Just like Mum used to make...

Rip and Rosie · Guru

RE: Just like Mum used to make...

Beth54 · Guru

Salad Dressing.

A tin of condensed milk

1 teaspoon of salt...I would use less than that these days

1 cup of vinegar

2 teaspoons dry mustard

That's it Rosie. Easy as.

My sister got me onto the olive oil and lemon, as I have a problem with vinegar these days. I don't measure it, but the lemon juice is much less than the olive oil, and she said you can add a bit of wholegrain mustard or whatever takes your fancy.

Pam, you made my mouth water.

My paternal Grandmother was famous for her Plum Sauce. She lived in Eaglehawk, Vic in a wonderful old creepy house that used to be a pub. So the kitchen was out the back, seperate from the house. I was fascinated with it as a child.

Ole_Grizzly · Senior Member

Oh ! Stop it you lot...

How the heck can a bloke retain his boyish figure.

Happywanderer · The Master

Mums roasts, especially the midday sunday roast. Also rice pudding with a skin on top and bread and butter pudding. Yum

Wizardofoz · Guru

Rip and Rosie wrote:
My mum was a great cook. I have been trying for years to get the baked potatoes to turn out like hers, and mine are never crunchy.
Rosie, if you want crispy potatoes do what the top chefs do, par boil the potatoes for 5 or 6 minutes pour off the water and allow them to cool in the pot, then give them a few shakes in the pot to ruff up their surface...now the secret ingredient, use 'duck fat' to roast them in (available in containers at most supermarkets, I render my own from farm duck fat), place a roasting pan with about 1 tablespoon or so of duck fat (just enough to nicely coat the spuds with a small amount of residual) in a pre-heated oven (or covered BBQ) @ 180 - 200 degrees and roast for 10 minutes or so then turn them over and continue to roast until they are fully golden and crisp and crunchy. Turn them again if you want a more coloured and crunchy finish.

Voila, perfect roast potatoes!! biggrin

-- Edited by Wizardofoz on Tuesday 1st of May 2012 10:25:12 AM

-- Edited by Wizardofoz on Tuesday 1st of May 2012 10:26:56 AM

Wizardofoz · Guru

Yes, but your mum used beef fat (dripping) which is number 3 on the roasting list, you probably use vegetable oil, olive oil is a certain NO NO when roasting/baking.

In order of baking choice...

1/ Duck fat

2/ Pork fat

3/ Beef fat

Anyway, you said that you can't get crunchy potatoes, I gave you the method that virtually guarantees them, I can do no more than that, the rest is up to you.

-- Edited by Wizardofoz on Tuesday 1st of May 2012 04:26:58 PM

Rip and Rosie · Guru

Wizardofoz wrote:
Rip and Rosie wrote:
My mum was a great cook. I have been trying for years to get the baked potatoes to turn out like hers, and mine are never crunchy.
Rosie, if you want crispy potatoes do what the top chefs do, par boil the potatoes for 5 or 6 minutes pour off the water and allow them to cool in the pot, then give them a few shakes in the pot to ruff up their surface...now the secret ingredient, use 'duck fat' to roast them in (available in containers at most supermarkets, I render my own from farm duck fat), place a roasting pan with about 1 tablespoon or so of duck fat (just enough to nicely coat the spuds with a small amount of residual) in a pre-heated oven (or covered BBQ) @ 180 - 200 degrees and roast for 10 minutes or so then turn them over and continue to roast until they are fully golden and crisp and crunchy. Turn them again if you want a more coloured and crunchy finish.
Voila, perfect roast potatoes!!

Thanks, but they're not the same. She just peeled them, cut them, chucked them in the hot oven or frypan, turned them once, and viola.....

as hard as I try, they aren't the same.

My sister does them, she even does them at my place, but sadly, not I.

However, in revenge, my sister can't get the soup right, nor the christmas pudding.

Cruising Granny · Guru

The secret to good roast spuds is heat. If you're roasting at 180 C deg it should result in crispy spuds. Throw in a little butter into the oil, which will blend with the juices of the roasted meat, and oh so yum. Dry them before you put them into the roasting pan.
I have never been run off the farm for failed roast spuds.
Another way is the par-boiled way, drain and dry, give them a little press with the egg slide or big spoon to rough them up a bit, and cook them as described above, and you should get crunchy, tasty spuds.

Beth54 · Guru

I didn't think anyone used animal fat for cooking anymore. I use various oils, depending on what I'm cooking, and/or butter.

Makes me feel sick just thinking about eating animal fat. Gross! bleh

Wizardofoz · Guru

Well if you dine if 1st class restaurants, that's what you are consuming. biggrin biggrin

pricey43 · Guru

barina wrote:
Ferguson Plarre is a franchise bake shop, cakes, pies, pasties...........in shopping centres and shopping strips...........tiddly oggies used to be called pastie slice.......................I think the cornish pastie in UK is maybe where the name originated

We used to go to the original Fergusons before they were taken over and franchised. They had one shop in Sydney Road, Coburg. A fergies vanilla slice or eclair were to die for.

Mum's cooking was very basic. Coming from England and one of 10 children, where her treat was bread and dripping. After getting married she lived wirh her MIL for10 years and didn't cook.

Whenever we had a roast it was followed by a rice pudding.

Our staple meal was chops, chips and peas. Couldn't afford to do it these days with the price of loin chops.

Another English favorite was a chip butty. Even my grandkids love these.

barina · Guru

Guru, I lived down Sydney road and my first job was around the corner from that shop, so I always knew it as Ferguson's..........my son loves their pies and he now lives in NSW and whenever he comes down here I have to have some for hime to eat. The Plarre's came form Puckle St Moonee Ponds and they combined.

I grew up on dripping....now only use rice bran oil sparingly for cooking and aussie olive oil for salad dressing with lemon juice and vinegar and crazy salt and mixed pepper.......

Wizardofoz · Guru

Beth, animal fats are not as bad as they have been labelled over recent years, infact you may be surprised how bad for you that most oils are, particularly when high heated as in cooking.

It is a fact that today the obesity rates in the western world are higher than they have ever been, yet we have been 'converted ' to healthier ways of living and eating, even the large fast food chains are trumpeting healthy foods...alas, all is not as it seems.

Sugar and salt or probably the worse of the 3 evils with fat running 3rd, however, back to oils versus animal fats. The following articles which I have 'linked' give a fairly accurate overview of the pros and cons of both products and whilst they may not alter your opinion, I am sure that they will at least give you something to ponder...at the end of the day, everything is bad for you if over consumed, which is the worse of the two evils under discussion, well that's a matter of opinion and the jury is still well and truly out as the picture changes from month to month.

One things for certain though, animal fats are NOT the "To be avoided at all costs" foodstuff that we have been led to believe in recent years....

http://www.worldshealthiestfoods.net/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=204

http://www.thenaturalrecoveryplan.com/articles/butter-margarine.html

http://www.thenaturalrecoveryplan.com/articles/Which-Cooking-Oil.html

http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com.au/2009/10/butter-vs-margarine-showdown.html

Wizardofoz · Guru

I hope that I am not off topic here, but I have to get back to the worth of one my favourite ingredients...DUCK FAT.

These are a couple of reasons why it so good for roasting...

http://www.theinternetchef.biz/2010/09/duck-fat-roasted-potatoes/

http://www.essentialingredient.com.au/index.php/ingredients/cooking-with-duck-fat/

Cruising Granny · Guru

Rhubarb.
I've rediscovered rhubarb. It started when I acquired a pot with the plant from a park neighbour. I cooked a little to refresh my taste bud's memory.
I liked it. The plant died.
I've since discovered a very large plant in my Aunty's garden, so I call in for a chat, a meal, a cuppa, - oh heck, any excuse.
I pick a dozen spears, take them home, trim them up and cut into 2 cm pieces. Add a small amount of water, about 3 tablespoons of raw sugar, and cinnamon or ginger. The last batch has ginger.
Then I pack into small zip bags and freeze. I thaw when I get the craving, and serve with vanilla yoghurt. Yum!

pricey43 · Guru

barina wrote:
Guru, I lived down Sydney road and my first job was around the corner from that shop, so I always knew it as Ferguson's..........my son loves their pies and he now lives in NSW and whenever he comes down here I have to have some for hime to eat. The Plarre's came form Puckle St Moonee Ponds and they combined.

Judy,

You must have worked in Bell ST. then.

I went to Coburg Teachers College.

You will also remember 'Walkers' next to Fergies. Hubby and I worked there in school holidays. confuse confuse confuse

barina · Guru

Oh yes 1968 the creche on the cnr of Waterfield and bell sts and I had my first store account at Walkers...............Walkers has long gone but the arcade is called Walkers arcade........how funny......

Evie n Rhys · Senior Member

My mum used to make a great smoked cod pie with mash and peas. Also (and I know this one will make some cringe) I loved her tripe and onions. Never been able to eat it since because it tastes like tyre rubber but she did something special to it. Best of all was her coconut ice. She was known in the district for it. Used to make it for all the school fetes and when hey ran out she would duck home and make more. I have never been able to duplicate that either. Those were the days.

Dougwe · Chief one feather

Not my mum but my late wife made the best ever fried rice, would beat any fried rice around. She was well known with friends and family for her fried rice. I can get it near but just miss out at the post.

Rip and Rosie · Guru

Cruising Granny wrote:
Rhubarb.
I've rediscovered rhubarb. It started when I acquired a pot with the plant from a park neighbour. I cooked a little to refresh my taste bud's memory.
I liked it. The plant died.
I've since discovered a very large plant in my Aunty's garden, so I call in for a chat, a meal, a cuppa, - oh heck, any excuse.
I pick a dozen spears, take them home, trim them up and cut into 2 cm pieces. Add a small amount of water, about 3 tablespoons of raw sugar, and cinnamon or ginger. The last batch has ginger.
Then I pack into small zip bags and freeze. I thaw when I get the craving, and serve with vanilla yoghurt. Yum!

Yep, me 2, me 2.

But I cook mine (like my mum did) with a couple of cooking apples and the cinnamon and sugar.

Serve hot with custard, cold with cream or ice cream.

or

Lay it in a pie dish with a cobbler top and pop in oven till brown, yum again.

Also, best way to clean a stained saucepan is to boil rhubard in it, brings back the shine.

fireheart · Senior Member

Oh Evie, the tripe and onions, I loved it. Have never tried to cook it myself but I remember Mum making it and it was yummo. I remember coming back from spending 12 mths working in NT, and all I wanted for tea was Borthwicks frankfurts, mashed potato and peas and then bannana custard with coconut on top. Borthwicks were the meat manufactutors in Mount Gambier.
When I was a little girl we would go to my Nanna's for wigwams, they were fried scones. God I could think of nothing worse now but back then they were great too and she would cook them on the wood stove.
I wonder what my boys will remember from my cooking.They remember the things that their Dad use to make them before he passed, he made the best sponge cakes, and chocolate cake. I must ask them.

Rip and Rosie · Guru

I LOVE tripe too, but not like mum made it with the onions and white sauce, I do mine in an indian sweet curry, with sultanas. Now that's yum!

As a child my pet hate was (well, were, cause I had 2 of them) coconut (yuck) and that reduced cream in the little tins which mum liked on canned peaches. Don't mind the peaches, but can still gag at the though of that cream.

neilnruth · Guru

Puftaloons - as in the Common Sense Cook Book. Not sure they are so 'common sense' these days! They are spoonfuls of scone mixture dropped into hot oil and fried (so 'puffing' up) then served with golden syrup. Sounds very 'unhealthy' these days doesn't it?

barina · Guru

neilnruth wrote:
Puftaloons - as in the Common Sense Cook Book. Not sure they are so 'common sense' these days! They are spoonfuls of scone mixture dropped into hot oil and fried (so 'puffing' up) then served with golden syrup. Sounds very 'unhealthy' these days doesn't it?

I think nearly everthing we ate then seems unhealthy but we were a lot healthier, even with warm milk full of cream and never in the fridge at school........ biggrin

neilnruth · Guru

Yes, who started telling us things were unhealthy??

Beth54 · Guru

Among the people I know, there's a big swing back to food nearest to nature. Pasturised full cream milk, not homogonised, butter rather than margarine, organic fruit and veg, and lots of, less wheat, more of other grains.

-- Edited by Beth54 on Friday 4th of May 2012 04:34:11 PM

Dougwe · Chief one feather

If you stopped eating everything that was unhealthy we wouldn't be eating anything. confuse smile

neilnruth · Guru

Let's join the swing back to 'natural'. My hubby's mother is 93 and still eats butter and full cream milk and growled about having to cut back on salt. The only thing that will take her now is her worn out heart. It's tired of trying to beat and fill her lungs with oxygen.

Happywanderer · The Master

Sometimes health dictates going back to healthy or natural eating, (No additives or package made products.
Something I ate yesterday caused me to spend all night sitting on the loo with a bucket in front of me.
Can only think it was the pumpkin soup someone else had made (very hot herb or spicy) I usually make my own and fairly basic leaving out all the things that might upset.
I do get fed up with not being able to eat just anything I feel like.

beiffe · Guru

It is best to eat what you grand parents ate and you will loose weight and be healthier.

Your worst enemy is SUGAR. It increases the action of the spleen and gut to absorb the energy from the food we eat and it also reduces the ability to feel full. That's why it is now in everything including the meat in hamburgers etc. to make you eat more.

If you reduce where possible the sugar you eat then you can eat the good things like bacon and eggs etc and loose weight. It also will reduce your cholesterol as well. Your food intake reduces as you regain the ability to feel FULL so you eat less and seem to drop the mid meal snacks etc.

Research the book PURE WHITE and DEADLY. It is an old book but still considered relevant and there are many newer version running around.

In one month I reduced my cholesterol by nearly half and I returned to eating the things I liked in that time as well. Doctor could not believe it and she is going to read the book and do some research and do tests with some willing patients. Going to advise some patients with high cholesterol and see if they try it and then check their results.

Also increases the chance of gout and many other diseases now becoming prevalent in modern society. Heart disease and cholesterol etc follows the life style of the population. The higher the sugar consumption the higher the risks.

My best foods from my Mum was pasties, pressed tongue, trifle, roasts every Sunday Lunch.

Regards
Brian