cwfenn

My wife found a recipe in the NY Times for something called "Mapo Ragu", which is a Gochujang-based sauce containing onions, Sichuan peppercorns, and kale. The recipe calls for ground pork, but I have substituted TVP and it soaks up the flavor very well. I've considered substituting the Gochujang for something like Toban Djan as well. I usually serve it over elbow macaroni, but rice does well too. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018404-mapo-ragu

Grabbed the Philips HD9200 (the older model) on Woot.com for $85. Probably use it this weekend on some chicken (brother-in-law is going to be the guinea pig).

Is this the same thing as tapioca maltodextrin? Or are there other types of maltodextrin?

This link is of a sous vide duck cooked with the "keep warm" function of the Instant Pot (I can't vouch for the recipe since I haven't cooked it). I have not done any sous vide cooking before due to lack of equipment, but I might consider trying it with the Instant Pot, depending on the temperature settings. I have a Philips multicooker that might work as well, although steam vents out of it when the temperature gets high, and I'm unsure if temperatures can be changed. At the very least, it gives me a reason to play around with it.

Received one today as an early 40th birthday present (thank you in-laws), looking forward to working with it! Hoping to find some go-to recipes for it.

Many thanks-I've been looking into different stabilizers and this looks good.

Every so often I've seen a good deal on woot.com. Got some good ice cream containers there. Have to look carefully though, since there are plenty of duds there too.

I tried substituting Splenda one time for an ice cream, and the result could have been used for construction. Just starting to to learn about stabilizers-I'm in the "there's too dang many to keep track of" camp right now. I think I read on another thread about using Xanthan gum for texture and smoothness, but I haven't used it personally.

Thank you.

Been doing custards the traditional way-How long did it take to get the custard to temperature in the PHMB?

Deryn, I generally like cooking pastas, poultry, and fish, and would probably suffer greatly without cheese. Like experimenting with different spices as well. I was a very fussy eater growing up and cooking has helped me in trying new things, but I never developed any taste for pork, beef and other red meats. I've enjoyed trying new recipes and gadgets with my wife's encouragement (love the veggie spiralizer we have). Hoping to learn more and go beyond the recipe. Craig

An FYI - National Starch is now called "Ingredion". They still do samples as well. They provided me with maltodextrin and agar. Plan on using it in home cooking and I'm going to use the agar in my microbiology class as well. I wonder how many will want to eat something made with the same solidifying agent that is used to grow bacteria!

Hello, I'm Craig, a home cook and ice cream maker. I'm a biology teacher by trade. I'm here because I've become much more interested in cooking over the last few months, mainly due to my wife sharing new recipes and ideas. While I'm good with a recipe, simply knowing something works isn't enough anymore. How does it explain why the first 4 batches of ice cream turned out great but the fifth was lousy even though it looked the same? I hope to learn more new things and improve upon what I already know. Craig