i want a chicken brick

[ladysybil]

chicken brick

after reading about it on the rude in laws thread, i googled it, and now want one. someone, knock some sense into me please. either that, or give me examples of other useless stuff you may have bought.

I used to have one of those. TBH it was a bit rubbish. It is chicken shaped so no good whatsoever for anything else, (unlike a vitreous enamel roaster) and it's not nice to wash up. And it really doesn't do anything magical to the chicken that other pots don't do - honest!

Ans what the hell does it mean by 'cooks in its own juices?'

All chickens will cook in their own juices whatever you put them in!

Damn, expat.

If only you'd mentioned those vintage soup-bowl-with-lids before I went to Wales last week. There was a set of 4 in the cupboard which I could've nicked offered to buy for you.

, shodan.

I love the fact that yuo can put it a cold oven, wack the temperature up (so it can also be done on a timed oven if you are out all day), go away for an hour and a half, come back, take it out the oven, leave it for 15 minutes and hey presto, you have a perfectly cooked chicken with a crispy golden skin. No basting, no fuss.

You don't even have to soak the original Habitat ones after the first use - and mine is so well seasoned (after c. 25 years of use ) that it cleans dead easily too.

I do smear the inside with garlic and shve a load of peeled garlic cloves inside the chicken and a load of unpeeled garlics underenath the chicken for extra flavour - but that, and a cursory smear of the chicken with some olive oil, salt and mpper is the extent of my preparation.

There is then the gorgeous chicken juices in the bottom of the brick after lifting out the chicken (and the lovely squidgy garlic cloves) - I never need to make a gravy.

I've also done a pork joint in it which worked very well.

Can you tell I am a fan!

Having said that, I don't like the look of the Lakeland one - far too big, and much thinner than the "original". That was why our friend, instead of getting his present for Christmas, had to wait until April until I got hold of an (intact) Habitiat original via Ebay.

I don't baste mine at all, either.

Just: line roasting tin with foil, put in chicken, rub in olive oil mixed with pepper and salt and lemon juice and garlic, shove another lemon up chicken.

Whack in oven for an hour and a half.

Voila, lovely chicken.

I'm starting to agree with Nelson.

Think I'll stick to longing for a tagine.

Oh, and a clay bean pot.

if anyone knows where I can get an unglazed tagine, I'd be most grateful.

You don't want an unglazed tagine. You think you do, but you don't.

Hey Someguy... are you serious about wanting a plank? I am a bit confused by those....would not woodchips do as well?

you definitely don't want unglazed!

my gran and some of my relatives often cook in glazed clay pans, even. it's a mexican thing.

that's bad enough!

what's wrong with unglazed?

It will be HIDEOUS to wash up, probably not very hygienic, and it will stain terribly and always smell of, um, tagine.

Much like a chicken brick, come to think of it.

meh, hygiene is overrated. All the bugs get killed in cooking.

lisianthus you can get full-sized flour sifters in ikea! (though I'm presuming you don't need 2 now you have your aussie one).

alCrowley tell me about the garlic thingy... do you have to peel the clove before shoving it in?

What's wrong with staining - it's a cooking implement after all, not meant to be taken to the table?

My chicken brick is black after years of use - but it is clean.

what washing up? You can scrub out the spare fat and jiuces with some newspaper and kitchen roll, and rinse with cold water if you want

They work and taste better with a good coating of burnt-on fat. Just like a frying pan does.

BTW you can use the fatty paper to start your barbie with. never put fat down the sink as it causes drain bloickages and stinks.

BingumyAndThob - yes, the garlic does need peeling before you put it in and IME chopping in half as well but maybe I just have especially large garlic cloves?

I would say it is definitely a funky gadget rather than an essential kitchen tool. The fineness of the chopped garlic is all dependent on how long you spend wheeling the thing across the worktop - which is fun - but is nothing you couldn't achieve with a knife on a chopping board.

It is dishwashable though and I like that I can let DS (3) use it as all the blades are well covered inside and he gets excited about helping me cook.

Still very impressed with the Cherry stoner though. That's not a job that's easier/just as easy to do another way.

Worst kitchen gadget I ever bought was one of those Jamie Oliver flavour shaker things. Totally useless.

Thank you for your comprehensive answer!
arf@flavourshaker fail

I quite like mine. Sorry.

Worst kitchen gadget I ever had was a smoothie maker, bought for me as a gift. It was just a cheap shoddy blender with a pouring tap in the base. I already own the Rolls Royce of blenders, so it was redundant to say the least. I recently saw a crapfab new invention called a SOUP MAKER. Yes, ladies. It was exactly the same as the cheap shoddy smoothie blender, but it heated the mixure up for you.

Quite like your flavour shaker Nelson?

What do you use it for? Every time I've tried to make any dressings or marinades it has completely failed to work.

Oh and - you're welcome BingumyAndThob

I've only ever knocked up a bit of salad dressing in it, but it's been fine. It creates a nice emulsion without needing to make huge amounts.

'Marinades' sound complicated. perhaps you are expecting a PHD level performance in flavour shaking when it is only capable of foundation level GCSE French dressing?

But surely a marinade is just a meat dressing? No more complicated than a salad one most of the time?

Yes but doesn't it involve too many ingredients, and challenging liups and textures? Mine is just oil and vinegar and mustard!