OTish (?) cooking query.

[Jethro_uk]

SWMBO and I occasionally like sausages with something for a meal.

Generally we've settled for Richmond Thick sausages, and from chilled, I can oven cook them in 30 minutes gas mark 6.

Recently, decided to investigate their pre-frozen sausages (cheaper !). Cooking instructions are "from frozen, gas mark 4, 25-30 minutes".

We tried this, and it was woefully too low/to short. (Ended up having to be 45 minutes).

a second run, gave us .... 30 minutes gas mark 6 !!!!!

Meaning there was no difference cooking from frozen or chilled.

Presumably the heat required to defrost the things isn't as much as you'd expect ?

All very odd.

[David]

I assume you checked the core temperature of the sausage to confirm that it was done on the inside, not just brown on the outside?

If that was fine, then interesting.

Cheers

Dave R

[Jethro_uk]

I don't usually check the core temp when cooking from chilled, but yes, did check the cooked from frozen. Just a touch over 100C (if the thermometer can be trusted).

If there's no more postings after this evening ... I got it wrong :)

[Brian Reay]

Personally, I'd not cook sausages etc from frozen.

If you can't (due to time) defrost in a cool place/fridge, use the defrost function on a microwave.

As for cooking, I normally grill or fry (min of oil, olive). Not sure of time but well under 30 mins.

I made a rather nice Toad in the Hole the other day, if I say so myself. A bit of a variation on the basic sausage + yorkshire pudding mix, some chopped tomatoes, onions, apple in the base. Not my idea, recipe was given to me by a friend, his wife had cooked it for years.

[Harry Bloomfield]

Brian Reay submitted this idea :

For maybe 40 years, I have wondered how a cafe/restaurant I used to frequent, managed to make such a light airy omelet. I though they maybe somehow blew steam into them. Today I found out the secret...

Baking powder - just 1/3 of a teaspoon popped in the single omelet mix, just before it goes in the pan.

[newshound]

So how reliable is your oven thermostat? Mine is pretty rubbish. I guess your sausages don't contain too much water, but *I* would expect most frozen things to require significantly longer to cook because of latent heat.

[Clive Arthur]

My omelettes are universally[1] acclaimed and there's no baking powder, just a splash of water with the eggs. The subsequent steam makes them fluffy and light.

[1] Apart from the Z'tuni people of Qagwan Delta who prefer a 'flat' omelet for religious reasons.

Cheers

[Harry Bloomfield]

newshound laid this down on his screen :

Looking at the cooking requirements of similar items in our freezer, where some are 'cook from frozen', cook from chilled - the frozen items generally suggest a little over half as long again. 30 minutes for chilled, 45/50 minutes for frozen.

[polygonum_on_google]

"I assume you checked the core temperature of the sausage to confirm that it was done on the inside, not just brown on the outside?"

I suspect that the primary time issue is how long (and temperature) to cook the outside to a pleasant shade of brown. That time will be far more than needed to cook the insides adequately. However, the core might be slightly less hot than in thawed sausage cooked for exactly the same.

(My experience is that the insides can be adequately cooked through whilst the outsides remain pallid. But I never cook from frozen.)

Perhaps Jethro would care to cook two packs at the same time? One thawed (o r never frozen), the other straight out of the freezer. Make sure you have a good probe thermometer to check the insides.

[Tim Watts]

I've always wondered why my mum said to add water and cook on a searing hot pan fast...

[Harry Bloomfield]

I have tried adding both water and milk, but one achieves the light, airy, blown up effect I was seeking to reproduce as I remembered them. The baking powder came close to that, though a friend who has more interest in cooking - has suggested he covers the pan with a lid, which results in a massive rise.

It would not work for my omelet making technique...

I use butter in a frying pan, hot before pouring the mix in. I then ease the edges in, to allow the liquid to flow into the space. Once the liquid flow is all used up, but still moist on top, I begin to roll it up in in the pan. Hot bottom makes contact with the slightly liquid top, which cooks that, a bit of a squeeze out to the edges with the spatula to make sure there is no remaining liquid, then onto the plate.

My omelets are also universally acclaimed, much better than I could get in any cafe, but I do like a good omelet and so always looking to improve my cooking technique.

[Tim Watts]

OK - my mum was trained in catering. I never got the "whys" but her theory was:

1 tsp ish water per egg; Cook on a smoking hot pan fast; Bring the edges in as you say; Don't complete the cooking - when the bottom has just hit golden, fold onto a hot plate where it will finish cooking as it's served.