Good morning, everyone.
There was a bit of interest in my new sort-of barbecue so here's a bit of info. It's called a Cobb
It was first developed in Africa and designed to use discarded corn on the cob husks, hence the name. It was also a way of cooking securely to minimise the danger of fires. It is very efficient (says the bumph), using one lighter and around ten charcoal briquettes per session. It's very safe - because of the design, the outer layer stays cool so you can stand it on anything to cook - I had mine on a wooden fold up table (unfolded, obviously) and it's perfectly true. I could hold it, move it about with my bare hands and the underneath was barely warm.
It has a dome cover which you are supposed to use, even when grilling. Basically, it isn't really a barbecue, it's a way of cooking outdoors, ideal for camping or caravanning, I should think, or for taking to the beach or on a picnic. You can stand pans on it but the handle would get in the way of the dome so it might take longer. However, you can buy accessories which sit safely on the grid.
There's no real way of controlling the heat. No air vents, etc. The sides are cooler than the middle though, like a real barbie. It's not a macho thing, a boy's toy. It's too easy and understated for that. Fine by me!
All the inner bits, the bits that get dirty, can be washed in the dishwasher. Yay!
It's small. I should say it does two max and you can see from my photo that, with a meat fest and a few veg, it's full. It is absolutely perfect for one. It's so easy to set up and clean, I'd be happy to set it up for a steak and some griddled veg. It will be more a question of 'is it warm enough?' rather than 'can I be bothered?'.
The main drawback is cost. It's flippin' expensive, as are the accessories and the made for purpose Cobblestones which are an alternative to charcoal, made from coconut fibre, I gather and, they say, more environmentally friendly. However, they, also, are expensive although you can use half at a time if you don't want a longer cooking time
(Just to add, I haven't been paid or sponsored for this review in any way. I bought it with my own money and haven't been in contact with the company. I bought it using Lakeland online.)
Yesterday's meals:
The menu said:
"Giant couscous, broccoli, mixed beans, red onions,
capers & halloumi cheese, all tossed in a citrus dressing,
garnished with pomegranate seeds, coconut flakes &
toasted cashew nuts.
Add chicken"
I did add chicken and I asked for the smaller plate version but she either misheard or forgot because when it came it was the full version. Ooops. Never mind, I ate some and the rest went in the 'doggy bag', hence that photo. It's now two separate portions and in the freezer so that's a couple of lunches this week sorted.
It was absolutely delicious. I can't find the nutritional information anywhere, unfortunately, but then divided into three, it can't be ruinous, especially as it's an 'instead of', not an 'as well as'.
And that was that.
Today's plans:
B: a smoothie
- with the usual proviso that I don't syn blended or mashed fruit.
I'll make this using 20g oats, 250 ml oat milk, a banana and some soft fruit, mostly strawberries as I have some from the garden to use up.
I'll make this using 20g oats, 250 ml oat milk, a banana and some soft fruit, mostly strawberries as I have some from the garden to use up.
It should be just right to keep me going through circuits
SW: one healthy extra A and half a B. The rest is speed and free
L: superfoods salad with a side salad; fruit
See above - perfect for after circuits and a swim.
SW: unknown but has to be OK. There's not a lot of halloumi so let's call it an A choice and the dressing is not very oily to I think calling it five syns should cover any oil, the nuts, etc.
D: creamy chicken pasta, maybe salad or veg; fruit and yogurt
I will spray fry onion, pepper and mushroom, add some sliced chicken and let it all cook with some seasonings, then add some tomato and let it all simmer together before adding some 5% yogurt for the creaminess. I'll cook either some posh (I'm still ploughing my way through it) pasta or some wholemeal and add that to the chicken mixture. I'll see how much it makes before deciding whether to add salad or veg.
SW: one syn for up to 60g 5% yogurt, the rest is speed and free
Exercise: circuits and a swim
Summary:
two healthy extra As
half a healthy extra B
approx six syns
From the freezer:
the salad
chicken
We were thinking about a small bbq for the caravan, the Cobb looks ideal. However, having checked out the price, I'm now thinking hmm, maybe we'll look around! It does look ideal though, so perhaps I'll save up. That Superfoods salad sounds right up my street, should be easy enough to recreate I should think. xx
ReplyDeleteYes, the price is a real draw back, I think. I don't think you could do better in terms of quality of product, etc, but . . .
DeleteI think the salad would be easy to make again too - or ones own version of it, anyway. It's very tasty.
Happy hunting! xx
I'm seriously tempted by the Cobb but will need to convince myself that I will use it enough ... the price is a bit off-putting but worth it if I get enough use from it.
ReplyDeleteHere it is.
DeleteI agree, the price is daunting. I guess only you know if you will use it enough to make it worth the purchase. :-)
xx
Hi Joy, don't know why, but all my comments have disappeared from this post and the last two on your other blog.xx
ReplyDeleteI'll look in spam. Thanks. xx
Delete