Last bass fishing trip of the year yesterday and that looks like it until late February and we start wreck fishing for cod & pollack. I only managed to catch one small bass of about 3lb and a turbot of 4lb, I put the turbot back because if I keep the small ones, they'll never grow into big ones. So tonight's dinner is going to be steamed bass.

Filleted and steamed with soy, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, spring onions & dry sherry (all but the fish currently marinating). Pak choi in the top basket of the steamer and then served over plain boiled rice with the fish sauce poured on top.

True one-burner cooking: rice boiling in the pan, bass & sauce in the first steamer basket, pak choi in the top basket



The dish

Baking day today, going to be doing me famous cup cakes (white chocolate I think) and some scones (rhymes with stones), maybe fruit scones, have been tempted by a photo I saw yesterday of scones, jam and cream - I'll have some of that.

Also bought The Hairy Bikers book of pies the other day for a tenner in Asda and have been sorely tempted to make my own pork pies for xmas (although its easier just to pop into Otley and buy some award winning ones but the queue will be around the market square next Saturday).


Which brings me to a sore point - we have a hand held food mixer (not food processor/dicer/chopper, I mean a mixer, for cake mixing etc), but we want a "proper" one with a bowl and everything. Have you seen the price of Kenwood food mixers these days how on earth did that happen, who let Kenwood start to charge £400+ for something that just mixes dough/batter ?

And yes Cod'ead, I know about the car boot up at Yeadon

McLaren_Field wrote:Baking day today, going to be doing me famous cup cakes (white chocolate I think) and some scones (rhymes with stones), maybe fruit scones, have been tempted by a photo I saw yesterday of scones, jam and cream - I'll have some of that. Also bought The Hairy Bikers book of pies the other day for a tenner in Asda and have been sorely tempted to make my own pork pies for xmas (although its easier just to pop into Otley and buy some award winning ones but the queue will be around the market square next Saturday). Which brings me to a sore point - we have a hand held food mixer (not food processor/dicer/chopper, I mean a mixer, for cake mixing etc), but we want a "proper" one with a bowl and everything. Have you seen the price of Kenwood food mixers these days how on earth did that happen, who let Kenwood start to charge £400+ for something that just mixes dough/batter ? And yes Cod'ead, I know about the car boot up at Yeadon If you're gonna spend serious dosh on a mixer, do not touch a Kenwood. There's only one to choose: Kitchenaid I do believe the bearded one has one of these

McLaren_Field wrote:Baking day today, going to be doing me famous cup cakes (white chocolate I think) and some scones (rhymes with stones), maybe fruit scones, have been tempted by a photo I saw yesterday of scones, jam and cream - I'll have some of that. Also bought The Hairy Bikers book of pies the other day for a tenner in Asda and have been sorely tempted to make my own pork pies for xmas (although its easier just to pop into Otley and buy some award winning ones but the queue will be around the market square next Saturday). Which brings me to a sore point - we have a hand held food mixer (not food processor/dicer/chopper, I mean a mixer, for cake mixing etc), but we want a "proper" one with a bowl and everything. Have you seen the price of Kenwood food mixers these days how on earth did that happen, who let Kenwood start to charge £400+ for something that just mixes dough/batter ? And yes Cod'ead, I know about the car boot up at Yeadon If you're gonna spend serious dosh on a mixer, do not touch a Kenwood. There's only one to choose: Kitchenaid I do believe the bearded one has one of these

cod'ead wrote:If you're gonna spend serious dosh on a mixer, do not touch a Kenwood. There's only one to choose: Kitchenaid I do believe the bearded one has one of these Ah yes, I do remember that thread now Way above budget I'm afraid and being a cheapskate I like to harbour the belief that such items that are only used once a flood do not have to be expensive to last - and as my first piece of evidence I present my Pifco electric carving knife that was bought as a wedding present and is still in use today - 28 years later, its cheap build is evident from the minute you pick it up and this year smoke came from it when carving a piece of beef - but it still works and will be in use (electrocution aside) on xmas day

cod'ead wrote:If you're gonna spend serious dosh on a mixer, do not touch a Kenwood. There's only one to choose: Kitchenaid I do believe the bearded one has one of these Ah yes, I do remember that thread now Way above budget I'm afraid and being a cheapskate I like to harbour the belief that such items that are only used once a flood do not have to be expensive to last - and as my first piece of evidence I present my Pifco electric carving knife that was bought as a wedding present and is still in use today - 28 years later, its cheap build is evident from the minute you pick it up and this year smoke came from it when carving a piece of beef - but it still works and will be in use (electrocution aside) on xmas day

Right, I made beef stock yesterday – some of that is now in the freezer and a nice pot is simmering away with beef chopped in it, to be turned into consommé for Christmas Day itself. I'll do the raft to clarify later and then freeze it – which will help lift any more fat before use.

cod'ead wrote:If you're gonna spend serious dosh on a mixer, do not touch a Kenwood. There's only one to choose: Kitchenaid I do believe the bearded one has one of these He sort of does, in that it's not one of those nice coloured ones in your link. (and they are very nice colours aren't they ?) It's very similar ... but a plain white supposedly-industrial (for which read "bloke") model. Like this --- > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlSnpOHke1E Despite having an uprated motor etc, it was actually cheaper than the normal ones (which are tough machines anyway). Apart from the colour, the main visible difference is that the normal one has a body that is tilt-able up away from the bowl, whereas the uprated model has a bowl which offers-up-to and lowers-away-from the body by means of a very simple and sturdy lever. We also have a Dualit toaster, bought in 1993 and still going strong. A toaster with real bloke-appeal. My only regret is that it's only a four-slice version, I coulda had a six-slice one for very little more money at the time.

cod'ead wrote:If you're gonna spend serious dosh on a mixer, do not touch a Kenwood. There's only one to choose: Kitchenaid I do believe the bearded one has one of these He sort of does, in that it's not one of those nice coloured ones in your link. (and they are very nice colours aren't they ?) It's very similar ... but a plain white supposedly-industrial (for which read "bloke") model. Like this --- > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlSnpOHke1E Despite having an uprated motor etc, it was actually cheaper than the normal ones (which are tough machines anyway). Apart from the colour, the main visible difference is that the normal one has a body that is tilt-able up away from the bowl, whereas the uprated model has a bowl which offers-up-to and lowers-away-from the body by means of a very simple and sturdy lever. We also have a Dualit toaster, bought in 1993 and still going strong. A toaster with real bloke-appeal. My only regret is that it's only a four-slice version, I coulda had a six-slice one for very little more money at the time.

You got it when Dualit were still making quality gear, they're crap now.

I've got a 6-slice LinCat - definitely industrial. I nearly bought one of those conveyor toasters at a boot sale but the footprint was about the same as our oven

God, I hate those things. There's not a hotel I've stayed in where they actually produc toast as I want it.

We have one at work - biggest waste of time and money in the whole place

I have noticed a girlie toaster that they make now but I think you can still get the "proper" solid, old-fashioned Dualit.


In the canteen here, the canteen ladies go all shrill and strict if you twiddle with the toaster controls.
They say they have set it to the setting that suits most people ... but they are mistaken, if you put it through once, you get bread in a state of accelerated staleness. Put it through twice and you've got charcoal.

I'm sure that if they let me experiment I could find the ideal setting.
I think I'll hang around until no-one is looking.

Anyway, those machines are just too big for the average home ... unless you're Catholic or something.