IndyRob
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Posts posted by IndyRob
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Tomorrow is the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. So how 'bout a 14 year, 149 page pork tenderloin sandwich thread....
http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php/25668-OT-Tenderloins
Take that, Iowa.
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I think that if I was doing a recipe for the first time - for people other than those I normally experiment on - I would stick to the recipe. That said, Mac n' cheese is usually not a high risk proposition.
But I agree with pbear, you should do one or the other. The roux and sodium citrate are redundant and may well work at cross purposes. I think if you're looking for Velveeta.-texture, the sodium citrate version is what you will want.
But I'll offer a warning. Ruhlman's recipe seems to be pretty flavor-intensive. At the same time, the sodium citrate cheese sauce tends to pass on a lot more of the other flavors in a sort of cleaner way. For instance I have had at various times things (e.g. soups, sauces and the like) called 'beer-cheese' on the menu. It always tasted like a thin cheese sauce with not much beer taste. But when I did a cheese sauce using just (cheap) beer, cheese and sodium citrate, the result screamed BEER!.
I think refrigerating will be fine. I'd just save the final topping for just before the oven and heat gently under foil. My gut feeling is to do it covered it at 350 and then put the spurs to it and let it finish at recommended 425 for 15 minutes or until looking good.
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Interesting. Would/should the cutting be reflected in the ingredient label? All I'm seeing is dextrose and Stevia in some form (other than cellulose in one case and 'natural flavorings').
So, powdered milk is out. Wouldn't this exclude the whole whipped cream thing? Perhaps I'll learn something(s) here. Does cream not contain the sugar?
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Thanks for the considered response and especially that ratio. I think the ATK recipe used a partial can of the SCM, which is pretty awkward.
Incidentally (not for your purposes, but for anyone intrigued by the SCM/No-machine method), I was at Walmart today and noticed a clearance cart - Everything under $2!. It had cans of Eagle brand chocolate-flavored SCM for $1.98. Had never seen that before. I bought three, but don't have any results yet as I've been doing other things. I hope they're going to eliminate an entire ingredient for my chocolate ice cream. Then again they were on clearance, so we'll see....
So, anyway, I thought that I'd be whipping up some cream soon, so why not steal a little bit for an experiment? I looked at my wife's sweeteners and came up with Sweet 'N Low, and two stevia based sweeteners (Stevia in the Raw and Equal Stevia Extract). I asked her if she wasn't using any of them and she said she wasn't using any of them. Ok, so I looked back and I believe you said that Stevia would be acceptable, if not for brand differences/variances related to taste/aftertaste issues. Well, I'll never be able to anticipate your personal taste and I anticipate any level of success would not be as good as the sugar for me. But it's about the texture, right?
Alright, so gosh, I wonder if anyone has made SCM using Stevia. I found this recipe...
https://myreecipes.wordpress.com/2010/03/27/stevia-sweetened-condensed-milk/
Not only does she claim that it was a success, but the ice cream she made with it was 'amazing' Hmm. I'll just need some powdered milk. I think I have some powdered buttermilk somewhere. That ought to do....
Edit for a note about the temperature issue - I put my mixture in a 32oz deli container which fits nicely in the door of the freezer. So that's where it stays and it's probably decidedly warmer than if I put it in the back of the freezer.
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9 hours ago, Chocolot said:
Breakfast by Rodney.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure I hate Rodney.
And yes, Rodney, I'm hating you because you're beautiful.
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From ATK, I think...If you're going to apply cooking spray to a pan, open up the dishwasher door and spray it over that. Then close the door and the overspray is contained until the next wash cycle.
Also, Mary Ann is handier with a spud than Ginger.
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The condensed milk ice cream is very scoopable.I can attest to that, But I have a hard time believing that the ingredients besides sugar are not playing a role. Otherwise, why not just add sugar? I think the egg yolks may help. Heck, throw some tofu in there.
But I think the fact that you had a success with a whipped product might lead you further down that line.
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On 5/10/2016 at 9:47 AM, adrianvm said:
The one recipe I ran across that really worked did so through the curious process of whipping cream and egg whites and then chilling the pre-aerated mix in the ice cream maker. In other words, it made use of a huge overrun. This ice cream was oddly airy and fluffy straight out of the machine.
I don't know anything about the sugars/non-sugars (back in the day, I think people would be saying "Um, so you're using two cups of heavy cream and you want to reduce the sugar?!??!), but since you said this, it reminded me of the way I've been making Ice Cream. I had been wondering what happens if you just freeze whipped cream and found my answer with a YouTube search. It turns out the simple addition of sweetened condensed milk can turn a simple whipped cream into a passable ice cream without a machine. America's Test Kitchen has a video where they do this with the addition of chocolate, vanilla and coffee, while another woman simply whips the condensed milk with the cream to create a base into which she customizes individual cups with different flavors. The result is simply frozen. No machine.
I don't think the ingredients in sweetened condensed milk are going to meet your needs, but perhaps the mechanical aspects of the technique could offer a way to try several formulations at once. Just whip the cream and divide and fold in other ingredients in separate containers and freeze individually. I was able to make mint chocolate chip and chocolate ice cream out of one batch of cream. Seems a perfect test bed for testing various ideas quickly.
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The tongue is where we taste the salt, no? That's where the final judging is done.
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Puff pastry. Raspberries. Maybe dots of cream cheese. Freeze. Bake. Enjoy.
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31 minutes ago, FeChef said:
Common sense, salt is not fat soluble. More fat, less salt can absorb into meat which is mainly water which salt is water soluble.
Do we need salt for the meat? Or for the tongue? Granted, the tongue may need more salt if it's covered in fat, but there's plenty of water on the tongue - especially when presented with a great steak.
But here, we're not talking about great steak. Just chuckeye vs. strip.
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Well, you can't argue with that. So, naturally, I'm going to argue with that.
They chopped the meat up and I think that makes it a very different thing. If my filet mignon is seasoned on the inside, I'm going to wonder what they did with it (and why). Some of it is about the contrast.
And that steak pictured above posted by btbyrd - I don't know if I'd want to salt the bejeezus out of it.
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4 minutes ago, btbyrd said:
Yes. This steak required more salt than I've ever put on any other piece of protein in my entire life
I'm taking that picture to bed with me tonight in the hopes that I might dream of eating it.
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I've never heard of salting different steaks differently. I think if you have some top quality Kobe or something, then it might bear some serious contemplation. But for regular steaks, I've never heard of such a thing.
In fact, the one example I can think of is salting a round roast a day ahead (basically a dry brine). But this is to try to salvage a truly inferior cut - which is kind of the opposite of the question.
In the last week I have run across a couple of people who like to aggressively salt steaks just before cooking. I usually like to salt well about five minutes before cooking. The idea (Alton Brown inspired) is to dry out the surface a bit for searing.
Here's my best guess and I may be completely wrong - A chuckeye (which I also really like) has a much more open texture. More nooks and crannies for salt to get into. If you are at all rubbing the salt into the steak then I'd bet $1 that the chuckeye will grab and hold onto more. A strip steak has a much more homogeneous surface.
My local Meijer stores have started to sell something the call a Manhattan steak. I think it's half of a New York strip. Versions using sirloin are also starting to appear. Both are cut to resemble filets, and they look quite convincing but, if you find a deal, can be less than $2.50 per steak. As I've lately been on a steak frite kick, I've taken to putting them in a bag with some heavily seasoned flour for about an hour before cooking and then dropping them into the frite oil (375) for about 90 seconds and then into a 425 degree oven for 6-7 minutes. If I've correctly judged the size of the steaks, and adjusted the 6-7 minutes right, the result is perfect med-rare with a crispy exterior.
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Well, five years on, I've gotten pretty close, but no cigar yet. I know now that I can nail the filling. My Maltese uncle confirmed that it is cow's milk ricotta, and I've discovered only home made ricotta will do for its low moisture content. This allows you to add more eggs for more flavor. Then quite a bit of S&P to make it perfect. But I haven't yet perfected the ratios. But I always knew that would be the easy part. I nailed it once - I know I I can do it again (and eventually repeatedly)
Now I'm on to fine tuning the pastry. The technique is one thing, but I've got it close and is just something I'll have to work on. But now I'm having a crisis about which flour to use.
My latest (and even a bit photogenic) result was with Caputo "00" flour. But my previous attempt used high gluten flour and wasn't really that different (and might've had a better flavor). There are more videos out their now, but none of them explain the characteristics of the flour you want.
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If you're looking for an easy way, grab a sheet pan and a big sheet of aluminum foil. Slice up an onion or two into rings and make a layer on the foil in the sheet pan. Season the roast (either simple S&P, or a spice rub if you want to be more elaborate) and put it on the onions. Seal the foil (in a way you can re-open to check doneness) and throw into a 225-250 oven for 2-3 hours (depending on the size). When done, remove the onions and juice to a saucepan and get creative (add cream, broth, herbs and/or seasonings to your own taste). Meanwhile, broil each side of the roast for a few minutes. Serve the onions over the roast. Admittedly, the results (being basically oven braised with the onion liquid) will be pretty pot roast-like if I'm not mistaken.
Alternatively, I've often wondered if one can cut chuck eye steaks from a chuck roast. Not the tenderest steaks in the world, but they have good flavor.
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I just bought some to do fish & chips. I really liked it for that.
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I went back and watched the ATK episode (S14 E3 currently available on Netflix) to see exactly what they said. They agree with pbear that the temperature of steam remains 212. However, the steam has 5 times the energy (owing to water being 'sticky' because of hydrogen bonds and, um, yada,yada...).
What this means is that steam can cook more eggs in the same amount of time. That explains my inconclusive results using one egg in each pot. Had I used 4 eggs in each pot, I probably would have seen the results I expected. More eggs would've caused a temperature drop in the water, requiring energy to be devoted to the getting the water back to boiling rather than being available for the eggs.
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Well, rather than quoting stuff from Wikipedia which I probably oughtn't do, I decided to just Kenji it. I got two very similar pots and put them on my stove, filled one with about 3" of water and the other with about 3/4". I put an egg in each one, covered them, and let them go for exactly 6 minutes. Then each was plunged into its own individual container filled with cold tap water.
I expected dramatic differences but didn't get them. The differences, as far as I could tell, were extremely subtle, and perhaps a bit counter intuitive. The yolk in the steamed egg seemed slightly more consistent in texture. The boiled one had gelled a bit around the outer edge, but the rest seemed slightly more runny. The white of the steamed one was perfect and the boiled one did look that way too, but upon cutting it did seem just on the edge of cooked enough - perhaps a little under.
I not sure how to interpret the results other than that I now understand a little better why ATK claimed it tested over 1,000 eggs.
Possible errata:
1) The two eggs were from the three I mentioned above that varied from 61-63 grams, but I don't know which ones I used.
2) The burners were at very different levels of flame. The boil pot needed more flame to heat the larger volume of water. Given that I feel the temperature of steam can get above 212, perhaps I should've put the spurs to it.
3) I did take a picture, but the visual results are virtually identical so I didn't bother to upload it.
Well ok, I can't eat any more eggs tonight. I think if I had to cook soft boiled eggs for company tomorrow I'd go with ATK's recommendation of steaming for 6:30.
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On 4/22/2016 at 11:40 AM, Porthos said:
I have not read through the entire thread, just posts some posts on the first page.
I finally ventured into my newly-opened Aldi. Oops, no spare change to stick a quarter into the shopping cart to use it. Produce prices varied from typical to a couple of good deals. Overall I wasn't impressed by the quality of the produce. Canned goods selection sucks. I didn't know I needed to bring my own bags.
Not much to cause me to want to return, and the "rent our shopping cart" thing was very off-putting.
I haven't graduated to the shopping cart level. I just laser-focus on certain items. e.g. Milk - 1 Gal -$1.49. I'll take that and turn it into 20oz of ricotta which would normally cost $5-$6 at a typical grocery.
Domestic Prosciutto as good as Walmart Del Duca's offering for $1.00 less (per 3oz).
Don't focus on their prepared (frozen) foods. Even the best priced of those are generally a big waste. ALDI loses to Walmart in frozen waffle prices.
The clone-food offerings might offer some value. For instance, their 'Savortiz" Cheez-It's clones are 1$ less than their namesakes. We determined the slight difference still gave the mega-brand the edge, but it is so slight that I bet many people prefer the cheaper option.
Canned goods - Yeah, maybe some tomato sauce or something.
Fresh produce and meat - Generally not what I would go there for, but keep your eye out. Especially on Wednesdays. They seem to want to get a jump on the normal weekly ads by a day, but only on Wednesday. Check the website. One cool thing is that they'll normally have the next week's ad up as well.
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On 4/24/2016 at 3:01 PM, btbyrd said:
In many cases, steaming actually takes more time to cook food to a target temperature than boiling does.
Can you elaborate? I must admit to being a bit skeptical. I've had the misfortune to burn myself both with boiling water and with steam and I must say that steam seems far worse. I'm trying to think of some sort of mitigating factor like the barbeque stall, but that doesn't seem to apply.
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12 hours ago, Okanagancook said:
I did a repeat this am. My 4 eggs weighed between 65 and 67 grams. I measured 2 quarts of water and put the water in a pot where the water came to within an inch of the top. Brought it to a boil over high heat. Took the pot off the heat put the 4 eggs in for 6 minutes with the lid on the pot. The yolks were perfect but again, the whites were slimmy and most certainly not "White is opaque, firm all the way through". So we left the other 3 eggs in there for another 2 minutes for a total of 8 minutes. The whites were better and the yolk was getting firm. But the whites were not as he describes in his 7 minute egg "White is fully cooked and as hard as that of a hard-boiled egg".
Hum, so not sure what to think. As Anna N said above, one's idea of a soft boiled egg can differ and I am very sensitive to whites that are undercooked. I'd rather my yolk a little over for the sake of a non-slimmy white.
When I make hard boiled eggs I use this method: Put the eggs in the pan, cover by two inches with water and put the lid on. Bring to the boil. Take off the heat and after 10 minutes plunge into ice water. The hard boiled eggs are perfect with the yolk only just done.
Just for the reference desk, I just weighed 3 "Large Eggs" and they were 61-63 grams (probably not enough to make a difference). But 2 quarts of water? 6 minutes?
I don't have the book, but I assumed it was something similar to the latest ATK soft boil method I've seen. This uses only a 1/2 inch of water and relies on steam. Once a boil is achieved (not sure if a simmer is materially different), the eggs should go in, covered, for 6:30. Given that steam is supposedly more energetic, It doesn't seem like 6 minutes could be enough for a submerged egg.
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I've been thinking about getting a Meyer lemon tree (also in zone 6). Supposedly, it can live in a pot and winter indoors if it has enough light (an obstacle I'd have to overcome). But I have a perfect spot right near a patio for the summer.
Regarding the Everclear - Brilliant! That man clearly has an auspicious future. Whether it's one that should be closely monitored by the proper authorities is a question I'll leave to others.
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As this has sunk into my thick brain, it really is beginning to make sense. I have seen Italian cooks crumble (Italian) sausage into their sauce. In fact, the link Tere posted includes this. As Italian-American cooking adopts local ingredients, and an Italian grandmother may find hot dogs the only readily available sausage, I could see this happening. Even if the first time was an emergency case.
Ground or minced, hot dogs are simply seasoned meat (maybe all pork). If the seasonings in the sauce are corrected, the hot dog meat may simply melt into the background. And a good cook (perhaps that's the essential ingredient we're ignoring here) could make it a winner.
An alternative theory is that an Americanized youth saw grandma putting sausages into the sauce and didn't know an Italian sausage from a wiener in his pot.
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Indianapolis Restaurant: Reviews & Recommendations
in The Heartland: Dining
Posted · Edited by IndyRob (log)
Yeah, but here's the problem - IMHO...(and I feel the need to point out that I did not grow up here, but...) If you look at the tenderloin in the pic above and compare it to the bun that is nicely loaded up, you'll see that it just doesn't fit. The bottom bun is presumably below the tenderloin but you can't even see it.
Nobody would accept a burger that's three times the size of the bun. But it seems to have become the norm here as some sort of point of pride.
But here's the dirty little secret, as I imagine it - if you know what a pork tenderloin is, you'll also know that no amount of pounding will make it that big. It must, therefore. be a pork loin sandwich.
And is it even a sandwich if, in fact, most of the sandwich filling is not between bread?
I call Shenanigans!
Edit - I need to say that a properly sized pork tenderloin sandwich is one of the best things ever. I'm just objecting to the Tenderloinus Rex versions.