Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:19:19 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Sesame for REAL flavour BUT..gasp at the price.

B-) Use a sunflower oil mainly and a teaspon of sesame for the
flavour. Olive oil won't go hot enough for decent roasties.

Interesting.. Good tip!


Not sure about that. I've done chips in olive oil..

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Dave
saying something like:

In my early 20's I visited relatives in New Cumnock and ordered steak
pie and chips. The chippy dropped the pie in the fat before I could say
anything. Now I like my pastry, but not fried :-(

When in Rome...
.... get heart disease.

Doki wrote:

"Mick Cant" wrote in message
om...
Hi all,
Am sorry if this is too far OT.
There used to be a group about food and cooking, but I lost it in a
computer crash years ago, my server does not carry group descriptions
so it is difficult to find new suitable groups.

I am a male living alone who wants to improve my meals now that I am
retired and can spend more tome preparing and cooking meals.

My problem at the moment is getting roast potatoes nice and crispy!
I peel them and wash them then part boil them for 10 min, then roast
in a pre heated oven at 220 in my combination microwave oven.
I roast them in beef dripping for around 30 minuets turning them and
they come out ok but could do with being a bit crisper on the outside.

Can anyone help with a group or where I am going wrong please?

I rarely ever do roast potatoes, but variety and giving them a shake to
rough the edges up helps.

However, I do find that the waitrose website recipe section is
excellent. Every recipe I've ever had off there (and I've had a few) has
been foolproof and tasty.

This year I grew King Edwards in builders buckets with general purpose
compost and got the best damned spuds I've ever tasted. So why can't I
buy a decent tasting potato in the supermarket?

Stuart Noble wrote:


This year I grew King Edwards in builders buckets with general purpose
compost and got the best damned spuds I've ever tasted. So why can't I
buy a decent tasting potato in the supermarket?

Which is why I have banged on about Charlottes - some Cornish Charlottes
bought in the past fortnight have been the best tasting potatoes we have
had from a supermarket in at least a year.

And yes, we have grown pots in over-sized buckets but this a year we
decided to exploit the barbecue summer by growing toms. Huh! Didn't
think you could over-water toms. Runners have done OK though.

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

In message , Stuart
Noble writes

This year I grew King Edwards in builders buckets with general purpose
compost and got the best damned spuds I've ever tasted. So why can't I
buy a decent tasting potato in the supermarket?

Because King Edwards are disease prone and avoided by commercial
growers. Yield, shape, storing quality, disease resistance come way
before flavour in variety choice.

A neighbour gave me some Maris bead? earlies this year. The advice that
followed was to dig the lot as soon as they are ready. Normally we dig
and consume. The reason is slugs which target and destroy the tubers.
Nice taste:-)

regards

--
Tim Lamb

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and ideas.
I will be trying them out.
Mick.

Tim Lamb wrote:
In message , Stuart
Noble writes

This year I grew King Edwards in builders buckets with general purpose
compost and got the best damned spuds I've ever tasted. So why can't I
buy a decent tasting potato in the supermarket?

Because King Edwards are disease prone and avoided by commercial
growers. Yield, shape, storing quality, disease resistance come way
before flavour in variety choice.

A neighbour gave me some Maris bead? earlies this year. The advice that
followed was to dig the lot as soon as they are ready. Normally we dig
and consume. The reason is slugs which target and destroy the tubers.
Nice taste:-)

regards

Supermarkets sell whatever has a good appearance and a long shelf life.
If you want anything that does not add to the visual sale appeal like
taste you need to know exactly what you want and seek it out.

"Tim Lamb" wrote in message
...

A neighbour gave me some Maris bead? earlies this year.


Maris Bard.
Nice white and make good chips.

Invisible Man wrote:
Tim Lamb wrote:
In message , Stuart
Noble writes

This year I grew King Edwards in builders buckets with general
purpose compost and got the best damned spuds I've ever tasted. So
why can't I buy a decent tasting potato in the supermarket?

Because King Edwards are disease prone and avoided by commercial
growers. Yield, shape, storing quality, disease resistance come way
before flavour in variety choice.

A neighbour gave me some Maris bead? earlies this year. The advice
that followed was to dig the lot as soon as they are ready. Normally
we dig and consume. The reason is slugs which target and destroy the
tubers. Nice taste:-)

regards

Supermarkets sell whatever has a good appearance and a long shelf life.
If you want anything that does not add to the visual sale appeal like
taste you need to know exactly what you want and seek it out.

Desiree is probably the best all rounder main crop that is easily found.

The Natural Philosopher wrote:
Invisible Man wrote:
Tim Lamb wrote:
In message , Stuart
Noble writes

This year I grew King Edwards in builders buckets with general
purpose compost and got the best damned spuds I've ever tasted. So
why can't I buy a decent tasting potato in the supermarket?

Because King Edwards are disease prone and avoided by commercial
growers. Yield, shape, storing quality, disease resistance come way
before flavour in variety choice.

A neighbour gave me some Maris bead? earlies this year. The advice
that followed was to dig the lot as soon as they are ready. Normally
we dig and consume. The reason is slugs which target and destroy the
tubers. Nice taste:-)

regards

Supermarkets sell whatever has a good appearance and a long shelf
life. If you want anything that does not add to the visual sale appeal
like taste you need to know exactly what you want and seek it out.

Desiree is probably the best all rounder main crop that is easily found.

I suspect supermarket spuds are treated with all kinds of crap to
improve appearance and shelf life. I think they have even found a way to
prevent the discolouration when they rot so, instead of being able to
cut out the mildewy bits, you cook the whole thing and ruin the meal.

"Stuart Noble" wrote in message
om...

Desiree is probably the best all rounder main crop that is easily found.

I suspect supermarket spuds are treated with all kinds of crap to improve
appearance and shelf life.

I think they have even found a way to prevent the discolouration when they
rot so, instead of being able to cut out the mildewy bits, you cook the
whole thing and ruin the meal.

I doubt that.
Anyway many moulds release toxins that are absorbed by the surrounding spud
so I wouldn't bother cutting mouldy bits out, just chuck the spud.

dennis@home wrote:


"Stuart Noble" wrote in message
om...

Desiree is probably the best all rounder main crop that is easily found.

I suspect supermarket spuds are treated with all kinds of crap to
improve appearance and shelf life.


Irradiation mostly. But not for spuds. They keep a long time.

dennis@home wrote:


"Stuart Noble" wrote in message
om...

Desiree is probably the best all rounder main crop that is easily found.

I suspect supermarket spuds are treated with all kinds of crap to
improve appearance and shelf life.

I think they have even found a way to prevent the discolouration when
they rot so, instead of being able to cut out the mildewy bits, you
cook the whole thing and ruin the meal.

I doubt that.

Anyway many moulds release toxins that are absorbed by the surrounding
spud so I wouldn't bother cutting mouldy bits out, just chuck the spud.

Those we buy from the local farm shop have a few mouldy bits, but what
isn't mouldy always tastes good.
OTOH supermarket spuds are a gamble. They all look the same but the odd
one can taste foul for some reason and, as I can't see which one that is
going to be during the preparation, I don't buy them.

Stuart Noble wrote:
dennis@home wrote:


"Stuart Noble" wrote in message
om...

Desiree is probably the best all rounder main crop that is easily found.

I suspect supermarket spuds are treated with all kinds of crap to
improve appearance and shelf life.

I think they have even found a way to prevent the discolouration when
they rot so, instead of being able to cut out the mildewy bits, you
cook the whole thing and ruin the meal.

I doubt that.

Anyway many moulds release toxins that are absorbed by the surrounding
spud so I wouldn't bother cutting mouldy bits out, just chuck the spud.

Those we buy from the local farm shop have a few mouldy bits, but what
isn't mouldy always tastes good.
OTOH supermarket spuds are a gamble. They all look the same but the odd
one can taste foul for some reason and, as I can't see which one that is
going to be during the preparation, I don't buy them.

Potatoes are, by and large, alive until you cook them.

Frost makes the texture awful, and occasionally they bruise and damage,
but left to their own devices they will sprout and start to grow.

In message , "dennis@home"
writes


"Tim Lamb" wrote in message
.. .

A neighbour gave me some Maris bead? earlies this year.


Maris Bard.
Nice white and make good chips.

Ah. Bard!

It was dry here for most of the growing season so, although they yielded
well, they are a bit small for conventional chips.

We normally grow Arran Pilot for earlies.

regards



--
Tim Lamb

On Sat, 01 Aug 2009 19:45:23 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Irradiation mostly.

Thought that wasn't allowed for most things. More seems to be done
with a "protective atmosphere" and plastic packaging. Probably pure
nitrogen with an occasional a whiff of sulphur dioxide (if that won't
affect the product).

Saw a notice on the back of a truck once "Do not enter until the
doors have been open for 30 mins". Presumably the whole truck filled
with an oxygen depleted atmosphere.

--
Cheers
Dave.

"Tim Lamb" wrote in message
...
In message , "dennis@home"
writes


"Tim Lamb" wrote in message
. ..

A neighbour gave me some Maris bead? earlies this year.


Maris Bard.
Nice white and make good chips.

Ah. Bard!

It was dry here for most of the growing season so, although they yielded
well, they are a bit small for conventional chips.

We normally grow Arran Pilot for earlies.

I am picking anya (sp?).
odd shapes but really nice.

"Dave Liquorice" wrote in message
ll.co.uk...
On Sat, 01 Aug 2009 19:45:23 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Irradiation mostly.

Thought that wasn't allowed for most things. More seems to be done
with a "protective atmosphere" and plastic packaging. Probably pure
nitrogen with an occasional a whiff of sulphur dioxide (if that won't
affect the product).

I think the salad in asda is in co2.
It lasts ages in the bag and then goes off in a day.

In article o.uk,
"Dave Liquorice" writes:

Saw a notice on the back of a truck once "Do not enter until the
doors have been open for 30 mins". Presumably the whole truck filled
with an oxygen depleted atmosphere.

A side effect of the refrigeration -- not actually a directly intended
effect.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

On 02 Aug 2009 00:53:42 GMT, Andrew Gabriel wrote:

Saw a notice on the back of a truck once "Do not enter until the
doors have been open for 30 mins". Presumably the whole truck
filled
with an oxygen depleted atmosphere.

A side effect of the refrigeration -- not actually a directly intended
effect.

I see plenty of refrigerated trucks about but they don't have that
notice, even ones that are mobile freezers rather than just chilled.
Those levels of cold won't make you keel over in 30 seconds, low
levels of oxygen will.

It's rather a while ago and there additional words like "caution" and
"something something atmosphere".

Sorry, not giving the full picture, something I hate when others do
it. Slaps own wrist.

--
Cheers
Dave.

In article o.uk,
"Dave Liquorice" writes:
On 02 Aug 2009 00:53:42 GMT, Andrew Gabriel wrote:

Saw a notice on the back of a truck once "Do not enter until the
doors have been open for 30 mins". Presumably the whole truck
filled
with an oxygen depleted atmosphere.

A side effect of the refrigeration -- not actually a directly intended
effect.

I see plenty of refrigerated trucks about but they don't have that
notice, even ones that are mobile freezers rather than just chilled.
Those levels of cold won't make you keel over in 30 seconds, low
levels of oxygen will.

It's rather a while ago and there additional words like "caution" and
"something something atmosphere".

Sorry, not giving the full picture, something I hate when others do
it. Slaps own wrist.

Nowadays they're mostly real refrigeration units.
They used to use a lump of evaporating dry ice (CO2) or tank of
slowly boiling liquid nitrogen, either of which will slowly
displace the air in the container.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]