Who invented cooking ?

Well it's still a little way off but really looking forward to the masquerade event.

As per last time we are making a long weekend of it and starting our trip up north on the Friday. In fact we are travelling further than the event just to meet up at Bigkev's with some other collectors and an evening of merryment.

Looks like the turnout is increasing at a fare rate of knots.

Saturday is a travel back in a more southerly direction down to Sheffield and the event itself. We are staying at the Copthorne and at last count we are nearly up to 20 at the hotel. Not the cheapest hotel available but not bad at £65 for a 4* - and thats a room not per person. The deciding factor for us was that there is parking actually at the hotel - if anybody recalls the fun we had at Leicester and NCP carparks you will understand why. The hotel is right at the footbal ground so not too far to stagger - as usual there will be a pre event get together in the bar - seeing the other guests faces when we are all in fancy dress is an event must now - if you fancy poppoing in to join us let us know :O)

Costumes all sorted - don't expect to win anything but we just love dressing up for the events - I know it's not eveybodies cup of tea though.

Bear mods, masks and fans to be started shortly for the competitions - all the basics bought already though.

So back to the original question - who invented cooking ?

Ok I can see cave man dropping meat into the fire and deciding it tasted better cooked than raw - the start of cooking as such.

But this was cooking by accident - what I would like to know is what sort of mind thinks up .....

Ingredients
4 medium egg whites
¼ tsp cream of tartar (optional)
225g caster sugar


Method
Meringues are much simpler to make than their reputation suggests. The basic rule is that for every egg white you use, you should use 55g caster sugar. You also need to get a feel for when to add the sugar and when to stop whisking. I find cream of tartar, which works as a stabiliser, makes the whole thing less unpredictable, though you can manage without it.
Start by preheating the oven to 140°C, gas mark 1, remembering to adjust the heat for fan-assisted ovens. Line 2 large baking sheets with baking parchment. Pop your eggs in a large, thoroughly clean and dry mixing bowl with the cream of tartar. Eggs towards the end of their life will give a better volume, so save really fresh ones for poaching. They need to be at room temperature, rather than fridge-cold, and free from any protein from the yolk. The more room there is, the better your volume will be, so use a big bowl. Start whisking on low, building up the speed as the whites expand. Once they are really stiff and there's no wobble, they are ready for the sugar. Egg whites can be overwhisked, which ruins their elasticity, so be careful. They should look smooth, with no lumpiness around the edges. Add the sugar 3 tbsp at a time and quickly whisk in after each addition. Stop once the mixture is thick and moussey and stands in peaks when pulled up by the whisk.
Dab a bit of your mixture under each corner of the paper to stop it moving. Spoon on 2 heaped tbsps of mixture and repeat until you have eight mounds, leaving enough space for them to expand a bit. A meringue's charm is in its quirky peaks so don't worry about being too neat. Pop them in the oven on a low shelf and bake for 45-60 minutes until crisp on the outside, then turn off the oven and leave them to cool with the door ajar for 30 minutes, to cook the insides further. Remove from the oven, lift them off the paper, and serve as they are, or with cream and fresh fruit.

Whas somebody bored or something - sitting at home twiddling their thumbs and thought " I reckon I'm going to beat some eggs today ...."

It's not the work of a sane mind now is it ?

Rude food by Luke Cox - with a name like that what do you expect !