Food

I haz blendtec. I don't use it enough...I should. Found it off Gumtree, shop was closing down, don't regret the £200 I got for it.

Can't say about vitamix.

My mum has a vitamix. I've never really seen her use it that much, but she assures me that she does. Bloody expensive...

I went to Viajante last night, got there at 6.30 had a gin and dill tonic,sat down at the table, left table 23 courses and 4 hours. Was the best meal of that type I've had! Missus also had 23 but all pescatarian.

(Note: I work there so was treated like a king and I am mainly boasting :-)

I walked past Viajante a couple of days ago and meant to find out what it was all about. I like that you can see the kitchen from the outside.

^^^ Mands, is your blendtec 220? I couldn't find one and so bought an American (110) one. Still I have a stepdown converter to run the rice cooker so it is probably fine (unless I cook rice and want to make a quick smoothie or something).

HatBeard, I will report back once it gets here although I think it is really good at the stuff you use a blender for normally. "ice cream", "almond milk", etc-with-quotes-around-it I am not so sure about.

Still though, to get kale, apple, celery, carrot smoothie smooth seems like it will be worth it. Also, vichyssoise.

I got the Q series - commercial grade.

As you prolly know but thought I would mention, it's not a juicer so fibrous matter will still be in your blended concoctions. So I use a muslin cloth for filtering.

...which all kinda defeats the object of eating fruit.

just seen costco have the blendtec total blender (fnar) with a second jug for £330.

still fooking expensive but not a bad deal given the rrp's

do want but would also eliminate all of my non-budgeted spending money for this month.

Made a ragu Bolognese but used a sheet of baby back ribs separated into ribs instead of pork mince, then shredded the meat off the bone @ 3 hrs.

Completely transforms the flavour. Bones FTW.

1.5kw Waring cocktail blender £200 at Nisbets

I know it's a mini chain and everything, but I had dinner at Hotel du Vin in Brighton, and loved it

Bones in ragu FTW!!! Pork AND beef...

I agree, it's the best way... That's how Mrs TS's nonna makes it...

tragically under-cooked poached eggs at The Breakfast Club Liverpool St. Not just my serve. Such disappoint.

Made a ragu Bolognese but used a sheet of baby back ribs separated into ribs instead of pork mince, then shredded the meat off the bone @ 3 hrs.

Completely transforms the flavour. Bones FTW.

Bones in ragu FTW!!! Pork AND beef...

I agree, it's the best way... That's how Mrs TS's nonna makes it...

Duck ragu. Duck legs on the bone then shredded. Also amazing.

Speaking of gadgets, anyone got a blendtec or vitamix blender?

Had use of a q series a while ago , great blender but could never justify it for home use

Yeah, yhat's what I want. Those things are in excess of £250 new though.
I might just scrap the idea for now, save up a bit and buy a better one for her birthday instead of Christmas.

imo saving for the kitchenaid is 100% worth it if you plan on using it often , especially with dough the higher quality motor means it probably won't burn out

Eaten an unhealthy amount of peanut butter today. Newest creation is pb, Marmite and cottage cheese on toast.

Well, that was a trial. Long weekend helping out with my friend's food van Cin Cin. If I learned one thing it's that I never want to work in mobile catering.

I won't bore you with the details but I left work at 7pm on Friday to start working on baking and loading and unloading vans from trailers etc, had four hours sleep on Friday night and a similar (drunken) amount on Saturday. Eventually sat down to eat and rest at 10:30pm last night. The house is still a bombsite and I'm shattered, sick and broken. My friends worked a good deal longer and harder than I did too.

No sir, not for me.

I came to the van with youngest Luddlet yesterday but you must have been passed out somewhere out of sight. And I just missed the very last Käsekrainer from the sausage stand - I even saw it being carried away before my eyes.

And does anyone on here know whether there is still an Austrian food outlet at Gordon Square? I could jfgi...

Ah shame. Would have been nice to say hello. I can only assume I was on one of very many trips up and down the hill to fetch more pasta or apple juice or brandy.

They came with about 8 litres of juice which they were selling hot and spiced with or without a shot of brandy in. They sold all of that plus another 12 litres I ran out to buy on the Saturday and another 28 litres of I sourced in three separate trips on Sunday.

They did very well but a bit more experience of planning and logistics will go a long way to make it less stressful I think. The other thing they realy suffer from is not being able to have the hot food on display. They'll figure it out. Early days.

Man well that was a trial. Long weekend helping out with my friend's food van Cin Cin. If I learned one thing it's that I never want to work in mobile catering.

I won't bore you with the details but I left work at 7pm on Friday to start working on baking and loading and unloading vans from trailers etc, had four hours sleep on Friday night and a similar (drunken) amount on Saturday. Eventually sat down to eat and rest at 10:30pm last night. The house is still a bombsite and I'm shattered, sick and broken. My friends worked a good deal longer and harder than I did too.

No sir, not for me.

I'm toying with the idea of doing some kind of mobile catering thing if we ever make it to Oz... A friend has a food stall in Camden, I think I'll need to shadow him for a bit and see how he does things...

I'll be back in the UK before you make it to Oz permanently...

I don't doubt it...

I'm toying with the idea of doing some kind of mobile catering thing if we ever make it to Oz... A friend has a food stall in Camden, I think I'll need to shadow him for a bit and see how he does things...

To be fair, I think it can work brilliantly and my friend is still playing with the concept and what he can do. There's lots of variables but from my limited experience rule number one seems to be "keep it simple".

^in terms of concept, menu and logistics.