Fast, easy, and oh-so-convenient, the lure of takeaway food can be very strong. But so often the best part about it is the anticipation of the moment before you eat it! Not long after, you wish you hadn’t indulged. Chances are, you are now poorer, over-full, and have also just lost a chip down the side of the seat.
Ok, it may not always be that bad, but you get the idea! Our suggestion is to make your own tastier, cheaper and healthier options from the comfort of your home. The spices and the textures are yours to create, and you can guarantee the freshness and quality of the ingredients, not to mention the cleanliness of the kitchen. (Does anyone know how clean those grills at takeaway shops are?)
Instead of waiting for delivery and paying more than you’d like, enjoy the luxury of takeaway foods by recreating your particular preferences in-house, but better. Chinese-style prawns, Mexican burritos, fish and chips, burgers and meatball subs to name but a few – oh, and don’t forget your favourite Indian dishes.
We talked to our cooks in the test kitchen and turns out there are a few corners you can cut for a fakeaway dinner. First up, make sure you have the basics in your freezer, including pita pockets, homemade pizza dough and vegetables prepped and ready to go. Next time you make burgers, try putting the bacon and cheese in the burger mix, which keeps the patty incredibly juicy. Also, on the subject of burgers, another inside tip is to add a dash of gherkin liquid to your burger sauce – we think it’s the elusive ingredient that makes Big Mac sauce sing. If fish and chips are on the menu, the trick is to prepare the batter at the very last minute and use ice cold water. A few lumps in the batter are fine. Definitely avoid over-stirring, as this can neutralise the active components which make the batter puff up. Ensure you have pat-dried your fillets with paper towel and, for optimal results, keep the oil hot and do not fry too many fish at once. Allow the fish to cool slightly before serving and heat the oil back up to around 190°C/375°F for the second batch.
We bet that your DIY takeaways will become winners in your family’s memory, and your secret sauce might just have the edge on anything that comes to you through a window.