COOKING FROM SCRATCH. mon 8pm ch4

[Blondeshavemorefun]

This started last week. Just found e1 on demand

It's a bit like eat well for less as in the family live off connivence food and worries about health and finance

So learn to cook from fresh /scratch

Has the annoying or loveable 😂 (depending what camp you are in) Joe Swash as the host

But I do like food programmes like this

E2 is on Monday

I agree with the saute.

IMHO pressure cooking is much better than slow cooking. The veg turns out much nicer compared to the mushy, watery, bland yuk of a slow cooker.

I've just dug some chicken out the freezer and it's got freezer burn on the edges 😟Should I bin it?

I have been using those Amazon bags for a long time - one small problem with them is that you have to hand wash them really well as the food tends to stick in the bottom corners. I use a small brush.
Bought a slow cooker a couple of weeks ago after using an electric pressure cooker for years and yes the veg seem to disappear so going to add them at a later time, experiments needed.

I've only just bought them but I've been turning them inside out to wash which makes getting into the corners much easier.

Mine are difficult to turn inside out as they are quite rigid along the edges, depends which brand you buy.

Just watching this. Did anyone else think the homemade bbq burgers looked raw in the middle???

Must say, this programme has been eye opening. I’ve really enjoyed it, I’m going to try making the frozen muffins and the Mac n cheese.

I’ve seen last night’s family on TV before, but I can’t place them!! Maybe a Stacey Dooley?

Must say, I was glad to see them sitting together at the table to eat - it looked so forlorn when they were all scattered about the house... And means they know how to eat in public without getting twitchy, which benefits children of all abilities.

The recipes are all on the Lidl page --
https://recipes.lidl.co.uk/batch-from-scratch-recipes

no it’s edible it’s just a slight reduction in taste

DH said that - "they're all going to be sick later, that mince was practically raw"

We then disappeared down a funnel of arguing whether uncooked beef was safe because of Blue Rare steaks and Steak Tartare or whether because the beef had been pre-chopped up into mince it was a health risk.
Battle lines were drawn, until I realised it didn't matter who was right because I don't eat the damned stuff anyway.

I felt the mum had strategic incompetence - "I don't understand about nutrition <with a gastric band or bypass you bloody well should> and I might get triggered by food so I never enter the kitchen." That's lazy and self-serving. The dad might have been giving them endless shite, but at least he was feeding them.

Both 'full time carers' for their children who were at school all day, then two hours a day shoving crap into an air fryer. I'm glad they were able to pull back from such expensive and unhealthy habits. The mum looked so much happier, as did the eldest boy.

The dad's eyebrows transfixed me more than Joe's hair plugs this week. I like Joe a lot, but his doll hair transfixes me. I find myself trying to work out how many folicles go in each plug. I get a different number each week.
Sharpie eyebrows were even more striking.

Both 'full time carers' for their children who were at school all day

Im extremely suspicious of the parents. Between them they’re caring for one child each who are out of the house for hours every day. They constantly said we’re full time carers so we can fight for everything they need and take them to appts.

Frankly I think they’re a pair of chancers.

But then perhaps they have problems of their own that weren’t mentioned. Things just didn’t seem right at all in the house. There was a very strange dynamic going on that had nothing to do with the children.

@BeaAndBenYes, isn’t it something like the outside of beef needs to be cooked but the inside can be rare…but in mince the ‘outside’ is all over so has to be fully cooked all the way though. I felt ill watching the son wolf down uncooked burgers.

How do they afford such a big house on carers wages?? Must have had well paid jobs before the kids came along. I did feel like the mum had a lot of undisclosed mental health issues. Why weren’t they using that gorgeous big dining table from the start? Looks like they were a lot better by the end of the episode though.

Both of the parents on the recent episode are independent town councillors in Morfa

And yes, they were previously on an episode of Stacey Dooley.

I knew things weren’t adding up on the episode the other night with their nonsense about being full time carers to their 2 disabled children.

As the mum of a disabled child I knew they were talking rubbish.

Didn’t have time to cook - well it wasn’t because of the time taking up caring for your boys.

Well spotted! https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0dj10qw

That’s a good point about steak and burgers /mince

I like steak rare but wouidnt eat a burger rare

Why. What else do they do ?

@Blondeshavemorefun I’m going to assume they are/were kept busy with their roles as independent town councillors and the picture they want to portray of being so busy looking after they’re disabled children they need the two of them to be full time carers is a load of nonsense.

If you google their names you’ll see they’re no strangers to publicity and I’d go as far as saying they’re fame hungry. And whilst they do try to raise awareness of Down Syndrome to an extent, I would go as far as to say they’re more interested in raising awareness of themselves.

That’s a shame @Nanaonabike

I was waiting for a sob story, about why he was a single dad. But then reflected that had he been a single mum it would have been normal. It was a good episode though.

I've really enjoyed these programmes - despite already owning the Batch Lady cookbooks, it took actually watching her do some recipes for me to work out how to make them yes I am a terrible cook

The single dad seemed like a lovely chap and it was easy to see how he got stuck in a rut, trying to make something quick for them all to eat when he was tired out from a day at work - I'm trying out the beef massaman curry he made this week.

BUT the last family, how odd they were!! As someone who has adults with disabilities in the family, I can't understand how they can be full time carers for young adults who clearly don't need full time supervision/ care?! Presumably the children went to (or could go to) day care, education, volunteer jobs etc - the young adults I know with Down's absolutely thrive on being sociable. As for the mum not lifting a finger because she was 'triggered by food'....

I have cooked a few of these recipes now and most (not all) didn’t cook or freeze well. The tray bake which I was sceptical about anyway went all funny coloured when cooked and didn’t look edible. I’ve cooked a few from her book as well and had issues with certain things going soggy when frozen and cooked. Disappointing as I really wanted it to work. Anyone else found the same? Or any tips for making freezing/ batching work. I’m pescatarian so am already limited.

I only watch.

i don’t actually cook 😂

Things with sauce tend to freeze well - e.g. curry, bolognese, etc.

You generally want to avoid freezing sauce mixed with rice or pasta. It will just overcook and go soggy when you heat it up. Lasagne does freeze ok because it doesn't really matter if the pasta is soggy.

I tend to use microwave rice alongside reheated curries or I cook pasta while the sauce is defrosting/cooking.

S2 starts Monday

www.mumsnet.com/talk/telly_addicts/5493554-batch-from-scratch-s2-mon-ch4-8pm-tv-pace-no-spoilers?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=app_share