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Pierogi

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Posts posted by Pierogi

  1. "Lard-ocity" has been achieved !!! I'm very happy. My kitchen smells WONDERFUL, full of well-done, crispy pork goodness smells. The dogs hovered all afternoon, thinking they might get blessed enough to score some of whatever caused such good smells. Not a chance, pipsqueaks !

    It was a piece of cake. Just a bit time-consuming, but no big whup. The time went by quite quickly since I baby-sat the rendering process whilst enjoying a delightful adult beverage or two.

    I was a bit bummed that the pound of fat I had only yielded a bit over a cup of lard. Maybe I didn't let it go long enough? Next time, I'll try with more fat.

    I'm a convert. Time to make flour tortillas !

    Oh, and Mrs. Liuzhou will have to pry those crispy porky goodies from my cold, dead hands. Just sayin'.

  2. So. I found, for the first time, (after only 30-plus years of MegaMart shopping) a package of pork fat at the local chain grocery the other day.

    Helpfully labeled as "pork fat". :hmmm:

    Of course, I got excited and scooped it up. It was the one and only of it's ilk in the meat case. Plus, it was cheap. And....I immediately figured, "I CAN MAKE LARD !!!" Ewwwww.....ahhhhhhh.

    So, now I'm about to embark on the Great Lard Journey. I've no qualms about the actual process. It seems pretty straight forward, albeit stinky, but I have a good exhaust fan and nicely placed windows in the kitchen, so I'm sure it'll be fine.

    My questions are two-fold.

    Is this stuff, simply labeled "pork fat" with no indication as to where the fat was gleaned from, suitable for rendering into lard?

    And...

    The label on the package says "use by May 11" which is, of course, Friday. Now I plan on the big rendering tomorrow. But does that expiry date on the fat itself mean that the lard should immediately be placed into the freezer after rendering, or will it store for the month or so I see referenced in the "methods" in the fridge?

    As I said, the fat was cheap (less than 3 bucks), so if you all don't think it'll render into decent lard, I'm not gonna be too bummed. But I'd like to make it work.

    Thanks in advance !

  3. Crack them, lay them on a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil (or doubled regular strength foil), and throw some ice cubes in there. Seal the foil up like a packet and lay them on the grill (or toss in the oven at about 350-375°). As Heidi says, since the crab legs are already cooked, and the shell is so impervious, grilling on direct heat isn't going to do anything to them of note, other than toughen them up. The steaming, especially if you also toss in some garlic and lemon slices, will do far more to improve the flavor. It's *not* like grilling a raw lobster tail.....*that* is spectacular, but these legs are usually already cooked.

    Unless you're lucky enough to have raw crab (or softshells). In which case, well, there's not much you can do to them that will mess them up.....

  4. Honestly, I have never seen a TV "cook/chef/teacher" hold their knives with their index finger along the spine. EVER. In fact, most of them, if not all of them, specifically instruct you to curl your dominant hand around the handle/bolster to give you more power and control, and less chance of loping off the stray finger. And I have (and do) watch a lot of TV cooking shows, good and bad. Now, I'm not sure what a hack like Guy Fieri uses for a grip on his knives, I don't consider him a cook, and can't say I've ever watched one of his shows from start to finish, but even Rachael Ray grips her knife properly.

    Same for the oil in the pasta water. Even Ray-Ray says don't do it (ok, she likely says it more cutesy like.....it's a "no-no go-go on the EVOO", or something equally as hurl-inducing), but I can't remember anyone in the last 30 years telling me to dump oil in the pasta water. Don't know where you are, and what shows you're watching, but around here, the knife thing and the oil thing don't happen and don't get promoted.

    Eating the screamin' hot food, that's an occupational hazard of cooking on TV, I'm afraid. But of course, 99% of those "piping hot" dishes have been chilling in the back kitchen for an hour or so as back-up for the money shot before the host chomps into it, anyway. :cool:

  5. Chipotle meatballs – meat loaf mix with mint, garlic, eggs, and panko for the meatballs; chipotle, tomato, oregano, and chicken broth for the sauce. Boys liked.

    [url=

    Oh, yeah, Bruce. That reminds me I've been wanting to make chipotle meatballs for like, forever. I alternate between Kennedy's and Bayliss' recipes. I think this time up, I need to do Kennedy's......

    But bottom line, I need to do them again, and soon.

  6. I noticed this today at TJ's just looking for regular white wine vinegar, yet all I found was balsamic and other interesting flavors. Disappointing!

    To the best of my knowledge/recollection, (and I've been shopping at TJs since dirt was young...), TJs has never carried white wine vinegar. I remember looking for it regularly, and being peeved they didn't have it.

  7. No pictures (I'm over my limit anyways....) but today's haul was "large-ish" baby artichokes (6), 2 avocados, a bunch of baby, multi-colored carrots (about 20), 2 bunches of dinosaur kale, about 10 small, but *VERY* sweet peaches, a large bunch of chives, 8 scallions, 3 medium to HUGE beets, with verdant greens, a bunch of collard greens (oh yay, more collards :wacko: )and some very small Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes). Probably about 1/2 dozen of those.....I'm a happy camper. The peaches are early, but we've had SUCH a mild winter, I guess it's not all that surprising. The avocados have been spectacular so far, as have been the "normal" artichokes.

    Sadly, no fava beans in this share, I guess the season has gone (we've had them for the last month and a half). But, I saw the fig trees are setting fruit......

  8. What about salt preserved kumquats like you would do with lemons? That could be really interesting.

    What about salt preserved kumquats like you would do with lemons? That could be really interesting.

    That works. This recently showed up from one of the blogs I follow.

    Yes ! Totally works. I did it a couple of years ago when I had a surfeit of kumquats from my CSA.

  9. Let's be clear. NO ONE goes to In 'N' Out for the fries. No one.

    They are marginally (marginally....) better if you order them well done, but they are still meh. They only single-cook them, and even though they are fresh, not frozen potatoes, cut in-store throughout the day, they suck.

    I can't speak to the quality in other areas as the franchise has expanded Eastward. But in the LA basin, the 'burgers rock.

  10. In coastal Los Angeles, my Beefmaster tomato plant (one of which was ultimately a *roaring* success last year, 'though scarily slow to set fruit) already has 4 itty-bitty baby tomatoes on it !!!! And lots of blooms. YAY. Nothing on the other two (Marvel Stripe and a Big Cherry) yet, but it's still way early. Tomatoes comin' soon.....yum !

  11. Agree with the concept of the "tarter" flavors working better with yogurt. I haven't eaten a ton of it, and haven't had any in an age (the frozen yogurt places around seem to have vanished on the breeze), but I do remember prefering the fruity flavors rather than the sweetish ones. Berries, especially. Blackberry, blueberry, raspberry, all of those. Chocolate or vanilla, eh, not so much. I imagine lemon/lime/tangerine would all be good (and BLOOD ORANGE would be spectacular, as would Meyer lemon ! OH!!) The spices that have been mentioned, cardamom, chipotle, curry, cumin, corriander, all sound good to me. They're fruity enough to work with the sweetish tang of the yogurt. That's where I'd try to go...play off the tang, and back away from the sweet, which I don't think works. Unsweetened chocolate, and I mean TOTALLY unsweetened, like you'd use in a mole, could work too.

  12. I do a caramelized onion pasta, where, after the onions have cooked down in olive oil for about half-hour/45 minutes with some dried basil and thyme, salt, and sugar, they are then deglazed with red wine, balsamic vinegar and a splash of water. Cover the pan, and keep over low heat while the pasta finishes cooking. Save some pasta water, then dump the pasta into the onions, stir around with enough pasta water to make a nice sauce, then garnish with grated Parmesan and chopped fresh herbs (basil, thyme, parsley, etc.). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy. Dead-bang simple, less than an hour and you've got a GREAT dinner.

  13. Have you considered switching to whisky stones for most of your chilled liquid needs? They're basically small cubes of soapstone that are too soft to scratch glass and retain a decent amount of thermal energy. I've never given them a try, but I've long been curious.

    The Japanese chain Muji also sells a silicone mold for making spherical ice. At $11.75 each they're pretty expensive, but I'd imagine you'd only need one sphere per glass: http://www.muji.us/store/silicon-ice-ball-maker.html No clue if this would require less dexterity but it might be worth a shot since you don't have to break the ice up to get it out. Moma's spherical trays look somewhat easy too: http://www.momastore.org/museum/moma/ProductDisplay_Spherical%20Ice%20Tray%20Set_10451_10001_57253_-1_26669_26669_57254

    True, and I've been tempted to purchase both of them. But a goodly number of the cocktails I enjoy are shaken, then strained....while the rocks and the huge sphere would work for an "XXX on the rocks" situation, I don't think they'd be optimal for shaking. Or even for stirring to combine and then straining.

    first off, don,t take this,wrong,I have not used Ice cube trays for other than freezing Basil into cubes for pesto.for many many years,seems all refrigerators these days, have ice cube makers,(some work better than others)(thankfully)

    Bud

    Unfortunately, it would cost a small king's ransom to run plumbing to where my fridge lives. I looked into it when I last replaced the thing. And since *I* didn't win the MegaMillions last week.....

    Have you considered switching to whisky stones for most of your chilled liquid needs? They're basically small cubes of soapstone that are too soft to scratch glass and retain a decent amount of thermal energy. I've never given them a try, but I've long been curious.

    For cocktails, though, you both want and need the dilution that comes from the melting ice.

    What he said.

  14. Thanks for the replies, folks. I think one of my problems is that I overfill the trays. I keep forgetting (even though I pretend to be a science geek....) that water expands as it freezes. I refilled the trays today, and underfilled them a bit. We'll see if that helps.

    The aluminum trays with the lever, I remember being a PITA even when I was a young pup, and had healthy hands ! Part of the problem I have now, is that, as soon as I touch something really cold, like frozen ice cube trays, the chill just seems to radiate all the way through my fingers, and that exacerbates all the other issues. I seem to be very sensitive to the chill, and I think the metal would be even worse than the plastic.

    Sadly, (or not, depending upon how you view it I guess...) my freezer is so stuffed with leftovers and split packages of meat/poultry/fish etc. I don't have room for bags of ice. Although, I do have to admit, the crystal clarity of them is majorly sexy....

    Another factor is, I think, the length of time I let the cubes sit in the trays before I try to crack them. I dumped all 3 trays today relatively easily, after letting them sit on the counter for only a minute or two. But they'd been filled only a couple of days ago. That seems to make a difference in my freezer.

    Sadly there doesn't seem to be the definative answer to the ice cube tray question. If only I were smart enough to design the perfect tray, it'd make up for the fact I didn't buy that winning Mega Millions ticket on Friday ! :raz:

  15. As I may have mentioned before, I have pretty severe arthritis in my hands and wrists, and my current (hard plastic) ice cube trays give me major fits when I try to release the cubes. Since I routinely have a delightful adult beverage every afternoon, this is an issue. Anyone have any recommendations for easy-release ice cube trays for "normal sized" cubes? I've seen the silicone ones for huge cubes, but would like the standard size. Thanks so much in advance !

  16. Three words.

    Braised. Short. Ribs.

    Over mashed potatoes or cooked down to a ragu over pasta. But big, beefy short ribs, braised long and low and slow in red wine, beef stock and some tomato product (with the appropriate herbage, veggies and other seasonings, of course) is probably my "Death Row" meal.

    Nothing else....NOTHING else....beats the flavor and the texture.

  17. Two purchases yesterday that ended up in the trash bin. I had some lovely meat to grill yesterday and today, was craving fries and onion rings, and thought I would give TJ's a shot. Yesterday the hand cut skinny fries with skin were not crispy and surprisingly greasy. Today the beer battered sweet onion rings were onion mush surrounded by salty, heavy, boring batter. I cooked them per the directions - baked in the preheated oven. The national brands from the chain market at least crisp up! Trash day tomorrow so they are on the way to the landfill......

    Not surprised about the fries....I tried both their frozen sweet potato fries and their frozen garlic fries and was soundly disappointed. So I wasn't even going to give the skinny fries a shot. Bummer about the onion rings though. I'm always on the lookout for those, and had high hopes for TJs. They certainly SOUNDED like they'd be good....

    I *can* however, vouch for the TJ version of tater tots. I think they call them Trader Potato Tots. Also frozen. They're MUCH better than the original. They've become a staple in my freezer. Well, at least until they stop carrying them.....

  18. Question from a silicone newbie.

    I just purchased my first silicone mold, from Paderno, a "Dolce Stampi" mold with 16 oval shaped wells. I wanted that partular size/shape, and silicone was the only one I could find. My questions:

    1. Should I put the mold on a cookie sheet for filling and baking?

    2. Any adjustments to make in temperature?

    3. Can it go in the dishwasher?

    I bought the thing because I want to make gluten-free pigs in a blanket, and the wells are the right size and shape. Gluten free breads, in my limited experience, are not thick enough to work like a dough and wrap the sausage, so my plan is to layer batter, sausage, batter. They're probably the only use the pan will get.

    Kay, I have a silicone cannele pan. I feel its mandatory to put it on a sheet pan for filling and baking; it would sploosh batter all over if I tried to move it without the rigid sheet underneath. If you're not using it for a liquidy-batter application, it may not be necessary, but it doesn't hurt.

    I haven't needed to adjust time/temp for the canneles, but the recipe I use (Jacques Pepin's) was written for the silicone molds. I think good rule of thumb for any new bakeware is to keep a close eye the first couple of times you use it, to see how it's going to work in your oven.

    The instruction sheet for mine said no dishwasher.

    Hope that helps.

  19. From my experience (admittedly limited...), I've found that classes with a narrow focus are far more valuable to me than the broader, "laundry-list" classes.

    I took a bread-making class when I first started to get into baking bread that was extraordinary. It really lit the fire in me to give bread baking my attention and efforts. The instructor was excellent, and very hands-on working with the students. That was what I needed. I'm taking a class on macaron-making in a month or so that I'm hoping will have the same results, since I've tried to make them on my own with pretty dismal results. Many years ago, I took a series of Indian cuisine classes, as well as a Thai series, offered by the local Parks & Rec department. They were also outstanding, and I walked away with recipes I use to this day.

    On the not-so-great side, I took another class called something like "Cooking Without a Recipe". The instructor was good, but the class was too large, and far too general. I learn more reading "Saveur" or "Fine Cooking" than I got from that class.

    Small groups and tight focus are key, I think.

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