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Absurdly, stupidly basic cooking questions (Part 2)

Pontormo

By Pontormo
in Food Traditions & Culture

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Tropicalsenior

Tropicalsenior

Posted
Posted

Bacon has gone through a curing process that draws moisture out of meat, changing the texture and making it more resistant to bacteria and more shelf stable.

Thinly sliced pork belly is just fatty pork meat. It not only Cooks differently, it has an entirely different taste.

I like pork belly for certain soups and I use it almost exclusively when I make Char Siu. Last night I was stuck for something different for dinner and I had a couple pieces of pork belly in the refrigerator. I froze it for about 20 minutes and sliced it very very thin. I then sauteed it and used it to make a quick chili. It was delicious.

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liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
Posted
25 minutes ago, TdeV said:

What's the difference between bacon and thinly-sliced pork belly? Do they cook differently?

 

Bacon originally just meant pork or even pig, but since the 16th century only applied to cured pork from the back and sides of the animal.

 

Pork belly is uncured.

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...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

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Margaret Pilgrim

Margaret Pilgrim

Posted
Posted

At a village fete in country France, a men's civic group was selling "lard sandwiches".     I couldn't fathom what these would be but the line was long so I decided it was worth a "go".     Turned out to be charcoal grilled pork belly.     WOW!    On a super fresh baguette.  WOW, WOW!     No condiments needed on this ultimate porky hand-feast.     Never seen this offered since but I guess it's a household thing.

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TdeV

TdeV

Posted
Posted
On 10/27/2023 at 5:54 PM, TdeV said:

What's the difference between bacon and thinly-sliced pork belly? Do they cook differently?

 

On 10/27/2023 at 6:05 PM, Tropicalsenior said:

Bacon has gone through a curing process that draws moisture out of meat, changing the texture and making it more resistant to bacteria and more shelf stable.

Thinly sliced pork belly is just fatty pork meat. It not only Cooks differently, it has an entirely different taste.

I like pork belly for certain soups and I use it almost exclusively when I make Char Siu. Last night I was stuck for something different for dinner and I had a couple pieces of pork belly in the refrigerator. I froze it for about 20 minutes and sliced it very very thin. I then sauteed it and used it to make a quick chili. It was delicious.

 

TropicalSenior, how long did you sauté the pork belly for? How hot was the pan?

 

 

On 10/27/2023 at 6:48 PM, Margaret Pilgrim said:

At a village fete in country France, a men's civic group was selling "lard sandwiches".     I couldn't fathom what these would be but the line was long so I decided it was worth a "go".     Turned out to be charcoal grilled pork belly.     WOW!    On a super fresh baguette.  WOW, WOW!     No condiments needed on this ultimate porky hand-feast.     Never seen this offered since but I guess it's a household thing.

 

Any memory of what the cooking procedures were, Margaret?

 

Thanks.

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JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted
Posted

My previous steamer experience has been limited to metal perforated steamer inserts.  Recently I acquired a bamboo steamer that I intend to try out for the first time tonight.  The bamboo steamer came with a steel ring that looks to all the world like an oversized biscuit cutter.  What is the ring used for?

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

Posted
Posted (edited)
37 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

What is the ring used for?

Should you choose to use the steamer in a stock pot or skillet rather than a wok, the ring can be used to hold the steamer above the bottom of the pot so the steaming water won’t flood your food. 
Not usually necessary if using a wok. 
IMG_2291.thumb.jpeg.fb7800bd229f99f30102ce1590fcf0ce.jpeg

Edited by blue_dolphin
To add photo (log)
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JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted
Posted
51 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

Should you choose to use the steamer in a stock pot or skillet rather than a wok, the ring can be used to hold the steamer above the bottom of the pot so the steaming water won’t flood your food. 
Not usually necessary if using a wok. 
IMG_2291.thumb.jpeg.fb7800bd229f99f30102ce1590fcf0ce.jpeg

 

Thanks but the ring is much smaller than that shown.  If I'm going to eat tonight I need to head to the kitchen and do the best I can.

 

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted
Posted
47 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:


How about a dumpling cutter, for cutting out disks of dough?

 

I could believe that.  The ring is 3 5/8 inches in diameter and 1 3/8 inches high.

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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ElsieD

ElsieD

Posted
Posted

I hope this is the right place to ask my stupid question.  I hate peeling and chopping onions.  I really, really hate it.  But, I like eating them.  My dumb question is this:  if I pull out my food processor to slice and chop a bunch up quickly, for how long will they keep in the fridge?  Or can/should I freeze them?  These onions will be used to cook with, not eaten raw.

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heidih

heidih

Posted
Posted
5 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

I hope this is the right place to ask my stupid question.  I hate peeling and chopping onions.  I really, really hate it.  But, I like eating them.  My dumb question is this:  if I pull out my food processor to slice and chop a bunch up quickly, for how long will they keep in the fridge?  Or can/should I freeze them?  These onions will be used to cook with, not eaten raw.

My hands do not work well anymore. My trick is to cut stem end off and slice thickly, then crosswise. I don't need even pieces.The papery peel and next tough layer I just pop off after the thick slices.

Personally I find they get an unpleasnt smell within day or so. freezing would soften them but seems ok for your use.  I'd caution that aggressiveness of FP releases something chemically unpleasant to me unless used right away

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rotuts

rotuts

Posted
Posted (edited)

@ElsieD

 

consider using the processor to chop onions to your desired size

 

cook slowly in a large ( non-stick ?) pan until done to your liking 

 

cool , and Vac w head room in a bag   then freeze 

 

you want a little head room so you cn cut open the bag , take out what you might need , then

 

re=seal that same bag

 

several times.

 

in the past Ive done this w mushrooms ( using  the cuisinart , several pounds at a time )

 

and diced bacon   never thought of doing the same w onions 

 

but it might work .  w onions you might want a version that is caramelized and one that is not.

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blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

Posted
Posted
10 minutes ago, TdeV said:

Can I use the sous vide (currently running at 127ºF) to defrost a bag of artichoke hearts (in a hurry) ?

That’s hotter than I would choose for thawing stuff but it should do the job.
I'd transfer the artichokes to a bag you know can take the heat. 

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TdeV

TdeV

Posted
Posted (edited)
3 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

That’s hotter than I would choose for thawing stuff but it should do the job.
I'd transfer the artichokes to a bag you know can take the heat. 

 

What temp would you choose to defrost at?

(I can use the Anova steam oven)

 

 

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