Absurdly, stupidly basic cooking questions (Part 2)

[FrogPrincesse]

On 2/16/2024 at 4:56 PM, blue_dolphin said:

I save Parm rinds and use them in soups and sometimes when cooking beans. I have to admit that I never stopped to taste the rinds but I’ve never picked up a moldy taste or smell in anything I've made with them. 
 

Edited to add that I’ve got some stashed in the freezer and will be sure to give them a good sniff before I use them. 
 

 

Still waiting with bated breath. 😉

I understand that there are plenty of recipes using parmesan rinds. My question was whether the moldy taste was normal. I don’t want to inadvertently contaminate a batch of sauce! 

[FrogPrincesse]

Another question. When baking in a metal pan (regular, not a non-stick), is this a bad idea to cut in the pan? It leaves marks obviously; I don’t care so much about the esthetics, I just want to make sure it doesn’t affect their longevity etc. 

I make recipes for parties that call for a 1/2 sheet plan and it would be challenging to take the pie out before cutting, hence the question. I am considering lining them with parchment but wanted to hear other people’s thoughts. 

[AlaMoi]

no - only the pseudo "non-stick" bakeware is "damaged" by scratches.

 

that said, 'scratches' can be initiation sites for "sticking" - i.e. I have one of those marvelous "stoneware" non-stick fry pans.

well, 'wiping it out' just don't git it - it does retain spots of stuff - which do result in stuff like an omelet 'sticking right there'

 

[TdeV]

2 hours ago, FrogPrincesse said:

Another question. When baking in a metal pan (regular, not a non-stick), is this a bad idea to cut in the pan? It leaves marks obviously; I don’t care so much about the esthetics, I just want to make sure it doesn’t affect their longevity etc. 

I make recipes for parties that call for a 1/2 sheet plan and it would be challenging to take the pie out before cutting, hence the question. I am considering lining them with parchment but wanted to hear other people’s thoughts. 

 

My pizza cutter has both a metal and plastic blade. When cutting pizza on the aluminum pan, I use the metal blade (chewy pizza crust). When cutting pie dough on a coated 1/4 sheet pan, I use plastic blade. Makes sense to put parchment paper down first.

 

 

Edited May 18 by TdeV
Clarity (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I would like to make a meatloaf.  I have never made a meatloaf.  I have parsley, onions, and a two pound chuck roast.  What absolute beginner stuff should I know about making meatloaf?

 

[gfweb]

47 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

I would like to make a meatloaf.  I have never made a meatloaf.  I have parsley, onions, and a two pound chuck roast.  What absolute beginner stuff should I know about making meatloaf?

 

 

Panade is critical for texture.  I use breadcrumbs + milk + an egg. Mixed together and let sit for 5 minutes.  1 cup of the gemish per pound of meat.

 

Couple tbsp worcestershire added to panade,,,often soy.  Garlic powder too.

 

Hand mix the meat with the panade goop aggressively.  It should look homogenious.  If your hands can't do it then I think a potato masher would do it.  I've never used a processor/mixer for this but I bet it would do fine so long as you don't make it too finely ground.

 

I often add ground pork to the beef...or breakfast sausage, 

 

I free form a stout loaf and put it in the BSO at 375 for 50 minutes.  Let rest for 15 minutes.

 

There are a million variations.  I often add andouille diced.

 

Finally taste the uncooked meat for seasoning

 

 

 

Edited May 20 by gfweb (log)

[Alex]

1. Use a mixture of ground beef and ground pork, approx. 2:1 beef to pork.

2. Add the salt at the very end of mixing, just before forming and baking.

3. Free-form on a baking pan gets a nice crust; a loaf pan produced a softer product.

4. I like our specialized loaf pan with a perforated insert that keeps the loaf from stewing in its own juices.

5. Kenji likes to include ground-up mushrooms.

6. I like Worcestershire sauce in mine.

7. Cook's Illustrated from 1996 offers the option of Saltines as a binder instead of white bread crumbs.

Edited May 20 by Alex (log)

[Tropicalsenior]

7 minutes ago, gfweb said:

Finally taste the uncooked meat for seasoning

Excellent advice so far. For tasting for seasoning I put a tablespoon pressed flat into the microwave for 18 seconds. If you don't have a microwave just use a small skillet. I use my KA to mix up the meatloaf now. For years I did it by hand but it got to be kind of hard for me and to tell the truth, I like it much better made this way.

[gfweb]

1 hour ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

I would like to make a meatloaf.  I have never made a meatloaf.  I have parsley, onions, and a two pound chuck roast.  What absolute beginner stuff should I know about making meatloaf?

 

 

Two pounds is A LOT of meatloaf.

One lb is fine for two people with  enough left for a sandwich or two

[AlaMoi]

my take:

 

prep:  make stale 1 large slice of bread per pound of ground beef - white / multi-grain / whole wheat / whatever.

I use the oven light to provide 'heat' - takes ~30 minutes in the oven.

happens faster if you oven has a "proof" setting.

dice the stale bread into ~1/2" cubes

 

in a small bowl, fork mix-up one egg per pound + 1/2 packet of Lipton Beefy Onion Soup mix

it looks awful, but does a superb job of seasoning.

 

spread out the ground beef, add diced green (or red, or pimento) pepper

add bread cubes

 

use a bench scraper to fold / combine the ingredients - the bench scraper prevents the mix from becoming too compacted.

 

shape into loaf - I generally bake one pound in a 9x9 pan at 350'F - use thermometer to get 160-170'F in the center.

[FauxPas]

 

I like to grate my onion and add the grated onion plus any onion juice that has accumulated to the meat mix. Sometime I add a bit of grated carrot as well.

 

I don't know if the classic tomato glaze appeals to you or not, but I often add one - mine is usually ketchup, brown sugar, bit of mustard, Worcestershire sauce and some hot sauce. @rotuts might advise you to just wrap in bacon instead.  🙂

 

[TdeV]

Since using steam in the APO, my meatloaf tastes a lot better than it used to! 😅

[JoNorvelleWalker]

5 hours ago, gfweb said:

 

Two pounds is A LOT of meatloaf.

One lb is fine for two people with  enough left for a sandwich or two

 

It's a big meatloaf pan.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

2 hours ago, TdeV said:

Since using steam in the APO, my meatloaf tastes a lot better than it used to! 😅

 

How much steam do you use?

 

[Tropicalsenior]

3 hours ago, FauxPas said:

@rotuts might advise you to just wrap in bacon instead. 

That's what I used to do until bacon went to $15 a pound here.

[Tropicalsenior]

2 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

It's a big meatloaf pan.

 

That's fine if you don't mind eating meatloaf for the next month.

[MaryIsobel]

I make meatloaf once in a while solely to have meatloaf sandwiches. Don't care for it as an entree but cold meatloaf sliced thin on good bread with mustard mayo and bread and butter pickles takes me right back to being 5 years old and the rare occasion of having a baby-sitter. Meatloaf sandwiches or TV dinners were babysitter dinners. 

[lindag]

My go to recipe for meatloaf is the excellent one from Cooks Illustrated.

I skip the bacon wrap (for obvious reasons >fat) but do use the glaze.

I've been buying the meatloaf mix from Wild Fork which is 1/3 pork, 13 beef, and 1//3 veal.  It comes in 1½ lb. packages.  Yes, it makes a  goodly amount but I slice and sometimes freeze for sandwiches.

[Maison Rustique]

17 hours ago, gfweb said:

 

Two pounds is A LOT of meatloaf.

One lb is fine for two people with  enough left for a sandwich or two

 

I always make a couple of pounds, then slice it up and freeze in portions for future sandwiches. Nuthin' better than meatloaf sammies.

[lindag]

Yees.

I am absurdly fond of meatloaf sandwiches!

[JoNorvelleWalker]

The pan is 10x5x3 inches.  That's why I'm planning to use two pounds of meat.  I do wish I had thought to pick up a few strips of bacon.

 

[Katie Meadow]

9 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

The pan is 10x5x3 inches.  That's why I'm planning to use two pounds of meat.  I do wish I had thought to pick up a few strips of bacon.

 

I have a similarly large loaf pan. I haven't made meatloaf in it for several years, but I believe I used a total of 1.5 lbs of mixed ground meats, at least that's amount that come right to the top of the pan. I use the pan basically as a mold. I line it generously with plastic wrap, sides overhanging. I fill it with my meat mixture (which has lots of stuff in it besides meat, often a layer of spinach or other greens.) I pack it well and smooth the top. Let it rest an hour or so to settle. Turn the loaf pan upside down on a sheet pan with low sides and unmold, tossing the plastic wrap. Then I brush on a moderate amount of home made ketchup mixed with BBQ sauce--no doubt everyone has a sauce they prefer. Finally I cover the whole in a layer of uncooked bacon, and shove it in the oven. Best of both worlds: A nice neat shape, and bakes evenly. It can be moved carefully to a serving platter, but is kind of unwieldy, so I  generally slice it on the sheet it bakes on. 

[lindag]

I use this pan for my meatloaves:  From Amazon, of course, been using it for years and it does a fine job.

 

 

 

[rotuts]

i do understand the idea of meatloaf in a pan.

 

then the slotted item to pull your mL out of the pan ,

 

or th hole system ts love the loaf

 

while its cooking , to have various  Juices 

 

drain down  etc

 

OK

 

on the other hans

 

let all co-mingle , while cooking

 

should you choose the pan method

 

not the free fr

 

but let the pn contents , relax , absorb the jus

 

and there you are

 

if you use the pan // perforated method 

 

because your ML id too fatty , and you are draining fat

 

OK

 

to go leaner w you mix.

 

there is no one best method.

 

pulling the ML out of the pn , after all

 

migh5t givve you fantastic Jus

 

for the gravy !

[AlaMoi]

had one of those lift pans. 

the 'non-stick stuff peeled off in short order and the steel rusted.

went in the dumpster.