Yet Another Cycling Forum

Off Topic => The Pub => Food & Drink => Topic started by: goatpebble on 16 July, 2008, 09:28:40 pm

Title: The Remoska thread
Post by: goatpebble on 16 July, 2008, 09:28:40 pm
It's an expensive electric cooking pan from the Czech Republic. You have to buy it from a silly shop (Lakeland) that sells devices for doing things that only seriously senile old ladies might need. Help for squeezing teabags? They have a gadget that will do it.

But my neighbour, when I told her I did not have stove, a refrigerator, or a hob, suggested I try a Remoska. She had a spare, and offered to lend it to me.

It is rated at 450 watts, but I suspect that it's energy saving might be suspect, as it does not seem to be controlled by a thermostat. Having said that, it does seem to do things that a full on oven would do. Also, it is much loved by caravan types.

Anyone else have one?

Title: Re: The Remoska thread
Post by: PhilO on 18 July, 2008, 01:11:42 pm
Have been seriously contemplating one for the Camper Van...

So I'd be interested to find out how you get on.  ;D
Title: Re: The Remoska thread
Post by: Mike J on 18 July, 2008, 05:52:50 pm
According to Lakeland (http://www.lakeland.co.uk/standard-remoska!REG-electric-cooker/F/keyword/remoska/product/2511) they are supposed to be very energy saving.
Title: Re: The Remoska thread
Post by: Clare on 18 July, 2008, 06:18:30 pm
My mum has something very similar and rates it highly. She first saw one in New Zealand where they are, apparently, common and called electric frying pans (!?!). She got her's from an independent hardware store and I can't remember the make.
Mum has a Rayburn which gets switched off in summer, so she then cooks with this electric pan, an all singing all dancing microwave and a toaster. She has even cooked roasts in it.
Title: Re: The Remoska thread
Post by: goatpebble on 18 July, 2008, 09:17:04 pm
The remoska is rated at 470 watts, but does not have a thermostat. It is like a little roasting oven, but more economical than turning on a normal oven.

I have carefully experimented, using things like potato, just to observe how it cooks.

If you are an Aga owner, you will like this pan when you want to turn off your stove in summer. The heat is fairly even, so the easy traditional gratins and roast vegetables that an Aga user is used to, well, it can do it well.

It is not a slow cooker, in fact it gets quite hot. My first experiment was interesting. I sliced a few potatoes penny thin, tossed them with a little olive oil, and layered them carefully in the pan. After an hour, the sides and base had turned golden brown, as had the top. The potato was melting and sweet.

My next experiment was my favourite thing, Janssons Frestelse. It is a simple dish of potato, onion, and sweet cured sprats (not anchovies, as some recipes say)

You can get these from Ikea! In fact, this is the best reason to visit Ikea. Even better is to take a late Summer hike in Sweden, do some exploring and wild camping, and have a few cold beers in a nice hut, and someone else to cook this for you!

But the suggested recipe was not a success. The pan gets too hot, the top browns, and the potato underneath has not yet cooked. So, the cream is is getting hot, and of course it seperates! This is bad, so you have to go back to first principals. You think of you stove, and the lessons you learnt there.

I like the Remoska, but you have to learn!

Vegetables, roasted in a little olive oil, are delicious. Meat or fish, braised in wine, are stupidly simple and flavoursome.

If it only uses 470 watts, then it might be worth it!
Title: Re: The Remoska thread
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 22 July, 2008, 11:20:38 am
We had a very similar thing in Poland called a prodiz. You can cook just about anything in it and it's not expensie in Poland - probably not in Czech Rep either. I suspect Lakeland are scalping you! No idea of the power rating, but we do sometimes wish it here. And you're right, it has no thermostat.
Title: Re: The Remoska thread
Post by: rafletcher on 23 July, 2008, 10:39:28 am
Crikey, my mother had an electric frying pan about (gulp!) 40 years ago!  It did, however have a thermostatic control.    But she did "spanish omelette" in it, and paella and rissotto, and many "one pot" dishes.  A useful tool if you lack everything else.
Title: Re: The Remoska thread
Post by: goatpebble on 24 July, 2008, 10:20:15 pm
Crikey, my mother had an electric frying pan about (gulp!) 40 years ago!  It did, however have a thermostatic control.    But she did "spanish omelette" in it, and paella and rissotto, and many "one pot" dishes.  A useful tool if you lack everything else.

The Remoska is not an electric frying pan. The heat comes frome above, so it creates a little roasting oven effect, but steamier, so things don't dry out.

It's bloody brilliant for roasting vegetables! I am eating a dish of roasted peppers and courgettes, with pine nuts.

Yesterday I had tomato stuffed with feta. These are all things that work better in the Remoska that in the oven.
Title: Re: The Remoska thread
Post by: TimO on 24 July, 2008, 11:00:48 pm
... I suspect Lakeland are scalping you! ...

£89.99  :o

... or £109.99 for the Grand Remoska.

You're not kidding.
Title: Re: The Remoska thread
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 28 July, 2008, 09:41:32 am
I feel an import business coming on  :)
Title: Re: The Remoska thread
Post by: mrcharly-YHT on 28 July, 2008, 03:51:00 pm
... I suspect Lakeland are scalping you! ...

£89.99  :o

... or £109.99 for the Grand Remoska.

You're not kidding.

I just checked the remoska.cz site. They list the standard remoska as 2999 Koruna - which is about £104. So Lakeland are just charging the rrp.
Title: Re: The Remoska thread
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 30 July, 2008, 09:29:02 am
My God! I can't imagine the prodiz I know costing that much. It seems to be much the same thing, so I can only imagine Remoska is the Cordon Bleu of the, er, enclosed portable electric cookery world.
Title: Re: The Remoska thread
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 30 July, 2008, 11:26:57 am
Checking here prodiz - znajdź i porównaj ceny w Nokaut.pl (http://www.nokaut.pl/szukaj/prodiz.html) they cost about 80-100PLN in Poland. That's about 17 pounds, say 20 tops for the most expensive models and if there's a very strong zloty.

I'm not sure about the maths in mrcharly's post; Unless the exchange rate's changed a hell of a lot in the past year, 2999 Czech Koruna is about 300PLN. So obviously we're dealing with a premium product here, a brandname item not just the generic article. Even so there's no way that translates to more than 60 quid, and I'm sure it would be nearer 50. Even in the high 40s.
Title: Re: The Remoska thread
Post by: tiermat on 30 July, 2008, 11:30:13 am
According to XE.com, 2999CZK is 99.3226GBP.
Title: Re: The Remoska thread
Post by: Regulator on 30 July, 2008, 11:33:24 am
I'm very tempted to get one....
Title: Re: The Remoska thread
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 30 July, 2008, 11:34:21 am
So it is  :-[ It seems the PLN has sunk a lot against the CZK.
Title: Re: The Remoska thread
Post by: goatpebble on 30 July, 2008, 07:43:31 pm
That's not quite right. I am reliably informed that a Remoska should set you back about £55 or £60, in the Czech Republic, for the standard model.

I paid £80. I am not complaining, as I expect to save rather more than that compared to an electric oven.

It works superbly well, and I am happy.
Title: Re: The Remoska thread
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 31 July, 2008, 05:38:29 am
Is this your blog, goatpebble? Moved to Burma have you?  :)
The Economy Year: Living with the Remoska (http://economyyear.blogspot.com/2006/01/living-with-remoska.html)
Title: Re: The Remoska thread
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 31 July, 2008, 05:41:00 am
2999CSk for the medium size.
 REMOSKA | elektrická peèící mísa, GRAND, ORIGINAL, MINI, zdravá výživa, vaøení  (http://www.remoska.cz/web/index.php)

I see it's Teflon lined, whereas the prodizes I know are just steel.

And a page full of recipes!
 REMOSKA | recepty, speciality, kuchaøka  (http://www.remoska.cz/web/index.php?id=10)

Unforunately not in English though. Chicken, potatoes, gingerbread, babka (what my grandma called Kugelhopf), etc.
Title: Re: The Remoska thread
Post by: goatpebble on 31 July, 2008, 08:46:31 pm
Is this your blog, goatpebble? Moved to Burma have you?  :)
The Economy Year: Living with the Remoska (http://economyyear.blogspot.com/2006/01/living-with-remoska.html)

No! If it was my blog I would be telling you to live with a kitchen that has a sink, a table, and a small electric cooking pan, no fridge, microwave or stove, oh, and to take cold showers in summer.

And I would be horrified at a recipe that suggests 'dried herbs' and random un-named vegetables. What does she mean?

 ::-)
Title: Re: The Remoska thread
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 04 August, 2008, 05:59:32 am
You mean this one?
Quote
Cut a pound or so of any root vegetables into chip-sized pieces, layer them into the pan with some finely sliced onions, sprinkle with herbs (fresh or dried — whichever you have around) and a little salt and pepper. Drizzle one or two tablespoons of olive oil over the lot, put the lid on and cook for 35-45 minutes, depending on the quantity and depth of the layers. That, with a salad, is a meal in itself.

Hmm, not only are the vegetables and herbs unnamed, even the quantities are vague; how big are chips? Still, it sounds a little like something I'd end up cooking!
Title: Re: The Remoska thread
Post by: goatpebble on 04 August, 2008, 08:29:53 pm
I was not being quite fair to her. Roasted parsnips, for example, are wonderful in the Remoska, likewise carrots. Lots of lovely caramelised and buttery stuff! I have never been a fan of carrots, except as a something to add to a stock, but really good sweet young carrots cook beautifully in the Remoska. No liquid, a little butter and coarsely ground pepper, and half an hour later you have something really good.

The roasted parsnips could become an addiction. It works much better than the hob or oven!
Title: Re: The Remoska thread
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 05 August, 2008, 07:55:23 am
Not a fan of carrots?! Shock horror!  :o
Title: Re: The Remoska thread
Post by: ChrisO on 05 August, 2008, 09:00:36 am
"I think the carrot infinitely more fascinating than the geranium. The carrot has mystery. Flowers are essentially tarts. Prostitutes for the bees. There is, you'll agree, a certain je ne sais quoi oh so very special about a firm young carrot."

Uncle Monty
Title: Re: The Remoska thread
Post by: goatpebble on 11 August, 2008, 11:21:36 pm
On Sunday I made a risotto in the Remoska. In theory it should not work.

You cannot stir it in the conventional way. You Just have to leave it to sit and cook.

In the past I have poured scorn on recipes like this. I am a traditionalist.

It worked, and I had a good risotto.



Might have to eat my hat!
Title: Re: The Remoska thread
Post by: fiendish on 12 August, 2008, 02:39:21 pm
Might have to eat my hat!

Is there a Remoska recipe for braised hat?
Title: Re: The Remoska thread
Post by: goatpebble on 20 August, 2008, 10:06:42 pm
It's been more than a month since the Remoska arrived.

I have braised stuff, with shallots and wine, and then I stopped eating meat, so explored other things.

I have played with little parcels of foil, cooking vegetables in their own steam, made fish cakes, stuffed filo things, gratins, rosti, warmed pitta, roasted potato, or peppers, stuffed or otherwise, made clafoutis, tarte tatin, and more.

And I cooked some nice oeufs sur le plat.

So why have I not heard of any other acf people who own this pan?
Title: Re: The Remoska thread
Post by: vince on 21 August, 2008, 12:43:49 pm
Because we are waiting for you to compile a list of recipes!

A pdf will be fine :)
Title: Re: The Remoska thread
Post by: Cudzoziemiec on 22 August, 2008, 04:11:35 am
Because we didn't know there was anyone else who had a prodyz! As far as I remember we used it mainly for cake and chicken, but not at the same time.
Title: Re: The Remoska thread
Post by: Maffie on 22 August, 2008, 09:54:56 am
They look good. Wish id seen those when I was without an oven.
Title: Re: The Remoska thread
Post by: goatpebble on 26 August, 2008, 09:54:45 pm
A few days ago I made a Zwiebelkuchen in the remoska.

This is a rich tart made with onions, eggs and cream, and maybe some Gruyere.

The base is of onions, stewed very gently in butter, without frying, until they smell wonderfully sweet. You have to do this slowly, and the fragrance is entrancing!

When the onions are ready, you fill your blind baked shortcrust case with the cooked onions, eggs, cream, and cheese. Fifteen minutes later and you have your zwiebelkuchen!

Bacon or speck, fried briefly, can be added to the filling also.