Do You Even Cook, Bro?

[RJ]

Been cooking (aka: reading recipe cards) since I was 12 or so.

My mom started College in her forties, and I shared cooking duties during the week's she was away during my High School years. Later in life, I was single for a while, and cooked for my son and I. Nothing fancy, just basic stuff.

I retired this year at age 56. Lately, I've been sharing cooking duties with my wife, and I've had a lot of fun rediscovering the whole kitchen thing.

I would guess a lot of you have experience cooking for yourselves, so am interested in your recipes, tips, spices, favorite kitchen tools, etc.

From time to time, I'd also like to post some recipes that have worked for me.

So, what do you like to cook? :cool:

[RJ]

Here's one of my favorites, easy Schnitzel Chicken.

Easy Pan-Fried Chicken Schnitzel

This easy to follow recipe is quick to prepare and makes a delicious main course for 2

Ingredients

2 Boneless Chicken Breasts
1 T Milk, or Half and half
1 Egg
1 T grated Parmesan cheese
1 t fresh finely diced or dried Parsley
1/8 t pepper
1/8 t salt
1/8 t nutmeg
1/2 c Seasoned Bread Crumbs
1/4 stick butter
Lemon juice

Directions

In a mixing bowl, combine the Parmesan cheese, parsley, pepper, salt, and nutmeg. Add the egg and milk, then whisk smoothly.
Place the chicken breasts inside a gallon sized sealed zip-loc bag. Pound them flat (my 2 1/2 lb Harbor Freight dead-blow hammer works well.) to approximately 1/2" thickness.

Spread the Bread Crumbs in another shallow bowl.

Take the chicken out of the zip-loc bag, and dip it into the mixing bowl, covering the chicken on both sides with the wet mixture. Then drop it into the bread crumbs, making sure you coat it evenly.

Place the coated chicken in a pan, and leave it in the fridge for an hour.

Heat the butter in a medium saucepan. Cook the chicken evenly on medium heat, about 7 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Spritz with lemon juice and serve.

Adapted from: http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/78117/wienerschnitzel/?mxt=t06rda

[BN]

I'm a crock pot cook. :)

Put some carrots in the crock pot, followed by some potatoes cut up into bite sized pieces, some chunks of onion, and a 2# or bigger beef roast of your choice. Set for 8 hours on low. At suppertime, I'm a hero.

[Sal Picante]

Alton Brown's: Good Eats.

Great cooking show on Netflix (formerly Food Network)

Apparently, he's a shooter to.

His coconut cake recipe is pretty awesome! (from scratch)

[Fly320s]

I, too, am a fan of Alton Brown. "Good Eats" gives you the science behind cooking. He also has a YouTube channel.

Also check out foodwishes.blogspot.com He shows how he cooks each recipe and most are simple, but good.

[JAD]

I have never followed an Ina Garten recipie correctly and not had it be fantastic. I will say improvising around her stuff is not productive in my experience.

Last night I made a popular one, to go with some grilled lamb chops:
Red potatoes, quartered
1/2c olive oil
salt and pepper
2Tb fresh rosemary, minced
1Tb fresh garlic, minced

Put all in bowl and toss. Put all on sheet pan and roast at 400 for an hour, turning a few times.

I have successfully turned up the garlic. I have unsuccessfully tried to use Yukon Gold taters -- too sugary, and they formed a tough skin.

[littlejerry]

Big fan of Alton. Met him when I was younger and worked at a grocery store near his house. Some of his recipes can be a bit too much effort, but a lot of great stuff in there.

[scott]

I love to cook. It's how I relax. I'm for some reason incapable of following a recipe though, so here's my best attempt at one of my favorite ways to cook pork chops.

2 very thick bone in pork chops
Salt
Pepper
Dry sage
2-3 onions, sliced thin
~6 cloves of garlic, minced
White wine or dry vermouth
Bay leaves

Heat a bit of butter or olive oil in a Dutch oven that will fit the meat
Season chops generously with salt, pepper, and sage. Really use a lot of sage. More than you think.
Sear the chops so both sides have a nice brown crust.
When you flip them to sear the other side, pile all your onions and garlic on top.
Once you think the second side is nice and brown, add a couple splashes of vermouth and the bay leaves.
Cover tightly, then either turn the heat low or transfer to a ~275 oven. Leave it alone for around 2 hours checking only occasionally to add vermouth if it dries up.
It's done when the onions are broken down into a thick sauce and the pork can't be picked up without breaking. Remove the chops carefully, add butter and a bit more wine to the pan. Deglaze and pour the pan sauce over the meat.

Serve with good bread and a simple vegetable (my favorite with this is Brussels sprouts or braised greens)
If you like, add some sliced apples to the pot when it's not quite done. They compliment it well.

Never had a complaint when I've made this, and it's really easy since you pretty much just ignore it while it cooks. Can be scaled arbitrarily, if you have a big enough pot.

[Joe in PNG]

I cook a fair bit, but will have to change up my diet, as I've found out that MSG give me... problems.

Speaking of Alton Brown, his show "Cutthroat Kitchen" is worth a look, even if you're not into cooking.

[ACP230]

My wife and I make most of the bread we eat.

Last batch I made was a light rye. This morning it was a basic white bread
with some quick oats thrown in. The white bread like this makes excellent toast. It also freezes well.
A couple of the loaves I made today will be frozen for use later.

Don't really have a recipe. Start with a couple cups, or more, of warm water, add oil, salt, and sugar (sometimes honey).
Add yeast from the local food co-op (it's the most enthusiastic yeast we can find).
Put in a half cup of flour to give the yeast something to work on.
Go do something else for 15 or 20 minutes. If the yeast is slacking and the mix isn't bubbling
add a bit more and wait another 10 minutes or so.

Then start adding flour, and whatever other grains you feel like.
Some recipes call for five to eight cups of flour. I just add it till I can't mix it with a spoon anymore.
Then knead it, by hand, adding more flour, till it gets elastic and feels ready to be put aside to rise.

About an hour later (give or take) it can be made into loaves and put in pans, or on cookie sheets for the
rustic look. Let rise again for 30 to 45 minutes then bake at 350 for 40 minutes to an hour. Check after 20 minutes or so and
turn the pans around if necessary. Cool on wire racks. My wife often puts butter on the crust to soften it up.
I usually don't bother.

Fresh bread with egg salad, tomatoes from the garden with olive oil, pepper and a touch of garlic powder for supper tonight.

[Peally]

God damn I'm hungry... tonight I feast on Ramen in hell but come next week I'm going to try a couple of these out

[Sasage]

Baked Chicken Parm

Buy thin sliced breasts or butterfly the larger ones
Italian Seasoning
Panko Bread crumbs
Parm Cheese
Olive oil spray
Olive oil or butter
Marinara
Mozz Cheese

Set oven to 425.

Melt butter or place EVOO in dish.
Mix panko, italian seasoning, and Parm together in a dish.
Dip chicken in butter or EVOO, both sides. Then coat in Pank, Parm, Italian mixture.
Place on nonstick baking sheet and bake for 20 mins.

Flip after 20 mins and bake for another 5.

After 5 mins, spoon marinara on top and place some mozz cheese on top.

Bake another 5 mins or until internal temp is 160.

Firehouse approved.

[scott]

Here's two more recipes and a cocktail, because I'm cooking and drinking one of these now.

First, eggs in purgatory. Very very simple; eggs poached in red sauce, but it's one of my favorite breakfasts, especially in an arrabiata.
Works best with leftover sauce from the day before.
olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced
small can tomato paste
28oz can crushed tomatoes
red wine (maybe a half cup? I eyeball it)
basil
oregano
bay leaves
red pepper flakes or cayenne powder
salt and pepper
eggs

Red sauce is the easiest thing in the world. Take a skillet, fry some onions and garlic in olive oil. When those are looking good add the tomato paste and fry it for a while. Then add remaining ingredients. For spices I tend to cover the top of the sauce evenly, then stir it in. Add plenty of red pepper if you like a spicy sauce, but be aware that it gets hotter with time. I think a really hot red sauce is the best in the morning.
Simmer for about 20 minutes to let flavors merge. Then, if you are using it for pasta, just spoon over the top like any other sauce. If you are making eggs in purgatory, use a spoon to make little wells in the sauce. Break an egg into each well and season with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and cook until the eggs set. Serve over bread.


Next up: Chile Verde

2 pounds tomatillos
~8 hatch chiles (if you don't have good, hot hatch chile, use 5 or 6 anaheims plus a poblano and maybe 3 serranos. It's all to taste though)
2 onions, diced
~1 head garlic, diced
Pork butt
potatoes
bunch cilantro
salt
pepper
cloves
oregano
chicken bullion

Roast all the peppers over a gas burner or under a broiler. Skin them and deseed if you like. Chop everything but the pork and potatoes, put in a pot with a lid. Cook until the tomatillos burst and there's plenty of liquid in there with everything. Use a stick blender to puree everything and make a sauce. Season with a pinch of ground cloves and a few healthy shakes of oregano. Add chopped pork and simmer about 90 minutes. Add quartered potatoes and cook until they're done.
Serve with rice.


Cocktail: Death in the springtime
Adapted from some restaurant I wandered into up here. Sorry I don't recall the name.

1.5 oz gin
1 oz lemon juice
1 oz campari
0.25 oz triple sec
splash green chartreuse
splash pernod
dash orange bitters

Serve over ice. Garnish with a twist of lemon, maybe a few sprigs of herbs.
Enjoy

[LittleLebowski]

Alton Brown's: Good Eats.

Great cooking show on Netflix (formerly Food Network)

Apparently, he's a shooter to.

His coconut cake recipe is pretty awesome! (from scratch)

He's quite the shooter. Carries as well.

[Guinnessman]

When it comes to grilling, I really enjoy Bobby Flay's recipes because he uses lots of different rubs and sauces. His cookbooks have lots of unique recipes.

Alton Brown is a genius, and his technical cooking skills are unmatched. His explanations of the science behind the cooking are extremely valuable.

I also use lots of recipes from The Big Green Egg's website and they have all been great.

[rauchman]

My wife is the real cook of the house. But, I do like to dabble. We grill a lot and use my grandmother's recipe for Chimi Churi most times in place of BBQ sauce. My grandmother and mom are from Argentina. Growing up there was a lot of Argentinian and German (my grandmother is 1st gen Argentinian from Germany) and my grandfather (just passed last Sunday...miss you Papa... is from Germany) flavors.

Anyway, the Rauch family Chimi Churi recipe....

We always cooked intuitively without formal measurements. Each batch is slightly different based on the feel of the day.

Chopped/minced Parsley
Crushed red pepper
Minced Garlic
Chopped/minced Cilantro
Olive Oil
Red wine vinegar
Salt
Pepper

Use over grilled steaks, sausages, chops, etc. Slather on to taste. Awesome stuff!

[JTQ]

I love watching Alton Brown. I've got to admit I really like to watch Giada De Laurentiis stir stuff.

I'm also a Crock-Pot guy.

In a large pan, fry up 4-5 pieces of bacon for breakfast.

Pat dry a 3 -4 lb Boston Butt. Season Boston Butt with your favorite seasoning. I'm partial to a couple of semi-local products, Butt Rub and Viper Rub. Place Boston Butt in hot fry pan with bacon grease and brown on all sides.

Pour some of your favorite beer in the bottom of the Crock-Pot to cover the bottom of the pot. Place browned Boston Butt in the Crock-Pot. Deglaze the fry pan with some of the same beer, and reduce. Pour reduced beer/pan drippings over the Boston Butt. You should have some beer left over. Make sure you drink it while it's still cold.

Cover pot and cook on low (10 hours on my pot).

Mashed potatoes - 3 lbs of red potatoes, peeled, boil for 1 hour. Drain. Put one stick of butter (4 oz) in the pot. Return potatoes to pot and mash with a hand masher. Salt to taste.

Desert - Southern Living recipe for Pecan Pie Bars. You should be able to find it on the 'net somewhere. I'd give out the recipe, but my wife won't let me give it out anymore. This is my signature desert I bring to events. So many people asked for the recipe, and I gave to a bunch of folks, others started showing up at my wife's events with the same desert. It ticked her off. Of course nobody made as well as I did. You can't use margarine, you've got to use butter.

[Software Guy]

I'm the chef in the house and I usually have my kids help me out. MY wife will help on weekends but I've been known to throw her and others out because they annoy me. My daughter is my best helper in the kitchen. She's 10.

We sold pampered chef products for a few years so I have a boatload of cookbooks which I am in the process of digitizing.

I make a killer garlic pizza - grilled and a mean drunken noodles using this recipie. http://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/cook-spicy-drunken-noodles

You can also follow me here https://allthecooks.com/@sneezykevina

As I said, I'm digitizing as many recopies as I can and have only just settled on this app, at least for now anyway. Cooking from a tablet is so much better.

I made a DIY tablet holder here https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-afXOnOLZt8E/VRaCSHFJmKI/AAAAAAAAMPQ/pzjbbzNh2vo/w1397-h786-no/20150321_115433.jpg

[RJ]

I am liking where this thread is going. :cool:

Here's my Lentil Soup Recipe. I like it a lot.

Lentil Soup

This recipe makes a big pot of hearty lentil soup. This is usually better the second day. Spoon into freezer containers for a quick hot lunch later in the week.

Ingredients

1 bag of lentils (about 2 c)
2 cloves of fresh garlic, finely sliced (or crushed)
1/4 c olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 t oregano
1 t basil
1 T finely chopped or dried Parsley
1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
a Bay Leaf
32 oz container of chicken stock (I use low sodium stock, if you don't, you could probably skip on the salt below)
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
Shredded Mozzerella Cheese
Glass of Sherry

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large cooking pot. Drop in the sliced garlic. Allow the garlic to saute for about 5 minutes, then drop in the onions, cooking for 5 minutes. Put in the carrots and celery, and the basil, oregano and parsley. Stir all this through, while continue to cook for another 5 minutes or so, or until the onions are clear.

Stir in the tomatoes and chicken stock, and then drop in the Bay leaf. Add the lentils, then cover and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and let simmer for 2-4 hours.

Tip: This soup is even better if you dump in any leftover shredded cooked sausage. Diced ham also works great.

Note: this is usually better the second day. I typically make this in the afternoon, and allow it to cool, then refrigerate it overnight. The next day, I put the pot on the stove on "low" and then enjoy it for lunch.

PS: The Mozzerrala cheese is to drizzle over the hot soup. I like it. My mom always poured in a glass of Sherry and mixed it in with the hot soup in the soup bowls, so I added that to the end. I also like that too. :cool:

[Poconnor]

My favorite recipe I picked up this year is Rachael Rays Portuguese chorizo and kale stoup. I just use regular sausage and always double the recipe so I can freeze some. Wife and I love it. It's very hearty

[Clobbersaurus]

Slavex put me onto this: a reverse sear steak.

Let your steak warm to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 250 deg
Baste steak with olive oil, sea salt and pepper on all sides.
Bake steak in oven until it reaches and internal temperature of 125deg.
Take out of oven, cover in foil, and let sit 15 minutes.
Preheat a frying pan on high. Sear steak for two minutes each side.

You're welcome.:D

Edit: I actually should thank Slavex for this. I've tried it twice and now that I've got the formula down it comes out a perfect medium rare.

[t1tan]

I got into cooking around 12 or so when Good Eats started back in middle school. It was my only option for decent food, my mother is a self-admitted terrible cook and my father didn't make anything that needed more work than Ramen. Over the years I've only gotten further into cooking, shows, documentaries, studying recipes and principles, equipment and its use, etc. Lately have been getting very into sous vide and complimenting techniques, check out ChefSteps (http://www.chefsteps.com). My diet is primarily fish and other seafood, but I love to do various cajun and asian foods, soups especially, breads, anything really. I'll take the time to pull up recipes, decide what direction I want to go, try it a few times, see what works and come up with my own variation.

By far my favorite thing to make is Crawfish Étouffée
http://i543.photobucket.com/albums/gg456/t1tan19/Food/Crawfish%20Etouffee_zpsxuzv2pwe.png

I'll take the rest of the seafood stock along with some sea salt and use it to make the rice.

http://i543.photobucket.com/albums/gg456/t1tan19/Food/IMG_1640_zps0ftt9od5.jpg


more food (http://s543.photobucket.com/user/t1tan19/library/Food)

[orionz06]

Slavex put me onto this: a reverse sear steak.

Let your steak warm to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 250 deg
Baste steak with olive oil, sea salt and pepper on all sides.
Bake steak in oven until it reaches and internal temperature of 125deg.
Take out of oven, cover in foil, and let sit 15 minutes.
Preheat a frying pan on high. Sear steak for two minutes each side.

You're welcome.:D

Edit: I actually should thank Slavex for this. I've tried it twice and now that I've got the formula down it comes out a perfect medium rare.

Reverse sear if a game changer. I scoffed at it for a few weeks in Facebook until a few friends tried it. Now it's all I do.


Love to cook. Love learning how I've done things wrong over the years. Love using All-Clad and having an egg slide right off. Love using almost free cast iron.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BN]

This is my low carb crock pot vegetable soup.
1 lb stir fry beef
1 can stewed tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 rib celery chopped
1 small onion diced
4 cups water
1/4 teaspoon thyme
2 beef bouillon cubes
if you don't mind a few carbs, add 3 diced potatoes
Put in crock pot and cook on low 6 hours or high for 3 hours.
Then add 1 can spinach and
1 bag frozen broccoli/cauliflower mix.
Turn to high and cook for another 30 minutes.
Stir before serving.

This looks a little funky, but it is very tasty. Our kids love it. Even with the spinach. :)

[OnionsAndDragons]

I love to cook. My father was the better cook in the house, so I think I came by it naturally.

Reverse sear is the nutter butters! Best and easiest method for repeatable perfect steaks. I like to play around with different seasoning blends to add to mine. I've been very high on a 2 parts basil, 1 part rosemary, 1 part white pepper blend right now. Using a jalapeño infused peanut oil for lube.

Also, cast iron for the win.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[RJ]

...Bake steak in oven until it reaches and internal temperature of 125deg...



Ah, have heard about this but never tried it. Wife scoffed at me when I mentioned it. :cool:

Anyways, hope this is not a dumb question, but how do you know the steak is at 125 deg in the oven?

My test case would be a couple decent 10-12 oz Ribeyes, if it matters...thanks!

Rich

[Sasage]

Ah, have heard about this but never tried it. Wife scoffed at me when I mentioned it. :cool:

Anyways, hope this is not a dumb question, but how do you know the steak is at 125 deg in the oven?

My test case would be a couple decent 10-12 oz Ribeyes, if it matters...thanks!

Rich

I have a different variant but something like this http://www.amazon.com/RediCheck-Remote-Cooking-Thermometer-Settings/dp/B0000AQL24

Works great for prime rib too.

[peterb]

A small crock-pot is great for breakfast oatmeal. I use steel-cut oats, half milk and half water, pinch of salt, and whatever dried or fresh fruit appeals that morning. Put the liner in the microwave and nuke until it bubbles. Put the liner back in the heated shell, cover, take dog for a good walk. It's ready when I get home.

For extra richness, beat an egg or two wish a splash of vanilla and mix it in a few minutes before it's done.

[peterb]

A simple way to balance the richness of Yukon Gold potatoes and olive oil is to mix them with chopped kalmata olives, garlic, and rosemary. Works well as a salad or mashed.

[The Apprentice]

Any cheap cut of pork or beaf brined in apple juice over night. Remove from brine in the morning smother in mustard and your favorite bbq rub. Place in smoker and enjoy your favorite adult beverages while carefully attending the coals until meat has reached the proper temp or you are to sauced to care. Now after a hard days drinking enjoy some delicious pulled pork and what ever sides the wife decides to make because at this point you really shouldnt be doing anything unsupervized.

[JAD]

To accompany pork: cup of dried cherries, bottle of Jim Beam, couple tablespoons of butter. Melt butter in saucepan, put in cherries, toss to coat, cover with bourbon, reduce until cherries are plump. I do not add sugar but you could. Good over ice cream too, and I'd like to try the same idea with preiselbeeren and cognac for venison. Somebody kill me a deer.

[jc000]

My wife is the real cook of the house. But, I do like to dabble. We grill a lot and use my grandmother's recipe for Chimi Churi most times in place of BBQ sauce. My grandmother and mom are from Argentina. Growing up there was a lot of Argentinian and German (my grandmother is 1st gen Argentinian from Germany) and my grandfather (just passed last Sunday...miss you Papa... is from Germany) flavors.

Anyway, the Rauch family Chimi Churi recipe....

We always cooked intuitively without formal measurements. Each batch is slightly different based on the feel of the day.

Chopped/minced Parsley
Crushed red pepper
Minced Garlic
Chopped/minced Cilantro
Olive Oil
Red wine vinegar
Salt
Pepper

Use over grilled steaks, sausages, chops, etc. Slather on to taste. Awesome stuff!

Argentine BBQ (Beef!!!) is the best. One of my longest friends is fully Argentine (born in USA to two Argentine parents) and he introduced me to Argentine grilling. Beef mostly, pre-salted and covered with chimichurri. Pure heaven. He also made his own gaucho sausages and empanadas which he sold locally for a while. Your chimi recipe is very similar to the one we use, only we substitute lemon juice for the vinegar. I always believed that if you could put together a nice Argentine BBQ restaurant and did it right you'd make a killing.

Sadly he and his family moved back down there, probably for good. I do my best to maintain those Argentine grilling traditions up here, but that mastery with cooking with wood takes a while to perfect. Can't wait to visit, though!

[Drang]

For me, cooking usually starts with a box or bag of something and goes from there. Just don't have the patience or interest to invest the time and effort. That said, I have been informed that I need to start transferring all of Good eats from the DVR to another medium...

Here, however, is a "recipe" for Sangria I came up with that Mrs. Drang loves.
1 bottle white moscato. The cheap stuff is okay.
1 can Peach Fresca
1 6 oz. cup diced peaches in light syrup. Generic grocery store brand is fine.
16 oz. of iced tea
Spices to taste

Moscato and Fresca go in pitcher, add peaches w/syrup. For spices I throw in a stick of cinnamon, and then take the large tea ball and put some nutmeg, ginger, and orange peel in it.

Take one 16 ounce water bottle, pour in about 3-4 ounces of rum or vodka, add one packet of whatever brand of "single serving" iced tea mix you like -- a peach flavor might be too much, I most recently used a "citrus green tea" and apparently am now a supergenius -- mix thoroughly, and then top off with water. Add to the sangria. Chill overnight... if you can wait that long.

Most sangria recipes start with a chardonnay and spend a lot of time and effort trying to make it sweet. I say start with something sweet and see where that takes you. (Mrs. Drang doesn't care for chardonnay anyway.)

Many recipes also add a ton of hard liquor, we were looking for something to sip at the end of the day, not to get us hammered.

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sk_p3aRoacc/VYTdLql7yUI/AAAAAAAAE70/ovMxSJUpe4g/s1600/0619151903.jpg

[Clobbersaurus]

Ah, have heard about this but never tried it. Wife scoffed at me when I mentioned it. :cool:

Anyways, hope this is not a dumb question, but how do you know the steak is at 125 deg in the oven?

My test case would be a couple decent 10-12 oz Ribeyes, if it matters...thanks!

Rich

Oh geeze, don't blame me if they don't turn out right!

I just use an old school meat thermometer. Take out the steak after ten minutes or so, stick the thermometer in to the thickest part of the steak and see if it has reached the correct temp. If not, I pop it back in the oven for a few minutes. The remote thermometer in the link above is the best method and saves a lot of checking. It also gives you time to fry the mushrooms and onions!

[RJ]

Oh geeze, don't blame me if they don't turn out right!

I just use an old school meat thermometer. Take out the steak after ten minutes or so, stick the thermometer in to the thickest part of the steak and see if it has reached the correct temp. If not, I pop it back in the oven for a few minutes. The remote thermometer in the link above is the best method and saves a lot of checking. It also gives you time to fry the mushrooms and onions!

No worries, thanks a bunch. I will give this a shot and report back soon. :cool:

[Hatchetman]

Random thoughts from an ex-chef:

Try to let go of recipes and learn general principles instead. At its root cooking is a survival skill; you want to learn how to make stuff taste good with what you have, rather than what Fresh Fields will sell you. One of my favorite things is to walk into someone's kitchen I've never been in, go through all the cupboards, and whip something tasty out of whatever is there. First time I met my in-laws I went through their rather empty larder and turned 3 qts. of milk, some half and half, a partial bag of frozen peas, some flour, some canned salmon, butter, spice and such into a salmon soufflé. Made for a good first impression.

Exception to the above: when baking, follow the freaking recipe. I see entrees as an art form, baking is all chemistry. If you don't follow the recipe you'll create a monster.

Spend some time learning how to make stocks. Just about anything rotting in the 'fridge or that you scrape off your plate into the trash can be tossed in a stock pot. Teach yourself how to make beef, chicken, and fish based stocks. Once you have those down--they are easy--start working on sauces. If you know how to make a basic brown sauce, white sauce, use a butter and flour based roux, and a cornstarch roux, you can turn just about any critter into something tasty. It takes practice to figure out what works with what, but once you got stocks and sauces down there is very little you can't turn into a meal.

For the most part, low and slow is the way to go on meat. Exceptions are broiler items, but if it is going into a sauce, being marinated, smoked, BBQ'd, whatever, I like starting it at 250-275 and really taking my time. As it gets near done, blast it at 350-450 for color/exterior texture.

Learn food sanitation basics. Avoid cross contamination, i.e. using the French knife on raw chicken and then cutting lettuce with it. Drop a teaspoon full of bleach into a gallon of water and then wipe down everything that touches food with the solution: cutting boards, countertops, implements, etc. Do it often.

Understand safe internal serving/holding temps: Chicken to at least 165, old school pork the same, though if you trust your pork source I think 140 is good. Beef, an internal of 125 or so for rare to 180 or so for pretty freaking well done. Fish, 140 to 165, depending on source. Try to "hold" foods, i.e. store them for serving at 150 to 180, depending on food item (cooler for tender/flaky stuff like fish, warmer for pork in BBQ or something else still breaking down proteins while holding.) Get yourself a cheap probe type thermometer and stick it into your stuff to see what the temp is. Dip said thermo into your sanitizing solution between uses.

It takes a lot of work to allow food poisoning to occur: first you gotta introduce a pathogen to a food medium, then you gotta let it reproduce at a temp it is happy at, then you gotta fail to bring the food item to a temp that kills the pathogen, and so on. Interdict this process at any point and you have no worries. It's kinda like NDs: you gotta break all the rules all at once to make it happen. With that said, there are still some oddball ways of creating, say, anaerobic processes that allow botulism to flourish and such so err on the side of caution. Also note that my low and slow meat preferences is counter indicated if you don't trust the meat source. If that's the case, blast that snot out of it.

That's what leaps to mind, but feel free to throw any specific questions you have at me.

[RJ]

Random thoughts from an ex-chef:

Try to let go of recipes and learn general principles instead. At its root cooking is a survival skill; you want to learn how to make stuff taste good with what you have, rather than what Fresh Fields will sell you. One of my favorite things is to walk into someone's kitchen I've never been in, go through all the cupboards, and whip something tasty out of whatever is there. First time I met my in-laws I went through their rather empty larder and turned 3 qts. of milk, some half and half, a partial bag of frozen peas, some flour, some canned salmon, butter, spice and such into a salmon soufflé. Made for a good first impression.

Exception to the above: when baking, follow the freaking recipe. I see entrees as an art form, baking is all chemistry. If you don't follow the recipe you'll create a monster.

Spend some time learning how to make stocks. Just about anything rotting in the 'fridge or that you scrape off your plate into the trash can be tossed in a stock pot. Teach yourself how to make beef, chicken, and fish based stocks. Once you have those down--they are easy--start working on sauces. If you know how to make a basic brown sauce, white sauce, use a butter and flour based roux, and a cornstarch roux, you can turn just about any critter into something tasty. It takes practice to figure out what works with what, but once you got stocks and sauces down there is very little you can't turn into a meal.

For the most part, low and slow is the way to go on meat. Exceptions are broiler items, but if it is going into a sauce, being marinated, smoked, BBQ'd, whatever, I like starting it at 250-275 and really taking my time. As it gets near done, blast it at 350-450 for color/exterior texture.

Learn food sanitation basics. Avoid cross contamination, i.e. using the French knife on raw chicken and then cutting lettuce with it. Drop a teaspoon full of bleach into a gallon of water and then wipe down everything that touches food with the solution: cutting boards, countertops, implements, etc. Do it often.

Understand safe internal serving/holding temps: Chicken to at least 165, old school pork the same, though if you trust your pork source I think 140 is good. Beef, an internal of 125 or so for rare to 180 or so for pretty freaking well done. Fish, 140 to 165, depending on source. Try to "hold" foods, i.e. store them for serving at 150 to 180, depending on food item (cooler for tender/flaky stuff like fish, warmer for pork in BBQ or something else still breaking down proteins while holding.) Get yourself a cheap probe type thermometer and stick it into your stuff to see what the temp is. Dip said thermo into your sanitizing solution between uses.

It takes a lot of work to allow food poisoning to occur: first you gotta introduce a pathogen to a food medium, then you gotta let it reproduce at a temp it is happy at, then you gotta fail to bring the food item to a temp that kills the pathogen, and so on. Interdict this process at any point and you have no worries. It's kinda like NDs: you gotta break all the rules all at once to make it happen. With that said, there are still some oddball ways of creating, say, anaerobic processes that allow botulism to flourish and such so err on the side of caution. Also note that my low and slow meat preferences is counter indicated if you don't trust the meat source. If that's the case, blast that snot out of it.

That's what leaps to mind, but feel free to throw any specific questions you have at me.

Great stuff. Thanks.

Question: besides salt and pepper, what would be the 'basic' spices you would suggest for a beginning cook just starting out?


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[Hatchetman]

Great stuff. Thanks.

Question: besides salt and pepper, what would be the 'basic' spices you would suggest for a beginning cook just starting out?


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Thyme, basil, oregano, garlic (we can argue whether it's a spice), onion (ditto), are the ones I can't live without.

Tabasco (or other hot sauce), Worcestershire, red and white peppercorns, rosemary, tarragon, cilantro are next in line.

Raspberry flavored vinaigrette (poach some carrots in it, water, peppercorns, and rosemary then thank me), Kitchen Bouquet, dry beef and chicken stock (these three can add a deep color/flavor) are the third line. Sure I'm forgetting something.

[OnionsAndDragons]

That's a really great starter list, Hatchetman. Your experience shows!

And for the live of all that is delicious, if you are serious about cooking, plant some of those herbs and tend them. Fresh herbs are soooooooo much better than bought dried from the store. You can always dry your surplus.

Herbs are easy to grow in a small amount of space, and it will save you money on top of making your food super awesome.


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[Luke]

I need something easy and cheap to make with chicken. I eat 2 boneless skinless chicken breast every day and I'm to the point where I could barf eating them. Been doing them on the stove with black pepper and garlic powder. Can't afford to grill everyday so would prefer stove top. Something with sauce would be good. The more calories the better. Seems like a good place to ask!

[scott]

A pan sauce is a really good way to improve pretty much any sauteed meat.
Basically, make sure you are browning the meat well so there's plenty of bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Remove the meat and put it to the side
If there is a bit of fat still in the pan, you're good, go to the next step. Otherwise add a small pat of butter.
Put in a bit of garlic or onion, and a sprinkle of some spice you like; maybe just more pepper to keep it simple.
Cook that for a minute or two to get some flavor out.
Add a small amount, just a couple oz, of broth or wine or spirits, and, if you want to be fancy, some herbs or something. Turn the heat up and use a wooden spoon to scrape all the stuff off the pan. Keep doing that until there is only a little liquid left and it's getting a bit thick.
Now if you want to be indulgent, add a big pat of butter and stir it in.
Put this over your meat. (Same technique will do good things for any pan cooked meat)

[JTQ]

I need something easy and cheap to make with chicken. I eat 2 boneless skinless chicken breast every day and I'm to the point where I could barf eating them. Been doing them on the stove with black pepper and garlic powder. Can't afford to grill everyday so would prefer stove top. Something with sauce would be good. The more calories the better. Seems like a good place to ask!
Oven Easy chicken. For 2 breasts. Put 1/2 stick of butter (I've use a whole stick, if works well with that too) in a 9 x 9 baking pan (Pyrex works great), put in oven. Turn oven to 400 degrees. When the oven is preheated the butter should be mostly melted, take out and swirl butter around in pan until melting is complete.

While the oven was preheating, in a 1 gallon Ziplock bag put 1/2 cup flower, salt, pepper, paprika to taste (I've been substituting Italian seasoning for paprika recently, and adding some bread crumbs). Put the chicken breasts in the bag and shake until coated.

Put the breasts in the pan with the melted butter. Return to oven, at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. At 30 minutes, remove turn breast over. Return to oven for another 30 minutes. After final 30 minutes, remove from oven, transfer to plate, and cover with foil. Let sit for 10 minutes. Eat.

[peterb]

D
Thyme, basil, oregano, garlic (we can argue whether it's a spice), onion (ditto), are the ones I can't live without.

Tabasco (or other hot sauce), Worcestershire, red and white peppercorns, rosemary, tarragon, cilantro are next in line.

Raspberry flavored vinaigrette (poach some carrots in it, water, peppercorns, and rosemary then thank me), Kitchen Bouquet, dry beef and chicken stock (these three can add a deep color/flavor) are the third line. Sure I'm forgetting something.

I'd add cumin if you like southwestern food. Cumin, oregano, garlic, lime and some kind of chili pepper(I like chipotles) are good building blocks for that style.

[Hatchetman]

Yeah, I ought to add cumin to my second line spice list.

There are various Monterey Chicken recipes you can scope out. Basically Monterey jack cheese, green chiles, cumin, and whatever else you like. I'll take a meat hammer to the breast, put the jack cheese and chiles on one half, fold the breast over the fixins' dredge it in bread crumbs, drizzle some butter and then bake at 350 until brown, likely 25 to 40 minutes. Add some cumin/red pepper/or chili powder (which is a combo of the two) to your crumbs for a deeper taste.

Found a variation on this theme here: http://acameraandacookbook.com/monterey-chicken-chilis-copycat-recipe/

I also like various sour cream chicken recipes. Take some sour cream, add butter milk but keep things viscous, toss in a little lemon juice, celery salt, white pepper, and paprika for color. Mix it up then drop your breast in it over night. Dredge in crumbs the next day, pastry brush on a little butter, and bake at 350 until brown. Your tongue will thank you.

[OnionsAndDragons]

I need something easy and cheap to make with chicken. I eat 2 boneless skinless chicken breast every day and I'm to the point where I could barf eating them. Been doing them on the stove with black pepper and garlic powder. Can't afford to grill everyday so would prefer stove top. Something with sauce would be good. The more calories the better. Seems like a good place to ask!

This is my favorite chicken marinade at the moment:

1 fist garlic
2-4 good sized jalapeño
1 dark ale, or nut brownish beer of some sort
1/6-1/4 cup of soy sauce, could sub 1/8-1/6 cup Worcestershire if you don't like soy or prefer a but different flavor
Honey or dark brown sugar to your tastes (play w this, it is good both sweet and w just enough to cut any bitterness from the beer)
Fresh basil and cilantro
Maybe a little lime juice or pomegranate juice

Stuff that in your blender and hit it good. Once it is nice and puréed, run it low and add some oil of your preference. I tend to go coconut or olive. Once it looks like it's just starting to suspend you've got enough oil. You can always add more if you want more fat.

Store that in a big ass mason jar or similar overnight. In the morning, shake it up and put the chicken you plan to cook that day in a bag, cover with marinade, seal and refrigerate. Pull your chicken an hour or so before cooking to let it come to room temp then cook it!

That much marinade will do you for quite a bit of chicken, probably a weeks worth. And as long as you just shake it and pour into the bag instead of using it wholesale, it should be good to go.

I play with all sorts of different flavors to the beer/oil/sweetener base. Some oem out great, some not so much. But nobody has complained sticking pretty close to that formula.

If you are just pan cooking it, you can make a pan sauce for it by deglazing with a nice citrusy wine or some of the beer. I like to use wine if I added a citrus flavor to the marinade. Little butter and a few pinches of flour and whisk. Mushrooms are nice to add at the end.


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[45dotACP]

I'm only subscribed to 2 threads here...and this is one :)

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[Luke]

How about something good to do with egg whites? Like 9 eggs worth? Any good egg recipes?

[orionz06]

How about something good to do with egg whites? Like 9 eggs worth? Any good egg recipes?

I cook them with some minced garlic mixed in and then just as they're almost done I flip and splash in soy sauce.

[Hatchetman]

How about something good to do with egg whites? Like 9 eggs worth? Any good egg recipes?

I'm a fan of soufflés as, once you figure e'm out, they are kinda showy but not that hard to pull off. The critical variable is the oven: needs to be level and pretty true to temp. Haven't made this one, but I've done similar. Fits the parameters and looks pretty easy:

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=866926

[Sasage]

How about something good to do with egg whites? Like 9 eggs worth? Any good egg recipes?

I would probably make a scramble or omelet with chopped up veggies and sausage/bacon/ham.

[RJ]

Tried the Monterey Chicken, photo is before popping in the oven.

Turned out yummi. :)

Awesome thread!!

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08/26/88019c4137cad0ca380529e05f99773d.jpg


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[Kyle Reese]

I love this thread. Does anyone have a good lamb chop recipe?


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[Hatchetman]

I love this thread. Does anyone have a good lamb chop recipe?

Massage with dry mustard and minced garlic, sprinkle with fresh rosemary, and broil.

[Kyle Reese]

Massage with dry mustard and minced garlic, sprinkle with fresh rosemary, and broil.

I'll give that a go on Friday night. Many thanks, sir!


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[JAD]

I actually just use the same stuff I mentioned putting on the Rosemary potatoes. Pack them in it and refrigerate for an hour before broiling.

[RJ]

Trying Hatchetman inspired 'What the heck' chile chicken tonight.

Two skinless chicken breasts, butterflied
Lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil
Small can Hatch chiles
Swiss cheese
Shaved ham
Seasoned bread crumbs
Flax seed
Oregano
Butter
Bottle Merlot

Place butterflied chicken in zip lok, pound to about 1/2" thick. Lay in a marinade pan, drizzle with lemon juice, and set in fridge for an hour.

Pour a glass of St Michel merlot. Enjoy.

Take out chicken, and drizzle with olive oil. Place unfolded breast on a plate.

Spread one t of Hatch green chiles on the seam of the butterfly, then lay in one slice of Swiss cheese. Add two slices of shaved ham.

Sip the merlot.

Fold the chicken closed, and pin with wood toothpicks. Salt and pepper lightly, then drizzle some seasoned bread crumbs, and some ground flax seed. Maybe add oregano.

Sipore Merlot.

Take the baking pan and melt a bit of butter in it, maybe 1/8 stick.

Place the chicken in the pan, then bake at 350 for 45 mins, or until golden brown, or the Mwrlot is at 1/2 bottle.

Sip more Mer lowwwwwww.

Enjoy the chicken. :)

Here's it going into the oven:

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/05/af86923222420c88d5e6a203bf3e79c5.jpg


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[Malamute]

Reading this makes me hungry,...and really miss my friends that are good cooks.

This isnt actually me, but is a fair representation of my culinary prowess.

[RJ]

Thought those of you eating Turkey leftovers ( :cool: ) could use a break.

I've been making this simple yummy low-cal alternative dessert for a while. I forget where I got this, but it was a while ago.

Faux Chocolate Pudding

Serves Two:

16 oz Ricotta Cheese
1 level T unsweetened chocolate
1 T half and half creamer
Stevia to taste (I use 4 packets)

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix with a spoon.

That's it.

Either eat immediately or leave in the fridge for a half hour.

Delicious. :)

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11/29/cce83a3763f9c94b8882c18e80b02841.jpg


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[PPGMD]

One thing I don't see mentioned is oven thermometer. The built in thermometers in ovens SUCK. Get a oven thermometer and monitor it.

For my oven I need to get it at 375 to get 350, and 430 to get 400, and 540 to get 500. If I didn't have an oven thermometer I wouldn't have noticed it, and would've been left wondering why nothing was completed on time.

[RJ]

Well, this is no huge deal, but I am batching it this week as Mrs. is out of town.

I looked at what I had on the shelf, and decided to try and make Chili, of sorts:

Sorta Kinda Chili

1/2 sweet onion, cut into chunks
6 oz ground beef
Can Bush's Chili beans
1/2 t Cumin
1/2 t Chili Powder
1/4 c EVOO

Dump the olive oil into a medium saucepan and saute the onion a bit. Toss in the ground beef, cook until brown. Dump in the chili beans, cumin and chili powder, mix, then reduce heat and simmer covered for 20 minutes.

I had some frozen peas, so I served it over them. Wierd, I know, but it was pretty good, at least for me. :cool:

[Paltares8]

What an awesome thread. I love cooking and have worked in kitchens since i was 15, from bars to fine dining. One thing I'd love to do is bake my own bread as someone else mentioned, and really just get into baking more in general. I'll have to try and post a recipe some time to maybe get some feedback, but I'm always trying to fine tune them. There's a few recipes posted here that I want to try

[Luke]

So will butterflying the chicken breast make it less dry? We eat a TON of boneless skinless breasts and they are always dry :( grill, skillet, oven.. All dry.

[45dotACP]

So will butterflying the chicken breast make it less dry? We eat a TON of boneless skinless breasts and they are always dry :( grill, skillet, oven.. All dry.
Like so many things...it's all in the preparation...I butterfly or pound the chicken with a meat mallet depending on my mood...then I either marinate or wet brine it.

[Luke]

Sweet! I'll try that. We have over 20 pounds of boneless skinless breast right now so I need to figure something out!

[JAD]

So will butterflying the chicken breast make it less dry? We eat a TON of boneless skinless breasts and they are always dry :( grill, skillet, oven.. All dry.
Think about whether you're overcooking it. Also, let it rest (under a foil tent) for five minutes before you slice it.

[peterb]

An instant-read thermometer can be a big help in not overcooking "just to be safe".
http://m.thesweethome.com/reviews/the-best-instant-read-thermometer/

[Luke]

We have a thermometer but it sucks and takes like 5 minutes. I'll get an instant one this weekend. I just cut it open and check it.

Any chicken with bone/skin turns out amazing. Like dripping juices.

[OnionsAndDragons]

Luke,
Get a probe timer thermometer and an instant read. They are well worth the expense.

I've turned to reverse searing as many things as possible since they always come out excellent.

Bake on a lower than usual setting in the oven say 245-275 until your timer tells you it is 10* below your target cook temp. Pull it out and let rest for 10mins, then sear, fry, sautée to finish.

This is also great for pre prepping stuff. You could season and bake all of that chicken to about 15* below your target! finish some out! pack up the rest. Then when you want more just pull it and pan it!


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[t1tan]

Definitely agree on the instant read AND probe(really helpful for methods like baking or smoking)

This is the most highly suggested instant read I've found, commonly seen used by Alton Brown and ChefSteps.com

http://www.thermoworks.com/products/thermapen/




Using temperature will help greatly with any cooking method, usually removing chicken from heat at 165º core temp, baking, grill, etc. although I mostly cook chicken around 140-149º(60-65ºC) sous vide +/– 45 min, never a dry piece of poultry.

[HCM]

So will butterflying the chicken breast make it less dry? We eat a TON of boneless skinless breasts and they are always dry :( grill, skillet, oven.. All dry.

Good advice on the instant read thermometer but in general, lower temp / slower cooking = Juicier.

[JAD]

I get very aggressive with BsBs, because I'm cooking for people who turn into animals when they smell dinner and I literally can't cook it fast enough. I wash and dry them [the chicken], oil and season, then sear the shit out of them on both sides in a very hot grill pan. I reduce the heat to medium low and cross my grids, and cook to a bend test (when you tong one end and the meat stays stiff it's done). Then I let them rest for five before cutting, throwing pirate booty at the savages until I can get them [again, the chicken]over greens or pasta and on the table.

BsBs are really not great to be eaten by themselves -- splits are much better for that. I use them as an ingredient when they will get some external lubrication, like in a salad, steamed veggies with olive oil, or pesto pasta.

[Shellback]

So will butterflying the chicken breast make it less dry? We eat a TON of boneless skinless breasts and they are always dry :( grill, skillet, oven.. All dry.

My suggestion would be to try a baked Greek yogurt chicken recipe, like this: http://www.food.com/recipe/melt-in-your-mouth-chicken-breasts-37336

Use the Greek yogurt, not the mayo, and add in a few more spices. We add in hot Hatch green chiles, some onion, whatever's handy, and at the end kick up the oven to broil to put a nice brown on it. The yogurt insulates the chicken and it comes out super juicy.

[JMorse]

Luke,

You say you want a moist chicken breast? Want something foolproof and super easy, every time?

Your answer lies here: http://anovaculinary.com/

A chicken breast done via sous vide cooked to 140 melts in your mouth. You normally shoot for 165. You'll be blown away by how much better chicken breasts cooked this way is.

[orionz06]

So will butterflying the chicken breast make it less dry? We eat a TON of boneless skinless breasts and they are always dry :( grill, skillet, oven.. All dry.

Both butterflying and cooking them whole I've not had issues. Butterflying does speed them up and gives more room for any spices or herbs. When I make a batch of chicken for work for the week I'll often butterfly and cook them in a large SS skillet on high. I can hit both sides quickly and they'll finish cooking on a platter. If I cook them whole I will smash them or roll them to be a little more even. Coat in oil and cook near high a minute a side, cover and cook on low for about 10 minutes. Works out well. Google some recipes and you'll have better times. I use the "powerburner" for a lot of my cooking and it gets things a little hotter so my times are always off a little.

[PPGMD]

A recipe I threw together today. Traditionally most Miso Ramen broths call for Pork based broth, and Dashi. Due to religious reasons of one of my guests I was forced to change what I was going to cook (hamburgers) and make something with no meat.

So Friday Catholic Friendly Miso Ramen with Seared Tuna
Serves about 4-5

Broth
1 32fl oz containers of Vegetable Broth
1 32fl oz container for Seafood Broth
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Fish Sauce
4 Tablespoons White Miso Paste
Couple dashes Garlic powder

Combine in stock pot, bring to boil, reduce to simmer for 15 minutes.

Tuna
2 7oz Tuna Steaks
Couple dashes Soy Sauce
Couple of dashes Sesame Oil
Salt and freshly ground Pepper

Combine Soy sauce and Sesame Oil in Ramekin
Apply Soy & Sesame Oil to each side of steak and season with salt and pepper
In pipping hot pan sear the steaks, should be able 1-2 minutes per side
Set aside, and cut in small bite sized pieces.

Ramen
1 Package Frozen Corn
5-6 Scallions
5 Hard Boiled Eggs deshelled (can be soft if that is what you like)
5 Packages Ramen (not in the bowl)

Cook Ramen per directions but do not add flavoring
Rinse corn to defrost them, and to remove any clumps
Chop Scallions into small rings
Cut Hard Boiled Eggs in half

To Assemble
Place a good amount of broth in a bowl, and then put a good amount of cooked ramen noodles
Around the bowl put 4-5 pieces of tuna, each half of a hard boiled egg, corn, and scallions.

Miso paste, and fish sauce can be found at most oriental markets. Both the Thai, and the Chinese markets around here have it. And if you are there I would get the soy sauce and sesame oil the selection is better and the prices are cheaper.

[PPGMD]

Added some fish sauce to the burgers tonight. Let's see how it turns out.

[Unobtanium]

Been cooking (aka: reading recipe cards) since I was 12 or so.

My mom started College in her forties, and I shared cooking duties during the week's she was away during my High School years. Later in life, I was single for a while, and cooked for my son and I. Nothing fancy, just basic stuff.

I retired this year at age 56. Lately, I've been sharing cooking duties with my wife, and I've had a lot of fun rediscovering the whole kitchen thing.

I would guess a lot of you have experience cooking for yourselves, so am interested in your recipes, tips, spices, favorite kitchen tools, etc.

From time to time, I'd also like to post some recipes that have worked for me.

So, what do you like to cook? :cool:

I'm a very basic cook.

Steak
Chicken
Sweet potato
fish
eggs

Mainly Paleo type staples, with nutrient/macros and taste as my only 2 guidelines. I cook because I am trying to change my body composition.

[Al T.]

One thing I've sort of switched to is chicken thighs rather than breasts. I think they taste better.*


* There's a joke in there somewhere, butt I don't feel like getting banned.... :D

[JAD]

One thing I've sort of switched to is chicken thighs :D

Love 'em. This is my favorite way to abuse them: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/coq-au-vin-recipe4.html

[PPGMD]

This is my next chicken recipe.

http://www.japanesecooking101.com/miso-grilled-chicken-recipe/

I have a package is Miso Paste I have to use, and I can only eat so much ramen.

[Sasage]

Love 'em. This is my favorite way to abuse them: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/coq-au-vin-recipe4.html
Definitely use chicken thighs if making enchiladas

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[Sasage]

Just picked this up from a rerun of Anthony Bourdain.

3 Eggs
Butter
Scallions
2 slices bacon
2 T sour cream

Add butter and cook thinly chopped bacon until translucent, add eggs.
Stir in scallions 1/4C and 2 TB sourcream while eggs finish cooking.

Enjoy.

[Tuesday]

Books:
Michael Ruhlman's Ratio - how to achieve consistently good results by cooking by weights and ratios
Dorenburg and Paige's The Flavor Bible - what tastes good with what

Detroit-style "red top" pizza (adapted from a recipe by Shawn Randazzo):
80% hydration dough, 3.5% salt (percent weight of ingredients per unit weight of flour)
2 g flour per square inch of pan
2.5 g cheese per square inch of pan (half brick (cheddar, basically) half mozzarella is traditional)
yeast
oilve oil
tomato sauce
toppings
tall-sided sheet or cake pan

dissolve yeast in warm water per instructions on packet
add flour and salt and stir until combined
spread dough evenly to edges of deep, lightly-oiled sheet pan (no rim/cornicione to the crust)
coat hands in a little oil to keep dough from sticking
cover and let rise for 2-3 hours or until the surface is very bubbly (yes, this is "overrisen" and it's important for the crust texture)
add cheese over entire surface of dough, with extra around the edges
put toppings on (pepperoni traditionally goes under the cheese)
bake at 450°F for 15-20 minutes until brown
while baking heat tomato sauce
cut, plate, and top with sauce to taste

result: buttery, cheesy, and makes NY pizza taste like the third-rate mess that it is

pic by Shawn:

http://i.imgur.com/SfuoRzg.jpg

[NEPAKevin]

The wife left me and the dog to fend for ourselves so she could go worship a giant black rat in Orlando, so I made us some meatloaf.

11406

[Greg]

First one to post anything calling for canned Cream of Mushroom soup gets kicked in the junk.

Hard.

[Wondering Beard]

so she could go worship a giant black rat in Orlando

That requires some elaboration ... or phrasing.

[NEPAKevin]

That requires some elaboration ... or phrasing.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/85/5e/a3/855ea34573ba2519f6e6f045beabf899.jpg

[Wondering Beard]

Aah.

:-)

[ubervic]

I willingly perform, or assist in performing, all manner of household tasks, including but not limited to laundry, cleaning, making beds, taking out trash, doing dishes, yardwork, etc. You name it.

But I do not and will not cook. :cool:

[RJ]

Aah.

:-)

Lived in Orlando '98 - '10. Locals refer to Disney as 'The Rat', and not in a good way.

[Sasage]

Made country ribs at work tonight, cheap, easy and always a favorite

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[peterb]

Improvised a sweet potato soup the other night. Onions, garlic, sweet potatos, fresh ginger, coconut milk, natural peanut butter. I didn't see any left in the bowls.....

Been making hummus and baba ganoush. Really simple -- it all just goes in the food processor and gets adjusted to taste.

[t1tan]

http://i543.photobucket.com/albums/gg456/t1tan19/Forums/IMG_0322_zps5tgs0qag.jpg

Sold my two Anovas, these finally showed up today.

ChefSteps Joule

[orionz06]

http://i543.photobucket.com/albums/gg456/t1tan19/Forums/IMG_0322_zps5tgs0qag.jpg

Sold my two Anovas, these finally showed up today.

ChefSteps Joule

Splain me!

[Matt O]

Splain me!

I think it's for sous vide cooking. I usually reverse sear, so I'm down with the sous vide method; I just usually do it all on the grill. I'd be interested to hear how well these work.

[t1tan]

Splain me!


https://youtu.be/QBjjIWMYH8s

Basically package food in a ziplock or other temperature safe bag, for example some meat, herbs and butter, or vegetables. Drop the bag in a water bath, heated and circulated by Joule or whatever other circulator you may have, and cook for the amount of time you want to reach for your desired texture without a chance of overcooking since the water bath is set to the doneness temperature, not way over like an oven at say 350º.


I think it's for sous vide cooking. I usually reverse sear, so I'm down with the sous vide method; I just usually do it all on the grill. I'd be interested to hear how well these work.

Correct!

Going to pick up a couple aged steaks on payday, pre-sear, sous vide with clarified butter, thyme and garlic, pepper and post-sear with juices and more butter, top with some fleur de sel. But so far right out of the box, set up was stupid easy, did some hard boiled eggs for my girlfriends lunches, 75ºC for an hour then chill. Went from 22ºC to 75ºC in about 5 minutes, probably 3x faster than my Anovas, very high quality materials and machining.



Basically sous vide is great and makes good foods better, the technique is stupid easy to utilize and can do pretty much anything.

[orionz06]

https://youtu.be/QBjjIWMYH8s

Basically package food in a ziplock or other temperature safe bag, for example some meat, herbs and butter, or vegetables. Drop the bag in a water bath, heated and circulated by Joule or whatever other circulator you may have, and cook for the amount of time you want to reach for your desired texture without a chance of overcooking since the water bath is set to the doneness temperature, not way over like an oven at say 350º.



Correct!

Going to pick up a couple aged steaks on payday, pre-sear, sous vide with clarified butter, thyme and garlic, pepper and post-sear with juices and more butter, top with some fleur de sel. But so far right out of the box, set up was stupid easy, did some hard boiled eggs for my girlfriends lunches, 75ºC for an hour then chill. Went from 22ºC to 75ºC in about 5 minutes, probably 3x faster than my Anovas, very high quality materials and machining.



Basically sous vide is great and makes good foods better, the technique is stupid easy to utilize and can do pretty much anything.

I'm in the market for sous vide with an Anova and the other one in my Amazon cart for months now. Was curious what that one offers that warrants a switch.


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[45dotACP]

I'm in the market for sous vide with an Anova and the other one in my Amazon cart for months now. Was curious what that one offers that warrants a switch.


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I've been fairly happy with Anova...for the amount of time a sous vide meal takes to make, an extra few minutes to warm up seems extraneous to me.

Really sous vide takes a lot of time and for me, doesn't make a lot of food....but damn does it make a bomb ass steak.

[t1tan]

My two Anovas struggled to maintain temperature the higher I set them and I believe it's max volume is 5gal whereas the Joule is 10+ so that was a big reason for my switch, being able to maintain temperature more consistently. Trying to do potatoes at 85°C, letting the bath heat for hours I never reached temp in a 4.75gal Cambro.

Between my two Anovas, fit and finish varied greatly as well and having hard water, cleaning wasn't the easiest without running it in a solution of water/vinegar. They got the job done but I think the Joules are more well thought out, especially for the fact they only need 1.5" of water and cleaning entailes screwing off the magnetic foot and pulling an impeller out, done. I also like the fact it is entirely sealed, I've known other designs to fail from condensation during a cook.

Finally having them in my hands after pre-ordering in Jan I definitely feel as far as the hardware goes Joule is the superior circulator out right now, but I'd suggest comparing the specs and reading some reviews to get an idea of each designs flaws and positives.

[BN]

I read this thread and I feel like a light weight. :)

Dinner last night. I threw a couple of packages of pork chops in the crockpot. Then close to dinner time I put some potatoes in the microwave and then opened a can of green beans and warmed them up. Everybody seemed to like it. ;)

[RoyGBiv]

I think it's for sous vide cooking. I usually reverse sear, so I'm down with the sous vide method; I just usually do it all on the grill. I'd be interested to hear how well these work.

+1 for reverse sear. I like to use the smoker (with mesquite /pecan mix) , followed by a flat wrought iron plate on the grill.
Honestly, never heard of sous vide until today. Even for salmon I just season a thick filet, wrap tightly in foil and toss on the grill on high for 10 minutes.
Cooks the germs off the outside and the middle gets just past warm. SV seems interesting.

[Al T.]

Buddy of mine does a lot of SV. Works pretty well, but you can overcook the meat which gives it a funny texture.

The best thing I discovered a few years back (to echo others) is a thermometer. Thake those chicken thighs up to 150 or so internal temperature and yummies!

[t1tan]

Buddy of mine does a lot of SV. Works pretty well, but you can overcook the meat which gives it a funny texture.


Yep, depends on the cut of meat and what you're going for, ChefSteps has a good chart to go along with the technique. Basically longer you cook, the more you break down. More collagen and connective tissue, longer cook for desired results, etc. Like tonight I did some chicken breast for 1hr @ 65ºC whereas thighs I'd do 65-70ºC for 2-3hrs which would eventually begin to break a breast down to an unpleasant mushy texture where the thigh could withstand more. Bacon (https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/tips-tricks-the-world-s-best-bacon-cooks-allllll-night-long) is supposed to be amazing sous vide where you can go as long as 24-48hrs then drain and sear, roasts and such can go for 24+ hours as well.

Pasteurization tables are useful to look at too, low temperature/long duration = high temperature/short duration, just stay out of the danger zone and it's all safe.

https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/sous-vide-time-and-temperature-guide

[RJ]

Ok Help!

I am batching it until next Monday.

I have some chicken breasts which I plan to butterfly and pan fry, then slice and put over salad.

I looked in our cupboard and aside from salt and pepper, I can't recall what is a good spice to marinate chicken in.

I see Cumin, that's for a Tex Mex flavor, right?


Anyway, last night I tried Rosemary and Thyme, but wasn't thrilled with the taste.

To save me buying a herd-load of spices, are there any go-to ones you'd suggest that I can pick up at the grocery?

[t1tan]

Depends on the flavor I'm going for, as far as herbs I've been using a lot of thyme/tarrgon and for spice, smoked paprika. I also buy all of my spices whole and grind only what I need before use, longer shelf life/preserves flavor. For chicken I've been doing a lot of my own barbecue mix, 1/2c brown sugar, 3tbsp paprika, 1tbsp whole black pepper, 1tbsp sea salt, 1tbsp chili powder, 1tbsp garlic power, 1tbsp onion powder, 1/2tsp cayenne, 1tbsp cumin, 1tbsp celery seed.


Doing some chicken tacos right now, course ground 1.25lb of chicken thighs, mixed with cumin, black pepper, sea salt, garlic, onion, tequila(mostly for alcohol soluble flavor in pepper), cold press olive oil and bay leaf. Cooking sous vide for 3 hours @ 65°c. I'll do some rice and potatoes(fried in coconut oil and tossed with sea salt, black pepper, chili, onion, garlic, paprika) to go with it.


Been hovering around single digits lately so also pressure cooked some chicken noodle soup the other day. 5lb hen(older bird = more connective tissue = more flavor), 80g parsely, 12g thyme, 18g tarragon, 375g carrot, 420g white onion, 80g garlic, 300g celery, 40g sea salt, 4g monosodium glutamate, 30 whole black pepper. Full pressure for 45min, remove bird, carrot and celery, strain the broth, cut down carrot/celery, then pull the chicken meat, add back to the broth, bring to a boil and add noodles, I do about 24oz of my own egg noodle(flour, egg, small bit of fresh nutmeg).


Got a couple hundred to Amazon for xmas, so going to have to buy some stuff in my wishlist, $30 bottle of smoked soy sauce for one.

[RoyGBiv]

Ok Help!

I am batching it until next Monday.

I have some chicken breasts which I plan to butterfly and pan fry, then slice and put over salad.

I looked in our cupboard and aside from salt and pepper, I can't recall what is a good spice to marinate chicken in.

I see Cumin, that's for a Tex Mex flavor, right?


Anyway, last night I tried Rosemary and Thyme, but wasn't thrilled with the taste.

To save me buying a herd-load of spices, are there any go-to ones you'd suggest that I can pick up at the grocery?
My kids love the Baja Cirtus and Zesty Herb marinades...
Add a little water and vinegar, mix and marinate for at least 30 minutes (an hour is better, but not more than 2 hours).
About $1/pack at the local grocery. Good for 2 pounds of chicken (about 4 breast halves).
We prefer to marinade and grill them whole, not butterfly. YMMV.

Easy and tastes great.

https://ll-us-i5.wal.co/asr/01f9d0a5-cc22-4748-8465-8d48b3875eb8_1.416073b08e760bf4d81cfc9ac91ec7ba.jp eg?odnHeight=450&odnWidth=450&odnBg=FFFFFF

[RJ]

My kids love the Baja Cirtus and Zesty Herb marinades...
Add a little water and vinegar, mix and marinate for at least 30 minutes (an hour is better, but not more than 2 hours).
About $1/pack at the local grocery. Good for 2 pounds of chicken (about 4 breast halves).
We prefer to marinade and grill them whole, not butterfly. YMMV.

Easy and tastes great.



Perfect. Thanks.

[SGT_Calle]

My kids love the Baja Cirtus and Zesty Herb marinades...
Add a little water and vinegar, mix and marinate for at least 30 minutes (an hour is better, but not more than 2 hours).
About $1/pack at the local grocery. Good for 2 pounds of chicken (about 4 breast halves).
We prefer to marinade and grill them whole, not butterfly. YMMV.

Easy and tastes great.

https://ll-us-i5.wal.co/asr/01f9d0a5-cc22-4748-8465-8d48b3875eb8_1.416073b08e760bf4d81cfc9ac91ec7ba.jp eg?odnHeight=450&odnWidth=450&odnBg=FFFFFF

Yup! I've used a bunch of these over the years. Easy and good.


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[Greg]

12326

Jerk Chicken

[alexdrake]

I Hate Cooking !!!!!!!

[RJ]

Ok so I was at the store and got the grill mates marinade, will use on some chicken maybe tomorrow.

I had some hot Italian Johnsonville brats in the freezer, and some ground beef, so I decided to make chili today.

Remember: I am without adult supervision. :cool:

1 large sweet onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 lb ground beef
2 Johnsonville Brats, skinned
1 small can diced tomatoes
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 can Hatch chilis, diced
1 McCormick TexMex chili packet

Sauté onions and garlic in EVOO and a knob of butter. Set aside.

Brown ground beef and skinned brats in a fry pan. Drain.

Dump meat into large cookpot with onions. Add tomatoes and flavor packet. Stir. Add water if necessary.

Cover, and simmer until done (I dunno, maybe all day I guess).

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161214/5e9a17a60f79bc4880706e6ee9a71f39.jpg

[NEPAKevin]

..., so I decided to make chili today.

Remember: I am without adult supervision. :cool:



No adult supervision = Sriracha sauce

FWIW, I use Carroll Shelby's (https://www.amazon.com/Carroll-Shelbys-Original-Texas-Chili/dp/B000R96EZY/ref=sr_1_8_a_f_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1481743251&sr=8-8&ppw=fresh&keywords=texas+chili+mix) chili mix, comes in a little brown bag, and think it's pretty tasty.

We also use the previously mentioned Grill Mates but I get the reduced sodium varieties.

[orionz06]

No adult supervision = Sriracha sauce

FWIW, I use Carroll Shelby's (https://www.amazon.com/Carroll-Shelbys-Original-Texas-Chili/dp/B000R96EZY/ref=sr_1_8_a_f_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1481743251&sr=8-8&ppw=fresh&keywords=texas+chili+mix) chili mix, comes in a little brown bag, and think it's pretty tasty.

We also use the previously mentioned Grill Mates but I get the reduced sodium varieties.

My dad always used this and I've tried many others and fall back to this for convenience.




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[jeep45238]

Lately I've been doing a lot of pressure cooking. We got an Instant-Pot for our wedding, and the damn thing's amazing. I hate 1 trick ponies, and having a pressure cooker, rice cooker, slow cooker, sauté thing that can make yogurt and a whole slew of other items got my attention. Toss in electronic monitoring and safety devices so it's hands off, and you've got something that makes meal time easy easy.

I highly recommend one.

Sunday - 12 hard boiled eggs, 1 cup water, 5 minutes high pressure, 5 minutes rest before vent. Perfectly peeled. Easy snacking.

Monday - 1 pot pasta, 1 pound of pasta. 15 minutes total cook time, 6 minutes under pressure. Sauté the onion in olive oil, dump in your sauce ingredients, give a stir, add your pasta (5 for spaghetti, 6-7 for heartier pastas), go drink a beer.
Sauce:
1 (28 ounce) can Diced Tomatoes
3 ounces Tomato Paste
15 ounces Tomato Sauce
2.5 cups Unsalted Chicken Stock or water
2 teaspoons Dried Basil
1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
2 teaspoons Dried Parsley Flakes
1 teaspoon Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
¼ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
¼ teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper
¼ cup Red Wine
1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds, crushed
Parmesan Rind chunk (optional)

Tuesday: rack of lamb casserole. Total time 45 minutes, only 6 minutes in the kitchen.
1 pound rack of lamb
1 pound of potatoes of any sort
2 carrots
1 large onion
2 stalks of celery
2 medium size tomatoes (or 15oz can tomatoes)
2 cups of chicken stock
3-4 large cloves of garlic (toss 'em in whole, or be cheap and use powder)
1-2 teaspoons of salt depending on the salt content of the chicken stock
2 teaspoon of cumin powder
2 teaspoon of Paprika
A pinch of dried rosemary
A pinch of dried oregano leaves
2 table spoons of ketchup
3 table spoons of sherry or red wine
A splash of beer if you have one in hand

Wash all vegetables, and cut potatoes and carrots into 1 inch cubes. Dice the tomatoes, onion and garlic. Cut the rack of lamb to two halves. Put everything, I mean everything, in the cooking pot and mix well. Put the cooking pot in the Instant Pot base. Close the lid to Close position as you see flashes of “- – -“ on the LED display panel. Press the Stew/Meat button, and 35 (minutes cooking time) is shown on the LED. After about 10 seconds, you hear a beep and the LED display shows the running circle indicating the cooking process has started.

All you need to do from this point is to have a drink of your beer, sit back and relax, until you hear 3 beeps indicating the food is cooked. Wait for a few minutes until the Instant Pot cools down and you can safely or comfortably release the remaining pressure by turning the pressure release handle to the “Vent” position.


Wednesday morning - 2 cups steel cut oats, 6 cups water, vanilla extract, cinnamon, 2 apples. 6 minutes under pressure, turn off and let it dump pressure naturally for 10 minutes then vent and take off the lid. Stir and call it good. Breakfast for the next 3-4 days.

[JTQ]

FWIW, I use Carroll Shelby's (https://www.amazon.com/Carroll-Shelbys-Original-Texas-Chili/dp/B000R96EZY/ref=sr_1_8_a_f_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1481743251&sr=8-8&ppw=fresh&keywords=texas+chili+mix) chili mix, comes in a little brown bag, and think it's pretty tasty.

I also use the Carroll Shelby chili mix and like it. I'm holding out the smallest hope there'll be a set of keys for a Cobra in one of the bags I pick up.

[jeep45238]

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161214/89f1f7da95bd877909a94a2493cdece9.jpg

Homemade wheat tortillas to go with bean chilaquiles tonight. Topped with salsa, avocado, queso fresco and fried egg.


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[11B10]

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161214/89f1f7da95bd877909a94a2493cdece9.jpg

Homemade wheat tortillas to go with bean chilaquiles tonight. Topped with salsa, avocado, queso fresco and fried egg.


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You certainly aren't "meh" at cooking, dude!

[BobLoblaw]

How to make your own meals:

Heat one or more ingredients and cover in hot sauce/sriracha. Consume.

[jeep45238]

You certainly aren't "meh" at cooking, dude!

Way easier than you think man! Literally toss some flour in a mixer with a bit of oil, water, salt, roll out like a log and cut into evenish sections, roll out, toss in a pan. Fry for 30-45 seconds a side. WHile one's frying there's plenty of time to roll out the next. I make wheat ones from scratch because the grocery only has corn ones, and my wife has a pretty big food sensitivity to corn (that shit's in everything).

The 100 days of real food sight below has some pretty legit recipes.

Tortillas: http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/05/26/recipe-whole-wheat-tortillas/
Chilaquiles: http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-bean-chilaquiles-with-avocado-queso-fresco-recipes-from-the-kitchn-11844

[ford.304]

I highly recommend getting books that teach you *why* a recipe does something over just having good recipes. My favorites:

Cookwise - for the general "why" of cooking. Does things like have 3 variants of one cookie recipe to show what the ingredients do.

Joy of Cooking - How your grandma cooked if she was "American".

Authentic Mexican - How your grandma cooked if she was Mexican

Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking - Italian Grandmas

Every Grain of Rice - And for the Chinese grandmas

Reading one of these books makes me so excited about visiting the local Mexican supermarket that I can almost forget it's run as a front for the local drug gangs...

[RoyGBiv]

Sauté onions and garlic in EVOO and a knob of butter. Set aside.
FYI... EVOO is for salad dressing, not for cooking. You're wasting your $$ using EVOO with heat.
If you are cooking with high heat, EVOO can actually taste worse than cheaper oil, because it has a lower smoke point.
Dip your bread in EVOO, use plain "Olive Oil" for cooking (we've been enjoying avocado oil recently for cooking).

YMMV

+10 internets for no beans in your chili!!! Bueno!

[RJ]

FYI... EVOO is for salad dressing, not for cooking. You're wasting your $$ using EVOO with heat.
If you are cooking with high heat, EVOO can actually taste worse than cheaper oil, because it has a lower smoke point.
Dip your bread in EVOO, use plain "Olive Oil" for cooking (we've been enjoying avocado oil recently for cooking).

YMMV

+10 internets for no beans in your chili!!! Bueno!

Thanks for the tip. I had no ideer. Of course, space is, ah, limited in my house, so we have basically a one type fits most philosophy. I'll look at what we have. Brb.

Ok, I have 'sesame oil', is that better for frying? (Fried eggs, basically).

On the beans, I seemed to recall getting some basic instruction in Chili long ago that beans were not in 'real' chili. If I stumbled into some kind of regional beans/no beans religious argument, I'm agnostic. I just didn't need the carbs, and I've never liked beans anyway. It sure tasted good though. :cool:

Thanks for the info. :)

[RoyGBiv]

For me, sesame oil has too strong a flavor for frying eggs. You may like it. Give it a taste/try.
Eggs fry great with a pat of butter but lots of folks are trying to reduce their fat intake. Cooking spray is fine too.

How'd the chili turn out?

[orionz06]

+10 internets for no beans in your chili!!! Bueno!


#proper



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[RJ]

For me, sesame oil has too strong a flavor for frying eggs. You may like it. Give it a taste/try.
Eggs fry great with a pat of butter but lots of folks are trying to reduce their fat intake. Cooking spray is fine too.

How'd the chili turn out?

The eggs were great. Actually I could tell the flavor was better for me with the sesame oil.

The chili was good.

Ok, it was not exactly as flavorful as the Los Mejores de la Casa I had at the Abuelo's in Abilene TX (fire grilled bacon wrapped tenderloin with jalapeño) :cool: it was ok.

I had about 1/2 of it last night, I think I'm going to doctor up the rest with a T of Sriracha and see how it is.

Ref fat intake, I've been on low/no sugar kick (meaning, mostly no or zero carbs also) since July. Weighed 20x something then. I am at 184 lbs or so this morning. Just diet, basically.

I do have a pretty high percentage of good fat in my diet, but my cholesterol is very low, oddly. Avocados, bacon, coconut oil etc. Especially bacon. :)

Anyway, my wife said she is going to pay for a gym for me for 2017, so I'm going to the local Anytime Fitness this week to check them out. They have locations across the US, which is good for us.

[RoyGBiv]

The eggs were great. Actually I could tell the flavor was better for me with the sesame oil.

The chili was good.

Ok, it was not exactly as flavorful as the Los Mejores de la Casa I had at the Abuelo's in Abilene TX (fire grilled bacon wrapped tenderloin with jalapeño) :cool: it was ok.

I had about 1/2 of it last night, I think I'm going to doctor up the rest with a T of Sriracha and see how it is.

Ref fat intake, I've been on low/no sugar kick (meaning, mostly no or zero carbs also) since July. Weighed 20x something then. AM at 184 or so this morning. Just diet, basically.

I do have a pretty high percentage of good fat in my diet, but my cholesterol is very low, oddly. Avocados, bacon, coconut oil etc. Especially bacon. :)

Anyway, my wife said she is going to pay for a gym for me for 2017, so I'm going to the local Anytime Fitness this week to check them out. They have locations across the US, which is good for us.
Jealous of your cholesterol. Congratulations on kicking some weight.
We've found Anytime to be pretty good here and convenient for travel. Recommended.

[RJ]

We've found Anytime to be pretty good here and convenient for travel. Recommended.

Excellent.

There is a good chance we'll be traveling through the DFW area, uh, soon. :cool:

[RoyGBiv]

There is a good chance we'll be traveling through the DFW area, uh, soon. :cool:
Post up when you're close and we'll see if we can rally some folks for a lunch... :cool:

[OnionsAndDragons]

I have become a major fan of avocado oil as of late. It's tasty for dressings and drizzles but has a very high smoke point for frying; highly recommended if you need a one-oil-to-rule-them-all player when short on space.

I use EVOO for marinades and dressings. Peanut is my usual go to for serious frying, just because the avocado is more expensive. I also like the flavor of sesame oil. Ghee is a good thing to have around as a do-most fat too.

[jeep45238]

I use bacon grease as often as I can


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[jeep45238]

I use bacon grease as often as I can.


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[HCM]

I use bacon grease as often as I can


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Lets keep it to cooking please :p

[RJ]

I have become a major fan of avocado oil as of late. It's tasty for dressings and drizzles but has a very high smoke point for frying; highly recommended if you need a one-oil-to-rule-them-all player when short on space.

I use EVOO for marinades and dressings. Peanut is my usual go to for serious frying, just because the avocado is more expensive. I also like the flavor of sesame oil. Ghee is a good thing to have around as a do-most fat too.

Thanks O&D that's very useful; selecting a different oil for frying has actually been a good discovery in this thread.

I used the sesame oil to pan fry the leftover Johnsonville Brats and sliced them over a salad mix (easy!) and topped with shredded cheese and drizzled with ranch. Very good lunch.

I have a chicken breast butterflied in a zip lock bag marinating with a T of the Grill Mates Zesty powder. I looked at what I have and used a T each of sesame oil (crap, probably should have used EVOO lol), water and Bragg's organic apple cider vinegar. So, again, going to fry that up tonight and slice it over a salad etc.

Thanks for the tips guys.

[jeep45238]

Lets keep it to cooking please :p

We all know you want it


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[SeriousStudent]

Post up when you're close and we'll see if we can rally some folks for a lunch... :cool:

And there is an Abeulo's so very close to Rancho Serious......

[RJ]

Given my culinary repertoire is fairly limited, I decided to try meat loaf tonight. Not an ideal recipe but it's what I had:

1 lb hamburger
1 large sweet onion diced
1 egg
1 c bread crumbs
1/2 c half and half

Mix together in a large bowl. Mould as a loaf and place in a greased Pyrex pan.

1/3 c catsup
2 T barbecue sauce
2 T yellow mustard

Mix above in a bowl, then ladle over the meatloaf.

Bake at 350 for an hour.

It was pretty tasty at least. :). The boss comes back tomorrow, I think we'll go out to eat. :cool:

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161218/8e99458a9750f83d2b365edc57729a7c.jpg

[RoyGBiv]

So, the boss is out of town.
You ate that by yourself? :cool:

Looks awesome.

[Matt O]

Lately I've been doing a lot of pressure cooking. We got an Instant-Pot for our wedding, and the damn thing's amazing.

We just got an instant pot as well and the damn thing truly is amazing. I love being able to saute, braise and then stew all in the same pot and therefore not lose any of that tasty goodness. More importantly, however, is the ability to create fall-off-the-bone meat in less than an hour rather than waiting for a slow cooker. Two hours of work this afternoon yielded approx 10 cups of garlic and thyme mashed potatoes followed by an equal portion of Coq Au Vin. I'm looking forward to dinners this week.

[RoyGBiv]

We just got an instant pot as well and the damn thing truly is amazing. I love being able to saute, braise and then stew all in the same pot and therefore not lose any of that tasty goodness. More importantly, however, is the ability to create fall-off-the-bone meat in less than an hour rather than waiting for a slow cooker. Two hours of work this afternoon yielded approx 10 cups of garlic and thyme mashed potatoes followed by an equal portion of Coq Au Vin. I'm looking forward to dinners this week.

Hmm. Requires investigation.

[jeep45238]

Search for it on Amazon, and look at the number of highly rated reviews. It's a good starting point.


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[JAD]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s/ref=is_s_ss_i_0_8?k=instant+pot&sprefix=instant+

[RJ]

So, the boss is out of town.
You ate that by yourself? :cool:

Looks awesome.

Not yet. :cool: I had about a third of it with a salad and some baby peas I like (lesuer?). If I did it again, I'd chop the onion much finer, and add some Worcestershire sauce or steak seasoning to the loaf while mixing.

[RoyGBiv]

^^^^^^

Mom used to wrap a bunch of those dehydrated potato flakes inside her meatloaf.
The flakes would absorb the juices from the meat as it cooked. Mashed potatoe stuffed loaf. Nom, nom, nom.

Never been able to duplicate that though. Some process step I'm missing.

[NEPAKevin]

i used to top meat loaf with barbecue sauce but one time I first forgot to put the sauce on the load and then I went to the fridge and discovered we were out of KC Masterpiece. Happened to remember that there were a bunch of those little dipping sauces they give you with chicken nuggets laying around, mostly BBQ and Honey Mustard. So, I first coated the already crunchy on the outside loaf with the Honey Mustard and then topped that with the BBQ and put the loaf back into the oven to caramelize. Talk about sweet and savory goodness. Now when ever I get fast food, I ask for the BBQ and Honey Mustard dippers and save them for when I make a meat loaf. Posted a pic a while back in this thread.

[Poconnor]

Tell me more about this instant pot

[jeep45238]

The instant pot is a rice cooker, pressure cooker, steam cooker, does yogurt, sauté, pasteurizes milk, can some items, and a host of other things. It's electronically monitored with multiple safety devices and is set/forget. It isn't like the old time pressure cookers with gauges you have to monitor. Has a built in timer and will keep things warm after they're done cooking as well.

Just make pasta again. Tossed onions in on sauté with some canola oil, let that go while I gathered 2 cans tomatoes, pound of pasta, chicken stock, garlic, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, sugar, celery, carrots, oregano, basil, and red wine. Dumped all ingredients in after the onion was a good ways to bring caramelized. Gave a stir and put the lid on. Hit the cancel button, then manual and the plus button to get it to 6 minutes. After a few minutes to come to pressure, dinner was done.

Basically, short of a knife it's the most used flexible kitchen cooking thing we own.


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[BobLoblaw]

The instant pot is a rice cooker, pressure cooker, steam cooker, does yogurt, sauté, pasteurizes milk, can some items, and a host of other things. It's electronically monitored with multiple safety devices and is set/forget. It isn't like the old time pressure cookers with gauges you have to monitor. Has a built in timer and will keep things warm after they're done cooking as well.

Just make pasta again. Tossed onions in on sauté with some canola oil, let that go while I gathered 2 cans tomatoes, pound of pasta, chicken stock, garlic, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, sugar, celery, carrots, oregano, basil, and red wine. Dumped all ingredients in after the onion was a good ways to bring caramelized. Gave a stir and put the lid on. Hit the cancel button, then manual and the plus button to get it to 6 minutes. After a few minutes to come to pressure, dinner was done.

Basically, short of a knife it's the most used flexible kitchen cooking thing we own.


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My wife says thanks. Allegedly, she had told me about the instant pot months ago (says one party). My Christmas gift was discovered prematurely and by that I mean minutes after ordering. I guess these things happen when you have one amazon account per family.

[jeep45238]

You're welcome.


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[Poconnor]

So what size instant pot? 6 or 8? My first thought is usually go big or go home but I often taken things too far. Or so my wife says

[jeep45238]

Ours maxes at 5 liters according to the inner pot. I'd love to have the biggest one, as I've been very close to the max before. ours doesn't have bluetooth or anything, but you can get one with a Bluetooth connection and download an app to link it for a specific receipt (that's my rudimentary understanding at least).

[orionz06]

Wife got me an Anova... just cooked steaks and carrots. Steaks were as expected, perfect. The texture was a little unique compared to skillet, I enjoyed it and can't wait for a thick steak to try. Carrots... fuck... nothing else to say, best carrots ever.

A friend mentioned to me how awesome they were and we've both been wanting a sous vide machine for a while. The recipe shared was basically carrots, butter, kosher salt, and a touch of sugar cooked at 183° F for an hour or so. I did baby carrots and was a touch heavy on the butter but OMFG. The carrot taste was so much stronger and I hogged that stuff down and wound up with an upset stomach. Soooooooo gooooood.





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[t1tan]

Yeah feel like every meal I'm using at least one of my sous vide tools for something, it's just too easy to make good food.

Tonight's dinner


http://i543.photobucket.com/albums/gg456/t1tan19/Food/15741057_10158029682850327_8386756957302062077_n_z pssyya4gvp.jpg

[Sasage]

Whats your guys prime rib recipe?

I do Montral steak seasoning, thyme, and rosemary.

500 F @ 20 mins.
250 F until 125 internal temp.

[RoyGBiv]

Whats your guys prime rib recipe?

I do Montral steak seasoning, thyme, and rosemary.

500 F @ 20 mins.
250 F until 125 internal temp.
Kosher Salt, fresh press garlic, bit of fresh coarse ground black pepper, bit of onion powder (no extra salt).
Grill on high 3 minutes per side for a 1.25" cut. I prefer bone-in. Well, me and the dog prefer it.

[jc000]

The instant pot is a rice cooker, pressure cooker, steam cooker, does yogurt, sauté, pasteurizes milk, can some items, and a host of other things. It's electronically monitored with multiple safety devices and is set/forget. It isn't like the old time pressure cookers with gauges you have to monitor. Has a built in timer and will keep things warm after they're done cooking as well.

Basically, short of a knife it's the most used flexible kitchen cooking thing we own.

I got one of these for Christmas but haven't opened it yet. Debating on whether I should keep it or not.

I use my trusty crockpot all the time (just did leftover ham, lentils, onion / carrot / celery, cabbage, garlic, one beer, a little water, salt, pepper and bay leaf – pretty amazing) but our model is due for a replacement.

Apparently I had made noise to my wife about wanting the pressure cooker but for the life of me I cannot remember why. I'm definitely open to trying it but it seems pretty overwhelming. I'm not a recipe guy, I mostly freestyle with generally better than average results.

If the instant pot is like a crock pot on steroids I'll probably keep it. But I'd definitely appreciate any additional thoughts or tips and tricks. I'm tempted to return it and trade up for a nice Dutch oven or some new pans.

[jeep45238]

You can absolutely use it as a crock pot, and you can freestyle it if you want. It'll take s little experimenting to find the right cook time and liquid volumes if you can't find a similar recipe, so just know that up front.

We made a dozen easy-peel hard boiled eggs in 10 minutes, minestrone soup in 15, and fresh applesauce in 9 yesterday.


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[RJ]

Whelp, second try on the chili.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170102/e7c6bccf41cba60b14cba61894f53fd9.jpg

1 lb hamburger
4 cloves garlic
1 T sesame oil
1/4 diced onion
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 small can diced tomatoes
1 small can Hatch Chilis (hot)
1 T chili powder
1 t Oregano
1 t salt.

In a large pot, sweat garlic and onions in oil until tender. Add ground beef and brown on medium heat. Drain.

Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered until you get hungry.

Notes: I did not have a chili spice pack thing, so I looked online and reckon the chili powder, salt and oregano should work.

It's cooking down now, the first tastes I've had of it seem pretty good. :). I'm planning on serving it with some shredded cheese and maybe a bottle of our favorite Merlot.

[NEPAKevin]

I'm definitely open to trying it but it seems pretty overwhelming. I'm not a recipe guy, I mostly freestyle with generally better than average results.


Picked one up during the holidays and tried it out yesterday with a batch of pork and sauerkraut. Did not care for instructions that came with it as they seemed almost like there was something lost in translation, although not as bad as the Chinese to English ones that came with my Air-soft pistol. Did manage to find some helpful videos by google video searching "instant pot beginners" "instant pot recipes" etc however, there were also a ton of not so helpful. "look at me," wanna be foodie, happy face MFer videos. Only have one dish under my belt but it does not seem like rocket science. Supposedly, the IP was designed to not let you blow yourself up but it does require some common sense as far as avoiding burning oneself with the steam or the parts of the thing that get really freaking hot. I think its useful tool and apparently has a lot of versatility.

[jeep45238]

Basically, you'll probably use high pressure on manual for almost all your cooking (hard boiled eggs -low pressure). Rice is the only automatic function.

all of the others are essentially manual cooking on a different button, so don't let that get you frustrated. Rule of thumb for opening regarding steam - if it's got a lot of liquid volume in it (soup) near the top, let it naturally cool. You can expedite this by placing a wet towel on the metal part of the lid. If it's a high starch, outside of rice, do the same. Almost everything else can do a quick release.

We use low pressure on the eggs to keep from cracking the shells.

I get tired of the webpages that blabber on and on, so I just scroll until I see a recepie looking thing and then follow that.

Personal favorite for spaghetti -
http://thisoldgal.com/pressure-cooker-quick-spaghetti-dinner/


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[jeep45238]

We're trying to be major cheapskates in this house and do everything in cash, but this is hits several things for this thread.

We save our veggie scraps in a gallon freezer bag, and when it's full we make stock out of it. Toss in an onion, celery, bay leaves, whole peppercorn, salt, and fill it the rest of the way with water.

Result is 4 quarts of stock with mimimal energy (cheap), that took 35 minutes cook time (warm up and cooking included), with a natural pressure release. Double strained, and cooling in the stovetop.

Cheaper, tastier than store bought.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170103/4b8054aeb4e6f59a7bc846100fc4b10d.jpg


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[jeep45238]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170110/61ea49f36e9752a22ebabea49acd18dd.jpg
Instant pot while chicken

Dry rub your chicken, ballpark 1/4 tsp ground pepper and salt, 1/2 tsp smoke paprika and thyme for the rub. Don't bother with measuring spoons, it's something else to clean - just grind some pepper and use that as a base amount for everything else (same amount of salt, double amount for the paprika and thyme)

Put some canola or other high temp oil in the instant pot, hit sauté, wait for it to say hot.

Drop dry-rubbed chicken in, breasts down, let it brown for 6-7 minutes. While this is going, mix the following and nuke it for a couple minutes to reduce the time it takes to get the pot to pressure.

Take 1.5 cups of broth, juice a lemon into it, and 6-8 garlic cloves.

Flip the chicken, add the broth mix, put the lid on and set it to manual, high pressure, 25 minutes.

Allow for a natural pressure release. You can expedite this by placing a wet rag on the metal parts of the lid.

Enjoy.


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[jeep45238]

And lazy chicken stock - save your last while chicken carcass and freeze it until you cook this one. Drop the frozen skeleton in the juices left over from the above cook job, add a coursely cut carrot/onion/celery, whole peppercorns, bay leaf, a bit of salt, and a splash of apple cider vinegar.

Fill remaining pot with water to just below the max line of the pot itself. The spices and juices your using from the last cooked chicken will impart its own flavors in addition to standard stock flavors.

Set to high pressure, 30 minutes, natural release.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170110/26e96b359701a61936273e871a44ffd1.jpg


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[scjbash]

Instant pot while chicken



Flip the chicken, add the broth mix, put the lid on and set it to manual, high pressure, 25 minutes.



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I've been doing six minutes per pound for whole chickens. Seems to be accurate. The first chicken I cooked was six pounds and I used 25 minutes based on a recipe and it didn't reach temperature. Did some research and found the six min/per pound thing.

[RJ]

7 Spice Teriyaki Chicken

Easy meal tonight. Got some Grill Mates 7 Spice Teriyaki Marinade to try. I had a couple spare chicken breasts, and I like teriyaki seasoning. Turned out well.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170110/1ea60db0cc7a6f4cdba55605b0b8209f.jpg

Separately, I quartered an onion and a red pepper and oven roasted them, with some olive oil and butter, served with some green beans.

We had a nice Riesling we like, one of our regulars, a 2015 Chateau Ste Michelle from the Columbia Valley. It was yummy. :)

This marinade is dead easy:

1) cut up chicken
2) dump marinade and chicken in zip lock bag
3) wait 30 minutes

The chicken breasts I butterflied, then cut into strips. I pan fried them, about 8 minutes a side, on medium heat. I stopped when the marinade was kind of caramelizing.

The vegetables were just tossed in some olive oil and butter, and thrown in the oven at 400 for maybe 40 minutes. I think maybe higher heat / shorter period next time? I like the veggies kind of starting to burn at the edges. I mean, they were great, but could be better.

Got full marks from The Boss. She said it was a repeat. :cool:

[OnionsAndDragons]

7 Spice Teriyaki Chicken

Easy meal tonight.

The vegetables were just tossed in some olive oil and butter, and thrown in the oven at 400 for maybe 40 minutes. I think maybe higher heat / shorter period next time? I like the veggies kind of starting to burn at the edges. I mean, they were great, but could be better.

Got full marks from The Boss. She said it was a repeat. :cool:

I like my veggies much as you describe, and still slightly al dente. I don't like things like broccoli to lose all of its crunch.

I will often do a 20min roasting at 400-450 and then hit them w the broiler for a few minutes to get that bit of char without making them break down.

[jeep45238]

About to throw this in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, stir potatoes, cook another 10 at 425.

Cheese is gouda, apple is honeycrisp (any firm one will work).

Sweet potatoes are coated in olive oil, smoked paprika, salt.

Chicken has thyme inside, coated with olive oil, salt, pepper.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170120/c73782226512c6c62e0d7a5a8ee86bce.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170120/5a2468365608a952acb344f3a9d2d293.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170120/af5430ebb2969372fcf3ba0b2ffa7682.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170120/a2be0fff076409bfc61ed2e68378a4fa.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170120/d93e0912f1082ebc731a419f78156ab1.jpg

Remember to coat the pan with some sort of oil to get everything off.


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[RJ]

^^^ Yummy. The Gouda and apple go in the butterflied chicken?


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[jeep45238]

Sure do. 'Twas amazing.

[jeep45238]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170207/645e07b166ee6a43a8a5ac40e6e1bcb3.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170207/f711303e83602731ef899bfe21aa6ffa.jpg

We made this yesterday - cooked the broccoli in the microwave, rice in the instant pot, frozen chicken breasts in the instant pot (15 minutes, didn't thaw), combined, and at dinner made the sauce and baked in the oven with a minute or two under the broiler. Fucking fantastic.


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[jeep45238]

Did the whole chicken again in the instant pot, this time left the juices in there and added rice (4cups liquid, 4 cups rice). Fucking fantastic. Making French onion soup now - less than an hour, mostly hands off.


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[RJ]

Any thoughts on this 3 Qt Instant Pot?

Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker, 3 Qt | Stainless Steel https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y1YD5W7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_-8JCzb49V20NX

It says 'ships in 1-2 months'. Not sure if maybe that means a new model?

I've been eyeing these for the RV, but really didn't want a 6 Qt cooker on the counter.

Would a 3 Qt be ok for meals for two adults?

Any issues with using a 3 Qt vs 6 Qt in terms of cooking approach, or is it the same just smaller?

Don't know much how these work, but a lot of folks I run into seem to have them and really like them.

Thanks...

[RJ]

Double Tap, sorry.

[jeep45238]

No difference other than quantity in the pot. We have the 8, in laws 6, and don't change anything between the two.

They work at time under pressure - pressure reached is pressure reached, regardless the size of the vessel.

I'd be fine with a 3qt for 2 adults with average appetites.


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[NEPAKevin]

Since getting the six quart, my only regret is that I didn't get the eight quart. Space gets tight, especially when browning.

[Guinnessman]

Rich,

We have the six quart for a family of 4. It is a fantastic piece of equipment and we use it often!

[David S.]

I don't know much about the instant-pot, except that I see it's popular with my Fb friends. Depending on your needs, you might consider the Chard/Carey Pressure Cooker and Canner. (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VTL8STO/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&linkCode=sl1&tag=nimifa-20&linkId=b7323d6568fe6117948f686b6112def9) or Power Pressure Cooker XL (https://www.amazon.com/Power-Pressure-Cooker-XL-Quart/dp/B00MZZXO4W/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1466521460&sr=8-1&keywords=powerpressurecooker+xl&linkCode=sl1&tag=nimifa-20&linkId=24f2ef8b0ff7fafdd186c14b7d6d308f). Same concept, but the ability to pressure can makes it more versatile.

I have the Power Pressure XL, but if I were to do it again I'd buy the Chard/Carey as it is able to pressure can quart size jars, whereas the PP XL is limited to pint jars.

My favorite pressure cooker recipe. Alton Brown Pressure Cooker Chili. (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pressure-cooker-chili-recipe-1942714) I use the tubs of salsa (pico de gallo) found in the deli section, not the jars of Pace Picante, etc. Bad Texan that I am, sometimes I also add a small (16oz) can of white (cannellini) beans. Garnish with shredded Mexican blend cheese, lime juice (preferably fresh squeezed), sour cream, avocado, tortilla chips to taste. This recipe also NEEDS a small garnish of chopped fresh cilantro to round out the flavors, even if you don't like cilantro. (Don't add so much that you can actually taste cilantro.)

ETA: I think I add Better Than Bouillon Beef Base (https://www.amazon.com/Better-Than-Bouillon-Beef-Base/dp/B000VDWQXA) or beef stock to the pot.

[David S.]

Your space constraints are different than mine, but I don't see myself going back to a stovetop pressure cooker for normal use.

[JAD]

Super fun video on kitchen knives. https://youtu.be/lsNX2L88eys

[jeep45238]

I have a strong urge for one of his knives


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[RoyGBiv]

Super fun video on kitchen knives. https://youtu.be/lsNX2L88eys

That was fun! Thanks!

[NEPAKevin]

Super fun video on kitchen knives. https://youtu.be/lsNX2L88eys

Almost like Forged in Fire (http://www.history.com/shows/forged-in-fire?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIusrBzc2v1wIVnrjACh3qFAQAEAA YASAAEgItXPD_BwE&cmpid=paidsearch_G_Forged+in+Fire&s_kwcid=AL!4850!3!152034352984!e!!g!!forged%20in%2 0fire&ef_id=WcqQhQAAAXQZUOmo:20171108182816:s) but with culinary references. :)

[EricM]

Amazon deal of the day on the Anova sous vide cookers: 800W/Bluetooth for $94.95 (https://www.amazon.com/Anova-Culinary-Precision-Bluetooth-Circulator/dp/B00UKPBXM4), 900W/Wifi+Bluetooth for $111.95 (https://www.amazon.com/Anova-Culinary-Precision-Bluetooth-Circulator/dp/B01HHWSV1S). I'm still holding out for a good deal on the Joule (smaller and more powerful), but those prices are great.

[orionz06]

I'm still holding out for a good deal on the Joule (smaller and more powerful), but those prices are great.

I wanted that one for the longest time but honestly the Anova is just fine. I'd take a second 900W Anova before getting a Joule, just not enough extra features with it to justify it.

[t1tan]

I’ve had both and Joules higher power/capacity is definitely a benefit for higher temp cooks that vegetables call for, like potatoes, I couldn't get either of my Anova hot enough for Chef Steps Pomme Purée recipe @ 194°/90°. Faster temp rebound after dropping in food especially larger items is nice too.

Anova was good enough for protein temps.

[RoyGBiv]

Portobello mushroom burger... grilled. Garlic, oil, balsalmic vinegar, fresh basil, Swiss, red onions, sweet-spicy marinated red peppers, Texas caviar, home-made guac, Sriracha.

21783

[Chance]

I see I'm way late to this sous vide thing. I wouldn't have even bothered googling what it meant, and then I happened to see one on a holiday gift guide. I can barely fry an egg, and the steak I cooked tonight came out like this:

22760

The thing is idiot-proof: season the meat, put it in a Ziploc bag with some olive oil, and drop it in the cooker. Sear it when it comes out and voila.

[Matt O]

Some northern chinese comfort food to go with this winter weather. Lamb legs were like $17 a pound so I used ox tail instead.

Braised beef-glass noodle-flat bread stew with more homemade flatbread stuffed with diced fatty pork belly and pickled garlic.

p/Be1o4DEhUEX

[Chance]

After reading about Butter Chicken Lady's approach to cooking in Dallas Morning News (https://www.dallasnews.com/life/cooking/2018/02/20/inside-texas-kitchen-ofthe-butter-chicken-lady), I picked up her book (https://www.amazon.com/Indian-Instant-Pot®-Cookbook-Traditional-ebook/dp/B075HHYXWF/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1519958631&sr=8-3&keywords=indian+instant+pot+cookbook+by+urvashi+pi tre). We made the butter chicken recipe tonight, which I can only describe as "amazeballs," and I don't even like Indian food.

If you're looking for yummy and dirt-simple, it's worth the $8 investment.

[JTQ]

For the instant pot users - some pots are melting down with use

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/26/one-type-of-instant-pot-overheating-and-melting.html

[Chance]

For those folks that are doing the low carb thing, these two cookbooks are awesome. We make something from the Instant Pot one about four times a week, and the other has been great for snacks.

Keto Instant Pot (https://www.amazon.com/Keto-Instant-Pot-Cookbook-Ketogenic/dp/1641520434/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1529259716&sr=8-3&keywords=keto+instant+pot)

27211

Keto Made Easy (https://www.amazon.com/Keto-Made-Easy-Dishes-Fast/dp/1628602880/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1529259753&sr=1-4&keywords=keto+made+easy)

27210

[JTQ]

The food intolerance/allergies thread ( https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?31708-Food-intolerance-allergies/page3 ) with comments about banana bread and bananas Foster reminded me of my "Banana bread Foster"

Slice off a piece of banana bread, butter both sides and place in hot fry pan to brown both sides of the banana bread to a buttery crispness. Place in bowl or on plate and cover with a scoop of ice cream and top with caramel sauce.

[UNM1136]

So will butterflying the chicken breast make it less dry? We eat a TON of boneless skinless breasts and they are always dry :( grill, skillet, oven.. All dry.

I skimmed the thread, and brining was only mentioned once and in relation pork and beef. Chicken can nearly always a good soak. A couple of hours to overnight. Fruit juices, beer (google six pack chicken), wine. A simple do anything brine for chicken breasts is a quart of water, a cup of salt, a cup of brown sugar and then any spices that you like on top of that. At risk of oversimplifying brining causes small changes to the meat that allows the protiens in the meat to soak up water and any flavorants the water carries with it, and hold onto them. It doesn't make chicken breasts bulletproof, but it really helps.

pat

[NEPAKevin]

At risk of oversimplifying brining causes small changes to the meat that allows the protiens in the meat to soak up water and any flavorants the water carries with it, and hold onto them. It doesn't make chicken breasts bulletproof, but it really helps.

pat

Also works for turkeys. For Christmas, I soak a couple birds over night with salt, spices and soy sauce and then smoke with apple wood. Juicy and tasty.

[UNM1136]

Yeah, a couple of years back an acquaintance of mine was running a restaurant, and during the turkey frying crase he deep fried several turkeys, and found that the brined/roasted turkeys outsold both the deep fried and the smoked. So much so that over the next couple of years he made and sold more brined and roasted turkeys than smoked and deep fried combined. One great addition to turkey (taken from Alton Brown) is about 4-6 oz cryistalized ginger to the brine for a 12-16 pound bird.

Now that I own a sous vide, I am planning a properly cooked turducken, using the Serious Eats method.

Brining does have drawbacks. It is really tough to get a consistently crispy skin. Again following Altin's brined turkey recipe I toss my bird in a 500 degree oven until the skin is almost done, tent it and lower the heat. I can cook a 16 pound bird in about 2.5 hours using that method. And once in cooking school, just for fun I gave my turkey tan lines with alumunum foil. Not as good looking as the photoshopped ones you can find knline, but still funny.

pat

[TheNewbie]

The food intolerance/allergies thread ( https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?31708-Food-intolerance-allergies/page3 ) with comments about banana bread and bananas Foster reminded me of my "Banana bread Foster"

Slice off a piece of banana bread, butter both sides and place in hot fry pan to brown both sides of the banana bread to a buttery crispness. Place in bowl or on plate and cover with a scoop of ice cream and top with caramel sauce.

¡Tengo que lo comer!

Man that sounds amazing.

[David S.]

Also works for turkeys. For Christmas, I soak a couple birds over night with salt, spices and soy sauce and then smoke with apple wood. Juicy and tasty.

I've brined my Thanksgiving turkeys in Alton Brown's orange juice brine for going on 10 years now. I think the recipe is in his book, "I'm Just Here For The Food (https://www.amazon.com/Im-Just-Here-Food-Version/dp/158479559X/)." Only one failure my second year when I brined it too long and the turkey tasted like orange juice. Otherwise, it's worked well.

I highly recommend adding that book and his follow up book about baking (https://www.amazon.com/Im-Just-Here-More-Food/dp/1584793414/) to your cooking library. Paper would probably be better than Kindle in this case. I regularly see both books at Half Price Books.

[RoyGBiv]

I used to brine ducks before smoking them. Got tired of the mess and did a comparison once. Two ducks not brined vs one brined. Nobody could tell the difference. All delish.

Caveats.
- store bought farm raised ducks. I would definitely brine wild ducks every time.
- smoking them apparently adds a stronger flavor than brining, so, no benefit to brine, tastewise.

Generally, I'm not a fan of brining most poultry that isn't gamy.

Past several Thanksgivings we've seasoned the bird inside and out with herbs and spices, left it in the fridge for 2 days, stuffed it with aromatics (orange and lemon sections or onions and rosemary) and cooked it in an "oil less fryer". After many years of hosting that holiday and trying every which way to cook the bird, this is my favorite.

[UNM1136]

I used to brine ducks before smoking them. Got tired of the mess and did a comparison once. Two ducks not brined vs one brined. Nobody could tell the difference. All delish.

Caveats.
- store bought farm raised ducks. I would definitely brine wild ducks every time.
- smoking them apparently adds a stronger flavor than brining, so, no benefit to brine, tastewise.

Generally, I'm not a fan of brining most poultry that isn't gamy.

Past several Thanksgivings we've seasoned the bird inside and out with herbs and spices, left it in the fridge for 2 days, stuffed it with aromatics (orange and lemon sections or onions and rosemary) and cooked it in an "oil less fryer". After many years of hosting that holiday and trying every which way to cook the bird, this is my favorite.

Cooks Illustrated, which runs a food lab and employs food scientists, over the last couple of years has gotten away from brining in favor of salting. Similar results, less mess. They peel the skin back on the turkey and rub salt on it and store overnight. They claim to be getting as good a penetration of the bird....but I wonder.

As I said, I have brined for flavors other than salt, like garlic, pepper, sugar and ginger. Another thing they do is add baking soda to denature some of the proteins in the skin to ensure a crisp skin, but I have had very mixed results with that approach, and the failures are dismal. I agree that smoking would overpower much of the brining. Alton's pan fried duck brined in pineapple orange juice with salt, garlic and thyme rocks!

pat

[David S.]

I don’t brine small birds like chicken and I’ve never cooked duck.

I’ve only made turkey with a brine method. I ASSume the size and long cooking time makes it more prone to drying out.

[TR675]

Brining is messy and a PITA. Most of the herbs and spices are too large to penetrate into the meat so that’s kind of a waste of time and money. You’re just putting the bird into contact with salt water - so why not skip the middleman? Salt the bird and put the spices on the skin when you cook it.

I’ve done well with a simple dry brine (I.e. salting and storing in the fridge overnight). If there’s a difference between my brined and dry-brined turkeys I can’t tell.


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[RoyGBiv]

We need to plan a dfw potluck N Bourbon night.

[willie]

Great idea. Let's chip in and send Stephanie a bus ticket on the big dog so she can come too.

[RJ]

Help.

I have a $250 budget for a new kitchen knife. (Or maybe knives).

I can chop and dice, but that’s about it. Would like a decent, general duty pair of knives (small, medium) for most everyday cooking chores. I would prefer a robust design that will hold an edge.

What is the Glock 19 and 26 combination of kitchen knives?

[Grey]

Help.

I have a $250 budget for a new kitchen knife. (Or maybe knives).

I can chop and dice, but that’s about it. Would like a decent, general duty pair of knives (small, medium) for most everyday cooking chores. I would prefer a robust design that will hold an edge.

What is the Glock 19 and 26 combination of kitchen knives?

https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/the-best-chefs-knife-for-most-cooks/

Dalstrong Knives.

[muzzleblast]

Help.

I have a $250 budget for a new kitchen knife. (Or maybe knives).


Victorinox kitchen knives are very good and comparatively economical.

https://www.victorinox.com/us/en/Products/Cutlery/Chef%27s-Knives/c/CUT_ChefKnives

[David S.]

Can you stretch your budget a bit for a third knife?

Shun Classic 3 pc set. (https://www.amazon.com/Shun-DMS300-Classic-3-Piece-Cutlery/dp/B000139H82)

I got the Premiers for Christmas and they are an absolute treat.

[RJ]

Can you stretch your budget a bit for a third knife?

Shun Classic 3 pc set. (https://www.amazon.com/Shun-DMS300-Classic-3-Piece-Cutlery/dp/B000139H82)

I got the Premiers for Christmas and they are an absolute treat.

Damn those look nice.

[RJ]

I think I’m going to order a basic 8” Chefs by Global:

Global G-2-8 inch, 20cm Chef's Knife

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005OL44/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_enUmBbT8JQF68

Ok price, not the greatest knife steel maybe (I dunno), but the all steel design seems like it would take some abuse. And for some reason the shape appeals to me.

Thoughts?

[David S.]

Damn those look nice.

Shun Premier 2 pc. Santoku and pairing (https://www.amazon.com/Shun-TDMS284-Premier-2-Piece-Knife/dp/B00E3R3VRK) $250.

Shun Classic 2 pc.: Chef and pairing knife (https://www.cutleryandmore.com/shun-classic/starter-knife-set-p132078?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvaGTmdfy2wIV1bbACh1C0Q6P EAQYAiABEgLgevD_BwE) $179

I've always been happy with the chef's style knife and never had much use for the Santoku. That said, I'd be perfectly happy with just an 8" chef and a pairing knife for 90% of my knife work. Every once in a while I wish I had a cleaver and a boning knife, but not enough to go purchase. YMMV.

Cheers,
David S>

[SD]

I own this one for many years. It has kept a longer edge, then some of my others in-between sharpening. I have found as the blade looses it edge my pointer finger pushes up on the end of the blade more then i care for. 27515
I think I’m going to order a basic 8” Chefs by Global:

Global G-2-8 inch, 20cm Chef's Knife

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005OL44/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_enUmBbT8JQF68

Ok price, not the greatest knife steel maybe (I dunno), but the all steel design seems like it would take some abuse. And for some reason the shape appeals to me.

Thoughts?

[RoyGBiv]

Last night was "Cultural Appropriation Cookout" night....

Korean Beef Bulgogi, cooked on the flat top over the gas grill. because cooking inside when it's Texas summer is unsmart.
27646

Tobiko hand rolls with Quail eggs
27647

Dirty Martini with Garlic & Jalapeno-stuffed olives. (A bit of extra ice for outside cooking support)
27648

[MGW]

Wow! Haven’t visited this thread in awhile. It’s definitely been kicked up a notch since then.

[RJ]

I think I’m going to order a basic 8” Chefs by Global:

Global G-2-8 inch, 20cm Chef's Knife

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005OL44/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_enUmBbT8JQF68

Ok price, not the greatest knife steel maybe (I dunno), but the all steel design seems like it would take some abuse. And for some reason the shape appeals to me.

Thoughts?

We looked at one of these today, holy cow it was big.

Ended up buying one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/Global-Hollow-Edge-Santoku-Knife-GS-37/dp/B0009I4OD2

[wvincent]

Last night was "Cultural Appropriation Cookout" night....

Korean Beef Bulgogi, cooked on the flat top over the gas grill. because cooking inside when it's Texas summer is unsmart.
27646

Tobiko hand rolls with Quail eggs
27647

Dirty Martini with Garlic & Jalapeno-stuffed olives. (A bit of extra ice for outside cooking support)
27648

Tell me a little more about the quail eggs, please.

[RoyGBiv]

Tell me a little more about the quail eggs, please.

I find they are sweeter than chicken eggs, and since they're quite a bit smaller, they're the perfect size for topping a single-bite roll.

Used to be common in Japanese restaurants, but now that everyone is so uptight about uncooked food, they're difficult to find. You can usually find them in Asian markets. I think I paid about $3.25 for 15.

[Gun Mutt]

Do you even Instapot, bro?

27673

We got one of these a few weeks ago and it's seeing 2x weekly use. The ribs that come out of this thing are just fall off the bone wonderful.

[RoyGBiv]

Do you even Instapot, bro?

27673

We got one of these a few weeks ago and it's seeing 2x weekly use. The ribs that come out of this thing are just fall off the bone wonderful.

It also does a decent pork butt, but the loin we tried had a slightly rubbery texture.

[H&KFanNC]

Do you even Instapot, bro?

27673

We got one of these a few weeks ago and it's seeing 2x weekly use. The ribs that come out of this thing are just fall off the bone wonderful.

The Misses has been talking about getting one. I need more info on the rib recipe, just in case.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RJ]

Do you even Instapot, bro?

27673

We got one of these a few weeks ago and it's seeing 2x weekly use. The ribs that come out of this thing are just fall off the bone wonderful.

I have the serious wants for one of these.

[Gun Mutt]

The Misses has been talking about getting one. I need more info on the rib recipe, just in case.


I have the serious wants for one of these.

Get one, they're easy and quick to use. We even hard boil our eggs with it.

Here's the rib recipe Khaleesi has been using:

https://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/make-ribs-instant-pot-low-carb/

[RoyGBiv]

The Misses has been talking about getting one. I need more info on the rib recipe, just in case.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Ribs are very easy. Clean and season overnight with your favorite rub.
Cook for 25-30 minutes in a cup of stock (I prefer beef, but chicken stock works fine).
You can get fancier.

IMO, the hardest thing to work out is time. I like ribs to be not-yet falling off the bone... Your pot vs my pressure cooker might not have the same time for the same results.

Been making a lot of brown rice in mine. I find that brown rice requires "overcooking" to get it the mouth feel I prefer... Basically, to not chew like cardboard. I've had success with short grain brown rice cooked for 30 minutes with a long release (natural vs opening the vent). Plan to fiddle with timing to get the results that make you happiest, but, the basics are not at all difficult or the results bad.

[Sasage]

I think I’m going to order a basic 8” Chefs by Global:

Global G-2-8 inch, 20cm Chef's Knife

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005OL44/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_enUmBbT8JQF68

Ok price, not the greatest knife steel maybe (I dunno), but the all steel design seems like it would take some abuse. And for some reason the shape appeals to me.

Thoughts?I have a Global, wicked sharp. No issues.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6003 using Tapatalk

[Sasage]

I have the serious wants for one of these.Target near me had one in red in clearance for $39.99

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6003 using Tapatalk

[BobLoblaw]

I don’t do anything special for ribs in the instant pot:

Peel off membrane from underside
Cut rack in 1/3s or 1/4s
Apply dry rub
Pour 1/2 cup water in pot, add 1/2 cup BBQ sauce (some use 1 drop liquid smoke but I’ve not tried it)
Place ribs in bone side down (trivet doesn’t make much of a difference)
32 mins high, natural release
Place on baking sheet and brush on additional BBQ sauce
Broil in oven a few minutes on high till sauce is bubbling

BBQ sauce I use is a combo from pepper palace that’s supposedly great on wings but I rarely make wings.

[UNM1136]

Tell me a little more about the quail eggs, please.

When my kids were toddlers we used to buy them at a local asian market and we boiled them and peeled them for little fingers and mouths to consume. Occasionally I can find fresh duck eggs in the same cooler... then it is time to make ice cream.

pat

[Chance]

Anybody try fermenting stuff at home? We read about the health benefits in the Food book (https://www.amazon.com/Food-What-Heck-Should-Eat-ebook/dp/B072MF1359/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1531581742&sr=8-2&keywords=food+what+the+heck+should+I+eat) and it seemed simple enough, so we picked up an idiot proof kit (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0714PZ8DL/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1) and gave it a whirl.

28039

Asparagus and sauerkraut came out great in a week. We're trying cauliflower too. This will probably be our new midnight snack for the foreseeable future.

[David S.]

I purchased a similar kit and made Sauerkraut once. Like you said, it’s easy enough. No reason to by the store stuff anymore.

[David S.]

Sous Vide Korean Style short ribs. ChefSteps procedure.

Marinade (https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/korean-bbq-marinade-366435) overnight in vaccum bags.
Sous Vide for 8 hours at 158*.
Get home from work, pull the meat and sous vide Baby bok choy in garlic oil at 195* for 20 min. I used the ChefSteps recipe.
Carmalize some onions.
Meat and bok choy on the grill for a couple minutes to give it grill marks and plate.

Will definitely repeat this one.

[peterb]

With fresh corn in season, I‘ve been doing a lot of corn salads. No real recipes, just what looks and tastes good....

Start with fresh corn on the cob. I cook it in the microwave, roughly 2 minutes for an ear in the husk. Let sit a few minutes, husk and cut off kernels. Add things like diced red onion, cucumber, cooked beans, fresh peppers, blueberries, etc. Dressing is usually something like lime juice, olive oil, honey, cumin, salt & pepper.

[SafetyFirst]

Got a New Oklahoma joes smoker this past Xmas.
Cause smoking is where its at for off the chart flavor profiles.
Took a couple of bad dried out dinners to dial it in.
Butt then it came together.
Here are a few items that have been on the menu this summer.
Pulled pork butt
Ribs
Tri tip
Cowboy cut rib eye

[SafetyFirst]

Then there is other stuff too.
Salmon in the cast iron skillet
Salmon on the grill
Chocolate covered strawberries and blue berries
Lemon meringue pie
And arancini with a bolognese sauce.

[UNM1136]

Been craving wings for the last few weeks, since I have this new sweet habanero sauce I have been dying to try. I don't bread wings..The crispiest skin comes from deep frying, but I am lazy and since only Brat the First and I like bone in wings, I don't like frying too much on my stove. I wanted to like Alton Brown's steam then roast, but after a couple of tries I was underwhelmed.

So today I used my sous vide (5 hours at 160) to render the fat off the wings, paper towel them dry, then 45 minutes at 450 on a cooling rack in a sheet pan to crisp them up. With a sample size of one, as of now there seems to be only minor tweeking needed to perfect these. As of now they are the best oven roasted wings I have had.

pat

[Greg]

I recently began craving Hungarian Cabbage Rolls and had next to no clue on how to make them.

In my research I came across this video - which is more comedy than cooking instruction.


https://youtu.be/ITauJk1PpO0

[t1tan]

Been eyeing probe thermometers for a long time and was about to order another Thermoworks product and then they announced their new Signals, ordered one right away and have used it multiple times in the past couple weeks. Very happy with it, good battery life, bluetooth and wifi, 4 probes and USB-C, overall really well thought out product.

https://www.thermoworks.com/Signals

Split a turkey and dry-brined it, roasted half, smoked the other half.

Dry-brined atlantic salmon, rinsed and air dried the head section after 24 hours and cold smoked for 8 hours. 24 hours later rinsed and air dried the tail section then hot smoked for 4 hours, basting it with a sous vide black pepper-maple syrup infusion I made earlier this week.

Cold-smoke in progress
https://i.imgur.com/67Njo4B.jpg

Hot-smoke post
https://i.imgur.com/rhzgAKP.jpg

Also been doing a lot of soups and pressure cooked liquids lately, pressure cooked chicken noodle with fresh noodles, pressure cooked roasted turkey bones for stock, crawfish stock from reserved shells I had in the freezer, etc.


Also Chefsteps Joules are 20% off right now as a heads up to anybody looking to get into Sous-vide

[MolonLabe416]

We made this last night. Very good. Perhaps next time on the Grilla?

https://www.tastemade.com/shows/hungry-af/kimchi-meatloaf-roll

[JAD]

Ginja ninjas. Looking at you, @LOKNLOAD.

[SD]

Ginja Army for hire,

33115

[Guinnessman]

33118

Breakfast casserole on the Egg. I made homemade chicken sausage crumbles with our own sausage seasoning, peppers, onions, and cheese.

[Stephanie B]

Someone brought this to a party:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.kraftrecipes.com/amp/recipe/053370/cool-n-easy-pie

Serving this should qualify as a crime against humanity.

[Robinson]

Someone brought this to a party:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.kraftrecipes.com/amp/recipe/053370/cool-n-easy-pie

Serving this should qualify as a crime against humanity.

That ain't pie.

[RoyGBiv]

Someone brought this to a party:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.kraftrecipes.com/amp/recipe/053370/cool-n-easy-pie

Serving this should qualify as a crime against humanity.

Same for Waldorf Salad.
https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/waldorf_salad/

[donlapalma]

That ain't pie.

Ya why even bother? If you are that lazy, just go full lazy and go buy a pie at the store. Maybe it will be halfway decent.

[NEPAKevin]

Anyone have a recipe they like for Beef Tenderloin?

[UNK]

Chili season is here!
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[AKDoug]

Home made pastrami. Started with a choice brisket. Brined for 10 days and split into thirds. Ate one as corned beef. Desalinated for two days in fridge in ice water. Dry rubbed then (pic 1) allowed to sit in fridge for two days. Smoked for 8 hours. Steamed to 205F. Wrapped in butcher paper and put in fridge for a week. Excellent results. Pic 2 is after my employees devoured 5 lbs of it :D
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191027/0878e25a3a15faac154c472091027698.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191027/e9e99172e82223c6b6b415be9a0ecbc9.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RoyGBiv]

WifeGBiv has been on a smoked turkey breast binge recently.
On the rare occasion I eat poultry, I'm a dark meat guy, so I smoked some chicken thighs for me.

The thighs were a big hit. I'll make them again. Salt and a Thai Green Curry rub (https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81aTs9AiCGL._SY550_.jpg) from Tuesday Morning.
** Link is Amazon. Tuesday Morning price is like $4.00 for same-same.

Had one thigh left over the next day. Put it on a burger bun with a pickle slice and Sriracha. Mmm. Almost as good as Chik-fil-a. :cool:

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[orionz06]

Chili season is here!
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Beans....?



No pics, but recently I prepared some sorta almost flank steak from Aldi for reheating on a camp stove. I've been wanting to use, for some time now, powdered soy sauce as a rub. Mixed with some onion powder and garlic this stuff was insane. All the salt I wanted without excess and with the smoke it became quite amazing.

I'm gonna play more and add it to some other mixtures I've been wanting to try.

[UNK]

Beans....?



No pics, but recently I prepared some sorta almost flank steak from Aldi for reheating on a camp stove. I've been wanting to use, for some time now, powdered soy sauce as a rub. Mixed with some onion powder and garlic this stuff was insane. All the salt I wanted without excess and with the smoke it became quite amazing.

I'm gonna play more and add it to some other mixtures I've been wanting to try.

Yup there are beans 2 lbs of ground chuck 1 lb of italian hot sausage. Those are just the 9 spices, fresh stuff and wine.
Afterwards it got vacuum sealed into bowl sized servings.

[rd62]

Yup there are beans 2 lbs of ground chuck 1 lb of italian hot sausage. Those are just the 9 spices, fresh stuff and wine.
Afterwards it got vacuum sealed into bowl sized servings.

I like the idea of adding sausage

[AKDoug]

I was gifted some pork ribs from my neighbor the other night and they came from a particularly tough pig. I smoked them for my normal 5 hours and the were still tough. Wrapped in aluminum foil for another hour to try to get them to loosen up to no avail. Good flavor, but frustratingly chewy. We ate one rack and I wrapped the other and put it in the fridge.

Today I have an idea and pulled out my chili ingredients and took all the meat off those ribs. I was limited in time so I put them in the Instantpot. Added my onions and garlic and saute'd them in the pot, added my spices, one can of beans, some crushed up tomatoes and a can of dark beer. Pressure cooked for 8 minutes. Turned out fantastic with a slightly sweet, smokey, BBQ flavor.