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What have you eaten today? (Low carb forum)


Yes, its supposed to improve the flavour but with a very long slow cook I can't taste the difference either.
 
Chook said:
Yes, its supposed to improve the flavour but with a very long slow cook I can't taste the difference either.
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Nor me. Although I think the meat stays a little moister. But then, with a slow cooker or an IP the meat should be moist no matter what...

On the other hand, the extent the onions are caramelised before the slow cooking makes a HUGE difference, even if the meat isn't browned at all.

Today:
I decided to start a week of 3 meals a day.
Several immediate frustrations - I am used to eating decent quantities 1-2 times a day, and if I divide that up into 3 meals, the portions get unsatisfyingly titchier. This meant that breakfast's 2 measely sausages did NOT last til lunch. Whereas no food until lunch would have been effortless. Also, more washing up! What hassle! Being a lazy person, this is a major irritant. Determined to give it a week though.

NE1: the aforesaid 2 sausages
NE2: Cambozola. Oh, be still my heart. It has been toooooo loooooonnnnngggg.
NE3: lamb steaks. Tescos were doing an excellent deal, and I bought 2 kg, ready to parcel up for the freezer. Going to snaffle the first ones tonight. Salivating at the thought.
 

In this hacienda is out on browning. MrB always browns and I can be lazy. Hopefully there might be something in the following.

https://twosleevers.com/maillard-reaction/
 

In my tiny instant pot (for 1) which is called Perfect Cooker, but I don’t know if it can be bought any more, I brown meat before I cook it. I brown mince in it before I make the stew in the same pot. I buy the cheapest mince because it has more fat in it, and consequently cooks much more nicely and tenderly than lean mince I find.

>^..^<
 

I love Cambazola as well.
 
It's partially that Ian. Depends on the size of the piece of meat. Large bits, such as a rib roast or a whole chicken, it's all about searing to keep the juices in. Hence why they always get a 30 min blast before turning the oven heat down.
Smaller pieces the browning had two purposes. Firstly, as you say, to add flavour. Secondly, to help the meat retain its shape during the long cooking period in a liquid.
The flavour bit is interesting. As far as I recall, the flavour bit comes from some kind of chemical reaction where the amino acids and naturally occurring sugars in red meat break down and it causes a caramelised effect to form a crust on the meat. The chef who educated me always made it clear if you didn't remove the browned meat and then deglazed the pot you'd browned it in you'd leave all the flavour behind. So out with the meat, in with the soffritto (or whatever veg mix you were using) and a good mix and scrape to get all the flavoursome "bits" out to use as your sauce base. He also made clear if I didn't follow instructions I'd lose some fingers!
Sometimes you also floured the meat but that was more about helping to thicken and to help stop the meat sticking.
 
DCUKMod said:
In this hacienda is out on browning. MrB always browns and I can be lazy. Hopefully there might be something in the following.

https://twosleevers.com/maillard-reaction/
Click to expand...
I should have looked backwards - that's the chemical reaction. But since we were using a pot/casserole in the restaurant and not a pressure cooker I preferred to retain my fingers!
I still brown and deglaze though. All down to what you're taught.
 
Wonderful day today and great walk first thing to see some poppies near us that are just opening out ( see avatar) but also had to work - hate being indoors in good weather! Considering doing OMAD tomorrow as need to leave early and I’m at a work meeting in brum so may well be easiest way.
Breakfast one slice of bacon and egg
Lunch tin of sardines in olive oil served with sprinkle of advocado oil and bit of garlic served with a few lc seeded crispbreads and nuts followed by four squares of 100% choc and coffee
Dinner trout in lemon butter, cauliflower cheese and asparagus followed by sf jelly yoghurt and cream.
 
I ALWAYS brown meat destined for added liquid because my late mother served us up so many grey mince/grey beef stews which were just boiled meat in liquid. All my siblings agree. But I dont think its all about the colour I genuinely think you get a better flavour this way. I always fry the onion base also. To be fair though my mum didnt do great dinners she was ace at cakes and tarts.
 
What is the recipe for the low carb coconut porridge , not to sound stupid but do you just use grated coconut or do you buy it ? thanks .
 
Bed 5.9 FBG 5.8. Back to the normal school run and that's it with holidays until they break at the end of June. Very muggy with a few downpours and rumbles of thunder.
B. TAG with ADOC then off on the school run.
L. Took a while to decide but opted for 3 pork, tomato and mozzarella sausages, 1 mushroom, 1 rasher back bacon, fried egg and a slice of Dr Almond toasted.
D. After depositing the boys at home. Decided on a chicken stir fry. Chicken breast, sliced red and yellow pepper, onion, mushrooms, bag of spinach and beansprouts seasoned with chilli and garlic.
May have some of Morrisons High Protein ice cream later with raspberries.
Someone was looking for a raclette. I spotted one in our Lidl for £14.99.
 
Breakfast full cooked coffee and cream , lunch scrambled eggs and two squares of dark chocolate tea mixed veg with minced pork fried in onion and mushroom served with a blob of butter on ,frozen blueberries with walnuts and double cream . yummy
 
Evening all.

@maglil55 have missed your funny stories about the grandchildren. They sound like great characters.

@BibaBee congratulations on the weight loss and glad that Mr B is improving.

@Brunneria I’m with you on the fewer, larger meals. In my case eating triggers eating so the fewer NEs the better.

I brown meat before slow cooking - partly for the look and partly because I think it does taste nicer.

Long walks for me too today @shelley262 started with a short one through Green Park and St James’s Park on way to a meeting in Westminster, then walked all the way home.

A hungry day. Ravenous by 11am so ate an early, larger than usual lunch of smoked salmon and whipped creamy cheese followed by 5 M&S Serrano ham and manchego cheese rollitos and a 30g stick of Cornish Cove cheddar.

Dinner - was racing home in the end so didn’t have to eat too much later than usual - was Arbroath smoked kippers from M&S (stocked up at the weekend) followed by some whipped double cream.

Five days without either chocolate or almond butter. Even went into Hotel Chocolat on my walk home to buy Teaolat and emerged without choccy.
 
For a day that started well it went down hill. The morning was OK
B was the usual coffee with cream. Work was fine quite busy so the time passed quickly. Came home with a migraine at lunch time. Took medication which sorted it by mid afternoon. Noticed on of the dogs was acting strangely checked him out and found a largish lump on the left side of his bottom under his tail. A trip to the vet has taken place appointment was 5 was seen about 5.20. Poor thing has an abscess in his anal gland he is on antibiotics and pain killers and has to go back on Friday.
Tea was a hastily thrown together chicken and mushroom and veg concoction.
I fear that I will be on a couple of days of fasting to cover the vet bill
I don't think the meal contained enough fat as I am feeling hungry now. I will have a bit of yoghurt I think.
 
WackyJacky64 said:
What is the recipe for the low carb coconut porridge , not to sound stupid but do you just use grated coconut or do you buy it ? thanks .
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Breakfast: my usual low carb coconut ‘porridge’ (here’s the recipe @WackyJacky64: https://www.dietdoctor.com/recipes/keto-coconut-porridge ) with strawberries and cream washed down with a black coffee.
Lunch: gouda and chorizo rollitos with cauliflower and broccoli salad followed by Greek yoghurt and raspberries.
Mid afternoon: coffee chia pudding and black coffee.
Dinner: DD mozzarella meat balls with creamy sauce (https://www.dietdoctor.com/recipes/mozzarella-stuffed-meatballs ) and mixed veg followed by SF jelly, cream and LC chocolate granola.
 
Evening all. I didn’t get to post yesterday as I spent most of the day and evening sorting stuff and packing the car for the trip back to Cornwall today. Bought various bits of furniture and pictures for the walls but I’m not sure any of it suits the house here now.
The journey was good though, and it’s nice to see Mr C again. He’s hurt his back so is in need of a bit of tlc, nevertheless had bought my staples of cream, smoked salmon, avocado and eggs so I’m sorted!
B: smoked salmon, scrambled egg and avocado!
L: Stopped on M5 for Costa CWC and my packed lunch of flaxseed bun filled with Emmental, ham and sliced cherry tom. Few squares Montezuma’s. ( taking a bar of chocolate on a long car journey on a hot day wasn’t one of my best ideas)
D: 2 lamb chops from village butcher down here - quickly and cleanly zapped in the airfryer. I’ve missed my gadgets. Had them with asparagus and broccoli and a glass of red. More Montezuma’s.

Huge backlog of posts to read now. Hope everyone’s well.
 
Some accidental oopage crept into my world this very day. B was TWAM and Naproxen trying to help L/H lat muscle - not sure what caused it though, NE1 around 13.00 was the oopage. Meant to be monkfish tail wrapped in streaky bacon but taste told me otherwise so rescued wrapper from bin. Turned out fish also wrapped in crepes, parmesan and tomato. It was unused Christmas food from Morrisons but the blurb in the order booklet didn't mention crepe etc. Glad we didn't eat it when planned as very disappointing. Had salad and h/m mayo - wonder what else is lurking in the freezers as we clear them. NE2 - 19.40 - was double size dunnie with egg mayo - h/m mayo and own eggs. Also had CCWC from drivethru costa while vacating house for viewers. Thanks for replies on browning. Seems to me it is all about type and quality of meat - do as little as possible to quality produce and impossible to make some things tasty.
 
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