CookingEra | OT | vol. 1 mise en place

Deleted member 11637 · Oct 16, 2018

Success! Riffing on this recipe, I made a rice bowl with toasted brown rice, golden raisins, preserved lemons, caramelized onions, toasted walnuts, Italian parsley and lemon pepper (and walnut oil in place of olive oil.)

All these ingredients are already my pantry staples, minus the golden raisins (which keep forever in the fridge.) This will definitely wind up in my regular rotation.

Chitown B · Oct 16, 2018

laminated said:
Does anyone have a go to pumpkin pie recipe they've made and can recommend? I'm going to test out two pie recipes leading up to Thanksgiving and pick the better recipe. It'll be something I bring to a potluck I have with my cousins, so it's gotta be delicious!

honestly the recipe on the back of the LIbby's can is perfect.

laminated · Oct 17, 2018

Chitown B said:
honestly the recipe on the back of the LIbby's can is perfect.

Awesome thanks I'm gonna try to make it this week! Seems like many recipes I've read say don't bother making your own filling, it won't taste better than libby's anyway lol. I'm cool with that.

Chitown B · Oct 18, 2018

laminated said:
Awesome thanks I'm gonna try to make it this week! Seems like many recipes I've read say don't bother making your own filling, it won't taste better than libby's anyway lol. I'm cool with that.

True story :)

Also I've been a fan of sweet potato pie lately.

whatsinaname · Oct 18, 2018

Made some scallion pancakes. Forgot to add salt so added some extra into the dipping sauce to compensate. Otherwise, turned out great!

Chitown B · Oct 19, 2018

I ground my own burger for the first time last night. going to make burgers tomorrow for guests. I did a 50 chuck / 30 brisket / 20 stew meat blend, on coarse.

I wanted short ribs instead of stew meat but the grocery butcher was out of any precut and they weren't cutting any more last night.

Turned out well, and the grinder worked pretty well. I did 10lb and froze 6 of them.

Chitown B · Oct 19, 2018

kvetcha said:
I might suggest Samin Nosrat's 'Salt Fat Acid Heat,' which is a wonderful primer on how to cook improvisationally.

This is now a Netflix show, and it's excellent.

Briareos · Oct 19, 2018

Chitown B said:
This is now a Netflix show, and it's excellent.

I enjoyed the fat episode a lot (super bad to watch if you're hungry though!), but a not insignificant voice in the back of my head was a little apprehensive about how precious it is about Italy. I sent it to an Italian friend to get his opinion on whether this is a sort of "Italy porn" for Americans. "Oh yes we all have villas and hang our own salumi in the back." I hope there's an American version in Italy where they go to barbecues in the south and learn about our ancestors artisanal cornbread.

Chitown B · Oct 19, 2018

BriareosGAF said:
I enjoyed the fat episode a lot (super bad to watch if you're hungry though!), but a not insignificant voice in the back of my head was a little apprehensive about how precious it is about Italy. I sent it to an Italian friend to get his opinion on whether this is a sort of "Italy porn" for Americans. "Oh yes we all have villas and hang our own salumi in the back." I hope there's an American version in Italy where they go to barbecues in the south and learn about our ancestors artisanal cornbread.

LOL

citrusred · Oct 19, 2018

BriareosGAF said:
I hope there's an American version in Italy where they go to barbecues in the south and learn about our ancestors artisanal cornbread.

I mean a lot of American food shows do have episodes that are exactly this? You don't need other countries to do it for you.

Chitown B · Oct 19, 2018

citrusred said:
I mean a lot of American food shows do have episodes that are exactly this? You don't need other countries to do it for you.

Okra will blow their mind.

laminated · Oct 25, 2018

I visited Seattle recently and was absolutely blown away by the piroshki's I had at Piroshky Piroshky. They were warm, heavily seasoned to the edge of being salty but not, and had the perfect ratio of dough to filling. The "beef and onion" and "beef and cheddar" piroshki's were some of the best things I'd ever eaten. I'd been experimenting with sous vide duck confit, based on the method from Serious Eats. With some left over duck, I decided to make a duck piroshki.

I seasoned the torn duck meat with a little cumin, a little dill, and a few dashes of worcestershire. I then folded in a reduction of the duck juices and duck fat which created a silky, emulsified sauce. Added some freshly grated sharp cheddar, sauteed onions, green onions, minced slow cooked garlic. I used Trader Joes puff pastry and an egg wash consisting of 1 egg, a dash of water and a dash of milk to make it look shiny and golden.

The end result was fantastic, and *flavor-wise* I think it could sit alongside any of the piroshki's at Piroshky Piroshky.

Ortix · Oct 30, 2018

Not sure if this is still an active community, but I suck at making food and wanted to ask a stupid question.

So I've made puff pastry which might or might not be terrible, but I Have no idea how to use it. It's some big lump of folded dough in the fridge right now. Do I roll it out (again) until it's thinnish and then start cutting or whatever? Or do I just unfold that shit, since I did already rolled and folded it like 6 times?

laminated · Oct 30, 2018

Ortix said:
Not sure if this is still an active community, but I suck at making food and wanted to ask a stupid question.

So I've made puff pastry which might or might not be terrible, but I Have no idea how to use it. It's some big lump of folded dough in the fridge right now. Do I roll it out (again) until it's thinnish and then start cutting or whatever? Or do I just unfold that shit, since I did already rolled and folded it like 6 times?

Props for making your own puff pastry! I've only worked with puff pastry once -- it was store bought -- but I recall the thickness of it being around 1/8 of an inch. How thick is yours?

It's very versatile. You can make meat pies with them, and in them you can stuff it with meats, cheese, anything you think would taste good wrapped in crisp buttery flakes. It's a popular thing to use with desserts too.

Ortix · Oct 30, 2018

laminated said:
Props for making your own puff pastry! I've only worked with puff pastry once -- it was store bought -- but I recall the thickness of it being around 1/8 of an inch. How thick is yours?

It's very versatile. You can make meat pies with them, and in them you can stuff it with meats, cheese, anything you think would taste good wrapped in crisp buttery flakes. It's a popular thing to use with desserts too.

Mine's way too thick I think. More than an inch folded up like it is atm, so probably nearly half an inch before I folded it.

laminated · Oct 30, 2018

Ortix said:
Mine's way too thick I think. More than an inch folded up like it is atm, so probably nearly half an inch before I folded it.

By "folded", you mean its folded just to save on space in the fridge?

If your puff pastry is half an inch in thickness, then depending on the intended application, you may want to roll it a little thinner before using. Or not! I don't think there's necessarily any rule for how thick the puff pastry has to be before using it, it just depends on what you're going for. But you can try cutting out a square, rolling it thinner, and try making like a pizza pocket out of it. Or using a muffin tin, use the puff pastry as a base for egg tarts. Let your imagination run wild.

Ortix · Oct 30, 2018

laminated said:
By "folded", you mean its folded just to save on space in the fridge?

If your puff pastry is half an inch in thickness, then depending on the intended application, you may want to roll it a little thinner before using. Or not! I don't think there's necessarily any rule for how thick the puff pastry has to be before using it, it just depends on what you're going for. But you can try cutting out a square, rolling it thinner, and try making like a pizza pocket out of it. Or using a muffin tin, use the puff pastry as a base for egg tarts. Let your imagination run wild.

It's a loooot so I think I'll be using it for different things.

And I'm not completely sure why it's folded, was following a tutorial and that's what they did. I'm assuming I can just unfold and use, since it's already been rolled & folded plenty.

Briareos · Oct 30, 2018

Ortix said:
Not sure if this is still an active community, but I suck at making food and wanted to ask a stupid question.

Still cooking but not doing anything new--made some pasta from scratch this weekend with a little mushroom 'brodo' that I threw together. Need to stretch myself a little and put a post together.

Frankish · Oct 30, 2018

I cook every night but I don't know how to take good photos, so I don't bother. I've been making a lot of soups lately, it's my wife's current pregnancy craving.

le-seb · Oct 31, 2018

Ortix said:
And I'm not completely sure why it's folded, was following a tutorial and that's what they did. I'm assuming I can just unfold and use, since it's already been rolled & folded plenty.

Adding layers of butter, folding and rolling multiple times is how you make puff pastry.
Just cut and roll to use it now.

Frankish said:
I cook every night but I don't know how to take good photos, so I don't bother. I've been making a lot of soups lately, it's my wife's current pregnancy craving.

At least, her cravings are easy to deal with.

tangeu · Oct 31, 2018

Does anyone have good recommendations for baking or recipe YouTube channels? Or any websites really? Where do you find your inspiration and ideas?

Briareos · Oct 31, 2018

tangeu said:
Does anyone have good recommendations for baking or recipe YouTube channels? Or any websites really? Where do you find your inspiration and ideas?

We've watched CookingWithDog for almost ten years with our kids. A few years ago they also got into JunsKitchen. The first one that really captivated us all, however, was River Cottage. Otherwise we watch a lot of Netflix shows like Ugly Delicious; older Ramsay's episodes from the UK, etc. I watched a lot of Dotch! back on KSCI when I lived in LA. We buy a lot of cookbooks, too.

FlowersisBritish · Oct 31, 2018

Ortix said:
So I've made puff pastry which might or might not be terrible, but I Have no idea how to use it.

tangeu said:
Does anyone have good recommendations for baking or recipe YouTube channels? Or any websites really? Where do you find your inspiration and ideas?

Not sure what you intend to do with your puff pastry but you should try this out. I watch a lot of Binging with Babish and I find his recipes tend to all taste really good. Way better than what I usually find online.

RatskyWatsky · Nov 3, 2018

Does anyone have experience using a stand alone roaster oven such as this:

https://www.amazon.com/Oster-Self-B...00CQLJESK/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

I was thinking about getting one for Thanksgiving so I can have the oven free for the other foods (turkey takes up precious oven space/time for like 3-4 hours). Reviews seem good?

Sandfox · Nov 5, 2018

I'm slow cooking tomato sauce for spaghetti to see how it compares to the ones in the jar. I would've liked to use San Marzano tomatoes,but they were too expensive for what is ultimately an experiment.

FlowersisBritish · Nov 5, 2018

Sandfox said:
I'm slow cooking tomato sauce for spaghetti to see how it compares to the ones in the jar. I would've liked to use San Marzano tomatoes,but they were too expensive for what is ultimately an experiment.

What did you put in with it? Garlic? Basil? Chili peppers?

Sandfox · Nov 5, 2018

FlowersisBritish said:
What did you put in with it? Garlic? Basil? Chili peppers?

I just used this recipe except I added ground beef, Italian sausage, bell peppers , and mushrooms: https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes...n-american-tomato-sauce-red-sauce-recipe.html

I just finished making it and it came out pretty good, though different than what I'm used to.

FlowersisBritish · Nov 5, 2018

Sandfox said:
I just used this recipe except I added ground beef, Italian sausage, bell peppers , and mushrooms: https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes...n-american-tomato-sauce-red-sauce-recipe.html

I just finished making it and it came out pretty good, though different than what I'm used to.

I might give this a try! I've been in the need for more slowcooker recipes!.

Sandfox · Nov 5, 2018

FlowersisBritish said:
I might give this a try! I've been in the need for more slowcooker recipes!.

It gets a thumbs up from me.

Funky Papa · Nov 6, 2018

RatskyWatsky said:
Does anyone have experience using a stand alone roaster oven such as this:

https://www.amazon.com/Oster-Self-B...00CQLJESK/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

I was thinking about getting one for Thanksgiving so I can have the oven free for the other foods (turkey takes up precious oven space/time for like 3-4 hours). Reviews seem good?

That looks like a one purpose tool, which means you may not use it that much. What about a smaller electric oven? My parents have a smaller one on their (yuge) countertop because it's more economical to use than their normal, larger one.

https://www.amazon.com/KRUPS-Stainless-Steel-Deluxe-Oven/dp/B07FY77D8N (just an example)

machine · Nov 6, 2018

RatskyWatsky said:
Does anyone have experience using a stand alone roaster oven such as this:

https://www.amazon.com/Oster-Self-B...00CQLJESK/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

I was thinking about getting one for Thanksgiving so I can have the oven free for the other foods (turkey takes up precious oven space/time for like 3-4 hours). Reviews seem good?

I know a lot of people that have roaster ovens and it's true that they mostly pull them out for holiday turkeys or hams when they are tight on oven space. If you frequently cook for large groups though, you can get a little more mileage out of your roaster oven if you get one that has buffet inserts like this:

69fab242-4d8f-4b27-bfce-3bfa4b982869_1.39813be16644e7c788381cd4e29855b9.jpeg

RatskyWatsky · Nov 6, 2018

Funky Papa said:
That looks like a one purpose tool, which means you may not use it that much. What about a smaller electric oven? My parents have a smaller one on their (yuge) countertop because it's more economical to use than their normal, larger one.

https://www.amazon.com/KRUPS-Stainless-Steel-Deluxe-Oven/dp/B07FY77D8N (just an example)

Good point. It does look like a one purpose tool (though I imagine I could also cook chickens and roasts and stuff in there too) but I don't think I have the space for a gigantic electric oven even if it is more versatile.

machine said:
I know a lot of people that have roaster ovens and it's true that they mostly pull them out for holiday turkeys or hams when they are tight on oven space. If you frequently cook for large groups though, you can get a little more mileage out of your roaster oven if you get one that has buffet inserts like this:

Oh, smart idea!

Funky Papa · Nov 13, 2018

I was gifted a set of six Le Creuset mini cocottes. They are the cutest thing and I'm glad I didn't pay for them.

Also, and since it's starting to get cold out there

Ignore the fact that shallots are not onions.

FlowersisBritish · Nov 13, 2018

Funky Papa said:
Ignore the fact that shallots are not onions

Wha wha WHAAAAAT???

Also I'm going to try making a risotto for the first time. Hoping it'll come out well.

Briareos · Nov 13, 2018

FlowersisBritish said:
Also I'm going to try making a risotto for the first time. Hoping it'll come out well.

Just remember, even if it doesn't, you can still make arancini, and those are almost impossible to screw up.

Funky Papa · Nov 22, 2018

I decided to replace my programmable pressure pot with an Instant Pot Duo. Which for some crazy reason costs an arm and a leg (€135) compared to the cheaper ones (€50), despite all of them being imported from China and having a similar set of functions. I was just tired of occasional pressure leaks and dealing with the inner non-stick vessel, which was absolutely ruined after close to four years of use.

Let's see if the upgrade is worth it. At least I have an extra steel vessel, so heavy weekend cooking should be a breeze.

whatsinaname · Nov 22, 2018

Funky Papa said:
Let's see if the upgrade is worth it. At least I have an extra steel vessel, so heavy weekend cooking should be a breeze.

Are you planing to try use the steel vessel directly on the stove top? Or just the saute/high mode?

Funky Papa · Nov 22, 2018

whatsinaname said:
Are you planing to try use the steel vessel directly on the stove top? Or just the saute/high mode?

A few months ago I purchased an original IP steel vessel to replace the non-stick alluminium one from my previous cooker, but it turns out there's a literally milimetric difference in terms of size between both and it wouldn't fit by a tooth's hair, so I had it sitting around. You really don't want to mess with odd tolerances and pressure cookers. So now that I have two, I can cook a month's worth of meals right away.

I tend to make large batches and then portion them for the entire week and/or freezing, so now I can make 5 litres of chicken stock and then a large pot of beef stew or legumes without having to clean and dry one of the vessels.

IP/programmable cookers are extra useful in that they can free your stove for whatever you may need it, so I usually have mine chugging along while I make meatballs and reduce a large pot of tomato sauce on the stove or whatever.

SUPER HLUK · Nov 24, 2018

Picked up an Anova Nano this week and tested it out on a ribeye tonight

Funky Papa · Nov 26, 2018

whatsinaname said:
Are you planing to try use the steel vessel directly on the stove top? Or just the saute/high mode?

An image of what I meant:

Prepping the IP for a huge batch of chicken stock (that'll be diner for most of the week, I want to shed some weight before Christmas ruins my macros) while blanching some jamón bones, making a turkey stew (Monday-Wednesday) and cooking borage for several days (Tuesday-Thursday).

I basically need an extra stove on weekends.

And the IP seems pretty awesome so far. Much better than my previous programmable pressure pot. I'm actually kind of impressed, although cleaning it kind of sucks.

whatsinaname · Nov 26, 2018

Funky Papa said:
An image of what I meant:

Prepping the IP for a huge batch of chicken stock (that'll be diner for most of the week, I want to shed some weight before Christmas ruins my macros) while blanching some jamón bones, making a turkey stew (Monday-Wednesday) and cooking borage for several days (Tuesday-Thursday).

I basically need an extra stove on weekends.

And the IP seems pretty awesome so far. Much better than my previous programmable pressure pot. I'm actually kind of impressed, although cleaning it kind of sucks.

I read your first post wrong, I thought you were planning on using the inner vessel of the IP as an additional stock pot directly on the stove top.

Yeah, IP is great for food prep. I find myself cooking large amounts of curry and freezing it for the weekdays.

Funky Papa · Nov 26, 2018

Now that you mention it, I've actually tried to use my extra IP vessel as a normal pot. Alas, the combed bottom is not suited for induction and the stove won't detect it :(

It's a shame, because it seems of decent quality steel and well made (and you can never have enought large pots).

laminated · Dec 3, 2018

Here's a picture of the two tarts i made for Thanksgiving: lemon and chocolate pudding. Both were well liked, even though my short crust dough wasn't as crispy as I would've liked, and was also too thick. I nailed the balance of tart and sweet with my lemon tart. The chocolate pudding pie recipe is from Joy of Baking and I really enjoyed it. And I should add that chocolate pudding pie has to be one of the best "life sucks, I'm going to eat an entire dessert by myself with just this spoon" dishes you can eat. It's not that heavy, and it's eaten cold so it's refreshing. About three slices worth were left over. I left the party early -- life has been shit this year and i was too tired to socialize much -- I took home the left over chocolate pie, stuck it in the fridge so it got super cold , ate it all with a spoon while rewatching Inside Llewyn Davis for the twentieth time. Felt good man.

Also pictured is my cousins dulce de leche apple pie, also very good.

FlowersisBritish · Dec 3, 2018

Damn those are some handsome looking tarts!

whatsinaname · Dec 3, 2018

Made some siu mai from scratch yesterday. The wrappers were a pain and the final result looks ugly as hell but they tasted surprisingly good.

Edit: Those tarts look amazing laminated

laminated · Dec 3, 2018

FlowersisBritish said:
Damn those are some handsome looking tarts!

Thanks! They've become my favorite things to make due to its simplicity. And it doesn't feel heavy even after a few slices. Maybe I'm just worn out from making fucking croissants.

laminated · Dec 3, 2018

whatsinaname said:
Made some siu mai from scratch yesterday. The wrappers were a pain and the final result looks ugly as hell but they tasted surprisingly good.

Edit: Those tarts look amazing laminated

I know how difficult they can be to wrap. I've watched videos but I don't have the finger dexterity to wrap them. But yes they still taste good regardless of the aesthetics! Which recipe did you follow? Did it taste close to the ones at restaurants?

whatsinaname · Dec 3, 2018

laminated said:
I know how difficult they can be to wrap. I've watched videos but I don't have the finger dexterity to wrap them. But yes they still taste good regardless of the aesthetics! Which recipe did you follow? Did it taste close to the ones at restaurants?

This one for the wrappers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KahAeVHOx-k

This one for the filling. (I used water chestnuts though instead of bamboo shoots).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9kSa3UnPa8

The taste of the filling was very close to the ones in restaurants! The overall taste though depended on how good each individual wrapper turned out. The thin ones were good, the thicker ones a little chewy. I think a pasta machine + cookie cutter would have worked well instead of me fumbling around with the rolling pin.

CrimzonSamurai · Dec 4, 2018

I tried to make my own dough for wrappers once, though it was for bao and not siu mai.

It was probably my greatest culinary failure. So good on you for making something that was workable.

whatsinaname · Dec 8, 2018

Tried my hand at macarons. I am not good at this piping thing.... I used a snipped zip-loc bag, maybe I should get a piping kit.

Added 1/3rd cup of sugar instead of the 1/4th the recipe asked for. Ended up a little too sweet. -_-

CookingEra | OT | vol. 1 mise en place

Deleted member 11637

Are we human or are we dancer?

Are we human or are we dancer?