Cranberry and or sauce

[Randell]

Has anyone seen cranberries or cranberry sauce available any where. I will admit I haven't been out to look. But am now trying to reenter a bit of normalcy.  Since the wife died very unexpectedly  last month I have been totally a drift am trying to get a grip on things and thought it might be nice if I tried to put a christmas dinner together for the family. Will just have to try and give it my best shot. I don't have an oven but have been looking at and thinking about those infared convection cookers I have seen at Macro and in the big Mall Central. Of course to small for any turkey  but would handle a good size chicken and roast potatoes and carrots. Any on with any recent experiences with these appliances?

Randell

[sceadugenga]

I'd suggest Tops, Northern Farm or Macro Randell.

Fairly hit and miss I know.

 

 

[rijb]

We usually get the U.S. style cranberries at Tops.  They also have UK style in small jars.  But, it's expensive.

 

We just bought an OTTO stainless toaster oven from Macro.  Works well and simple to use.

 

Another option is to buy an entire roast chicken from Lotus and warm it up in the toaster oven.

 

How big of a crowd are you feeding?

[villagefarang]

Really sorry to hear about your wife.  I agree with scea's post.  Cranberries are not always available so we buy a couple of cans when we see them.  We usually get ours at Tops.

[sceadugenga]

I thought Canadians had more civilised eating habits than Americans but if they want to put jam on their meat as well I suppose it's up to them.

 

Apple sauce on pork of course is a totally different matter. 

[Randell]

Sceadugenga And here I thought it was only the Poms that were food snobs yuk yuk ( that is probably good for a few comments)  Has anyone anything to say on those infrared convection contraptions that fit over top of a pyrex glass bowl  with protective cradle and lifting handles. It would seem to me to be quite a good set up combination of oilless fryer and a quick roaster and from 2  to 1 thousand  baht  quite reasonable. Oh I think I have just talked myself into one will let you all know how the meal goes.

Randell

[sceadugenga]

If you mean those little portable ovens they have them in Macro at very reasonable prices.

Yes, they roast quickly so make sure your other stuff is well on the way before you do the meat.

[sceadugenga]

Anyone not fancying the scrawny looking local turkeys in Tops head down to Macro, they have a freezer full of New Zealand legs of lamb, 2kg for 500B.

 

 

 

[Randell]

Yes that is a very interesting option. Just back to those portable convection ovens for a second or two. Upon a bit of investigation I found the price varied widely between 1000 and 2000 baht the main differences beside the price was ( by the way they are all just about the same size) the more expensive one had 200 more watts of power and was heated by a ring of halogen light tube. The other more conventional  a metal heat ring both have fans for the purpose of convection. But my thought was in the industrial construction field in which I am familiar were used a lot of that type of lighting in the winter  especially in the northern latitudes but my point is that the tubes or bulbs what ever are extremely fragile and sensitive  you needed to wear gloves putting a new one in so as to not get the oil from your fingers on the tube and causing premature burn out which would happen a lot. Now these may be a bit more robust but it seems to me like just something more to go wrong and not replaceable so for the bit more power and having a  light shining on your food I don't really see the point. I will be going for the standard entry level model not the fancy turbo halogen. Sorry for the rant but it really got to me that this was just some evil marketing scam ha ha. Anyway got that off my chest thanks for listening. 

Randell

[JAG]

On 21/12/2016 at 11:20 AM, Randell said:

Sceadugenga And here I thought it was only the Poms that were food snobs yuk yuk ( that is probably good for a few comments)  Has anyone anything to say on those infrared convection contraptions that fit over top of a pyrex glass bowl  with protective cradle and lifting handles. It would seem to me to be quite a good set up combination of oilless fryer and a quick roaster and from 2  to 1 thousand  baht  quite reasonable. Oh I think I have just talked myself into one will let you all know how the meal goes.

Randell

Halogen Ovens - cracking bit of kit - I shall be using one later today to roast a small chicken  for Christmas Dinner. I used to make bread in one before I acquired a breadmaker.

 

Ans as far as putting jam on meat I am with Sceadunga there. But our North American cousins do some very strange things with food. I believe that they pour gravy on their biscuits (I would have thought it would have melted the chocolate on top but never mind). As for the things that they do with peanut butter, well I can only say that I am surprised that civilisation has lasted on that continent.

 

Mind you the Canadians can make a decent cup of tea, a vital skill which the USA has never mastered. First time I asked for tea in the US I was presented with an insipid, sweet, ice cold fluid with what appeared to be the remains of a fruit salad bobbing about in it - the horror!

 

A very Merry Christmas to all.

[sceadugenga]

...and grits... <deleted> is a grit?

[Randell]

well Jag you are the second one to rate the halogen aspect very highly. Yesterday after posting had a conversation with friends in Vancouver and I mentioned it and had a strip taken off my hide for talking out of my back side. They have been using one unbeknownst to me for more than ten years and  are thrilled with the size portability not so much for lugging around but easy to put away in a cupboard. and have had no reliability issues with all the things I commented on in my previous rant. So Mea Culpa I promise to  have my mind in the proper gear before I let the clutch out on my mouth in the Year to come.

Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year to all

randell 

[JAG]

You will find that they're excellent.  Yesterday I roasted a 1.5kg Chicken - from TOPS,  weighing in with stuffing at oh, about 1.8kg. Covered in streaky bacon, I gave it 2 hours and 20 minutes at 150 degrees. Roast potatoes took a further 20 minutes at full blast (250 degrees). Delicious and very easy. Their are guides to times etc all over the Internet,  but as it is made of glass I tend to rely on how it looks to see if it is cooked.

[sceadugenga]

A sharp thin bladed knife applied to a thicker part of the meat will show if it's cooked by the colour of the juices that come out.

With chicken and pork they should be perfectly clear, no pink at all.

Beef to taste... I like it rare.

 

I'll be returning to Macro for another leg of lamb for my freezer, 500B for 2kg of imported meat is a bargain indeed.

They have reasonable priced Argentine whole beef fillets as well, the butchers will slice them still frozen on their bandsaw if you want steaks.

[sceadugenga]

This seems like a useful book on those little ovens.

 

https://mega.nz/#!FQoDXISI!WnJFMBY6yZRAyV1Oql8AM10Tj8k_iOK0W8POoNBKd80

[evadgib]

Convection Oven: Tick

 

Cranberry ('Ocean spray' from Tops): Tick

 

Scrawny Turkey: Tick but wished I hadn't!

 

I'll try the lamb next year despite (as a Pom) being allergic to anything involving the Haka :)

[NickJ]

On the western thread regarding what you are eating now. There is a multi part review on them. Also. Those kinda flimsy looking Thai made gas ovens work well. They are not that expensive. 

MAKRO sells bags of frozen cranberries.  If you can't find the canned ones.

Good recipes on pinterest. 

[sceadugenga]

17 hours ago, evadgib said:

Convection Oven: Tick

 

Cranberry ('Ocean spray' from Tops): Tick

 

Scrawny Turkey: Tick but wished I hadn't!

 

I'll try the lamb next year despite (as a Pom) being allergic to anything involving the Haka :)

I was expecting the lamb to be tough, I mean... you would need to grow up tough if you were a sheep in New Zealand.

[Randell]

Your hilarious  Sceadugenga and by the way thanks for the  cook book great for referencing I appreciate it. I haven't pulled the trigger on buying one yet as I would like to find one that offers an metal extender ring and lid stand my friends in Vancouver said both invaluable to get the best use out of the appliance and to keep from burning your self or your counter tops

And Jag I can't wait to try the style of chicken your mentioned it had my mouth watering so much I didn't even think about cranberry sauce.

 Happy New Year everyone.

Randell

[Randell]

I guess the feed should have been named Halogen cooker After all my talk I thought I would buy one yesterday but really want to get a lid stand and expander ring with the package. I know at Makro they have quite a few versions of the same thing not one having those two requirements Also the Tieweeon Store(sp?)   has a couple as well so I went off to Robison not one at all to be found. So unless anyone has any other suggestions I guess my shopping will have to be online. Some where in my reading it was mentioned that there was maybe an accessory package to be bought seperate I will have to check.

Randell 

[sceadugenga]

I saw a couple in Big C yesterday.

One was only around 900B

Never checked for stands.

 

If it's just something to stand the lid on while turning the meat etc why not get a bit of wood or bamboo and make something?

[Randell]

Always an option  of course but the expander ring a bit different to fabricate I will keep looking. It won't stop me from buying one but would like to exhaust all my options first.

Randell