Post: #26

(01-25-2018 11:38 PM)ChefAllDay Wrote:  

(01-25-2018 08:40 PM)Veloce Wrote:  Eggs are the hardest thing to cook. If you can cook eggs well, you can cook anything.

No shit, the simplest food is the hardest to perfect. There is no wisdom here but patience.Practice until you own that shit. A perfect hard boiled egg is a masterpiece. Sad really that so few chefs can actually pull it off consistently.

Funny you say this. I used to eat hard boiled eggs for breakfast.
The method I used everytime was, put water and eggs into a pot. Apply high heat until there's a rolling boil. Remove from heat and cover for 9 minutes for hard boiled, 4 and a half for soft.

For the hard boiled eggs, I still had a problem getting the shell to cleanly come off half the time. I used to call it eggology. A cleanly peeled hard boiled egg was going to be a good day. The less perfect the egg, the harder the day.

It's the silliest of superstitions. When I stopped eating hard boiled eggs, my days all got more pleasant

Post: #27

(01-26-2018 12:17 AM)The Beast1 Wrote:  

(01-25-2018 11:38 PM)ChefAllDay Wrote:  

(01-25-2018 08:40 PM)Veloce Wrote:  Eggs are the hardest thing to cook. If you can cook eggs well, you can cook anything.

No shit, the simplest food is the hardest to perfect. There is no wisdom here but patience.Practice until you own that shit. A perfect hard boiled egg is a masterpiece. Sad really that so few chefs can actually pull it off consistently.

Funny you say this. I used to eat hard boiled eggs for breakfast.
The method I used everytime was, put water and eggs into a pot. Apply high heat until there's a rolling boil. Remove from heat and cover for 9 minutes for hard boiled, 4 and a half for soft.

For the hard boiled eggs, I still had a problem getting the shell to cleanly come off half the time. I used to call it eggology. A cleanly peeled hard boiled egg was going to be a good day. The less perfect the egg, the harder the day.

It's the silliest of superstitions. When I stopped eating hard boiled eggs, my days all got more pleasant

Boiled eggs are actually pretty easy as long as you know what you want. There's a lot of kitchen mythology out there, especially the one that states "Start eggs in cold water..." I'm not sure what that's supposed to achieve but it doesn't achieve anything except making life difficult.

This method works perfectly at sea level. At greater elevations the time increases.

Get a medium pot of water to a boil. It should be fairly full of water, so that when you add the eggs the temperature doesn't drop too drastically. And the water needs to be at a rolling boil; not a simmer.

Add your eggs gently with a slotted spoon or other device to get them in the rapidly boiling water. As soon as they hit the water set a 10 minute timer. Prepare a large bowl of ice.

When the 10 minutes is up, pour off most of the water from the pot, being careful not to discard the eggs with the water. Dump a bunch of ice over the eggs in the cooking pot to stop the cooking.

Let the eggs sit in the ice water for a minute or two, but not too long. Pick up an egg. After leaving the ice water it should still return to a somewhat warm temperature. You want this.

A 10 minute egg will still have a somewhat soft yolk, but by no means runny. It should be vibrantly orange, assuming you used good quality eggs, and should not be chalky or pale yellow at all.

You don't want the eggs to chill down too much, you want to shock them in ice water just enough to stop the cooking process. You want them to be still slightly warm when you peel them, because this makes peeling the eggs drastically easier.

Eggs cooked like this are fantastic cut in quarters and used in a cobb salad, or dressed with some mayonnaise, whole grain mustard, and chopped fresh herbs (parsley, chives, tarragon) to make an egg salad and spooned over some good whole grain bread.

Eggs cooked like this are NOT great for devilled eggs. For devilled eggs I recommend cooking them to 14 minutes to set the yolk more, which is more suitable for devilled eggs.

Post: #28

I always made them in batches on the weekend and put them in the fridge. Saved time for the morning which I spent cooking bacon and sausage. Doubly so, partially warm eggs make me gag. I prefer them cold.

Post: #29

Thanks for all the menus!

Some of the links don't work but those that work are more than enough to keep me busy, plus grocery stores are great daygame venues!

Generally, can I assume that Western food is generally better for the body than authentic Asian/Chinese? Of course I'm referring to home cooked recipes, not restaurant or frozen food, and I'm pretty sure many "restaurants" serve you frozen food prepared in some central kitchen that they reheat.

Talking about hard boiled eggs, what's the best way to make sure that my eggs don't look like the Moon surface when peeled? My yolks tend to be very on point but my egg shells are almost always unpeelable.

I get them to a rolling boil on medium, but would sometimes switch to high when I get impatient especially at the moment when it gets to a simmering boil. I'd then cover the pot and let them sit for 9 mins.

Post: #30

I'm looking for something a bit special to cook this week. I have a couple of much loved friends coming to visit. I'd like to do Italian. I have time to prepare, so I am happy to invest some hours in it. I'm looking through Silver Spoon for ideas, but I'd appreciate recommendations, and wine paring ideas.

Post: #31

I have settled on something for dinner. Pesto stuffed pork fillet with a creamy sundried tomato risotto.

For the pork:

I was planning to blast some pine nuts, parmesan, garlic and basil, throw in some olive oil and ricotta and create a bit of a paste. I don't know whether to add capers etc, or whether to leave it simple and rustic as above.

I'll then slice the pork fillet open, put some basil leaves in there, and slap some of the paste on. I was then thinking to tie the fillet up, egg it, and roll it in some parmesan. Again, not sure whether I shouldn't throw in a few herbs, and make it a parmesan and herb crust. Thoughts appreciated.

For the risotto, it'll be fairly standard. Some plum tomatoes, garlic, onion, butter, sundried tomatoes and sundried tomato paste, some veg stock, parmesan, a bit of parsley lemon and white wine.

I'd love a suggestion for a wine pairing, and obviously any potential improvements to either the pork or the risotto. Perhaps marinating the pork in olive oil, garlic, basil, apple cider vinegar etc?

Post: #32

(02-11-2018 10:47 AM)H1N1 Wrote:  I have settled on something for dinner. Pesto stuffed pork fillet with a creamy sundried tomato risotto.

For the pork:

I was planning to blast some pine nuts, parmesan, garlic and basil, throw in some olive oil and ricotta and create a bit of a paste. I don't know whether to add capers etc, or whether to leave it simple and rustic as above.

I'll then slice the pork fillet open, put some basil leaves in there, and slap some of the paste on. I was then thinking to tie the fillet up, egg it, and roll it in some parmesan. Again, not sure whether I shouldn't throw in a few herbs, and make it a parmesan and herb crust. Thoughts appreciated.

For the risotto, it'll be fairly standard. Some plum tomatoes, garlic, onion, butter, sundried tomatoes and sundried tomato paste, some veg stock, parmesan, a bit of parsley lemon and white wine.

I'd love a suggestion for a wine pairing, and obviously any potential improvements to either the pork or the risotto. Perhaps marinating the pork in olive oil, garlic, basil, apple cider vinegar etc?

Sounds almost perfect. I would just be very careful with the capers, it only takes one too many to set off the balance, but if you nail it they can add a lot of depth. If it were me I would probably go with a nice mild red like an Italian Chianti.

Post: #33

(01-23-2018 08:15 PM)kbell Wrote:  Every time I fry up chicken breasts in a frying pan, no matter how long it cooks the inner part is pink. I always have to cut the boneless breasts in half to finish cooking. Any tricky to get more even cooking? I cook over medium heat on a gas stove top.

Pound your meat, bro.

Get a mallet, some wax paper, and pound that meat!

You won’t get completely even thickness of a true cutlet type cut but enough where it’s much easier to cook.

Post: #34

(01-26-2018 05:12 PM)Aquarius Wrote:  Talking about hard boiled eggs, what's the best way to make sure that my eggs don't look like the Moon surface when peeled? My yolks tend to be very on point but my egg shells are almost always unpeelable.

I get them to a rolling boil on medium, but would sometimes switch to high when I get impatient especially at the moment when it gets to a simmering boil. I'd then cover the pot and let them sit for 9 mins.

I find that slightly older eggs are easier to peel.

I peel them under running water or submerged underwater in a bowl (like when you use an ice bath).

Ruhlman has a good technique for hard-boiled eggs:

How to Make Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs on the Stovetop:
1. Choose a pan that will comfortably fit all the eggs you intend to cook in one layer.
2. Cover the eggs with water by about an inch and put the pan over high heat.
3. When the water reaches a full boil, cover the pan, remove it from the heat, and start a timer for 10-12 minutes (this time according to the American Egg Board; I cook mine for up to 15 minutes, and Doug Katz takes his as long as 18 minutes, so pay attention so you can determine the time that works bes for you).
4. Prepare an ice bath—half water and half ice.
5. When the eggs have been covered for 10-12 minutes, remove them to the ice bath for at least 10 minutes, stirring the ice water a couple of times during the first minutes of cooling. (This is the most important step in the process as far as I’m concerned.)
6. Peel and use, or store in the shell in a covered container for up to two weeks.

Post: #35

Over the weekend I made Tandoori chicken according to the recipe Veloce posted here:
/thread-28273...#pid539047 (post no. 6)

It was delicious and very well received.

Despite the weather I've done a lot of barbecuing over the last couple of months. Skirt steak is an excellent, cheap, choice (at least in the UK). It has a lot of flavour and provided you cook it fast on a high heat, isn't too tough.
Many butchers sell flank steak as skirt steak. It is worth making sure you get skirt, as in my experience its much tastier and more tender. Skirt is looser grained, whereas flank steak is a bit tighter looking.

Post: #36

I borrowed my parents' slow cooker a few days ago, and this thing is seriously a game changer for trying to eat low carb. I can get a tough-as-nails lean pork roast for 1.50 a pound, rub some spices on it, braise it, and pop that fucker in the cooker in the morning and get delicious cheap tender meat by dinner time. Compared to eating out it would be less expensive for me to eat nothing but meat.

Post: #37

(03-19-2018 10:46 PM)BortimusPrime Wrote:  I borrowed my parents' slow cooker a few days ago, and this thing is seriously a game changer for trying to eat low carb. I can get a tough-as-nails lean pork roast for 1.50 a pound, rub some spices on it, braise it, and pop that fucker in the cooker in the morning and get delicious cheap tender meat by dinner time. Compared to eating out it would be less expensive for me to eat nothing but meat.

If you like the slow cooker, wait until you try a pressure cooker. Same result in 50 minutes. Just make sure to brown the meat, take it out of the pot while you sweat some aromatics in and deglaze with a little stock, water, wine or whatever. Pop in the meat back in and a little more liquid. Set up the pressure cooker, get it steaming/pressurized over high heat and then turn it to low for 45-60 minutes depending on the size and cut of meat.

Just be sure to depressurize before you crack it open (time or run under cool water). Most have a safety but old school cookers were like lava bombs in the wrong hands.

Post: #38

(01-26-2018 12:32 AM)Veloce Wrote:  Boiled eggs are actually pretty easy as long as you know what you want. There's a lot of kitchen mythology out there, especially the one that states "Start eggs in cold water..." I'm not sure what that's supposed to achieve but it doesn't achieve anything except making life difficult.

The method you described sounds far more complicated than simply starting eggs in cold water, then taking them off the heat for 10 minutes after they come to a boil.

Post: #39

Since i work long days i need a slow cooker myself.

How long should beef stew take to cook in one of those?

Post: #40

(03-20-2018 08:53 AM)TigerMandingo Wrote:  

(01-26-2018 12:32 AM)Veloce Wrote:  Boiled eggs are actually pretty easy as long as you know what you want. There's a lot of kitchen mythology out there, especially the one that states "Start eggs in cold water..." I'm not sure what that's supposed to achieve but it doesn't achieve anything except making life difficult.

The method you described sounds far more complicated than simply starting eggs in cold water, then taking them off the heat for 10 minutes after they come to a boil.

That's because I'm detail oriented and an overcommunicator.

The gist of my method is: "Boil water. Add eggs. Cook 10 min. Cool under water".

Starting eggs in cold water, bringing to a boil, and then cooking 10 minutes from that point sounds like overcooked eggs

Post: #41

(03-20-2018 11:07 AM)ShotgunUppercuts Wrote:  Since i work long days i need a slow cooker myself.

How long should beef stew take to cook in one of those?

It depends on the cut of beef and the temperature. Chuck can be tender in 90-120 minutes. Brisket needs more like 3-4 hours.

Post: #42

(03-20-2018 09:23 PM)Veloce Wrote:  

(03-20-2018 08:53 AM)TigerMandingo Wrote:  

(01-26-2018 12:32 AM)Veloce Wrote:  Boiled eggs are actually pretty easy as long as you know what you want. There's a lot of kitchen mythology out there, especially the one that states "Start eggs in cold water..." I'm not sure what that's supposed to achieve but it doesn't achieve anything except making life difficult.

The method you described sounds far more complicated than simply starting eggs in cold water, then taking them off the heat for 10 minutes after they come to a boil.

That's because I'm detail oriented and an overcommunicator.

The gist of my method is: "Boil water. Add eggs. Cook 10 min. Cool under water".

Starting eggs in cold water, bringing to a boil, and then cooking 10 minutes from that point sounds like overcooked eggs

Ya I agree. I generally do 5ish minutes, but I like soft boiled. 5 minutes, drain the eggs, put them in a bowl and cool them under water. Yummy.

Post: #43

This thread is seriously making me hungry and firing me up to make some kick-ass food! Some of the foods here I didn't even think were possible of making such as the Vegetarian Wellington.

Here's an interesting recipe website I've had bookmarked for some time. Just put in what ingredients you have lying around and you'll get back dozens of possible recipes.

http://www.supercook.com/

It isn't perfect and definitely won't give you the fanciest dishes but it will give you plenty of ideas and seems to be great for the average person with no clue what to make to eat.

Post: #44

I am not a fan of chicken but it is cheap so I make it part of my diet. The issue I have with chicken is its taste. I prepare in a way that comes out tasty and very tender.

We start with the boneless chicken breast. I will slice it in three, so better be a little frozen because it makes it so much easier to slice. I also start with a thick chicken breast.



Slice it



One one side, I spice with salt, pepper and something else; this time it was Dash. One the other side also a little salt and pepper, and something else, it could be anything you like.




The recipe will cal for some vegetables which will give the main flavor to the chicken. I normally use leak, green onion, another type of onion you might have around, any color sweet pepper, and always always what can't miss is garlic and tomatoes. the garlic is the foundation of the flavor and the tomatoes is the foundation of the sauce and water. This time I also used two jalapenos. Yes, I was blowing fire from my ass the next morning !

Post: #45

The vegetables are chopped in medium sized pieces and put altogether (except the garlic) in a large bowl.









The above preparation time is 10 minutes or less.

We use a pan to cook all of this. I like one like the shown below because it has high walls and a lid, and that is perfect for this recipe.



The next Steps will take about 15 minutes. The goal is to get the outside of the chicken breast a lit crispy fast; so we will put on high, about 7 or 8 out of 10.

First we make a bed of garlic for the chicken breasts to lay on.

Post: #46

Then, we put some more garlic on the top side of the chicken breast



Every two or three minutes we can turn it around. Until we are left with this:



At that point we drop the temperature to 2 (out of ten) and we throw in all the veggies, and put the lid on. Put 20 minutes in the timer and we forget about it.







After 20 minutes this is what it will look like:



I like to put a little salt and a lot of pepper at this point. Also very little sugar, to counter the acid from the tomatoes. Then, we stir, or better said, we move it all around a little. Put the lid back on, and put 20 more minutes in the timer.

This is what it will look like after the 2nd 20 minutes



Stir a little and put 10 more minutes in the time. After those 10 minutes I start to prepare the rice, it takes 15 minutes. After that time, this is what the chicken will look like:



We have a nice sauce with fresh vegetables and very tender chicken. So tender, you cut it with the fork.



By now I am getting hungry and ready to eat. Bon Appetite !



End note: We are left with a nice quantity of sauce that can be used for tomorrow spaghetti.

Post: #47

Damn son.

Post: #48

Crabcakes; a recipe to seduce and entertain at home. We can do this recipe for a fraction of the cost at a restaurant; it is not very cheap though. At any restaurant you are sure to pay at the very least $13.00 for one, I'll show you how to make one for $3/each. If you buy at Costco or Restaurant Depot, you can make it even cheaper. I spent about $35.00, given that I already had the veggies and the condiments.


Ingredient: 1/2 lb of claw crab meat, 1 lbs of lump crab meat. I use leak, green onion, parsley, 1/2 lemon, two eggs, mustard, mayonnaise ... and because I felt like making it hot, two jalapenos, and 1 tiny scotch bonnet pepper.

I forgot to include in the picture an essential ingredient: Panko Breadcrumbs.



Spread the crab meat in two bowl, and chopped very little the leak (in this recipe I only use the white part), green onions, parsley, and the hot stuff.



Break the eggs in another bowl and beat them. Add the mustard and mayonnaise (in the quantities shown in the picture) and beat them again to mix it all together.



Throw in the bowl half of the claw meat, half of the clump meat, and about 50 grams of the panko, as shown in the first picture; then, add the chopped vegetables as shown in the 2nd picture; and mix it all well with your hands.



At this point I had mixed it and I forgot to add my staple, garlic ... you can obviate it if you are having a date but I won't because for me it is essential.



Mix it in .....

You are left with the mix (left side of the bottom picture), and half of the crab meat (right side of the bottom picture.)

The mixture is wet and it sticks a little to your hands, that should be the consistency. I licked my fingers and it was hot as hell. I didn't bother with salt and pepper, it has enough flavor for my taste that I won't miss them. I'd like to add you can pretty much play with the ingredients as you want, feel free to explore flavors. I have read people use tabasco or tartar sauce, whatever.



Next you will form balls out of the wet mix, as shown in the first picture. Then, to each one of the balls formed with the wet mix, you add some of the crab meat from the second bowl. Do not mix it, simply add to it putting it together gently. The purpose is to incorporate chunks and flakes of crab meat into each ball. They came out to be anywhere from 90 to 115 grams each.



To the oven it goes. I like to bake them at 410 so it gets brown and solid on the outside .... the inside doesn't take long to cook because the crab meat is already cooked and the eggs cooks pretty quickly as you can imagine. You can also broil in high, 5 to 7 minutes on each side .. so 5 minutes and flip it and 5 minutes on the other side. Keep a close eye on it, and when you think it is ready, it will; it might take a little longer depending on your over and temperature.



This is what I mean with ready



The end of result of this recipe is a delicious crabcake that is very flavorful, perfect consistency in the inside, and crispy yet tender in the outside.

Post: #49

(04-16-2018 09:26 PM)SamuelBRoberts Wrote:  Can you drop a recipe for that? I mean I know it sounds simple but like in practice, how would you do that?

Pressure Cooker

Sure thing

A good pressure cooker can run you $100 bucks, maybe less if you find a good deal. I would recommend getting a new one as the seal and pressure (steam) release are critical and old pressure cookers can be extremely dangerous. Look for a stainless model with a thicker bottom.

Use any cheap meat. The tougher the meat the tastier and juicier it will come out of the cooker. Shank, sirloin, cheek for example. Or just a pack of stewing beef.

Super simplified ingredients, I will use lamb shanks because, they are delicious.

Ingredients:

2 lamb shanks
3/4 cup vegetable stock
3/4 cup red wine (use what your drinking, cab sav, shiraz etc.)
2 oz large diced carrots (1/2 inch cubes)
1.5 oz diced onions
4 garlic coves, minced
3 fresh rosemary stems (4-5 inches each)
3 tbsps flour
2 tbsps peanut oil
salt and pepper


Instructions:
Season the lamb with salt and pepper & flour
Heat pan, add oil in the cooker, high heat (almost smoking, it will dance in the pan).
Cook lamb until brown on all sides (90-120 seconds or so turned 4 times should be good), remove and set aside.
Add onions to hot pan and saute 2 minutes, stirring
Add wine and stir about 2 minutes to deglaze pan (get the tasty bits off the pan and dissolved)
Put the shanks back in the cooker
Gently stir in stock, carrots and rosemary.
Close and lock the lid. Bring to pressure over high heat.
Once pressure is reached, reduce heat to maintain pressure (low but it still needs to whistle or whine a bit).
Cook for 50 minutes at high pressure (I like to carefully pick up the pot at about 25 minutes and give it a swirl to sit it up a bit).
Release pressure (you can run it under cool water for 20-30 seconds to speed up the process).

**** Read the directions or watch a video, this can be very dangerous, especially with older cookers****

Remove rosemary stems & very carefully place the shanks aside.
Reduce/thicken the sauce to desired consistency, think light gravy.
Serve with rice, roasted potatoes, broccoli or whatever you like, and of course a spoon or two of the red wine sauce.

Enjoy.

Chocolate Crème brûlée makes an awesome and impressive dessert to go with the lamb.

Post: #50

Anyone got anything for chicken leg quaters?