Shel_B

It was a holiday or anniversary of some sort back in the mid-1980s and my GF and I were at her Dad's home along with her aunt and uncle. I was cooking dinner in Dad's kitchen, and was making a roast of some sort. I was removing the roast from the pan to put on a platter when, with a resultant loud thud, the roast fell to the floor. I was devastated. I wanted to make an impression on Dad and the relatives. I had no idea what to do. Did I feel the tears of my frustration and incompetence? A moment later the aunt walked into the kitchen as a result of hearing the roast fall, and she obviously saw my distress. With many years of cooking behind her, she offered her sage advice: "Pick it up, wipe it off, and serve it. They won't know." As she left the kitchen to go back to the dining room, she turned to me and said, "We'll eat from the other end," smiled, and glided into the dining room.

Has anyone tried this? CLICK HERE for the story " ... I came across a blog post from Zingerman's Bakehouse that discloses they've been including the whole banana—peel and all!—in their banana bread for years."

Thank you. While this model Le Creuset was on sale, this particular color had an additional 11% off on Amazon, so the price was quite good. Add to that, an additional 6% credit from Amazon because I chose "Amazon Day Shipping."

Thank you. I wanted something to brighten the stovetop. All my other cookware is rather bland ... stainless, anodized aluminum, black. Time for something more colorful.

A couple of months back, I was watching a cooking show and the Le Creuset 6.75 quart round Dutch oven was being used. I liked the lower sides, larger cooking surface than my 5.5 quart model, and the additional capacity, but didn't really need it. I have an All-Clad D5 8-quart pot that serves quite well in this general size range. However, Amazon had the Le Creuset on sale at an excellent price, and I do like Le Creuset pots, so I bit the bullet, pulled the trigger, and clicked the Buy option. It'll be here on June 6th ...

Thanks for your thoughts. The more I look into this, the greater my tendency to agree with you. The next time I get to the poultry market, I'll buy a bunch of thighs and continue my experiments in that direction. I'd really like to get this dish to work ...

I just found a few suggestions for cooking the thighs at a lower temp, which I will try. The suggested temps were 165-175 degrees. Your 150-degree sous vide suggestion is close to those temps. I don't have a sous vide setup. Not sure I want one. Thanks for jumping in.

I visited Brennan's quite a few times. Loved the place and, like you, was saddened when they closed. The last time I was there I had Irish coffees with my friend Jack ... I'm starting to think it may be the turkey, too, but I want to play with this dish a bit more. Maybe a braise isn't right for the thighs, but the braising medium and the apples are great ... maybe another way to use the recipe, such as making a marinade of the braising ingredients and then roasting the thighs? I also thought about using chicken thighs, and was musing about duck thighs or breast but I've not looked into how well they'd do with apples ... I believe they'd be fine.

The original cooking instructions are: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium Dutch oven or heavy oven-ready pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Season turkey on both sides with salt and pepper and add to pot, skin side down. Cook until skin is golden and crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer turkey to a plate and add shallots to pot. Cook until shallots soften, about 5 minutes. Add apples and cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Return turkey, skin side up, to pot; add cider and broth. Bring to a boil, cover, then place pot in oven. Cook 1 1/2 hours. Uncover; cook 30 minutes more. I've adjusted the oven temp up and down by 25-deg in each direction, cut 30 minutes from the covered braise and both reduced and increased the uncovered braise by 15 minutes. FWIW, of the five other braised turkey thigh and leg recipes I have in my collection, three call for a 90+ minute braise and two call for 2 hours.

I never said I don't like turkey thighs. I don't like the texture in the braise results. I continued to make the braise because in so many ways the dish is exceptional, so I tried to improve the results. If I feel a dish has potential, I don't give up on it ... I keep trying to improve it. Asking for advice here is just another step in trying to improve the result.

Apple cider braised turkey thighs have been on my menu for several years, although I only make the dish about once, maybe twice, a year. While flavorful, the thighs always seem to be a little stringy and somewhat chewy. I've tried adjusting time/temp a bit, and the results have all been about the same. Adjustments have been small. I've no issues with other braises ... chicken, beef, pork ... so I'm doing something wrong or there's an problem inherent with turkey thighs and a cider braise. If it's helpful to know, there is some apple cider vinegar in the braising liquid as well as some apple slices. So, any thoughts of what can be done to troubleshoot this dish?

That is why I asked ... the suggested use of vinegar is very common ... just this morning I was watching a cooking video from a chef with, I believe, a very good reputation, and he too, recommended vinegar (as well as bleach). For years I was skeptical about using the technique, and stayed away from it. Sweetie used it in her home, friends have used it, chefs have recommended it, even America's Test Kitchen has suggested it. So, before relying upon it myself, it seemed like a good idea to ask here, where I generally respect and trust the knowledge of the forum members.

It sounds as though you're doubting me, to put it mildly. Three of numerous similar articles. : https://www.arnoldwood.com/blog/how-to/sanitize-cutting-boards/#:~:text=To kill the germs on,wipe it with hydrogen peroxide. To kill the germs on your cutting board, use a paper towel to wipe the board down with vinegar, then use another paper towel to wipe it with hydrogen peroxide. Bleach – Sanitize both wood and plastic cutting boards with a diluted chlorine bleach or vinegar solution consisting of one teaspoon of liquid chlorine bleach in one quart of water or a one to five dilution of vinegar. Flood the surface with a sanitizing solution and allow it to stand for several minutes, then rinse and air dry or pat dry with paper towels. https://misen.com/blogs/news/how-to-clean-a-wooden-cutting-board#:~:text=Because vinegar is acidic%2C it,with a washcloth or sponge. Because vinegar is acidic, it helps disinfect the board by killing bacteria and mold and preventing their further growth. It can also help deodorize your board. Spray the board with a solution of 4 parts water to 1 part vinegar and wipe it down with a washcloth or sponge. https://www.thespruce.com/clean-wooden-cutting-board-4772583 Disinfect With a Daily Solution Spritz your wooden cutting board with distilled white vinegar or a solution of 3% hydrogen peroxide. Rinse with hot water. In these articles, other techniques were suggested as well, including using bleach and hydrogen peroxide.

I've heard it said that cleaning and disinfecting cutting boards (plastic, bamboo, wood) and countertops can be done well with white distilled vinegar (is there another type besides white?). I believe this is correct, and I'm wondering if there are any caveats to this. BTW, I discovered that the vinegar will clean stainless cookware, and eliminate the haze and blue discolorations that one so often sees. I suspect that this is all old news to many folks here, but I'm late to the cleaning-with-vinegar technique.

Thanks for the tip. The book is available through a number of used booksellers for as little as $2.00. I may go ahead and get a copy even though I've not decided on buying a cooker. It might help me make a decision.

Since I'm considering the purchase of a rice cooker, I read this thread. Some friends use their rice cooker for, among other things, making oatmeal. I wonder how a cooker would work for polenta ... my friends have not used their cooker for any corn-based applications although I frequently make polenta and other cornmeal items. Rice cooker for grits, perhaps?

IMO, that's a very good thing. There are numerous great products that, for whatever reason, don't get national recognition, but that doesn't mean they're not worth seeking out. Nor does it mean that their distribution might not grow, perhaps as a result from inclusion on a list such as F&W's.

While poking around to find out more about cooking beef and using tallow, I discovered that some pitmasters in Texas who cook beef pour hot tallow over their meat after it's done cooking and has rested a bit before being cut and served. Smokey tallow over smokey beef ... 👍

I agree with you about the subjective descriptions of F&W's categories. They seem rather arbitrary. I hadn't caught the price info of Newman's Own v Rao's ... good catch. Yes, I'm about to make a big batch of sauce. Just waiting for the second part of the order to arrive. I like having some jarred sauce available because, in no particular order, I don't care to eat the same sauce time after time. Even with a stock of homemade sauce, I'll still whip up something different every now and then, such as a puttanesca, variations of Aglio e Olio, pasta with tuna or salmon, etc., maybe just butter and cheese. Some of the sauce I'll make is going to be given to friends, so there won't be as much in stock as one might think. I'm not a good planner. Sometimes I run out of an ingredient or two, sometimes I want to prepare a dish quickly and on a moments notice. Since I'm a poor planner, I try to plan for my failing ... belt and suspenders, if you will.

That's an interesting statement to me. Growing up in NYC, I recall that just about every tomato sauce was called marinara. Going through my tomato-based sauce recipes, I see quite a few described as a marinara. I don't think that you're confused, rather, the sauce-naming convention is inconsistent and varies by location. The first one that popped up was from Lidia, and she offered a description of marinara vs tomato sauce. Quoting Lidia, FWIW: The difference between marinara sauce and tomato sauce is this: Marinara is a quick sauce, seasoned only with garlic, pepper, and, if you like, basil or oregano. The pieces of tomato are left chunky and the texture of the finished sauce is fairly loose. Tomato sauce, on the other hand, is a more complex affair, starting with puréed tomatoes and seasoned with onion, carrot, celery, and bay leaf, and left to simmer until thickened and rich in flavor. I don't know if I go along with that. Alongside Lidia's marinara sauce recipe was one from Cook's Illustrated, also described as a marinara sauce. It includes onion, garlic, aromatics, and wine, and it was not a smooth sauce but rather somewhat rough in texture and consistency.

A while back, Food&Wine magazine tested 100 brands of tomato sauce, and Monte's was their #1 choice. I'm looking for an upgrade to the jarred sauce I sometimes use. It would be great to hear any opinions of or experiences with Monte's. Food&Wine article: https://www.foodandwine.com/best-jarred-tomato-sauce-8421179? Monte's website: https://montessauce.com/collections/shop/products/original-family-recipe-tomato-sauce

I consider it to be fairly mild. I just put a spoonful on some white rice, and the sweetness of the mango seems to offset the heat of the habanero resulting in a nicely balanced sauce with a noticeable, but very comfortable, heat level. I compared it directly with Marie's original mild sauce, and the original seems hotter to me. However, the original doesn't have the sweetness that this one does. I think that you'll not find it at all objectionable, especially when put on food. I poured a bunch of it on my fried breakfast potatoes a few days ago and didn't even need anything to cool it down. Go for it! You know what's weird, the mango sauce seems to "cool down" the original mild sauce. It's almost like a dessert hot sauce ... sheesh! I'm glad I did this tasting for you as it drove home what a nice sauce this is. I'm going to order some more.

This is a lovely sauce. It's become one of my favorite sauces from Marie. https://mariesharpsusa.com/products/mango-habanero-sauce? And then there's this one, which is fairly new: https://mariesharpsusa.com/products/orange-pulp-habanero-sauce?

Your response was very helpful. Don't sell yourself short.

How is the fat added to the hotpot liquid? Just add a dollop or two to the liquid when it's hot?