Niiiiiiice. Where would you rank this on the effort/reward ratio scale?
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CookingEra | OT | vol. 1 mise en place
- Thread starter infinitebento
- Start date
- OT
I've been assuming that since ResetEra started there was no cooking OT, but it turns out I just never saw it. I'm so glad there is one. I've got two year's worth of food unposted, but I'll only put up a couple of the more recent things I've done.
Kimchi: here's my second attempt at making kimchi and it turned out delicious, though it needs more spice still. I never seemed to enjoy kimchi until a year ago we started making sauerkraut regularly, and then got an appreciation for kimchi. It turns out this stuff is absolutely amazing on everything. With rice especially, but I've found it takes skirt steak and burgers over the top.
Also just moved and got a sourdough starter from a nearby bakery. This bread turned out super well. I typically have had a problem of over proofing normally.
And finally, a pizza that turned out well, which is also normally a challenge with trying to get a hot enough oven. This was a different dough recipe, which I think helped.
Kimchi: here's my second attempt at making kimchi and it turned out delicious, though it needs more spice still. I never seemed to enjoy kimchi until a year ago we started making sauerkraut regularly, and then got an appreciation for kimchi. It turns out this stuff is absolutely amazing on everything. With rice especially, but I've found it takes skirt steak and burgers over the top.
Also just moved and got a sourdough starter from a nearby bakery. This bread turned out super well. I typically have had a problem of over proofing normally.
And finally, a pizza that turned out well, which is also normally a challenge with trying to get a hot enough oven. This was a different dough recipe, which I think helped.
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I'm am fairly comfortable with mixing and kneading dough so it was a very favorable ratio of effort/reward. The hardest part was learning the pinching/closing method (and you can see how messy I was) but I was armed with various youtube videos and the willingness to just have fun with it.
Say a person likes to make Kraft shells n' cheese with different kinds of meat in it. What would be some good herbs, or other ingredients, to throw in with some polka kielbasa?
A lot of things could work well. Some that I would try and should be readily available:
Green onions/scallions
Chives
Parsley
Red pepper flakes
Paprika
Sauteed mushrooms
Fried egg
(These also work well for dressing up instant ramen)
I'd agree with everything Easy-G mentioned but the sauteed mushrooms and fried egg for mac and cheese. Could also do a bread crust if you want to put it in the oven? Take some bread crumbs, sautee in butter and a bit of herbs like rosemary or something in there, then put it on top of the mac and cheese and throw it in the onion.
Also add cheese. Whenever I make craft, I try and grate some of my favorite available cheese into it (and just up the milk I put in to keep the consistency). I once had a coworker who liked to mix chilli in her's and its pretty alright.
Also add cheese. Whenever I make craft, I try and grate some of my favorite available cheese into it (and just up the milk I put in to keep the consistency). I once had a coworker who liked to mix chilli in her's and its pretty alright.
Thanks guys. I didn't even think of mushrooms and paprika, obvious.
I saw on Reddit that the cooking audiobook for "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat" is free on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4gKzeEPctxpZlnxLd1zEGN
I doubt it has anything new to offer to most here, but maybe people just getting started could appreciate it.
I saw on Reddit that the cooking audiobook for "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat" is free on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4gKzeEPctxpZlnxLd1zEGN
I doubt it has anything new to offer to most here, but maybe people just getting started could appreciate it.
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat is great! Both the book and the Netflix show.
I should really check that out as I'm always seeing it recommended. What is it? Does it focus on techniques, recipes, or just anything food?
Padron peppers are in now! Here are some halfway through cooking. They weren't the most flavorful I've ever had, and zero spicy ones, but still really nice to have before dinner.
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I bought some durian cream-filled mochi on a whim.
Oh man. Do people really eat these? Not on a dare?
They're terrible. There's this constant whiff of some rank stuff; smells exactly like a garbage can full of vegetable/fruit peels that has been left to rot for several days under the July sun (I can tell because I once left some watermelon rinds macerate in my garbage bin for too long, and the goo that collected on the bottom smelled exactly like that).
Oh man. Do people really eat these? Not on a dare?
They're terrible. There's this constant whiff of some rank stuff; smells exactly like a garbage can full of vegetable/fruit peels that has been left to rot for several days under the July sun (I can tell because I once left some watermelon rinds macerate in my garbage bin for too long, and the goo that collected on the bottom smelled exactly like that).
Ouch, that's a bit harsh. I like the taste of durian in small amounts. One of the local places makes a durian based dim sum, it is lovely.
For my mom's birthday, I made banh xeo (Vietnamese crepe) with karaage (Japanese fried chicken) with lettuce, herbs, and ssam (Korean chili sauce) in other words, I made a dish from a freaking manga (Shokugeki no Soma)
Things I learned because I never made banh xeo or fried chicken before:
Your oil must be REAL hot before frying either
But take caution and wear long sleeves or be freaking careful because both splatter and I have the burns up and down my left arm to prove it (nothing serious but very noticeable since the underside of my arms are paler than the topside)
Also made tofu pudding with ginger syrup.
Next week is my dad's death anniversary so I wanna try making a carmelized onion and potato tart and tarte tatin (french apple tart)
It basically talks about how there are 4 main elements to cooking and if you master them, you can make food taste real good
Making short ribs tomorrow night!
Simmered the alcohol out of a bottle of Malbec and infused it with thyme, peppercorns, bay leaves and garlic, and marinating the ribs for 24 hours. Tomorrow I'll use the leftover marinade as the braising liquid along with some rich homemade chicken stock. I'll be following Alison Roman's NYT recommendation of 275° F for four hours.
Simmered the alcohol out of a bottle of Malbec and infused it with thyme, peppercorns, bay leaves and garlic, and marinating the ribs for 24 hours. Tomorrow I'll use the leftover marinade as the braising liquid along with some rich homemade chicken stock. I'll be following Alison Roman's NYT recommendation of 275° F for four hours.
For my mom's birthday, I made banh xeo (Vietnamese crepe) with karaage (Japanese fried chicken) with lettuce, herbs, and ssam (Korean chili sauce) in other words, I made a dish from a freaking manga (Shokugeki no Soma)
Things I learned because I never made banh xeo or fried chicken before:
Your oil must be REAL hot before frying either
But take caution and wear long sleeves or be freaking careful because both splatter and I have the burns up and down my left arm to prove it (nothing serious but very noticeable since the underside of my arms are paler than the topside)
Also made tofu pudding with ginger syrup.
Next week is my dad's death anniversary so I wanna try making a carmelized onion and potato tart and tarte tatin (french apple tart)
Did you like how they turned out, or more importantly did your mom like it? They look great!
Frying can be really frustrating if the food has lots of pockets of moisture that leads to big pops in the oil. Dry potatoes are easy, but I did some artichokes the other day that must've had droplets between leaves and it was tough (though still good tasting).
Making short ribs tomorrow night!
Simmered the alcohol out of a bottle of Malbec and infused it with thyme, peppercorns, bay leaves and garlic, and marinating the ribs for 24 hours. Tomorrow I'll use the leftover marinade as the braising liquid along with some rich homemade chicken stock. I'll be following Alison Roman's NYT recommendation of 275° F for four hours.
Looks like it'll be amazing! We're always making stock, but I don't braise meats often and forget that would be a good use for it.
We just about finished off our kimchi last night with some skirt steak, so we made up another batch and I'll be making kimchi soup later, using pork belly, tofu, and the chicken stock we've made.
I messed up the first batch of chicken and banh xeo but once I got everything nice and hot it was easier. My mom loved the banh xeo and chicken separately but thought combining them was a little too heavy for her (she is 69 this year)
That looks absolutely incredible.
Brisket flat. Smoked 225 for 2 hours. SV 158 for 36 hours. Smoked 200 for 2 hours to finish, in a pan with the bag juices.
it was pretty great. Best I've made so far. I've done all sort of combos and this was it. I used only salt and pepper, with some pink salt on it too in order to keep more of a smoke ring. Used hickory and pecan wood. My co-worker was still raving about it today two days later :)
First trying trying spaghetti squash and using it as a pasta substitute. My bolognese ended up some of the best I'd ever made, though I slightly over salted the dish overall.
Not sure spaghetti squash makes for much of a direct substitute for spaghetti given it is a lot thinner, shorter, and has somewhat of a different mouthfeel. But as a lower carb, gluten free alternative that is easy to make and quite filling and satisfying, it seems like a solid option two consider swapping in if you want to avoid pasta for whatever reason.
Not sure spaghetti squash makes for much of a direct substitute for spaghetti given it is a lot thinner, shorter, and has somewhat of a different mouthfeel. But as a lower carb, gluten free alternative that is easy to make and quite filling and satisfying, it seems like a solid option two consider swapping in if you want to avoid pasta for whatever reason.
Short ribs came out perfectly, and I have decadent leftovers for the rest of the week (and three big jars of rich beef stock in my freezer.) Didn't bother taking a picture of it, but I also made another puff pastry pizza, this one with homemade radish top and toasted walnut pesto, cherry tomatoes, preserved lemons, shallots and Boursin.
Today is the anniversary of my dad's death so for an altar offering, I made a tarte tatin for the first time and a caramelized onion and potato quiche
Things I learned making caramelized onions and tarte tatin (French caramelized apple tart)
-Caramelizing onions takes a loooooooooooooooooooong time
-If you're doing dry caramel--DON'T. FUCKING. STIR. THE. SUGAR!! It will crystallize and seize up. This was my first attempt and I had to throw it out
--If you're doing wet caramel--Swirl the damn pot and don't stir the sugar. This was my second attempt. i thought it was thin because I messed up the water to sugar ratio but after i added the apples, reduced it down, and baked it, it turned out perfect. I think if I got it to a thick, amber brown syrupy caramel, it might have burned while baking.
While puff pastry was great for the apple tart, I think for the quiche, it came out underbaked maybe even with a 15 min blind bake because the egg mixture seeped under the puff pastry. Still tastes good but no crispy or flaky quiche crust is saddening.
Things I learned making caramelized onions and tarte tatin (French caramelized apple tart)
-Caramelizing onions takes a loooooooooooooooooooong time
-If you're doing dry caramel--DON'T. FUCKING. STIR. THE. SUGAR!! It will crystallize and seize up. This was my first attempt and I had to throw it out
--If you're doing wet caramel--Swirl the damn pot and don't stir the sugar. This was my second attempt. i thought it was thin because I messed up the water to sugar ratio but after i added the apples, reduced it down, and baked it, it turned out perfect. I think if I got it to a thick, amber brown syrupy caramel, it might have burned while baking.
While puff pastry was great for the apple tart, I think for the quiche, it came out underbaked maybe even with a 15 min blind bake because the egg mixture seeped under the puff pastry. Still tastes good but no crispy or flaky quiche crust is saddening.
The title of this OT is wrong! Made it a pain to find!
Anyone has a recommendation for a small BBQ? For my new apartment I'll have a small balcony and I'd like to put a small BBQ on it that won't hijack much space, but something that still functions like a proper BBQ. I'm open to new tech stuff too if results are good too.
edit: Wow at the stuff you guys are making. Definitely going to be working on my cooking skills once I move in. Currently wondering if I should get an induction range, but I see a lot of issues in various reviews, like the things are unreliable or have various issues. Might stick to the classic electrical range.
Anyone has a recommendation for a small BBQ? For my new apartment I'll have a small balcony and I'd like to put a small BBQ on it that won't hijack much space, but something that still functions like a proper BBQ. I'm open to new tech stuff too if results are good too.
edit: Wow at the stuff you guys are making. Definitely going to be working on my cooking skills once I move in. Currently wondering if I should get an induction range, but I see a lot of issues in various reviews, like the things are unreliable or have various issues. Might stick to the classic electrical range.
Today is the anniversary of my dad's death so for an altar offering, I made a tarte tatin for the first time and a caramelized onion and potato quiche
Things I learned making caramelized onions and tarte tatin (French caramelized apple tart)
-Caramelizing onions takes a loooooooooooooooooooong time
-If you're doing dry caramel--DON'T. FUCKING. STIR. THE. SUGAR!! It will crystallize and seize up. This was my first attempt and I had to throw it out
--If you're doing wet caramel--Swirl the damn pot and don't stir the sugar. This was my second attempt. i thought it was thin because I messed up the water to sugar ratio but after i added the apples, reduced it down, and baked it, it turned out perfect. I think if I got it to a thick, amber brown syrupy caramel, it might have burned while baking.
While puff pastry was great for the apple tart, I think for the quiche, it came out underbaked maybe even with a 15 min blind bake because the egg mixture seeped under the puff pastry. Still tastes good but no crispy or flaky quiche crust is saddening.
I was curious how it would turn out, and it looks like you did a good job! I've made tarte tatin once before and it was kind of a disaster, with a wildly burnt top, but at least good puff pastry. Yours looks great. It's interesting that you made the caramel as the recipe I saw effectively had the caramel being made in the process of baking of the tarte.
Yeah, it's a throwback to the old neogaf OT, which was a reference to Iron Chef. I can't remember the exact thread title anymore, strangely.
Trying to tweak my turkey chili, making it more tomatoey. Tomatoes are from a friend's garden. Corn, garlic, and green peppers the farmer's market from a local farm. Tomato sauce I made myself yesterday. Only stuff from a can are the beans (I didn't feel like making any - gotta be a little lazy). Oh and the spices, of course. Cumin, cayenne red pepper, some Mexican chili powder a friend put me onto that is hot as the sun, but in small amounts adds a subtle smokey flavor.
Now time to simmer for a few hours.
Now time to simmer for a few hours.
Is this the right thread to ask this question or does it belong elsewhere?
If I wanted to make a culinary foam, I need a foaming agent. I used soy lecithin, but it kind of overpowers the taste and it also kills what I was going for. The spilanthes extract I'm using has a numbing effect which works on it's own, or with water/juice... but the soy lecithin just kills the numbing part.
I was trying to create the drink found at Galaxy's Edge with the numbing foam on the Fuzzy Tauntaun.
If I wanted to make a culinary foam, I need a foaming agent. I used soy lecithin, but it kind of overpowers the taste and it also kills what I was going for. The spilanthes extract I'm using has a numbing effect which works on it's own, or with water/juice... but the soy lecithin just kills the numbing part.
I was trying to create the drink found at Galaxy's Edge with the numbing foam on the Fuzzy Tauntaun.
Theres a weird point of pride when I buy food that's like pre-marinated or something, eat it, then think to myself (I could have made a better marinade). After years of learning how to cook, I feel like I'm at that point where i can throw things together with confidence that it'll be tasty and thats a really nice feeling.
Even better is when you go to a restaurant and eat something and think to yourself, "I could have done this better."
Well, better and worse, I guess, because you paid money for it.
It's a real bummer for me when I get a dish that is not as good as something I or my wife would make. Although sometimes I'm deliberately testing the restaurant (my wife's tiramisu is god-tier in my opinion, I like to compare).
Yeah, that's the thing. It's a bummer when you get something you could have made better yourself, but it's also nice to be able to say, "I make a ______ that's better than this restaurant."
(For me, it was a steak we got at a restaurant at one of the Disney parks.)
Big lunch today - Scotch fillet steak sandwich on garlic butter toasted ciabatta, with truffle mayonnaise, onion marmalade, double cream Brie cheese, baby spinach, and beetroot hummus
I've had that experience with thai red and panang curries, and the result is deeply disappointing when it happens.
It feels like you're eating lunch cafeteria food and then ask yourself "did they try to 'adjust the dish to Finnish palate' or something?"
I just got a Microplane and it's an amazing upgrade. I zested a whole Meyer lemon perfectly in under a minute, and it grates garlic cloves and Parmigiano Reggiano like a dream. So easy to clean too, I'm in love.
They definitely are great. Much better than trying to use the small side of a box grater or small cheese grater.
The first few days after I got mine I kept zesting my knuckles though! That was annoying, but I got used to how sharp they are and how to hold them.
I think I asked before but I'll give it another try: anyone has experience with induction cooktops? Seems pretty common in Europe. How much of an issue is it if you want to cook Asian cuisine that might involve stir frying? I don't feel like going for gas... might get a separate built in oven and cooktop so I can more easily upgrade the cooktop if I want to.
I own one. They rule. I would never consider any other kind of stove.
You can stir fry as well as with any other cooktop. Their main disadvantage is that they are subpar for actual wok action since they require a flat bottom and there are no flames to heat the sides of the pan. Special woks with flat bottoms for induction cooking are sold, though.
I find them vastly superior for any other kind of use. Much more efficient, safe and easier to clean.
I use an electric top with a flat bottom wok, quite alright and can get quite hot a couple of cm up. Induction would do better than that even, I would think.
Some things I noticed when I renovated my apartment and got rid of my classic glass ceramic top.
Induction has changed the way I cook and I wouldn't replace it with any other type of stove, even if I can't use it for charring.
- My admittedly basic induction cooktop has a boost mode than can boil a medium sized pot of water in less than three minutes. It's incredibly fast and very useful for pasta. It's also practical for getting pans to blistering temperatures.
- Touch sensors set it off automatically in case of large spillages. If water or sauce reaches the controls, it powers off.
- Temperature sensors will turn it off if you forget a pot on. It won't save your food (temperature will rise dangerously once there's no liquid to boil) but it may prevent something worse.
- I tend to remove pans and pots from the range without turning the heat off. This is a huge problem with gas and glass ceramic. My induction top turns itself off if it doesn't detect a cooking vessel after a few seconds.
- Cleaning is extremely easy.
- It's safe to the touch. Heat is residual as it's transfered from the vessel instead of the contrary. Remove it from the top and the surface will be cold enough to clean within seconds. This also prevents nasty scorching when something spills over.
- It's extraordinarily fast when it comes to lowering temperatures in a pinch. This is useful for boiling milk. It foams and overspills very easily, so you always need to keep an eye on it. If you use a normal electric top, you'll have to remove the pot ASAP or you'll make a mess. Induction allows you to fine tune the heating rate of the vessel on the fly, so you can go from 10 to 3 in a couple of seconds and keep the contents hot while preventing spillage without removing the pot.
Induction has changed the way I cook and I wouldn't replace it with any other type of stove, even if I can't use it for charring.
Ok you two have convinced me I'm not crazy. It's less common here so I had few opinions from people I know.
I saw some put a paper towel under the pan while cooking to avoid scratching the surface.
I'm surprised there are no wok adaptors, something like a dog-food bowl. I saw some wavy ring but I don't understand it. The is a depressed induction cooktop made by Jenn-Air to put a wok on but that would be over 2k. I just don't get why there isn't a similar adapter you could put on top. Maybe the magnetism wouldn't transfer properly. This link shows them:
Edit: ah the ring is a cradle. But you would get little heat I guess. Although you would move it around.
I saw some put a paper towel under the pan while cooking to avoid scratching the surface.
I'm surprised there are no wok adaptors, something like a dog-food bowl. I saw some wavy ring but I don't understand it. The is a depressed induction cooktop made by Jenn-Air to put a wok on but that would be over 2k. I just don't get why there isn't a similar adapter you could put on top. Maybe the magnetism wouldn't transfer properly. This link shows them:
Edit: ah the ring is a cradle. But you would get little heat I guess. Although you would move it around.
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That is madness. The top layer is glass ceramic and highly resistant to scratches. I believe most European brands use Schott Ceran, which is very hard.
Bad scratches shouldn't be a problem unless you are really careless.
Ok well people say it's to make it easier to clean, I just assumed it was for scratches:)
If you have time to decide before you pick one for your house , maybe buy one of those standalone induction tops and use it for a bit?
(I think I saw one ikea Like for $50).
The papel towel thing sounds like a terrible idea because induction won't heat the paper, but the vessel will do given enough time and you could find yourself starting a fire using a flameless top.
I'm sure the conversation with the insurance company would be interesting.
For similar reasons, you should never, ever use tinfoil on induction. It melts. Shitty enameled pots with thin bottoms can be problematic, too. Always use induction rated cookware, which these days are the norm anyway.
I'm sure the conversation with the insurance company would be interesting.
For similar reasons, you should never, ever use tinfoil on induction. It melts. Shitty enameled pots with thin bottoms can be problematic, too. Always use induction rated cookware, which these days are the norm anyway.
Well since my place is getting renovated I pretty much have to decide now, but I really doubt I would get a gas connection just for cooking. I imagine in the US it's a lot more common to use gas in general, but doing so just for the cooktop seems overkill.
Now the question is, separate built-in oven, or a slide-in range. I don't see an advantage with my layout in putting the oven elsewhere, so it would end up under the cooktop anyway, which is something I've seen on a few European setups on Instagram where they don't put the oven at a higher level in some vertical storage, so it seems fine to do so. I'll let the architect get back to me on this.
Thanks, never doing the paper thing! Actually surprised this is even a thing. https://www.google.com/search?q=ind...wo3kAhXFneAKHcf4DpMQ_AUIESgB&biw=1366&bih=632
I love gas, which heats anything no matter what material the pot/pan is made of and can be used as flame for other things during cooking, like burning off alcohol. Inductions are neat though. I may get a portable one in the future, like Babish has. They have their uses.
I made Bon Appetit's chicken pot pie this weekend, only I substituted turnips with carrots since we are not in season yet.
It was my first time attempting a pot pie and it was absolutely fantastic, although I can't help but think that maybe I used a bit too much cream given the differences between mine and theirs (odd, since I used the same amounts). It came out incredibly tasty and it's very easy to make. My only problem is that I cut the pastry way too much, so it retracted into the pan. Other than that, it's terrific. And huge. I think you can easily feed eight people with the original recipe.
It was my first time attempting a pot pie and it was absolutely fantastic, although I can't help but think that maybe I used a bit too much cream given the differences between mine and theirs (odd, since I used the same amounts). It came out incredibly tasty and it's very easy to make. My only problem is that I cut the pastry way too much, so it retracted into the pan. Other than that, it's terrific. And huge. I think you can easily feed eight people with the original recipe.
I should make a homemade pot pie sometime but honestly I'm happy with the frozen stuff and its a conveinent meal when i don't feel like cooking.