Cooking like a local in Hungary

Cooking I think is very much to do with personal taste and personality. I don't know many people who can follow recipes to the letter. if its a complicated dish substitutions take place.
I'm very good at baking and it is the cooking  skill that relies on measuring accurately. However my Hungarian gas oven does let me down because the temperature fluctuates. I would love to have a good electric one. Budapest city gas also smells evil.
I suppose they add more smell to it so that we don't blow up the apartments too often.

SimCityAT wrote:

SimonTrew wrote:

Yeah, the British method of cooking, throw it into a pot and boil it to death.

I certainly don't cook like that lol

We don't either.   I don't know anyone (British) who does that either.

Maybe Simon should elaborate!

Your local butcher will give you a tub of szerteszsir, lard, for free. Rendering fat, lard, dripping. Nothing quite like it. If you cook like a Hungarian you should always have tub of it in the fridge, preferably at eye level with the fridge not set to be too cool. My wife does this with eggs (tojas) exactly at arm level so that when I close the fridge door I can hear something crack.. I don't want to look in the fridge, I know what it looks like, it looks like giant snail has run amok, unknown fact to science that average hen's egg has twelve miles of albumen if you allow it to drip long enough in fridge.

One thing that is really better than in UK is eggs. Much fresher, much better, your batter rises great and they are yellow as heck. Again, please get them off the market not the supermarket, they wil be fresher. As a courtesy, please take to them your egg cartons so they can give them to the next customer. (That is not a joke, it will be appreciated).

Um... if you look up "Bachelor Griller" on Wikipedia, the pic on the right is my cooker...  I still have it and it was pressed into service for the last three months while we bought out new house here.

Top tip: If you want a double oven, you  won't get it in Hungary except rejects for damange, check out GRX Outlet. I got a British double oven from them, 79.000 (I already had the hob). THey give you a guarantee for three months and then you have the manufacturer's guarantee but it is only valid in the UK and Ireland. Mine was made in Italy, shipped to the UK, dropped by some idiot on delivery and ended up in Hungary as a reject. Nothing wrong with it except the handles were damaged but I can get new handles,

Second top tip: I forget the name of the shop but there is a good parts store for bits and pieces (cooker knobs etc) I know where it is but forget the name and not sure if I would be allowed to post, but they will get you any spares etc for your white goods. They don't speak English but knob in Hungarian is "gomb" and I have always got stuff from there, if someone needs spares please I will give the details but not sure I am allowed to post them here.

If you need to get things wired in and stuff I am not just an idiot but a qualified electrician so I can do that for you. That's not an advert, just being a mate.

mm Only a man or six students sharing a one bedroomed apartment would have a dirty little batchelor griller like that !
No empty beer cans in view?

Bachelor Griller

Gas stoves should only smell if there is a gas leak.
Be sure to get it looked at if you smell gas.
Maybe a cleaning of the stove is needed, some tiny bits of material maybe of burnt and caused it to light unevenly.
Be careful.
Crazy me, at age 19 I was on my own with my very first small apt. in Ca.
It was my 19th BD and I invited my BFF over for a day of fun.
I was baking a boxed cake fo us and had a very old fashioned style oven that had to be lite with a match. Sort of like the one I have here in HU now.
I thought I lite the oven but after we had some drinks etc. we smelled gas.
I noticed the oven pilot had gone off.
Being higher then a kite and silly as a teenager I just lite up another match without first airing out the kitchen.
POOF!! Off with my eyelashes and eyebrows!! The ends of my fringe also took a hit.
Thankfully that was the worst of it, we fell on the floor laughing but things could of been much worst.
Guess you could say we had a "blast"!
Took a few months to look,"normal" again.Eye lashes don't grow in very fast.
If you smell gas then something isn't right, be careful.
My stove was made in Italy but bought in Hungary so not sure that it is Hungarian workman ship that is off or the fact we bought a cheap stove to start with.Our oven also bakes unevenly. Have to turn the cakes every so often.

IN Hungary yo get red potatoes and white potatoes. That is it. Don't bother asking for a Maris Piper or a King Ted or whatever, you get red potatoes and white potatoes.

Usually if your oven bakes unevenly it is because it is not level. Check it with a spirit level, available at your nearest kinai bolt. Check front to back and side to side with a level. Your oven probably has adjusting screws on its feet to get it into level. It does make a big difference. Moreso with a washing machine etc which will walk around the floor if it is not in level.

Basically you have got a bloody great big motor on the back, on the fan, that is desperately trying to escape. I don't need to teach you basic six degrees of freedom (three cartesian axes and thre polar rotational axes), but it is trying to escape from the back of the oven to get its freedom. If you haven't a fan, the reason it slops around is that it ain't level. Then you're laughing, just check front to back with a spirit level and left to right, and shove half a brick or a bit of paper (in engineering we call that "realism") to get it level. If all else fails, get a birmingham screwdriver.

I am a bit new to this site so I posted a reply but it went as a new post, not as a reply, my apologies. In essence, make sure your oven is level. That is usually why things cook unevenly. Make a batter like a yorkshire pudding batter or pancake batter, deliberately to throw away. Don't put any egg or bicarb in it, you want a flat batter so you can see where the slop is. Stick it in the oven and put it on at the usual temperature (about 180C is good enogh). After ten minutes, it wil not quite be set, then you can see how much it is going from front to back etc. Throw batter and pan away, get vodka, adjust cooker.

It is also quite nice that in England, Liszt is a composer, but in Hungary, he is just flour.

SimonTrew wrote:

Same with things like geometry. Everyone is taught how to estimate the height of a tree that is a hundred yards away, or something like that. Which is simple trigonometry but makes no sense because who gives a - how tall the tree is?

Yes, indeed off topic. But I will reply, simply as a correction:

Forestry professionals care how tall a tree it. Helps them estimate board feet of lumber before harvest and if a logging operation will be economically viable. So knowing how tall a tree is indeed has very real and practical uses. Just because you don't know what those uses are, does not mean they do not exist. 

By the way, I have a MS in natural resource management, which includes forestry -- so I do know about this. 

SimonTrew wrote:

I realise that is rather off-topic but I do think that "science" subjects should not be taught as if they were some magic that is different from the everyday world.

Science does not need practical use, and some is "pure science". Science is about collecting knowledge. And not all knowledge needs to end up in a carpentry shop or a cell phone. And it is indeed important to teach the concept of "pure science" for that reason. 

Thanks for all the hints and tips. I inherited my gas cooker from the people who sold me the apartment. It is at the lowest level of sophistication and I dream of replacing it.
We could have a debate here gas vs electric. I find electric ovens to be far superior but really like gas hobs. Seeing a real flame brings out the cavewoman in me.
This summer I would really like to get an outside fire pit sorted at my holiday cottage and maybe a nice clay oven.

I can really believe our oven is not very level, husband set the screws awhile ago but we could use a entire new kitchen floor, it is very uneven, I once turned my ankle by forgetting about the one dipped area, need a new floor for sure.Think the guy said it would take about 20 bags of concrete to level it out before adding a new surface like tiles. That's about how far we got with a redo.
He uses a level for allot of stuff, funny enough last time he made a sheet cake he was using a floor level to see how even his rolling was!
Ex machinist can't help but do things differently.
I don't usually watch him when he bakes, I want to be able to eat the product and not worry about things I shouldn't of seen!
We just bought a stove, fridge and washer ASAP after buying this flat.
Weren't too worried about performance because at the time it was only suppose to be a little vacation flat. Always said we would only be here temp. Temp. has turned into many years now though.
We would have to move out and redo this whole  flat from top to ceiling and we don't really think it is worth it right now, could use the money for something more fun or to move somewhere else that is already fixed up.

anns wrote:

but really like gas hobs

I do too.

But I am tired of cleaning ours, especially the burned and baked on food that always somehow ends up upon them. So will upgrade to an induction stove in the near future.

klsallee wrote:

anns wrote:

but really like gas hobs

I do too.

But I am tired of cleaning ours, especially the burned and baked on food that always somehow ends up upon them. So will upgrade to an induction stove in the near future.

Use Aluminum foil and cut out a hole for the burner. Works a treat. You still have to clean it but a simple wipe with a cloth all it needs.

klsallee wrote:

SimonTrew wrote:

Same with things like geometry. Everyone is taught how to estimate the height of a tree that is a hundred yards away, or something like that. Which is simple trigonometry but makes no sense because who gives a - how tall the tree is?

Yes, indeed off topic. But I will reply, simply as a correction:

Forestry professionals care how tall a tree it. Helps them estimate board feet of lumber before harvest and if a logging operation will be economically viable. So knowing how tall a tree is indeed has very real and practical uses. Just because you don't know what those uses are, does not mean they do not exist. 

By the way, I have a MS in natural resource management, which includes forestry -- so I do know about this. 

SimonTrew wrote:

I realise that is rather off-topic but I do think that "science" subjects should not be taught as if they were some magic that is different from the everyday world.

Science does not need practical use, and some is "pure science". Science is about collecting knowledge. And not all knowledge needs to end up in a carpentry shop or a cell phone. And it is indeed important to teach the concept of "pure science" for that reason. 

Sounds more and more like a case of not being able to "tell the wood for the trees".

I helped my Dad build a shed once when I was a kid and during that time I learnt the importance of the 3,4,5 triangle.  I've never forgotten it and when I'm doing my own DIY, I still use it regularly to check my angles.   That's trigonometry in action and indeed a special case of how high a tree might be.

Oh, and while we're at it, academically at least you need to know some trig if you study 3-phase electricity.   Rather vital actually.

SimCityAT wrote:

Use Aluminum foil and cut out a hole for the burner. Works a treat. You still have to clean it but a simple wipe with a cloth all it needs.

I am sure it works great.

But..... The wife hates the look of things like that. So ain't gonna happen.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Oh, and while we're at it, academically at least you need to know some trig if you study 3-phase electricity.   Rather vital actually.

I was wondering how you were going to find a way to mention 3-phase electricity in a discussion about food. But you did it! Bravo! 

klsallee wrote:

anns wrote:

but really like gas hobs

I do too.

But I am tired of cleaning ours, especially the burned and baked on food that always somehow ends up upon them. So will upgrade to an induction stove in the near future.

New saucepans required for induction.  We bought new appliances but we've rejected induction because all our pots and pans would have to be changed. 

I'd really like gas cooking but we were not allowed to install it because of various safety issues to do with our cooker hood and our wood burning stove.  Basically the cooker hood could cause a pressure difference and suck fumes down the flue. 

At one point, in the confusion, we were told we'd need an interlock so that the cooker hood fan would not operate unless the window was open.   

We eventually had to have a special air vent installed before the gas company would even do their bit.

And by that time, we'd committed to an electric hob.

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Oh, and while we're at it, academically at least you need to know some trig if you study 3-phase electricity.   Rather vital actually.

I was wondering how you were going to find a way to mention 3-phase electricity in a discussion about food. But you did it! Bravo! 

Yes, 3-phase is on my mind a lot and it's going to be on my mind again today as I have to do some rewiring for my appliances.   Means going to OBI in a minute.  I hate OBI - it's a useless shop only for the desperate as I am.

It's a lot easier to get vineyards into the food discussion - dolmades?

Not very local but "regional"

You have obviously never read "The bachelor's home companion" by P. J. O'Rourke.  Actually I keep it rather clean and deliberately dirtied it up for the photo. Can't beat a bachelor griller, it has two hobs an oven and a spit roast on it.

The lovely british word "ping" at least in my dialect means microwave oven. There is really not translation for that. Oh just ping it, stick it in the ping. In English there is no noun that cannot be verbed. (in Hungarian language, too!)

er declaration of interest I worked in pub kitchens for many years in the UK as a side job (by day I was a rocket scientist). Honestly, the hygiene standards even in your local pub are a lot better than in your own home.. We were cooking mostly good honest fresh English grub i.e. Spanish tapas and Indian curries, but even so, our hygiene standards were far better than what you would do at home. It is just natural to me that you don't mix stuff up so the vegeterains get the meat fat etc, which is why I didn't say it, I thought it was obvious.

now I have another bargain to make against pubs that advertise "Home cooked food". That is a swindle (Greene King are you listening?) Yes, it arrives in a van and you heat it up, so it is home cooked food. THat is not what people are expecting, I think. I am quite happy to eat pub grub that is a fiver or tenner and is what it says it is, comes in a van from 3663 or whatever. I am not going to be swindled to thinking "home cooked" means "the licencee made this from scratch"

fluffy2560 wrote:

New saucepans required for induction.

Most of ours are already induction ready. Even the stainless steel ones.

You are right Maryln, excuse me, I am not sure if this will go in as a reply, but you are right, "Gas stoves should not smell unless they leak".

But may I give another warning. In the UK (I am not sure elswhere in Europe) natural gas does not smell of anything, north sea gas. Deliberately the suppliers introduce the smell for exactly that reason, so that you notice something wrong. They spent a long tijme in the early seventies to find exactly the wrong smell, if you see what I mean. So you are smelling the smell they deliberately introduced so that you can smell it.

But let me  emphasise. IF YOU SMELL GAS. First,, call the emergency services, Do not switch on or off any electrical appliances light switches. (switching them off or on usually causes a small spark which is normal behavior, but the spark can ignite the gas).  Get yourself out, get your family out, make sure everything is out. Let the emergency services deal with the rest, that is what their job is. The emergency services would rather see you safe and sound than have to deal with the after-effects when you said I better not call them.

If you smell gas, GET OUT. GET EVERYONE OUT. GET THE FIRE BRIGADE OUT.

3 phase power? Are you cooking industrial style?
Wow that's allot of zap for your buck.

Cooking Hungarian to us doesn't  mean using lard  or tons of salt.
The main things to get right are doing the onions just so and the white sauce just so.
If those two things are good then the rest is easy.

My main"beef" with cooking HU style is you can't just leave it on the stove and walk away. One min too long and it's over with.
I actually really only cook because my husband likes his dinners.

I remember as a single lady, a salad and a slice of cheese was dinner, I used to buy when I was just 18 and on my own with a small budget  a can of bean soup , used to only eat half the can to stretch out my money, added allot of water, put in some chilli spices and grated cheese and called it Mexican dinner.
One can 2 days of food, not exactly the healthiest way of eating.
Once a week a fridge raid at my moms' and some of her left overs to take home with me.
I often tell my husband that if I wasn't around he would probably just eat bacon and bread or go out to eat.
We keep each other in check by eating right, we say we do it for each other but maybe we just need an excuse to cook for ourselves.
A grilled cheese and side salad is my sort of dinner but that wouldn't go over very well with my husband .

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

3 phase power? Are you cooking industrial style?
Wow that's allot of zap for your buck.

...

3-phase is used a lot in HU and other places in mainland Europe at the residential level - particularly in older houses (my house was built originally about 40 years old so 3-phase was normal).  A lot of appliances are 3-phase - typically cookers and water heaters - these are up to say 7 kW and would need very heavy cables if single phase. 

In industrial situations where one has motors - like lifts or large aircos - then it is used almost exclusively as it's easier to start these motors on 3-phase.

One of the latest things "one needs" is a electric car charger for those "eco-friendly".  It takes a larger amount more time to charge your car on single phase than on 3-phase.   

ELMU (power company) offers now a single phase installation for houses.  But anyone with an electric car or planning for one would be well advised to  install a 3-phase capable charger even though not all electric cars are 3-phase.

A domestic car charger would be - single phase - about 3.5 kW and would give you say, 15 miles range per hour of charging where as 3-phase charger would be 22 kW and give you 80 miles range per hour charging capacity (public charge points are usually the larger capacity). 

So here, it's a no brainer really which to use if 3-phase is available on site.

Apparently in Germany it is quite normal for every flat or house to be in three-phase. You're quite right. Again I have to be a bit technical, but since a bloody Hungarian invented three-phase electrical power (Nikolai Tesla) we are stuck with it.

Between the live and the common on any of the three phases you should get about 220 volts root mean square voltage. If you start mixing them. it gets a bit interesting, cos you will get about 485 to common or about 110. I have a rather suspicious earth in my house that tells at 50 volts which is not what it should, it should tell 0 of course.

Hungarian wiring should be to EU standards. In older houses, you will find that the WHITE is the NEUTRAL (nulla), new standard is blue. THe supply, live, is the BLACK or RED (new standards, BROWN). Earth of course on green or green/yellow, but usually people have taken the earth to use as extra supply and you get a nice surprise and all your kabel belong to us.

My cooker stuff is all single phase, but yes at GRX there is much that is three phase. Usually you can just take any two of the three phases as neutral and live, depends on your consumer unit/fusebox.

For a cooker you would need by british standards 4mm2 cable on a bit of twin and earth, but actually your  2.5mm is quite adequate even at 20 amps depending on the run. The cable will take it, you have toI think about heat diffiusion and affinity. My cooker is on a separate circuit back to the box., I have put up some other konektor in the kitchen but they are on a different circuit.

It's not tricky to do, but usually you have some puzzles along the way in an old house where someone has taken the feed and just routed it badly and you get a nice surprise across your fingers when you thought it was dead. You must be a "competent person" to install anything electrical. It's bizzarre, my new ice-making fridge the installation instructions have me to take the back of it to fix the water line into the back of it, but if I cut the plug off (externally), to rewire it into the box I have invalidated the warranty.

Oh I absoltely agree. And I worked in a paper mill as an apprentice I  learn two two things.  That stuff is heavy and bulky and pretty much all the measurements are on width not length. I worked in a cable factory too and you should see how it goes, it is going like s- off a shovel at the start and anneals and winds and then spools on a loom made in 1900. The helical geometry of cable is actually rather a practicacl problem. THere are tables and tables of how much bulk a cable will be, what it its diameter, after it is all loomed, and you can do it with some second-order trig but the results are different, not by much but over a thousand miles of cable it is, well, a bit too much. THe world beats the equations.

That being said I forgot to include gravity in a guidance equation once and the little missile made a textbook parabola into ithe ground when, er, it should have been flying straight...

What is this "leftovers" you speak of? I tend to put them into the organic dustbin, otherwise known as the cat.

The beer cans were behind the camera. I ain't stupid.

SimonTrew wrote:

Apparently in Germany it is quite normal for every flat or house to be in three-phase. You're quite right. Again I have to be a bit technical, but since a bloody Hungarian invented three-phase electrical power (Nikolai Tesla) we are stuck with it.

Between the live and the common on any of the three phases you should get about 220 volts root mean square voltage. If you start mixing them. it gets a bit interesting, cos you will get about 485 to common or about 110. I have a rather suspicious earth in my house that tells at 50 volts which is not what it should, it should tell 0 of course.

For a cooker you would need by british standards 4mm2 cable on a bit of twin and earth, but actually your  2.5mm is quite adequate even at 20 amps depending on the run. The cable will take it, you have toI think about heat diffiusion and affinity. My cooker is on a separate circuit back to the box., I have put up some other konektor in the kitchen but they are on a different circuit.

It's not about food so I'm taking this to a new topic called "electrics in Hungary".

Let's see how can we tie in cooking with electric devices.
Every stick a fork in a toaster?

Happy as can be, found some nice fresh spinach for sale at last.
Nice big green leaves and small stems too.
Only 500 Forints a kilo at the farmers market in the 6th.
Salad time.