Oldstylers: Could I be your greatest ever challenge?

sillyvixen

southernscouser wrote: »

But are they SS proof? :think:

:rotfl:

got me through my student years- when i went to uni the only recipes i had made with any sucess were beans on toast and heinze soup!!

mute_posting

southernscouser wrote: »

So what makes a good pan set or knife? :undecided What does everyone else use?

Pan choice can be affected by the type of hob - electric and ceramic type require a nice flat bottom (or else the heat transfer isn't very good due to non-contact)

Gas is less fussy

In any case, a good thick bottomed pan help stop things burning/catching

Induction (if it is a high-end kitchen) requires either stainless or cast iron as it works on magnetic "induction" (funnily enough!) to create/transfer the heat energy

HTH

MP

stefejb

I second the idea for a student cookbook - most of the books I've seen have recipes for two - one for you and one for the freezer - unless you're really hungry! you'll find nothng too scary, excellent value and good explanations. I mostly use student books for me and dd. Cooking can be very creative and fun too so have a look through some of the glossier, famous books - pick one you like and have a go at something exotic for the weekend.

Bargain_Rzl

southernscouser wrote: »

As a lot of people have mentioned them I assume I'm gonna need spices and herbs and stuff? :rotfl:

Don't bother buying them just for the sake of it. Buy them as you need them for recipes, or they will just sit in the cupboard unused.

So what makes a good pan set or knife? :undecided What does everyone else use?

For pans you'll get a few differing opinions on whether non-stick ones are worth it. If you do go for non-stick, remember that you mustn't use metal utensils with them.

I am a fan of stainless steel - might like cast iron at some point when I can afford pricey ones. But stainless steel is more hard-wearing than non-stick, and doesn't get flakes of Teflon in your food _pale_ Avoid aluminium - I haven't had a set of aluminium pans since the cheap rubbish set that just about lasted me through university. It's flimsy.

Don't know what to suggest about finding decent knives - but if you see a set you're considering, why not ask on here for opinions before buying?

Phoolgrrrl

Herb/spice wise all rounders are dried italian herbs - spag bol, lasagne, italian type things and paprika for fajitas, chicken and pasta, spicy things. Also dried chilli if you like lots of spice. Dill is good for fish, put in water while poaching. Grow your own if you have room. We had window boxes but wind and pests destroyed the herbs.
Salt, pepper, olive oil and veg oil for store cupboard too. Stock cubes are great too, not just chicken etc but chinese, italian, mexican are great to pour over cous cous to liven it up. Mix it some cheese/tuna/veg/seeds for a cous cous salad lunch.
Pesto is great for when you can't be bothered, just stir into pasta.
I moved out last June with abt 5 recipies, now I can meal plan for a month with few repititions and even then they are only repeted cuz they are our favs.
Plenty of help from threads on here for me

mute_posting

Bargain_Rzl wrote: »

Avoid aluminium - I haven't had a set of aluminium pans since the cheap rubbish set that just about lasted me through university. It's flimsy.

In general most of the cheap pans are either thin aluminium or thin metal with a flimsy non stick coating

You can get "heavey duty" aluminium pans but these can be as expensive as stainless - they are good at heat transfer though.

The major drawback (for me) with aluminium is that you can't put them in the dishwasher (if you're lucky enough to have one!) because the salt attacks the metal and pits it and makes it go funny.

Was a major consideration for everything I bought for my kitchen - will it go in the dishwasher! (got an A rated Neff slimline integrated off of the work notice board for £30 :T )
MP

MikeyMacbeth

dizzy_lizzie wrote: »

Hi SS...just a thought. If you buy a budget food student cookbook (I know you're not a student) the recipes are really simple to prepare, usually healthy, because they don't rely on all tinned stuff and cheapish, which is a bonus. Hope that helps.
Luvz dizzy x

And don't forget to check the charity shops/car boots - I've a few excellent cook books picked up in charity shops including one which we practically live off - cost me all of £1.49! You can quite often pick up new release "Trendy" cookbooks for a song too.

Pot's, pans, plates etc will all be dirt cheap there - so what if it's a bit of a mixed bag? come you're first dinner party It'll be a talking point...

If you've got any mates in a similar position then try and get in the habit of experimenting on each other (food wise of course) - a bit of friendly competition raises the game sometimes. Cook for each other one night a week. Just don't let it get silly (more caviar anyone?)

You seem to like pasta - that's usually a quite quick and easy solution (although pasta's gone up recently)

Don't be afraid to use stuff like ketchup, soups in recipes either - just because it's ready made doesn't mean you're cheating!

If you are young free & single - batch cooking can be a great way to save, just freeze in individual portions (recycle those takeaway containers!) - I used to have a postit on the door to remind me to take something out for tea when I went to work in the morning.

All the best with it anyway:D

mute_posting

Just thought - I borrowed a load of cookbooks from the library and made a note of the recipies I was interested in.

Scan or photocopy them and then laminate these if you have access to a laminator at work

MP

tiptoes

Nisbets is a good place to look for all you knife needs, it like screwfix for caterers really! (google it)

southernscouser

Crikey this is confusing. I'm gonna end up walking into a shop and asking for alluminium herbs or something! :rotfl: