Who doesn’t like a crisp, punchy and vinegary pickled onion? Especially with a nice bit of quality cheddar as part of a ploughman’s or cold platter. Making your own pickles and preserves is not difficult at all, it may cost you a little time but the rewards vastly outweigh any time spent.
IKEA Korken 1.8L Jar, with seal.
Shop bought pickled onions are often not as crisp as I like and often come across as quite mushy or soft. The difference in texture and sharp flavour really goes well with some cheese!
The inexpensive IKEA Korken Jar is ideal for making your own pickles, preserves and even sauerkraut. At the time of writing the price is only £2.50 for the 1.8 L version which seems to be a good compromise between sizes. A sturdy wire frame for the lid assembly and a natural rubber gasket ensures a good tight seal.
We definitely recommend buying a couple for your winter cheese board prep!
IKEA Korken Jar 1.8 L Details:
Measurements: 21.5 x 12.5 cm (Height x Diameter).
Replaceable gasket: Yes (IKEA suggests you may be able to purchase these separately).
Volume: 1.8 L.
Made from: a minimum of 40% recycled glass, natural rubber seal and stainless wire.
Washing instructions: Glass Jar may be washed in a dishwasher, however the rubber seal can only be hand washed.
So it may come as a surprise to many of you, but we really like pizza…..
Well we gave in, after admitting defeat with the idea of building our own woodfired outdoor pizza oven. This will likely be explained with greater detail in time as a another blog post. All was not lost, the hope of being able to smash out fresh hot Neapolitan style Pizzas at home lived on. With COVID curtailing travel and dashing hopes of going to Italy we needed our fix.
Why the Ooni Koda 12?
We felt that the Ooni Koda 12 offered a really good balance between cost and performance. It is after all basically the best entry-level oven a home grown pizzaiolo can buy. It also appears to be compatible with LPG at 30mbar so potentially can be used with a motorhome or caravan BBQ point. Imagine that, portable pizza fixes whilst enjoying the great outdoors…
How much did it cost?
Well we don’t mind too much when talking about money but the suggested retail price from Ooni is £299. However it frequently pops up from other retail outlets with around about a 10% discount (see Hotukdeals or read on).
That said it is also worth signing up to Lakelands very own membership scheme myLakeland, which by the way is free and they will send you a membership pack with some rather tasty vouchers! And if you are really lucky you may get the magical 20% voucher 😉
Don’t delay. Sign up today, it’s free, fun, frivolous and frequent discounts could be yours.
How are we getting on with Koda 12 Pizza Oven?
The Ooni Koda has so far been a massive hit, you can easily smash out Pizzas in around 60 seconds a piece without much of a performance or temperature dip between Pizzas. Catering for hungry friends and family is very easy and you can make a Pizza however you want to suit anyone. We have been using it through November and December and it still works really well even in cooler temperatures, just don’t forget to order a decent infrared laser thermometer. It is important to get one as it takes away any guess work when it comes to checking to see if the base stone is hot enough. Be careful as these are not all created equally and you really ought to get one that can read up to 550 degrees Celsius otherwise it is no good.
Our first few Pizzas…. I promise they look so much better now!
You cannot comprehend the speed or taste of a Neapolitan style Pizza made in your very own home Pizza oven, the Ooni Koda 12 is likely going to be a staple in our Friday night takeaway fix.
One of those buys that we do not regret. Used frequently, always appreciated and built to last a while. So read this ikea oumbärlig review if your not convinced.
IKEA Cookware, I feel, is largely underrated, generally well priced and performs as you would expect for a long time. For example I have a heavily used and abused large IKEA Sauté pan, approx 24cm, that I’ve had for several years and is my go to for steaks and starting roasts. This pan was also the same pan I roasted a 2.3KG beef fore rib for Christmas in, with perfect results! It takes heat incredibly well, you can get it ripping hot to make the most amazing crust on any steak (there’s an article there somewhere on steaks…)
The pan is so versatile and resilient even though I have certainly tried my best to harm it, including washing it in dishwashers, searing steaks, flambe, de-glazing it without using gentle utensils and even using it on a Weber Smokey Joe with white hot lumpwood! So surely the rest of the range is good?
Since moving in with the better half we have become accustomed to batch cooking, now this may sound boring or laborious but when you are trying to save for a house with a mahoosive professional kitchen (one dreams..) then you need to be frugal, but we refuse to suffer. So to get by we will make large batches for lunch at work or sides to reheat later in the coming weeks (ready to go from the freezer), think soups or our recipe for Braised Red Cabbage.
The stock pot will hold a heady 10 Litres of what ever you’d like whether or not its on the hob or directly in the oven. It is suitable for all types of cookers including induction and the base gives a good even heat across its width so it can also be used to brown meats prior to stewing without fault. As standard the OUMBÄRLIG stock pot comes with a lid with built in steam vent which I encourage its use as it requires so little energy to simmer with it in place. It’s simple to clean as its made from brushed stainless steel and has no crevices to hide dirt. It is also very good value and unlike some others can also go in the oven.
It is a bit of a bargain at £20 when comparing it to other brands especially with its availability being so high and easily obtainable from IKEA directly. We use it so often for soups, stews and batch cooks that it is now invaluable for saving money and making healthy work lunches.
