ScoopKW
-
Posts
1,036 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Store
Help Articles
Posts posted by ScoopKW
-
-
1. Apparently, I made a major mistake in forgetting to have the butcher separate the bones so that the roast could be cut into sections. How do I go about doing this?
You can take the meat back to the megamart in the morning or early afternoon when there's a live body in the meat department and ask him or her to run the roast through the band saw.
But bones equals flavor, so I'd leave them in. Just cut between the bones when the meat has rested and everyone gets some tenderloin and a little bonus of rib.
2. How do I cook the tenderloin? I'm told that if I keep it at ~270 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until the inside is roughly 155 degrees,
This is an ideal time to learn about indirect heat grilling.
1) Go buy a probe thermometer -- one you can leave in the roast while it is cooking. They don't cost much, your megamart SHOULD carry one, and it's one of those things you really need to have.
2) 155f is too high -- no use killing the pig twice. 145f is my personal maximum.
3) Gas or charcoal, doesn't matter -- get some heat going on one side of the grill, and place the pork on the other side. If you can put a disposable tray of juice/beer/wine and herbs under the pork, all the better. Your roast is done when the thermometer reads 140f. Carryover (aka "coasting") will take it to 145f.
4) Wrap the roast in foil while it is resting. It can rest quite a long time -- up to an hour. That gives you plenty of time to cook the birds.
Another issue of note is that I'm told that brining the meat before cooking can do wonders for barbecuing leaner cuts of meat. Any suggestions for a pork brine? I'm half tempted to just soak it in a mix of lime juice, black pepper, garlic, and salt.
A brine technically has salt and some sort of sugar. I like a pineapple juice based brine for pork -- the enzymes in the juice tenderize the meat. But you can go with table salt, water and white sugar and it will be an improvement. Toss whatever herbs you have into the brine. It makes a difference.
3. While I feel quite comfortable with chicken, I'm having a bit of trouble with Alton Brown's recipe.
Then ditch the recipe. Use whatever spices you have. No use buying a laundry list of spices to make a curry rub, and then letting them sit on a shelf in your dorm until next semester. As long as the meat is skillfully cooked, your guests will be happy. Salt and pepper is all you really need. Anything else is a bonus.
I made it through college with salt, pepper, Montreal Steak seasoning, poultry rub and the "flavor packets" from ramen noodles.
-
Two pages of hate and NOBODY has mentioned Guy Fieri. Granted, he doesn't do a lot of cooking on his "cooking" shows. But he and Sandra Lee are the two FoodTV hosts I cannot sit through. I would rather watch what's on Home Shopping Network than a single minute of Guy Fieri.
Giada? At least her first season was OK. It wasn't all cleavage and dental work.
Tyler? Obviously thinks a lot of himself, calling his recipes "The Ultimate Such-and-Such." But at least he cooks. I'll watch his show just to ogle his copper cookware collection.
Ina? Used to love her show. (Despite the attack of the gay hydrangeas.) Then she went "Back to Basics" and I quit watching. I wonder how her ratings have fared ever since the "kid with cancer" incident.
-
1
-
-
+1
If you want weißwurst -- make weißwurst. Use veal. Then tell him he's welcome to eat it or not eat it as he sees fit.
-
Good Eats did seem to start to run out of ideas, but oddly, he never latched on to things like sous vide, or other modernist things that seemed right up his alley. He could have even brought some healthy skepticism to the whole discussion. Instead, he was entirely absent.
From watching the show -- all 249 episodes -- I think that AB was reluctant to delve into anything too expensive. I think the show would have suffered if he touted $4,000 infrared sear grills, $1,500 immersion circulators and $2,000 commercial vacuum sealers. The FoodTV average audience doesn't have the means or the inclination.
A lot of his cooking gear came from thrift shops and hardware stores -- much to the benefit of the viewer. To this day I use welding gloves instead of oven mitts. And I line my the bottom shelves of my ovens with bricks.
Alton got a lot of people to quit nuking Hot Pockets and start making dinner. So the show was a complete success by my yardstick.
-
the question posed in this thread, which, as I understand it, is simply whether cornstarch is used in modern (but "authentic", whatever that means) Chinese cuisines (compared to "Westernized" Chinese food).
Exactly.
And the point I think I was trying unsuccessfully to make is that over time, "new" techniques and ingredients become "traditional" and "authentic." Just like the tomato in Italy -- which has only been in widespread use for a few hundred years.
Am I interested in pre-Columbian Italian* cuisine? Sure. But I'm not going to accuse marinara sauce of being ersatz Italian.
* Yeah, I know there was no "Italy" in 1491. But it's a lot easier than listing off Puglia, Piedmont, Tuscany, Sicily etc.
-
I don't think it matters how long the process has been used. Think about it -- cornstarch in China isn't a much more recent innovation than tomatoes in Italy.
We wouldn't even consider questioning whether tomatoes are a traditional Italian ingredient. Why bother question the provenance of cornstarch in stir fries?
All I can tell you is that 100% of my Chinese in-laws use cornstarch.
Nearly all meat at my mother in law's is prepped by marinating it in a soy-xiao hsing-cornstarch slurry. Sauces are thickened with cornstarch, and deep fried items are dusted in cornstarch.
I would say it's a de facto part of the cuisine.
-
I don't have the book. What is the nail brush for? I'm guessing "cleaning stuff". What what exactly?
For me, it's for my fingernails. I'm interested as well in other applications.
-
(no probs there, some of our regular guests are fishers, and very nice they are too)
If some of your regulars are fishermen, you're missing a great opportunity -- We'll cook your catch.
This was a great money-maker in my home town. Locals and tourists would bring their day's catch to one of the restaurants that offered this service. The restaurant would prepare the fish and serve it with chips and veg for a low price.
EVERYONE was happy with this arrangement. It was essentially free money for the restaurant, and it the anglers are happy to not have to clean and prepare their catch.
-
I believe the author Dan Brown is delving into the rituals of the Tupperware cult in his next thriller, "The Mystical Burp."
-
The government doesn't need to enact laws banning anything. They just need to let the free market work and stop subsidizing farmers.
I'm willing to bet I will not see that in my lifetime. A bill ending farm subsidies will never make it out of the Senate -- too many Senators hail from agricultural states.
-
I am planning on making a Strawberry Blond ale this weekend. The inspiration is Abita's refreshing "Strawberry Harvest". Anyways, adding fruit to my beer is fine with me. I've made a really nice Cherry Ale a while back that was a favorite of everyone who tasted it. My question concerns Elederflowers actually. Elderflowers are in season here now and are growing all over the place. I already made a nice syrup/cordial with some (sugar+water+flowers) that has a great spicy taste and a lovely chartreuse color. I am also soaking some in vodka to make a cordial. I would like to add some elderflowers to my beer but not sure what the best approach is:
- Add a bunch of flowers at flameout along with the berries and let them steep while chilling the wort?
- Add a cup or two of my Elederflower syrup?
- Add a cup of Elderflower infused vodka (not sure I have enough time for this one)?
or maybe adding the Elderflowers is not a good idea at all....
Any suggestions?
I'd zap them in the microwave for 30 seconds to kill any microbes and add them to the secondary. In general, flowers in the boil/primary are going to lose too much of their essential oils and flavors.
But I have not worked with elderberry flowers -- if they taste good steeped, toss them in the secondary. If they need to be boiled to bring out the flavor, then do that as close to flameout as possible.
-
OK, so French Laundry was a bust. I called for three days straight, 5 phones blazing each day and all I could get was a wait list. What a crock, nothing is worth that amount of work. Anyway, here's what I managed otherwise:
Tell me about it. I've been trying for three years for a table any day during my week in Napa.
I've also been waiting for Ad Hoc to run their fried chicken dinner when I'm there. So far, no dice there, either. This year, I'll likely go to Ad Hoc no matter WHAT they're serving.
-
I don't think being telegenic (at least as I understand the term) is necessary for a science show host, just being interesting and comprehensible. I mean, we want them to explain why they think the universe is thirteen billion and change years old, not seduce a starlet onscreen.
Then we have different definitions of "telegenic." I think Alton Brown and the geeks from Mythbusters are very telegenic. Yet none of them are going to be seducing starlets anytime soon. (Well, maybe Jamie Hyneman -- if she like that "rugged" look.)
Julia Child is another one. She wasn't physically beautiful. Her speech was a little grating. And yet she's probably the most telegenic person ever to appear on TV. (Well, her or David Attanborough. It's a toss-up.)
Going back to cooking, Hubert Keller is probably the best of the instructional chefs. He certainly has the chops. But my wife and I keep a running score of how many times he says "nice" and "really" in an episode. As in, "You need a nice piece of really fresh pork, and then cook it on really high heat so it's nice and seared and really delicious."
I won't even watch Lidia Bastianich anymore. Her show has devolved into video postcards of Lidia traveling around Italy with her rich friends. I don't want to spend an hour watching her EAT.
Anne Burrell has the most promise. She can lose the Louis Armstrong voice impressions in my opinion, but she actually cooks. And a viewer could TiVo the show, assemble the ingredients and follow along. The end result would be a nice dinner. That's really all I ask out of a cooking show.
PS -- You bet I'd watch "Foams with Ferran." I also wish TK would do an instructional series, where he not only explains how. But also WHY he does what he does. Sure, I've read all his books. But it would be instructional to see his technique on video.
-
Here's an update on the wineries we're planning on visiting.
Schug
Gloria Ferrer
Pride
Smith Madrone
Terra Valentine
Chateau Montelena
Castello di Amarossa
Caymus
The two clunkers in there are for my wife. Honestly, she would be happier riding the bus with the visor and fanny pack crowd. And we're driving to Calistoga from Napa on Saturday morning which should be a real joy. It should be ok, I'm from Philadelphia. We invented heavy traffic
I go to Napa valley often.
I wouldn't bother with a list. Drive north to Calistoga with some general idea of where you'd like to go. But that's it. Sometimes a little roadside winery will "speak to you" and you should pull over. Or there could be three busloads of obnoxious Chinese tourists at Montalena, and trust me, you'll want to skip that.
It's the small, little-known wineries that I find to be the most fun -- where you can actually talk to the vintner, because he's also pouring in the tasting room because it's just him and some family members.
Also, I can't possibly do more than four wineries in a day, otherwise I would be afraid to drive. (Then again, I don't spit. I won't spit out something that so many people spent so much time to put in front of me. I'd rather drink less.)
Don't try to over do it. Better to have a great time in three good wineries than to feel rushed at EIGHT. I can't imagine trying to do eight in a day -- especially on a Saturday when the crowds are swarming. That's just not enough time. Block out 2-3 hours for Amarosa alone.
-
In the wrapper. When the butter is done, I wipe the wrapper on a slice of toast, then throw out the wrapper. (Especially if I'm using Delitia butter or the Estonian stuff (I don't have a cyrillic character set, nor would I know how, so I can't share the name.) That Estonian butter is amazing -- especially with the brown bread I also get at my local Russian market.)
Why go through the trouble of an extra step of a crock/dish? Seems like one more (unnecessary) thing to clean.
Then again, "room temperature" around here is 100f for much of the year. Butter stays in the 'fridge or it melts in minutes.
-
Cosentino's charcuterie shop Boccalone in the Ferry building.
Seconded!
Mmmmmm.... meat in a cone.
Also, Molinari's deli on Columbus and Liguria Bakery (early a.m. or no Focaccia for you) on Stockton St. (Liguria will sell out before noon most days, and they're often done by 9 a.m.)
There's a cheap all-you-can-eat dim sum joint on Jackson that we like -- great shu mai for $5, but no frills.
-
Thread necromancy!
That reminds me, someone here said earlier we didn't have any good science shows because nobody could replace Carl Sagan. I give you
Keep in mind he's delivering a lecture in an auditorium, with some slides and a video camera probably handled by a grad student. Give him a competent producer and a reasonable budget and he could make a billion heads explode.Krauss is smashing. But his speech is rapid-fire, yet halting. He talks about a mile-a-minute, but pauses a lot...which can be....distracting....especially if he doesn't....have an excellent film editor. But we already have Dr. Tyson -- and not only can the man explain astrophysics in laymans terms, I would happily sit and listen to him read from a telephone directory. (And he has hosted new Nova shows on PBS -- WAAAAAYYYY more geared for children than the original Nova. But still, it's new science content.)
PS -- I didn't say we don't have any good science shows. I said we don't have a Physics channel on cable television because of a lack of good hosts. And I still say the world has produced exactly two people who could host a astrophysics show. Lots of people have the science chops -- but they're not telegenic. A rare breed indeed who can do both.
Google "Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson Titanic" and you'll find a great bit about his frustration trying to correct Hollywood inaccuracies.
EDIT -- typos...
-
"Better than Bouillon" brand base.
I've always appreciated the honesty of this brand name.
Agreed. It is such a quality product.
Hard to tell if that's sarcasm.
I rather like the stuff. It isn't homemade chicken stock by any stretch. But when I want to boil up some potatoes for mashing, it does a fine job of flavoring the cooking liquid. This saves me from breaking out "from scratch" stock -- which I save for the applications that really need a good stock.
I also use it routinely in sauces that are missing both a little salt, and a little umami. Makes a big difference in a flat velouté or a lackluster gravy.
-------
As for the person who sneaks anchovies into dishes -- don't shrink away from the anchovy! Sing it's praises from the rooftops. "You're going to LOVE this! It's got some anchovy paste in it!"
I'll bet more than half the people who don't like anchovies actually LIKE anchovies. But they don't know it because the fish has always been added surreptitiously.
-
"Better than Bouillon" brand base. (The less sodium version is OK in a pinch -- for boiling potatoes, etc. Anything where I don't want to use the homemade stock.)
Minor's demi-glace. I hate making demi -- all that work and all those bones for a quart of base that lasts a couple months. Minor's is OK for most applications.
-
Piecemeal.
That way my wife can have the joy of continually rearranging it until its full and pointing out my errors each time.
Its a Larry David moment I enjoy.
I think our wives would get along famously.
I leave mine in the sink, as I am not allowed to load the dishwasher. As I have mentioned, I think my wife believes there is a secret Swiss Illuminati of dishwasher efficiency experts. They monitor the world's dishwashers and give out a medal and stipend for the person with the best dishwasher-loading skills.
When she's away, I'll load it any damned way and run a load whenever I know I won't have any soiled dishes for awhile. (I don't let them pile up -- that's an invitation for pests.)
And my dishes come out cleaner. I think trying to cram every last dish into the washer impedes effective washing. I never have to rewash a dish when she's away. But the rest of the time, one out of five needs to be hand-washed after a load.
-
If you have a Trader Joe's that sells liquor nearby, try their "house brand" vodka and blended Scotch whiskey. If their house tequila is available, I buy a couple of cases to hold me over until the next time it's available. (Haven't seen it in ages -- probably due to the skyrocketing cost of agave.)
In all cases, the TJ's brand is some small distillery's product with a new label slapped on it. I find the quality more than acceptable, and it is certainly the best bang for the buck short of knowing a distiller.
Seriously, their pretty-good Russian vodka is ounce-for-ounce less expensive than the plastic pints liquor stores keep on hand for the hygienically-challenged. (And why throw a lot of money at something that isn't supposed to have much flavor at all?)
The blended Scotch is...blended Scotch. I can't tell the difference between it and the average top-shelf blends. Their Trader Jose tequila reminds me of El Jimador, but half the price -- again, if they ever have it again. I may just stop by TJ's today and see what they're carrying.
I keep hoping they'll roll out a Trader Joe's bourbon.
-
I've had tahini last in our pantry for a few years. (We made the mistake of buying the industrial-sized jar, thinking we'd get enough eggplants that summer to make THAT much babaganoush.) Kept cool and dark, but not refrigerated. Tasted fine at the end -- not at all rancid.
Remember, this stuff was invented for use in North Africa and the Middle East centuries before refrigeration. Unless it tastes off, keep using it.
-
Mise isn't just having chopped garlic ready in a ramekin -- for me it's mostly a state of mind. I mentally go over all the steps, visualizing what needs to be done and what it's going to look like when finished. Only then do I lay my ingredients out and start cooking.
-
I like Japanese snacks like Meiji Corn Snacks, Shrimp Chips, Wasabi Peas, seasoned roasted nori etc.
Nobody makes crispy snacks like Japan.
Buffalo Chicken Legs and Thighs?
in Cooking
Posted
I make wings every Sunday during football season -- we switched to breast tenders. Same texture and flavor as the wing, which is important to me. I tried it with dark meat and didn't like it.
Tenders aren't cheap, either. But there's no waste and the process goes a lot quicker compared to wings.