Stocking Up My Freezer during the Lockdown

[Bill97]

FGuitar

Why do you choose to believe the up to date research?  Newer does not necessarily better, is it really better or is the message that “science” does not really know?

So many of the new studies conclude that further longer term studies are needed.

?

[torturedsole]

I'm in the UK but please allow me to comment as the OP is applicable to our lockdown.

 

My Thai wife is a good cook and serves up great dishes.  But since lockdown we've been shopping in Marks and Sparks as their queue's the shortest in our town.  More expensive than our pre-C19 shop but opened up some new culinary delights to savour in these most boring of times.

 

Purchased vegetable samosas yesterday which is a previous good buy.  Also went for Our Best Ever burgers and Our Best Ever pork sausage.  Threw in lamb shish kebabs and purchased tub of tzatziki dip.  Finished off with a box of cheese croquettes.  

 

We've previously cooked Our Best Ever burgers over charcoal on the barbecue and they're tops in a bun with salad and sauce(s).  Never tried Our Best Ever pork sausage but sure it'll be good and would like to barbecue them, too.  

[thaibeachlovers]

20 hours ago, FolkGuitar said:

Frozen prepared meals from the supermarket are not. Once in a while they may be fine. As a steady diet... not so much.

No argument there, but in the real world most of us have to get food from supermarket. Far as I'm concerned all supermarket food is bad for us whether in a tin or in a ready meal box. I have no choice. When I was a child almost everyone had a garden, but with the move to cities and loss of space, most have no place to grow any food, and certainly not enough to live on.

In a perfect world etc.

[thaibeachlovers]

15 hours ago, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

some of my ice has melted, which I need to chip apart

Keep them in a plastic bag, then use a hammer to break up when wanted. That's what I did.

[thaibeachlovers]

17 hours ago, dingdongrb said:

My guess is that he never ever used the doorbell...  ????

My ratbag nephew never used the door bell ( we didn't have one, but even if we had he would not have used it ) as he went by the Thai notion that your home is my home. I had to put a padlock on my fridge so he couldn't steal my food. My wife didn't stop him stealing hers though. Every time he arrived I had to hide all my non fridge food under the bed. Every weekend he turned up, ate her food, used our washing machine, left everything for her ( I refused to tidy up after him ) to tidy up, stayed the night, and when he left his cigarette buts were all over the place

The arguments we had about him probably contributed in a large way to the deterioration of our relationship.

He had a brother that was polite, rarely visited, never took any food that wasn't offered, and was generally a pleasure to have around for the short visits he made.

[Grumpy John]

26 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

My ratbag nephew never used the door bell ( we didn't have one, but even if we had he would not have used it ) as he went by the Thai notion that your home is my home. I had to put a padlock on my fridge so he couldn't steal my food. My wife didn't stop him stealing hers though. Every time he arrived I had to hide all my non fridge food under the bed. Every weekend he turned up, ate her food, used our washing machine, left everything for her ( I refused to tidy up after him ) to tidy up, stayed the night, and when he left his cigarette buts were all over the place

The arguments we had about him probably contributed in a large way to the deterioration of our relationship.

He had a brother that was polite, rarely visited, never took any food that wasn't offered, and was generally a pleasure to have around for the short visits he made.

Not exactly like my B-in-L but close enough!   

 

I wonder where some of you live.  In Big C or Lotus or Makro there isn't a healthy frozen foods section!  Even when I lived in Oz the freezers in Aldi, Coles and Woolworths where full of junk. 

[FolkGuitar]

8 hours ago, Bill97 said:

FGuitar

Why do you choose to believe the up to date research?  Newer does not necessarily better, is it really better or is the message that “science” does not really know?

So many of the new studies conclude that further longer term studies are needed.

?

 

When it comes to science, longer term studies are ALWAYS better.

Personally, I choose to believe the more 'accurate' double-blind studies, not just newer or older.

 

All too many scientific 'studies' start with a particular premise, then design testing to prove that premise.

Given enough leeway, one can design a study that proves virtually anything! This has been the case for many years, especially when the studies are funded by special interest groups working to validate their own interests. I can 'prove' water is unhealthy just by forcing a rat to drink 11 liters of it. As was stated earlier in this thread, if a human eats 2 kilo of salt at one sitting it will kill him, so salt must be bad.

 

I see the results of following this more accurate information anecdotally, in my own body, and in those who are now following the new guidelines.  Negative bodily conditions that had been plaguing us for years suddenly stop! And I do mean 'suddenly,' after dietary changes. I had high blood pressure. Warned by the doctors that I was pre-diabetic. I had joint pain serious enough to need medical attention. Hell, I was considering knee replacement! I was seriously over-weight. I had digestive issues. ALL of these disappeared when I changed my diet. And started disappearing within a month of dietary change. Anecdotally, my personal result tallied with the new dietary research I was finding. Medically tested at Rajavej, my personal results confirmed it. Normal and Low Normal on all readings. The only changes I made were dietary.

The majority of dietary information is 40 years out of date. Much of what we learned as kids no longer holds true today. No pun intended, but the proof of that pudding is in the massive obesity statistics we can see, and its diet-related health issues that have sky-rocketed in the last 50 years in US and Europe, but not so much in Third-world countries that can't afford to eat the way we do in First-world countries. We even now see these same obesity and diabetes figures soaring in the last 20 years in East Asia, as more and more fast-food chains open, more reliance on frozen processed meals, etc., replace traditional eating styles.

 

I won't know the long-term effects of my own dietary changes for several more years. I'm 73yr old now, so don't really have too many more no matter what. But I certainly can see the results two years into my own personal study, and those are all positive, so I'm going to continue with them. More and more testing is coming out every day in support of it. But... as we both agree... longer study will give more accurate information. I think we can agree that 50lbs of sugar per person each year isn't very healthy.

Edited April 20, 2020 by FolkGuitar

[Logosone]

First of all to try and sell swallowing salt tablets as "new research" merely illustrates Folk Guitar's ignorance in using a dangerous way of messing up the body.

 

Swallowing salt has been known since the mid 1800s to be of use in very limited scenarios, however, it is very much still the case that modern medical and nutrition science advocates that it should not be used except in very particular circumstances.

 

However even in these circumstances salt tablets have now largely fallen out of favour:

 

Salt tablets, also known as salt pills, aren’t recommended as much as they used to be, given that sports drinks are packed with additional electrolytes, including potassium, magnesium, and phosphate.

 

Salt tablets are really something to consider if you suffer from diarroea or cramps or other ailments. It would be idiotic to use them against high blood pressure.

 

Salt tablet use can lead to the following side effects:

 

upset stomach

too much sodium in your body, which often results in being very thirsty

raised blood pressure

specific risks based on health conditions

 

Unfortunately, salt tablet use comes with some significant health risks, including stomach irritation.

 

Simply having too much sodium (hypernatremia) in the body can make you feel unwell.

 

Symptoms of hypernatremia include:

extreme thirst

fatigue and low energy

confusion (like believing there was an Armenian holocaust in the 1940s)

difficulty concentrating

Raised blood pressure with blood pressure conditions

 

High sodium levels can raise blood pressure, so individuals with high blood pressure (hypertension) who take antihypertensive medications may need to avoid salt tablets and a high-sodium diet.

 

Salt tablets and extra sodium can make hypertension medications less effective.

 

Some people with low blood pressure (hypotension) take salt tablets at the advice of their doctors, but they should be especially careful if also taking medications to raise blood pressure, such as midodrine (Orvaten).

 

Strain on the kidneys with kidney conditions

 

If you have kidney issues, too much sodium intake can worsen your condition by putting too much strain on the kidneys to balance sodium and fluid levels.

 

Consuming too much salt, for example, will force the kidneys to excrete more water and sodium to bring the sodium levels down to a healthy range.

 

https://www.healthline.com/health/salt-tablets#side-effects

[Bill97]

39 minutes ago, FolkGuitar said:

I can 'prove' water is unhealthy just by forcing a rat to drink 11 liters of it. As was stated earlier in this thread, if a human eats 2 kilo of salt at one sitting it will kill him, so salt must be bad.

 

 

 

Such extremes, 11 liters in  mouse and 2 kilos at a sitting.  Sorry but credibility falls.

[FolkGuitar]

2 minutes ago, Bill97 said:

Such extremes, 11 liters in  mouse and 2 kilos at a sitting.  Sorry but credibility falls.

 

Exactly! That was the point I was making. Thank you for noticing.

Much of the 'scientific research' is based on such absurd testing.

[FolkGuitar]

Interesting post. But you didn't tell us that this was ancient information rather than up-to-date research, did you.

 

I always wonder about people who leave out information from their posts, just to further their own ideas. This paragraph was at the end of his post.

 

Here is what was purposely left out of the previous post;

"If you’re curious about salt tablets, or find that you’re prone to heat cramps and dehydrations when active, ask your doctor if this product may be appropriate for you.

Your doctor may recommend sports drinks rich in electrolytes, but if you want to avoid the sugar in those drinks, see if water and salt tablets will help you on those long runs or hot days doing yard work."

 

Logosone, if you are going to be so disingenuous with your information, as to try to sneak the things you don't want people to see, no one will take you seriously. Oh... wait....

[thaibeachlovers]

4 hours ago, Grumpy John said:

Not exactly like my B-in-L but close enough!   

 

I wonder where some of you live.  In Big C or Lotus or Makro there isn't a healthy frozen foods section!  Even when I lived in Oz the freezers in Aldi, Coles and Woolworths where full of junk. 

As a rule of thumb, everything in a supermarket is not good for us. Unfortunately, for most of us the supermarket is the only option.

While it may not be good for us, in the main it's not going to kill us- the pollution in the air is going to do that before the food. I have to wonder though, if my cancer was caused by what I ate or the environment I lived in ( central London ).

[FolkGuitar]

7 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

As a rule of thumb, everything in a supermarket is not good for us. Unfortunately, for most of us the supermarket is the only option.

 

I don't think the problem is the supermarket. There are plenty of very healthy options to be found in every supermarket! Fresh fish, fresh chicken, pork, beef cuts of all kinds. The produce sections are usually well stocked, and often even have 'organic' fruits and vegetables for those who want to go that route.

 

The problems started with a man named c.A. Swanson, who in 1953 introduced us to the ease and convenience of the frozen 'T.V. Dinner.' and frozen Chicken Pot Pie. The simplicity of it took the work-a-day world by storm. No more cooking! Just heat and eat!  Unfortunately, to maintain half-decent looks and taste, and longer shelf life, chemical preservatives had to be added. And there in lies the rub.

 

We can still buy healthy food at the supermarket, but many choose to live without kitchen facilities making it almost impossible to prepare those foods, necessitating the desire for the frozen, prepared and processed meals. Many do have the kitchens but don't wish to be bothered cooking, especially cooking for one. 

 

It really often boils down to choice.  Ease and convenience vs healthy eating. We see the results.

[thaibeachlovers]

1 minute ago, FolkGuitar said:

many choose to live without kitchen facilities

and some of us have no choice. In Chiang Mai I only had a microwave in the hotel room, and while I don't live in an hotel now, I might as well do.

[metempsychotic]

The apocalypse is nigh, the villa 200 metres from my house is out of bisto granules.

 

Last nights roast chicken required gravy made from scrtatch!

[FolkGuitar]

48 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

and some of us have no choice. In Chiang Mai I only had a microwave in the hotel room, and while I don't live in an hotel now, I might as well do.

 

Very true. Some have no choice.

I only have a small microwave/grill oven and a single induction cooker, although I certainly have room for more. I find that I can cook almost anything with those two small units. (Oh, and a small CrockPot stored in a cabinet.) I choose to cook most of my meals at home. When not in self-isolation, I would eat lunch with a group of friends every day. I look forward to those days again, but in fact, I'm willing to wait another two weeks.

[Herewe]

On 4/17/2020 at 1:27 PM, deej said:

Well done

As i post now over at the Phillipines The Australia Govt are sending 2 aircraft to Manilla to take home Aussie Expats who are fleeing  there. largely due to shooting residents dead for breaking Isolation laws for buying rice

My close cobber of 50 yrs plus is among them

hope the same does.nt prevail here

 

 

What has that got to do with the OP ?

[Gonzo the Face]

13 minutes ago, Herewe said:

What has that got to do with the OP ?

??? What was the Original post ????    ..... just kidding.  Some people have gotten back to me that others have not been able to Google us up.  Its not Pun Pun  ...... thats a couple year ago upstart that stole the name.... Our correct name is The Pun Pun Guesthouse and Restaurant  This place has now been around for 35-37 or so years.   Should you have any questions about what the original poster was talking about , and not want to openly post, get in touch with me.... or you can PM me.  Good reading all the comments gang, Keep em comin.  

[deej]

45 minutes ago, Herewe said:

What has that got to do with the OP ?

Only congrats to the O/P

for Stocking Up  ETC

and making a true reference  or heads up  to a very wise decision.

SAAVY????

[beau thai]

2 hours ago, Gonzo the Face said:

??? What was the Original post ????    ..... just kidding.  Some people have gotten back to me that others have not been able to Google us up.  Its not Pun Pun  ...... thats a couple year ago upstart that stole the name.... Our correct name is The Pun Pun Guesthouse and Restaurant  This place has now been around for 35-37 or so years.   Should you have any questions about what the original poster was talking about , and not want to openly post, get in touch with me.... or you can PM me.  Good reading all the comments gang, Keep em comin.  

pm sent

[ChrisKC]

On 4/19/2020 at 1:35 PM, watthong said:

What is the best way to defrost/heat up french bread (baguette and the like)? I wrap slices/chunks of them in paper towel, wet the outside up slightly with water by hand, then microwave for half a minute. The result is soft enough to eat, but not great...

When I buy any kind of western-style bread: white French Boule, whole wheat loaves, I just leave them in the wrapper and put them in the freezer, later I take out when I need them, leave for 20 minutes or so and they return much as I bought them, maintaining freshness and crusty where appropriate. The baguettes, I cut in half, casually seal them in separate plastic bags and into the freezer as the others. When defrosting (just allowing them to stand) they come close to 90% as when I bought them. Because of buying less frequently, bread has been frozen for two weeks with very little lost in quality. I am happy with what I am doing realising there is some other definitive best way of maintaining freshness.

I have tried microwaving after bread has gone a bit stale (not frozen) but not specially happy with my results.

When I lived in England, buy fresh bread nearly every day and eat before two days are past.

[vogie]

Never cut bread and freeze it if you can help it. I bake my own, place in a plastic bag and put it in the freezer, when I want some take it from the fridge, let it soften and cut off what I require and put it bag in a plastic bag and re-freeze. Here's some I made earlier.

[ChrisKC]

2 minutes ago, vogie said:

Never cut bread and freeze it if you can help it. I bake my own, place in a plastic bag and put it in the freezer, when I want some take it from the fridge, let it soften and cut off what I require and put it bag in a plastic bag and re-freeze. Here's some I made earlier.

That bread looks nice. In what part of the process was the photo taken? Do you have what I call a proper oven, not one of those B4000 Thai things. I don't slice any bread and only cut in half the baguettes as they are quite long and I cannot lie them flat as I would like. The edge of each half at the cut line has gone a bit hard after defrosting but when I toast them I don't notice any difference

[vogie]

1 minute ago, ChrisKC said:

That bread looks nice. In what part of the process was the photo taken? Do you have what I call a proper oven, not one of those B4000 Thai things. I don't slice any bread and only cut in half the baguettes as they are quite long and I cannot lie them flat as I would like. The edge of each half at the cut line has gone a bit hard after defrosting but when I toast them I don't notice any difference

The bread had just been taken out of the oven, just a normal oven, cost about 4 to 5k from homepro. I tried bread machines, they make ok bread, but couldn't make in bulk so tried a cheap stand mixer, slightly better. But the game changer was when my mixer conked out, I toyed with the idea of replacing it, but then saw a video on youtube about hand mixing and I kid you not the difference in the quality of the loaves are immense. I will add the link at the end.

 

https://youtu.be/UlaXqK7C67g

 

[ChrisKC]

3 minutes ago, vogie said:

The bread had just been taken out of the oven, just a normal oven, cost about 4 to 5k from homepro. I tried bread machines, they make ok bread, but couldn't make in bulk so tried a cheap stand mixer, slightly better. But the game changer was when my mixer conked out, I toyed with the idea of replacing it, but then saw a video on youtube about hand mixing and I kid you not the difference in the quality of the loaves are immense. I will add the link at the end.

 

https://youtu.be/UlaXqK7C67g

 

That is interesting, thank you. In that oven you got from HomePro; The make?  It can do roast potatoes, bake cakes? There are many things I would like to try cook again in the oven to avoid much Thai frying!

 

I have had a bread-making machine but a bit like rice cookers, I prefer the conventional way - having more control!

[teacherofwoe]

Frozen food and non frozen food from a supermarket generally has a load of funky stuff in it that you will never find in your average kitchen. Ready made anything will never beat homemade for taste or nutrition. Freezing homemade is a pretty good way of batch cooking and stocking up for convenience. However, the longer you have something frozen, the more you will lose nutrients and flavour. And with regards to flavour, freshly cooked will always beat frozen though some things are more forgiving like soups and sauces. Here's the important part... if you want to eat microwaved food and shorten you lifespan, go nuts. Alternatively, let it defrost naturally, or overnight in the fridge, then reheat in the same manner it was originally prepared. Frozen home cooked food is fine if consumed occasionally, reasonably fresh, and reheated sensibly. That's why I never go out for a burger or steak.

[vogie]

8 minutes ago, ChrisKC said:

That is interesting, thank you. In that oven you got from HomePro; The make?  It can do roast potatoes, bake cakes? There are many things I would like to try cook again in the oven to avoid much Thai frying!

 

I have had a bread-making machine but a bit like rice cookers, I prefer the conventional way - having more control!

This is the oven Chris. I generally do all the cooking in our house, either that or eat thai.

 

 

[ChrisKC]

3 minutes ago, vogie said:

This is the oven Chris. I generally do all the cooking in our house, either that or eat thai.

 

 

Thank you so much, very helpful

[Logosone]

On 4/19/2020 at 1:35 PM, watthong said:

What is the best way to defrost/heat up french bread (baguette and the like)? I wrap slices/chunks of them in paper towel, wet the outside up slightly with water by hand, then microwave for half a minute. The result is soft enough to eat, but not great...

First you microwave the bread to defrost it.

 

The key is not too long you have to experiment, depends on your size of bread.

 

Then you wet the top slightly with water and you place the bread in a pre-heated proper oven.

 

It is important to do the second step of baking the bread in a normal oven again, mere microwaving won't do it.

[beau thai]

A quick thank you to the OP for flagging the option of stocking the freezer from the original Pun Pun Guest House. Just got around to doing that and took the opportunity to have late breakfast with John and Prannee. Good company and good food. We will return....