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Jay’s favourite kitchen tasks

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Jay’s favourite kitchen tasks

Postby Pepper Pig » Thu Jul 16, 2020 1:53 pm

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2020/j ... jay-rayner

I’ve not been as into cooking as I was since my husband became ill but now I am completely out of love with it.

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Re: Jay’s favourite kitchen tasks

Postby MagicMarmite » Thu Jul 16, 2020 4:56 pm

Me too since I now live alone.

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Re: Jay’s favourite kitchen tasks

Postby mistakened » Thu Jul 16, 2020 5:32 pm

We have one of those egg slicers if he wants it,

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Re: Jay’s favourite kitchen tasks

Postby Pepper Pig » Thu Jul 16, 2020 5:39 pm

:lol: :lol: :lol:

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Re: Jay’s favourite kitchen tasks

Postby Busybee » Thu Jul 16, 2020 6:23 pm

Well he can come over anytime and do all those job here, I’m fed up of cooking.

I think I’ve got stuck in a rut.

BB

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Re: Jay’s favourite kitchen tasks

Postby KeenCook2 » Thu Jul 16, 2020 6:56 pm

Ha, I've got TWO! I was so sad when my first one disappeared that a friend bought me another one! I then found the first one when I took out a couple of drawers in the kitchen to sort them. It had fallen into the gap below the bottom drawer, along with a lot of other things I hadn't missed :oops:

I would love to change the runners on the drawers. When the builder put them in he did a cheap job and didn't bother to give them runners which allow you to get to the back of the drawers which means there's always that useless bit at the back where things get stuck and you can't retrieve them easily and you also can't integrate the back few inches into any semblance of organisation :twisted:

The good thing is that I measured exactly the height I wanted the spice drawer to be so I could fit taller / jam jars :thumbsup I don't know if you get that sort of option when you buy cheaper readymade units from the likes of Wickes or B & Q etc. although you obviously would if you have a bespoke kitchen. (Of course I can't get to the ones at the back of that drawer either ...!)

Edited to add I wonder if icey's kitchen people evergot in touch??

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Re: Jay’s favourite kitchen tasks

Postby Earthmaiden » Thu Jul 16, 2020 9:19 pm

I can't say that the kitchen tasks he mentions give me much satisfaction. I think I prefer the construction, flavour balancing, cooking and decorating.

The man I married who owned a Mateus Rose bottle lamp (see another thread about 70s dinner parties) also owned an egg slicer. I can't think of any occasion when I've wanted to slice an egg.

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Re: Jay’s favourite kitchen tasks

Postby spangle » Thu Jul 16, 2020 11:53 pm

I'm definitely with him on the peeling old spring onions one, even though that's a really weird thing to even have an opinion on. Also find preparing a squash quite satisfying, and I like peeling garlic, not with a knife, just pulling the skin off.

I really like picking the skin off freshly toasted walnuts. It sends me into a kind of trance. Some are a bit annoying, the skin is glued on too firmly, but the ones that come off with just a bit of encouragement from a fingernail are so lovely.

Reading that back, I do seem to get a worrying amount of enjoyment from flaying foodstuffs.

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Re: Jay’s favourite kitchen tasks

Postby karadekoolaid » Fri Jul 17, 2020 2:41 am

I´d put him to peel 4 dozen quail eggs.
I did it once and almost threw myself off the balcony :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

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Re: Jay’s favourite kitchen tasks

Postby Pampy » Fri Jul 17, 2020 2:45 am

I once peeled 3 pints of Morecambe Bay shrimps - took me nearly all day and I had to lock the cats out of the kitchen. I am now very strongly of the opinion that whilst life might not be too short to do a lot of things, it most definitely is to peel shrimps :lol:

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Re: Jay’s favourite kitchen tasks

Postby jeral » Fri Jul 17, 2020 3:02 pm

Pampy, the Young's seafood people used to send (probably still do) home-grown shrimps and prawns to S. America to be peeled and sent back causing complaints about air/sea miles. Workers there are paid on piecework rates so are lightning fast.

Jay's delights are chores to me. I feel the relief of a burden lifted when veg in the fridge is peeled, chopped, some blanched, and all is in the freezer that I want to be and critically while it's still fresh.

spangle, look on it as an act of kindness rather than flaying veg as the alternative is a slow tormented death in the fridge :)

A restaurant critic's torment must be wondering what the heck to write his regular column about. No doubt Jay will be at the top of a few booking lists as restos start to open again.

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Re: Jay’s favourite kitchen tasks

Postby Seatallan » Fri Jul 17, 2020 3:30 pm

Pampy wrote:I once peeled 3 pints of Morecambe Bay shrimps - took me nearly all day and I had to lock the cats out of the kitchen. I am now very strongly of the opinion that whilst life might not be too short to do a lot of things, it most definitely is to peel shrimps :lol:


Snap!!! I still have nightmares about it! :lol:
Food, felines and fells (in no particular order)

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Re: Jay’s favourite kitchen tasks

Postby Amyw » Fri Jul 17, 2020 3:41 pm

None of Jays mentioned jobs particularly float my boat.

I do love the process of making meringues , and seeing how it gradually transforms , almost a little magical. I love shelling eggs , very therapeutic . Kneading bread as well I said a great displacement t activity.

I really miss my food processor. Watching everything get blitzed in seconds was very satisfying

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Re: Jay’s favourite kitchen tasks

Postby Stokey Sue » Fri Jul 17, 2020 5:07 pm

I like preparing the veg for things like stir fries or crudités, you start with a pile of the usual wonky veg and reduce them to well-ordered geometry. Takes me ages but I love doing it if I’m not rushed

Getting all the cooked flesh out of a baked potato skin (or aubergine, squash, or courgette or a raw tomato) to mix it with other things and return to the unbroken shell and bake. Using my trusty melon baller of course

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Re: Jay’s favourite kitchen tasks

Postby scullion » Fri Jul 17, 2020 5:23 pm

the thing that definitely wouldn't float my boat (well, i wouldn't even consider doing it) is peeling cooked chickpeas before making humous. a friend does it - mad - life's too short!

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Re: Jay’s favourite kitchen tasks

Postby WWordsworth » Fri Jul 17, 2020 7:42 pm

I have a friend (she of the topiary shears for ex-Wildies) who insists on removing the "threads" from eggs.
I don't know if that's the technical term, I mean the white bits that support the yolk.

Apparently my Gran did it as well.

I'm afraid it has never occurred to me.

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Re: Jay’s favourite kitchen tasks

Postby liketocook » Fri Jul 17, 2020 7:49 pm

I'm with Jay on veg ribbons, it's very satisfying to get full length ribbons!
I have an egg slicer, it's the best for an egg, tomato and roll.
My destressing kitchen favourite is finely dicing veg for soup etc.

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Re: Jay’s favourite kitchen tasks

Postby Earthmaiden » Fri Jul 17, 2020 7:52 pm

I was taught to strain eggs for quiches, custards etc for the 'thread' reason but not for eggs to be eaten as eggs. I still do strain the egg/milk/cream mixture if it's for an extra special occasion.
I have visions of it being done with topiary shears :lol:.

I like eggs mashed with salad cream for rolls and sandwiches :oops: :yum

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Re: Jay’s favourite kitchen tasks

Postby KeenCook2 » Fri Jul 17, 2020 8:09 pm

scullion wrote:the thing that definitely wouldn't float my boat (well, i wouldn't even consider doing it) is peeling cooked chickpeas before making humous. a friend does it - mad - life's too short!



I'm with you on that one, scully!

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Re: Jay’s favourite kitchen tasks

Postby Stokey Sue » Fri Jul 17, 2020 9:30 pm

I did the skinning the chickpeas thing once to see if it made a difference

My conclusion was that if it did make a difference you needed to buy better chickpeas (or cook them longer) and you definitely needed a better blender

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