sweetheart hotmail.com wrote:
"Andy Dingley" wrote in message
...
On 5 Sep, 09:45, "sweetheart" hotmail.com wrote:

I had thought from my school days that dried and preserved food and
spices
lasted almost indefinitely?

As I recall, you're one of our more mature posters, so you went to
school at a time when common sense was taught, but not cuisine.


On the subject of my cookery. A few years ago I did enter the cookery
competition at the local village show ( Women's Institute). I entered
a Victoria sponge ( got first place). Plain scones got a third
place and my sausage rolls got a " highly commended". I also got the
cup for " best in show" for my flower arrangements.

So I am not exactly " bad" at cooking. I didn't do it again. I
upset the local WI ladies because they had thought they had the show
tied up between them until I appeared ( I didn't know that it was a
closed shop).

Way to go Sweatheart. Enter again and next time win three 1st prizes

And the WI is a closed shop.

--
Adam

In message , sweetheart
writes

"Andy Dingley" wrote in message
...
On 5 Sep, 09:45, "sweetheart" hotmail.com wrote:

I had thought from my school days that dried and preserved food and
spices
lasted almost indefinitely?

As I recall, you're one of our more mature posters, so you went to
school at a time when common sense was taught, but not cuisine.


On the subject of my cookery. A few years ago I did enter the cookery
competition at the local village show ( Women's Institute). I entered a
Victoria sponge ( got first place). Plain scones got a third place
and my sausage rolls got a " highly commended". I also got the cup for
" best in show" for my flower arrangements.

So I am not exactly " bad" at cooking. I didn't do it again. I upset
the local WI ladies because they had thought they had the show tied up
between them until I appeared ( I didn't know that it was a closed
shop).

2 years ago, our eldest daughter, then aged 7, won 'Best in class' for
the cookery class at our village show for her decorated fairy cakes (and
it really was all her own work), which surprised a few people :-) It was
the first time it had been awarded to a child, and they were a bit
worried she wouldn't like the prize ( a big cookery book). She loved it
and likes ot find new things in there to cook for us.
--
Chris French

"Andy Dingley" wrote in message
...
On 5 Sep, 09:45, "sweetheart" hotmail.com wrote:

I had thought from my school days that dried and preserved food and
spices
lasted almost indefinitely?

As I recall, you're one of our more mature posters, so you went to
school at a time when common sense was taught, but not cuisine.

Spices will "keep" almost forever, but they don't taste of much. If
there's any question about it, replace them simply because they might
not kill you, but they won't taste much good anyway.

"Spices" might also mean three things; whole spices, ground spices and
herbs.

Whole spices keep pretty well. They're (mostly) seeds, and seeds are
Darwin's own little storage containers. One of the best ways to keep
spices fresh is just to use whole spices instead of ground and to
grind them when you need them. One of my basic cooking tools is a
small pestle and mortar.

Ground spices aren't ever going to store well. However some ready-
blended mixes arrive that way and it's better to use them than to
avoid everything as too complicated. But store them in good jars, out
of the light. Re-using old jars is fine, so long as they have a decent
lid. Also label them, because jars of "powdered brown" can be hard to
tell apart. If you can't taste them apart, then they're too old.
Ideally label the lids, not the sides, because then you can identify
them in a drawer. Don't use a spice rack - that's more of a "bulk
aging rack" so that you can have multiple jars going off at once.

Herbs are best if you buy them freeze-dried rather than air dried
(Even if they're your own home grown). This is one reason why I prefer
to buy Barts over most own-brand (and certainly the infernal S******).
A good comment on them is from Katherine Whitehorn's "Cooking in a
Bedsit" - it's better to buy and use one sort of "mixed herbs"
regularly, so that it might remain reasonably fresh, than it is to
have a dozen different hebs sitting unused and all turning quietly to
hay on a windowsill.

For cheap spices, go to an Indian supermarket and buy bags of whole
spices, along with a pestle and mortar. There's not much European
cookery that isn't improved by some cummin (especially anything using
tomatoes). For a great read on spices and using them, try Madhur
Jaffrey's first Indian cookery book and actually read the first
chapters, don't just follow the recipes.

Indeed I probably was taught common sense and not cuisine. I was also taught
how to cook but not how to do fancy things ( unless it was a Christmas cake
or a Victoria sponge dressed up or a Madera cake dressed up for a party).

This is why I have old spices kicking around. I bought them for one dish or
maybe two and then kept them. They haven't been used since. Going to buy
spices is a waste for me in many ways. I use salt and pepper but even the
pepper will take years to use! I use the salt on snails in the garden so
that goes down more quickly.

The jiff gets an outing once a year on pancakes. The mincemeat is in a
sealed jar ( that's why I thought it should be OK till Christmas).

I fear I am not a good cook. Not as my hubby would notice. Food goes down in
seconds no matter what it takes to prepare and he doesn't like curry or
chilli or such like and wont eat it if presented. I also cook thoroughly. A
steak as to be burnbed for me to call it cooked ( none of the pink and
running with blood stuff for me)

But thanks for the advice.

wrote:


Indeed I probably was taught common sense and not cuisine. I was also
taught how to cook but not how to do fancy things ( unless it was a
Christmas cake or a Victoria sponge dressed up or a Madera cake dressed up
for a party).

You can't go wrong if you can knock out a reliable victoria sponge,
especially if kids are around.

This is why I have old spices kicking around. I bought them for one dish
or
maybe two and then kept them. They haven't been used since. Going to buy
spices is a waste for me in many ways. I use salt and pepper but even the
pepper will take years to use! I use the salt on snails in the garden so
that goes down more quickly.

The jiff gets an outing once a year on pancakes. The mincemeat is in a
sealed jar ( that's why I thought it should be OK till Christmas).

Still in the little lemon shaped bottles

I buy loads - I find and old coke (etc) bottle filled up with water and a
generous squeeze of jif makes a most refreshing, cheap and not unhealthy
refreshment, especially if working on something manual (I find plain water a
bit bland and thus tend not to drink enough).

I fear I am not a good cook. Not as my hubby would notice. Food goes down
in seconds no matter what it takes to prepare and he doesn't like curry or
chilli or such like and wont eat it if presented.

Shove some of this in - it'll be too late by the time he notices:

http://www.chilefarm.co.uk/blairs_3am_reserve.html

Or if you want him to live, this milder version:

http://www.extremefood.com/shop/prod...p?productid=14

BTW, 15 million scovilles is the hotness of pure capcaisin. The first one is
2 million.


I also cook thoroughly.
A steak as to be burnbed for me to call it cooked ( none of the pink and
running with blood stuff for me)

But thanks for the advice.

--
Tim Watts

Tim Watts wrote:

sweethart wrote:

The jiff gets an outing once a year on pancakes.

Still in the little lemon shaped bottles

I buy loads - I find and old coke (etc) bottle filled up with water and a
generous squeeze of jif makes a most refreshing, cheap and not unhealthy
refreshment

Does tend to go off/cloudy once opened though, try PLJ instead.

On 6 Sep, 00:09, Tim Watts wrote:

I buy loads - I find and old coke (etc) bottle filled up with water and a
generous squeeze of jif makes a most refreshing,

My standard kit for a walk or a bike ride is a litre bottle of water
with a lemon (or half, shared) squeezed into it. Tastes better than
water, tastes a _lot_ better than warm water, and it hides any taste
of plastic bottle.

Indeed I probably was taught common sense and not cuisine. ..

So how come you had to ask what to do with out of date foodstuffs?

On Mon, 06 Sep 2010 07:50:26 +0100, Harry wrote:

Indeed I probably was taught common sense and not cuisine. ..

So how come you had to ask what to do with out of date foodstuffs?

Common sense wondering if there was something in BBE dates than
current knowledge knew about?

The only stupid question is the one that isn't asked.

--
Cheers
Dave.

"Harry" wrote in message
...

Indeed I probably was taught common sense and not cuisine. ..

So how come you had to ask what to do with out of date foodstuffs?

Simple, I had never been aware there was a BBE on spices because I had been
taught that they lasted more or less forever. Seeing the BBE made me wonder
if they did go off. I was quite shocked to see a BBE on the pepper.

On 5 Sep, 17:21, "sweetheart" hotmail.com wrote:

Not as my hubby would notice. Food goes down in
seconds no matter what it takes to prepare and he doesn't like curry or
chilli or such like and wont eat it if presented. *

Like my Dad. "Not bad" was fine praise indeed.

It's worth using a range of herbs though. Most "staid" consumers of
English food will appreciate (even if without noticing or saying
anything) their use, when they'd turn their nose up at more
adventurous spices. One spice that is worth using though is cummin:
anything that's long-cooked (soups or stews) benefits, as does nearly
anything with tomatoes. Nor is it likely to cause offence.

Other storecupboard favourites are Henderson's Relish and Mushroom
Ketchup. Henderson's is a product of Yorkshire and can only be
exported Southwards with a special licence as a cultural artefact. My
dealer smuggles it out under a flat cap. It's like a better (and
veggie) version of Worcester sauce, great as either an enriching
ingredient or as a lighter alternative to HP brown sauce on a fry.

Mushroom Ketchup (better big supermarkets, even Tesco) is its even
more subtle cousin. Like the Chinese use of soy, it's used to add
body, colour and umami to dishes without using so much as to add an
obvious taste of itself. Try a home made steak and kidney pudding
(suet pastry) with it. Even Dickens would enjoy that.

On 05/09/2010 17:21, sweetheart wrote:



This is why I have old spices kicking around. I bought them for one dish
or maybe two and then kept them. They haven't been used since. Going to
buy spices is a waste for me in many ways. I use salt and pepper but
even the pepper will take years to use! I use the salt on snails in the
garden so that goes down more quickly.


Does that make them taste better? g
--
Cheers,
Roger
____________
Please reply to Newsgroup. Whilst email address is valid, it is seldom
checked.

In message , Huge
writes
On 2010-09-05, sweetheart hotmail.com wrote:

Am I really putting my other half at risk by using them? Should I chuck
them all out?

No and no. Give them a good sniff and if they smell OK (or indeed, *of*
anything) then go ahead use them. I've found dried spices tend to go
tasteless after a while, and anything with a high fat content goes rancid,
but otherwise I pay no attention to the dates on things.

and flour can get weevils in if left for long enough.

Where do they come from I wnder?
--
Chris French

Where do they come from I wnder?

They were on holiday from the previous lot of flour which you'd kept way
beyond its BBE date and came back to find they had a new home

More seriously, we habitually keep flour way beyond its BBE as we use it
little. We now routinely checking for wiggly things before using it.
AIUI they hatch from eggs in the grain before it is processed. I've
read they can be prevented from hatching by keeping flour in the freezer
but we ain't got the freezer space to spare.

--
Robin
PM may be sent to rbw0{at}hotmail{dot}com

On 9/5/2010 7:51 AM, Robin wrote:

Where do they come from I wnder?

They were on holiday from the previous lot of flour which you'd kept way
beyond its BBE date and came back to find they had a new home

More seriously, we habitually keep flour way beyond its BBE as we use it
little. We now routinely checking for wiggly things before using it.
AIUI they hatch from eggs in the grain before it is processed. I've
read they can be prevented from hatching by keeping flour in the freezer
but we ain't got the freezer space to spare.

The possible presence of wiggly things, is one of the reasons for
sieving flour before use.
I keep whole-meal flour in the freezer, but not because of weevils -
whole-meal contains oils which can turn rancid.

Robin wrote:

I've read they [weevil eggs] can be prevented from hatching by
keeping flour in the freezer but we ain't got the freezer space
to spare.

Why not buy an additional freezer? Then you can also put your
woollens in it, to keep the moths from spoiling them.

On 5 Sep, 14:16, Ronald Raygun wrote:

Why not buy an additional freezer? *Then you can also put your
woollens in it, to keep the moths from spoiling them.

AFAIR you don't need to keep woolens in the freezer, merely freeze
them for a week over Winter - thus killing the eggs before they hatch
into things with teeth.

Why not buy an additional freezer? Then you can also put your
woollens in it, to keep the moths from spoiling them.

No room! no room! [1][2]

The moths have already had their wicked way with most of our woollen
sweaters. And since I ceased to be employed I've stopped worrying about
suits. But I'm bird-brained enough to ask how you keep a crease in your
trousers in the freezer? Anyone modified their freezer to accommodate a
Corby press?

[1] No doubt the result of my poor life choices/shocking inability to
DIY a loft conversion
[2] Food parcels - including Soylent Green - accepted gratefully )
--
Robin
PM may be sent to rbw0{at}hotmail{dot}com

Robin wrote:

But I'm bird-brained enough to ask how you keep a crease in your
trousers in the freezer? Anyone modified their freezer to accommodate a
Corby press?

You don't. You put the crease back in afterwards.
You do have an iron, don't you, and know how to use it?

My moths don't like my trousers anyway, they specialise in jumpers.
And rugs, of course, but no freezer is big enough for them. :-(

In message , chris French
writes
In message , Huge
writes
On 2010-09-05, sweetheart hotmail.com wrote:

Am I really putting my other half at risk by using them? Should I chuck
them all out?

No and no. Give them a good sniff and if they smell OK (or indeed, *of*
anything) then go ahead use them. I've found dried spices tend to go
tasteless after a while, and anything with a high fat content goes rancid,
but otherwise I pay no attention to the dates on things.

and flour can get weevils in if left for long enough.

Where do they come from I wnder?


Folk songs


--
geoff

"chris French" wrote in message
...


and flour can get weevils in if left for long enough.

They are edible.

On 05/09/2010 11:42, Peter Parry wrote:
On 5 Sep 2010 09:46:18 GMT, wrote:

No and no. Give them a good sniff and if they smell OK (or indeed, *of*
anything) then go ahead use them.

The most pessimistic best before date is the one on salt. It's been
sitting quietly minding its own business for 220 million years when it
gets shoveled up, cleaned, packed and given a best before date 2 years
in the future!

Very similar to the oils used in the aerospace industry that are not
synthetic. Buried in the ground for millions of years and get a 12 month
life label slapped on it when it reaches goods received on site.


Dave

"Dave" wrote in message
...


Very similar to the oils used in the aerospace industry that are not
synthetic. Buried in the ground for millions of years and get a 12 month
life label slapped on it when it reaches goods received on site.

Are you sure they aren't hygroscopic or contain additives that deteriorate
over time.
Brake fluid is like that.

On 5 Sep,
Dave wrote:

Very similar to the oils used in the aerospace industry that are not
synthetic. Buried in the ground for millions of years and get a 12 month
life label slapped on it when it reaches goods received on site.

One that puzzled me was the grease for some blowers at work. The tubes had a
six month shelf life, but the blowers (in a much more arduous environment)
only needed lubrication every two years.

We ignored the manufacturers instructions. The blowers still outlasted the
equipment, but did need new bearings every 10-15 years. Cheaper than
replacing the grease every six months.

--
B Thumbs
Change lycos to yahoo to reply

Dave wrote:

Very similar to the oils used in the aerospace industry that are not
synthetic. Buried in the ground for millions of years

In a sterile environment.

and get a 12 month life label slapped on it when it reaches goods received
on site.

You should see some of the crap that likes to live in oil if it gets a
chance.

On 06/09/2010 00:44, Steve Firth wrote:
wrote:

Very similar to the oils used in the aerospace industry that are not
synthetic. Buried in the ground for millions of years

In a sterile environment.

and get a 12 month life label slapped on it when it reaches goods received
on site.

You should see some of the crap that likes to live in oil if it gets a
chance.

So was the environment that it was dispensed from. The dispensers were
sampled every so often (I think the time was either 3 or 6 months) and
sent to a laboratory for microscopic examination.

Dave