Cooking

Marley Spoon

February 11, 2015 by Erica Hughes 5 Comments

Marley Spoon is a bespoke recipe kit delivery service that launched in the UK in December. Each week, there are seven new dishes to choose from, created by a team of professional chefs. Marley Spoon have also created a special Valentine’s Day kit (starting at £26) so that you can impress your loved ones with a home-cooked meal. The kit even comes complete with rose petals to decorate!

I was surprised by the range of recipes available and it’s amazing to think that this will change each week. Many of the recipes are globally inspired and use ingredients that might not be that easy to source if you were buying in your local supermarket. It’s very easy to order and you get your kit delivered by courier. They make sure it’s kept nice and cool during the delivery process and my food was still cold to the touch when it was received.

We tried the glazed salmon with wasabi peanut potatoes and bok choi.

Tonight’s dinner:Glazed salmon with wasabi peanut potatoes & bok choi #marleyspooning

A photo posted by Erica Price (@ericaprice6) on Feb 10, 2015 at 10:16am PST

My husband cooked this one for us. He padded it out slightly with some rice. This wasn’t because the portions were stingy, in fact I thought they were pretty generous, and I have a hearty appetite, but we were sharing our 2 portions with a 7-year-old. We liked that it tells you on the recipe card (and on the website when you are ordering) key details like: cooking time; any allergens in the dish like whether it contains nuts; calories per portion; and there’s even a wine recommendation. The only thing missing was the temperature for baking the salmon in the oven. However, if you have any queries there is a cooking hotline, which is open from Wednesday to Saturday from 5pm to 8pm.

Tonight’s dinner: Pork Nasi Goreng #marleyspooning

A photo posted by Erica Price (@ericaprice6) on Feb 9, 2015 at 12:01pm PST

I cooked the Devonshire pork nasi goreng. What I particularly liked about this dish is that it gave me the chance to try out new ingredients like ketjap manis and mirin without having to source a supplier and buy a big bottle of something that I might not use again. It really was delicious and we will probably make this again if we can find the things we need to make it. If there is a downside, it is a bit pricey at £9 per meal, but the packs are carefully put together and good quality ingredients are used. There is quite a lot of packaging involved too, but a lot of it is recyclable and the insulation used to keep the food cold in transit is compostable. Marley Spoon is well worth considering for a special home cooked meal or just for trying out something new and different.

A New Dishwasher

December 18, 2014 by Erica Hughes 1 Comment

My new dishwasher – sadly not installed yet

We have been living with our lovely new kitchen for a month or two now, but we have been a bit slow to buy our new appliances. It’s been a bit daft really as some of them will save me time like our new dishwasher. I have been without a dishwasher (one that works at least) for about 5 years I think. The one we had at the old house broke and we never got around to getting a new one. I think we felt a bit let down by it because whilst it was out of guarantee, it was still fairly new. We left it in place and it was handy to have it there when we were having people round to view the house when we were selling because it filled a gap and I could always hide some stuff inside it. When we moved we put it outside for the scrap men to collect. Then at the current house the dishwasher was left behind ‘for us’. We could not get it to work. It didn’t seem to be plumbed in properly and the pipework in that area was a nightmare. We left it in place (seeing a pattern here?) and put it out for the scrap man when we redid the kitchen. So at last we have got a new one and we have proper plumbing in place for it. Yay!

The change from hand washing up to machine washing up has made me think about saving energy. We have picked out an energy-efficient machine, but it’s been good to read up about things like energy-efficient cycles. It seems a bit bizarre, but using an eco or auto dishwasher cycle could use less energy than short cycles, so it’s worth reading the manual to find out a bit more. As we have a water meter, saving water is a concern too. Could using a dishwasher really use less water than washing by hand? I’ve been using this water saving tool to find out a bit more. Apparently, my new dishwasher could save me up to 126 litres of water a week, which is a financial saving as well as being better for the environment.

Choosing A New Range Cooker

August 22, 2014 by Erica Hughes 4 Comments

We have been kitchen shopping over the last few weeks and have finally decided on a kitchen. One of the last remaining big decisions was around our cooker. We wanted a range cooker as we’d had one before, but which one? I decided to ask for some advice and Rangemaster who were at BritMums Live earlier this year have given me some pointers.

What is a range cooker?

Range cookers are typically larger and have more features than standard freestanding cookers. The three main sizes are 90cm, 100cm and 110cm. The Rangemaster also comes in different fuel types; dual fuel, induction, ceramic and all gas.

We have decided to go with a 90cm one as we feel that will be big enough for us as a family of three. We also had a 90cm one at our last house and it worked well for us.

What are the benefits?

Range cookers look great in any kitchen. Whether you are planning a traditional or an ultra contemporary kitchen, there is a range cooker designed to fit perfectly into your design scheme. Often they are a more cost-effective solution because when you purchase a range cooker, you only have to buy a single item rather than all the other pieces associated with buying a built-in option e.g. worktop and cabinets.

Range cookers tend to have bigger ovens. Typically, they are 20% bigger than an average 60cm built-in oven which means you can cook more and worry less about timing your dishes and keeping food warm. Often they offer more burners too. A 90cm and 100cm range cooker will usually offer five or six burners and a 110cm product offers as many as seven burners giving you all the flexibility you could need to create the most sophisticated of menus.