What/What Not to Buy at Lidl/Aldi

extopia said:
Despite your recently researched online recipe it's easier than that to make good pizza. Truly! The cooks here will agree I am sure.
Actually it's not an online recipe but the one that I normally use myself to make fresh pizza bases when I have the time. However, while I pride myself on at least a basic ability to rustle up something palatable in a short space of time, I draw the line at making fresh pizza bases after work of a normal day. If you have an easier way I'm willing to learn but if it doesn't involve strong flour and yeast and proven dough then it's not a real pizza. Proving the dough alone will take 30-60 minutes at least so that's hardly conducive to a quick turnaround. And that's not even taking the mixing, kneading, rolling and topping into account. Just because pizza is simple doesn't mean that it's quick. The Aldi one that I mentioned was a good approximation of decent enough genuine Italian/Sicilian thin base pizza. If the food snobs differ then so be it. I also enjoyed the few cans of Grafen Walder tonight so there. My treat to myself for having sorted some tricky stuff in work today and some technical problems with AAM last night.
 
Clubman's recipe for pizza dough is spot on. I do make pizzas after work, but I have a breadmaker (which takes care of making fantastic pizza dough in 45 minutes and if I feel organised I put it to make in the morning). Tomato sauce is made in bulk and frozen. Actually you can freeze the pizza dough too and take ot out in the morning to defrost. Then it's simply an assembly job. Preheat the oven to high with one or two pizza stones in it (6.99 from Aldi!). Then assemple the pizzas directly on the hot stones, put back in the oven, bake for 10 minutes and eat. And this is not an online recipe, it's my very own

I think this homemade pizza beats everything else I tried, but it does take a good bit of planning. And actually the Lidl pizzas are not half bad...

Diziet the Lidl bore
 
Diziet said:
Preheat the oven to high with one or two pizza stones in it (6.99 from Aldi!).
When were they selling those? Do they make much of a difference?

And actually the Lidl pizzas are not half bad...
Just to clarify I was referring to the Aldi "Specially Selected" brand (packaged a bit like the Tesco Finest* range) above.

Good idea on the freezing of the sauce. I keep meaning to do this with sauces, soups and meals but still haven't gotten around to it and still have to give our freezer its first defrost in 10 years! With all the ice that's built up there's hardly any room for food and I'm sure that it isn't conducive to efficient operation of the device!
 
Wait until ClubMan Jnr is introduced to solids, you'll then need to regain use of the freezer...

Mr.V highly recommends the Aldi pizza with Tuna and creme fraiche ( Normande?).
 
ClubMan said:
When were they selling those? Do they make much of a difference?

They sell them about once a year - I last saw them a couple of months ago. I get emails from Aldi/Lidl so keep an eye on specials (did I mention I am a bore?). I have now learnt not to buy things that are great value but that we don't actually need.

Having said that, I find the pizza stones seriously good, so I would highly recommend them.

Now go and defrost that freezer Clubman, shame on you for letting all that ice accumulate . I work full time, have two kids and we only eat home made food, which would not be possible without considerable use of the freezer (note that both hubby and I like cooking). I use it not only to store previously cooked meals, such as bolognaise sauce and the like but also to keep the makings os a meal - cooked beans and chickpeas for chillis and currys, home made stock, home made tomato sauce, etc.
 

Note: shameless plug follows.................

Well, as soon as you've defrosted it sounds like you'll be in the market for lots of Tupperware so - let me know if you want to buy stuff Don't forget the Tupperware ice-cube tray is ideal for freezing baby size portions too!

On the subject of pizzas, the Flammküchen in Aldi are pretty good too. Not quite the real thing, but the only place I've seen them over here. It's like a pizza but instead of a tomato sauce there's a creme fraiche type sauce on the base.
 
Are congratulations in order?

I'm probably being slow, but you're going to have to spell that one out for me!

Stock up on Annabel Karmels books now, and let the freezing begin! Chez Vanilla is also a homecook house, by necessity rather than for virtue. But it does make life easier with effective use of the freezer, so you only have to prepare from scratch every now and then and reap the frozen rewards in between. Mind you, when I say from scratch, that's not necessarily true, now that V Jr is old enough I no longer make my own vegetable stock or chicken stock. Life is too short.
 
Vanilla said:
I'm probably being slow, but you're going to have to spell that one out for me!

I think he's implying that you have a craving akin to an expectant mother?
 
You must have missed the Mr.V reference there then. Now, if I were, and I'm not saying, it'd be pickles( mmm 'kerkins' ) and cheese all the way.
 
Is [broken link removed] any help in addressing the alleged Lidl baked beans issue!?
 
anyone try the 'luxury' viennese slices at aldi? absolutely the biz.
 
Is that the icecream with hazelnut surround and chocolate in a triangular log? If so, bought it at the weekend and Mr.V whipped up some crepes to go with it. Yum, hot crepe with cold slice of hazelnut icecream....highly recommended!
 
Kildrought said:
Warning: the frozen lobster (whilst fun) is quite small and would really only do one person (maybe 2 at a stretch) for a starter. Don't expect too much flavour wise!

I got them and decided that one would only do one person. I'm wondering are there any tips out there for making an easier job of getting the meat out. I was going to do a thermidor using Baxters lobster bisque instead of fish stock (cubes) to improve the possibly non-existent flavour of the lobster.
 
franmac said:
In Lidl in Leixlip the other day and see they have frozen geese. Has anyone tried one it might be a nice change from the turkey.

Are we the only two that bought one - I presume you did. I took a chance on one but not for Christmas day because I have a vegetarian daughter and anyway I was afraid there mightn't be enough meat for 4 on it. It only cost me €13.59 ( reduced)!
 
joanmul said:
Are we the only two that bought one - I presume you did. I took a chance on one but not for Christmas day because I have a vegetarian daughter and anyway I was afraid there mightn't be enough meat for 4 on it. It only cost me €13.59 ( reduced)!

Have you cooked yours yet?

I did'nt buy but I was looking at them again and have seen the reduced price and as there will be just 3 of us for dinner on Christmas day I am tempted to buy one.
We always had goose at Christmas when I was young.
 
We had one a couple of years ago (alongside the 'gobbler') — it was lovely! Just don't overcook it...
 
franmac said:
Have you cooked yours yet?

I did'nt buy but I was looking at them again and have seen the reduced price and as there will be just 3 of us for dinner on Christmas day I am tempted to buy one.
We always had goose at Christmas when I was young.

No - I didn't - I decided to be brave and decide it would be fine. As I said earlier - I'm not having it on Christmas Day - probably will on New Year's Day. We always had goose too when we were young but my father was a gun club man and what we had came fresh out of the sky so my expectations couldn't measure up to that.
 
Lidl Jaffa cakes yum yum they are never far from my mouth!!!!!!!!!