Supermarkets discussion

[Peter Sarf]

How healthy are crisps these days?

I used to prefer Walkers crisps as they were less oily than others - particularly Golden Wonder. But now Walkers crisps seem too oily - about as oily as Golden Wonder crisps were (which iirc Walkers took over ? for answer see two post below).

Some crisps seem more baked rather than fried in oil.

 

[SteveHFC]

I used to prefer Walkers crisps as they were less oily than others - particularly Golden Wonder. But now Walkers crisps seem too oily - about as oily as Golden Wonder crisps were (which iirc Walkers took over ?).

Some crisps seem more baked rather than fried in oil.

Golden Wonder are still around and have a website, I think it was Smiths Crisps that were taken over by Walkers.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

'Golden Wonder' was taken over by the Tayto Group (Northern Irish firm) in 2006. 'Smith's' and 'Walkers' were previously acquired by PepsiCo in 1989.

 

[Trackman]

'Golden Wonder' was taken over by the Tayto Group (Northern Irish firm) in 2006. 'Smith's' and 'Walkers' were previously acquired by PepsiCo in 1989.

So were bits sold off? , Wotsits are owned by Walkers, who owns Pot Noodles?

 

[jfollows]

So were bits sold off? , Wotsits are owned by Walkers, who owns Pot Noodles?

Unilever owns Pot Noodles. Horrible things, not a touch on those by Nissin, but each to their own I guess.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Unilever owns Pot Noodles. Horrible things, not a touch on those by Nissin, but each to their own I guess.

Horrible things indeed, with a horrible uncouth woman in the TV advert not so very long ago.

 

[DM352]

I wish we had Lidl/Aldi in Canada as prices are expensive with limited competition across a large geographical area. Think the USA have Aldi in select areas but also get Canada more complicated as product labels have to be bilingual.

Our best for presentation is the coop here but prices are more than the few other chains unless on sale. Going to Costco offsets some of the costs.

My wife would like Waitrose or M&S to be in Canada!

 

[takno]

My wife would like Waitrose or M&S to be in Canada!

M&S never did that well in Canada, largely because they used it as a kind of mission impossible for up and coming executives and didn't stick at anything.

Ironically when they closed they were doing pretty well with a couple of boutique stores selling the fashionable clothes they had and a nicely-presented deli atmosphere food hall. The main problem is that they were never going to stretch that idea far beyond Toronto and Vancouver, and the supply chain was a nightmare.

It was a fun place to work while it lasted though

 

[sprunt]

I wish we had Lidl/Aldi in Canada as prices are expensive with limited competition across a large geographical area. Think the USA have Aldi in select areas but also get Canada more complicated as product labels have to be bilingual.

Our best for presentation is the coop here but prices are more than the few other chains unless on sale. Going to Costco offsets some of the costs.

I liked Loblaws when I was in Toronto, specifically the massive one in the old Maple Leaf Gardens building.

 

[Halwynd]

Oven chips - never bought them for years, always a tasteless disappointment, even the premium brands.

But this week I noticed that Birds Eye have started selling 'crispy chips' - currently £2.00 for a 900g bag at Asda. Size-wise they're a cross between french fries and a normal chip.

I have to say they are the nicest oven chips I've come across, fluffy inside but nice and crispy on the outside - I've ordered another bag next week.

PS, I don't work for either Asda or Birds Eye!

 

[takno]

Oven chips - never bought them for years, always a tasteless disappointment, even the premium brands.

But this week I noticed that Birds Eye have started selling 'crispy chips' - currently £2.00 for a 900g bag at Asda. Size-wise they're a cross between french fries and a normal chip.

I have to say they are the nicest oven chips I've come across, fluffy inside but nice and crispy on the outside - I've ordered another bag next week.

PS, I don't work for either Asda or Birds Eye!

The most important thing with oven chips is to cook them at a low enough temperature and for long enough to cook the insides fluffy before the outside goes black, and to cook them on a metal net rather than on a baking tray. Air fryers also do a good job with them.

I find the instructions usually recommend too high a temperature and not for long enough, which puts people off. Beyond that, the supermarket own brand steak cut ones are at least as good as any of the branded products.

I'm glad you've found one you like, but I'm not convinced they actually do anything to the fancier ones to merit the 3x price hike over own-brand.

 

[Halwynd]

The most important thing with oven chips is to cook them at a low enough temperature and for long enough to cook the insides fluffy before the outside goes black, and to cook them on a metal net rather than on a baking tray. Air fryers also do a good job with them.

I find the instructions usually recommend too high a temperature and not for long enough, which puts people off. Beyond that, the supermarket own brand steak cut ones are at least as good as any of the branded products.

I'm glad you've found one you like, but I'm not convinced they actually do anything to the fancier ones to merit the 3x price hike over own-brand.

I do use an air fryer, and you're right, I also found the bag instructions to be too high a temperature. 12 minutes at 180 degrees for these was perfect, even though the bag instructions said 200 degrees.

I haven't tried the steak cut chips, might give them a go now you suggest it.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Living now on my own, with chips being naught but a small side item in my evening meals if required, I am more than happy to use the small boxes of McCain microwaveable chips, either straight or crinkled. Only takes a couple of minutes in the microwave.

 

[Strat-tastic]

Deep-fried oven chips! Works well. Naughty but nice!

 

[takno]

Deep-fried oven chips! Works well. Naughty but nice!

Are you battering them first?

 

[Strat-tastic]

Now there's a thought...

 

[Trackman]

I do use an air fryer, and you're right, I also found the bag instructions to be too high a temperature. 12 minutes at 180 degrees for these was perfect, even though the bag instructions said 200 degrees.

I haven't tried the steak cut chips, might give them a go now you suggest it.

Trail and error with air-fryers, most packaging comes with air-fryer times, I know Asda's own brand stuff does, not sure about other supermarkets.
Anyway, next big thing are induction hobs that you plug in the wall, once I buy one my cooker will be 'on decision', either shipped off to CF Booth's or stored serviceable.

 

[takno]

Trail and error with air-fryers, most packaging comes with air-fryer times, I know Asda's own brand stuff does, not sure about other supermarkets.
Anyway, next big thing are induction hobs that you plug in the wall, once I buy one my cooker will be 'on decision', either shipped off to CF Booth's or stored serviceable.

I have a toaster oven and George Foreman grill. Also getting a plug-in induction hob at some point. The cooker will likely stay, but it really doesn't get turned on a lot.

 

[Trackman]

I have a toaster oven and George Foreman grill. Also getting a plug-in induction hob at some point. The cooker will likely stay, but it really doesn't get turned on a lot.

Had a thought about it, the kitchen would look daft without the cooker, leaving a big gaping gap.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Had a thought about it, the kitchen would look daft without the cooker, leaving a big gaping gap.

I am thinking of the days when every year without fail, we had about ten or more round from family and friends for Christmas Day dinner and the oven we had at the time could fit a 22lb turkey with ease in its cooking tray in the main oven. Do these modern small ovens rely on prepared turkey joints rather than the full bird carcass?

No such problem these days, as when the new fitted kitchen in the house we moved into in 2020 was fitted with a gas hob built into the worktop and a £900 John Lewis cooker unit that slotted in underneath. with a small top oven ans a middle sized main oven. Now since Patricia passed away in 2021, I tend to cook for myself using the 900w microwave as meals for one can be cooked far quicker using that method.

 

[route101]

Oven chips - never bought them for years, always a tasteless disappointment, even the premium brands.

But this week I noticed that Birds Eye have started selling 'crispy chips' - currently £2.00 for a 900g bag at Asda. Size-wise they're a cross between french fries and a normal chip.

I have to say they are the nicest oven chips I've come across, fluffy inside but nice and crispy on the outside - I've ordered another bag next week.

PS, I don't work for either Asda or Birds Eye!

Albert Bartlett homestyle chips are fairly decent too.

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How healthy are crisps these days?

Didn't they change the oil to sunflower oil over the years.

 

[Halwynd]

Trail and error with air-fryers...

Yep, very much so... I usually just decide myself.

Albert Bartlett homestyle chips are fairly decent too.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Sep 2024 ==


Didn't they change the oil to sunflower oil over the years.

I did try Albert Bartlett quite a while ago and they seemed to be one of the better oven chips. Not 100% but I think I might had had a 'bad' bag at one point with too many black bits, so stopped buying them.

 

[317 forever]

At least 1 Sainsbury's near me has stopped collecting bags for recycling.

Conversely, I did see a collection point for bags at Asda.

 

[Trackman]

Yep, very much so... I usually just decide myself.

Very much so, I don't even trust supermarket recommend air-fryer instructions.
Always better to undercook rather than overcook, as the latter cannot be rectified.

 

[gswindale]

At least 1 Sainsbury's near me has stopped collecting bags for recycling.

Conversely, I did see a collection point for bags at Asda.

What sort of bags were/are they collecting?

Anything that says "recycle with bags at supermarkets" are now collected as part of our fortnightly recycling - we have to put them in a blue bag inside our blue bin though.

 

[jbqfc]

At least 1 Sainsbury's near me has stopped collecting bags for recycling.

Conversely, I did see a collection point for bags at Asda.

Our Sainsburys now has a cage near the checkouts to collect all type of plastic wrapping including bags but the bins out side for plastic bags has gone

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Very much so, I don't even trust supermarket recommend air-fryer instructions.
Always better to undercook rather than overcook, as the latter cannot be rectified.

What's an air fryer? Sounds like a monk from the Ayrshire region.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Sep 2024 ==

Do many supermarkets still have recepticals for customers to dispose of spent batteries?

 

[Merle Haggard]

What's an air fryer? Sounds like a monk from the Ayrshire region.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Sep 2024 ==

Are you getting confused with the Deep Fat Fryer? He often had something thought-provoking to say...

 

[JamesT]

What's an air fryer? Sounds like a monk from the Ayrshire region.

It’s basically a tabletop electric fan oven. I don’t get the fuss about them myself, it’s fine if you just need to cook small things but a proper oven is more flexible. It’s also another thing using up counter space.

Do many supermarkets still have recepticals for customers to dispose of spent batteries?

I think most that I’ve been in recently have had some sort of recycling bin at the entrance.

 

[Halwynd]

What's an air fryer? Sounds like a monk from the Ayrshire region.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Sep 2024 ==

Do many supermarkets still have recepticals for customers to dispose of spent batteries?

As explained by @JamesT... but I think they're great. I have one with two compartments and, living within 'pie-land', I place pie of choice in the left compartment, the oven chips go in the right compartment.

Seriously though, they're ideal for two, or people who live on their own. They cook many items well, quicker than an oven and without the wasted heat, although you will struggle with a 22lb turkey! An oven is great if you can fill it though. I'll often use the air-fryer for jacket spuds - pre-done in the microwave and then 10 minutes on the 'max crisp' setting (240 degress) - butter, filing of choice... lovely.