CookingEra | OT | vol. 1 mise en place

[Eye for an Eye]

So I made an assortment of soups for Christmas Eve, and I think I spent under $20 on all of it.
What I had in my pantry:
Chicken Broth (1 box)
Bisquick Mix
Flour
Butter
Milk
Eggs

Groceries I bought
10lb of potatoes - ~$2
Onion and celery ~$3
Fresh Garlic cloves (peeled and bagged because I'm lazy) $2
Fresh Herbs $5
Chicken Leg quarters $5

I made Chicken and noodles with home-made egg noodles - The noodles were harder than I thought they would be to roll out. But I also have a tiny tiny tiny little work space.
I made Chicken and dumplings - Apparently this was some sort of foreign concept to everyone else.
I made Potato Soup - I'm so glad I have a 12qt stock pot to make this is in. I gave nearly the whole pot to my neighbor who thinks it is the most amazing soup ever.

I roasted the chicken in an enameled cast iron pot, then I took the meat off the bones. I set it aside and boiled the bones and skin in my stock pot all day. I made the chicken and noodles in this pot with the fresh broth. I used the other half of the broth and meat in the chicken and dumplings. Then I had to use one box of chicken broth to cook the potatoes in. It was such a good meal and so cheap to make.

 

[SugarNoodles]

Sorry, had meant to reply sooner but forgot!

Are you looking for an instant read thermometer? Or one that can be left in the meat on the grill or in the oven?

For instant read - Thermapen Mk4 is usually reviewed to be the best but is expensive at ~$100. I use a Lavatools Javelin Pro. Retails about $50 and does everything I ask of it.



I haven't looked into the probe/clip-on ones but ATK has a video for that too.

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Thanks for the reply, I ended up getting him the Javelin Pro.



Unrelated question: I'm going to get a cast iron skillet and while looking at options I am seeing some hexagonal ones that come highly recommended and I'm having trouble trusting this change. Anyone have thoughts or experience with hex vs circular?

Edit: sorry meant octagon. Finex is a local company and people say good things.

Looking at this list: https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/best-cast-iron-skillet-pan-reviews-article

The victoria seems good but I'm worried those lip/pour/spout things on the side will interfere with a self basting lid doing it's thing.

 

[Chitown B]

love my Javelin Pro. I have this one in blue

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01F59K0D2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Briareos]

Random holiday cooking photos. Usual loaf:

Daughter making pierogies:

Christmas morning popovers:

A dacquoise my wife made for the first time. Obviously the precision on the layering is not there, but all the flavors and textures were spot on. Probably too much work to do again though, lots of dishes that are just a good with far less effort. Bonus pickled carrots from our NYE nachos in the background.

 

[Eye for an Eye]

Half the fun of doing something complicated is the satisfaction of getting it right. That's why we only do it once a year.

 

[Chitown B]

did a prime rib roast sous vide for family over the weekend

 

[Chitown B]

some more random stuff I made lately:

sourdough:

apple pie:

Apple Pumpkin bread:

buttermilk pancakes:

yeasted waffles (blueberry)

Chicken Curry:

 

[Dragoon]

Guys, what's the best food app I can dl where I can add my own recipes, preferably uploading photos as well?!

 

[whatsinaname]

Guys, what's the best food app I can dl where I can add my own recipes, preferably uploading photos as well?!

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I think Paprika is the one usually recommended. I haven't gotten around to trying it though, I still have stuffed scribbled on sheets of paper.

 

[FlowersisBritish]

Out of curiosity where do people get recipe ideas? I'm feeling in a bit of a rut and want to try something new and different. I usually look through one of my copious cookbooks lying around but nothing's been grabbing me from those.

 

[Chitown B]

Guys, what's the best food app I can dl where I can add my own recipes, preferably uploading photos as well?!

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Google drive.......

 

[Chitown B]

Out of curiosity where do people get recipe ideas? I'm feeling in a bit of a rut and want to try something new and different. I usually look through one of my copious cookbooks lying around but nothing's been grabbing me from those.

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I like Chefsteps, or Binging with Babish.

 

[Eye for an Eye]

Out of curiosity where do people get recipe ideas? I'm feeling in a bit of a rut and want to try something new and different. I usually look through one of my copious cookbooks lying around but nothing's been grabbing me from those.

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I like watching youtube channels and getting ideas. Sometimes it's America's Test Kitchen or Emmymadeinjapan. It doesn't even have to be something they're making, but just getting me in the mood to make something. I watched Emmy's video on making butter one time, so of course I had to try it.

 

[Lockness Mobster]

Always awesome foods in here!

Made a breakfast quiche this morning with applewood smoked bacon,two three cheese blends,half n half, and spinach. Store bought crust tho lol.

 

[Sandfox]

Today I've awakened to wonder that is avocado toast. It's definitely going into the rotation.

Out of curiosity where do people get recipe ideas? I'm feeling in a bit of a rut and want to try something new and different. I usually look through one of my copious cookbooks lying around but nothing's been grabbing me from those.

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Youtube and the internet. Sometimes I get ideas from what tv show characters are eating as well. A lot of the time I'm just looking for something for a specific purpose like to use a specific meat, fish or vegetable I have, or to look for a recipe tailored to be healthy.

Like I bought an eggplant, decided I didn't want to make what I bought it for, and now I'm thinking of trying an eggplant curry after looking for something else I could do with it online.

 

[Eye for an Eye]

You could make ratatouille with it. To me, it tastes like a glorified pasta sauce, but man it disappears fast. I used to be able to get fresh vegetables every week from a couple that ran a farm. I would just go with what I got from them. One time I even smoked a box full of roma tomatoes and made bbq sauce out of it. I need to do that again, it was amazing.

Sometimes, fixing one thing will lead to another. I made butter... gotta have amazing bread to go with it. Made bbq sauce, had to grill some meat up to try it on. The protein doesn't always have to be the star of the show.

 

[Zoe]

I've been trying to figure out a better/more efficient way to make the custard for tiramisu. Would an immersion blender work better than a hand mixer for the double-boiler? The biggest annoyances with the hand mixer are how messy it can get and how much of the mixture gets overcooked on the surface of the bowl.

 

[Chitown B]

.

 

[Eye for an Eye]

Have you tried a different recipe or method on making the custard? Every one has a slight modification in making it. You'll have to find your little niche in perfecting it.

 

[Zoe]

Have you tried a different recipe or method on making the custard? Every one has a slight modification in making it. You'll have to find your little niche in perfecting it.

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I've only made it three times, so I haven't had much chance to experiment. Went okay the first two times, but last time I made it I threw away the first batch. Lesson there was metal bowl > Pyrex bowl.

My coworker just sprung it on me this morning that she thought it would be good for another coworker's birthday tomorrow. She did the same thing last year when I was on a Japanese (chocolate) cheesecake kick. -_-

 

[Briareos]

FWIW we don't make a custard for our tiramisu.

 

[Zoe]

FWIW we don't make a custard for our tiramisu.

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Do you still use eggs?

 

[Briareos]

Do you still use eggs?

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Yes, it's roughly the CI recipe, so raw eggs. We have our own hens and pretty good local supply so it's never been a concern for us.

 

[Zoe]

Yes, it's roughly the CI recipe, so raw eggs. We have our own hens and pretty good local supply so it's never been a concern for us.

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Oh yeah, no, since it's for coworkers (one of whom is pregnant) there's no way I'm risking raw eggs lol

 

[Delphine]

After weeks of thinking about it but never doing, I finally caved and cooked a tortilla (Spanish tortilla). This dish is very special to me, reminding me of my childhood and my visits to my grandparents, so I'm always anxious about succeeding cooking it, especially knowing it's pretty long to prepare, and tricky to cook. But this one was pretty good, just needed a lot of patience!

Next time I'll include chorizos in it, because chorizos has the power to make everything a bit better!

 

[FlowersisBritish]

That looks a lot better than the one I made a few weeks ago! I tried one and it instantly fell apart :<
Point is yours looks great!

 

[lootenplunder]

Guys, what's the best food app I can dl where I can add my own recipes, preferably uploading photos as well?!

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I think trello might be good for that purpose. Would be easily customizable/taggable based on cuisine, ingredients, whatever. you can add links, pictures, checklists. etc. I might start doing that myself.

 

[Deleted member 49179]

Recently I've learned how to make no-knead bread using a cast-iron pot. And honestly, I don't see why I would buy bread ever again. It's so good! It's also very easy and cheap to make.

 

[Chitown B]

Recently I've learned how to make no-knead bread using a cast-iron pot. And honestly, I don't see why I would buy bread ever again. It's so good! It's also very easy and cheap to make.

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I make my sourdough in a cast iron dutch oven. I don't knead it, it's a fold method that's really easy.

 

[MarioW]

Frequent travel last year meant I didn't spend a lot of time in the kitchen given I often had a fairly empty refrigerator. I finally organized myself to make dinner for someone for a first a date.

Wanting a little wow factor out of the gate, I put together an appetizer plate featuring caviar, creme fraiche, lemon zest, and edible gold on a pure caramel wafer, salami, ricotta, and apricot preserve on cracker, salmon, creme fraiche, lime wafer slice, and dill on blini, duck liver parfait and tamarillo chutney on cracker, and triple cream Brie, chili flakes, and manuka honey on cracker. Unfortunately, she both stood me up and ghosted me, so I had to bring in a friend to share the meal (for the record the main course was fillet steak, sweet potato mash, and butter fried green beans and sliced almonds, and we skipped the dessert I had planned). Oh well, at least it didn't go to waste.

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[whatsinaname]

All clad has a good sale going, better than their usual 2nds prices. (GSEBVIP15 for another 15% off and free shipping).

https://homeandcooksales.com/index.php/

Picked up a 3qt sauce pan I had been looking at.

 

[Deleted member 11637]

Frequent travel last year meant I didn't spend a lot of time in the kitchen given I often had a fairly empty refrigerator. I finally organized myself to make dinner for someone for a first a date.

Wanting a little wow factor out of the gate, I put together an appetizer plate featuring caviar, creme fraiche, lemon zest, and edible gold on a pure caramel wafer, salami, ricotta, and apricot preserve on cracker, salmon, creme fraiche, lime wafer slice, and dill on blini, duck liver parfait and tamarillo chutney on cracker, and triple cream Brie, chili flakes, and manuka honey on cracker. Unfortunately, she both stood me up and ghosted me, so I had to bring in a friend to share the meal (for the record the main course was fillet steak, sweet potato mash, and butter fried green beans and sliced almonds, and we skipped the dessert I had planned). Oh well, at least it didn't go to waste.

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Yo, that plating is sublime.

I now know how easy it is to make vegan chocolate mousse from whipped aquafaba, and now I'm a changed man. Every time I make homemade hummus, i can also whip up a bunch of mousse au chocolat.

Recipe I followed: https://thehiddenveggies.com/vegan-chocolate-mousse/

 

[Briareos]

Yeah Mario's plating is off the hook per usual. Sorry to hear about the ghosting.

was -17C this morning, need to bake something to warm up the kitchen. Looking like poor man's banana bread, aw yeah.

 

[Dragoon]

Does Smuckers Sunday Syrup and Magic Shell need to be refridgerated once they are opened? Getting conflicting answers on google.

 

[Deleted member 49179]

.

 

[Chitown B]

nice! Sourdough from last night:

Here's how I do it, my friend asked recently so I recorded a step by step. Playlist in 5 parts:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdbMeytI1ME&list=PL3vwxa6JJdfbJRjTaEPqwFyPOm4_XSmPr

note, if you want it make it take a little less time, double the starter to 100 grams, and add maybe 25g more water.

If you want it more sour, after the banneton rise put in the fridge in a plastic bag for up to 12 hours.

 

[bright side of life]

it's Chinese New Year and 5.5 hours later, I made shrimp veggie fritters, dorayaki (Japanese pancakes with homemade ginger red bean paste), and tsukemen (deconstructed ramen--because offering ramen on the altar would bloat the noodles).

Happy Chinese new year folks

 

[Briareos]

Happy Chinese new year folks

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Nice spread! Deconstructed is the way you want to go for leftovers anyway, soggy noodles the next day are the worst.

 

[bright side of life]

Nice spread! Deconstructed is the way you want to go for leftovers anyway, soggy noodles the next day are the worst.

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Well actually I made normal ramen after offering period was over (which I ate immediately)

 

[Deleted member 49179]

nice! Sourdough from last night:

Here's how I do it, my friend asked recently so I recorded a step by step. Playlist in 5 parts:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdbMeytI1ME&list=PL3vwxa6JJdfbJRjTaEPqwFyPOm4_XSmPr

note, if you want it make it take a little less time, double the starter to 100 grams, and add maybe 25g more water.

If you want it more sour, after the banneton rise put in the fridge in a plastic bag for up to 12 hours.

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Thanks! Interesting folding technique. What do you use to make your starter?

 

[FlowersisBritish]

Well actually I made normal ramen after offering period was over (which I ate immediately)

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That looks amazing!! Really wish I was eating that now.

 

[Chitown B]

Thanks! Interesting folding technique. What do you use to make your starter?

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It's super easy to do, which is why I started to do it that way. I used to use a stand mixer to knead, or pull it out and do slap and folds (which is really lengthy, and tough with high hydration). I made my starter from bread flour and water.

That looks amazing!! Really wish I was eating that now.

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Thanks :)

 

[FlowersisBritish]

I'm thinking about making my own stock and wondering if anyone had any advice? Last time I tried a chicken stock it came out kinda meh, but I also only used chicken wing bones. I'm thinking of getting chicken feet and using those this time.

 

[Mathmarauder]

I'm thinking about making my own stock and wondering if anyone had any advice? Last time I tried a chicken stock it came out kinda meh, but I also only used chicken wing bones. I'm thinking of getting chicken feet and using those this time.

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Had the wings been roasted? I find that makes a big difference. I would re-attempt with a whole bird but make sure it was roasted and well seasoned. If I'm lazy I often collect the carcasses of rotisserie birds from the grocery store or costco, once done with the meat I bag the bones and remaining bits and freeze them till I make stock. I also recommend getting a skimmer, I used to just use a big spoon but a nice skimmer is good. If you see any foam or scum forming on the top of the stock remove that. The scum is blood and collagen stuck in the bones that may have have off taste if it stays in the stock.

 

[lootenplunder]

In case it helps, I have often found stock to be unnecessary, usually water will suffice for a number of the usual applications.

 

[whatsinaname]

Made some ugly looking eclairs!! The pastry cream turned out great and the choux pastry was decent too but my piping skills let me down. -_-

 

[Deception]

Went 3/3 last week on all my winter tomato-based stew recipes.
First up was Stuffed Peppers with Rice, which is classic but simple and delicious.
The next day I made Carne con chile Colorado, basically a beef stew with a chile based tomato sauce and potatoes.
Lastly, I made a quick Picadillo using all the leftover veggies in my fridge (Potatoes, Carrots, Corn, Greenbeans) and chose ground beef as the meat and boy was it delicious.

Anyone have any other good winter stew recipes? Preferably something I can make in a big batch and freeze.

 

[FaceHugger]

I can hear the intro music in my head - Wednesday, February 19th

 

[Deleted member 11637]

I just recreated Alison Roman's caramelized shallot pasta, and it's the bee's knees:



In pictures it just kind of looks like cafeteria spaghetti, but the simplicity of a recipe built around pantry ingredients (a whole tin of anchovies and a whole tube of tomato paste) is hard to resist. It does call for a lot of shallots, but this could serve 6 people easily, and I've already spread some of the leftover paste on a grilled cheese (yum.) The amount of flavor is nuts, and it really isn't that anchovy-forward in the end.

 

[Chitown B]

Chicago style deep dish. Going to get a cast iron pan though, the aluminum/steel isn't crisping the bottom enough.