Welsand's in London

Culinary Challenges

Cooking in a London kitchen is an experience onto itself. The equipment, the ingredients, the terms, all lead to an interesting adventure for the novice.

Everything in our London flat is small, especially the kitchen. Jeremy and I cannot both physically be in it at the same time. Our fridge and freezer are about 1/3 of what they were in the states. I had so many left overs after our Christmas meal that we couldn't fit them all in the fridge, we had to freeze some of the food.

The cookie sheet I brought from home didn't fit into the stove, not even close. The roaster Jer bought to cook our Christmas turkey in didn't fit either, I had to bend the handles to be able to close the oven door. Every time I turn the oven on, I have to check in a book to convert the temperature from Fahrenheit to Celcius. For the Christmas meal I actually had to write down when each item would go in and come out to be able to cook the turkey and all the sides.

We have had difficulty in finding some ingredients for our recipes that there just doesn't seem to be a substitute for, like bread crumbs, powdered sugar, unsweetened chocolate. And if you can find an item that is not common in the UK, you will pay a lot for it. I paid $7 for 2 cups of Crisco from the American section of a deli so I could make Christmas cookies with Sophie.

The measurements are mostly in metric, so a calculator and appropriate measuring utensils are a must. You have to convert alot of products, for example, butter is not sold in sticks but blocks that are not marked so you can just cut off what you need, and the baking powder is not double acting like in the US, so you have to remember to use twice as much if from the UK, or half the amount if from the US. There are many different types of flour, sugar and cream products so you need to know figure out what is the best substitute, which can be challenging... I have a guide to living in London that has been extremely helpful for this transition, especially in the kitchen. Every time I try to make a new meal I have to reference the book. I am proud that I haven't burnt anything (to badly anyway), or started anything on fire with the gas stove.

All the slight or major differences in terms can also drive you a bit mad when comparing US vs. UK: french fries vs. chips, chips vs. crisps, candy vs. sweets,
cookie vs. biscuit, dish soap vs. washing up liquid, eggplant vs. aubergine, faucet vs. tap, ground beef vs. mince, jello vs. jelly, jelly vs. jam, lemonade vs. lemon squash, 7-up vs. lemonade, oven vs. cooker, paper towels vs. kitchen roll, hand towel vs. tea towel, saran wrap vs. cling film, sink vs. basin, supper vs. tea, take out food vs. take-away, wax paper vs. grease proof paper, zucchini vs. courgette. By the time I get everything straight we will be home in Minnesota...uff da!

posted by Chris @ 1:00 PM