Cooking shortcuts

[fresco]

Up until now, I've always used coconut milk out of a tin for curries, but spent quite a bit of time this morning cracking a coconut, extracting the meat, running it through a blender and ultimately, producing fresh coconut milk. I'm hoping it will make a discernable difference in terms of taste.

This approach could probably by applied to most every ingredient, but where do you draw the line?

Do you always make everything fresh? Only for very special occasions? Never?

[budrichard]

If my comparison of the real to the 'shortcut' shows a significant difference then I continue with the real. In the case of coconut milk extraction, if you don't have some time on your hands then it's the can for me.

Example: Pumpkin Pie. Until about 7 years ago I always purchased pie pumpkins and went through the roasting and consolidation process. One year I made pies with this method and then used plain canned pumpkin. Other then texture, I could not tell the difference. ever since its been the canned for me.-Dick

[fifi]

I usually have to try something once. I did that with the coconut milk. I could tell the difference. The Chaudoc brand cans were better!

My sister, the pie maker, also gave up on pumpkin-from-scratch.

I did tamales once. I even rendered my own lard. I'll go buy those from the van man or Dona Tere.

I made worchestershire sauce once from Emeril's recipe. It tasted just like Lea & Perrins.

Notice the number of times I have used the word "once"?

[fresco]

I've heard that tinned pumpkin is actually squash, and making your own from many varieties of pumpkin results in something that doesn't taste great. But in any case, I agree with your sister: tinned pumpkin, or whatever it is, is just fine.

[Squeat Mungry]

I have a few fall/winter recipe favorites that use chestnuts as an ingredient. For years I slit, roasted and peeled my own. After enough burned fingers, cuts from the paring knife, and bits of that thin inner skin wedged under my fingernails, I finally got wise.

I now buy the steamed, jarred chestnuts, and am a much happier man.

Cheers,

Squeat

[JAZ]

I think it's fun to try to make a lot of ingredients once, if only for the experience. Usually, once does it. If what I make is much better, much cheaper, or a whole lot of fun, I continue. If it's none of the above, then I go back to buying the product.

Examples of the "once-only" category: puff pastry, mustard.

Examples of things I've made often: pickles (refrigerator), spice mixtures, limoncello, Irish cream liqueur.

[Dana]

I like to try the "scratch" method to see if it's measureably better. Usually, it is. If it's worth the time/trouble/expense, then I go for it every time.

I also tried Emeril's worchestershire and found it to be much sweeter than Lea and Perrins, and, while I do enjoy the process, I don't panic if I run out- just use L&P.

My homemade tamales were delish, however, I didn't go to through the lard-rendering process. I just bought some. Tamales were very satisfying to make, although I can see that it would be best to have several people to help-a lot to do and quite time consuming.

[hjshorter]

We talked a little bit about this very topic in this thread. I did order a book called Better Than Store Bought and once it arrives I may try making some condiments.

[SobaAddict70]

A lot of the "from scratch" debate depends on whether you have the time or not, what your comfort level is with respect to cooking, and the occasion you're cooking for. I can see going all out and using from-scratch chicken stock for a sauce for a dinner party, but not for dinner. (I'm famous for graduating from the skinless boneless chicken breasts school of dinner on eGullet. )

For example, there are lots of times when I'll use canned chicken stock (preferably College Inn) when I'm making soup, or I'll use chicken stock from a local takeout Cantonese restaurant, or I'll doctor bottled salsa with some chopped tomatoes and onions. There are other times I'll go the extra route and make a from-scratch salsa or roasted vegetable stock or what-have-you (especially if I'm entertaining).

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to this sort of thing. And another thing -- none of this is set in stone, in my book.

Soba

[fresco]

The (or at least my) verdict on coconut milk from scratch: Made a chicken curry last night. If there was any coconut flavor, it was too subtle to taste. Back to tinned.

[Carlovski]

I think the coconut milk maybe an example where the convenience version is better - the canning company probably has a better (Or at least more suitable) blender and probably gets fresher coconuts than you do.

If you have ready access to fresh coconuts, you probably are better of using for something where the texture can come through - normally the thing which is lost most preserving/packaging process. A nice fresh coconut chutney would be good!

[fresco]

You're probably right. Think most of the canned coconut milk available here comes from Thailand. Not sure where the whole coconut was from, but it was, as they say, a tough nut to crack, which would seem to argue against it being very fresh.

[Big Bunny]

Ideally, I would use canned/store-bought stuff for my self, then switch

to cooking more from scratch for company.

Paradoxically, when I cook for company is when I need the convenience.

If there is time for prep, that is not a major problem. Otherwise, fine herbes

and olive oil can do wonders for canned green beans (I know, I know).

I started using Mae Ploy coconut milk years ago, haven't fooled with a

coconut since. Chaokoh (sp?) is good, too.

I love to do things like pickles and liqueurs. One of my favorite books is

Aglaia Kremezi's "Mediterranean Pantry". I make her cherry liqueur most

years, did two batches with two kinds of cherries this year.

I am fascinated by pickles in general, everything from Vlasic to home-made

pao cai. I think that Irene Kuo even gives a recipe for fried pao cai on its

own as a dish.

Anyway, if the meal "works", it will be greater than the sum of its parts.

Oh, yes! A good home-made sherbet of whatever is in season covers all sins.

BB

[eskimoted]

There's another thing that seems to get people all excited and that's using a mortar and pestle for curry pastes.

I'm in favour of mortar and pestle for certain things, but I have to say for most curry pastes that I'm going to cook slowly for ages the blender is much easier and there is no difference in outcome.

On the other hand - neither fresh turmeric nor galangal are replaceable by their dried versions.

[jrufusj]

You're probably right. Think most of the canned coconut milk available here comes from Thailand. Not sure where the whole coconut was from, but it was, as they say, a tough nut to crack, which would seem to argue against it being very fresh.

Agreed that a lot of the difference will come from the source and freshness of the product available to make the scratch version.

When I lived in Bangkok, I had two coconut palms in the garden at my house. Thus, I made coconut milk and cream from scratch. Now, in Korea, the coconuts I have access to in the stores are mediocre at best and I use the tinned coconut milk from Thailand, which gives better results.

Coconut milk is one of those items where I can get reasonable (actually quite good) substitution out of the tinned product. Many other things I simply do without when they are (a) not in season or (b) not available locacally with sufficient quality and © I don't have a freash stash recently smuggled in from wherever they can be adequately sourced. I did without limes for almost a year and a half until I found a small vegetable stall with Thai-type and Thai-quality limes. The ones that come into the grocery stores are abysmal -- black market American limes smuggled off the military base -- totally lacking in flavor and costing about a buvk a piece.

Jim