cookery | Answer Me This! Podcast

Posts Tagged ‘cookery’

No more tears!

August 5, 2009

We’ve had a few tips from listeners regarding how to diminish the cry-powers of the onion, as discussed in Episode 102. Heed the advice of Oliver from Leeds:

Breathing in from your nose draws these chemicals into your eyes. Answer: breathe shallowly through your mouth while cutting onions, always worked for me.

I’ll try that; and maybe contact lens-wearer Olly can test what Jen in Wisconsin suggests:

I am a voracious home cook, and have worked in a cooking school. I wear contact lenses most of the time, and chopping onions hardly ever bothers me. But if I’m just wearing my glasses, then my eyes sting and water. I have never yet heard anyone talk about the fact that contact lenses protect your eyes from onion fumes. And they do have “vanity lenses”, so you can get contacts without corrective lenses.

Happy chopping!

So that‘s why Marilyn Manson always wears his silly cataract-lenses! We assumed it was to look creepy, but really it was to protect himself whilst preparing his soup-bases.

UPDATE: Lew from the Czech Republic advises:

This is a little bit of advice given to me by an Irish girl over twenty years ago. “Chop it in the garden, you stupid sod”. If you are outside, or even near a window or a door with a through draft, it will never make you cry. Such a sensible idea.

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Tags:cookery
Posted in Answer Us Back! Your time to opine | 2 Comments »

EPISODE 101 – like The Wire, but in Crystal Palace

July 23, 2009

Dear space cadets,

It’s been 40 years since the moon landings, can you believe! Well, we’re sure you can; those things were bloody AGES ago. But can you even believe it’s been a whole week since AMT100? Not as impressive a quantity of time as has elapsed since men got space-dust on their shoes, to be sure; but it’s somewhat relevant here because it means it’s time for Episode 101:

This classic episode is available to BUY NOW for just 79p, through iTunes or a secure PayPal server, without DRM restriction. CLICK HERE to find out more and support our podcast. (This helps keep our most recent episodes free)

In this episode we wag our chins about:

Fanny Hill
Waitrose
Juicy Couture
the cakewalk
Paul Merton vs. George Orwell
Mr Kipling and his maverick ‘Like This, Try This’ feature
Animal Cops Houston
Adrian Mole’s diet
shell suits
Manor House
nuptual napery
Crocs
and
omelette.

Plus, Olly explains fusion food for plebs; handicrafty Helen offers tips for DIY contraceptives; and Martin the Sound Man turns out to be the only sentient being under the age of 70 to enjoy a dry fruitcake. Of all the cakes in all the world, he just has to go for the crap ones.

You know what we would ALL like more than inedibly dry fruitcake though? Your questions! Thwack them at top speed into our question-basket by sending an email to answermethispodcast@googlemail.com or leaving a voice message by Skypeing answermethis or calling 0208 123 5877. Furthermore, please leave a comment below if you can name the album cover that Callum is so keen to identify.

If you are all worn out after that and crave some musical compilations to listen to as you recuperate on your chaise longue, you could check out our inaptly named Celebrity Playlist on iTunes. It works even if you don’t actually have a chaise longue. Fancy! While you’re reclining you can also listen to Helen on the Richard Bacon Show on BBC Live tonight from 11pm-1am, discussing the most pressing topics of the day and trying to stay awake past her bedtime.

That is all for now, so we shall see you next week!

Helen and Olly

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Tags:cake, cohabitation, cookery, crime, dancing, finance, heartbreak, jews, music, romance, sartoria, weddings
Posted in PODCASTS | 1 Comment »

EPISODE 100 – Live centenary extravaganza at the iTunes Festival!

July 16, 2009

episode 100

Fanfares please, readers! For against all odds (given that we expected to be fully estranged WAY before completing the century), Answer Me This! has hit 100. Right in the face. Wallop!

Of course we couldn’t let such a landmark pass in normal fashion; so instead of kicking about in our home studio in Crystal Palace, we trotted across town to the historic Roundhouse in Camden, and recorded the episode in front of an audience of fans and Olly’s extended family as part of the iTunes Live Festival. Technically we were La Roux’s support act, although she was probably cheerfully unaware of this.

To get a fuller sense of the occasion, conjure up a few of the following images to accompany the audio experience:
1. circular room in the bowels of the Roundhouse, that was rather like the innards of a compass
2. balloon animals
3. party bags, including sweeties, cheap plastic toys, sudoku and VERY LOUD party whistles
4. Kanye specs and foil hats.

From the folds of our sparkly centenary cloaks we whipped out such topics as:

i-mutation
dislocated hips
sweaty necks
Dodie Smith
filofaxes
Fortnum’n’Mason
chimichangas
Neo’s address
palindromes
George Orwell
Olly’s Mum
and
a fake egg.

Plus: how the podcast began! What’s really going on with Martin the Sound Man! The practicality of coming out on a podcast! And the future of AMT! Joining us for this cavalcade of fun were Josie Long, Alex Thomas, Tommy Herbert, Matthew Crosby; and joining Martin the Sound Man on bass, uke and drums was Richard Acton of the band Limn. We must also thank Alicky Ashby and Julie Wang for the photos, because I doubt we will make another such visually arresting podcast for quite some time.

We hope you enjoy the festivities; but next week the show is back to normal, so we will of course be requiring YOUR QUESTIONS: please email them to answermethispodcast@googlemail.com, phone 0208 123 5877 or Skype answermethis (Skype seems to have been playing up a bit lately so make sure you elocute to the max).

See you next week, for palindromic prime episode 101!

Helen and Olly

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Tags:Arizona, coming out, cookery, dogs, eggs, gay, parents, romance, surgery, work
Posted in PODCASTS | 10 Comments »

(PG)Tips

June 25, 2009

** Click here for Episode 98 **

There are some subjects which are particularly dear to us, so naturally our question-answering urges were roused by this email from Bobbie from Cincinnati:

Recently, someone asked your advice for new residents of England. Helen mentioned learning to make a proper cup of tea. Which leads me to my question.

Helen and Olly (& Martin) answer me this: what do the “Non English” do wrong when they make tea? I am a tea junkie and would love to know what makes a cup of tea rubbish.

The first problem facing you, Bobbie, is that the most popular tea in the USA is Lipton’s, which is about as likely to make a tasty cup of tea as some eczema scrapings. But assuming you can get your hands on some decent bags or leaves, there are a few useful rules for tea palatability (I will try to keep this brief, as I tend to get far too overexcited on this subject and it is not attractive):

1. Use water that is at the zenith of boilingness, otherwise the resultant tea tastes like someone has been stirring it with soapy pencils. The fresher the water the better, too.
2. Don’t prod the teabag with a sodding spoon, ok? Just leave it to steep for a few minutes! Patience is key to successful tea – which rhymes, therefore must be true.
3. Pyramid or drawstring bags are Stupid. There, I said it.

Of course everyone has their methods (some of which are pure insanity), but what better guide to a good cup of tea than The Olden Times? If the video below is anything to go by, there used to be such a job as ‘tea instructor’. They were clearly hardcore back then.

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Tags:BFI, cookery, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, tea
Posted in extracurricular questions | 5 Comments »

EPISODE 92 – how many people have seen a ghost’s genitals?

April 23, 2009

Dear stars of the podcast-listening world,

After watching and rewatching clips of Susan Boyle, your ears probably need a bit of a rest from sublime noise, no? Well, we have the perfect thing – Answer Me This! Episode 92:

On this week’s agenda are:

Einstein
hair dye for men
ghost masochists
humane killing tips from Richard Madeley
Richard Feynman
talcum powder
Moses
equine respiratory flaws
E.T.
and
the smell of lemons.

Plus, Olly craves an iPhone (it’s his birthday coming up! Hint hint!); Helen tells you how to combine book preservation with solvent abuse; and Martin the Sound Man proves to be a lot burlier than anyone could have predicted. So watch his new music video or he’ll duff you up, right?

As usual, please send us your QUESTIONS by calling 0208 123 5877, Skypeing answermethis or emailing us at answermethispodcast@googlemail.com; but please also help us settle this question:

And that’s all for this week!

Love,

Helen and Olly

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Tags:body odour, combat, cookery, dilemmas, exercise, ghosts, hair, horses, hygiene, jews, lost in translation, marine life, phrases, school, siblings, transatlantic
Posted in PODCASTS | Leave a Comment »