Crikey are you around

[jean2579]

as our resident gourmand chef I am hoping you can help. I bought a bottle of chilli infused olive oil and used it tonight for the first time

I used it like I do the normal olive oil, big mistake!

The chilli taste was so intense that nothing else could be tasted, the worst part was the concerted rush to the fridge for iced water.

Do you know how this is meant to be used, appreciate your help it cost a fair bit and I am banned from using it again until I sort it out

[j*oono]

I'm not buying any more cookbooks.  I have some that I love but I've found it a lot better to make my own journal and once I try a recipe, if it worked and was enjoyed I will stick it in the journal and if it didn't I ditch it.

I have quite a collection of regular recipes now.  I will tweak some recipes She_el but I still love following them.

One of my favourites is the chicken leek and mushroom one and I'm doing that tonight.

[joz*garage]

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@amber-eyed-girl wrote:
I alternate a roast beef with a roast chicken pretty much every weekend, if that is any consolation 🙂

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my mother gave us a ovenbag to try for roasting chook 

turned out so tender and juicy inside (i did take it out of the bag to brown too)

ovenbags will go on my shopping list

[catsnknots]

This oil can be used in cooking..... what you need to do though is slowly introduce it to your cooking just a splash at a time until your taste buds can get use to the heat. I did this and in no time I was using heaps. It is great stuff. Steaks and stir fries are the the best to use it with but then I worked it into seafood and chicken and all sorts of stuff. 

chillies help you lose weight... stimulates the metabolism so work them in. 

[lloydslights]

Australian households used to be the biggest buyers of cookbooks IN THE WORLD.  My mothers stash stood at around 400. The original Margaret Fulton hardback was there along with the first issue of Charmaine Solomon's Asian Cooking. The Aust Women's Weekly Library was also on the shelf (every single one).

There are only about 5 books that I kept purely for keepsakes.  The little black notebook, written with real ink that has smudged here and there.  It includes the Anzac biscuit recipe before they were called Anzac Biscuits. It was my great=great grandmothers.  

Another is the Willow cookbook.  It was acquired when ggm bought her original caketins. It was a sort of product promotional guide/recipe book.  It shows the tinware available.  It had space for handwritten notes to be added.

Another is the Commonsense Cookery Book. Used by me at School.

[lloydslights]

continuing.......We grew up on the meat and 3 veg diet.  Except on Fridays - fish.  She didn't use most of those cookbooks!!!!

Mum hardly deviated from that basic menu except on special occasions.  The most loved by the family ? - sweet and sour fish.  The worst venture/experiment was Duck L'Orange.

She was an exceptional jam maker.  And was eagerly sought after at the school fete's cake stall with her sponges.

Not bad for a girl who wasn't allowed to make a cup of tea (she might have scalded herself) up until the day she married.  Dad taught her to make stew in the first few weeks of their marriage.

DEB

[amber-eyed-girl]

Duck needs to be roasted on a raised grill over a tray, so the fat can drain off. Other than that it is no harder than cooking a chicken.

That is the mistake that most people do, as ducks are super-fatty...you can't just have it in a tray or dish directly like a chickie...then they do not cook another one.

if pan cooking, drain excess fat off carefully as it cooks. You can save it to put a little on potatoes for roasting, like chicken fat, but sparingly as very rich.

I keep it in a plastic airtight container in the fridge, let it set, then use a little instead of oil or butter on the roasting potatoes. I keep it only for a couple of days refridgerated.

[boris1gary]

Duck in Hoisin sauce has become one our faves, i was a bit nervous the first time as i had never even eaten duck never mind cooked it, it's yum and easy to prepare and cook.