Post: #51

Hi Chefs

Can anyone tell me a good way to thicken sauces?

I cooked a curry tonight and I would prefer if it was less wet, thicker and more rich.

I often have the same issue with pasta sauces.

Could it also be a temperature issue? I’m cooking with the hob too hot?

Thanks

Post: #52

(05-13-2018 12:09 PM)Ski pro Wrote:  Hi Chefs

Can anyone tell me a good way to thicken sauces?

I cooked a curry tonight and I would prefer if it was less wet, thicker and more rich.

I often have the same issue with pasta sauces.

Could it also be a temperature issue? I’m cooking with the hob too hot?

Thanks

Not a chef, just a normal problems solver in the kitchen.

What is wrong with the old cornstarch/arrowroot method:

https://www.thespruceeats.com/thicken-a-...rch-996071

Quote:1. For each cup of liquid, you want to thicken, start with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in a small bowl. Add an equal amount of cold liquid and stir until smooth paste forms. This is your slurry.

2. Whisk the slurry into the hot, simmering liquid that you want to thicken. Bring to a boil and simmer until any starchy taste has been cooked away. Don't cook longer, though, as the starch may break down and the liquid will thin out again.

Post: #53

(05-13-2018 01:01 PM)debeguiled Wrote:  

(05-13-2018 12:09 PM)Ski pro Wrote:  Hi Chefs

Can anyone tell me a good way to thicken sauces?

I cooked a curry tonight and I would prefer if it was less wet, thicker and more rich.

I often have the same issue with pasta sauces.

Could it also be a temperature issue? I’m cooking with the hob too hot?

Thanks

Not a chef, just a normal problems solver in the kitchen.

What is wrong with the old cornstarch/arrowroot method:

https://www.thespruceeats.com/thicken-a-...rch-996071

Quote:1. For each cup of liquid, you want to thicken, start with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in a small bowl. Add an equal amount of cold liquid and stir until smooth paste forms. This is your slurry.

2. Whisk the slurry into the hot, simmering liquid that you want to thicken. Bring to a boil and simmer until any starchy taste has been cooked away. Don't cook longer, though, as the starch may break down and the liquid will thin out again.

Ok, thanks for the info.

Can you thicken with anything else? I try not to eat anything starchy or with corn for reasons of keeping myself in decent shape.

Post: #54

Just reduce the sauce for longer - good sauces need plenty of time on a low heat, to reduce and thicken naturally.

Post: #55

Great thread. I'm about to go out and put some horse tenderloin steaks on the charcoal grill.
Mouthwatering.

Do anyone got some great recipes of beef liver?
I use to fry it in almond flour together with bacon and caramelized onions and know I'm looking for more ideas.

I got basically free access to horse meat and all kind of organ meats and now I want to start cooking them more often.

Veloce and others, what are your favourite organ meat dishes?

Post: #56

In an effort to cut added sodium out of my diet, I have come up with a couple herb/spice blends. We get plenty of natural sodium, so why add more at the table or while cooking. As a Chef it's almost a sin to suggest, but food can taste pretty damn great without extra salt. It does take a couple weeks for your palate to accept the lack of salt but it's worth the health benefits to persevere through I think.

Alternative 1
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground oregano
1 teaspoons white pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons dry mustard
6 tablespoons onion powder
3 tablespoons paprika
3 tablespoons poultry seasoning

Alternative 2 (heat to taste)
1 teaspoon regular chili powder
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
6 tablespoons onion powder
3 tablespoons paprika
3 tablespoons poultry seasoning
2 tablespoons (or more to taste) hot chili powder (chipotle, jalapeno, cayenne etc)

Ranch Seasoning (Mix with Greek yogurt for veg dip)
1 TBSP dried chives
2 TBSP dried parsley
2 tsp dried onion
1 tsp dried dill
1/2 cup powdered buttermilk (I use powdered skim milk, but you can forgo this all together if you prefer)
2 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground white pepper
All blitzed in spice mill / small food processor etc)

Also use a lot more roasted garlic, onions and citrus/vinegar to punch up flavors.

Enjoy, and of course +/- to whatever your palate prefers.

Post: #57

(05-14-2018 11:06 AM)Chaos Wrote:  Great thread. I'm about to go out and put some horse tenderloin steaks on the charcoal grill.
Mouthwatering.

Do anyone got some great recipes of beef liver?
I use to fry it in almond flour together with bacon and caramelized onions and know I'm looking for more ideas.

I got basically free access to horse meat and all kind of organ meats and now I want to start cooking them more often.

Veloce and others, what are your favourite organ meat dishes?

I have recently been on a "liver and onions" kick.

It was a dish that I never really liked as a kid, but have grown to like for several reasons lately. Beef liver is very inexpensive, and when I turn out a nice piece of meat at that price, it almost feels like I'm cheating. Secondly, beef liver is very high in B12, which is something I require. I live in a place where fresh seafood is very available, and I can get B12 from loads of other sources, but it's nice to have a great piece of liver once in a while (I make it about every 2 weeks or so).

I'm sure you are aware that if you marinate beef liver in milk for a few hours that it removes that "punky"taste that turns a lot of people off of the dish. If you're not already aware of this, then give it a try. It makes a huge difference. (Coconut milk even works for this purpose, a little more expensive, but it adds a different flavour).

I never finish off with anything too fancy, essentially wheat flour with a bit of salt and pepper. The onions in "liver and onions" really provide most of the taste I need to make it a very flavourful dish. I add a bit of water to the pan after the liver has been done to make a small jus. Nothing too fancy, as I've already mentioned, the onions are where the zingy taste comes from.

In my opinion, liver and onions is designed to be a simple, hearty dish, and trying to fancy it up changes the whole purpose of it. I could well be wrong, and have googled recipes where people have added bacon and other flavours, but if I really wanted to taste something other than liver and onions, I'd make another dish in the first place.

Just my 2 cents.

Post: #58

Pho - Vietnamese Style Chicken Noodle Soup
pronounced like fuck without the “ck”

4 x 1 ½ cup portions

Ingredients

• 150 g cooked shredded chicken
• 6-8 slices fresh ginger
• 2 litres chicken broth
• 4-6 whole star anise
• 4-6 garlic cloves (crushed & left whole)
• 1/2 pkg. rice sticks (banh pho)
• 4-5 cilantro leaves, washed & chopped
• 15 ml fish sauce or to taste
• 12 Thai basil leaves
• 8 mint leaves
• 1 lime, quartered
• 1 stalk scallion/green onion, washed & finely chopped
• Sambal Olek aka Chili Garlic Paste (to taste / hot spicy optional)

Instructions
1. In a med. stockpot, combine chicken stock, ginger, star anise and garlic. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to simmer for 20-30 minutes.
2. Add fish sauce slowly tasting for balance, leave on simmer longer if required for deeper flavour.
3. Strain stock to removed ginger, star anise and garlic.
4. Add chicken, bring back to a rolling boil, and add noodles. Cook until el Dante (4 ish minutes).
5. Serve by dividing noodles into bowls, and add pinch of cilantro, four Thai basil leaves and three mint leaves to each bowl. Ladle or pour broth over noodles and herbs.
6. Garnish with scallions & lime wedge. Sambal Olek on the side.

Enjoy with a sparkling white, or a Riesling / Gewurztraminer.

You can use veg stock and no chicken if your potential bang is a vegan. In which case, feed, bang and next.

Post: #59

^^Thanks and repped!

I'll make this next time I'm off.

HAHA Love it no love for those granola girls!!!

Post: #60

(07-11-2018 01:14 PM)ChefAllDay Wrote:  You can use veg stock and no chicken if your potential bang is a vegan. In which case, feed, bang and next.

Haha, real shit. Repped

Post: #61

(07-11-2018 03:23 PM)Eugenics Wrote:  Haha, real shit. Repped

I know right? I have stories of dealing with vegans. Some of them are cool but some of them are bat shit crazy. One of the crazier ones is a lady my coworkers and I would call depressed vegan lady and everytime we hand in her food she just sadly bows her head. One time when she saw one of us touch meat and then touch her food she got really mad. I think it has a lot to do with not getting enough B vitamins which are essential for brain activity.

I have miso soup on my list of foods to make. On paper it's super easy to make but I just never can nail that savoriness (almost like drinking chicken noodle soup). I bought a red miso paste from Whole Foods and it's too sweet. Once I knock out that pho I'll try to perfect miso soup. I also know soy isn't good for you but if it's fermented (miso) it should be fine I believe. More than happy to be proven wrong since nobody here wants to be a soyboy!

Fermented soy is supposedly OK: https://probiotics.mercola.com/fermented...d-soy.html Unfermented is bad toxic stuff present in soy milk, soy protein, etc. Even then if you want to be safe once a month shouldn't be hazardous!

Post: #62

Just ordered the 2001 Nobu cookbook.

I ate nigiri from a restaurant that supposedly has their shit down and it was meh.....this same place was teaching classes too and no way was I going to pay roughly $50 to make mediocre sushi! Rice was bland, fish had no distinct flavors. Total bill for the mediocre sushi was $30 for about 100 calories. Oh well, I'm a sucker. Japanese cooking really is hard to nail down correctly!

To be honest one of the biggest reasons why I love cooking is because chicks don't eat great food. For an introvert like me this is where I shine, so all I need to do is play the numbers game

Post: #63

I have been playing around with Keto snacks the last little while. Here are a couple ideas/recipes I really enjoy. Cauliflower has a few, but not many carbs so it works very well here.

You will need a food dehydrator, you can get a pretty good one for less than $70 bucks (look for one with a digital temp/time control). Also a mandolin, which should run you around $15-20 bucks. Be very very careful with mandolins, they are pretty much the only thing in a kitchen that makes me cringe when I see other people use them.

Cheap but effective mandolin

Excellent dehydrator


Zucchini Crisps
- buy the 3-4 smaller zukes, about 10 inches long
- wash in cool soapy water, rinse and dry well
- slice on the mandolin either way, long and skinny or round (use the thin - blade on the mandolin about 1/4 inch)
- dip each slice in water and spread evenly on your dehydrator racks\
sprinkle liberally with Italian seasoning
- set your dehydrator to 130F for 10-12 hours.

You can try chili powder or whatever you like. I found I preferred the Italian herbs with zucchini.

Cauliflower Cheese Crisps
for this one you will need some dehydrator sheets



-1 head of cauliflower steamed/boiled until very soft;
- strain and let dry in strainer 5 minutes;
- mash with potato masher until rice like consistency;
- fine shred in a dry cheese (parm, old cheddar etc);
- mix well and spread onto dehydrator sheet about 1/4 inch thickness;
- use a dull knife or spatula to press lines in small cracker sized shapes this
will make it easier to break the crisps out later;
- crack some fresh black pepper across the lot;
- dehydrate at 130F for 12-14 hours (or until desired crunch is achieved).

Another day I can throw up a few jerky recipes for the dehydrator as well.