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[tunnie]

So i figured i did need to learn to cook something now, as mother T is  some distance away to cook on demand and my suggestions of a delivery service met stiff opposition 

Take aways are in big supply here, i have a Pizza place, Chinese, 2 x Indian, Kebab, Fried Chicken, Wok Bar, and yet another Indian place all within a minutes walk of the flat, i've been a tad lazy, but tonight i actually tried cooking for once!

First off some ingredients:



Asparagus was reduced, 29p, bargin!

Unfortunately, I was missing a key piece of hardware, a rolling pin! So an old company mug stepped in:



Results were not bad, but i could have done with more mozzarella cheese



However the result was quite pleasing:



Some ham helped quite a bit:



I've got one left over too, that will do for lunch tomorrow  - Who said men can't cook? 

[Dishevelled Den]

Splendid effort T.

[waspy]

Looks like something my dog would eat. Er what is it :-?

[tunnie]

Looks like something my dog would eat. Er what is it :-?

I see you have the ability to type, do you not have the ability to read?  :-?

[Banjax]

Looks like something my dog would eat. Er what is it :-?

I see you have the ability to type, do you not have the ability to read?  :-?

i've read it and dont know what it is 

[cem_devecioglu]

good one, but next time please send those piccies in an early time as I do feel really hungry now

need a visit to the kitchen 

[Andy B]

I agree with Pete, you've cooked done something with some ingredients, but your description doesn't actually say what you created. 

[Andy B]

Looks like something my dog would eat.

would or has 

[Richie London]

i'm off to make a toastie now 

[tunnie]

bl00dy hell thought i was bad with cooking, lets run over it again shall we, what can we see? Tomatoes, Cheese, ham, asparagus in puff pastry? Do i need to draw picture?  :-/

[Banjax]

bl00dy hell thought i was bad with cooking, lets run over it again shall we, what can we see? Tomatoes, Cheese, ham, asparagus in puff pastry? Do i need to draw picture?  :-/


 

yes 

[Andy B]

.... Tomatoes, Cheese, ham, asparagus in puff pastry? .....


 

you made tomato, cheese, ham & asparagus puffs 

[waspy]

bl00dy hell thought i was bad with cooking, lets run over it again shall we, what can we see? Tomatoes, Cheese, ham, asparagus in puff pastry? Do i need to draw picture?  :-/




 

No, you supplied us with five
Your ability to type seems to have left you

[tunnie]

.... Tomatoes, Cheese, ham, asparagus in puff pastry? .....


 

you made tomato, cheese, ham & asparagus puffs 

Thought that was kind of obvious 

[waspy]

.... Tomatoes, Cheese, ham, asparagus in puff pastry? .....


 

you made tomato, cheese, ham & asparagus puffs 

Thought that was kind of obvious 

 

It's obvious to my dog

[tunnie]

Looks like something my dog would eat.

would or has 

Humm Pete come across as a nasty individual on here, did not know animal cruelty was on it too, cheese, being a dairy product is very bad for dogs due to the lactose content, and can cause diahorrea 

[ianu]

..I thought that was a pile of napkins in the middle of the first picture and we were aiming for an exotic salad with cheese... :-? :-?

[tunnie]

.... Tomatoes, Cheese, ham, asparagus in puff pastry? .....


 

you made tomato, cheese, ham & asparagus puffs 

Thought that was kind of obvious 

 

It's obvious to my dog

It should be obvious to you that dogs cannot handle lactose in dairy products causing them pain. Moron.

[waspy]

.... Tomatoes, Cheese, ham, asparagus in puff pastry? .....


 

you made tomato, cheese, ham & asparagus puffs 

Thought that was kind of obvious 

 

It's obvious to my dog

It should be obvious to you that dogs cannot handle lactose in dairy products causing them pain. Moron.

 

[Kevin Wood]

You need to get yourself a Madhur Jaffrey cook book. Every recipe a bloke'll ever need. The only other type of cooking involves beer, a barbecue and bits of dead cow.

.. or get a SWMBO. Got a rather nice mixed game stew last night. Rabbit, pheasant, venison, etc. Didn't go down too well when I referred to it as "road kill", though.

Kevin

[tunnie]

You need to get yourself a Madhur Jaffrey cook book. Every recipe a bloke'll ever need. The only other type of cooking involves beer, a barbecue and bits of dead cow.

.. or get a SWMBO. Got a rather nice mixed game stew last night. Rabbit, pheasant, venison, etc. Didn't go down too well when I referred to it as "road kill", though.

Kevin

Ta, some have recommended Jaime Olivers books, but don't quite get on with his style. I've series linked Nigelia Bites, for some reason her stuff is really simple. She made a cake, boiled some mandarins, got egg, flour and so on popped it all in a blender basically and mixure done, into a cake tin.

Lots of her stuff seems to be less precise than others and just chuck stuff in..

Can't afford SWMBO, bike holidays, need to go Snowboarding in January, then more bike holidays 

[aaronjb]

You need to get yourself a Madhur Jaffrey cook book. Every recipe a bloke'll ever need. The only other type of cooking involves beer, a barbecue and bits of dead cow.

.. or get a SWMBO. Got a rather nice mixed game stew last night. Rabbit, pheasant, venison, etc. Didn't go down too well when I referred to it as "road kill", though.

Kevin

That bit is easier said than done! (Well it is if you're an ugly bastard, anyway)

And tunnie, come on, we all know there's only one reason you're watching Nigella.. 

[tunnie]

You need to get yourself a Madhur Jaffrey cook book. Every recipe a bloke'll ever need. The only other type of cooking involves beer, a barbecue and bits of dead cow.

.. or get a SWMBO. Got a rather nice mixed game stew last night. Rabbit, pheasant, venison, etc. Didn't go down too well when I referred to it as "road kill", though.

Kevin

That bit is easier said than done! (Well it is if you're an ugly blank, anyway)

And tunnie, come on, we all know there's only one reason you're watching Nigella.. 

 

[Kevin Wood]

And tunnie, come on, we all know there's only one reason you're watching Nigella.. 

  

[Dishevelled Den]

You need to get yourself a Madhur Jaffrey cook book. Every recipe a bloke'll ever need. The only other type of cooking involves beer, a barbecue and bits of dead cow.

.. or get a SWMBO. Got a rather nice mixed game stew last night. Rabbit, pheasant, venison, etc. Didn't go down too well when I referred to it as "road kill", though.

Kevin

Didn't go down too well when I referred to it as

I made the same mistake after about 5 weeks of marriage. (Being young and foolish)

Wife said if I didn't like the food she presented she wasn't cooking anymore. And she didn't.

Luckily I could cook a bit and took some pointers from an accomplished cook I knew so was able to survive.

From that point nearly 32 years ago (next January) I have done all the cooking - and grocery shopping - when we're both at home.

[Andy B]

....
I made the same mistake after about 5 weeks of marriage. (Being young and foolish)....

Didn't anyone tell you that the answer to all questions in marriage is ...... Yes dear! 

[Dishevelled Den]

....
I made the same mistake after about 5 weeks of marriage. (Being young and foolish)....

Didn't anyone tell you that the answer to all questions in marriage is ...... Yes dear! 

I wish someone had told me at the time Andy.

[Martin_1962]

SWTSMBO Cooks here but I do the barbequeing

[Kevin Wood]

SWTSMBO Cooks here but I do the barbequeing

Quite right too. Definitely a Blue job.

Kevin

[jonnycool]

....
I made the same mistake after about 5 weeks of marriage. (Being young and foolish)....

Didn't anyone tell you that the answer to all questions in marriage is ...... Yes dear! 

Can't believe there are married men about who still don't know this 

[Mr Skrunts]

And tunnie, come on, we all know there's only one reason you're watching Nigella.. 

  

Does she cook as well?   

[VXL V6]

Used to enjoy cooking once upon a time, though thinking about it that may have been drinking a bottle of red / a few pints of Guinnes while waiting for the food to cook 

Can't say I eat much these days, never bothered with breakfast on a workday for twenty years (Can't face food first thing) and not too fussed about evening meals either.

Just occasionally i'll eat like a pig all day long though! 

[Mr Skrunts]

Used to enjoy cooking once upon a time, though thinking about it that may have been drinking a bottle of red / a few pints of Guinnes while waiting for the food to cook 

Can't say I eat much these days, never bothered with breakfast on a workday for twenty years (Can't face food first thing) and not too fussed about evening meals either.

Just occasionally i'll eat like a pig all day long though! 

I only used to eat at night, now I make sure to have a cooked breakfast/lunch as I have it at mid day, normally a couple of bacon, egg and mushroom serni's.

Then if hungy later, just have a pasty or something, if weekend then maybe a take away.

Tonight it was bonoffee cheesecake. 

[Amigo]

You need  decent pans, Tefal et. Don't buy one of those everything you need in a box £20. false economy, everything will stick & burn. If cooking with non stick don't use steel utensils, use wooden or plastic to save the expensive coatings you've invested in. Keep store cupboard ingredients like rice (i prefer Basmati) pasta (i prefer penne) tinned food, tuna, beans, soup. chick peas. Invest in salt & pepper mills, stock cubes & red beef oxo. Keep mixed herbs, garlic granules paprika & chiili powder.Only use expensive olive oil for salad dressing, veg or sunflower is better for gen cooking. Always keep chicken breasts in the freezer to defrost in the microwave along with a bag of petit pois peas.
    Lastly NEVER be without onions, mushrooms, cheese, eggs & milk. This should get you started!

[aaronjb]

Buying all that stuff is the easy bit..

It's actually being bothered to cook that's the hard bit 

I have a kitchen filled with utensils, gadgets (steamer, rice cooker, slow cooker, microwave, etc) and ingredients that I never use.. 

[Amigo]

Buying all that stuff is the easy bit..

It's actually being bothered to cook that's the hard bit 

I have a kitchen filled with utensils, gadgets (steamer, rice cooker, slow cooker, microwave, etc) and ingredients that I never use.. 

What a waste. I can cook, keep house, be a single Dad but still break fight & banger race with the best of them...i don't race any more & my son is now 25 but you get my drift, men can cook!!! 8-)

[aaronjb]

Buying all that stuff is the easy bit..

It's actually being bothered to cook that's the hard bit 

I have a kitchen filled with utensils, gadgets (steamer, rice cooker, slow cooker, microwave, etc) and ingredients that I never use.. 

What a waste. I can cook, keep house, be a single Dad but still break fight & banger race with the best of them...i don't race any more & my son is now 25 but you get my drift, men can cook!!! 8-)

I can write code and fix just about anything mechanical or electronic but yep.. I'm pretty much a waste of space when it comes to everything else

[Vamps]

Used to enjoy cooking once upon a time, though thinking about it that may have been drinking a bottle of red / a few pints of Guinnes while waiting for the food to cook 

Can't say I eat much these days, never bothered with breakfast on a workday for twenty years (Can't face food first thing) and not too fussed about evening meals either.

Just occasionally i'll eat like a pig all day long though! 

I only used to eat at night, now I make sure to have a cooked breakfast/lunch as I have it at mid day, normally a couple of bacon, egg and mushroom serni's.

Then if hungy later, just have a pasty or something, if weekend then maybe a take away.

Tonight it was bonoffee cheesecake. 

Meals on Wheels.......

[MaxV6]

- Who said men can't cook? 

no one who's eaten my food has ever said that again.....





(and no, i don;t kill em off.... !)

learn to use a knife properly, get decent knifes,  not cheap all in one packs...     expect a decent knife set to be the far side of  £30  each ,  keep them razor sharp,   get several different chopping boards, , for example a bio-safe plastic for meat and fish, wooden ones for veg and salads and do a quick bit of reading about food safety.....  where you keep things in the fridge, and how you prepare them matters....

get proper decent pans, and keep them clean properly...  only turn rings up full, if a recipe calls for it...   don't assume you have to ..  it depends what you're cooking....    what you want the heat to be doing,

don;t just assume virgin olive oil is the answer...     if you need to cook something at a high temperature....  like a steak,    virgin olive oil will taste burnt by the time the pan is hot enough to sear the steak.

so  keep both light and virgin olive oils in the larder....  rice bran oil is especially handy for very high temperature stuff.... 




i'm not a fan of most "celeb"chef cook books frankly....      

she may be old hat , and not fashionable, but Delia's books are easy to follow and don;t assume you have skills that are not the preserve of the average home cook....   filleting a fish is not something people are born able to do....   likewise boning a joint without a lot of waste... sure these things can be learned, and skill comes with practice,   but many of the "celebchef" books just assume you can do all this... and do it at speed, so their prep time guides are totally out of the reach of the average person.... 


likewise, the average domestic hob and oven do not behave in the same fashion as professional ones, and so cooking times are often a little different, so it's worth trying some safer recipes first....   that wont give you food poisoning if you under cook them.... and getting a feel for the difference between the book, and your kitchen.....


then you can adjust the times or temperatures as required  to get the right result...


if you ever need inspiration when staring at random things in the fridge and cupboard, give me a yell...

[Marks DTM Calib]

I have to be honest, I still dont know what it is you cooked.....its pizza like but puff pastry?

[maria]

Max I have tasted your cooking i am still here lol and it bloody lovely and you are a very good cook

[waspy]

Mutley's just walked in to tell me that she needs a pee.
Then sneezed all over my laptop's key board, quite oppopriate really as i was reading this thread at the time

So she doesn't know what it is either :-/

[maria]

Mutley's just walked in to tell me that she needs a pee.
Then sneezed all over my laptop's key board, quite oppopriate really as i was reading this thread at the time

So she doesn't know what it is either :-/

Sorry Pete but that did make me laugh

[tunnie]

Max & Guy - Cheers 

I've actually done what you both didn't advise bought cheap pans and knifes! But to be honest at the moment they do the job fine! Frying pan was 99p from Ikea as was a set of 4 knifes in a block, about £1.99! They do a fine job for my needs, but as i go on will get better ones. I think its just a case of building up ingredients to keep stashed away, and also proper tools, i must buy a rolling pin   

The problem is take aways are so tempting 

Mark, yeah a puff pastry dish, saw and advert for it while ago was on offer in Tesco. So tomato purée, mozzarella cheese, topped with fresh tomatoe, then lobbed some asparagus and ham on top. Ham cause it was left over from sandwiches and asparagus cause i like it and it was cheap!

[Allenm]

Max & Guy - Cheers 

I've actually done what you both didn't advise bought cheap pans and knifes! But to be honest at the moment they do the job fine! Frying pan was 99p from Ikea as was a set of 4 knifes in a block, about £1.99! They do a fine job for my needs, but as i go on will get better ones. I think its just a case of building up ingredients to keep stashed away, and also proper tools, i must buy a rolling pin   

The problem is take aways are so tempting 

Mark, yeah a puff pastry dish, saw and advert for it while ago was on offer in Tesco. So tomato purée, mozzarella cheese, topped with fresh tomatoe, then lobbed some asparagus and ham on top. Ham cause it was left over from sandwiches and asparagus cause i like it and it was cheap!

Knives for £1.99 are likely to be dangerous!  the knives in those cheap blocks are so thin and flexible that you are likely to end up doing yourself an injury when it slips - which it will!

A decent knife will set you back around £20 - that is just for one!  but it should last for years. just make sure you buy a steel at the same time - and learn how to use it!

Delia's how to cook is about the best start you can have, clear easy recipes as well as info on why things are done the way they are, celeb books tend to be a bit crap and cheffy to be honest.

[Mr Skrunts]

Invest in a good set of knives tunnie and they will last you for life.

A good pan set is a must, I am in the same boat here, actualy got some very good recomendations off JB and others on here about 18 months ago regards pans, need to find it as I need to get some sorted.

A george foreman is a good investment and some good quality kitchen tools.

Your list will grow as you learn to cook, the more you cook you will learn to experiment, the more you cook, the more you want to cook.  Just have fun and experiment as you seem to have done last night. 

[tunnie]

exactly 

Last night was a bit of an experiment, i like the fact you can chuck almost anything on them. Which means a raid to local co-op's reduced shelf could prove cheap source of meals 

[Kevin Wood]

That reminds me.. got a nice set of stainless steel pans kicking around. Now less than useful as they don't work on the induction hob.

Kevin

[tunnie]

That reminds me.. got a nice set of stainless steel pans kicking around. Now less than useful as they don't work on the induction hob.

Kevin

Interesting, mines a gas hob so no issues there 

[Mr Skrunts]

Get a decent wok bought as well, easiest way in the world to cook other than pressing start on the microwave. 

[tunnie]

Get a decent wok bought as well, easiest way in the world to cook other than pressing start on the microwave. 

There is a Wok bar at the canteen, I love it, pick out loads of fresh veg and then some sauce and chef makes it for you, might have to have a bash at home, think Secret is to get the Wok, very very hot!

[Mr Skrunts]

Get a decent wok bought as well, easiest way in the world to cook other than pressing start on the microwave. 

There is a Wok bar at the canteen, I love it, pick out loads of fresh veg and then some sauce and chef makes it for you, might have to have a bash at home, think Secret is to get the Wok, very very hot!

yes, and just minimal ammount of oil.

[aaronjb]

Get a decent wok bought as well, easiest way in the world to cook other than pressing start on the microwave. 

There is a Wok bar at the canteen, I love it, pick out loads of fresh veg and then some sauce and chef makes it for you, might have to have a bash at home, think Secret is to get the Wok, very very hot!

And if my local Chinese is anything to go by, occasionally so hot that it's smoking .. based on the thick, black smoke that came out of the kitchen when I asked for Beef with Black Bean Sauce.. 

[maria]

I'm hungry now...................


Its YOUR fault, Tunnie!!!







(dribble)

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

I have no need to learn how to cook and clean......I have a wife....

[aaronjb]

I'm hungry now...................


Its YOUR fault, Tunnie!!!







(dribble)

So from this we can learn that Tunnie makes Maria dribble?  :-?

[pscocoa]

I do not cook, the whole concept is boring and time consuming - I am a consumer not a producer and have no time to waste in the kitchen.

I eat out every day in any case (occasionally on expenses) and spend a lot of time in hotels etc.

I do the barbecuing with pleasure though - I think maybe it is an aversion to the kitchen that I have.

[feeutfo]

Curry ready meals have come on a lot IMO. 

[Richie London]

my favourite is heating the frying pan up, throw in some worcester sauce, mince, carrots, garlic, chilli powder and some onions, then serve with uncle bens boil in a bag vegetable rice. wrap them up in tortilas and scoff them down. takes 15mins and it is delicious.

[CaptainZok]

Max & Guy - Cheers 

I've actually done what you both didn't advise bought cheap pans and knifes! But to be honest at the moment they do the job fine! Frying pan was 99p from Ikea as was a set of 4 knifes in a block, about £1.99! They do a fine job for my needs, but as i go on will get better ones. I think its just a case of building up ingredients to keep stashed away, and also proper tools, i must buy a rolling pin   

The problem is take aways are so tempting 

Mark, yeah a puff pastry dish, saw and advert for it while ago was on offer in Tesco. So tomato purée, mozzarella cheese, topped with fresh tomatoe, then lobbed some asparagus and ham on top. Ham cause it was left over from sandwiches and asparagus cause i like it and it was cheap!

Knives for £1.99 are likely to be dangerous!  the knives in those cheap blocks are so thin and flexible that you are likely to end up doing yourself an injury when it slips - which it will!
A decent knife will set you back around £20 - that is just for one!  but it should last for years. just make sure you buy a steel at the same time - and learn how to use it!

Delia's how to cook is about the best start you can have, clear easy recipes as well as info on why things are done the way they are, celeb books tend to be a bit crap and cheffy to be honest.

Quite, The Tigger once ended up in casualty after a cheap knife slipped whilst cutting a block of butter of all things and opened up her finger.

[Andy B]

That reminds me.. got a nice set of stainless steel pans kicking around. Now less than useful as they don't work on the induction hob.

Kevin

Our Prestige stainless pans have been relegated to the caravan since we got an induction hob. They were a wedding present 27 years ago!! Which shows that expensive pans do last. 

[TheBoy]

When I was kicked out first left home, my landlord showed me you could do anything with a Wok. Just flash fry anything in it - be it stir-fry, savoury mince dishes, fajithas, spag bog type dishes.


And my cookery skills never developed beyond that

[TheBoy]

BTW, Student, I don't have a bloody clue what that is supposed to be either...   ...looks like the sort of wanky food they do on TV programmes....

[Richie London]

That reminds me.. got a nice set of stainless steel pans kicking around. Now less than useful as they don't work on the induction hob.

Kevin

Our Prestige stainless pans have been relegated to the caravan since we got an induction hob. They were a wedding present 27 years ago!! Which shows that expensive pans do last. 

mother still uses her bread board she got for a wedding present over 50 years ago, some people never throw things out 

[Gaffers]

As the wife is away a lot I tend to cook quite often, plus having a meal ready for when she gets back home all jetlagged gets me brownie points.  The puff pastry pizza thing you did tunnie is quick easy and yummy, I often make this myself when I am alone.

I always say if you can read, you can cook, fix cars, build boats, etc

[drool]

Nigellaaaaaa.........

[/drool]

[Mr Skrunts]

Fancy her this for tea tonite.   

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUIZPzJigSg[/media]

[feeutfo]

Tunnie don't let them winde you up, it was bloody obvious what you where making, and I have no pink job skills at all....

....and why is Maria dribbling again?