Twiced Cooked.

[NoMercy]

What do people think of the concept of twice cooked / baked?

I find a whole multitude of foods are better when twice cooked. I always twice cook my roast potatoes and family go mad for them. I've twice-cooked lasagne, adding a second cheese sauce topping before the second cooking, and it turned out to be the best lasagne ever. Chilli con carne is infinitely better when defrosted and reheated, imo.

It's trendy to twice-bake a soufflé and even thrice cook chips.

Thoughts?

[Tilly2]

Cooking 'it' once is enough for me. :-)

[ummmm]

How do you twice cook your roast potatoes?

[bednobs]

me too. i dont really have time to cook things more than once

[NoMercy]

It's whatever suits you best, Tilly.

I didn't set out to twice cook my lasagne, but didn't want to see it wasted so added more cheese sauce and bunged back in the oven. It came out the kind of lasagne I'd always dreamt of - light, moist but holding it's shape even when dragging a fork through it.

[ethandron]

When I freeze something and then reheat it to eat, I don't consider it to be 'twice cooked', just reheated, be it chilli, lasagne, ragu...

[Milo2]

Life's too short......

[ummmm]

I always par cook my spuds before roasting them.

Twice cooked chips it's actually easier timing wise. I think that's how someone figured out that they go crispier...they got their timings wrong :-)

[douglas9401]

The very expression 'twice cooked' grates. Images of the Berry woman and others flash before my eyes.

[NoMercy]

Ummmm, I par boil and then let them dry out completely. Add them to smoking hot dripping and bang in hot oven, turning once during cooking. This is generally done before meat goes in. Remove from oven when golden all over and remove potatoes from the tray of fat onto a dry tray lined with foil. Discard fat. Potatoes are covered over with a clean tea towel and are tgen returned to the oven to crispen again when the meat comes out to rest. Never fails.

[ummmm]

Chilli is nicer the next day.

[NoMercy]

I didn't freeze the lasagne in between, eth.

[naomi24]

I'm with Tilly. Once is enough. I can think of no more pointless waste of time than fiddling around with 'trendy' cooking.... but then I don't have a love affair with food.

[ummmm]

Believe it or not it is more convenient. You don't have to time things to perfection if they can be twice cooked.

[jennyjoan]

NoM - do you actually keep the t-towel on when you put them back into the oven. Pardon my ignorance

[ummmm]

JJ - you don't put t-towels in the oven.

[NoMercy]

No, JJ. That would involve the Fire Brigade.

Naomi, cooking something exceptional for your guests is not the same as having a love affair with food. If you're a Findus Crispy Pancake kind of woman, that's fair enough, but there's no need to scoff at people who enjoy the art of cooking.

For those who feel life is too short to strive for perfection, that's your choice.

[jim360]

Does using the microwave count?

[ummmm]

Jim...if it's chilli...yeah...it doesn't matter how you reheat it.

[jennyjoan]

do forgive me for being thick re the cloths but I never could understand how my aunt who was a fabulous cook - went to domestic classes in the 40s perhaps 50s- how she she could cook "icecream" in the oven and came out cold. To me it was a miracle but it was only Baked Alaska. LOL

[1ozzy]

Certainly does Jim.

People come back for more when I serve twice cooked lamb casserole.
First cooking is medium rare roast, cooled and cut then the second cooking is slow cooked in a sauce.
Melts in your mouth.