Absurdly, stupidly basic cooking questions (Part 2)

[weinoo]

32 minutes ago, lindag said:

No label.

I think what I did was vacuum it foolishly thinking it would get used soon and I would remember what it was....chuckle. chuckle.  Lord knows it's not the first time I've done this.  

The important thing is that it turned out really good; I did up the seasoning a bit.

 

 

I was doing this pseudo-remembering kind of consistently, pre pandemic, but when my freezer became inundated, I figured labeling stuff might be a good idea.  

 

It's really hard to tell which stock is which when frozen inside quart containers, that's for sure.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

1 hour ago, lindag said:

No label.

I think what I did was vacuum it foolishly thinking it would get used soon and I would remember what it was....chuckle. chuckle.  Lord knows it's not the first time I've done this.  

The important thing is that it turned out really good; I did up the seasoning a bit.

 

Listen up and learn.   Never name your dish until it is finished.   i.e. cook, season, cook, season, cook, taste, name.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

1 hour ago, weinoo said:

 

I was doing this pseudo-remembering kind of consistently, pre pandemic, but when my freezer became inundated, I figured labeling stuff might be a good idea.  

 

It's really hard to tell which stock is which when frozen inside quart containers, that's for sure.

With stock or anything in a semi-opaque, labeling is, er, rather mandatory.    With thin plastic wrap, Saran, even several layers, pork is pink, beef is red.   Or kind of...

[JoNorvelleWalker]

3 hours ago, weinoo said:

 

I like Bugialli's (from The Fine Art...) meat sauce - though caution that he suggests snipping beef with a pair of scissors. Easily portioned and frozen once cooked.

Meatballs freeze nicely.

 

 

His sugo di carne would be wonderful.  But not something for which I'd use 20% fat ground beef.

 

[Kim Shook]

5 hours ago, Tropicalsenior said:

The freezers friend! It will write on any type of plastic.

Without these, I would have a whole freezer full of mystery meat.

I have a couple of them in one of my counter top utensil holders all the time.  Also masking tape to mark things like glass.  

[KennethT]

1 minute ago, Kim Shook said:

I have a couple of them in one of my counter top utensil holders all the time.  Also masking tape to mark things like glass.  

We use sharpies to mark wine glasses when tasting more than 1 bottle at a time.  The ink washes off with soap and water.

[heidih]

5 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

I have a couple of them in one of my counter top utensil holders all the time.  Also masking tape to mark things like glass.  

No- not nasty masking tape. Blue painters tape - no sticky residue

[Kim Shook]

10 minutes ago, heidih said:

No- not nasty masking tape. Blue painters tape - no sticky residue

Painters tape just curls up and falls off in the freezer for me.  Never had a problem with masking tape.

[Tropicalsenior]

14 minutes ago, KennethT said:

The ink washes off with soap and water.

On plastic containers, it comes off with just a few swipes of Goo Gone.

[heidih]

21 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

Painters tape just curls up and falls off in the freezer for me.  Never had a problem with masking tape.

My painters must have given me the good stuff

[ElsieD]

Instead of buying the sour cream on our little grocery list, someone came back with a tub of spreadable cream cheese, the unflavored kind.  Can I use this for, say, a cheesecake pie/cake?  What adjustments would I have to make?  Thanks!

[lindag]

I like to use the cream cheese spread on Ritz along with red pepper jelly.  

[FauxPas]

2 hours ago, ElsieD said:

Instead of buying the sour cream on our little grocery list, someone came back with a tub of spreadable cream cheese, the unflavored kind.  Can I use this for, say, a cheesecake pie/cake?  What adjustments would I have to make?  Thanks!

 

I've read that you shouldn't use it for cheesecake, but apparently some folks do! 

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/61435-using-spreadable-cream-cheese-in-cheesecake/

[blue_dolphin]

If Cooks Illustrated is to be believed, the whipped stuff may not give the best texture in a baked cheesecake but should be fine in a cream cheese frosting or anything that's not heated as long as you measure by weight. 

[ElsieD]

I love Brie cheese but the rind not so much.  Is there an easy way to remove the rind without taking half the cheese off with it?

[heidih]

37 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

I love Brie cheese but the rind not so much.  Is there an easy way to remove the rind without taking half the cheese off with it?

I have a friend like you. She sets on counter to warm a bit and uses spoon or rounded knife to scoop out. She can hollow it out pretty well.

[Kim Shook]

4 hours ago, heidih said:

I have a friend like you. She sets on counter to warm a bit and uses spoon or rounded knife to scoop out. She can hollow it out pretty well.

Either this is genius or I'm stupid.  It never occurred to me to take the cheese out of the rind, I've always tried to take the rind off the cheese. 🤪  Sheesh!  Thank you!

[heidih]

Not cooking per se, but I use Sriracha from the Huy Fong squeeze bottle at least once a day. No matter what I do I get a little geyser when I twist open the top. Tends to spray. Am I missing a trick?

[MokaPot]

32 minutes ago, heidih said:

Not cooking per se, but I use Sriracha from the Huy Fong squeeze bottle at least once a day. No matter what I do I get a little geyser when I twist open the top. Tends to spray. Am I missing a trick?

 

That's how that Huy Fong sriracha sauce bottle / product is (it tends to spray and have little "explosions"). I've made a mess on my carpet with that sauce. (Yet, I can't quit that sauce.)

 

The only trick I can think of is to shake that bottle well (the contents do separate). I use it straight from the fridge then put it right back in the fridge. I don't leave it out very long.

 

[heidih]

19 minutes ago, MokaPot said:

 

That's how that Huy Fong sriracha sauce bottle / product is (it tends to spray and have little "explosions"). I've made a mess on my carpet with that sauce. (Yet, I can't quit that sauce.)

 

The only trick I can think of is to shake that bottle well (the contents do separate). I use it straight from the fridge then put it right back in the fridge. I don't leave it out very long.

 

Yes I keep in fridge and shake to separate, give it a short rest then kaboom. At least a comfort to know I am not alone  I have lots of different hot sauces. I like heat and this is mild but it adds a "je ne sais quoi" that I crave. When my son did the shopping at Restaurant Depot for a facility where cooks were in a culinary training program  he always had a couple cases to load in the van.

[haresfur]

On 7/11/2021 at 1:22 AM, ElsieD said:

Instead of buying the sour cream on our little grocery list, someone came back with a tub of spreadable cream cheese, the unflavored kind.  Can I use this for, say, a cheesecake pie/cake?  What adjustments would I have to make?  Thanks!

 

I'd just finely chop some smoked salmon, mix it in, and wait for a day to get a salmony spread. That's how my cheap-ass dad would do lox and cream cheese, but it really is good stuff.

[rotuts]

cheap ass me used to do the same thing

 

but supermarket 

 

( high end Super, please )

 

deli counter lox bits

 

and the cuisinart did the rest.

 

@haresfur 

 

has the right idea :  le the mix mature

 

in the Kelvinator for at least 24 H if not s bit more

 

as menioned for tots flavor.

 

 

[ElsieD]

Back to the cream cheese blurb I posted about on the previous page.  I have not yet opened it.  I'm thinking of making one batch of pimento cheese with it and another batch of it mixed with smoked salmon.  Since that tub will make a lot more than we can eat before it starts growing fuzzies, can I freeze it in edible potions?  

[Tropicalsenior]

1 hour ago, ElsieD said:

Back to the cream cheese blurb I posted about on the previous page.

You might want to try this garlic cream cheese recipe that I posted a while back. It seems to me that this cream cheese would work fine in it.

Edited July 23, 2021 by Tropicalsenior (log)

[ElsieD]

18 hours ago, Tropicalsenior said:

You might want to try this garlic cream cheese recipe that I posted a while back. It seems to me that this cream cheese would work fine in it.

 

Thanks for this.  Unfortunately, my stomach no longer likes me eating garlic.  Shame too, because I love the stuff.  I know @kayb makes pimento cheese.  Maybe she can tell me if I can freeze it?