General Chat

talking of ovens, some modern ovens are not big enough to cook all that at once. Mine only has two shelves and once a joint is in the top shelf is very high. It is a built in double oven. I remember when I had a free standing cooker and the oven had room for 3 shelves well spaced out.

I have been watching a TV show called Superscrimpers. It comes up with some great ideas for cooking, clothes etc

How long is it safe to keep a cooked chicken? I have had food posioning twice when eating out and am a bit paranoid how long things can be kept.

Teresa

We bought a sack of potatoes home from Herefordshire, when we were there in January.
They are great and we have previously bought the same variety from the same people. Trouble is we are not using them fast enough. When I last went to get some I remarked that they must be the 'homing' variety as they were sending out shoots to get back to their county.

We have a weekly food waste system here on bin day and I'm amazed at the bulging bins put out regularly by some people. I was shooing seagulls off them when I walked by this morning.

I was brought up by a thrifty Mum,but we always had good nourishing food. Old habits die hard, so my meals too reflected this way and now my daughter makes great meals on a budget.
Sadly many people brought up on 'Ping meals' as grandson calls them, are not then able to guide the next generation.

Bring back Home Economics, with a better slant on Economy.

Gwyn

Never mind Sharron, their will be another Valentine day next year,

If you buy spuds from your local farm, check before you buy for any soft or rotting spuds and take them out of the bag immediately or they will affect the rest of the bag, If they are sprouting don't buy as thats a sign that they have not been kept in the correct conditions and will not keep however if they are sprouting but still firm then their is nothing wrong with them and can still be eaten

Roy

You sound like my kind of man Roy.

Shame Valentines is past.Lucky escape for you though!

Farmer near me sells sacks of spuds for a fiver. They are excellent and seem to do everything.

However, I did not buy one of his sacks until recommended to do so by somebody who had tried them because, if you buy a sack of spuds and they turn out to be rubbish then you are left with half a hundredweight of rubbish taters to use up!

When it comes to waste the supermarkets are the biggest culprits,

eg, They insist that veg has to be washed by suppliers and some shrink wrapped or placed in plastic bags,
most veg as soon as it is washed will start to decay,
Take potatoes and carrots both these will keep fresh for 12 months if they are not washed and simply put in a box preferably wood and then kept in a dark cool place ideally at 4 degrees

Potatoes are harvested around September October and are stored in cold stores at around 4 degrees and then sold as and when needed all year round

New potatoes are harvested around May/June/July and depending on the variety can last for 6 months, all other new spuds in this country are imports from abroad.

I never use tin veg as they are processed from low quality veg and have got added preservatives

Edit,
Amendment to my post
Must be getting old, we used to set our cold store at 4 degrees with air flow at harvest time to help bring down the temperature and then ( as Lesley pointed out below) it should be between 7/10 degrees for long term storage



Roy

It may be just the area that serves us but I don't buy fruit and veg in Aldi. Lidl seems to be fresher.

The market is not an option for me but I sometimes get a friend to go in there. I am waiting to get some freezer space, blackberries,apples, leftovers, so I can buy another net of carrots. I can't use them all quickly enough so thought I would freeze half next time.

Managed to buy a net of onions in Lidl but, the onions I use,they won't have time to go off.

if we make a spag bol
we turn the left overs into chilli the next day

When I make a Shepherds Pie, I put in one of those tins of Mixed Veg that are about 30p in M****sons. Then the first day we have it with veggies to make it a dinner. then the next day we have it with Oven Chips and Peas.
T**co best Mince is £3.60 for 500g. so that works out at a reasonable price for two meals for two days.
I have to have Best Mince because of a bad childhood memory of mince.

Julia in Derbyshire

It's amazing how far one lb of mince will go too, and it's so versatile. Shepherds pie, meat pie, curried mince, spag bol, lasagne, chilli, meatloaf, burgers, pasties, stuffed veg...

I bought a swede in Aldi the other day, it seemed a bit old and soft, and I thought, this is going to be all woody. You know what? It was the best swede I'd had all season! and for 39p!

Shop around, keep out of the supermarkets as much as possible. Don't by bogof veg unless you KNOW you'll get them eaten, and use the markets. Cooking can be done in advance at the weekend if you're working, that way you have your own convenience meals...and you know what's in 'em!

Imagine wasting money on a squeak!

When I buy clothes I try to avoid fashion trends. If you wear one of those waterfall front cardigans in two years time you might just as well be wearing a crinolin but one of those boyfriend cardigans with the straight hems will last for years.

My jeans were bought as an offer of three ten years ago.

We have some chapati flour and that saves pounds on takeaways.(Yes we live on them of course!)
Chapatis are two parts flour to one part water. Mix up, roll out, cook on the griddle and save at least a pound per chapati. We have three each so that saves £6 and the more chapati you eat the less curry you need to buy. I make mango chutney and, naturally, I have the leftovers for lunch next day.

The old man eats stale bread rolls. If you make up a cheese roll using a stale one and bung it in the microwave for two minutes it is delicious.Even better with a slice of onion in it.

I am so unthrifty you would all descend on me with recipes waving in your hands! The most I do is boil leftover chicken bones to make a good soup. Otherwise I am a failure :-( :-( :-( ;-) <3

Teresa agree with what you say. A chicken will last my OH and I for 3 days, mince for two. I cannot abide waste, even when I worked and could afford it I was still thrifty, been known to bring home chicken carcass from childrens houses ;-)

My children were brought up on proper food no jars or packets, but must admit my youngest does seem to buy a lot of junk food, perhaps she is rebelling.

Carol

I watch Superscrimpers, series just finished last night. Wouldn't be seen dead in some of their revamped garments, and most of the things in the household line have been my way of life for many years.

Some of my family waste a huge amount of money, and it grieves me to think that they will be struggling on a pension in a few years time.

I think the amount of money young folk spend on clothes and make up is outrageous. Last night two young students - one spent 20K per annum on clothes and make up. That is over twice my income!!

I have to say I'm enjoying the challenge too.

And having just received my bank statement *gulps loudly* it looks like it's going to be a more challenging month than ever !!!.

Going to go to Morrisons to buy some of these different cuts of meat you ladies have been discussing. It's make do and mend for a fortnight in this house for sure lol x

Although I use Quorn because I am vege, I need to make it as authentic as possible because the others aren't.

I root through reduced bins.Any old reduced beer makes a bit of mince pretty yummy. A bit of flour when you are frying the onions, then tip in half a tin of beer,doesn't matter if it has gone flat.

There is a place not far from us which specializes in cut price food, he buys it from a food broker and sells it off as three tins for a price or so many packets for a price.
We used to go there every week but one of the staff was so rude that we have never been back and I am very pleased we haven't.
We would come home with three tins of all sorts of strange things because they were on offer which needed to be accommodeated in what we ate.
Now we don't go there I have much more control over what I buy and am not mislead by a seeming bargain.
A trip to Aldi and Lidl is often the only outing I get in the week(cue violins) as it is difficult to arrange things round the old man so I feel that going there is a justifiable expense.
Morrisons have an excellent range of old fart foods like split peas and lentils which are full of protein and very cheap.They pad out a stew well.
Most of all I think I enjoy the challenge of eking things out.

Planning and preparation is all that is required mixed with a little common sense,

I am that tight i squeak when i walk.

I even use a flask to put any left over hot water from the kettle so i don't need to boil it again for my next coffee

Roy

There's never a chicken comes in this house, that goes out again except the bones. There is only two of us also, so it will get roasted first. Then the meat is stripped off, and the carcass goes in the soup pot. The meat is divided up in various ways eg, sandwiches, pieces for the freezer then made into many different things.
I extol the virtues of a Ham Hock from M****sons at £1.74. This I boil for the stock, to be used in Pea and Ham Soup. The meat is stripped off also, and made into many different things. If I have some chicken bits in thr freezer, I put some ham bit with it and make Chicken and Ham pie with a leek. You can also put the bits ontop of a homemade Pizza. The possibilities are endless.
I endorse fully Teresa W use of Shin. As she says, it by far the tastiest, for stewing.

Julia in Derbyshire

i always shop around, altho dad complains what i save in money on offers, he spends in petrol taking me there lol,

i find if ya nip the local supermarket later on, they have lots of meats reduced, which will freeze lovely, to be takign out ont he morning of needing them :-D

but like TW, our butchers do a fab, 3 for a fiver offer, on trays of, chickenn legs in arious flavours, sausages, steaks, burger, chops, n bacon,

and each tray can be split to do 3 or 4 meals, :-D

I would't go as far as saying that benefits are generous, but you can just about get by on them. It's still a huge decision to give up work to look after a disabled person and thus to have your income cut by 2/3.

But you have to shop around, stop buying convenience foods because not only are they expensive and a false economy but are loaded with salt and sugar and goodness knows what else. My local butcher does a butchers pack, which is 1lb mince 1lb sausages 1lb shin beef and 1lb boned chicken thighs. Thats 8 meals for us AND some in the freezer. I can make 3 shepherds pies out of the mince, the sausages do us for two meals, the shin is two days of yummy stew (it's the best thing in the world for a beef stew or casserole, so much flavour and melts), and the chicken thighs will make lots of different things, from enchiladas to pies, to stews to fried chicken. All that for just £6.99! Add a fivers worth of veggies from the market and that's the main meals sorted for a week.

If people would only stop wasting food we'd all be better off.