OK folks as some of you will be aware i can cook! Im not saying im great or anything. No delusions of grandeur but i know i can cook and i know i can cook well!
I live in a house where NO ONE has a bloody clue. My father's wife is possibly the worst cook i have ever known. If anyone is old enough to remember the series "Butterflies"; the mother was called Rhia, and she too was terrible at cooking. Well she reminds me a little of her.
Anyhoo, we have a chicken awaiting cooking, so i was going to make roast chicken with some cous cous and some roasted Vegetables. Dinner times are for 6 adults and we cant eat till 8 because my sister doesn't come home till 7:30 ish.
Soooo we have a large chicken. Its about 2 kilos or 4 pounds or so in weight. I was going to roast it now (4:30pm) and let it cool down, have the couse cous cold too and roast the veggies just before 7 so they are hot and ready for 8. Bingo easy as pie!
I go downstairs and i can smell cooking!!! Dun Dun Dun! I look in the oven and there is the chicken in a clear roasting pot swimming in about 2 inches of water with onions floating around it. Im thinking WTF!!! I go talk to my dad who tells me his wife called and gave him the instruction to put it on at 3:30 pm at 180 degrees. Place it in over an inch of water and put a chopped onion into the water. SOOOOO basically we are talking that this poor bird is going to be cooking at 180 degrees for 4.5 hours!!! I nearly fell over. I said to my dad that ive never heard of anything like that before and that i will just leave it to her and walked off. I am CERTANILY NOT going to cook along side that thing!
My point:
If i were cooking that chicken. A basic no frills plain roasted chicken i would simply place it in a large roasting tin cover with a little oil and some malden salt and place it in the oven, uncovered at 180 degrees for bout 1.5 hours and then check it to see if it needed a little longer. I am left with perfectly crispy skin and perfectly moist cooked bird underneath. Sometimes i may use foil for the first hour depending on size and time etc. But nothing more.
HOW THE HELL CAN YOU COOK IT FOR 4.5 HOURS???
So yeah, anyways i was wondering if anyone else cooks their chicken like this woman and if not how you do yours. Im talkin plain chicken here. Not anything fancy with stuffed herby butter massaged under the skin or anything. Just plain simple chicken.
Thanks Matthew xxx
~Phoenix~ is my Little Sister of Awesomeness and Self-Delusion :P Bitter Angel is my Mitten Animad is my Top Trump All Im Living For - Is my beautiful and special daughter who isnt called Kim but will moan if i dont add her :P
AMY???? What in gods name does cooking it carefully mean?? Wierdo!
~Phoenix~ is my Little Sister of Awesomeness and Self-Delusion :P Bitter Angel is my Mitten Animad is my Top Trump All Im Living For - Is my beautiful and special daughter who isnt called Kim but will moan if i dont add her :P
Me thinks this is a serious post and should have a trigger for chicken warning on it.
I just stick t in the oven with some oil prob for bout 1.45 hours. Depending on size ect. Until cooked.
Looks like your family are eating hard rubber burnt chicken tonight. yum yum yum.
Can i suggest you maybe sneak some food to your room now, for later on.
Well I would put it in a big pot fill it with water and add lots of vegetables
dont forget the salt and voila
When we lose twenty pounds... we may be losing the twenty best pounds we have! We may be losing the pounds that contain our genius, our humanity, our love and honesty. ~Woody Allen
Is a chocolate muffin loving glitter ball
Camfucious that my dear is NOT plain roast chicken! Thats Pot roasted chicken!
*pets and wipes her dribble*
~Phoenix~ is my Little Sister of Awesomeness and Self-Delusion :P Bitter Angel is my Mitten Animad is my Top Trump All Im Living For - Is my beautiful and special daughter who isnt called Kim but will moan if i dont add her :P
Personally I'd go to the super market and buy one ready cooked from the deli! But then, I'm lazy, oh and my Mum can actually cook so I don't have that prob!
I think my Mum does put a little water in the bottom when she cooks some meats, something to do with burning blah blah blah, but not inches of it, just like enough to cover the bottom of the dish.
Hope the veg is ok at least!
Last edited by Missy : 20-06-2007 at 07:24 PM.
Reason: TYPO!!!!!
Missy
"But sail we must and not drift, nor lie at anchor"
I roast chicken with a bit of iol, salt and rosemerry. My God mother swears by placing a tin can of water next to the tray with chicken to keep the meat moist. I've never tried that though.
Well putting a can of water next to it is basically like standing it in a ban marie. It does keep the oven moist. however that should really not be needed for roasting joints!
If you cook them properly and let them stand and relax then they will always be moist and tasty! Leaving meat to stand it MOST important! It lets all the sinews relax and the juices to run thru the meat and re-hydrate it! nom nom nom
Personally i like to put lemons and bay leaves and a chilli around the bird so you get a lovely tangy spicy gravy afterwards. Sticking some herby butter under the skin and layering with streaky bacon is also uber gorgeous!
~Phoenix~ is my Little Sister of Awesomeness and Self-Delusion :P Bitter Angel is my Mitten Animad is my Top Trump All Im Living For - Is my beautiful and special daughter who isnt called Kim but will moan if i dont add her :P
My grandma is the best cook... she does her own chicken and stuff... mmmmm yuuuuuuuuummy!!! At the thought of her putting a can of water int he over I started giggling! But yes... maybe you should do as someone suggested and get her cooking lessons for her birthday!
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
i usually cook it same as you Matt, with a bit of oil and seasoning (salt and pepper). could do it with stuffing and stuff as well but that takes more time and effort.
Matt, GET THAT WOMAN SOME COOKING LESSONS!!!
Don't really do chicken myself, but I can give some blinding and simple recipes for pheasant, wild duckling and various game!
These are a couple of my favourites;
Pheasant breast in red wine
Place fresh (NOT hung) pheasant breast in a flat shallow dish and just cover with red wine (Rioja serves rather well).
String a couple of scallions
Strip the leaves from a sprig of fresh tarragon and roughly chop them (enough to release the flavour but not to puree them)
Lay the scallions around the breasts and sprinkle the tarragon over the top.
Leave to marinate for an hour or two (atleast)
Cover and launch in the middle of a hot oven - about 170-180ish (celcius) for around 35-45 mins (depends on the type of oven & size of breasts)
Remove breasts (making sure they're done) and place around a clean dish to drain.
Strain the wine/juices/etc into a small pan and quickly reduce it over a VERY hot hob. Once it begins to thicken add a large knob of butter and continue to reduce to a rich sauce, stirring continuously (have to be careful with this as it happens pretty quickly!)
Serve the breasts with seasonal veg and drizzle the sauce over the top.
Sit down and thoroughly enjoy!
Wild duckling
Clean and stuff with plum & ginger stuffing (with a dash of red wine in the mix).
Glaze with a mixture of honey and armagnac (you can also add a little wholegrain mustard - has to be tip-top quality though and not too strong).
Place in a small stoneware dish with a lid.
Pour a little red wine in the bottom of the dish and place a coursely chopped medium sized onion around the sides.
Lid on and launch in the middle of the oven - about 160 celcius for around an hour and a quarter (again depending entirely on the size of the bird)
Baste occasionally and cook until the juices run clear.
Make gravy from the stock and serve with whatever you like.
Trunk of rabbit
Skin and clean a whole rabbit, taking great care to retain the abdominal flesh.
Remove the legs, bone them and place the meat in a blender, along with 4 pheasant breasts, a small pot of creme frais and a couple of chopped sprigs of fresh tarragon - blend until smooth.
Bone the trunk and lay flat, so that the back meat is cetral with a large flap of skin running the whole length on either side.
Spoon the legs/breast/creme frais along the centre then tightly roll the flaps of skin over - basically get it to look like a big pink swiss roll.
Tightly wrap in foil and bake - it's been quite a while since I made this so I can't remember the temp and time from the top of my head. I THINK it was about 150-160 celcius for 45 mins.
Allow to cool in the foil then place in the fridge overnight.
Remove from foil, slice and serve cold.
Can also be made with hare for a stronger flavour.
I hope someone enjoys one of these - it's made me starving just writing them down!
I hold the world but as the world, Gratiano, A stage, where every one must play his part; And mine a sad one.
