Shel_B
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Posts posted by Shel_B
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For a variety of reasons, I'll be eating a lot more fish and cutting back on red meat and some dairy products. Although I've cooked a fair amount of fish in my day, a lot of it has been very simple, like poaching salmon or baking and grilling. This was fine as I didn't eat fish often and my limited cooking methods were adequate. Now I'd like to get some more exciting ideas for cooking fish and sea food, but at the same time I'd like to keep the cooking methods low in saturated fat. Using olive oil and other flavored oils is fine, and calories are not an issue.
Learning more about what herbs go best with what fish would be helpful. And recommendations for fish cookbooks would be appreciated.
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I know how to brew coffee, I sometimes roast my own at home with a coffee roaster, and I understand about old coffe, under roasted coffee, and the like. This was not old coffee, nor was it under roasted. It was just not roasted the way I prefer my beans to be roasted. I bought a dark roast that was not to my satisfaction. The same beans from the same roaster, roasted darker, are more to my liking. Therefore my question.
The answer, it seems, is that I can't re-roast the coffee beans. Although, in another venue, a fellow mentioned an article in coffeegeek.com that said the Swiss often do it, although the coffee takes on a different character. I've not read the article yet.
Thanks for jumping in.
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Recently I bought some dark roasted coffee, but it turned out the roast wasn't dark enpough for my taste. While sipping the insipid brew, I asked myself, "Why can't I take these beans and roast them some more?" Now I'm asking you, the coffee mavens. Can this be done? And how might be the best way to do it? Thanks!
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Yesterday I bought some chorizo sausage for the first time. From the package information it was Mexican style. I believe there's a Spanish style, and maybe some other types as well. Since I bought the sausage to pill a dog, I didn't care much about taste or quality. Actually, I bought it because it was the cheapest sausage in the meat case.
However, I did fry up a small piece just to give it a taste. It was incredibly greasy - there was a big puddle of grease in the skillet - and that allowed the meat, such as it was, to crisp up nicely. But there's more to sausage than crispy meat.
So, what should this chorizo novice look for in good chorizo? Is it usually so greasy? What meats and spices would be considered for a good quality, traditional chorizo? What are the differences between Mexican, Spanish, and other types of chorizo?
Thanks!
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So, has anyone got a few good ideas for these delicious and sometimes all-too-seasonal little jewels? I'm running out of ideas and my recipe computer is in the shop. I've got chicken broth and plenty of schmaltz, and of course, matzoh.
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You are in for a treat. The secret, mined from the deep lore and wisdom of the Lebowski generation, is called cannabutter. A google search will no doubt produce other descriptions and instructions.
Does the percentage of butter to water matter much, if ast all? In any case, about how much butter would be needed for how many grams of pot? Any rough ideas based on experience or from articles?
Thanks!
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Thanks!
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Try a Bocca di Dama, a traditional Italian almond cake.
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I am a medical marijuana user, and I don't really care for smoking pot. However, it's sometimes the only relief I can get from my back pain.
Maybe pot brownies will help. Does anyone have any ideas on how best to incorporate marijuana into brownies or other baked goods?
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Assuming approximately equal capacities, is there any practical difference between the Staub Coq au Vin pot and the Staub Oval Cocotte? Dimensions? Interior color or design?
Thanks!
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A friend has recently developed a problem digesting cow's milk dairy products. What would be a good substitute for heavy cream? Hopefully something that's not loaded with sugar and strange sounding chemical names.
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One thing I do, more out of paranoya than anything else: when preheating an enameled pan to searing temps, I go slowly. Get it hot on a lowish flame for a while, then turn the heat all the way up and give it a few minutes to preheat. Considering that cast iron is only a moderately good conductor, and that enamel is brittle, I'm afraid of cracking the enamel from fast, uneven heating.
Le Creuset suggests that their pots be preheated in the oven before being put on the stove top. At least that's what I was told by someone who claimed to know such things. Perhaps bringing the pot slowly up to temp on the stove top would accomplish much the same thing.
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It may have been mentioned here that browning and searing is better done on raw cast iron than on enameled cast iron. If that's the case, and one wants to braise in an enameled pot like a Le Creuset, how would one get the most flavor from browning on raw cast iron into the enameled pot? Would the raw cast iron fond be deglazed and then the liquid transfered to the enameled pot? Or might therfe be another, perhaps better, method?
Thamks!
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The other day I cooked up some corned beef in a black Le Creuset Dutch oven. In the past I've uses a white one, about the same size. It seems that the black LC would have the water boiling at an oven setting less than the white pot. In fact, I had to turn the oven down twice to maintain a simmer.
So, will a black pot absorb more heat in an oven, and, by extension, transfer that heat to the food and the cooking liquid?
Thanks!
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Some years ago I made a recipe for an excellent meat stock, and over the years have made it several times. Lately, however, it's becoming more difficult to get the veal bones that the technique calls for (the recipe calls for both beef and veal bones), and I was wsondering just what the veal bones brings to the pot. What do I gain when using veal bones that beef bones won't give me?
Thanks!
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Bruce, I am not a gentleman, (actually a female, age 71) but I have recommended Pepper-Passion in other threads besides this one.
[...]
I make cheeses and one of the most appreciated by my friends is a fresh, goat cheese, rolled in coarse pepper.
This thread got me to order a few items from Pepper Passion, and I was quite pleased with the service and prompt delivery. One of the peppers that I ordered was the Tellicherry, and it was wonderful: not as much heat as some previous Tellicherry pepper that I bought, but lots of great flavor. Highly recommended!
Pepper on cheese is another wonderful combination. I like to take a favorite cheese, melt it, and grind some black pepper over it. I love the gooey, pepper texture and flavor of peppered, melted cheese. With the increasing number of pepper varieties available, and the almost endless varieties of cheese, matching pepper and cheese can be a fun experiment.
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It's time to get one or two new sheet pans, actually, half sheet pans. Over the years I've used them irregularly, and used whatever was handy - good pans, poor quality pans, non-stick, and those made from various materials. However, these pans will be the first that I've actually purchased. So, what do I look for? What materials are out there besides aluminum in its various incarnations: non-stick, anodized, plain? Are stainless steel pans available? How well/poorly might they make? Is the material really important? After all, the pans will often pre-heat in the oven, or remain in the oven a fair amount of time, so they'll have ample time to reach temperature, and often times the pan really isn't used for cooking so much as to just hold the food tems. Am I missing something here?
The most frequent use will be for roasting vegetables and bones, rarely, if ever, for making cookies and baked goods, but that's always a possibility. Does any one material excel at these tasks?
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I've been using Full Belly Farm for more than a year. They deliver fresah produce weekly to several local drop off spots and, for a few extra dollars, will deliver directly to the house. Apart from produce, which, because of its unique nature sometimes, Full Belly provides a few recipes along with the box of goodies. Lamb is also available at certain times of the year and comes butchered and packed. Sometimes local organic wine is also available (although I've not tried it) as well as fresh pressed apple juic e and cider.
The lamb is some of the best I've tasted, and the pressed juice and cider is quite good as well.
Sincde I moved, getting to the local CSA dropoff point has been a little difficult and I may have the produce delivered if it will continue being difficult to pick up the produce easily.
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I seem to recall reading that peppers develop their heat in reaction to stress. Lack of water and high ambient and ground temperatures stress the plant and the plant, therefore, produces hotter peppers.
Perhaps because there's a greater demand for peppers these days, more commercial growing techniques are used, providing more water to quicken the pepper plants growth and, as a consequence, the peppers produced are less stressed and less hot.
In addition, there are peppers that are bred to be milder. Like you, I've found the jalapeños and serranos (especially those used in some commercial products like canned chipotles and the peppers used in some salsa) to be lacking in heat and flavor.
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There's something I noticed about anchovies in tins and in jars: the ones in the tins always seem to be harder or firmer and somewhat less flavorful. The jarred anchovies, like Ortiz (and every other brand I've tried), are always softer and more pliable, and have a fresher flavor.
Might this just be because of the brands I buy, or is this difference the situation across the board, perhaps because of the processing or packing techniques or perhaps the quality of anchovies?
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I'm under the impression that soaking in hot water works better for most things but cold seems to work better for stuck on eggs or cheese. Would anyone care to confirm/correct this?
Eggs and cheese are protein, and heat cooks or bakes the protein to the surface of the dish. Cold water doesn't have that effect. I recall reading this bit of information many years ago.
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I thought someone here might be interested in this color Dutch oven. It's on eBay.
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Hi, I'll post these questions here as well:
Hello, David ...
Thanks for jumping in. Your post was very helpful but it does give me a few more questions.
How much difference in hardness is there between hard maple at 1450 and purpler heart at 2000-something? How close on the scale is considered similar hardness, or, how close is close enough.
Based on your comments, I may not want to use the "interwoven" pattern similar to the one I first saw in this clip:
Cutting Board Video but I do want something more than just a broad expanse of solid maple. My current thinking would be to use a darker wood as a border around the main work surface. Would that eliminate the warping/waviness you described? How would such a design effect the longevity of the board?
If the dark wood border was not done in end grain, but the long way (I forget what that's called) and framed the working space of the cutting board, would that result in a strogner or less strong board?
I once had a dark walnut block and liked the way it flt to the knife and also liked the dark color. However, it seems that walnut is softer than hard maple. Would walnut be a good material choice fo a board? What about using it as the border material? Considering that the border would see very little use, if any, does it matter much what the border material would be?
I think that's it for now. Thanks!
Great question. Here is the reply I posted at Chef Talk.
There is a general rule for choosing the wood for a cutting board: Any wood from a tree with running sap, hard maple - maple syrup, or a tree with an edible nut, walnut, pecan oak, etc... Good woods - Hard maple, black cherry, black walnut, oak(?), pecan/hickory, alder, beech plus others.
Soft woods like pine, poplar, cedar or cypress should be avoided. Too soft and will not last long. Woods like cedar or cypress contain natural oils which keep the insects away. If the insects don't eat it, neither should you.
Some of the exotics do look terrific but should be avoided. Great for furniture but not necessarily great for a cutting surface. Some contain oils which can be toxic to humans. (Just because your friend down the street has a brother-in-law whos third cousins neighbor may have a board made from an exotic and hasn't had any ill effects doesn't mean that you won't. Some are downright dangerous.) I have seen boards made from black locust. Black locust will kill a mule if eaten. To be safe, stick with the rule of thumb as stated above.
Thickness; the thicker the better. Thin boards tend to warp, crack and split. Thicker boards are more stable although a little harder to wash in the sink. Be careful of how you pair the woods together. Softer woods wear quicker than harder woods and the resulting cutting surface can be uneven making it tough to cut on. That "handsome" match today might look like a wavy surface in the near future. Also, soft and hard woods absorb moisture at different rates which might cause some cracking in the future. You can research the hardness rating of woods using the Janka scale available on line. Look for woods that closely match each other in hardness.
David The BoardSMITH
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A friend, who is a skilled woodworker, has offered to make an end grain cutting board for me. Wow! That's exciting.
How thick should the board be - I've seen good quality boards from 1 1/4-inch all the way to 2 1/4-inch? What factors enter ito deciding the thickness.
The board will have a pattern, and one thought is to use hard maple with purple heart. Besides purple heart, what other wood might work well? What about walnut?
Thanks!
Seafood Noob
in Cooking
Posted · Edited by Shel_B (log)
I'll take a look at Ripert's books. I've looked through Johnson's book a few times (it is a good one) and finally broke down and ordered it a few days ago. I buy my fresh fish from him - been doing so for years - as I live near the market and his product is first rate.
FWIW, he co-wrote the California Seafood Cookbook, another excellent book. I got my copy directly from Paul as he sold them at the market.