oh my god... please help!

[mankymummy]

i'm cooking paella for DPs special birthday treat tonight. i thought i'd cheat and buy 18p food colouring instead of 2.80 saffron. i put some yellow in and it has gone bright, bright orange.

and i mean like a traffic light.

what can i do?

i've been making out im a better cook than i really am and he's been going on about how he's looking forward to my authentic paella.

make a FAB dessert?!

TBH the saffron flavours, as well as colours the dish so i think you may have gone for a false economy

Yep Paella is all about the taste you get from the saffron not just the colour!

Do you mean the rice has gone orange?

If so I'd chuck it out and start again - use a pinch of turmeric this time! Good Luck

Authentic paella with yellow food colouring I have to say, that sounds grim. Is there any way you can start again or will it cost too much? Also, what time were you expecting to serve this paella - isn't it a bit early?

make him eat with a blindfold on, he may think it's some special kinky treat

add some green and it will go brown

OMG MrsCarrot!

it does taste a bit odd too. i cant start again, have no more ingredients and dont have green food colouring left only red - would that make it worse?

not serving til tonight but thought id get ahead of myself and start now... will it be yuck by tonight then?

bundle... i think that may be the only option !

i superglued my bedside lamp to the kitchen worksurface the other day too... dont think i'm cut out for this domestic lark !

have you tried rinsing it with boiling water? It won't take all the colour out but might take some of it out - worth a try before you bin it? Rinsing will also reduce some of the flavour tho so you might need to add some stock or something.
Other than that, tell him it might look bright, but you saved him £2.62!!!

oh go to the shops woman

it is only half past 3

Rice may be somewhat over cooked by tonight or were you going to reheat?

Could you re-do just the rice, with saffron, and re-use the rest of the ingredients (except the food colouring of course)?

hehe im cackaling at the sainsburys feed your family for a fiver add above this thread

i cant go to the shops, DS is asleep upstairs.

i was going to re-heat. i've put all the seafood and chicken in so would have to buy all that again too.

my friend has just texted me and said put some marmite in it... she's winding me up right?

i think actually it would have been ok (except for the flavour) if I had only put a few drops in.

Ruby... not he's not but my mother is half spanish... oh the shame !

bin it and order a chinese!!

lol

marmite? why? it doesn't even melt...

or does she mean orange + brown = yellow or something?

I was joking about the green...

Just own up, get a takeaway, and try again another day. It is annoying but he will see the funny side, no?

i think she meant for the colour plus i said i didnt have any salt in the house so she said it would kill two birds with one stone (or two DPs with one paella!)

were you? god im so thick... luckily i didnt have any in the house or i would have chucked it in

two possibilites

1. you could call this paella de la guerra and prattle on for a bit about how the campesinos had to cope when franco blockaded the saffron mules during the civil war
2. serve it just wearing bra and pants

i think if you put it in a salad drainer then all the rice should fall through the gaps the chunks of chicen and prawn will stay put and then u can redo the rice- or try and pick out the meat and fish either way you need to lose the rice......i dont think reheating rice is good idea tbh .

lol @ witchandchips!

PMSL... best go shave my legs then!!!