More food questions I am too petrified to ask under my real name:

[mumsnetphariah]

Chicken nuggets - since that famous scene with Jamie Oliver putting the arse end of a chicken in a blender and announcing that these are the constituent ingredients of chicken nuggets, I've been making home made chicken nuggets.

My scarily daring question is - having now seen on the packing of chicken dippers "Now made from 100% breast meat" are chicken dippers respectable again?

Burgers - again, anything wrong with the better quality shop bought burgers which specify made from 100% beef? - or is there a good reason to have to slavishly continue with making my own?

recipe ideas for home mde burgers here

ergo would do too it just means therefore

i use just mince, sometimes add onions/mushrooms (already softened in olive oil/butter) and a dash of worcestershire sauce or mushroom ketchup. have tried breadcrumbs and egg, but prefer texture without.

So, slightly off on a tangent - how many on here do mince their own meat? I remember my mum doing it when I was a child....

Right I made homemade burgers in buns following Jamie Oliver's recipes. The kids didn't like them. I think the idea of a burger in a bun was alien to them - DD ate a left over one with potatoes and carrots for lunch the next day. But DH and I liked them.

I just have a problem with making breadcrumbs. And no food processer. Is there an easy way to do it. I have to confess that I put porridge oats in my meatloaf because I can't be bothered to make breadcrumbs.

Should the bread be stale? Or toasted? Crust free? And then what do you do?

Bozza, if the bread is a bit stale it will crumb more easily; you can do it just by tearing it into pieces and rubbing it between your fingers -that's how my mum and I always did it. I confess I use my food processor now. You can also lightly toast it, or dry it out in the oven on a low heat to help crumbing, but I don't bother.

we sling leftover ends of loaves in freezer, and grate from frozen when breadcrumbs required.
If plastic sliced bread, leave crusts on; if unsliced crusty type cut crusts off before freezing.

Well I generally grate it but end up with big lumps that break off. Just to spell it out to me. Which side of grater?

I mince leftover lamb from a joint in the food processor.
Never raw stuff tho.
Never made burgers actually. Am I missing something here? (think I prefer "saucy" food myself)

oooh clary, I've got a bit of cold roast lamb in the fridge - never thought of that - what do you do with it?

Shepherd's pie usually, just my normal recipe but sling the meat in right at the end.
Delia also has a recipe for rissoles which are nice, tho a bit of a faff (can't be doing with all this shapign abour and squishing flat and then making with the burger flipper).
I guess you could make lasagne as well.

bozza - the side of the grater with the big holes that you'd use for grated cheese. Not the piddly tiny ones, or the zester, or the slicer.

Back to burgers, i don't use egg, but do add grated apple, which gives a slightly more child friendly taste. Also find if you squidge them together into burger shape and then put back into fridge for a while before cooking helps stop them crumble.

The mince that you buy in the supermarket has that got bollocks and eyes in it?

How do you make your own chicken nuggets please?

You can use porridge oats instead of breadcrumbs, it's easier. I make one big bowl of meat mix for mini meatballs... bake them in a mini muffin tin, so 24 which is enough for at least 2 meals. There's usually enough left for a few small burgers too which I fry and freeze.
My recipe, just mix together:
2 1-lb. packs mince (I use a combination of pork, turkey or lamb, dh doesn't eat beef)
2/3 cup porridge oats
1 egg
1 small grated carrot
1 small onion, minced
sometimes half a red or green pepper, chopped fine
bit of soy sauce
salt and pepper

Bananaknickers, I cut strips or chunks of chicken and dip in flour, then beaten egg, then crushed cornflakes. Then shallow fry in oil.

Like the oats tip skerriesmum - bread crumbs can be just one faff too many on busy evenings.