How many of you bother to read them?

For some things I've just bought/made for the first time, I'll read to the instructions carefully. After that, I just usually bung it in the oven to approximately the right temp (usually about 200*C) and leave it for the right amount of time.

Today, I popped a cheese and onion pasty thing into the oven, prewarmed at 200*C and left it to sit for 35 mins. Imagine my surprise when I tuck into it. The pastry is hot and soft and tasty. The filling - cold and 'oily'. Blurgh!

go back to read the instructions and they're telling me I should have left the thing to defrost for twelve hours first.

I have never left anything to defrost for twelve hours. I usually speed things up with the microwave.

I don't buy things often enough to know how long things take...

Pizzas are about half an hour on about 200°C, other than that, I've no idea...I keep clippings from the back of boxes in a plastic envelope with other recipes my gf gave me when I started to live on my own again

Pasties I usually do about 5-10 minutes in the microwave, then another 15-20 minutes in the oven to crisp up the pastry...

It states on the packaging "not suitable for microwaving".

Anyway, I've gone off the idea of eating it. Just stuck some garlic bread in the oven, and let's see how that fares.

I don't eat ready meals or just heat frozen/chilled snacks. I usually gauge stuff based on experience & the old chefs guide
"When it's brown it's cooked when it's black it's fcuk'd"

I follow the same guide. The pasty was supposed to be in the oven for 20 mins, and I left it for 30 mins.

I prefer slightly overcooked to slightly undercooked.

Yes, I read cooking instructions. Why would you not?

Ah, cooking instructions! Regulation 5(g) of the Food Labelling Regulations 1996 FTW!!

(That's the "General Labelling Requirements" to the uninitiated).



http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1996/Uksi_1 ... .htm#mdiv5

I rarely buy pizzas, but I only do them for 12 minutes at 180°C. Yours must be burnt to hell, surely?

Peter.

Depends on if it's deep crust, frozen, just chilled...

I do frozen pizzas at 200*C for 25 mins. Enough so the cheese on the outside is dark brown and the centre is yellow but cooked.

They only take about 20 minutes to cook from raw!

I very rarely cook ready meals, but I have the odd pizza because they're cheap and convenient. I might check the instructions, but basically they go into a hot oven and come out when cooked.

I've never seen a frozen pie or pasty. Nearest thing is those pre-made frozen party sausage rolls, which take about 10 minutes.

I want pizza pie now

My friend makes her own, and they take about a quarter of that in the oven.
I've been pestering her for the recipe for the dough etc., I'll share it when I get it.

I use the recipe on the side of the flour for fococcia, which comes out very nicely:

350g strong white flour
1/2 tspn salt
200ml warm water
1.5tbspn good olive oil
yeast

How fast it cooks depends a little on how thick you like the base. If you spin it out to about 1/4" thick then it doesn't take long. Maybe 3 or 4 minutes blind, then up to 10 more with the toppings on. It also depends how crispy you like the crust, and how brown you like the cheese!

All this pizza talk! *drool*

I'm sooooo tempted to go for a dom-doms right now.

Blasphemer!

Edd