+++ Whoops! Here comes the cheese! +++

themadvix

@EssexHebridean definitely use the PC next time - so much quicker and less hassle. Definitely less power too. For best results soak first and cook for about 5 mins (check that, but it’s about right) on high pressure (NPR). Can do from day but results not as good depending on age of chickpeas. Always NPR though.

redofromstart

Interesting madvix, even if I soak them I havent tried that short a cook in the Instant Pot.  He Who Doesnt Eat (HWDNE going forwards) will only eat them very soft and dry though.

I did the tax returns (woohoo!) and we owed half as much as I thought which was a great result.  Ive made yet more bread, and pea and ham soup to celebrate.

The lack of laptop with functioning keys is increasingly annoying - I think Mrs Fat Pants sat on and broke the keys around the enter key a while back so no arrows, hash tags or at/apostrophe keys for me which is most annoying, but an external keyboard resolves the problem if I can be bothered to fetch it.  

The lentil and chickpea prices are very good, but none available in our big city store for home delivery today.  They had them in the big edge of town store but in the world foods promotion bit rather than the logical places.  Nov 25 BBE on mine. What did turn up, against my expectations, was 4 for the price of 3 branded frozen stuff on online only offer.  Usually nothing turns up, but 4 x £1.95 jenga sized frozen oven chips (mine!) and 4 x £2 for 22 branded nuggets (HWDNE) turned up despite already being on a half priceish offer.  Happy with that, even if i had to jenga them in.

beanielou

Sun_Addict said:

Do the fingerless gloves keep your whole hands warm? It’s my fingers I have trouble with, they’re always freezing cold. 

No but they really really help.

themadvix

I’ve checked the IP timetable and yes, pre-soaked chickpeas take 5 mins. Pre-soaking definitely ensures they are nicely soft - cooking them from dry works but it’s variable in results (and I always do for longer than suggested). For those on FB I can recommend the Instant Pot Multicooker support and recipe inspiration UK group - very helpful, lots of inspiration and they have recipes (and the official cooking times) in the files. 

debtfreewannabe321

Morning Redo, I have just finished reading through your diary and bookmarked it to cheer you along. I feel really un-money-saving reading everyone talk about cooking dried chickpeas I cannot figure out how to do them right in a normal pan. So I buy tinned and considering we eat a lot I should probably crack this cooking dried chickpeas thing. DFW321

Greying_Pilgrim

redofromstart said:

I had to be in local market town early doors so I overshot to the big MrT..........  Also in store 2kg bags of chick peas/red lentils at £3 which is a great price per KG (Laila - in the world foods promotions bit).  

Sweetie,  Thanks everso for mentioning ^ offer on Lentils/Chickpeas.  I was on the lookout for lentil offers as I was on the last gasp of the 2kg bag that I had in stock, anyway.  The offer has now improved slightly (if you have a clubcard), and instead of £3 they are £2.70 (cc price).  £1.50 a kg is great, but £1.35 even better, so I stocked up.  They hadn't got the promo in Greying Town's large Tesco - which hasn't hardly a 'World Foods shelf' anymore, let alone a whole blessed aisle...... 🙄  But thankfully the huge-er-rer MrT in the next cosmopolitan town along does still have 4 shelves dedicated to 'World Foods', and they had the promo there.  I have to say, I didn't think they had the chickpeas - but they did - they had just put them away from the lentils.  That store also had 2kg bags of chana dhal (de-skinned chickpeas??) in the promo too.  They also had offers on Laila branded basmati rice - I can't remember the exact prices for the 5kg and 10kg bags - but I know that 10kg was £13 - or £13.50 ish - certainly a good price per kilo, anyhoo - just in case anyone is on the lookout for bargainacious basmati.  

I did buy a pack of the chickpeas, but have a 2kg bag here that I have got to process first, but the bb dates were Dec 2025.  I need to get on and do the chickpeas, I keep on stalling because I've got it in my mind that they are going to be hard (even though they are still in date).  But unless I get on with it, I won't know will I?  I do the 24hr soak and then cook in the PC - usually for 8 -10 mins.

But lentils are a staple in our house, so I was very glad to have come across the offer.  Thanks again.

Greying X

EssexHebridean

Haha DFW321 I often buy tinned ones too as sometimes they are just easier! 

Vix thank you for that info - I have copied your post into an email to myself as that is where I will look when I start to try to recall who it was who told me the cooking time! 

redofromstart

Ooh thanks for the update on that @Greying_Pilgrim, we need to head over to a different market town (now our closest wicks) which also has a big T so I may be able to pick up some more given that my year off plans rather depend on frugal eating. 

I wasn't sure on the basmati - some very negative (maybe brand snobbery?) reviews on the deals sites but I I generally buy discounters or Mr T in a kilo bag, so any views welcome?

redofromstart

@themadvix, sounds really useful and I have no excuse for not soaking things now. I will try the next instant pot soaked batch at 5 minutes. 

@debtfreewannabe321 I always used tins but the one who doesn't eat decided they were slimy so I have experimented.  He needs the protein tbh.  I have an instant pot now, but I know when I did the maths a few years back on a normal pan the gas, effort and dried kidney beans, the tins actually worked out cheaper so check before you swap.

Greying_Pilgrim

Hey redo - I have never (knowingly) used La1la brand of basmati.  I tend to stick with MrL now - although it was an eye-watering £16.50 last time I got 10kg.  But have used various brands - including Tr0phy and one that I won't use again, that I got from MrM (but other places sell it as I actually saw it in MrT today), which was...... (had to look it up) Bad$hah.  Interestingly, it was ok taste-wise, but very prone to 'stickyness' and bitty.  Bittiness was one of the complaints about the La1la rice that I just read on the Morries website, so yes, possibly not worth the investment, as £13 ain't no small beer.......

Plus I forgot to mention that it quite clearly said £3 for the lentils on the SEL - with the clubcard price in a yellow circle, but my till receipt says that the packets were £3.60, making the reduction 90p per packet......

Greying X