Aug 03 2008
There’s nothing better than getting home after a hard day’s work (or any day of work) and pouring yourself a drink.
If you’re going to stock a bar at home, or more realistically a kitchen cupboard, cover your bases by buying the six main types of spirits.
More brandy is consumed locally than any other spirits. Generally acceptable mixes are Coke, soda water, water or orange juice. Continue Reading »
Aug 03 2008
The ultimate hangover cure or early-morning beverage! This is a customized recipe, but as the results will testify — well worth the effort.
Jul 27 2008
We believe that pasta may be the one and only reason why we’re still alive and kicking. When all else fails you can always boil some pasta and grate some cheese over it! Quick and easy.
Allow about 3 litres of water for 500 g of pasta, which is enough pasta for 4 to 6 people. Bring the water to the boil then add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon salt. (Adding oil is a cook’s preference; some say that it keeps the pasta from sticking together, others say this is a myth.) Slip all the pasta at once into the rapidly boiling water. Stir immediately to separate the pieces. Pasta cooks in 8 to 15 minutes, depending on the shape and quantity. Test periodically until cooked to your liking. It should be al dante, which means soft, but not ‘pap’. Continue Reading »
Jul 27 2008
The secrets of a successful omelette were recently revealed by a friend of ours who showed us a somewhat unconventional but foolproof technique.
Use three large eggs per omelette (never mind the cholesterol problem), a tablespoonful of milk and a small pinch of baking powder. Whisk until fluffy adding any seasoning just before cooking. Heat some butter in a pan and pour in the egg mixture. A moderate heat setting and a little patience will give you a good start. Cover the pan and leave the omelette to set. It normally takes 3-5 minutes depending on your stove, but keep checking it. Once most of the egg has set, place the omelette under a hot grill for about 30 seconds without removing it from the pan. This will set any runny egg at the top as well as brown the omelette. Then add cheese or any other topping of your choice before placing the omelette under the grill again. When sufficiently browned, fold it over and serve. Continue Reading »
Jul 23 2008
Eat your vegetables! This little sentence was drummed into all our heads when we least wanted to hear it. But as the universe is strange, when you move from your mother’s home you suddenly start eating vegetables by choice and you may even become a vegetarian! Most veggies are really easy to prepare, and depending on how you prepare them, they are healthy.
It is almost always better to steam your vegetables as it is the healthiest method for the tastiest vegetables (you taste the vegetable instead of what’s been added to it). Now if you own a microwave there should be no reason for you to ever steam, boil or cook vegetables on the stove. Most vegetables are quickly and easily cooked in the microwave. Consult your manual — it probably has a very useful table giving you preparation and timing details. Continue Reading »
Jul 23 2008
If you’re going to freeze something and you know you might not use it within a month, write the date on the bag. To prevent freezer burn always try to get as much air as possible out of the bag before placing it in the freezer.
Beef and chicken 1 year
Lamb, pork, mince 6 months
Sausages and bacon 3 months Continue Reading »
Jul 21 2008
Metal or anything with metal trim or decoration. This includes pie tins and your dinner service if it’s got any silver or gold bits. Metal causes sparks in the microwave.
Hard plastic (melamine) and some Tupperware - these may absorb microwaves so food doesn’t cook properly in them.
Glued containers - dishes or containers that have been repaired with glue, or have handles glued on should not be used as the glue will melt and leave a huge mess. Continue Reading »
Jun 19 2008
Now for the stores required:
Flour—plain is essential; self-raising highly desirable; wholemeal a slight “extra,” but it makes wonderful scones. Baking powder and cornflour, which is used in many cake and biscuit recipes and also for fillings.
Bicarbonate of soda has its place in many scone and other recipes, and cream of tartar is often wanted for scones, too, and also for some toffees and sweets. Continue Reading »
Jun 09 2008
There is a completely erroneous belief in some quarters that stale fish can be used for smoking, as the smoking process will impart its own flavour to the fish and thus mask any defects in quality. Certainly it is just possible to ’save the life’ of stale fish approaching putrefaction, by smoking, so that it is just edible; but, at the best, only a very inferior product both in keeping quality and flavour can result.
Fish which is to be smoked must be completely fresh to obtain the best results, although this is a good point at which to dispel the belief that frozen goods are not suitable for smoking. This is completely untrue. All deep frozen fish, game, meat and poultry can be employed, and first-class results obtained. Continue Reading »
Jun 06 2008
While on the subject of smoking equipment, perhaps a further word will not be out of place regarding the mechanical smoker referred to earlier, should any home smoker feel inclined to invest in one of these rather elaborate pieces of equipment.
I imagine that all large commercial fish or bacon smoking concerns in Britain will by now have ceased to use traditional equipment and will employ mechanical equipment exclusively. The modern smoker which I am acquainted with is the Torry Kiln, which is marketed by Afos Limited, Anlaby, Hull, North Humberside. Some of these commercial kilns are very large, costing several thousands of pounds, but the only model with which the home smoker might need to concern himself is the Torry Mini Kiln. This kiln is based on the same principles as the large commercial smoking units, and has a maximum capacity of 56 lb (approx. 25 kilos). Continue Reading »
Jun 06 2008
The first piece of smoking equipment I had any experience with was the Abu Smokebox, which is manufactured by Abu Svangsta of Sweden, a famous firm of fishing tackle manufacturers. The Abu measures about 12 x 7 x 4 in. deep and on account of its small size, the potential is very limited. The Abu works on a different principle from other smoke units, and is said to ‘pressure smoke‘. A bed of fine sawdust is spread on its floor, and a combined drip tin and wire rack placed over the sawdust, on which is placed the food to be smoked. A small methylated spirit burner under the Abu supplies instant heat, and the sliding lid fits fairly tightly into place. Here the process differs from other smoking techniques, which allow for the free passage of smoke out of the top of the sides of the unit. The smoke has to force its way out of the sides of the lid, causing smoke pressure inside. High temperatures are generated within the Abu and the food cooks in the time it takes for the meths to burn out, which is usually about 20 minutes. Continue Reading »
Jun 06 2008
Cold smoking, at temperatures of around 80° F, is an essential operation for the production of smoked salmon, which is eaten raw, of other smoked fish, such as kippers, finnan haddocks, cod and haddock fillets and cod roes, and fillets of beef. Cold smoking is also an essential part of the initial processing of all other products which are ultimately hot smoked.
In the commercial fish smoking industry, the traditional cold smoking kiln is simply a large chimney with ventilators placed up the shaft at intervals, so that draughts can be controlled. The fire is lit in a large hearth either at the foot of the kiln or in a fire pit a few feet away, the smoke being conducted along an underground flue to the kiln by natural draught. Continue Reading »
Jun 05 2008
There are three varieties of salmon with which we who live in the western hemisphere should concern ourselves. Reputedly king of them all is the Atlantic salmon, the fish which runs up the rivers to spawn in Norway, Finland, Great Britain and Ireland and the rivers on the eastern seaboard of the United States and Canada. This is the fish which is famous the world over as a sporting and culinary proposition and is commonly associated with social prestige and affluence. There is no question that the Atlantic salmon is a very fine fish but perhaps his illustrious connections give him a somewhat unfair advantage over his Pacific cousins. Continue Reading »
Jun 05 2008
The essential commodity upon which the success of any smoke curing operation depends is a suitable supply of smoke- producing fuel. What is required is a fuel which will burn slowly and steadily, requiring the minimum of attention, and without producing too much heat. Non-resinous woods must be used as resinous soft woods impart a bitter flavour to the food, although giving it an attractive colour. Some people mix a proportion of softwood sawdust with that of the hardwood variety, which they claim adds colour without impairing the flavour of the smoked product. Continue Reading »
May 30 2008
The herring, which of course is what the kipper is before it is processed, is seldom the quarry of the sea angler in Britain. The Swedes and the Norwegians traditionally fish for herrings with hand lines from small boats at the mouths of their fjords, often making good catches, particularly when night fishing. Nevertheless, although as a British home smoker you are unlikely to catch your own herrings, if you live close to a port where these fish are landed, you may well decide to smoke your own kippers. If so, you will be able to make certain that you only obtain the freshest of fish. Continue Reading »
May 29 2008
Shrimps can either be cold smoked whole or as peeled meats. For the former method, the shrimps should have the heads removed and are then washed and drained for 30 minutes. They are then brined for 30 - 60 minutes (according to preference) in 40% brine (1 lb 3 oz salt to 1 gallon water), then boiled in the brine or in plain water, again according to taste, for 30 minutes. The shrimps are then allowed to air dry on racks for 2 hours.
The shrimps are then placed in the kiln and smoking is carried out for 1 - 11/2 hours at a temperature of 80° F. The yield of smoked meats after shelling is approximately 36% of the whole raw shrimp weight. Continue Reading »
May 29 2008
Ham is thicker than bacon, so penetration by either sweet pickle or dry cure takes longer: 3 days per lb should be allowed. If the brine cure is used, it is a good idea to injectaround the bone with the brine pump before the ham istotally immersed in the pickle, after which it should be turnedevery 2 days and the brine must be stirred. The rule applies about temperature as in all protracted cures, namely that it is far safer to keep it around 35° F. After the curing period, the ham should be washed and hung up to drain at a: and 38° F for 48 hours. Continue Reading »
May 25 2008
Razor clams should first be steamed for 10 minutes to open them. The meats should be shaken out and the clams should be cleaned by removing the stomachs and splitting open the necks. They should then be washed and cut into sections. The clams should be soaked in 60% brine (1 lb 14 oz salt to 1 gallon of water) for 5 minutes, then rinsed in cold water and drained on racks for 15 minutes. Continue Reading »
May 24 2008
The traditional Scottish recipe for this, the largest of the British and Scandinavian game birds, states that as soon as possible after the bird has been killed, the crop should be removed, the feet cut off and the bird then buried for a fortnight, by which time one should have forgotten where the bird has been buried. This implies that the caper is pretty ghastly fare, but this is an exaggeration, and similar defamatory statements are often made about the black grouse and its female counterpart, the grey hen, which I and many others consider excellent eating. Continue Reading »
May 23 2008
Equal quantities of good quality beef and pork should be minced and bound with egg yolk and basic seasoning to form cakes. These should be placed on a wire rack, with a dripping tin underneath, in a smoke oven pre-heated to 200 - 225° F. There should be plenty of dense smoke as the hamburgers will only be in the oven for about 30 minutes. They can either be left in the same position for the whole process, or can be turned halfway through. Continue Reading »
