Awards Moderator Onyx2 Posted March 5, 2019 Awards Moderator Share Posted March 5, 2019 2 minutes ago, Carbomb said: I've only just noticed you said a second time. I only put it to prove once, I didn't know about a second time. When does one do that? Thanks for all this advice. Ah, that's it! So you knead for ten minutes ish, then leave for 40m - 1hr to double in size. 'Knock it back', that is, push it back into shape, get it just right, slash the top where you want gas to escape. Then prove for another 30 - 40 minutes on your baking tray / tin (good time to let the oven warm up). Gently transfer to the oven. Then bake. This second proving allows time for more 'bready' flavour to develop, and give those bubbles time to grow. This loosens up the final texture. @Loki, fat in the bread will keep it more moist and therefore fluffier, but also retards (hehe) the yeast and will not develop such an open texture. It coats the yeast and doesn't allow the bubbles to expand as much. You will get the benefit of longer lasting bread though as it acts as a mild preservative. I don't usually add any fat unless a recipe calls for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Carbomb Posted March 5, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted March 5, 2019 (edited) 10 minutes ago, Onyx2 said: Ah, that's it! So you knead for ten minutes ish, then leave for 40m - 1hr to double in size. 'Knock it back', that is, push it back into shape, get it just right, slash the top where you want gas to escape. Then prove for another 30 - 40 minutes on your baking tray / tin (good time to let the oven warm up). Gently transfer to the oven. Then bake. This second proving allows time for more 'bready' flavour to develop, and give those bubbles time to grow. This loosens up the final texture. @Loki For some reason Android isn't letting me delete the tag. Thanks so much for this, Onyx! Will definitely try this out. Massive kudos. Edited March 5, 2019 by Carbomb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members tiger_rick Posted March 6, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted March 6, 2019 Who grows their own veg? I've done it before with some success. now I've moved, I've got more room but i don't really want to dig the garden up. I'd quite like to grow veg in containers or pots. Does anyone do it? Looking for suitable "vehicles". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Carbomb Posted March 6, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted March 6, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, tiger_rick said: Who grows their own veg? I've done it before with some success. now I've moved, I've got more room but i don't really want to dig the garden up. I'd quite like to grow veg in containers or pots. Does anyone do it? Looking for suitable "vehicles". We've set ourselves the project of growing our own veg for Christmas dinner every year. When we had the bathroom re-done a few years ago, we salvaged the bath, put it near the back of the garden, put some garden mesh in to line it and cover it on the outside (so our garden doesn't look like it has a disused bath in it), then stuck a load of compost mixed with farmyard manure in, to grow potatoes. We also got some growing bags for potatoes, which we placed on the shed's flat roof, so as to save space. So far, we've had middling success, getting OK yields on King Edwards, Maris Pipers, Desirées, Jersey Royals, and Pentland Javelins. On a couple of occasions we ordered some wine online, and the bottles came in these big polystyrene things that are like a kind of deep "honeycomb", for want of a better word. They're not recyclable, so we figured we'd put them to good use - we filled each one with soil, put in fertiliser, and have grown carrots, leeks, and parsnips in them. Leeks haven't done well, but the carrots and parsnips have done OK. We have a garden path that goes alongside the lawn that nobody really walks on, so we just use it as a long space to put big pots to grow tomatoes in every year. When we first moved in, the house had some really big, heavy, old-style, square sinks - we took them out, put them in some unused corners of the garden, and now we use them to grow strawberries. BTW, if you have space, get a water butt - rain water is much better for plants in general than tap. Edited March 6, 2019 by Carbomb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Hannibal Scorch Posted March 6, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted March 6, 2019 I agree with Carbomb, definetly get some big boxes. We turned some old pallets into planters have grown tomatoes, snap peas, runner beans etc. We also grow some herbs in the garden as well. Love fresh mint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Carbomb Posted March 6, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted March 6, 2019 That's another thing - you don't need loads of space for things that require runners, like beans or brambles (although with brambles, you need to keep it under control - if it gets a chance to root in your garden, you may never get rid of them). Nail trellises against your wall or fence, and they should train upwards quite nicely (provided they get enough light, of course). One thing we found works really well is fishbone meal - you get a lot of growth with it. However, we tend to use that for flowers more, because some of our friends are vegetarian, so we tend to use seaweed fertiliser for fruit and veg, which also works pretty well, but you have to use it regularly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members I Bent My Wookie Posted March 8, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted March 8, 2019 (edited) 10-12 minutes 180 in a fan oven. Try and keep it on something like tomatos/asparagus (you can really one dish cook an entire meal with plaice) drizzle with lemon and butter to keep moist try to season before hand (obviously salt dries up moisture but cooking in the flavour is better). There are much better cooks on here than me though with probably better advice. Edited March 9, 2019 by Shy Dad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted March 17, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted March 17, 2019 Me and my eldest went for some marbled muffins tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members tiger_rick Posted March 18, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted March 18, 2019 Really enjoyed cooking this week again. Made a pea, pepper and potato frittata middle of last week. Such a simple thing that is cheap as chips and so useful. I had three lunches and my tea on Friday and the missus had two lunches too. Cost per portion (1/6) must be about 60p at the most. Spent a couple of hours yesterday making Moussaka for the first time. Unfortunately, I was also making a veggie lasange for the fridge so I took my eye off it and burnt it a bit! Still tasted bloody great though. Pretty sure it's the first time I've ever eaten aubergine in my life. Certainly knowingly. The bechemel sauce was tough tomake from scratch. Took me too goes as I mistakenly took it off the heat the first time and wasn't sure I could rescue it. It was as hard to make than the fudge I made recently but well worth it. miles better than the stuff in a jar. Couldn't get a good photo off the layers. Made proper Jam Roly Poly on Saturday for the first time since I was at school. Came out quite well. Needed more jam I think as loads escaped. Last one I'll bore you with is these sticky lemon and almond cookies we made yesterday. Have a base of whipped egg white rather than butter and sugar so they're a really chewy consistency. great flavour though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awards Moderator Onyx2 Posted March 18, 2019 Awards Moderator Share Posted March 18, 2019 1 hour ago, tiger_rick said: The bechemel sauce was tough to make from scratch. It's a really handy skill to have when cooking so it's well worth practicing. The traditional method (melt butter, stir in flour, gradually add milk) can do the dirty on you but keep the heat low and don't add the next lot of milk until the roux is smooth again, and you should be fine. God-like Simon Hopkinson also uses an all in one method which needs nerves of steel but is much less effort (steps 1 & 2 in this link, before the egg is added: http://www.simonhopkinson.tv/recipe/38/cheese-gougères.aspx (and yes, it's really hard to get a decent picture of lasagne / moussaka. I've tried for years.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retro Red Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 Best tip I got for bechemel was to take it off the heat completely when you start to add the milk gradually, put it back on a low heat once it starts to resemble a thick batter rather than a dough to cook out the flour and then keep adding the milk slowly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members tiger_rick Posted March 18, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted March 18, 2019 1 hour ago, Onyx2 said: The traditional method (melt butter, stir in flour, gradually add milk) can do the dirty on you but keep the heat low and don't add the next lot of milk until the roux is smooth again, and you should be fine. That's how I did it. Only because the video I got the recipe off did it that way. Was stressful because I didn't really know what the end result should have been so I was constantly worried that it was too thin. Got there in the end. When you add the first bit of milk and it somehow thickens the roux is baffling to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Hannibal Scorch Posted March 18, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted March 18, 2019 What is the secret to breading? I always make it patchy. Now days the only thing I try and coat is Tofu, but even when it was chicken I struggles. So what is the secret for putting on some seasoned flour? I have tried corn flour and also I have some Jamaican Fried Chicken mix which is seasoned flour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rey_Piste Posted March 18, 2019 Share Posted March 18, 2019 (edited) 39 minutes ago, Hannibal Scorch said: What is the secret to breading? I always make it patchy. Now days the only thing I try and coat is Tofu, but even when it was chicken I struggles. So what is the secret for putting on some seasoned flour? I have tried corn flour and also I have some Jamaican Fried Chicken mix which is seasoned flour. The trick is double dipping first dip is flour, second dip is egg or milk third dip is back into the flour. When it comes to doing it have a dry hand and a wet hand, so right hand into the flour, then left hand taking it out of the wash and the right hand back out of the flour again. With tofu make sure to squeeze as much moisture as you can out of it before frying it, otherwise the moisture causes steam which blows holes in your batter causing it to unadhere to it. Edited March 18, 2019 by Rey_Piste Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Dead Mike Posted March 18, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted March 18, 2019 Had some friends round for tea so made a bunch of indian dishes. Keema peas, chick pea masala, cauliflower & spinach bhaji, tandoori chicken thighs & king prawn madras. Served it with lime & coriander rice & some home made chapatis. Only thing that annoyed me was that the chicken caught a bit so the skin was a bit black but it tasted good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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