Jump to content

  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Absurdly, stupidly basic cooking questions (Part 2)

Pontormo

By Pontormo
in Cooking

 Share

Recommended Posts

Alex

Alex

Posted
Posted
On 8/25/2022 at 11:37 AM, Annie_H said:

I thought I knew the only person on the planet that dis-likes celery. Very good friends now but when we first had them over for a bbq brunch 20 years ago, I noticed he picked out the celery from potato salad. Hates celery. 

I've not been without in my lifetime. If one is missing in a grocery order, it is a backup as one is already in the crisper.

Loving the Kumbu recipe. Must make asap. But I use nori in my furikake. 

Might have been my first solid food. My mother kept celery, carrot spears, blanched brussels and broccoli, in a fridge jar of water with pickles and bit of pickle juice for me. I would dip in mustard. So she put some mustard in the jar.--dipping made a mess. 

I start the ends in water Jan/Feb every year. Plant in a deck pot with other herbs. Grows like parsley. Big leaves and thin stems but intensely flavored. 

Screen Shot 2022-08-25 at 10.15.19 AM.png

 

Nice. Looks like scallions and a leek in addition to the celery, yes?

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act 1

 

"Imagine all the food you have eaten in your life and consider that you are simply some of that food, rearranged."  -Max Tegmark, physicist

 

Gene Weingarten, writing in the Washington Post about online news stories and the accompanying readers' comments: "I basically like 'comments,' though they can seem a little jarring: spit-flecked rants that are appended to a product that at least tries for a measure of objectivity and dignity. It's as though when you order a sirloin steak, it comes with a side of maggots."

 

A king can stand people's fighting, but he can't last long if people start thinking. -Will Rogers, humorist

  • 2 months later...
JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted
Posted

I've not had pork in some weeks, and tonight I went looking for some porkchops.  What I found were $8.99 a pound, with "up to" 20 percent added water, salt, sugar, and spices.  I passed.  What I purchased was a much less expensive loin roast.  I gave up buying loin roasts years ago because I never could figure out how to cook these loin roasts satisfactorily without drying them out like shoe leather.

 

Reveled wisdom seems to be to start the loin roast at high heat for a few minutes then reduce heat to finish.  As an alternative I thought of slicing the roast into* chops and grilling.  Thoughts or suggestions?

 

This message has time value.

 

 

*admittedly tiny

 

  • Like 1

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

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

DesertTinker

DesertTinker

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

I've not had pork in some weeks, and tonight I went looking for some porkchops.  What I found were $8.99 a pound, with "up to" 20 percent added water, salt, sugar, and spices.  I passed.  What I purchased was a much less expensive loin roast.  I gave up buying loin roasts years ago because I never could figure out how to cook these loin roasts satisfactorily without drying them out like shoe leather.

 

Reveled wisdom seems to be to start the loin roast at high heat for a few minutes then reduce heat to finish.  As an alternative I thought of slicing the roast into* chops and grilling.  Thoughts or suggestions?

 

This message has time value.

 

 

*admittedly tiny

 

Cut it into chops. That’s my preferred way to get pork loin chops. Often what look like a “matched set” of chops in the package turns out to be multiple thickness once opened.

Edited by DesertTinker
Clarity (log)
  • Like 2
TdeV

TdeV

Posted
Posted
12 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

I've not had pork in some weeks, and tonight I went looking for some porkchops.  What I found were $8.99 a pound, with "up to" 20 percent added water, salt, sugar, and spices.  I passed.  What I purchased was a much less expensive loin roast.  I gave up buying loin roasts years ago because I never could figure out how to cook these loin roasts satisfactorily without drying them out like shoe leather.

 

Reveled wisdom seems to be to start the loin roast at high heat for a few minutes then reduce heat to finish.  As an alternative I thought of slicing the roast into* chops and grilling.  Thoughts or suggestions?

 

This message has time value.

 

 

*admittedly tiny

 

 

Sous vide?

  • Like 2
Anna N

Anna N

Posted
Posted
41 minutes ago, TdeV said:

 

Sous vide?

As I recall, pork loin does very well sous vide. I think @Shelbymastered it. 

  • Like 3

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

Shelby

Shelby

Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, Anna N said:

As I recall, pork loin does very well sous vide. I think @Shelbymastered it. 

We almost always SV our pork loin.  It always turns out so tender and juicy.  We like 2 1/2 hours at 135F.  I usually don't even sear it afterwards.

  • Like 3
  • Thanks 3

First eG Blog-Winter 2011

 

Second eG Blog-Summer 2015

 

Third eG Blog-Hunting season Birds and Deer 2016, 2017,2018,2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

Katie Meadow

Katie Meadow

Posted
Posted

Yes, pork loin is tender,, but I've never found it very flavorful. When I have it I usually cut it in very thin strips and marinate the living daylights out of it with garlic, soy, rice wine, etc. Then I use it in a stir-fry. Don't own a SV. 

  • Like 1
heidih

heidih

Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, Katie Meadow said:

Yes, pork loin is tender,, but I've never found it very flavorful. When I have it I usually cut it in very thin strips and marinate the living daylights out of it with garlic, soy, rice wine, etc. Then I use it in a stir-fry. Don't own a SV. 

My method as well. Plus I don't like hunks 'o meat on the plate

  • Like 1
Katie Meadow

Katie Meadow

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, heidih said:

My method as well. Plus I don't like hunks 'o meat on the plate

OMG I'm a member of your tribe. I'm not wild about having big hunks of meat on my plate either. More and more I'm liking to make Asian things where protein isn't the star, just a participant. Even fish. I've recently been grilling it outside in foil packages with a variety of Asian sauces/spices (and butter!) and then serving it on short grain rice. It works and affords plenty of flavorful juices My rice cooker is getting a workout these days, and the minimal clean up with foil packets is a big bonus. 

 

  • Like 1
heidih

heidih

Posted
Posted
42 minutes ago, Katie Meadow said:

OMG I'm a member of your tribe. I'm not wild about having big hunks of meat on my plate either. More and more I'm liking to make Asian things where protein isn't the star, just a participant. Even fish. I've recently been grilling it outside in foil packages with a variety of Asian sauces/spices (and butter!) and then serving it on short grain rice. It works and affords plenty of flavorful juices My rice cooker is getting a workout these days, and the minimal clean up with foil packets is a big bonus. 

 

 

42 minutes ago, Katie Meadow said:

OMG I'm a member of your tribe. I'm not wild about having big hunks of meat on my plate either. More and more I'm liking to make Asian things where protein isn't the star, just a participant. Even fish. I've recently been grilling it outside in foil packages with a variety of Asian sauces/spices (and butter!) and then serving it on short grain rice. It works and affords plenty of flavorful juices My rice cooker is getting a workout these days, and the minimal clean up with foil packets is a big bonus. 

 

My aversion is from childhood - never ending beef steak and roasts butcher dad brought home - hey free....  I do enjoy things like well seasoned pork butt slow roasted to falling apart and lamb shanks.  I was so surprised when my Viet born friend and cooking mentor who is a great cook (and eater) expressed affection for prime rib. To her  - a '75 evacuee it was a luxury I think.

  • Like 1
JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted
Posted
On 11/14/2022 at 12:17 PM, Shelby said:

We almost always SV our pork loin.  It always turns out so tender and juicy.  We like 2 1/2 hours at 135F.  I usually don't even sear it afterwards.

 

I finally cooked the pork loin...

 

PorkLoin11212022.jpg

 

Three hours (I was aiming for two and a half hours, but you know how mai tais are) in the APO at 59C.  Then seared ten minutes at 250C.

 

 

  • Like 1
  • Delicious 2

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

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

Shelby

Shelby

Posted
Posted
10 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

I finally cooked the pork loin...

 

PorkLoin11212022.jpg

 

Three hours (I was aiming for two and a half hours, but you know how mai tais are) in the APO at 59C.  Then seared ten minutes at 250C.

 

 

That looks delicious!  

  • Like 3
  • Thanks 1

First eG Blog-Winter 2011

 

Second eG Blog-Summer 2015

 

Third eG Blog-Hunting season Birds and Deer 2016, 2017,2018,2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

TdeV

TdeV

Posted
Posted (edited)

In a pot of broth or water, what is the temperature of "gentle simmer"?

 

 

 

Edited by TdeV
Spelling! (log)
Tropicalsenior

Tropicalsenior

Posted
Posted
18 minutes ago, TdeV said:

In a bot of broth or water, what is the temperature of "gentle simmer"?

I got out of pot of water and my instant read thermometer and what I consider a gentle simmer is bubbles just barely breaking the surface. My instant read was at 204 °. We are at about 4,000 ft altitude.

  • Like 1
ElsieD

ElsieD

Posted
Posted
32 minutes ago, TdeV said:

In a bot of broth or water, what is the temperature of "gentle simmer"?

I think of it as 4 or 5 lazy bubbles breaking the surface.

  • Thanks 1
TdeV

TdeV

Posted
Posted

Thanks. @ElsieD, I have a thermometer to program, so I am looking for the actual temperature. We're at 760' elevation, but I'm not sure how to translate how that changes boiling temp.

Smithy

Smithy

Posted
Posted
7 minutes ago, TdeV said:

Thanks. @ElsieD, I have a thermometer to program, so I am looking for the actual temperature. We're at 760' elevation, but I'm not sure how to translate how that changes boiling temp.

 

According to the USDA, the boiling point of water drops 1 degree F per 500' of altitude, so you'd be looking at 210.5F assuming standard atmospheric pressure.

  • Like 2
  • Thanks 1

Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
Host, eG Forums - nsmith@egstaff.org

Follow us on social media! Facebook; instagram.com/egulletx

"Every day should be filled with something delicious, because life is too short not to spoil yourself. " -- Ling (with permission)
"There comes a time in every project when you have to shoot the engineer and start production." -- author unknown

TdeV

TdeV

Posted
Posted (edited)
15 minutes ago, Smithy said:

According to the USDA, the boiling point of water drops 1 degree F per 500' of altitude, so you'd be looking at 210.5F assuming standard atmospheric pressure.

 

Thanks, Smithy. That's the boiling point of water for me, then? If so, what is a gently simmer?

Edited by TdeV (log)
Smithy

Smithy

Posted
Posted
14 minutes ago, TdeV said:

 

Thanks, Smithy. That's the boiling point of water for me, then? If so, what is a gently simmer?

 

That would be the boiling point for water at your altitude, yes. I'm not sure how much less for a gentle simmer. 1 F lower? I'm just guessing, sorry. Maybe someone else has measured how close to the boiling point water has to be before it starts simmering. I doubt it can be much lower.

 

Edited to add: boy, was I wrong about that!! Read on!

  • Thanks 1

Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
Host, eG Forums - nsmith@egstaff.org

Follow us on social media! Facebook; instagram.com/egulletx

"Every day should be filled with something delicious, because life is too short not to spoil yourself. " -- Ling (with permission)
"There comes a time in every project when you have to shoot the engineer and start production." -- author unknown

Tropicalsenior

Tropicalsenior

Posted
Posted (edited)
4 hours ago, Tropicalsenior said:

what I consider a gentle simmer is bubbles just barely breaking the surface. My instant read was at 204 °.

That was the temperature of gentle simmer for me. I make cottage cheese every week and the directions are for it to come almost to simmer and just as bubbles start to break on the surface the temperature is at 197°.

I don't know if it is just my imagination but to me, the viscosity of the liquid seems to affect the temperature at which it maintains a simmer.

Edited by Tropicalsenior (log)
  • Thanks 2
Smithy

Smithy

Posted
Posted
8 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:

That was the temperature of gentle simmer for me. I make cottage cheese every week and the directions are for it to come almost to simmer and just as bubbles start to break on the surface the temperature is at 197°.

I don't know if it is just my imagination but to me, the viscosity of the liquid seems to affect the temperature at which it maintains a simmer.

 

The viscosity would definitely affect the simmering point, as well as the boiling point. Thanks for your measurements.

 

According to Thermpro (who, as I type this, is having a Black Friday sale)

Quote

There are three main types of simmers to keep in mind:

  1. Slow simmers are generally closer to 185 degrees and characterized by a lack of motion. Bubbles will be barely visible and the water won’t move much at all, making this a good choice for many dishes that require longer, slower cooking.
  2. Regular simmers happen around 195 degrees and have the characteristic tiny streams of bubbles.
  3. Rapid simmers tend to be around 205 degrees, which still puts them a few degrees short of a typical boil. While rapid simmers and boils do both have a lot of movement, the easiest way to tell them apart is that rapid simmer still tends to have tiny streams of bubbles, whereas boils have much larger individual bubbles.

 

Other websites have similar numbers. Getting back to the altitude question: I'd extrapolate from the boiling point rule to make a simmer rule. So @TdeV's altitude of 760' should require a gentle simmer at 183.5F.

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 4

Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
Host, eG Forums - nsmith@egstaff.org

Follow us on social media! Facebook; instagram.com/egulletx

"Every day should be filled with something delicious, because life is too short not to spoil yourself. " -- Ling (with permission)
"There comes a time in every project when you have to shoot the engineer and start production." -- author unknown

ElsieD

ElsieD

Posted
Posted

I am making some smoked salmon mousse tomorrow.  Can I freeze some of it?  It will have plain gelatin in it.

AlaMoi

AlaMoi

Posted
Posted

toss the temperature idea in the dumper and go with eyeball observation.

 

a simmer has gentle but regular "bubbles"

a boil has vigorous continuous "bubbles"

a hard boil has very energetic explosive "bubbles"

 

it's really not that hard - cooktops have "knobs" - turn down the heat, turn up the heat. 

it's not "heat on" vs "heat off"

  • Thanks 1
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...