Topic: Xacuti's newbie numpty questions.....

[Xacuti]

Right then. I have a few questions before I can start making up a batch of base sauce.

Firstly, frypans. What should I look for? At the moment We've got ceramic non-stick ones and Le creuset cast iron non-stick. From what I've been reading here and elsewhere the indications that a plain ally or stainless frypan would be better. Can anyone confirm this please?

Secondly, what on earth quantifies a "chef's spoon" of spices?  I must admit, I really stuggle with ambiguous things like this. How many grams would a full chef's spoon usually equate too?


lastly, when I've tried making base sauces in the past (Kriss Dhillon recipe book) I've ended up with something that tastes rather bitter, depsite following the recipe to the book. I'm guessing that this is probably the garlic being either over cooked or under cooked, not sure which. So, when frying garlic, if I'm struggling to get it right is it likely to be the former or the latter that is creating bitterness?

Right, that'll do for now, but I'm gonna drive you lot crazy with these stupid questions, I know. 

[Peripatetic Phil]

Firstly, frypans. What should I look for? At the moment We've got ceramic non-stick ones and Le creuset cast iron non-stick. From what I've been reading here and elsewhere the indications that a plain ally or stainless frypan would be better. Can anyone confirm this please?

My most recent pan is a ceramic-coated (i.e., non-stick) induction-compatible (i.e., steel base) aluminium pan bought from Lidl for

[Gav Iscon]

There's all sorts of pans in use on the forum. Personally, I use a

[Xacuti]

Now very confused; Kris does not fry the garlic when making her base, it is boiled (along with the ginger and onions) -- what led you to the idea of frying it ?  I use her base as a matter of course, and have never found it to be bitter.

** Phil.

Ah, my bad. Apologies. It's been some time since I last tried this and I was working from memory on what I actually done. Regardless, it did taste slightly bitter.

Interesting that you use that base sauce though Phil. Reading on here it seems that others have "improved" upon it or diespensed with it entirely and use base sauce recipes they've blagged from their local curry houses.

I have a read a thread on here regarding the frypans...

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=11674.0

...where it's suggested that the plain alluminium pans somehow plays a part in acheiving "the taste" and it got me thinking that perhaps plain steel or ally is somehow more appropriate than teflon coated pans. Only reason I asked, really.

Thanks for the answers though. Very helpful

[Gav Iscon]

I've got a carbon steel wok, a non stick wok, a cast iron wok, a stainless steel frying pan, a selection of non stick frying pans and saute pans of all prices and even a genuine Birmingham Balti pan but I still prefer my cheap aluminium pan for curries.

[Peripatetic Phil]

Interesting that you use that base sauce though Phil. Reading on here it seems that others have "improved" upon it or dispensed with it entirely and use base sauce recipes they've blagged from their local curry houses.

Kris's base is about as simple as you can get (as is her methodology) which I regard as the ideal starting point.  The more complexity there is in a base, the more effect it will have on the flavour of the final dish.  A base is basically an onion gravy which has two main purposes -- (1) to give the correct (expected) texture ("mouth feel") to the final dish, and (b) to act as a carrier for the more complex flavours that will be introduced during the second phase (i.e., during the preparation of the dish itself, as opposed to its preliminaries).  To my mind, Kris's (original) base achieves these aims to perfection.

** Phil.

[ziggycat]

gotta say I never liked the KD base and seem to remember the amount of ginger in it being ott.   I actually don't use any ginger in my base these days (I seem to recall that's what made it bitter ) and only a small amount in my g/g paste(80/20).

[Madrasandy]

I just use a cheap aluminium pan bought from an Asian shop, about