Value Range foods compared

[ForgeCorvus]

Jenny: Are you sure about those Calories? Seems a bit low compared to what we're using.

Just like Butter, 270 Kcal per 100gr

[jennyjj01]

Jenny: Are you sure about those Calories? Seems a bit low compared to what we're using.

Just like Butter, 270 Kcal per 100gr

Well spotted. I've corrected my post now.
The proportion comparison still applies
"And it shows up in the calories per 10g
Flora: 67kCal
B. Buttery: 41kCal"

[steptoe]

Jenny: Are you sure about those Calories? Seems a bit low compared to what we're using.

Just like Butter, 270 Kcal per 100gr

Well spotted. I've corrected my post now.
The proportion comparison still applies
"And it shows up in the calories per 10g
Flora: 67kCal
B. Buttery: 41kCal"

LOL i gave up cal counting , i use to when i was with WW many years back when they said loose weight lol but well these days i say as long as i can eat it and get it in sod it lol , it is funny on the old WW diet i did really well lost 4 stone and was right down to 13 stone at one point bare in mind i use to be 9 1/2 stone dripping wet before getting ill i then went to 19 odd got down to 13 and then WW changed their counting and my weight went right back up go figure so i gave up and well like i say i am lucky to get food in so i just eat what i like lol .

Jen i just made a 2 chicken carcass stock and making a stew wife will have it lumpy so to speak i blitz mine lol , i am also keeping an eye out on special prices now the other day went in sainsburys to get meds and we got 4 large chickens for £6 they were that days but i cooked 2 and vacuum sealed 2 and froze them , i have been looking at doing more canning or jarring whatever you want to term it as when i make a stew we have enough for 6 or 8 people lol yes a man measurement i know , but i saw a lady on the tube jar chicken carcass stew , i just had a new vacuum sealer and the wife brought me a dehydrator a new one i have a huge monster from the states but she got me a smaller one to do smaller amounts of herbs and so on .

Ok little off subject but jen do you use a canning machine ie boiler type , to me it looked like a large tea urn

[jennyjj01]

Ok little off subject but jen do you use a canning machine ie boiler type , to me it looked like a large tea urn

No. I don't use a canning machine. They would seem to be just the job for home made jams or tomato sauces.
Our US cousins seem keen on canning in cans or, more usually, jars.

I bet member BritishRed is a dab hand at canning. I wonder if a stock pot sized pan would do the trick?

The few things I've canned in jars (pickles), I have just sterilised the jars and filled them piping hot. That suck's the test button in and I'm hopeful it will last many months after that.
If/when I get a glut of produce, I'll be back here asking about seriously preserving in jars. For now, I'm stashing sauce jars about one a week.

[steptoe]

Ok little off subject but jen do you use a canning machine ie boiler type , to me it looked like a large tea urn

No. I don't use a canning machine. They would seem to be just the job for home made jams or tomato sauces.
Our US cousins seem keen on canning in cans or, more usually, jars.

I bet member BritishRed is a dab hand at canning. I wonder if a stock pot sized pan would do the trick?

The few things I've canned in jars (pickles), I have just sterilised the jars and filled them piping hot. That suck's the test button in and I'm hopeful it will last many months after that.
If/when I get a glut of produce, I'll be back here asking about seriously preserving in jars. For now, I'm stashing sauce jars about one a week.

Yes i use to just use a big pot but the lady called wall flowers of the tube had a huge deep stainless thing like a huge tea urn and you can set time and temp , i wonder if i get in to doing more preserving again i might invest , see like tonight i made a huge batch lol of chicken carcass stew i know it does not go to waste we might have to 2 days the rest will go to the fox lol fat foxes here , but i wonder once i hit it up with the stick blender if i could jar it then when i fell unwell i can just get the wife to throw a jar in a pan for me she likes hers with the lumps of spud and carrot and other veg me i am getting more to the point of having to just have blended so trying to think of stuff i can do to make batches .

Also i can highly recommend the foodsaver vacuum sealer i got the middle range model came with the jars with it and the lead to you plug on it means you can reseal stuff and also well seal most stuff .

I now buy the huge packs of ham and break them down in to 4 slices bags bingo just enough for use for our homemade pizza or just sandwiches .

Any new jen recipies coming soon lol . also have you given anymore thought to the tripe test on the familiy lol

[jennyjj01]

tonight i made a huge batch lol of chicken carcass stew i know it does not go to waste we might have to 2 days the rest will go to the fox lol fat foxes here , but i wonder once i hit it up with the stick blender if i could jar it then when i fell unwell i can just get the wife to throw a jar in a pan for me she likes hers with the lumps of spud and carrot and other veg me i am getting more to the point of having to just have blended so trying to think of stuff i can do to make batches .

Hey steptoe, i think you and I are doing chicken carcass broth quite differently. I start mine with very little meat left on the bones, and what goes in the pot has all the skin and gristle. But I sieve all the solids off before jarring. It sounds like you leave more solids in there, even maybe some bone? I end up with 3 layers in the jar: Mostly jelly, with a 1/4 inch of meaty mush then a 1/4 inch of runny fat, which I discard when i open the jar.
You say you waste some? Why? I keep mine in the fridge for up to a month and not seen any mould. I make mine into birds nest soup by adding one 20p nest of noodles and a sprinkle of sweetcorn. it's bloomin' delish!

I now buy the huge packs of ham and break them down in to 4 slices bags bingo just enough for use for our homemade pizza or just sandwiches. .

Any new jen recipies coming soon lol . also have you given anymore thought to the tripe test on the familiy lol

How do you store your vac sealed ham? fridge? freezer? and for how long?
One of our big grocery expenses is the deli meat packs from asda: about 4 slices of cooked meat at almost £2 a pack. Annoys the hell out of me, but it's demanded that way Tasting panel like to see 3 or four different packs of deli meat a week for sarnies. Breaks my heart to see 4 meat slices in as much plastic for two quid. I try to sneak home with bigger packs of 'trimmings' but I'm meeting resistance.

I think you can safely keep my share of the tripe.

Yesterday, James Martin on Telly did 3 parsnip recipes: Soup: Crisps and roasties. I've been doing mine all wrong, so IF I have any parsnips left to harvest, which i think i have, I'll revisit the soup. Apparently, the secret to all veg soups is to only just cook the veg. And the secret with parsnip crisps is to deep fry on low temp of 160C.
https://www.jamesmartinchef.co.uk/recip ... -parsnips/

[steptoe]

tonight i made a huge batch lol of chicken carcass stew i know it does not go to waste we might have to 2 days the rest will go to the fox lol fat foxes here , but i wonder once i hit it up with the stick blender if i could jar it then when i fell unwell i can just get the wife to throw a jar in a pan for me she likes hers with the lumps of spud and carrot and other veg me i am getting more to the point of having to just have blended so trying to think of stuff i can do to make batches .

Hey steptoe, i think you and I are doing chicken carcass broth quite differently. I start mine with very little meat left on the bones, and what goes in the pot has all the skin and gristle. But I sieve all the solids off before jarring. It sounds like you leave more solids in there, even maybe some bone? I end up with 3 layers in the jar: Mostly jelly, with a 1/4 inch of meaty mush then a 1/4 inch of runny fat, which I discard when i open the jar.
You say you waste some? Why? I keep mine in the fridge for up to a month and not seen any mould. I make mine into birds nest soup by adding one 20p nest of noodles and a sprinkle of sweetcorn. it's bloomin' delish!

I now buy the huge packs of ham and break them down in to 4 slices bags bingo just enough for use for our homemade pizza or just sandwiches. .

Any new jen recipies coming soon lol . also have you given anymore thought to the tripe test on the familiy lol

How do you store your vac sealed ham? fridge? freezer? and for how long?
One of our big grocery expenses is the deli meat packs from asda: about 4 slices of cooked meat at almost £2 a pack. Annoys the hell out of me, but it's demanded that way Tasting panel like to see 3 or four different packs of deli meat a week for sarnies. Breaks my heart to see 4 meat slices in as much plastic for two quid. I try to sneak home with bigger packs of 'trimmings' but I'm meeting resistance.

I think you can safely keep my share of the tripe.

Yesterday, James Martin on Telly did 3 parsnip recipes: Soup: Crisps and roasties. I've been doing mine all wrong, so IF I have any parsnips left to harvest, which i think i have, I'll revisit the soup. Apparently, the secret to all veg soups is to only just cook the veg. And the secret with parsnip crisps is to deep fry on low temp of 160C.
https://www.jamesmartinchef.co.uk/recip ... -parsnips/

Ah we do not have a frier we refused to have one mainly because i use to do skinny fries and if you know them the chow mein noodles in the pack lol the wife and i use to do a big huge batch and take them to bed when we lived with my dad lol we hated the rubbish he watched on tv east ender so we would do the treats give him his and then take ours to bed and watch tv lol .

Re the chicken carcass soup no i do like you i throw it all in the pan most of meat off then bring to a boil then simmer i do add a little herb and sometimes bits of left over onion and then simmer for a hours then i drain the juice off into another pan i then pick over the bones and get the best meat off i can then in that goes the junk then goes to the fox , i then throw in to that carrot swede parsnip or any veg really , then i will do spuds some medium chpped and some fine that dissovle in to the juice i then simmer it for a hour or 2 but the last hour i will throw in some of the left over chicken meat breast or leg meat .

re the ham i vacuumed them then in to the freezer i am going to try now i have the new vacuum sealer a pck in the fridge do 1 slice in a bag and see how long because this vacuum sealer turned a bag of flour in to a brick i mean leathel weapon and the porridge lol this thing really does take all the air out my old one i throught was good this thing puts it to shame lol .

when i was younger and able to eat more solid stuff i use to like making dumplings but as i struggle with solids as i say i try to make mine veyr small dice . I will say you can get a fair bit of meat of a roast carcass that is how i do mine it is left over from the roast are you using raw sorry might be mixing up , but even just the boiled down bones and the few bits of meat you get with a big pan of herbs and veggies fine dice you get a lovely taste i will have ot do pictures we can compare lol , i think more young people will want to learn to cook now

[jennyjj01]

re the ham i vacuumed them then in to the freezer i am going to try now i have the new vacuum sealer a pck in the fridge do 1 slice in a bag and see how long because this vacuum sealer turned a bag of flour in to a brick i mean leathel weapon and the porridge lol this thing really does take all the air out my old one i throught was good this thing puts it to shame lol .

Hmmmm. interesting. Vac sealing does crush to living daylights out of stuff. I've never tried it with meat to go into the freezer. To be honest, does it need such a harsh vacuum? I suspect it just needs MOST of the air out to prevent freezer burn.
Also, of course, the vac bags come at a cost, too. I feel a 'speriment coming on, once I get a meat slicer.

I will say you can get a fair bit of meat of a roast carcass that is how i do mine it is left over from the roast are you using raw sorry might be mixing up , but even just the boiled down bones and the few bits of meat you get with a big pan of herbs and veggies fine dice you get a lovely taste i will have ot do pictures we can compare lol , i think more young people will want to learn to cook now

I've done broth two ways: One from the raw bones removed from some chicken thighs and one from a cooked carcass. Both worked, but the cooked one had less fat and more flavour.

[GillyBee]

Your American canning lady may have been using a pressure canner. They are common in America alongside the water bath canners we are more used to.
Pressure canners are giant pressure cookers and process the food at a high enough temperature to kill botulism which is a danger for poorly canned meat and vegetables.
Water bath canners are just a container ful of boiling water. A stock pot or tea urn could be used to improvise. Tthese are only safe for acidic foods like bottled fruit. Jams & pickles an be done in them too to reduce the risk of them moulding.
The Blue Ball book of canning has all the information on both types along with tested recipes if you want to play but please do some research before trying to can/bottle meat or veg.

[jennyjj01]

Your American canning lady may have been using a pressure canner. They are common in America alongside the water bath canners we are more used to.
Pressure canners are giant pressure cookers and process the food at a high enough temperature to kill botulism which is a danger for poorly canned meat and vegetables.
Water bath canners are just a container ful of boiling water. A stock pot or tea urn could be used to improvise. Tthese are only safe for acidic foods like bottled fruit. Jams & pickles an be done in them too to reduce the risk of them moulding.
The Blue Ball book of canning has all the information on both types along with tested recipes if you want to play but please do some research before trying to can/bottle meat or veg.

Botulism is almost enough to scare me away from home canning*. BUT, the US CDC makes it sound like a very low probability, very high impact risk. If you are a heroin using jailbird that drinks hooch and eats jarred Alaskan fish, and has your lips padded up, you could be in big trouble.
https://www.cdc.gov/botulism/people-at-risk.html

Maveric as I am about tins and BBE dates, this toxin defies the rules. Sniff test won't detect it. Taste test won't detect it. Food can look unspoiled. And worst of all, one only needs to take a taste of the content to be poisoned. Botulism is NOT the organism that lives in your food, it is a toxic nerve agent made by that infection. The only potential giveaway that your food is toxic is if the vacuum has dropped, the pressure warning button has popped out or the jar fizzes when opened. Heck i've had tins of 2018 soup do that, and I ate them ( rather unwisely)
The US Authorities say canning* should only be done with a pressure canner, not a hot bath.

"Low-acid foods are the most common sources of botulism linked to home canning. These foods have a pH level greater than 4.6. Low-acid foods include most vegetables (including asparagus, green beans, beets, corn, and potatoes), some fruits (including some tomatoes and figs), milk, all meats, fish, and other seafood."

https://www.cdc.gov/botulism/prevention.html
https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/communic ... ulism.html

Now...... A practical approach ?:-
Is it the best use of your mason jars?
Only *Can when canning is the best option. Freeze that meat, vacuum bag that oatmeal, blanch and freeze SOME veg, but dehydrate much of it. Freeze potages and soups in ziplock bags?

Is it acidic? Happily *Can pickles. *Can pasta sauces, *Can tomatoes (though dehydrate some too), *Can jams.
Is it worth the price of the jar? BUY canned sweetcorn, BUY canned ready meals instead of canning your own.

And will we really be canning our own fish? I don't think so. Will we be canning fermented meat? Not me.

I try to get my head around why our US prepping cousins are so in love with putting stuff in jars and I wonder if it's just born out of custom? giving a jar of momma's special preserve to the new neighbour? Or maybe it predates home freezers and home vac sealers?

I bet member British_red has some good input to the canning debate. Who else does it in anger?

*Canning.... Why can't our US cousins call it 'Jarring'