Cooking/Roasting Bags

[JMN2]

Very 70's I know but I've found this excellent invention again. Few chicken breasts, onion, garlic, spices, mushrooms, mix well, and into the oven for an hour at 170 degC. The bag balloons inside the oven and the chicken becomes very moist. I am also using those ready-made spice mix Maggi So Juicy ones (piri piri chicken, chasseur chicken, etc) which come with the bag, Sainsburys selling them at 50-60p a pop - can't go wrong.

[DiamondEcho]

I make envelopes from standard Alu foil, same result, costs much less.

[JMN2]

I make envelopes from standard Alu foil, same result, costs much less.

even I am not that frugal, five or seven bags for a pound.

[Itsallaguess]

Very 70's I know but I've found this excellent invention again.

Few chicken breasts, onion, garlic, spices, mushrooms, mix well, and into the oven for an hour at 170 degC. The bag balloons inside the oven and the chicken becomes very moist. I am also using those ready-made spice mix Maggi So Juicy ones (piri piri chicken, chasseur chicken, etc) which come with the bag, Sainsburys selling them at 50-60p a pop - can't go wrong.

For years we've bought the pre-cooked whole chickens from the local supermarket, to use for sandwich-fillings and a curry through the week if there's anything left.

Around 4 months ago I got fed up with what seemed like a constant raising of the price of the cooked-chicken, which incredibly seemed to go hand in hand with a quite remarkable shrinking of the birds themselves, and I said enough was enough, and out came the slow-cooker....

Now I spend less than half of the pre-cooked price on a larger bird from Aldi (still the smallest bird they sell, mind..), and cook it myself in the slow-cooker. As well as getting much more chicken-meat, it's both moister and much tastier than the pre-cooked variety I bought previously.

The extra time taken to shove half a lemon and a sliced up pepper up it's backside, and smear whatever recipe my latest flavoursome rub is under it's skin, is quite minimal, and I have to strip the bird once it's cooked anyway, no matter where it's come from, so there's very little in terms of extra wasted time, and I don't have to worry about whatever gunk they used to inject the pre-cooked chickens with either, so a win-win all round.

The slow-cooker is on for around 6 hours on it's low setting, and the house smells lovely whilst it's bubbling away in it's own juices...

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[DiamondEcho]

I make envelopes from standard Alu foil, same result, costs much less.

even I am not that frugal, five or seven bags for a pound.

I've never seen these 'roasting bags', so I've improvised similar where the recipe/cooking method suggests it'll help.
But hey once we return to Poshland I'll be happy to pay for pre-made short-cuts if they're worth it such as this

Moderator Message:
Minor edit made - Clariman

[JMN2]

I make envelopes from standard Alu foil, same result, costs much less.

even I am not that frugal, five or seven bags for a pound.

I've never seen these 'roasting bags', so I've improvised similar where the recipe/cooking method suggests it'll help.
But hey once we return to Poshland I'll be happy to pay for pre-made short-cuts if they're worth it such as this

10 roasting bags by Sainsburys for £1.35, oven and microwave safe, 250mmx380mm, kept next to the foil and cling film.

[DiamondEcho]

10 roasting bags by Sainsburys for £1.35, oven and microwave safe, 250mmx380mm, kept next to the foil and cling film.

Wow! I don't recall such things even existing when we left the UK 8-9 years ago. It's going to weird to the point of traumatic returning to the UK next year and seeing how much it has changed. During even a couple of years away your memory of a place is 'frozen in aspic' [veering back on topic] and it's a shock to see what's changed.

Back to food though. Mrs DE is just back from a trip to London and brought me some goodies. For lunch I had a local product that's = a large oval muffin. And in that 4* Sainsbury's Cumberland pork sausages with a fried egg. Bit of mustard and ketchup = total bliss! It's amazing how you pine for stuff from home whilst posted abroad....

[JMN2]

Today, in a bag, smoky pipi-piri, chicken breast, onions, garlic, mushrooms, baby potatoes, turnip, parsnip, wonky carrots, added smoked paprika, tabasco, cayenne,olive oil. On Sunday the same thing but either Garlic Chicken or Maroccan Chicken spice mix.

[JMN2]

Still finding these bags very useful,today, chicken breast, onions, carrots, green beans, garlic, Moroccon spice mix. Needs a tsp of salt. 55 minutes in 175degC.Boiled some rice too- after all, it is my food day...

Next week is looking like soups, small omelettes, broccoli, carrots, chicken breast, pork loin, minute steak.