Cooking Ingredients You Were Introduced To

[whitelion]

Just watching Saturday Kitchen and it reminded me of ingredients that I use but hadn't until somebody introduced them to me.

Olive oil - would never use any other after a mate cooked a meal for me using Extra Virgin olive oil. I'd used the cheapy old sunflower oil until then and even when short of money I always made sure I bought the olive oil.

Lentils - my mother made the most delicious ham and lentil soups which she treated me with when I called on her in the winter months. I'd never be without lentils in the cupboard.

 

[moggy]

Couscous
So versatile. Can't get enough of the stuff

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

Kub-Or stock. Amazing stuff.

 

[whitelion]

Couscous
So versatile. Can't get enough of the stuff

How did that come about?

Slight aside - have you tried cauliflower couscous?

 

[Sussex Nomad]

I wouldn't know where to start on this one. My mum and one of my Auntie's made the best curries ever, they are Burmese so the curries had a certain difference to Indian style, although the flavour was very much southern Indian. Goan'ish. Anyway one of my cousins and I took up the mantle of curry making in their style and we frequently get knocked up by other members of our family (and friends) to cook up a dish. I was introduced to many, many things from those two that I couldn't list. Suffice to say eating curry takes up 4/5 days of my normal week

 

[Triggaaar]

Cooking Ingredients You Were Introduced To

Er, all of them I guess

Olive oil - would never use any other after a mate cooked a meal for me using Extra Virgin olive oil

I had heard that olive oil couldn't take the heat (starts smoking) and breaks down, making it unsuitable for cooking, but I did some web research and I think olive oil is the most healthy choice for cooking. Some types of olive oil may break down easier than others, I don't know. They now sell some that specify that it's for cooking, don't know if that's better or worse. I've generally used basic Tesco virgin olive oil, I thought using Extra Virgin was a bit of a waste.

What is it that you like about using it? If just using a small amount to fry onions etc, the difference in taste should be minimal.

 

[whitelion]

Er, all of them I guess

I had heard that olive oil couldn't take the heat (starts smoking) and breaks down, making it unsuitable for cooking, but I did some web research and I think olive oil is the most healthy choice for cooking. Some types of olive oil may break down easier than others, I don't know. They now sell some that specify that it's for cooking, don't know if that's better or worse. I've generally used basic Tesco virgin olive oil, I thought using Extra Virgin was a bit of a waste.

What is it that you like about using it? If just using a small amount to fry onions etc, the difference in taste should be minimal.

It definitely the taste - I've tried walnut oil rapeseed oil etc but the taste of extra virgin (for me) hits the spot.

 

[Husty]

Breast Milk

 

[Mr Bridger]

Uncle Bens curry with square chunks of meat and sultanas

 

[whitelion]

Er, all of them I guess

Perhaps I should have been clearer.

I'm not thinking childhood here - I'm thinking you've left home and started cooking for yourself but friends/family have introduced an ingredient to you that find indispensable that you hadn't considered.

 

[BNthree]

Er, all of them I guess

I had heard that olive oil couldn't take the heat (starts smoking) and breaks down, making it unsuitable for cooking, but I did some web research and I think olive oil is the most healthy choice for cooking. Some types of olive oil may break down easier than others, I don't know. They now sell some that specify that it's for cooking, don't know if that's better or worse. I've generally used basic Tesco virgin olive oil, I thought using Extra Virgin was a bit of a waste.

What is it that you like about using it? If just using a small amount to fry onions etc, the difference in taste should be minimal.

This! Extra Virgin should be for drizzling over salad etc and a lighter olive oil used for cooking. All about rapeseed oil for me personally, love the stuff.

 

[Triggaaar]

This! Extra Virgin should be for drizzling over salad etc and lighter olive oil for cooking. All about rapeseed oil for me personally, love the stuff.

I don't think rapeseed oil is good for you though - check out how they make it, it's not very natural.

 

[The Andy Naylor Fan Club]

Just watching Saturday Kitchen and it reminded me of ingredients that I use but hadn't until somebody introduced them to me.

Olive oil - would never use any other after a mate cooked a meal for me using Extra Virgin olive oil. I'd used the cheapy old sunflower oil until then and even when short of money I always made sure I bought the olive oil.

I love Olive oil be it for cooking, putting on a salad or making a dressing. Can't stand bloody olives though.

 

[whitelion]

Just watching Saturday Kitchen and it reminded me of ingredients that I use but hadn't until somebody introduced them to me.

Olive oil - would never use any other after a mate cooked a meal for me using Extra Virgin olive oil. I'd used the cheapy old sunflower oil until then and even when short of money I always made sure I bought the olive oil.

I love Olive oil be it for cooking, putting on a salad or making a dressing. Can't stand bloody olives though.

That's pretty much my relationship with olives - when confronted with them as a stand alone I tend to eat one or two but generally avoid.

 

[BigGully]

This! Extra Virgin should be for drizzling over salad etc and a lighter olive oil used for cooking. All about rapeseed oil for me personally, love the stuff.

Well I hope you do not buy branded rapeseed oil, plain simple cheap vegetable oil IS 100% rapeseed oil, its quite a shameful scam, just take a look on ingredient label on any vegetable oil.

 

[BigGully]

For me I have been 're-introduced' to white pepper.

Its a mainstay of most chinese takeaway recipes and a little on chips or eggs and other old skool meals, I had nearly forgotten just how good.

 

[pasty]

Ex-wife introduced me to this stuff. She was Dutch and there was a large Suriname community where she was from (Rotterdam) and they use it loads. Believe it's origin is Indonesian. Can't make a decent satay without it.

 

[The Clamp]

For me I have been 're-introduced' to white pepper.

Its a mainstay of most chinese takeaway recipes and a little on chips or eggs and other old skool meals, I had nearly forgotten just how good.

Yes! It came back into my life last year. After writing it off as a depressing condiment in a pot on the table of depressing greasy spoon cafes from the 80's my other half bought a pot while out food shopping and we now enjoy it on most meals.
We are quite a boring couple.

 

[Bwian]

Thai Mushroom Soy Sauce has now replaced all other soy sauces in my stir fries and Thai food where soy sauce is required.

Sent from my LG-H815 using Tapatalk

 

[Sussex Nomad]

Yes! It came back into my life last year. After writing it off as a depressing condiment in a pot on the table of depressing greasy spoon cafes from the 80's my other half bought a pot while out food shopping and we now enjoy it on most meals.
We are quite a boring couple.

Prefer white to black pepper but totally forgot about it's existence for many years, brought it back into my cooking last year.