Anna N
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Posts posted by Anna N
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I have had a hard time recreating what should be a simple "fish fry" at home. I've tried several recipes, several types of fish and a few different oils, all with "close, but not quite" results.
Do you mean battered fish? That's what I'm aiming for and I miss almost all of the time - batter simply not light and crispy the way I want it. So, if that's what you are after, I too will be following this thread very closely and hoping for some answers.
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Found at least the beginning of the kind of table I was looking for. It was on, of all things, a packet of Lipton Side Kick's:
For this particular product, they give the following options:
425 F (220C) for 35-40 mins
375F (190C) for 40 mins
350F (180C) for 45 mins
325F (160C) for 55 mins
From this I guess one can extrapolate to some extent.
Thanks for all the input.
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Not sure if this posting should go hear "what we ate" or "kitchen disasters":hmmm:
Made a sort of impromptu brunch for daugher and son-in-law after babysitting my 3 year old granddaughter all weekend! Three-year-olds do something to the brain I think! Anyway, ignored all the rules and tried to serve something I have done only once before and then for only two people - Eggs Benedict - thought I'd try the pre-poached eggs approach and followed Mark Bittman's directions in "How to Cook Everything" - unfortunately it's not very specific after "drain the eggs on paper towel". Needless to say I left them on the paper towel and needless to say they stuck like glue! Oh well - you live and learn - no one went home hungry and they all lied graciously about the delicous brunch, but I still have more egg on my face than they had on their muffins!
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What was your family food culture when you were growing up?
British - possibly in the worst way: overcooked everything!
Was meal time important?
Not at home which was a pub with hours that made family meal time almost impossible. Further, my mother died when I was just 5 and my brother 4 and a series of "barmaid/housekeepers" played the part most unsuccessfully! But at Gran's house meals were very important and very simple - a stew eaten by the fire in only firelight and huge chunks of home-made bread which I was allowed to dunk. Bread and dripping. Porridge for breakfast. An orange (Jaffa) at Christmas.
Was cooking important?
Only to my extended family. At the pub it was simply catch as catch can though on special nights Dad made cheese and onion sandwiches for the customers and these were to die for.
What were the penalties for putting elbows on the table?
What table? I only vaguely remember the odd Sunday dinner (served at 1 pm) consisting of overcooked beef, dried peas cooked to mush and Dad just wanting to get his Sunday pm nap before opening time.
Who cooked in the family?
Barmaid/housekeeper - there was very little cooking done.
Were restaurant meals common, or for special occassions?
Don't ever remember going into a restaurant until I came to Canada at age 14!
Did children have a "kiddy table" when guests were over?
What guests - no such creatures - not even family came to our place to dine.
When did you get that first sip of wine?
Not until I was in my mid-twenties.
Was there a pre-meal prayer?
If you mean "Oh God, I hope it's fish and chips from the fish shop." Then yes, often!
Was there a rotating menu (e.g., meatloaf every Thursday)?
Monday it was ALWAYS Fish and Chips from the chippie - that was laundry day and there was nowhere to sit even. We had only one room, very small, and it contained the kitchen, the copper boiler for the wash, the trap door for the beer kegs to be lowered to the cellar. Once the clothes horses were in place around the fire there was standing room only so fish and chips out of newspaper - but, OH HOW GOOD THEY WERE.
How much of your family culture is being replicated in your present-day family life?
Hopefully, none of it. I married a Dane and adopted many Danish customs - half-coffees every Sunday morning, open-faced sandwiches, Frikadeller, Agurkesalat, Red Cabbage, etc. etc. Yummy.
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t2 = t1 ln((T0 – T2)/Tfood – T2) / ln((T0 – T1)/(Tfood – T1)
Damn! I knew I should have paid attention in algebra. Thanks, I'm sure the formula would work but I failed grade 2 math! In fact, I am seriously math-challenged and get nearly psychotic at the very thought of an equation. I'll take two Valium and see what I can do with this. Seriously - your efforts to answer my question are appreciated.
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You might find this helpful:
The Little Book of Meat
This is from the site of fellow eGulleter Bouland. I don't know if it's exactly what you're looking for, but I remember browsing a bit and finding it pretty interesting.
Not quite what I was after but a most interesting read, nonetheless.
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Nll - when you perfect your onion bhajis can you pass on the tips you've gleaned, please? I love them but mine are horrible - stodgy and greasy.
For sure! I like mine very crispy and spicy not heavy and stodgy. I was getting close by "laying" the battered onions in the oil rather than just dropping them but as I say - no more chickpea flour - On the weekend I'll check out a health food store and see if I have any luck there. As soon as I have anything to report I will do so. Thanks for your interest.
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nll, I'd use the fresh long peppers. Dried latin chiles (especially smoked) are fabulous; however, Asian style dried chiles are usually just hot without the fruitiness and herbaceous profiles of fresh.
Instinct said "use the fresh ones" but then I chickened out! Chilies (sp?) are a whole new thing for me. Yes, I've heard a lot about the latin chiles (sp?) but have only recently seen (and bought!) chipotles in adobo sauce and I was an instant convert. Anchos are just not around in this WASP neck of the woods. I knew enough to suspect that in an Asian dish, neither would be appropriate. Can I dry these long fresh red ones? Thanks.
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Thanks, Jinmyo, for the info on the peppers - may have to wait until I can get into Toronto - not much choice in peppers in this area and I don't make that trip often. The ones I have look rather tired and are about pinkie finger length or perhaps even shorter. Can I use them and increase the number - would that do it - or could I have used fresh hot peppers - long - more than finger length and bright red?
Yes, Liza, it is fun to experiment - I try to do at least one new dish or technique each week and sometimes more - I like to do very small quantities so I can try them before presenting them to hubby! Right now I'm trying to perfect onion bhajis - but I ran out of chickpea flour and the store I got it from just closed and I haven't found a new source - darn - and I think I was getting close to what I wanted!
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A bizarre meal - one to test my skills and not to conform to anyone's idea of what one ought to have for dinner - Kung Pao Chicken and Crepes Suzette - just because I wanted to see what I could do with both dishes - no company - just me and hubby and up to a point he's very much supportive of my efforts. I got to use my new kitchen "island" which he built for me - a tile-topped worked surface with a shelving unit above that is custom-fitted into an alcove in our tiny apartment kitchen. No wok - I used a big cast iron fry pan - but I had read, listened and learned a few things about stir-frying and this was my best effort yet - far from perfect - not spicy enough for me - what the heck are "long red dried chilies" - I had dried chilies but who knows what "long" means - relative to what? Anyway, next time I'll know to spice it up some more. The crepes were OK but nothing to write home about - I have had better - not sure of the problem - but thought they might be really interesting made with blood oranges.
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Since our dishwasher died and I opted not to replace it - it was a portable and a pain in the neck - we enjoy using all our "best" dinnerware every day. Except for four dinner plates and four salad plates in plain white Wedgewood, it doesn't amount to anything in the least expensive but I treasure what I have - some square plates from a Japanese outlet, odds and sods picked up at HomeSense, our Corelle ware which we have had for nigh on 25 years and still looks new! Assorted glassware from fragile to utilitarian but no longer do I face the awful question of what can and cannot survive a dishwasher! Yes, it can be a bit tedious doing the dishes but I've adjusted - I keep an extra large empty peanut butter jar on the counter filled with soapy water and dump all my cutlery in there, rinse off the plates as I clear the table and then put on a Food TV video to keep me distracted while I deal with the dishes! Life could be a lot worse!
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Wondering if there is such a thing as a time-temperature conversion chart. Have searched the web but found nothing relevant. What I am looking for is something that would tell me that if I lower the oven temperature by 25F how much time should be added to a recipe to compensate. I realize there's optimum temperatures and certainly wouldn't want to fool around when baking! but when I need to add a side dish and it requires a different oven temperature than say, the main dish, how do I compensate. Thanks.
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Thanks, Mamster - I will certainly try again - probably with beef. I have to do stuff like this when there's just me to feed - when hubby is working late! But when the opportunity presents I will try again and report back.
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I am reminded of another big failure (at least on my part) and that is not spending the necessary time finding the finest, freshest ingredients. Tired carrots, wrinkly spuds, wilted parsley, etc. etc., will never make a superb dish no matter how good the cook might be. Now I spend as much time seeking out the freshest of everything as I do cooking and my meals have improved 100 fold. Common sense, I suppose, but it took me too many years to figure this one out!
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I will now 'fess up and say that it is this "Larb" thread that finally convinced me to stop lurking and register as a member. I had never heard of the dish and certainly never eaten it but it just sounded so interesting that I had to have a go.
Can't say I was much impressed with my result - and that is always a problem if you don't know what you are aiming for then you don't really know how far you are off the mark!
Still I could see so much potential in the dish that I am determined to have another go - but not with chicken! I'm not a fan of ground chicken to begin with but it's what I had on hand in small enough quantity to make for one! (Actually, I ground it myself - a couple of boneless, skinless, thighs.)
But I did a bit of searching for Larb recipes and they seem to differ so very much! Maybe I will try to visit the library and get out a couple of Thai cookbooks and see if I can replicate another recipe.
Thanks to all of you for enticing me to try this dish and to join such an interesting group.
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As someone who made meals for my family for 40 years but is only now beginning to "cook", I'd say:
poking things about in the pan to prevent them from sticking when they need to be left alone to form a crust
not having the right pans - none of mine were "oven-proof"
not getting the very basics of what makes "flavour"
thinking that if a recipe existed in printed form, it must necessarily be "good" or "correct" or even "palatable" - lots of them are not!
being afraid to trust one's instincts - bowing to "authority" when a bit more salt, a little less cooking, a longer cooling time might have saved a recipe
I could go on and on - but I'm learning - slowly - and often from this forum.
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I made pan-fried pickerel with tartar sauce and garlic mayonnaise and it was excellent. Chose to have nothing else with it - no distractions! My first post to the board so forgive if this seems too simple.
Authentic Fish & Chips
in Cooking
Posted
What a fantastic offer - analyzing and offering suggestions. I know about copyright so I'm not sure about posting the recipe I used - it called for all purpose flour, salt, baking powder, 2 egg whites and one large can of dark ale. The egg whites are simply added and stirred (not beaten as for a meringue). However the recipe can easily be found on www.foodnetwork.ca - it's by Christine Cushing Live and is called "Dark Ale-Battered Catfish and Chips" If I knew how, I give the link.
The fish (I have tried both catfish and halibut) is first dipped in corn starch then in the batter and fried at 350F approx 8 minutes and turned once during that time. The first effort, following the recipe exactly, came close to my ideal but the batter simply didn't have the lightness and "bubbliness" that I wanted.
I fry in fresh canola oil in a La Creuset dutch oven on an electric stove. I'd be happy to answer any questions that might make the analysis easier. Thank you so much.
I got creative the second time around and changed from dark ale to an ice beer and it was not even as good as the first time. How to describe what I want - it's light golden in colour, rough-textured with many obvious bubbles (air holes) in the batter which is light and crispy enough to hear the crunch as you cut it or bite into it.