OneGuyFromBarlick

I am with Cathy...gosh...we need to be careful with eggs...

The eggs from the supermarket have a use by date on them. Mine don't go in the fridge either, they don't stay around for very long anyway. I usually buy them as I need them...

I never put eggs in the fridge, freshly laid eggs keep well for about 3 weeks.

We get half a dozen free range from Nathan our butcher as we need them. Stored in our hen pot on the worktop.

Cathy wrote: ↑21 Sep 2019, 06:53 We wouldn't dare do that here, even in winter.
It surprises me that you do it with the central heating on. How long do the eggs stay fresh for , do you have use-by dates on the cartons?

I'm with Cathy. We store ours in the fridge but it's hot here too. An interesting point came up the other day. My friend said he used to believe that the egg yolk was the chicken. I'd always assumed that but when I thought about it, it just isn't true. Is this a common misunderstanding?

The yolk is designed to provide nutrients to a developing chick before it hatches, and the white provides more protein and water, oxygen passes thru the shell and membranes.

In the supermarket, the eggs are always stored in a refrigerated area, and are date stamped.
Many years ago, I knew an old woman who used to make the most fabulous sponge cakes. She had her own hens and said the secret to her beautiful sponge cakes was to store the eggs in a cool place for 6 weeks before using them. She had bowls of them put away for up-coming birthday cakes etc. I've never been game to keep eggs for 6 weeks.
I should have begged her Sponge Cake recipe from her...

Come to think they aren't refrigerated at the Co-op or Brown's butcher's. I can see I am out of step here, I will do something about it.

This is interesting. I eat a lot of eggs, and I've had a 'thing' about the freshness of eggs for a long time now. I went along with the British 'keep them out of the fridge' routine. I think Delia Smith started it, but no evidence. I like to see the yolk and the white stand up when you put them in the pan. If that didn't happen then I estimated they were several weeks old. Result was that I bought the cheapest eggs, on the theory that they would be turned over the quickest. It seemed to work, and since they were often the smallest since they were cheap, I could always have two.

Then I read that in the USA - all eggs were kept in the fridge. ( They also only have white eggs whereas we prefer, and can now only get, brown eggs.) I tried that, and I think the 'standupability' lasts longer - so I continue to do so.

I can't remember when I last had a bad egg, nature's packaging seems to work. Long time since I saw a double yolk as well.
Today's tip, if you have a cracked egg you can boil it if you put some salt in the water. Some people say that dropping a pin in the water does the same job.

Something I've just written in the `Today I shall be mainly..' topic made me think of this tip. Never try to joke with your GP, they switch of their humour button each morning as they enter the surgery.

I saw my consultant surgeon today, for a 5year check up following hips surgery. All went well, and he said "OK I'll see you in five years then". "Fair enough" says I - "if I'm still here".

"If we're both still here says he" with a grin. I liked that. . . .

I had a good laugh with my consultant Mr Shaikh yesterday......

When cooking pasta, add a spoonful of cooking oil to the water. This will stop both the pasta sticking to the pan and the water boiling over. I always preferred a good Olive Oil.

I always do and use Olive Oil, you should also add a pinch of salt when cooking pasta, I use coarse ground sea salt.

Well here is one you didn't think of for tastier Pasta, cook it in appropriately flavoured stock. That way, flavour is intensified when you add the Pasta to the final dish.
( you will not find this hint anywhere it's a Maz-hint...private like...just for friends )

I always used the veg water for boiling pasta and rice. Note 'used' I tend to keep away from them now except for the occasional treat when nobody is watching.....
A good slug of vinegar in simmering water is best for poaching eggs. Beats the specialised egg poachers any day!
By the way, As happened with my sieves and colander which I replaced with stainless steel ones (a great success!) I did the same for my balloon whisk yesteryear but I was conned, it is chrome plate not steel. I tested it on a magnet and it stuck like glue, good stainless steel is non-magnetic..... I shall have to have a rethink when it starts to stain! (I should have known, it was very cheap)

The mention of using a magnet prompted me to check all my pots and pans. The house I'm moving to has an induction hob, with the exception of a cast iron griddle pan, mine are all stainless steel and won't work on the new hob...

I didn't realise that was the case Kev. Hard luck! Let us know if you are selling any of the old ones, knowing you they will be good quality. If you would like a good size cast iron stewpot I have one I would happily donate, it's a good one.....
One thing that strikes me, do stainless steel pans with an aluminium sandwich bottom work on the induction hob?

Big Kev wrote: ↑26 Sep 2019, 05:05 The mention of using a magnet prompted me to check all my pots and pans. The house I'm moving to has an induction hob, with the exception of a cast iron griddle pan, mine are all stainless steel and won't work on the new hob...

You can buy metal discs which go inside your pan and allow even glass pans to be used with induction heaters. That way you can use any type of cookware. I'll try and find a link for you.

https://www.amazon.com/induction-disc/s ... ction+disc

The above link shows the idea but these are well over-priced. Basically it is just a metal disc that goes under or inside the pan. Some stainless grades work so if you can stick a magnet to it then it should work. 10 to 15 cms diameter with holes drilled in. Ask politely someone with a lathe to make one up for you!

The Chinese ones are better and simpler, I'll keep looking for a picture!

Chinese ones are like this

All my stainless steel pans work on our induction hob, there was just one that didn't work. Different grades of steel base I think.

Thank you Wendy and China, I've only tried sticking a magnet to the bases. I'll take them with me and see if they work

I hope you find they work! Here's the casserole, it's a good size, made by Tower. The offer is still there, it's surplus to requirements.
If you want a disc making get a lump of steel or cast iron, circular if possible and I'll make it pretty for you. Either material would be OK because if used inside the pan they would soon get tempered with fat in the contents.

Big Kev wrote: ↑26 Sep 2019, 07:03 Thank you Wendy and China, I've only tried sticking a magnet to the bases. I'll take them with me and see if they work

The bases on mine are magnetic.

Stanley wrote: ↑26 Sep 2019, 05:43 One thing that strikes me, do stainless steel pans with an aluminium sandwich bottom work on the induction hob?

My understanding is that if you can stick a magnet to it, it'll work on an induction hob. Not sure about aluminium...