In the Kitchen

Well, you were probably a wee lad and still in short pants..

sorry, couldn't help myself.

The oldest type clothes washer I remember seeing used was a wringer washer. Sometimes a washboard had to be employed for stubborn stains too. I would love to have a wringer washer but they are too expensive. I had to settle for my Drumi. He sits in the opposite end of my shower, ready to wash any small loads or hand wash type items.

You know @Fat Controller I have what we call a pancake griddle. Not as fancy as your machine but it has the two plate you can flip to make waffle style grill marks or a flat surface. I think I'll pull that out and see what it does when I throw a chop on it. Thanks for the heads up!

I'm sure we all have some kitchen items that can do dual duty if we put our imagination to work

 

Interesting that despite many of us living so far apart, we so often have similar cooking and eating habits.

 

I actually prefer cooking by gas as I consider it to be much more controllable. I/We changed over to electric when Val found it too much keeping the cooker clean. I'd help out in the kitchen but as probably most housewives insist, the kitchen is their domain. Sadly it's taken me a long time to realise just how Val was. Another factor being. The local council carry out annual gas checks and if you drew the short straw so to speak, the gas engineer condemed your appliances far too often.

 

'here in Yorkshire we're 'feeders'..if anyone turns up they get fed whether they want it or not..' I'll second that. I often wish we had some of that Yorkshire hospitality here in London.

 

I have similar memories to Shiney as a kid. The Belfast sink and yew, the tin bath. 'OUCH' when your arm caught the side of the bath closest to the fire.

In what was called the scullery/kitchen. There was a brick built wash boiler built into one corner. It had a small grate for the fire. Washing would be boiled in it and then hauled ot to the sink, the old washboard was the closest thing to a washing machine. Then the washing would get a good squeeze with the mangal. Times I got my fingers caught in the rollers. Happy days.

 

Well I don't know about you folk, but talking kitchens and cooking is making me hungry. So how about sharing recipes etc.

 

In my case, it goes something like this. I find a recipe. The first time, its made exactly after the instructions. The second time, its modified a bit if needed.

Mrs. Sandy on the other hand is still making things from recipes handed down for a number of generations. In fact, she is planning to write a book containing them, as well as some old photos of the family member the recipe(s) originally came from.

As a bit of trivia regarding food here. Self raising flour is so rarely used, I cant even remember ever having seen it in the shops!

 

@Sandy Ground I never buy self raising flour. It is available here but who wants to pay extra because the manufacturer threw a bit of baking powder in the bag!

I play with recipes too. Been having lots of fun playing with ice cream recipes. Pretty much a basic start of 1 cup milk heated to dissolve some sugar (anywhere from 1/2 c to whatever) and then add 2 cups heavy cream (35% butter fat or better). Add flavours - crushed strawberries, or cocoa (which I add to the heated milk to help mix), or cinnamon or vanilla or .. endless possibilities. Then chill in the refrigerator and later churn in an ice cream maker or old fashioned churn. I have a Cuisinart ice cream maker. I received a coupon and waited until the appliance was also on sale and got a super bargain.

There is a richer recipe which includes incorporating egg yolks into the hot milk. Same method as making custard. The egg yolks make it richer and the more fat, the creamier the result

One of my favourites is using vanilla ice cream and adding butterscotch to ripple through it.

 

@CanadianLori quite right too! Theres another advantage to plain flour that very few people are aware of. It can be used as an ingredient in home made outdoor paint! SR flour cant!

 

I need to get me one of those,that sandwich looks delish.

 

I've got a electric Belling Classic double oven it's about 30 years old. I like electric and it doesn't take long to heat up, we don't have many power cuts around here.
The top oven is wearing out, it doesn't get up to the highest setting anymore.
I use it to roast beef, toad in the hole,sausage casserole and oven chips.
One of the rings doesn't work,the 2 front ones are duel rings, I can use smaller saucepans on them.
Use the main oven for pastry and roasting turkey.
The next one i want a electric ceramic hob cooker, more easier to clean and like the old one it will have a easy clean liner in the main oven, never have to clean it.

Got a pressure cooker that i cook the vegetables for dinner. Do marmalade and jam, cook the fruit and use the base to finish it off. I've done chicken casseroles in it and the most important thing the Christmas puddings.

Got a microwave but only use it to heat things up and baked potatoes.
When i first had one tried cooking beef joint but not very good and I've cooked chicken portions when i had to cook it for one of our golden retrievers when he wouldn't eat anything else because he had leukaemia.

Don't use many recipes, only for the marmalade, jam and Christmas puddings.When i make pastry have to weigh the right amount.
Got digital kitchen scales, had to have a new one last week, the old one was 8 years old and i broke it.

Thinking of getting a electric pressure cooker, but don't know if it will be better. The old have keep replacing the rubber gasket that fits inside the rim of the lid.

Don't have anything else, don't have a cellar in these modern houses.

@Mike Allen what sort of recipes do you want?

 

[QUOTE="Logan, post: 1235352


@Mike Allen what sort of recipes do you want?[/QUOTE]

Just interested in what others do. Usually I make most of my own up as I go.