Absurdly, stupidly basic cooking questions (Part 1)

[Sleepy_Dragon]

...re: snapper fillets curling up, scoring skin...

yes i am missing the word "way", however fish is being pan fried not grilled, any ideas.

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It sounds like the skin is shrinking faster than the meat, is that what you mean?

Should be cooking presentation side down first, then flip to cook the skin side, at a rate to match the shrinkage of the presentation side. If the fillets are thin, this is very little time for both sides. It sounds like the pan is too hot, or the cooking time on the skin side is too long.

Pat

[kelautz]

Not sure this is in the category of an answer to the question about how to store a large wheel of cheese, but its a great story.

Bought a "books-on-tape" of Pepy's Diary, figuring I'd never read the book myself, but I could listen to it during my commute. It was wonderful.

Samuel Pepys lived through the Great Fire of London in 1666. His house and all of his belongings were in danger of being consumed by the flames that no human effort could stop. His plans for evacuating the house included burying his valuables in the garden, safe, presumably, from looters as well as the flames. One of the things he buried in the garden, along with his silver was a large wheel of Parmigiano cheese.

Nice to know that even back then, it was considered a treasure. His house survived the fire, and apparently so did the cheese. Not recommending this as a storage method, though.

Kathy

[jm chen]

Every time I grill an inch-thick steak on my grill pan, it gets all burnt up on the outside before the inside is warmed through.

Is the pan too hot or too cold? Should I just put the damn thing under the broiler? Or just buy thinner steaks?

[Genny]

Every time I grill an inch-thick steak on my grill pan, it gets all burnt up on the outside before the inside is warmed through.

Is the pan too hot or too cold? Should I just put the damn thing under the broiler? Or just buy thinner steaks?

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Sounds like it is too hot. I generally sear my steak and then throw it in a preheated 350 oven for 5-10 minutes, depending on the thickness and desired doneness.

[Busboy]

Every time I grill an inch-thick steak on my grill pan, it gets all burnt up on the outside before the inside is warmed through.

Is the pan too hot or too cold? Should I just put the damn thing under the broiler? Or just buy thinner steaks?

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Sounds like it is too hot. I generally sear my steak and then throw it in a preheated 350 oven for 5-10 minutes, depending on the thickness and desired doneness.

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I usually let steaks -- and most meat -- sit out on the counter for an hour or so before cooking them so that the internal temperature comes rises and it takes less time to warm through.

[eatrustic]

I agree with searing the meat and into the oven "restaurant style". My little apartment range hood isn't strong enough to suck up all the greasy smoke from a stove top and this way I minimalize the fumes.

I use the same pan I seared in so as to not lose the sizzle and a 425F oven for steaks (just a few minutes for rare to med rare with a 3-4 minute rest period - out of the pan- when finished).

[Grub]

I never understood the restaurant-style super-hot method of cooking steaks, with 1000F+ temperatures... Last time I had a fillet mignon at Morton's it was charred like hell on the outside, and a lot less than medium-rare on the inside -- I mean, the outside bits were just unpleasant...

When cooking a steak, why not just do it in a simple frying pan, over medium-high heat? Simple Steak au Poivre recipe comes out perfect every time this way, medium-rare.

[Shalmanese]

I've become a convert of the Fat Guy approach to cooking steaks. Make sure you have thick steaks and cook them in lots of butter at medium-low heat for a longish period of time. You get a beautiful crust and the meat comes out medium rare every time.

[jm chen]

Longish like... 20 minutes? 30 minutes? I think I'll try the butter method next...

[jess mebane]

I've got a bottle of dry marsala that came into play once or twice; how long will it keep?

[larousse]

very quick one, is there any particular you should score the skin on a snapper fillet to stop the blooming thing from curling into a fishy swiss roll. any help very much appreciated.

Alex.

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Score the skin perpendicular to the way it swims. three to four cuts whould be enough. Make sure yiur pan is hot, almost smoking and theyre is enough fat (oil) in the pan. Cook it skin side down and press on it as soon as you put it in the pan, down't shake it. Keep pressing and you'll feel the fish relax. Reduce the heat to medium or lower if you wish until it browns enough where it doesn't stick. Good luck,

[larousse]

Fennel (the vegetable not the seed) will decompose or ferment in oil without oxygen. Pretty much anything perishable food with enough moisture present will go rancid without the presence of enough acid, sugar or salt. To make simple fennel oil:

Toast a lot of fennel seed in a pan with one or two pieces of star anise. Add grapeseed oi and bring up to 180-200 degrees or so. Leave it to steep on the counter for 3 hours then refridgerate for up to a month. Good luck,

[Shalmanese]

Longish like... 20 minutes? 30 minutes? I think I'll try the butter method next...

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Uh, more like 10 minutes per side instead of the usual 3 - 5.

[Smithy]

I've got a bottle of dry marsala that came into play once or twice; how long will it keep?

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I think mine kept for well over a year - maybe 2, given the way stuff hangs around in my cupboards - without deteriorating before I used it up.

[NulloModo]

I never understood the restaurant-style super-hot method of cooking steaks, with 1000F+ temperatures... Last time I had a fillet mignon at Morton's it was charred like hell on the outside, and a lot less than medium-rare on the inside -- I mean, the outside bits were just unpleasant...

When cooking a steak, why not just do it in a simple frying pan, over medium-high heat? Simple Steak au Poivre recipe comes out perfect every time this way, medium-rare.

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I suppose it's different strokes for different folks. I love and crave those carbonized bits, and I generally prefer my steaks to be very crusty on the outside, and nearly raw in the inside.

I wish I could figure a way at home to give that kind of char to a steak without taking the middle outside of barely rare territory.

[mrbigjas]

I wish I could figure a way at home to give that kind of char to a steak without taking the middle outside of barely rare territory.

have you tried using a thicker steak and starting off with it colder? like, directly out of the fridge and into a ridiculously hot cast iron pan? or even freezing it for 10-15 minutes?

i mean, i don't know this from doing it; it just seems to make sense that if it was colder to start with and the pan/grill was still way hot, you'd have a much better chance of charring the outside while the inside stayed cool--because the outside would in contact with the heat, but the inside has a much larger temperature range to go through before it gets to 115 or 120 or whatever you consider barely rare.

[Shalmanese]

I never understood the restaurant-style super-hot method of cooking steaks, with 1000F+ temperatures... Last time I had a fillet mignon at Morton's it was charred like hell on the outside, and a lot less than medium-rare on the inside -- I mean, the outside bits were just unpleasant...

When cooking a steak, why not just do it in a simple frying pan, over medium-high heat? Simple Steak au Poivre recipe comes out perfect every time this way, medium-rare.

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I suppose it's different strokes for different folks. I love and crave those carbonized bits, and I generally prefer my steaks to be very crusty on the outside, and nearly raw in the inside.

I wish I could figure a way at home to give that kind of char to a steak without taking the middle outside of barely rare territory.

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If you can't get a steak to carbon black on the outside before you've reached barely warm in the middle, you've:

a) not got a thick enough steak

b) not got a hot enough pan

c) not got enough conductivity between the steak and the pan.

[Grub]

Question: how long does this miso paste last? I got this a couple of months ago, used it once, kept in the fridge. There are no expiration dates on it. There's a clear "cling-wrap" seal (broken of course, since I've used it) over the top, in case that looks odd.

[lexy]

Question: how long does this miso paste last?

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I read in a cookbook once that it keeps "virtually forever" (a Deborah Madison one, I think). I have a tub in my fridge that I've had for 6 months (opened), and it still tastes ok to me.

[hathor]

Fennel (the vegetable not the seed) will decompose or ferment in oil without oxygen.  Pretty much anything perishable food with enough moisture present will go rancid without the presence of enough acid, sugar or salt.  To make simple fennel oil:

Toast a lot of fennel seed in a pan with one or two pieces of star anise.  Add grapeseed oi and bring up to 180-200 degrees or so.  Leave it to steep on the counter for 3 hours then refridgerate for up to a month. Good luck,

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Thanks!! Its been bugging me..as well as entertaining us at it bubbles away. So...you're saying you can't use fresh fennel to infuse an oil? OK, fennel seed will give another flavor, which is not objectionable, but just not what I was aiming for. What about fresh pea infused oil?

[godito]

you can use fresh fennel to do an oil. You have two options:

1. Use the fronds, maybe mix with some parsley amd do the same as you would any other herb oil (blanch in boiling water for 10-15 seconds, chill, drain, blend with oil). You will get green oil with the flavor of fennel

2. This one is a bit trickier. Something like majking carrot oil. Juice the fennel, strain, and blend the juice with oil..., it's like making an emulsion. This one will separate easier than the herb oil, and the color will not be as vibrant, but it will work.

I recommend the first method. Add a little salt and you can serve it on the plate like that for color and flavor. And don't forget to strain!

[hathor]

you can use fresh fennel to do an oil. You have two options:

1. Use the fronds, maybe mix with some parsley amd do the same as you would any other herb oil (blanch in boiling water for 10-15 seconds, chill, drain, blend with oil). You will get green oil with the flavor of fennel

2. This one is a bit trickier. Something like majking carrot oil. Juice the fennel, strain, and blend the juice with oil..., it's like making an emulsion. This one will separate easier than the herb oil, and the color will not be as vibrant, but it will work.

I recommend the first method. Add a little salt and you can serve it on the plate like that for color and flavor. And don't forget to strain!

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Gracias godito!! I'll give that a try and see how it goes! (Plan 1...Plan 2 sounds like it might separate..)

[Grub]

Question: how long does this miso paste last?

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I read in a cookbook once that it keeps "virtually forever" (a Deborah Madison one, I think). I have a tub in my fridge that I've had for 6 months (opened), and it still tastes ok to me.

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Thanks very much!

[Saborosa]

I've heard of folks being able to press on the steak and know its doneness.  What's the trick?

First, take a glass of cold water out to the grill to dip your finger in before you poke the meat. I do this because I am a wuss.

Best way I ever heard this described was the 'face' method. Dip your finger into the water, then poke the steak. If it feels like the middle of your cheek, it's rare. If it feels like your chin (soft but with some bounce-back), it's medium. If it feels like the tip of your nose, it's well-done.

I've heard the same thing about using your face for reference, but I've always used my earlobe to judge a rare steak - I find it works better since my cheek feels different every time I poke at it.

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and I've heard similar but using your hand, and this to judge a tuna steak. Pinch your thumb and index finger of one hand together and then poke the bit of your palm underneath your thumb (what's the name for this?) with your index finger of your other hand. This is 'rare'. Thumb and middle finger is medium and thumb and ring finger is overdone, apparently. But can't we all feel the difference between soft, hard and inbetween without a reference?

[anzu]

I love this thread. Finally, the place to ask things I've been unsure about.

These are embarassing, since they reveal not only my ignorance but most of them also make it sound as if I would fail food hygiene 101 and that my house is teaming with contagion and rotting food. Really, it's not. These questions have been building up over a long time!

Deep breath. Here goes:

1) Olives. I usually buy them loose, which means that they are no longer covered in brine once they were scooped out by the salesperson. I keep them in the same container I've brought them home in, which is usually either a small plastic tub or a plastic bag. Within a couple of days in the fridge they are often covered with small whitish specks and/or a sticky brinelike substance seems to be surrounding the oilves, but is way stickier than brine.

Are my olives going bad? If so, is there some better way I could be storing them to stop or retard the process?

2) Anchovy paste in a tube. How long can it be kept safely after opening? No tube I've ever bought says this, but surely its life must be limited? I know it's filled with heaps of salt, but it is still fish after all.

3) Dried kidney beans. Even though I buy these from places with a fast turnover, buy the newest stuff possible, and they also get consumed very quickly at our place, the dried beans often have a faint whitish powdery coating on them which appears to disappear when I wash them. Is it mold and should I be worried about it?

4) Fresh bay leaves. My tree is about two feet high. Is there an optimal place I should be picking the leaves from off the tree, so that growth will be stimulated and the tree not be damaged? Or are laurel trees not so sensitive to such things?

5) Left over wine that I'd like to use at some later point in cooking. Is it okay to freeze it?

6) Indian carrot pickle. My mother in law makes a traditional North Indian black carrot pickle every winter. This involves black carrots, about 8 cups of water, 1 teaspoon crushed mustard seeds, and 2 tablespoons salt. You put the lot in a big jar and leave it in the sun for about 4-5 days. This is during winter in Delhi, so temperatures are very roughly comparable with the temperatures in California. One is meant to drink the liquid and eat the carrot pieces.

I have NEVER dared eat any of this pickle - I've got bad food poisoning from my mother in law's food a couple of times and now always err on the side of caution. But, should it actually be okay?? Are the quantities of salt and mustard in this much water enough to make this stuff safe, or is it just sitting there and breeding up a whole bunch of bacteria?