Whats cooking

[Seedy]

Cliff, with the greatest respect Bird's "custard" is nothing of the sort, unless you are of the opinion that adding Maize Starch, Salt, Flavouring, Colour (Annatto) to milk is what custard is supposed to be. It's not even a pale imitation of the real thing and an insult to your good lady's culinary skills....
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Passer sa vie à lutter contre la connerie est le meilleur procédé pour mourir épuisé

[Seedy]

Talking about "What's Cooking", we've just finished off our dinner comprising shopska salata, PiL's хайвер, and grilled pork contrafillet from Herr Lidl, helped down by home-made rye bread and a glass or two of Tullamore Dew 10-year old Four Cask single malt (with a chaser of Leffe Brune).

Dessert was some Latvian chocolates from Her Nib's recent junket and French marrons glacés (again found at Herr Lidl's emporium - not as good as they might be for the price but beggars can't be choosers). I suspect that I'd better not get on the scales tomorrow morning....
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Passer sa vie à lutter contre la connerie est le meilleur procédé pour mourir épuisé

[Moscow_Wolf]

[zoomzoom]

On the link you gave MW, it actually says bread unless you have one with less functions.
Incidentally, it is very similar in looks to the Instant Pot that Seedy has.

[Seedy]

Nope - it's missing the all-important pressure cooking function....

Since I've over-indulged in PiL's rakiya as well as over-copious quantities of a rather delectable home-made raspberry wine (courtesy of a BG FB group selling home-made produce of various types), I'll answer Mr Wolf's OP re sous vide a little more frankly than heretofore - should anyone give an aerial fornication...

Yes, I am into sous vide cooking but it really is a bit of a palaver with all the additional bits'n'bobs that one needs to do the job properly. I've got the Anova BT/WiFi PC (the BT-only one is useless due to the very short-range BT function); frankly the InstantPot unit is probably better value at around 50% of the price.

Then you need either to use decent zip-lock bags and still hope fervently that they don't let you down - and let in water - or go for a half-way decent vacuum sealer that won't break the bank. I settled for an Andrew James unit that's working okay so far - touch wood - and which offers various "hacks" to get round the ridiculous price of the own-make textured bags. There's still the risk of water ingress and the loss of your raw material but it can be salvaged if you realise what's happening in time.

In addition you need to either mortgage your granny for a purpose-built sous-vide bath or cobble one up from various bits'n'pieces that can do the job if you have half an idea of what you're doing. I use a 30-litre beer cooler box from Amazon with a 2.5" hole drilled into the lid to house the Anova PC - and I'm tempted to get the 40-litre one that Metro BG still have available, at least here in Sofia. I have a styrofoam (aka expanded polystyrene insulation blocks) hutch to stick it in so as to cut down on heat loss - and to avoid the rather silly sight of floating ping-pong balls The Ikea stainless steel pot-lid rack is also pretty handy to have - don't ask unless you really do want to know...

It all works pretty well, as long as you aren't in a rush for your fish - or are ready with a decent red-hot cast-iron skillet to whack a crust onto your steak.

As I said, a bit (or more) of a palaver but worth it if you have the time - and inclination - to put the work in.....

All in all, you get a much quicker and easier result with an InstantPot but then some of us are real masochists!
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Passer sa vie à lutter contre la connerie est le meilleur procédé pour mourir épuisé

[Moscow_Wolf]

[zoomzoom]

Now don't be silly MW, of course I'm right, I'm a woman.

[Moscow_Wolf]

[Seedy]

[Moscow_Wolf]

[starry]

I am now back in Britain although still missing my Bulgarian village life. When I was in Bulgaria I was very intolerant of those who craved any British food because I managed to adapt to Bulgarian alternatives. However... I now find that how hard I try, I can't get the same wonderful flavour out of British food that I got in Bulgaria. Is this my taste buds change or is it the manufacture of Britich produce? I am not talking just fruit and veg, which are diabolical here in my opinion but in meat especially. Again, probably down to production and farming practice and I cannot afford buying online from farmers. Does anyone else who has had to relocate back to Blighty found the same thing?

I should add that I have cooked recipes the same way as in Bulgaria so it is obviously down to the ingredients. Even the herbs and spices seem to give little flavour. I rely on my CBA soup mix and even then nothing really tastes the same.

[Seedy]

I don't know about anyone else but I'm currently "suffering" from a surfeit of rakiya and ma-in-law's excellent cooking, and that's before The Big Day has even arrived

Happy Easter (and a good helping of "Bah, humbug!") to everyone.....
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Passer sa vie à lutter contre la connerie est le meilleur procédé pour mourir épuisé