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IndyRob

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Everything posted by IndyRob

  1. I've found that Glad Press'n Seal is great to wrap up (demi) baguettes before going into the freezer. It sticks to itself but not the bread and seems to be an airtight seal.
  2. Crispy skin can separate from the meat too. That's in the eatin'
  3. After years of being beaten by fried chicken, I saw a video of Anthony Bourdain going to Willie Mae's Scotch House in NOLA. Seeing that they battered fried their chicken I searched for 'Batter Fried Chicken; and found this recipe. It appears to originally come from Cooks Illustrated. IMHO, THIS is the way to do it. I keep a container of the premixed dry ingredients on hand so I just need to add water. After a simple brine, the batter is made and the brined chicken is dipped into it and fried. You just need one bowl - none of this messy assembly line of flour -- egg -- flour/breading. But if you'd like to go even more crispy - after battering, dredge in some crushed Corn Flakes. I'm very pleased with the results (Note: I double the salt in the batter recipe). But am now experimenting with the brine to include vinegar or pickle juice. [Edit to Add] Also, if you don't add the Corn Flake variation, the batter is very kind to your oil. There is virtually no flour dispersion to wind up burning and fouling your oil.
  4. I've been told (by some credible sources) that commercial yeast does not reproduce. So you may need to start with the indigenous yeasts of your own home.
  5. https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2020/03/24/562277.htm Apparently, there is no exclusion for pandemics in the policy, so the question is whether the presence of the virus constitutes physical damage to the property.
  6. I think they're okay if you approach them with the same sort of dismissive attitude they were posted with. In the seriouseats eggplant link above, clearly this is some sort of compilation post recycling past content. But if I liked eggplant, and I had some eggplant, and was looking to do something new with it, I might be happy to scroll through it.
  7. IndyRob

    Car engine cookery

    This idea has intrigued me for a while now. But after viewing various manifold cooking videos on Youtube and the like, I don't think I've seen anything that I'd call successful. A (surprisingly cheap) butane burner seems like a better path to mobile cuisine. [edit] Make some Spaghetti Aglio olio e Pepperoncino. There's nothing there that even requires refrigeration.
  8. IndyRob

    Beef Fillet - brine?

    Brined Round Steak? That would be evil. But profitable.
  9. Yay, Heywood Banks. We saw him do that live. IMHO, the toaster that tries to do more than it was conceived for is a poser. Toaster ovens are the worst (for toast). The best toast is crispy on the outside and soft and yielding on the inside. That means having the heating elements close to the slice so that the outsides can get browned before the inside gets dry. Even a wide-slot model that accommodates a bagel slice is a compromise. My toaster has some movable grates that move in to grasp the slice when you push the plunger down. I'd like to see a toaster that moves the heating elements in as well to accommodate the width of the slice.
  10. I think you've hit it on the head here. Focus on that. Since we've lived in our house we've gutted the kitchen and upgraded everything. But there are some things that can't be fixed or worked around. You need good ventilation, light (preferably natural), enough room, access to utilities, a good flow to the dining area. You can change appliances. You can replace the cabinets. But without the right space you'll be limited in your options.
  11. I looked at a cruffin recipe and they don't appear to be very similar. Pastizzi dough is more like phyllo. There's just flour, water and a little oil. It's about 57% hydration.
  12. My last attempt was very promising. I used a pasta machine to roll pieces of dough very thin before stretching it further on the counter, and even further while rolling it into the tube. And then even further by stretching the tube. However, I didn't allow the dough to relax long enough after that last step and had problems forming the pastizzis properly. But they were kinda' OK nevertheless. I only attempt it every 6 months or so. But the last attempt has me a bit more encouraged and I may take another shot at it soon.
  13. I'm recalling something I heard on ATK Radio regarding doubling recipes. They found that leaveners (particularly) didn't double very well. So you need to adjust up or down to find the right balance. I imagine it's a rounding error (because of the small quantities) regardless of measuring by weight or volume. Or, perhaps it's a matter of a leavener's effect not being linear.
  14. IndyRob

    Home Winemaking....

    I planted some grapevines a few years ago and I was looking forward to our first harvest this year. After fighting off Japanese beetles for two months, things were looking good. Then the birds helped themselves to the entire crop.
  15. I found this video while viewing many others on this topic. Italian chefs react to the most popular Aglio e Olio videos. No cheese, you heathens...;) I really like the rest of these Italia Squisita videos as well.
  16. You're going to walk that tightrope with a circulator you can buy off the shelf at Target?
  17. It seems to me that you are focusing quite a bit on the exact temperature of your bath as measured by various instruments, but are not talking about the results in terms of the resultant food. Is there a reason we should care about a 0.1-0.2 degree variance?
  18. Unfortunately, those are sitting on the shelf right next to bullshit and idiocy, which are out-promoting and out-selling the former.
  19. IndyRob

    Aldi

    In my experience they'll operate like that for a bit, but then close for about a month to finish. But when they do open again they'll send out 25% off $40 or more coupons. 25% off ALDI prices is gold.
  20. I was brought up on frugality despite a well-to-do background. So I like these sort of challenges. You don't have to be dirt poor spend your money intelligently. And if you do, you can find yourself with more choices in life. About 20-30 years ago I came up with a rule of thumb budget for meals - $1 for breakfast, $2 for lunch, and $3 for dinner. Originally that got us ribeye steaks a couple of times a week. Now they're chuckeyes, but that's really the only difference. A couple of Eggs and an English muffin (Thomas's - not a substitute) + butter costs me about 70 cents. I would never complain about that breakfast. Sure, it could be Eggs Benedict for 50 cents more, but it's not really necessary for everyday. That's where it becomes a chefly challenge because, while you may not be thinking about the food cost of your meal, your favorite chef certainly is.
  21. Then it's a wonder it's not challenging Coca Cola or Pepsi Cola for market share. But I will say that it can be difficult to taste alternative sodas in America. So, thanks for your dedication.
  22. 23 minutes? Did we really need 23 minutes?
  23. Well I guess we can forget wine snobs and craft beer embooziasts.
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