Cookbooks vs restaurants

[Stravaig]

I can use scales no problem - even have little ones that can measure fractions of grams. But, like a lot of chefs, I don't use scales for cooking. I don't need to.

I always use scales for baking, that's a more precise task which does require one to weigh and measure ingredients.

Have to say I'm also shocked if foodie Brits don't know how to use scales - maybe they don't bake as well as cook.

[Colin2016]

For bread & cakes I use scales, for other meals I use them for first try out of the recipe then after that it's to my taste with the only exception being pasta as I always use too much.

"Have to say I'm also shocked if foodie Brits don't know how to use scales - maybe they don't bake as well as cook."

Looking at the amount of fast food and ready meals consumed suspect they don't cook, they just bung it in microwave and wait for the ping.

[Stravaig]

Oh dear. I suspect you are probably right, Colin.

There again in such a busy world and so many people not knowing how to cook, microwaves being so cheap, and lots of ready meals are very good, it's kinda hard to blame people for 'ping' cooking.

[Primrose]

Time is short these days. Most women are no longer full time housewives. And have jobs to hold down as well so everything is based on time saving.

The problem with this, over time, is that important basic skills get forgotten and in cosequence are not passed on to the next generation.

I bet few of today,s children know how to make a stockpot which formed the base of so many meals for an earlier less affluent generation.

The secret of advancement in any field is surely knowing how to make use of the best modern technology while retaining the best of previous skills and habits. - a hard path to follow when time pressure is always a factor.

My late mum would never have mastered the technique of using a microwave but when it came to the skills of using a manual sewing machine I was left at the starting post!

[Breq]

True! My mom worked 3 jobs to keep things going when I was a child. Sometimes reliance on easy meals is just the practicalities of life and keeping things moving. Friday night takeaway pizza while she worked was a common theme.

But I work a lot of young people who just CBA, for instance, to go to the farmer's market to get local, less expensive, better raised foods (but they can do this to go to the beach/ clothes shopping/etc.) and still complain about supermarket quality. TBH the young guys I work with think cooking is a cool skill (seriously: hand raised pies, scotch eggs, elaborate pastries). We had a baking club at work for a while: me and 7 guys! They put me to shame.

I got into food (growing & cooking) for the science rather than as a homemaker aspect...that and I am miserly old cow who hates to spend money on something I could do better & cheaper.
[Actually, that is why I rarely eat out or even go out for coffee - I can fresh grind local roasted beans and have a lovely sit in the garden OR pay £7 to be crowded into a loud space...no contest.]

[Stravaig]

Breq, I agree with much of what you say...but... I'm not sure that farmers' markets really are cheaper. Admittedly I've not been to one for a while. They've usually struck me as expensive places for middle-class foodies to buy artisan products. Am I wrong?

I don't know, we never get weekends for R&R these days to do things we enjoy (such as go to a farmers' market). Invariably we have to spend our weekends fighting admin battles about how come this was taken without our permission, where is that, who authorised that useless idiot to take away our stuff, why were we never informed...

A colleague today emailed and said he was shocked about how long this has been going on for us and asked, "Will it ever end?"

[Westi]

It is indeed more expensive to buy food at our local market. We have lots of big farms & smallholdings in the area but turnout is rather small considering this, but of course I do not know how much the council charges for a pitch. Made products like jams & chutneys are really expensive for just a tiny jar. I don't go down much now as selection is so limited. We have a main mixed market on a Monday has a great herb plant stall, there is general plant stall, a couple of butchers & a few cheese stalls, along with the tools, clothes etc. The last time I went down to the produce market on a Thursday there looked like a nice little loaf that would be suitable for the two of us - I declined when told it was £7 it was literally very small maybe 6 slices out of it.

[Stravaig]

Our local High Street used to have a very large food truck, which did business as a butcher shop. The High Street also had a butcher shop in ordinary retail premises.

Both now gone. There is still a butcher quite close to our usual fishmonger in the small town about three miles from here. I put my hand up and admit we did nothing to support the butchers. I eat such a very small amount of meat.

[Breq]

Sorry - sadly been away with family circumstances.

Yes, and I think COVID put the nail into quite a few local food businesses. But my local farmer's market gives an outlet to local small farm & food businesses as a priority, so we are lucky.

Too true - if you want a local business/ service, you must use them or lose them. We are making an effort to use the ones we like on a regular basis and tell them how much we appreciate them, too.

[Stravaig]

Breq, sorry for whatever caused your absence. I missed you! Actually I wondered if you might have winter vomiting bug, which pretty much left me bed-ridden last week. (I'd never heard of it until Westi mentioned it - Norovirus.)

Definitely agree about "use it or lose it". I made pea and ham soup for our fishmongers to say "Happy St Patrick's Day". (17 March) I like feeding people and these guys seem to like being fed! Perfect relationship.

[Breq]

Oh, no! I had Norovirus years ago (husband's entire company struck down when caterer on zero-hours contract came in unwell - he passed it to me- very nasty!).

Aw, that is a lovely gesture! Love pea and ham soup: I made some recently and the pepper grinder "exploded" apart into it and we were fishing out about 80g of whole peppercorns that fell in Very sinus clearing...

[Primrose]

So strongly agree about supporting local shops and businesses. During Lockdowns some of our local shops went the extra mile doing food deliveries etc which the stay at homes took full and sometimes unfair advantage of and then when things eased went immediately back to the big supermarkets.

i was a trustee of a small Covid support charity at the time. We gave certificates of Thanks to the small shops which went the extra mile to display in their windows to remind locals to "use them if you don't want to lose them".

I bet none of the big supermarkets would supply us with bags of chicken carcasses etc for making soup stock like our village butcher does - or run artisan butchery classes to teach people how to handle unfamiliar joints of meat. My husband attended one and came home proudly with his trainee,s apron and a bag of meat joints which he had butchered for the first time. They also donate meat vouchers as prizes to our village fund raising raffles for good causes, so have earned our full support.

[Breq]

Oh, Primrose, that is fabulous! Local busnesses that go the extra mile for the community should be cherished.

I am lucky enough to even have a (fresh) coffee roaster local to us - they have lots of info about the farmers/producers and give a personalised service. When the outdoor market was shut during COVID, they hand delivered beans to us within the hour from their roastery - stars! No reason to ever go back to chain shops or supermarkets. Better product, better price (per cup) and a lovely smile. And better for the farmers as well!

[Colin2016]

Brought some tomatoes from farm shop which were hard and no flavor, so contacted them and ask for refund which was denied.

If this had been supermarket a refund would have been granted straight away.

Alternative experience.... I cant buy 4 mushrooms in supermarket as all prepacked and no bags for loose veg unless you want to pay 30p for one.

At the Farm shop most veg is loose and a choice of plastic or paper bags no carrier bags for sale but plenty of free boxes.

[Colin2016]

Just noticed my post was timed at "Mon Mar 20, 2023 12:25 pm" My lock says 11.25am have we gone onto British Summer time already?