Tropicalsenior

I used to make menudo for my husband all the time. I wouldn't touch it with a 10-ft pole but he loved it. I used the pig's feet in that. A Puerto Rican friend suggested that I soak both the pig's feet and tripe in one to one lemon juice and water for several hours. It made a big difference in the flavor and especially in the smell while it was cooking.

Just an example of what a wash can do. These two breads were made with the same recipe, cooked for the same amount of time in the same temperature oven. This bread was made without a wash. This bread was brushed with milk. The only difference in the two breads is that the second bread, that I baked today, is a little bit shorter because I wanted more surface area for sandwiches. I rest my case.

It is that plus the breed of the cattle. They are a Brahma cross. Also, they have no concept of Aging. The beef you buy in the afternoon may have been grazing on that grass in the morning. Do not throw that fat away. It is the most flavorful fat for making roux. I mix equal parts fat and flour and brown it nut Brown. I then roll it into logs and keep it in the freezer. I cut it off as I need it to thicken stews and soups.

As I said I know nothing about the science behind it so you could be right. I have mainly heard it in reference to making pot roast and other types of meat that would not be covered by a liquid. I've never tried making them in an IP. I've only used it for stews and soups.

I don't know the science behind it but I've always heard that using quick release with meat can toughen it. I can't prove it because I never use Quick Release with meat.

I do it all the time. There's no such thing as marbled fatty beef in Costa Rica. In order to make it edible I have to use the pressure cooker or braze it for more hours than I care to do. The trick to making it tasty and tender is to Brown it thoroughly and not overcook it. Even if it is nicely marbled, meat that is overcooked in the pressure cooker is going to be stringy and tough.

They certainly look great except for the color. It looks like you didn't use a bread wash. Here is an excellent article that explains different bread washes that you could use. I usually just brush them with milk but that's only because I'm lazy.

I don't have any pictures but recently I have been hungry for ham. That is something that is just not available in Costa Rica except at Christmas time. Then we can buy imported ham but it's usually the pre-sliced spiral cut ham that isn't that good for sandwiches. So I made some with this recipe. It turned out great. I made sandwiches with homemade sourdough bread and homemade Gourmet mustard. The only thing not homemade was the Swiss cheese. It completely satisfied my cravings.

Thought I'd post some pictures of this week's baking. Tuesday I made my regular French bread. Wednesday I made sourdough English muffins. I started them Tuesday and baked them Wednesday. I made them thinner this time and didn't cook them to very long on the griddle. I finished them in the oven for 10 minutes at 350° they have lots of holes and they are quite chewy with just the right texture. @OlyveOyl today from the website that you gave me, I made Sourdough Discard Soft French Bread. I just took it out of the oven so I don't know what the texture is like but it sure smells good. Thank you, I really like the recipes on this site.

@TdeV this is what I bought today. Seems they've changed the color to a dark green and the regular ones are a light green now at least here in Costa Rica. The writing says heavy cleaning. If you try something like oven off be sure to try a tiny spot first. The last time I used it on stainless steel it discolored it horribly. BTY unfortunately, they no longer sell bartenders friend in Costa Rica.

Scotch-Brite makes a gray pad similar to their green ones but it is much stronger. That is what I use on the outside of my skillets and it keeps them looking new. Maybe it would work for yours. As a matter of coincidence, I had been sitting here for 15 minutes trying to think of something that I knew I needed to add to my grocery list and it was Bartender's Friend. Thank you.

It looks delicious. Please, do you have a link for this?

Thanks rotus, but that method probably wouldn't always work for me because usually my microwave is otherwise occupied when I'm finishing dinner. As I said, we were having pasta tonight, noodles, so I gave the pre-soak method a try. I soaked them in the pan that I was going to be cooking them in for 90 minutes in salted water. Turned the burner to high and brought it to a boil. It immediately foamed up. So I turned it to medium and cooked them for 2 minutes. I turned the burner off for 2 minutes and removed them with a spider. They were perfect. I need to add that the only pasta that I can get here are local brands that are certainly not Gourmet pasta. So for it to work so well with mediocre pasta it should do great with the more pricey element. Thanks @Pete Fred.

In my case it's not a matter of saving time. At my age I've got all the time in the world but I never know for sure when my housemate, Carlos, will be home for dinner. His hours aren't exactly 9:00 to 5:00. I can make pasta sauce that will hold with time but if I make pasta ahead of time it gets mushy and I don't like it, nor does he. I've tried it the restaurant way by cooking it partially and finishing it in boiling water but that doesn't work with all pasta shapes. Using a smaller amount of water worked because it took less time to come to a boil. The pre-soak sounds like it will be even less time perhaps with better results. I'll let you know.

Thank you for some really interesting articles. We're having pasta tonight and I'm going to try the pre soak. I've been cooking pasta in just a small amount of water for years. And once it comes to a boil and I add the pasta, I always turn the heat down. Never had any complaints. But it never hurts to learn something new.