonable.

Same with the local Polish shop I tend to get their tinned sweetcorn occasionally as its quite nice and cheap but I can't read the tin! :rotfl: , thankfully the couple who run it are really nice and helpful and will 'translate' anything I need if I ask them. Not really been brave enough to try anything I'm nots sure what it is!

Funny but they have what were the biggest poloni ( ? ) I'd ever seen. I realise they make large ones as well as the regular sizes but they were absolutely massive. No silly pun intended with this honest. But they looked like they would feed me for a long time, or a large family! Talking over a ft long and about 2in diameter. I assume they were poloni or other type meat. I've not had any of these for a long time but I do vaguely recall I did like the slightly spicy flavour. I could do with seeing if one of the L's perhaps has a small one in for me to try.

PasturesNew wrote: »

Tinned spuds are good for: tossing into assorted stews/casseroles, making a quick spud salad, slicing thinly/frying, or even roasting. I just use them for tossing into the SC and for spud salad.

But you have to fancy them and be bothered to get round to opening the can, which is the bit I fail at.

Yes it can be bothersome sometimes to open the tin I know. It sounds daft but its true.

I must confess despite the warning I am tempted to zap them. I plan on chopping them into sugar cube size bits or less. I have one of those sys pots with a secure vented lid. I realise I'll probably have to watch for exploding bits afer they have finished, but with the lid I can shake halfway (like I do with the corn) without removing the lid. Then when they are done leave them two minutes to make sure they do not pop. Seen a couple of forum posts elsewhere about people having problems, I think some care and thought and it should be fine, probably. I could just boil them up like I usually do though, well just leave them on a low heat for ages and ages.

I had this with some soup once I overzapped, it was fine sat in the sys pot for a minute even with its erm 'skin' on it from my overcooking, until I stirred it then it boiled up rapidly in the pot!

AndyCF

caronc wrote: »

I suspect Farmfoods, B&M etc. may use similiar if not the same suppliers.

Would not be surprised. I was looking at an odd branded (forget which it was now) tin of Sardines/Oil as a cat treat, but did not think too much of the brand. I then Googled it later that day and found out it was coming out the same place as the main erm 'blue tin' supplier of said sardines and other fish in tin products! But about half the price.

caronc wrote: »

Plumrose bacon grill reminds of carvan holidays when I was growing up, my Mum took a lot of tins and packets away with us that she had stashed in the run up to our hols. My Dad used be in charge of breafasts while we were away, always a "fry up" of some description. He used to slice it and fry until it was really crispy then use the grease that came from it to fry bread or tattie scones, eggs etc.

Makes sense. I've never fried it, I thought about trying that with Spam or microwaving it but was not sure how long ( ? ) just sliced it and either had a couple of slices on the plate with other bits or sometimes stick a slice or two in a wholemeal cob.

unrecordings

Bacon Grill is the food of the gods

PasturesNew

AndyCF wrote: »

I must confess despite the warning I am tempted to zap them.

The tinned ones are guaranteed to explode.
Even when I've cut them into halves/quarters and they've been cooked in the SC for 5-6 hours and then boxed up in the fridge and reheated .... they pop.

PasturesNew

I fancied a nibble of something, but I have nothing... opened the fridge and spotted a long-buried box of cheese triangles. I doubt I've had one of those for over a year

So I grabbed two

AndyCF

PasturesNew wrote: »

I fancied a nibble of something, but I have nothing... opened the fridge and spotted a long-buried box of cheese triangles. I doubt I've had one of those for over a year

So I grabbed two

Enjoy!

I don't quite know why but when I saw the word triangle I immediately thought of those small choc triangle treats, usually in a green foil if I remember correctly. Not sure if they were just in a QStreet box or if they were something else, possibly both.

I've not had said tins/box for few years but my mind -was- on chocolate when I read your post but then realised I'd not got any choc biscuits to go with my "weak coffee with a small spoon of instant hot choc" in it.

That coffee/instant choc works quite well I find as long as you do not put more than a level teaspoon or at most two in it, its mainly to just change the flavour a little bit rather than anything else. I do have my coffee black though.


Oh I'll give the potato vs zapper a miss then. I don't think they will escape the sys container but have visions of a mushy mess in it afterwards or them popping like popcorn after resting a minute or two when they are disturbed.


Just also realised I have no stock cubes** but I do have a bigish jar of beefy gravy granules. I might tip a spoon or two of that into the water with the pots, just enough to 'flavour' them during cooking. I don't think I've tried that with the granules, usually I'll do the more common thing of grabbing a cup/mug and making a little gravy if needed. Hmm. Can't really do much harm I suppose.

** I did get some veggie ones upon recommendation but did not try them when I noted they were two months out, so returned them. Unfortunately they did not have any more veggie on the shelf so I left with my £1 again.

PasturesNew

AndyCF wrote: »

Oh I'll give the potato vs zapper a miss then. I don't think they will escape the sys container but have visions of a mushy mess in it afterwards or them popping like popcorn after resting a minute or two when they are disturbed.

Go for it, just expect a pop or two.

I zap on lower power in 2-3 blasts, until I can tell they're hot, to try to minimise the splattered mess I'd get if I just turned it on and turned the dial round and walked off.