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Lazy as hell Sunday Dinners

Some things are excellent tinned. Tomatoes are a case in point, and red kidney beans. Tinned toms are almost always Italian and at the peak of ripeness, so are a million times better than the watery crap that passes for a tomato in N Europe. Kidney beans - if you want to soak them overnight and then boil the hell out of them for hours while worrying about poisoning yourself, be my guest. Me? 35p a tin, ready to go, guaranteed perfectly cooked, guaranteed safe.
 
Some things are excellent tinned. Tomatoes are a case in point, and red kidney beans. Tinned toms are almost always Italian and at the peak of ripeness, so are a million times better than the watery crap that passes for a tomato in N Europe. Kidney beans - if you want to soak them overnight and then boil the hell out of them for hours while worrying about poisoning yourself, be my guest. Me? 35p a tin, ready to go, guaranteed perfectly cooked, guaranteed safe.

It's the black beans you really have to worry about. I totally agree, some things are better from tins. As my flatmate won't eat kidney beans, tinned white beans or butter beans do a fine job of standing in. I also use a fair bit of pre-prepped garlic.

I've used pre-chopped onions - frozen and fresh - in the past, and find them to be of such variable quality it's just not worth it. Tinned onions usually come cooked down to mushyness, sadly.
 
It's the black beans you really have to worry about

Generally, red kidney beans have the highest toxin level, but all peas and beans contain some. The toxins only need a few minutes of boil to destroy the toxin - far less time than needed to cook them.
Cooked in a pressure cooker from dry, they take way under an hour.
 
Funny you should mention a slow cooker, we just got hold of one. I'm looking forward to trying a chilli, and also a bolognese. As long as someone else chops the onion, I'm a happy camper ;)

For a lot of things you can use a grater to 'chop' an onion! Been doing more of that recently - especially for curries. If doing, grate a carrot at the same time and chuck it in with the onion - makes a great start to a curry.
 
For a lot of things you can use a grater to 'chop' an onion! Been doing more of that recently - especially for curries. If doing, grate a carrot at the same time and chuck it in with the onion - makes a great start to a curry.
Yeah grating onions, garlic, ginger etc works fine, depends if you are able - hand strength /coordination etc. Never tried freezing chopped onions.
 
Generally, red kidney beans have the highest toxin level, but all peas and beans contain some. The toxins only need a few minutes of boil to destroy the toxin - far less time than needed to cook them.
Cooked in a pressure cooker from dry, they take way under an hour.

I've had loads of raw peas in my life and am still alive, are you sure?
 
For a lot of things you can use a grater to 'chop' an onion! Been doing more of that recently - especially for curries. If doing, grate a carrot at the same time and chuck it in with the onion - makes a great start to a curry.


my wife has wrist problems and cannot grate. I usually chop, but if I am feeling lazy a mini food processor works a treat.


The frozen chopped herbs that waitrose sell are great. The dill is particularly good, others not as good a fresh but a great standby for the freezer
 
I've had loads of raw peas in my life and am still alive, are you sure?
I think it's like the toxins in potatoes, coffee, I think even carrots are mildly toxic. The key is "mildly" and the impossibility of eating enough to poison yourself.
 
I've had loads of raw peas in my life and am still alive, are you sure?

Me too - it is a question of how much toxin, not if.
Legumes, particularly, dry/mature ones, are full of defence chemicals, aimed at making them unpalatable, or worse. As far as the seed is concerned, it wants to survive, to produce a plant, not to be eaten (unlike other seeds - rose, ivy, holly, yew, strawberry, blackberry etc. etc. - which very specifically DO want to be eaten, though not by humans in many cases. The weirdest fruit/seed is the avocardo, which is reckoned to be poisonous to every animal except humans).
 
No onions? Try this. Ridiculously lazy cooking and worked both times I’ve tried it, so foolproof;)

(Do the nuts in a coffee grinder)
 
My apologies. I hope you've had some useful suggestions. I'm sure food can be good, unprocessed and wholesome as well as quick and easy.

No worries. Working on the good, unprocessed and wholesome, quick and easy - but my GOD it's not a simple task. Waitrose can sod off though; I only zimmered my way around their store once and got filthy looks from the staff. My money obviously wasn't posh enough for them. Their prices are bloody outrageous too.
 
Yeah grating onions, garlic, ginger etc works fine, depends if you are able - hand strength /coordination etc. Never tried freezing chopped onions.

you have to blanch them. I've bought them ready frozen in the past, and the game is not worth the candle.
 
Nice, if a little expensive. Worth risking at some point though, I think. I'm hoping Cardiff Market will be open (and within my effective range before Bingo Spoons Time) soon - there's a butcher there that I trust, and he's never let me down when I've asked for a bargain - thanks to him I'm aware of flat iron steak (also known as butler's steak). Being able to buy a complete ox heart for £3 (pre Lurgey, anyway) is also a great cheap meal, but not quick or easy.

Donald Russell do a full range of ‘cheap’ steaks ie bavette etc.

I’ve tried all of them they’re very good but I prefer sirloin or rib eye the ‘odd butcher’s cuts’ are not that much cheaper though.

They do a box of those steaks which is very good value for money, there’s constant sales so just sign up for the emails, they are a bit email happy but I just ignore them until I want to buy anything.

Delivery is superb btw and free if you spend £60 on an order, all of the food comes frozen so you can pay another £5 for a biodegradable box but I don’t bother.
 
If it's good steak, a blue steak is not unwelcome. As long as it's not served on an ice cold plate, I'm happy.

Usually rare or just over @ 47 Degrees c and on a hot plate. I don’t mind blue steaks done in a french restaurant or a decent restaurant where the chef knows how to cook them properly.

My son’s a chef btw.
 
Donald Russell do a full range of ‘cheap’ steaks ie bavette etc.

I’ve tried all of them they’re very good but I prefer sirloin or rib eye the ‘odd butcher’s cuts’ are not that much cheaper though.

They do a box of those steaks which is very good value for money, there’s constant sales so just sign up for the emails, they are a bit email happy but I just ignore them until I want to buy anything.

Delivery is superb btw and free if you spend £60 on an order, all of the food comes frozen so you can pay another £5 for a biodegradable box but I don’t bother.
We use DR fairly often, good quality and well sorted packaging/delivery, very slick. They do all sorts including fish, sausages, puddings etc. If you can it at the right time when they have special offers on what you're after it’s not that dear at all. Be aware they are marketing fiends, paper and email, just don’t check the marketing options.
 
We use DR fairly often, good quality and well sorted packaging/delivery, very slick. They do all sorts including fish, sausages, puddings etc. If you can it at the right time when they have special offers on what you're after it’s not that dear at all. Be aware they are marketing fiends, paper and email, just don’t check the marketing options.

Their Lorne sausages are fantastic btw.

We had their rib eye steaks on Saturday absolutely superb.
 
Their Lorne sausages are fantastic btw.

We had their rib eye steaks on Saturday absolutely superb.
Don't think we’ve had their Lorne yet, often get steak packs to send as Xmas hampers to family as well as for ourselves. The mini burgers and steaks are great, special occasion I like a T-Bone meself, missus goes for the fillet.
 


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