Chitchat thread #24

[Snoop Puss]

Rary, I'm a pressure cooker enthusiast. Any info you want, you can try me. Even if I don't know, I can point you in the direction of a website that will. Maybe start a special thread in the same section as the Cooking Tonight thread? That way, the info will all be together and you, and anyone else, can refer to it whenever you want rather than having to go looking all over the place.

Not only will you save money on fuel but you'll also get delicious food. I don't use mine for cooking fish but I do use them (I've got a few of different sizes) for just about everything else.

Hope your OH starts to feel better soon.

And GF, that's plain showing off that is! Wish I could do the same, mind. Of all the brassicas I sowed this spring (and there were lots), we managed to eat one kohlrabi and it wasn't that nice either.

[cariann88]

Rary, I'm a pressure cooker enthusiast. Any info you want, you can try me. Even if I don't know, I can point you in the direction of a website that will. Maybe start a special thread in the same section as the Cooking Tonight thread? That way, the info will all be together and you, and anyone else, can refer to it whenever you want rather than having to go looking all over the place.

Not only will you save money on fuel but you'll also get delicious food. I don't use mine for cooking fish but I do use them (I've got a few of different sizes) for just about everything else.](

I might sound stupid here but what is the difference between a slow cooker and a pressure cooker?

[bramble]

Send my congrats to your granddaughter bramble. You must be feeling really proud of her!
Well done that lass!

She says Thank You for your good wishes. 😃

[bramble]

Well, what a miserable day.
It absolutely lashed rain the whole day.
Spent the day in the kitchen.
Blended and froze another batch of tomato soup.
Spent the afternoon making bramble jelly.
Have a good night all.

[1batfastard]

Hi All,
Well I was in the pit until about 17:30 Migraine all day!! Still a bit better now and I found out it has been nearly a month since my last post admittedly not the most proficient of forumites but I am what I am.

Last couple of days been picking Runner Beans and Plums and a few Golden Delicious oh and picking the Rhubarb while planting another two crowns for next season just cover them all in a load of muck and leave... Just a shame I don't eat the stuff....

Geoff.

[rary]

I might sound stupid here but what is the difference between a slow cooker and a pressure cooker?

Thats an easy one to answer----one's fast the others slow.


I just need to work out what one's what

[Snoop Puss]

Sounds like you've got pressure and slow cookers sorted, Rary!

Fundamentally, cariann88, because a weight over a valve set into the lid of a pressure cooker stops steam from escaping, pressure rises inside a pressure cooker and so water doesn't boil till it reaches a much higher temperature. As a result, you can cook things much quicker than at ordinary pressure and so save fuel (and time). If the pressure inside the pressure cooker exceeds a certain level, the weight rises off the valve and steam escapes. There used to be stories about pressure cookers exploding, but they have all kinds of safety mechanisms nowadays and this doesn't happen (touch wood, says the woman with six...). In a slow cooker, the pressure stays the same and temperature is controlled to cook food over a long period of time. Slow cookers are also very fuel efficient because of the temperature control. Lots of people on the forum have them and love them. I don't because I live off grid and can't absolutely guarantee that I can run an electrical device for the number of hours required to cook a meal. It does sound a bit weird, essentially boiling food like meat at high temperature in a pressure cooker, but in fact the results are fantastic. I do whole chickens and joints of pork shoulder and so on that come out moister than if roasted in the oven. What you don't get, though, is a crispy skin even if you brown the meat beforehand, because of the steam. But I don't know if you'd get that in a slow cooker either. Someone on here will be able to tell you about slow cookers better than me.

[Snoop Puss]

Morning all.

Very sunny outside today. Need to get the strimmer going today, so am waiting for the heavy dew to dry off first. Distinctly cool last night. Probably hovering around 10 ºC where the tomato, pepper and aubergine plants are. But never mind, all is right in the small world of my kitchen as Mr Snoop is making me a milky coffee. I'll ask him to make extra for anyone as wants one. Rye toast with cherry jam on the plate by the side. Which, by the miracle of the Vine worked by the smiles, will stay hot (the coffee) and warm and crunchy (the toast and jam) till you want them.

Have a great Sunday, everyone.

[greenishfing]

Good morning all.

I'm a slow cooker lover Cariann. It is really good for anything that you would normally cook slowly in liquid such as stew. It barely simmers and uses less electricity than a traditional light bulb. When cooking cheaper cuts of meat the long slow cooking really tenderises it. I use mine mostly for stew, curry and casseroles. I just get everything up to boiling first and put the lid on and forget about it. Yesterday afternoon I put some stew meat in mine and last night zapped it into potted meat in the food processor. Far nicer than the commercial varieties and I know exactly what is in it. I do have an ancient pressure cooker too but to be honest it scares me witless.

We have drizzle here this morning but it is warm.

[rary]

Good morning, it has been heavy rain here, so that's my water butt's filled, came through to the conservatory with my breakfast just in time to see a sparrowhawk catch it's breakfast, not sure what it caught I think a sparrow, there's usually 6 or7 pigeons about and all it could catch was a wee bird, maybe keeping the pigeons for Christmas, well all the birds are back now, including the pigeons (Snoop how long do you cook a pigeon for in a pressure cooker) Well won't be doing much today with the weather as it is, will be getting ready for church shortly then hopefully after that I can avoid having to do any housework . Whatever your weather have an enjoyable day and smile

[greenishfing]

Rary, you are a bad influence. After your comments on pigeons I did have a peep in a couple of old cookery books. Mr GF gets worried when he sees them appear as it often means I'm in experimental mode. I saw lots of pigeon recipes but even I was surprised at this rook recipe in a W.I book


Maybe I'll wind him up by leaving the book out open at that page. I think he'd only panic if he saw me get the air gun out. Seriously though cookery must have been such hard work and so time consuming when everything had to be done by hand.

[Nicos]

Morning n’alln’all

Many thanks for that wonderful tea Snoop - by the miracle of the Vine it tasted of tea! perfect!

we’ve been having gooseberry and ginger jam this week - not made it before and it worked out really well - nice chunks of ginger for that flavour burst.

Sorry to hear about your migraine Geoff . I’ve only ever had one and that was quite scary and very debilitating. Can’t imagine having them on a regular basis like that

I don’t have a slow cooker. I do keep thinking about getting one as we eat a lot of casseroles, but in the winter we have our wood stove heating working in one of our lounges so I’m intending on cooking something in it each time it’s lit (even if we don’t need it- and then freeze it)
I do have a pressure cooker but having messed up loads of different things ( orange sloppy cauliflower comes to mind) I should really try and get the hang of it. I only use it as a 4th large pan for the hob for jam/ chutney making at the moment, so it really is just sitting in the cupboard gathering dust.
I do however use my 2tiered steamer a lot which saves gas, but I guess we’re all going to need to review our cooking methods to a certain extent.
I’m also great at batch cooking- and Rary will sympathise with me on this- less washing up to do overall

[Nicos]

What a find gf!

[bramble]

Good morning all.
After a wicked weather day yesterday, and overnight the sun is shining.
Off to the church shortly and then grandson is coming for lunch.

I am a big fan of the slow cooker.
Make all kind of stews and casseroles.
Put all ingredients in the morning let it simmer away.
My daughter does this and when she gets home from work in the evening her dinner is ready
The advantage of the slow cooker (I think) you can use tougher or cheaper cuts of meat and they will still come out tender.

Thanks for the offer of tea but I have just had three cups.
Have a good day whatever you're up to.

[Nicos]

Nice weather here too bramble. OH has decided to cut one of our lawns. First time in weeks.