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Absurdly, stupidly basic cooking questions (Part 2)

Pontormo

By Pontormo
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TdeV

TdeV

Posted
Posted (edited)

Some other questions: Say the lamb shoulder gets cooked sous vide as one piece. I then want to prepare two dishes of 1.5" diced lamb.

  1. Some folks like meat much rarer than I do, I was thinking to cook probably 48 hours at something less than 141F but lots higher than 133F (sorry, @rotuts). Do you recommend doing the meat at two temperatures, and if so, how?
  2. I can cut and sear the meat post sous vide?
  3. The same folks like meat much spicier than I do. I'm thinking of coating one dish of lamb with a mixture of curry powder, dry mustard, black and cayenne pepper, cardamom, cumin, allspice (deSaulniers, Salad Days p.193). Do I use the mixture pre-sear? Post-sear also?
  4. As a general rule, does one use less spice if it follows a sous vide cook?
  5. After searing, can I keep the meat warm in bags in the sous-vide water (cooled by a few degrees)? For a couple of hours? What does that do to the texture?
Edited by TdeV
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JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted
Posted

I've been playing with fried chicken.  It seems that traditionally fried chicken involves batter or breading in some way, shape, or form.  What is the reason for this?

 

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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Kim Shook

Kim Shook

Posted
Posted
53 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

I've been playing with fried chicken.  It seems that traditionally fried chicken involves batter or breading in some way, shape, or form.  What is the reason for this?

 

Flavor and crunch enhancement.  Also, any bare flesh (there's always some) would get seriously tough immersed in boiling oil.  Or have I misunderstood your question?  

Kim

Kim's Cookbook

What Fresh Hell is This?

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JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted
Posted
25 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

Flavor and crunch enhancement.  Also, any bare flesh (there's always some) would get seriously tough immersed in boiling oil.  Or have I misunderstood your question?  

 

Thanks, I don't think you misunderstood the question.  However last night I got very good results, I thought, deep frying bare naked chicken.  I may try coating some to see if I like it better.

 

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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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Kim Shook

Kim Shook

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Thanks, I don't think you misunderstood the question.  However last night I got very good results, I thought, deep frying bare naked chicken.  I may try coating some to see if I like it better.

 

Wow.  That's intriguing to me.  I've always felt that the coating was protective as much as anything.  I looked at your picture and that thigh looks great.  Also, now that I think about it, lots of places don't batter or even flour their wings.  Hmmmmm.  I'll have to try this out.  Coating can be a mess and time consuming - I might find myself frying nekkid chicken fairly often!  I'm glad you asked the question!

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Kim

Kim's Cookbook

What Fresh Hell is This?

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demiglace

demiglace

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Posted
18 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

Wow.  That's intriguing to me.  I've always felt that the coating was protective as much as anything.  I looked at your picture and that thigh looks great.  Also, now that I think about it, lots of places don't batter or even flour their wings.  Hmmmmm.  I'll have to try this out.  Coating can be a mess and time consuming - I might find myself frying nekkid chicken fairly often!  I'm glad you asked the question!

No no no no. Fried chicken without a coating is just wrong. Shame on you both. Harumph.

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pastrygirl

pastrygirl

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

I've been playing with fried chicken.  It seems that traditionally fried chicken involves batter or breading in some way, shape, or form.  What is the reason for this?

 

 

Makes it easier to pick off the greasy part 😏

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chromedome

chromedome

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, pastrygirl said:

 

Makes it easier to pick off the greasy part 😏

...to be devoured first. :)

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“Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too.” - William Cowper, The Task, Book Three

 

"Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition...The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.” - psychologist David Dunning

 

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Tri2Cook

Tri2Cook

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Posted
39 minutes ago, chromedome said:

...to be devoured first. :)


Now I feel dumb... I thought that's what she meant. :D

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It's kinda like wrestling a gorilla... you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is tired.

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pastrygirl

pastrygirl

Posted
Posted (edited)
34 minutes ago, Tri2Cook said:


Now I feel dumb... I thought that's what she meant. :D

 

Haha, nope!

 

Well OK, the first few bites are good but I have my limit and it's low.

 

Not dumb just a different POV.

Edited by pastrygirl (log)
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JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted
Posted
46 minutes ago, Bhukhhad said:

Hello Pastrygirl!

Pastry nerd or not, your answer came up in my search for apple buckle! I searched the Google gods for this answer and they came up with an apple watch strap buckle!!! Thank goodness for egullet. 

Now, here is my need: I had apple buckle as a child and it was served warm with warm vanilla custard. That is still my very favorite. Then I had apple pie as an adult and it was served alone or with vanilla ice cream. 

Now I want to serve some apple dessert to a crowd for potluck. It cannot be hot from the oven, and there is no provision for ice-cream. It would all be in foil tray containers and remain at room temp for several hours. 

Which kind of apple dessert will work without custard or icecream, and the topping should not get soggy too? 

Apple crisp will get soggy. Any solution? For 50 people.

Bhukkhad

 

I beg to help:  Joy of Cooking Sour cream apple cake soufflé Cockaigne.  It is served at room temperature.  I have taken it to potlucks.  Always been well received.

 

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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
7 minutes ago, Bhukhhad said:

Joy of cooking. Is it a ‘souffle’? I am not an advanced baker. Would you send me the recipe please. Perhaps separately as others might already know it. 

Thank you

Bhukkhad

 

Pretty sure I am not allowed to post the recipe.  You can read about it here...

https://www.amnh.org/explore/news-blogs/interviews/joy-of-cooking-family-history

 

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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SLB

SLB

Posted
Posted

So, I routinely heavily-salt meat a day or two in advance of cooking it, per Judy Rodgers' formulas.  

 

But -- there's no advantage to doing this to meat that is going to be poached, right???

 

We're talking about chicken, here.  I occasionally poach otherwise-unsalted chicken in heavily salted water with an eye toward shredding for fillings.  But here I'm making the Eastern-Carolina variation on chicken-n-dumplings (which is known as "Chicken-pastry"); so the water is going to become the broth-basis of everything.  Given that, I'm not inclined to heavily-salt it for the poach of thick chunks of meat, I'd salt it for vegetable-additions with an expectation that everything is going to be consumed together. 

 

But unless the water is salted roughly equally to the meat, any pre-salting of the meat is going to be leeched into the broth, leaving the meat tasting basically wherever it was to begin with, right?  Maybe the texture will be different, but I never was pre-salting for texture . . . .

 

I think I better just follow the recipe, and not worry about bland meat. 

 

I am tired.  This feels like something that should not be so hard to figure out.  But -- I am tired.  

 

 

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Okanagancook

Okanagancook

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I would pre-salt as per your usual.  Poach in just enough water to cover...stick a thermapen in the chunks, very gentle simmer, turn off heat and cover pot when they are 5 degrees from your done point.  Leave the meat in the liquid...it will reaborb some of the salt and keep it nice and moist.  Add the whole lot to your main dish when it is ready to serve...may need to apply some heat and adjust salt.

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AlaMoi

AlaMoi

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" But -- there's no advantage to doing this to meat that is going to be poached, right???  "

 

that's a no and yes.

it's important to understand what "surface salting" does to a meat - beef, chicken, fish . . . the chemical reaction is similar.

surface salt tends to 'extract' water from the meat.  then the cells, subject to extracted water, decide to absorb "salty water" to balance the osmotic pressures.  the freakasauri in the crowd thus attribute the (re-)absorption of salty water to "drawing the seasonings in."

 

dealing with moisture at the cellular level, poaching modifies nothing.

once salted and infused, baking/broiling/grilling/poaching/steaming/nuking . . . . the meat still retains it's 'more moister' moniker.

 

arguments in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . .

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Orbit

Orbit

Posted
Posted

This is an absurdly basic question: We are moving into a new house that came with kitchen appliances. The stovetop is flat and smooth; no electrical heating elements. Does that mean it is an induction cooktop? If so, what's the practical difference?

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pastrygirl

pastrygirl

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Posted (edited)
17 minutes ago, Orbit said:

We are moving into a new house that came with kitchen appliances. The stovetop is flat and smooth; no electrical heating elements. Does that mean it is an induction cooktop?

 

No, might be radiant such as this https://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-30-in-Radiant-Electric-Cooktop-in-Black-with-4-Elements-including-2-Power-Boil-Elements-JP3030DJBB/205951510

 

Radiant should work with any material pots and pans and heat without anything being on the burner.  Induction will only work with conductive metal pans and the burner itself won't heat without a pan on it.

Edited by pastrygirl (log)
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Kerry Beal

Kerry Beal

Posted
Posted
45 minutes ago, Orbit said:

This is an absurdly basic question: We are moving into a new house that came with kitchen appliances. The stovetop is flat and smooth; no electrical heating elements. Does that mean it is an induction cooktop? If so, what's the practical difference?

Got pictures?

 

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Confectionary Course • Confectionary Course Q&A
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kayb

kayb

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If it's radiant, be careful how you use it and clean it, because it'll scratch. If you're using cast iron on it, be very easy with how you move it around, etc.

 

Also, if its' radiant, it'll take longer to cool down than a conventional electric stove will.

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Don't ask. Eat it.

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