Help with Yorkshire puddings - UPDATE

I use Delias yorkie batter recipe as its simple and you dont have to make it and leave it before hand. I also always use beef dripping to cook them with. In a muffin tin I place a teaspoon of beef dripping in each, then stick it in a v hot oven until its melted and sizzling.

I turn on a couple of gas rings on the hob, take out the middin tin and stick it on the gas hob so its still getting heat, then I ladle the batter into each one and it instantly starts to sizzle, I stick it back in the hot oven and watch them rise and puff up. Never failed me yet!

IMO you get better, crispy yorkshire puddings from cooking in a metal roasting tin. I always had trouble with my toad in the hole being crispy on top, crispy at the bottom but a soggy mess in the middle. The oil was hot, I'd let the mixture 'air' for a while before cooking, I didn't open the oven door to help it rise etc. The problem was I was cooking in a pyrex or ceramic dish.

Pop to Asda or Matalan and buy a cheapy metal tin, then enjoy ?

Thanks KB3. I can't go to ASDA here but I do have an equivalent where I'm going shopping this afternoon.

On another question....I usually put my meat straight in the oven in a ceramic dish but there is this one recipe which I've found for timings that says the sear the meet first and then roast.....can I do this is a seperate pan or am I best just buying a mettle roasting dish at the same time? And how do you know you can put it onto of a ceramic hob?

Sorry, I hadn't noticed where you were based.

I'm no expert on cooking, you need one of the foodies, but I do love a roast joint of beef. The way I cook it is as follows: either smear with mustard or crushed peppercorns and seal it in a very hot pan on the hob (just colour every side of the meat for a minute in a hot frying pan - no oil). Then wrap in foil and roast in the oven. I roast on 150 -180 degrees, for about an hour, then check. It should be lovely and pink in the middle. If too much blood runs out pop it back in the oven but keep an eye on it. Beef still cooks once it is out of the oven and resting, so be careful not to over do it.

HTH

If you get a fairly good quality roasting pan, it will be fine on a ceramic hob.

With roast beef, I put some mustard and crumble an oxo cube on the fat. If you can find Delia's roasting timings online, use those. It turns out perfect everytime. If the juices burn on the bottom, you get rubbish gravy. I have an Esse oven which isn't fan assisted so I put a little water in the bottom to stop this happening. For the gravy, put the roasting pan on the top, a splash of red wine and I use fresh beef stock. I thicken it with the scrapings from the potatoes once you've shaken them. Works a treat.

Edited to add, I use a metal muffin tin for my yorkshires - gives them some extra height.

Searing the meat before roasting is quite common, you can use a large frying pan if you have one, then transfer the meat to a roasting tin, it will give you far better flavour!

Yorkshires:

weigh 2 eggs

whatever they weigh, use exactly the same amount of milk & plain flour.

beat for an age.

thin with a little water

make sure your oil is smoking hot.

Shameless bounce...?

Having lived in Yorkshire all my life, i should be able to make YPs, but i cant. i salute you that you managed it, i always buy Aunt Bessies!?

With all my meat joints (beef, pork, lamb) I put them in the oven at the highest temperature it will go for the first 25 minutes, then turn oven down to 180-200 degrees - meat is always cooked perfectly.

Excellent, theres nowt like a proper yorkshire pud!