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Thread: What's cookin' ?

  1. #331
    The ethnic Thanksgiving meal turned out to be less about the food than the family dynamics. OMG, why are vegans so irritating? And why doesn't everyone know that more than two women in the kitchen is a bad idea?

    minx, are you talking about poached eggs?

  2. #332
    Quote Originally Posted by GGT View Post
    OMG, why are vegans so irritating?
    Because they're hungry

    And why doesn't everyone know that more than two women in the kitchen is a bad idea?
    It only works if they're really in sync or if one of them acts like the other one is the boss.

    minx, are you talking about poached eggs?
    Nope! Steamed eggs, you can check out videos on youtube if you google "steamed eggs" or "chinese steamed eggs" It's basically a mixture of beaten eggs and stock/water (ratios can be altered according to personal preference) that's steamed in a bowl. You can add various yummies to the bowl before pouring in the egg.
    "One day, we shall die. All the other days, we shall live."

  3. #333
    Sounds like eggs added to ramen can be just as delicious as any other recipe using eggs

    I found the perfect recipe for chocolate chip cookies, if anyone is interested.

  4. #334
    Anticipating a blizzard....I bought meat proteins that could easily be cooked outside, on the grill, by flashlight, when the power goes out. The rest of my pantry could have served its purpose under any conditions, any time of year.

  5. #335
    The verdict is in: Jeni's splendid cornstarch-based eggless ice-cream base is hands down the simplest and in many ways best ice-cream base for making ice-cream at home. This week we've made both matcha- and hojicha-flavoured ice-cream and they've both come out absolutely frickin' fantastic. I may be able to improve on the basic recipe a little to better suit our preferences and our equipment but it's pretty damn' good as it is. Coldly recommended
    "One day, we shall die. All the other days, we shall live."

  6. #336
    Wife has been directed to cut all gluten from her diet by her doctor. Early results are good, but we are going to need some variety thats not bank breaking (fuck Udi).

    Anyone got any suggestions?
    Last edited by Ominous Gamer; 06-09-2016 at 02:30 PM.
    "In a field where an overlooked bug could cost millions, you want people who will speak their minds, even if they’re sometimes obnoxious about it."

  7. #337
    All glutton?
    Hope is the denial of reality

  8. #338
    blah, 2 typos back to back. don't type and fight with county facilities departments at the same time kids.
    "In a field where an overlooked bug could cost millions, you want people who will speak their minds, even if they’re sometimes obnoxious about it."

  9. #339
    OG: lots and lots of gluten free recipes out there. Your best approach is to use recipes that are already naturally gluten free or that require minimal substitutions (e.g. if small amounts of flour are used as a binder, it's pretty easy to replace). Making really bread-like things (inc. e.g. pasta) is really not worth the expense (for packaged goods) or hassle (for homemade). We have a friend with celiac disease so we've gotten pretty good at this game.

    Some ideas:

    -Soups are fantastic, they rarely contain anything gluten-y. The most you normally need is a little flour to thicken something up, but it's easily replaced by e.g. corn starch (also works for things like cheese sauces).
    -Protein-heavy dishes work pretty well - the only issue is using off-the-shelf marinades, a number of which are not gluten free. We use spice rubs, mediterranean/middle eastern flavorings, asian-style marinades (you can get GF soy sauce and build something around that), and things like BBQ pulled chicken/beef/etc. Hamburgers and hot dogs and the like can be challenging due to fillers, but some GF options exist, and it is easy to make hamburgers without gluten/bread crumbs. Fish works really well as well - most fish recipes require no or little gluten. Sushi works really well.
    -For sides, just stay away from anything with wheat. Vegetables work really well in a variety of contexts, and if you're craving something starchy there are always options like potatoes au gratin or the like. Bean-based dishes also work pretty well.
    -Salads are easy, just keep an eye on dressings (we always make our own anyways - cheaper and better and only takes a couple minutes). No croutons, but that's hardly a big loss. Starchier salads using quinoa bases are a good option as well - good for lunches etc.
    -Desserts are much more challenging. Our two go-to options are a flourless chocolate cake/torte that uses a small amount of ground almonds in place of the small amount of flour normally in the recipe. The other option is chocolate bark - essentially melt some good quality chocolate and pour into a sheet, sprinkle on various options (we like nuts, craisins, sea salt, etc.), let harden in fridge, break up and serve. There are a lot of GF dessert options out there but I think most of them suck when they're trying too hard to mimic something with gluten - e.g. pies or whatever. If you're in the 'oats don't contain gluten' part of gluten free, you can always do things like apple or cranberry crisps as well, though the recipe will need some finessing.

    The internet is your friend here. You can take nearly any recipe you guys frequently use and Google for 'X gluten free' and you'll likely get at least some decent ideas. One of the advantages of the GF craziness nowadays (despite the fact that 'gluten sensitivity' is probably a crock and only people with legitimate celiac or the like really have an issue) is that there are a lot of options, and it's pretty easy to google to find out if a given packaged food is GF - lots of them are even labeled nowadays. Another advantage is that if you stick to proteins and vegetables, you'll probably have a much healthier diet as well rather than eating a lot of empty (albeit delicious) carbs.
    "When I meet God, I am going to ask him two questions: Why relativity? And why turbulence? I really believe he will have an answer for the first." - Werner Heisenberg (maybe)

  10. #340
    Seagull, a new English/South Asian delicacy.

    http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-36490552
    Hope is the denial of reality

  11. #341
    Quote Originally Posted by wiggin View Post
    people with legitimate celiac

    Bingo
    Still need blood work but the doctor said its either early onset celiac or a mild case.
    "In a field where an overlooked bug could cost millions, you want people who will speak their minds, even if they’re sometimes obnoxious about it."

  12. #342
    We've continued our experiments with chicken and duck and have determined the following when it comes to either bird:

    - letting the skin dry properly, for over a day, is crucial to getting the best crispy skin. Baking powder helps.

    - properly loosen the skin from the meat

    - cook vertically in a convection oven for the best skin (lets fat drip out properly) or spatchcocked placed over vegetables of your choice for greatest speed and convenience.

    - salt properly

    - injecting flavored brine into the meat is often worth it

    - apply a dry rub under the skin

    As for fish, I have decided that almost all fish dishes, whether raw or cooked, taste better with a little brining/curing.

    We eat a lot more vegetarian dishes than we used to. Observations forthcoming
    "One day, we shall die. All the other days, we shall live."

  13. #343
    Turns out wheat starch is optional when making dumplings. Potato starch and tapioca starch will give you a decent dough. These first ones didn't come out as translucent as the rest of the batch but by the time those were ready I was too hungry to take photos.

    "One day, we shall die. All the other days, we shall live."

  14. #344
    Cauliflower rice: I thought it was just a gimmicky bullshit fad but goddamn is it ever so tasty and also fun to make. Remove the stems from the florets and use the largest grater attachment on your food processor, it takes approximately 1 min to make enough for 2 people. Lightly stir-fry or steam with onions and mushrooms for added flavor.

    Eggs: steamer basket in a small saucepan with a small amount of boiling water, 7 minutes and then cooled as fast as possible (we just run cold water over it for a while). Perfectly set whites that aren't rubbery, perfect yolks that are just a tiny bit runny in the center, super easy to peel (tap each end hard and then the shell practically slides off on its own).

    Fish: also surprisingly easy and tasty to steam. Salt, like, a LOT, let rest for up to 3 mins depending on your preferred consistency, wash off thoroughly, place in a steamer basket on top of mushrooms, onions or vegetables of your choice, maybe add a little soy sauce and then steam (lid on) for a few minutes (like 4 mins maximum). Serve with aforementioned cauliflower rice or green beans sautéed in canola and/or sesame-seed oil over high heat until they begin to brown a little bit (I don't even like green beans but they taste delicious cooked this way, even if they're frozen). If the fish is already prepped this takes 5-10 mins of active work, if not it takes a few minutes more in addition to the time it takes to cure the fish.

    If you have a whole boneless side of fish eg. salmon, and you don't wanna bother with cutting it into portions, cure it, rinse thoroughly, place it skin-side up on a lightly oiled oven-proof tray (maybe with a few sprigs of rosemary underneath if you have it) and then chuck it into the oven. Turn on broiler and set it to max, keep an eye on the fish and when the skin begins to char a little (10 mins in our old oven), remove it from the oven. The skin comes right off, the fish is still juicy and you can serve it with the green beans you just sauteed while the fish cooked.

    Our weeknight meals have become both much less complicated and time-consuming as well as much more satisfying. Two people can make varied, flavorful and healthy meals with less than 15 mins of active work and not too much mess.

    tl;dr: cauliflower rice = good, steaming = good, curing/dry-brining fish = good.
    "One day, we shall die. All the other days, we shall live."

  15. #345
    Lightly cured salmon belly (salt heavily, rinse thoroughly after ca 30 mins, soak in mix of white wine or rice vinegar & nice balsamico, water and a little sugar or syrup), ponzu sauce & toasted hazelnuts, served on cold shirataki noodles with grated daikon, scallions and pickled chili. Ponzu sauce is reasonably easy to make apart from difficulties finding yuzu. We substituted lemon & lime, both juice and zest. Flavored with grated daikon and scallions, it makes for a very tasty condiment that goes well with stronger flavored proteins such as tuna or beef. Shirataki noodles are great whether cold or hot--practically no calories, great texture & consistency, almost impossible to overcook--but in this case they were a bit of a distraction.



    "One day, we shall die. All the other days, we shall live."

  16. #346
    That looks like something from a magazine!

  17. #347
    So the ginger gave me a pressure cooker for my birthday and omg Until today, I'd only used the tiny one at my mum's house--useful, but not as versatile as a decent-sized one. Today, I just browned a whole fresh chicken in the pot with some aromatics & spices, chucked in a variety of sausages and some smoked venison, and let it cook for something like 30-40 mins. At the end of this ridiculously simple process, I was left with a beautifully flavoured, gelatinous broth and a frickin' excellent chicken. Juicy, tender, perfectly flavoured, falling off the bone. The bones were as soft as if they'd been cooked for half a day, but the meat didn't seem overcooked at all. It's not just a way to boil the hell outta stuff really quickly--the chemistry is different. I'm gonna have a lot of fun with this.
    "One day, we shall die. All the other days, we shall live."

  18. #348
    Hmmm don't own a pressure cooker so not really familiar with its benefits.

    We do have a slow-cooker, in which do lamb and beef dishes (plus roast chicken carcass to get stock). Lamb and beef is incredibly tender and falls off the bone, after 5-6 hours in the cooker. I suppose the pressure cooker speeds up the slow-cook process.
    Quote Originally Posted by Steely Glint View Post
    It's actually the original French billion, which is bi-million, which is a million to the power of 2. We adopted the word, and then they changed it, presumably as revenge for Crecy and Agincourt, and then the treasonous Americans adopted the new French usage and spread it all over the world. And now we have to use it.

    And that's Why I'm Voting Leave.

  19. #349
    I got an air fryer as a present, and I'm pretty impressed. Not only does it make fries from scratch, but requires virtually no oil, can cook just about any meat, and does so in half the time.
    Last edited by Loki; 02-08-2018 at 01:46 AM.
    Hope is the denial of reality

  20. #350
    I don't have a pressure-cooker, an air-fryer, a crockpot, or even a microwave! But I do have plenty of time, so slow-cooking doesn't bother me. I consider it fun (a hobby?) to roast a whole chicken for dinner, pick the left-over meat for chicken salad, then simmer the skin, bones and sinew to make stock, then finally a soup.

    I even enjoy peeling, slicing, soaking, and cooking potatoes. Wedges, cubes, hashbrowns, homefries, chips. But I do miss the microwave for a fast, moist "baked" potato in 8 minutes. And microwaved popcorn, with the push of a button, hot out of the bag, all kernels popped with no burnt pieces!

  21. #351
    Quote Originally Posted by GGT View Post
    I don't have a pressure-cooker, an air-fryer, a crockpot, or even a microwave! But I do have plenty of time, so slow-cooking doesn't bother me. I consider it fun (a hobby?) to roast a whole chicken for dinner, pick the left-over meat for chicken salad, then simmer the skin, bones and sinew to make stock, then finally a soup.

    I even enjoy peeling, slicing, soaking, and cooking potatoes. Wedges, cubes, hashbrowns, homefries, chips. But I do miss the microwave for a fast, moist "baked" potato in 8 minutes. And microwaved popcorn, with the push of a button, hot out of the bag, all kernels popped with no burnt pieces!
    That's one of the best things about chicken, so satisfying to use one chicken to make so many different things We don't eat potatoes alas.

    The ginger made kimchi and it is awesome. Much better (and cheaper) than store-bought, as good as or better than most we've had at restaurants. New staple for sure.
    "One day, we shall die. All the other days, we shall live."

  22. #352
    Why don't you eat potatoes?

    I love hearing ideas from my sous chef son. He writes ideas in his notebook, and sometimes asks my opinion. I won't divulge any of his secret recipes but he's creating a modern version of a grilled PBJ sandwich that I've never seen on any menu, and it sounds fantastic. He's got a real gift.

  23. #353
    Quote Originally Posted by GGT View Post
    Why don't you eat potatoes?
    Just personal preference... I usually don't like the flavour, it doesn't stave off hunger for long enough but I always feel really heavy and sluggish after eating a meal with potatoes.

    Today, I butterflied some chicken breasts and sliced them up so they were really thin, salted them and spread some tasty very soft blue cheese all over them, rolled them up into two thick sausage-like things, wrapped them in bacon and then tightly wrapped them in clingfilm, cooked them at 60 degrees celsius for a while and then finished them off quickly in a hot frying pan in order to brown the bacon. Served with slow-baked butternut squash, herb-marinated artichoke-hearts, a creamy slightly tomatoey chicken velouté and a little lemon. Think it needs a little finely chopped rosemary and I def. want to try it out with chicken thighs. I don't really like chicken breast but it was on sale

    I love hearing ideas from my sous chef son. He writes ideas in his notebook, and sometimes asks my opinion. I won't divulge any of his secret recipes but he's creating a modern version of a grilled PBJ sandwich that I've never seen on any menu, and it sounds fantastic. He's got a real gift.
    Very exciting I hope you get to taste-test often!

    The ginger and I have had more opportunities to learn from my mum this year. It'll take a frickin' lifetime.
    "One day, we shall die. All the other days, we shall live."

  24. #354
    Funny you mention flavor, because potatoes are vehicles of flavor, just like rice. And there are so many varieties of potatoes and rice, and methods of cooking, that it's almost impossible to distinguish one from the other. My guess is that cultural traditions and childhood tastes are the hardest to break.

    That said, your chicken roulade sounded yummy.

  25. #355
    Quote Originally Posted by GGT View Post
    Funny you mention flavor, because potatoes are vehicles of flavor, just like rice. And there are so many varieties of potatoes and rice, and methods of cooking, that it's almost impossible to distinguish one from the other. My guess is that cultural traditions and childhood tastes are the hardest to break.

    That said, your chicken roulade sounded yummy.
    Gah, roulade! That's the word I was looking for! >_< was def. a hit, making it again with chicken thighs today.

    Re. potatoes, it really is a personal preference thing. I used to like both rice and potatoes as a kid, and, because I come from Bangladesh, rice will always have a special place close to my coronary arteries. But tastes change! These days, I prefer bulgur and couscous to rice, potatoes, pasta and most breads. In Bangladesh, potatoes are regarded as a vegetable, so it's common to eat potatoes in curries (or mashed, flavoured with onions, chili, mustard-oil and eggs) with rice or bread.




    Anyway, the other day we had guests over for fika and I was planning to make some matcha ice cream, but I got distracted and by the time I came home the ice cream base had caramelized into something resembling dulce de leche, only less sweet. So, instead of making matcha ice-cream I've now made some dulce de leche ice-cream, with toasted almond flakes mixed in. Only problem is, ice-cream is much more difficult to give away at work than eg. cakes and buns. .
    "One day, we shall die. All the other days, we shall live."

  26. #356
    Ah, how we love our carbs!

    I've never been a big fan of cold milk carbs. Ice cream is just a vehicle for chocolate sauce or hot fudge or caramel or crushed cookies Cottage cheese and yogurt are good platforms for fruits and nuts, but I'm sick to death of the "Greek" yogurts dominating the dairy aisle these days.

    One of my son's best recipes is a cottage cheese salad with herbed croutons, shredded cheddar cheese, and buttermilk salad dressing. Diced carrots optional. He came up with that when he was like 6 yrs old.

  27. #357
    Hmm I like the sound of buttermilk dressing Unfortunately buttermilk is no longer sold in Swedish grocery stores, so I have to make it myself whenever I want to make something with buttermilk

    This, btw, is the accidental ice-cream:



    These flavours worked shockingly well together, better than toasted hazelnuts. I don't think it would've worked if I'd used "real" dulce de leche--would've been way too sweet. The texture & consistency I love--creamy, smooth, and just a little chewy--but the mix needs to be adjusted a little because the outer layer melts way, way too quickly. Still
    "One day, we shall die. All the other days, we shall live."

  28. #358
    Looks great! Your attention to detail and plating takes it up a notch

    Sometimes I'll sour milk with lemon juice as a sub for buttermilk, and it works out pretty well.

    I saw frozen goat meat at the grocery store around Easter. First time ever. Wanted to buy and try, but it was in ten pound bags.

  29. #359
    Gonna use this thread to vent a bit about restaurants, and what my son experiences in his chosen field. First off, there is so much drama! (No wonder it's spawned reality TV shows.) It escalates and intensifies as you 'move up the food chain' from small places, diners or bistros, to 'professional kitchens' and fine dining. Probably because the stakes are higher? Dunno

    But I'm amazed at how much crap goes on behind the scenes, between owners, business managers, vendors, line cooks/chefs/waitstaff, even dishwashers....things diners hopefully never even know about. (Surely, they're things I never thought much about when I went out to dinner.) Many restaurants also offer off-site catering, which means a whole other mess of coordination, quality, and staffing. There are just so many places things can go wrong, and too many mismatched expectations....

    Knowing all this, my son still loves it. He wants to spend his time, effort, and creativity in the world of cooking for other people. I suppose it's no different than any other endeavor that's a "labor of love", like small family farmers, or independent jewelers like Bitter. But the next time you eat at a restaurant and really love your meal.....please make sure to compliment the entire staff by saying something to the manager, or ask who cooked your steak, or who made that recipe....and don't assume that a good tip for your server sends the same message to the whole kitchen.

  30. #360
    Again, not sure if this is the right thread, but I'm gonna post here anyway.

    I was having a great convo with my sous-chef son about the foodie trend....and before you know it we were arguing about the role of dishwashers! I was approaching it from my own personal experiences in the healthcare field, where doctors can't do anything without RNs or CNAs.

    Maybe I made some assumptions that didn't transfer well from healthcare to food service, I dunno.

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