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Cooking Ingredients You Were Introduced To



whitelion

New member
Dec 16, 2003
12,828
Southwick
Just watching Saturday Kitchen and it reminded me of ingredients that I use but hadn't until somebody introduced them to me.

Olive oil - would never use any other after a mate cooked a meal for me using Extra Virgin olive oil. I'd used the cheapy old sunflower oil until then and even when short of money I always made sure I bought the olive oil.

Lentils - my mother made the most delicious ham and lentil soups which she treated me with when I called on her in the winter months. I'd never be without lentils in the cupboard.
 


moggy

Well-known member
Oct 15, 2003
5,050
southwick
Couscous
So versatile. Can't get enough of the stuff
 






Sussex Nomad

Well-known member
Aug 26, 2010
18,185
EP
I wouldn't know where to start on this one. My mum and one of my Auntie's made the best curries ever, they are Burmese so the curries had a certain difference to Indian style, although the flavour was very much southern Indian. Goan'ish. Anyway one of my cousins and I took up the mantle of curry making in their style and we frequently get knocked up by other members of our family (and friends) to cook up a dish. I was introduced to many, many things from those two that I couldn't list. Suffice to say eating curry takes up 4/5 days of my normal week :smile:
 




Triggaaar

Well-known member
Oct 24, 2005
49,989
Goldstone
Cooking Ingredients You Were Introduced To
Er, all of them I guess :shrug:

Olive oil - would never use any other after a mate cooked a meal for me using Extra Virgin olive oil
I had heard that olive oil couldn't take the heat (starts smoking) and breaks down, making it unsuitable for cooking, but I did some web research and I think olive oil is the most healthy choice for cooking. Some types of olive oil may break down easier than others, I don't know. They now sell some that specify that it's for cooking, don't know if that's better or worse. I've generally used basic Tesco virgin olive oil, I thought using Extra Virgin was a bit of a waste.

What is it that you like about using it? If just using a small amount to fry onions etc, the difference in taste should be minimal.
 


whitelion

New member
Dec 16, 2003
12,828
Southwick
Er, all of them I guess :shrug:

I had heard that olive oil couldn't take the heat (starts smoking) and breaks down, making it unsuitable for cooking, but I did some web research and I think olive oil is the most healthy choice for cooking. Some types of olive oil may break down easier than others, I don't know. They now sell some that specify that it's for cooking, don't know if that's better or worse. I've generally used basic Tesco virgin olive oil, I thought using Extra Virgin was a bit of a waste.

What is it that you like about using it? If just using a small amount to fry onions etc, the difference in taste should be minimal.

It definitely the taste - I've tried walnut oil rapeseed oil etc but the taste of extra virgin (for me) hits the spot.
 






Mr Bridger

Sound of the suburbs
Feb 25, 2013
4,408
Earth
Uncle Bens curry with square chunks of meat and sultanas
 


whitelion

New member
Dec 16, 2003
12,828
Southwick
Er, all of them I guess :shrug:

Perhaps I should have been clearer.

I'm not thinking childhood here - I'm thinking you've left home and started cooking for yourself but friends/family have introduced an ingredient to you that find indispensable that you hadn't considered.
 


BNthree

Plastic JCL
Sep 14, 2016
10,778
WeHo
Er, all of them I guess :shrug:

I had heard that olive oil couldn't take the heat (starts smoking) and breaks down, making it unsuitable for cooking, but I did some web research and I think olive oil is the most healthy choice for cooking. Some types of olive oil may break down easier than others, I don't know. They now sell some that specify that it's for cooking, don't know if that's better or worse. I've generally used basic Tesco virgin olive oil, I thought using Extra Virgin was a bit of a waste.

What is it that you like about using it? If just using a small amount to fry onions etc, the difference in taste should be minimal.

This! Extra Virgin should be for drizzling over salad etc and a lighter olive oil used for cooking. All about rapeseed oil for me personally, love the stuff.
 




Triggaaar

Well-known member
Oct 24, 2005
49,989
Goldstone
This! Extra Virgin should be for drizzling over salad etc and lighter olive oil for cooking. All about rapeseed oil for me personally, love the stuff.
I don't think rapeseed oil is good for you though - check out how they make it, it's not very natural.
 


The Andy Naylor Fan Club

Well-known member
Aug 31, 2012
5,144
Right Here, Right Now
Just watching Saturday Kitchen and it reminded me of ingredients that I use but hadn't until somebody introduced them to me.

Olive oil - would never use any other after a mate cooked a meal for me using Extra Virgin olive oil. I'd used the cheapy old sunflower oil until then and even when short of money I always made sure I bought the olive oil.

I love Olive oil be it for cooking, putting on a salad or making a dressing. Can't stand bloody olives though.
 


whitelion

New member
Dec 16, 2003
12,828
Southwick
Just watching Saturday Kitchen and it reminded me of ingredients that I use but hadn't until somebody introduced them to me.

Olive oil - would never use any other after a mate cooked a meal for me using Extra Virgin olive oil. I'd used the cheapy old sunflower oil until then and even when short of money I always made sure I bought the olive oil.

I love Olive oil be it for cooking, putting on a salad or making a dressing. Can't stand bloody olives though.

That's pretty much my relationship with olives - when confronted with them as a stand alone I tend to eat one or two but generally avoid.
 




BigGully

Well-known member
Sep 8, 2006
7,139
This! Extra Virgin should be for drizzling over salad etc and a lighter olive oil used for cooking. All about rapeseed oil for me personally, love the stuff.

Well I hope you do not buy branded rapeseed oil, plain simple cheap vegetable oil IS 100% rapeseed oil, its quite a shameful scam, just take a look on ingredient label on any vegetable oil.
 


BigGully

Well-known member
Sep 8, 2006
7,139
For me I have been 're-introduced' to white pepper.

Its a mainstay of most chinese takeaway recipes and a little on chips or eggs and other old skool meals, I had nearly forgotten just how good.
 


pasty

A different kind of pasty
Jul 5, 2003
30,178
West, West, West Sussex
Ex-wife introduced me to this stuff. She was Dutch and there was a large Suriname community where she was from (Rotterdam) and they use it loads. Believe it's origin is Indonesian. Can't make a decent satay without it.

sambal.jpg
 


The Clamp

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jan 11, 2016
24,289
West is BEST
For me I have been 're-introduced' to white pepper.

Its a mainstay of most chinese takeaway recipes and a little on chips or eggs and other old skool meals, I had nearly forgotten just how good.

Yes! It came back into my life last year. After writing it off as a depressing condiment in a pot on the table of depressing greasy spoon cafes from the 80's my other half bought a pot while out food shopping and we now enjoy it on most meals.
We are quite a boring couple.
 




Bwian

Kiss my (_!_)
Jul 14, 2003
15,898
Thai Mushroom Soy Sauce has now replaced all other soy sauces in my stir fries and Thai food where soy sauce is required.

Sent from my LG-H815 using Tapatalk
 


Sussex Nomad

Well-known member
Aug 26, 2010
18,185
EP
Yes! It came back into my life last year. After writing it off as a depressing condiment in a pot on the table of depressing greasy spoon cafes from the 80's my other half bought a pot while out food shopping and we now enjoy it on most meals.
We are quite a boring couple.

Prefer white to black pepper but totally forgot about it's existence for many years, brought it back into my cooking last year.
 



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