Soft drinks

[Rugeley Villa]

1 minute ago, AvfcRigo82 said:

20p on the lid?

Bloody hell , yes !

[fightoffyour]

Pepsi Max or Coke Zero, not fussed either way. Having probably a large glass per day the hot half of the year, and just having tea when it’s cold. Tastes fine as except for mixing with alcoholic drinks, and I’ll take my chance on whatever shit has been added to rather than the calories.

Cooking without salt? Unthinkable. Especially pasta water, and incorporating some of that into whatever the sauce. Potatoes in whatever form need a ton of salt for me. Would never add salt to something without tasting it first but I’m pretty much ready to add salt to any potatoes. McDonald’s fries usually come with enough on, but that’s my level.

[blandy]

15 hours ago, StefanAVFC said:

I'm talking about in the water for pasta, rice and potatoes. 

I understand not adding extra sugar to things, I don't add it at all. 

But not salting your pasta water (for example) is **** mental. An Italian nona would slap you. 

This. Like @chrisp65says I don’t add it to Cooked food (other than chips) or into recipes other than bread, but you need it in pasta cooking water. A tiny bit is left on the pasta and the flavour is better, but there’s no health risks. 

[chrisp65]

So, are you guys eating plain pasta?

You’re not like, putting it in a lasagne or coating it with a sauce? You’re just eating plain pasta?

 

I don’t think I’ve ever considered having that. 

[villa4europe]

Pasta I don't, a little bit of butter to stop it sticking but even that's only if I can be bothered 

Rice nothing 

Potatoes... Yes, put salt in there, there's some sciencey stuff to do with salt and starch, if you're part boiling potatoes for roasties then they will crisper on the outside, if you're mashing them the salt breaking down the starch makes it fluffier, so potatoes is a big yes 

[StefanAVFC]

1 hour ago, chrisp65 said:

So, are you guys eating plain pasta?

You’re not like, putting it in a lasagne or coating it with a sauce? You’re just eating plain pasta?

 

I don’t think I’ve ever considered having that. 

I wonder who's right here.

Italian nonas doing it this way for centuries or Chris P from Wales. 

[hogso]

The old Italian adage for cooking pasta is water as salty as the sea, isn't it? 

[StefanAVFC]

1 minute ago, hogso said:

The old Italian adage for cooking pasta is water as salty as the sea, isn't it? 

Nah they're all idiots with ruined taste buds into processed food. 

[chrisp65]

20 minutes ago, StefanAVFC said:

Nah they're all idiots with ruined taste buds into processed food. 

I think I said yesterday, each to their own.

Not everything has to be win / lose.

You want extra salt, you go for it. Nobody ‘has’ to be the idiot.

 

[Davkaus]

Balancing fats, sweetness, salt and acidity is the key to tasty food, and things are just bland without at least a bit of that.

I don't like salty foods, but a pinch of salt or a splash of vinegar to a dish can elevate it from boring and flavourless to delicious, it helps bring out the other flavours. It usually leads to an absolutely tiny portion of salt per portion, but it makes a big difference to flavour.

But we're a nation that doesn't traditionally use spice and thinks boiling the shit out of veg is the way to cook, so I'm not too surprised some people don't season their food.

Edited June 20, 2021 by Davkaus

[bickster]

Anyway soft drinks..... tap water appears to be my favourite

[fightoffyour]

2 hours ago, chrisp65 said:

So, are you guys eating plain pasta?

You’re not like, putting it in a lasagne or coating it with a sauce? You’re just eating plain pasta?

 

I don’t think I’ve ever considered having that. 

Dragging the pasta from the pan of salty, starchy water once it’s al dente directly into another pan with the sauce in it.

[blandy]

2 hours ago, chrisp65 said:

So, are you guys eating plain pasta?

You’re not like, putting it in a lasagne or coating it with a sauce? You’re just eating plain pasta?

I don’t think I’ve ever considered having that. 

There’s loads of simple delicious pasta dishes where there’s no need to drown it in sauce. Some of the ones I like are with a bit of garlic, butter and parsley. Or with broccoli and grated cheese, drizzle of olive oil and loads of black pepper. Or with broad beans and spicy sausage. A really good one is cook some tomatoes, olive oil, lemon zest, garlic, spinach/kale in a pan with a bit of water and towards the end Chuck in some pasta and then scoff it down. One pan hardly any washing up, delicious. Another is with a few chopped and cooked cherry tomatoes, olives, basil, drop of evo oil, Parmesan…

[blandy]

2 minutes ago, blandy said:

Another is with a few chopped and cooked cherry tomatoes, olives, basil, drop of evo oil, Parmesan

Actually, that’s gonna be tea today. That and Wales v Italy and a glass of red wine. 

[StefanAVFC]

6 minutes ago, blandy said:

There’s loads of simple delicious pasta dishes where there’s no need to drown it in sauce. Some of the ones I like are with a bit of garlic, butter and parsley. Or with broccoli and grated cheese, drizzle of olive oil and loads of black pepper. Or with broad beans and spicy sausage. A really good one is cook some tomatoes, olive oil, lemon zest, garlic, spinach/kale in a pan with a bit of water and towards the end Chuck in some pasta and then scoff it down. One pan hardly any washing up, delicious. Another is with a few chopped and cooked cherry tomatoes, olives, basil, drop of evo oil, Parmesan…

Damn right. The best pasta is the simplest pasta. Even a carbonara is just pancetta/guanciale, egg yolk, parmasan/pecarino and very salty pasta water. 

Salt is essential. Not to make things taste salty but to bring out the flavours more. There's a reason it's used in every cuisine. 

[StefanAVFC]

50 minutes ago, chrisp65 said:

I think I said yesterday, each to their own.

Not everything has to be win / lose.

You want extra salt, you go for it. Nobody ‘has’ to be the idiot.

 

It's not about extra salt though, this is the key point you're missing here. 

It's about adding the right amount to strike the required balance, as @Davkaus mentioned. 

[chrisp65]

13 minutes ago, blandy said:

There’s loads of simple delicious pasta dishes where there’s no need to drown it in sauce. Some of the ones I like are with a bit of garlic, butter and parsley. Or with broccoli and grated cheese, drizzle of olive oil and loads of black pepper. Or with broad beans and spicy sausage. A really good one is cook some tomatoes, olive oil, lemon zest, garlic, spinach/kale in a pan with a bit of water and towards the end Chuck in some pasta and then scoff it down. One pan hardly any washing up, delicious. Another is with a few chopped and cooked cherry tomatoes, olives, basil, drop of evo oil, Parmesan…

It’s been kale, tiny new broad beans, garlic and olive oil here a couple of times lately.

Basically, trying to eat the kale before the caterpillars do.

 

[fightoffyour]

51 minutes ago, blandy said:

There’s loads of simple delicious pasta dishes where there’s no need to drown it in sauce. Some of the ones I like are with a bit of garlic, butter and parsley. Or with broccoli and grated cheese, drizzle of olive oil and loads of black pepper. Or with broad beans and spicy sausage. A really good one is cook some tomatoes, olive oil, lemon zest, garlic, spinach/kale in a pan with a bit of water and towards the end Chuck in some pasta and then scoff it down. One pan hardly any washing up, delicious. Another is with a few chopped and cooked cherry tomatoes, olives, basil, drop of evo oil, Parmesan…

Cacio I Pepe is just pecorino and black pepper, plus pasta and that salty water of course.

[Follyfoot]

4 hours ago, blandy said:

This. Like @chrisp65says I don’t add it to Cooked food (other than chips) or into recipes other than bread, but you need it in pasta cooking water. A tiny bit is left on the pasta and the flavour is better, but there’s no health risks. 

Didn’t a princess get banished to the wilderness for giving salt to her father King as a birthday gift and then met a witch who banished salt from his kingdom in revenge 

 

makes you think 

Edited June 20, 2021 by Follyfoot

[blandy]

1 hour ago, blandy said:

Actually, that’s gonna be tea today. That and Wales v Italy and a glass of red wine. 

no pop, though. Red grape drink instead