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AlaMoi

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Everything posted by AlaMoi

  1. what was the weight loss % wise? setting all the kitchen lore stories aside for the moment, dry aging beef takes a combination of the right temperature and the right humidity. unless the butcher has a set-up that controls both temp&humidity, odds are it simply dried out too much.
  2. just like any other culture, there are some number of dishes/preps that are 'identified' as "German." if some mentions they had goulash for dinner, you're not likely to think "Oh, Portugal!" nor does one meet alot of Swedes bragging on their freshly caught homemade calamari..... I have had dishes like sauerbraten, eisbein, spaetzel, etc etc in places outside of Germany that one would not recognize as anything of the same name. slicing off a chunk of eye round, dipping it in a vinegar marinade and plating it as "sauerbraten" really doesn't work - but I've seen - errrrr 'tasted' - that done. otoh, there are a few that are more unique to a culture: using bakers ammonia for leavening . . . don't find that much outside of areas-of-Germanic-influence. "authentic" to me is a combination of the basic foodstuff plus prep plus seasonings plus presentation plus sides. a plate of sauerbraten served with sweet potato and corn - not authentic..... may be tasty, but not authentic. served with buttered&parsley boiled potato and rotkohl, that's authentic. any german dish served with iceberg lettuce - not authentic... served with "kraeuter salat", that's authentic. and the ambiguous dishes - potato salad . . . exists in both oil&vinegar and in the creamy creations - German, but regional... even 'highly identified' dishes - Schweinhaxen / Eisbein - have different regional preps. which is 'authentic' depends on where you were. "authentic" is a bit tricky to define - which probably explains why the topic is re-discussed so often.....
  3. 250 people have died as a result of gas explosions since 2007. all gas explosions, not only residential. 1,000 people get accidentally electrocuted every year. btw, LP stands for "liquid propane"
  4. I went to school in Swabia in the 60's; did extensive European business travel 80's to 00's, and worked three years at a sister company in Bavaria. in my experience, what passes for German food in USA could not be given away in Germany to the homeless - they would not eat it. I suppose there are/were some good USA places - but for the most part it's a real joke. when there's no difference between the local diner and a German restaurant - they're not going to survive. we had one local place that made decent German food - last visit it was pretty much Sysco-in-glop. the original owner retired and all they kept was the 20 character long dish names. it promptly failed. even in Lancaster county / Amish country what is presented in commercial restaurants is s very very sloppy imitation of "Pennsylvania Dutch" food. the places are essentially tourist traps. even an extremely simple example: salad. what kind of salad does one see/get/eat in Germany vs. what is _served_ in a USA "German" restaurant? it starts there and goes downhill real fast.
  5. here's wild thing . . . . it's not unknown, lots of methods/recipes out there but . . . consider the well baked corned beef. I had a (commercial brand/vacuum pack) frozen/thawed half and decided it was time to try it. not rinsed/soaked (it was too salty - I'm gonna' rinse it next time....) the usual corned beef spices on (fat cap) top (coriander and the crowd . . ) bake fat cap up - 345-375'F - watch the fat - it needs to bake at high enough temp to start a rendering on the fat. cover it initially; remove cover to crisp toward the end. served with sharp mustard as conventional. I brought the internal up to 185'F, then let it cool. took 2.25 hrs. the texture is different than boiled - cross section had a marbled look like some of the top Wagyu grades. does not fall apart ala the usual wet prep. I thought it was great; DW gave it a downer and prefers the 'usual' prep.
  6. there's only a few billion variations on "authentic" schnitzel. if you're in Austria, go one block down and you'll find a different "authentic" prep - the dish is so old not sure the 'original' can be documented there's a rumor the technique actually came from Italy, which has similar preps. interesting side trips on schnitzel road: - the egg wash - beaten egg whites only (no yolk) - the bread crumb - fresh i.e. not dried vs a dry crispy - rye bread crumbs - vs corn flakes vs wheaties vs rice krispies, and combinations with bread crumbs.... - bread crumb - or other - mixed with cornmeal, coarse vs fine textured - just dredged in seasoned flour / cornmeal - not 'coated', no egg wash in my travels a sauce usually is on the side; rarely served on the schnitzel itself except for take-offs on the original technique -jagerschnitzel with xx,xx,xx for example. @David - the gurkel salat I make is just red wine vinegar and olive oil; salt pepper celery seed over thin sliced cukes and yellow onion, no sugar at all. not quite as 'dressed up' as that version.
  7. without breading? why not? this is pork tenderloin - with and without. sliced and pounded a bit it's fork tender.
  8. I feel like it wants to mash or break up something. Nope You stick the business end into the miso paste and twist it. ============= epic fail ============= As I said in my opening post, it is not primarily a whisk, although it could be used as such. It has a very specific function. And does that function include stirring or mixing in some way? I would say stirring is the secondary function. Put this into boiling water and stir, so that the paste dissolves. =================== so, it appears putting it into boiling water is its primary purpose?
  9. the origin sin in this "problem" is providing such high quality knives that the hone will make such a difference. I've used a grooved OEM Wuesthof steel on my set for pushing 40 years. it has not ruined anything. the whole debate has so many issues it does not fit in a tweet. diamond / ceramic / grooved / smooth / pebbled are not "identical" in what they are, nor what they do, nor how they do it and how they "affect" a knife edge. and then there is the rather not slight problem of the user. the big ape with the knife point dug into the stainless counter, grunting as he girds his loins pushing the hone down on the knife to sharpen it . . . is a problem.
  10. are links allowed? if you're going to the trouble - the "old recipes" are much superior http://www.cookingforengineers.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3783
  11. sorry, I misunderstood. I offered a solution to the problem. whereas you are seeking to mitigate the symptoms. but, out of curiosity and since I've used only wood cutting boards for every purpose since for ever,,, what distinction / reason is present to split wood vs plastic?
  12. one could of course use wooden cutting boards which don't require all these extraordinary killing routines . . .
  13. AlaMoi

    Sous vide halibut

    >>fell apart . . . yup. that's what fish does. you might recognize the phrase: "until flaky" or "until it flakes apart" seems you cooked it quite right! get a large spatula - something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Outset-QB59-Rosewood-Slotted-Spatula/dp/B000GBLPO8?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000GBLPO8&linkCode=as2&redirect=true&ref_=as_li_tf_tl&tag=albin-20 _not_ stuff like this: http://spatulamart.com/brand/oxo-kitchen-spatulas/
  14. seems to be one of those great ideas that has more than a few 'outlandish' claims and details hanging on to it.... if you eat out 100% of the time, could work. the lack of spices and x and y and z . . . really? this is only true if you never cook at home.... can't shop . . . really? these folks are spending way too much time thumbing on their phones. if you live in the wilds of Alaska, mega-mart shopping can be tricky. if you live in suburbia, you probably drive past three or four stores coming home from to work. if you live in the city, you probably walk past dozens of stores coming home from work. if one can't spare 10 minutes to drop in and shop for dinner, one should probably re-examine one's priorities. might be an app for that . . . our daughter lives in the city. standard operating procedure: bring home take out. because the kitchen is so small and so unequipped,,,,, that's why. so how's a body going to cook the stuff in a box? mehinks it's a fad. time to sell one's stock in Slinky and HulaHoop.....
  15. hee-hee. first time I made sauerbraten I used some off-the-shelf vinegar. talk about'cher pucker factor.... sauerbraten requires a much more gentle vinegar.... but, it slices. as are intended most pot roasts - chuck is a notable exception - you have so slice all the little muscle groups... warm, the double cook technique does not slice well - it falls apart under even the sharpest knife. which is why my MIL likely referred to it as hash - if cut, it crumbles into chunkettes much like a "standard hash prep" chilled you can get a slice - which will hold together about oh say half way to the slice of bread . . . .
  16. >>Isn't this just a variation of pot roast? there's not a lot that isn't a variation on something else. the major thing here is the cook-cool-cook routine. someone once explained the 'science' behind why the cool&reheat does what it does. I wish I had paid more attention.... but the gist of it was simply that the cooling and reheating "somehow" (the bit I forgot....) results in the meat fibers separating better than the "once&done" approach.
  17. This is a dish that has been passed down through the family. It probably exists somewhere in the culinary world - I've not seen it published - so I put it here for your consideration. lots about pulled pork, beef is good too . . . My MIL called this hash; you can see from the pix, it's not really a hash. now, to be perfectly honest, at the time I was more interested in chasing her daughter than learning her cooking. so this is my own "perfecting" of her dish. forty-six years later, I've still got my hands on her daughter, but it's taken me a while to translate success with this dish from accident to sure-thing. of advantage is the "one pot" approach. brown the meat, remove, sweat down the onion, add back beef & liquids; cool, refrigerate-in-the-pot, reheat . . . minimal muss and fuss. do note the braise then cool then refrigerate then re-braise - a two day timeline. I've tried doing this all on "same day." it works, but cooling and reheating the beef in the braising liquid the second day is far far superior. the beef: a top round cut work well with this dish. alternatively a chuck cut. I prefer a two pound / 1 kg top round - which is way more than two empty nesters can eat, so I buy a roughly two pound cut, lop it in half, freeze one piece for later. the pix is about a one pound / 500 g chunk of top round. 2-3 hours prior, salt and counter-age the beef; pat dry prior to browning brown the meat. a heavy sear is okay/preferred as this is going for a long long braise; the "color" gets washed off. depending on the amount of surface fat on the beef, use an oil in the pan to facilitate the browning. after the meat browning / searing, remove beef, put onion in pan and sweat down the half-moon sliced onion. half a large onion per pound / 500 g of beef. add oil if needed; salt and fresh ground pepper the onion mix. when the onion is done, put beef back in pot, add 12 fluid ounces / 350 ml of a decent beer; add water to 70-80% of meat "height/ depth" in the pot. cover, increase heat to get the liquid to a boil. immediate reduce heat and simmer as low as possible for four hours. with a gas stove, I use a flame tamer to minimize the simmer, even on the smallest burner. after a four hour simmer, remove from heat and allow to cool. put in the fridge (covered) overnight. can keep 3-4 days. final prep is 3 hour very low simmer. if you're a fan, added sliced mushroom at start of simmer. check mid-way for salt&pepper. obviously additional seasoning can be used - anything you like that does beef well. the pix shows a plain ole' dinner knife which separated / pulled the beef apart. the beef is like butter - no knife required. you can cut it with a fork to bite size. our fav is served with mashed potato and the juice right out of the pot. one can thicken the pot juice with corn starch or roux if you wish a thicker gravy. hint: don't go for all the juice - ladle some out and thicken it. otherwise you'll wind up with gallons of gravy..... fret not any left overs. sliced across the grain it makes a spectacular roast beef sandwich. or thicken up some gravy for a hot roast beef open face sandwich on a sturdy bread.
  18. as you discovered, the thick creamy style salad dressings are uncommon in Germany. as is the US style "mixed salad," actually - much more into the "tossed greens" kind of things altho shredded root vegetables are a common additive. and, there is more than one company that makes vinegar - seriously more diverse than Heniz & company.... here's a source http://www.germandeli.com/Groceries/All-Oils-Vinegars demonstrates the rather wide variety marketed.
  19. if you're heading for the Baltimore Inner Harbor, it is hopefully not much of a surprise to hear that pretty much everything in and around fits the description of "tourist trap." eateries surrounding the waterfront are high priced, minimal quality, bam-bam-we-don't-care. including all the 'famous' names you'll see there. on a recent ball game trip, we stumbled over: Luna del Sea 300 West Pratt Street it's plunk dead amid a bunch of fast food joints - diagonal to the Convention Center - a short 3 blocks off the waterfront. it was busy, not mobbed. this could change depending on what's going on at the Convention Center - which is just diagonal .... emphasis on seafood - but full menu - burgers to pasta to poultry to beef. friendly staff, very good food. priced much more toward average vs. the 'stick-em-up, Tourist!' style you'll find in the Inner Harbor proper. it's on our "go back" list.
  20. the can of worms for this and many other topics has been invented by the revered activists. and some of their 'points' are really quite valid. my own experience in this issue is: all the usual name brands now look like shredded tuna in glop, and taste like , , , oh....errr... taste like nothing. in water, in oil, albacore, chunk, lite, light, dark, green, purple, organic,,,,, whatever. tastes like nothing - certainly not what I recall from my kidhood. mac&cheese, beans&franks, tuna noodle casserole.... comfort foods. if you can make them taste like they used to. I've been on a two year+ quest to make a decent tuna noodle casserole. the failing element is the t u n a . so I'm following this on baited breath seeking out some really good stuff. given the quantity we consume, more expensive for good stuff is not a deal breaker. $20 shipping and handling for one can of tuna,,,, yeah - that's a deal breaker.
  21. gosh, you've been at this a while. "How does everyone create their unique recipes? " you might want to take a poll of how many people here create unique recipes from scratch. that could explain a lot. as for attempting to convert cups to grams, your app is doomed. not only does stuff like flour vary by 'type' - AP/bread - etc. but it also varies by grind. and you can't depend on 'descriptions' because Type 00 flour is a grind and the density, protein content, gluten are not part of that specification. plus, supermarkets buy their house brand from the lowest dollar per ton supplier this week and what you bought last week is likely not what you'll get next week - not the same manufacturer or processor or density. Salt - the size of the grind changes the weight per volume drastically. same for sugar - there's more than granulated/powdered/brown sugar. there's a USA and a European definition of egg sizes by weight. they're not the same.... pasta - the shape&size of any "generic name pasta" is not identical and 'elbows' vary by more that 20% from brand to brand and/or sub-class of "elbow" check out the diameter of "spaghetti" by brand. then add in angel hair to thick descriptors and you've got 200% difference in cooked volumes. and, even "perfectly" converting grams to cups, no one around here is likely to have a measuring cup with a line at 1.635 cups. you could go for the "cups plus /minus table/teaspoon" route. now, all things are possible. you just need to buy and quantify every brand of everything in the market, list it all out in the app, and keep up with all the changes. piece of cake, eh? I've been doing this dance for decades. I have a scale, I measure in grams, I keep notes. I have 'conversion' factors for the stuff/brands I use. for cooking it's hugely flexible; for baking, not so much - which is why I keep notes and know if I should use more or less grams next time.
  22. AlaMoi

    Potato Salad

    that's three rows about 10' each - we'll get roughly fifty pounds for storage at the end of the season. however, we dig / eat them 'as needed' so the total yield is higher. I've grown about every variety in the book over the years - but the red pontiacs seem to keep much better than others. we didn't run out of garden potatoes until end of February - no sprouting / rotting / etc. - good to the last spud (g) "dinner pick" August of last year:
  23. AlaMoi

    Potato Salad

    potato salad on-the-hoof.... these are Red Pontiac - dug fresh they're like candy!
  24. well, In 1982, the average Chinese person ate just 13kg of meat a year The average Chinese person now eats 63kg of meat a year, with a further 30kg of meat per person expected to be added by 2030 if nothing is done to disrupt this trend. New dietary guidelines drawn up by China’s health ministry recommend that the nation’s 1.3 billion population should consume between 40g to 75g of meat per person each day. all the quotes from the cited article. some fun with multiplication: 40 grams of meat per day x 365 days/year = 14.6 kg of meat per year 75 grams of meat per day x 365 days/year = 27.4 kg of meat per year vs, per quoted above, 63 kg current consumption. pick a number - both proposed consumption levels are less than 50% of current.
  25. well, good luck with slicing your straws that thin. whether the article correctly or incorrectly asserts, it does assert. where? in the quote you quoted back. are you slice your straws on which part of which assertion the 50% applies to? perhaps they should hire an editor instead of a spell checker? the article clearly implies cutting meat consumption is going to solve global warming as well as solve the (apparent? - who knew) problem of obese Chinese with diabetes.
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