Camping, Princess Style

[Shelby]

16 minutes ago, Smithy said:

 

Thanks for that information. What internal temperature would you use in this case?

I shoot for 145F when I'm doing fish.

[Dave the Cook]

Three things:

1. I get nervous when a recipe calls for fish that's browned on one side, then finished in the oven. It seems subject to too many variables to be repeatable. What works for @Ann_T or @Smithy might not work for me because 1) my pan could be more or less conductive; 2) my burner is hotter or cooler than theirs, causing more or less carryover; 3) my (or their) oven could be out of calibration; 4) my fish is thinner or thicker than theirs; 5) the moon might be in the inappropriate phase; or 6) I'm holding my mouth wrong.
2. I notice that you bake your tots in the oven. I encourage you to shallow-fry them instead. This gives you much better control over browning (unlike, say, fish). But more importantly, tots hold their temp and crunch for several minutes off the heat. Given that, in your dinner scenario, the fish takes practically no time in the oven, you can finish the tots and keep them in a warm spot (they can even withstand a few minutes in a napkin-wrapped basket) while the fish does its thing. 
3. Not to second-guess as formidable a cook as @Shelby, but I think 145°F is too high, no matter what the FDA says. I want 125 - 130, with salmon on the low end and firm white fish higher. That's for finfish -- shrimp are about the same, but scallops and lobster can go a little hotter: 135 to 140°F.

[rotuts]

@Dave the Cook 

 

very interesting points 

 

re : tots : 

 

I do much better in the CSO , on parchment paper 

 

steam , no steam not the point

 

I punch in a number , from experience 

 

will work w the tots inside

 

maybe a few seconds more.

 

and its done , crunching as i like , etc

 

Re Fish Temps :

 

Im in complete agreement w youy

 

and Im hopeful @Shelby 

 

will think about it.

[Shelby]

I will say that I mostly fry fish like crappie, drum, catfish and bass.....145 seems to be how we like it.  A google tells me Halibut should be 130 to 135--lower if you like it rarer......I think I've only done halibut a few times and it's been a long time ago.  I don't remember hating it lol......

[Ann_T]

I'm not a fan of fish, with the exception of Halibut.  I love halibut. 

 

If fish is going to be finished in the oven, like the parmesan crusted halibut, regardless of pan,  you only need to brown one side because once it is

turned and placed in the oven, the other side will automatically brown.   At 450°F, I find that 5 minutes is usually sufficient time.   If the filet is 

really thick, a minute or two longer and if a thin cut, then a minute less.  

 

I do prefer my fish cooked and not on the rare side.

 

 

[Smithy]

A few posts ago I promised to show you a new-to-me green bean recipe my friend and I tried in San Diego. Last night I cooked that dish, but there was so much kitchen chaos that my only photo is of dinner. Not that it's a difficult recipe, but it has a technique that I think is a real winner. For the recipe and full description of the steps, go to Green Bean Salad with Toasted Almonds & Feta on the Cookie + Kate website. The new step to me is something Kate says she "borrowed" from America's Test Kitchen: steam the beans in a covered skillet with a little water, and when they're nearly tender then lift the lid and cook off the water. I can tell you from a near-disaster that this is no time to be distracted! Once the water boils off the beans can burn quickly. I had to remove the beans and clean the skillet it to get the char off before adding the dressing. Anyway, the basic steps are:

• toast the nuts in a dry skillet, then remove them to a small dish
• add the beans and water (and a bit of salt) to the skillet, cover and steam until nearly tender, then remove the lid and cook the water off
• meanwhile, mix up a vinaigrette
• when the bean water is cooked off, add the vinaigrette, nuts and some feta, and toss
• garnish with more feta, lemon zest and some basil (I didn't have any), then serve.

The recipe scaler has a hilarious algorithm error. I told Kate about it in my comments; she thanked me and may get around to correcting it. I immortalized it for your amusement in case she does.

 

 

 

The green beans were a hit last night, and so were the pork steaks.

 

 

(His shirt says "I'm not arguing I'm just explaining why I'm right". We got them for each other!)

[Smithy]

We've seen the sun rise from behind the mountains for the last time this spring.

 

 

It's getting warmer, but still windy (and windy...and windy...) and yesterday was a fully-scheduled day with a late finish. We opted for a quick and easy dinner: pre-breaded fish, Tater Tots, and planned-over green beans. I decided to follow @Dave the Cook' advice.

 

On 2/4/2022 at 1:21 PM, Dave the Cook said:

I notice that you bake your tots in the oven. I encourage you to shallow-fry them instead. This gives you much better control over browning (unlike, say, fish). But more importantly, tots hold their temp and crunch for several minutes off the heat. Given that, in your dinner scenario, the fish takes practically no time in the oven, you can finish the tots and keep them in a warm spot (they can even withstand a few minutes in a napkin-wrapped basket) while the fish does its thing. 

 

Clearly, I'm inept at shallow frying. The tots disintegrated.

 

 

Mind you, they were good - but might as well have been hash browns from the outset. I'll be pleased to try shallow-frying them again with further guidance, but since we finished that package I think the next effort will be shredded potatoes for hash browns.

 

It was also the last of the Van de Kamp's beer-battered filets. They were good.

 

 

The green beans from a couple of nights ago are also still good. Did y'all spot the algorithm error in the recipe scaler? I thought it funny, but since the shirts are also funny I don't know which joke prompted the laughs.

[DesertTinker]

9 minutes ago, Smithy said:

 

 

…It's getting warmer, but still windy (and windy...and windy...)…

 

Clearly, I'm inept at shallow frying. The tots disintegrated.

 

 

 

The green beans from a couple of nights ago are also still good. Did y'all spot the algorithm error in the recipe scaler? I thought it funny, but since the shirts are also funny I don't know which joke prompted the laughs.

This has been a very windy year here too!

 

Awww! Your poor little tots!😱

 

Love the shirts, but it was definitely the green bean error, once I found it. 🤪

 

(Sorry for the weird formatting, “quotes” are acting up for me.)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

35 minutes ago, Smithy said:

The green beans from a couple of nights ago are also still good. Did y'all spot the algorithm error in the recipe scaler? I thought it funny, but since the shirts are also funny I don't know which joke prompted the laughs.

 

I had to go back to look to find it!

 

[blue_dolphin]

8 hours ago, Smithy said:

Clearly, I'm inept at shallow frying. The tots disintegrated.

 

Of course this reminds me of our dearly departed @Toliver:

On 8/28/2020 at 5:47 PM, Toliver said:

A nice cast iron skillet (with oil) would crisp them up, as well.

I recall after my mom passed we had a group of family and friends come over for breakfast. One friend had never had skillet-fried tots before (always oven-baked at his house ) and I was talking up how crusty and wonderful they get in the cast iron skillet when my asshat oldest brother came into the kitchen to "help" me and stirred the crap out of the tots, obliterating the crusty parts and mushing the soft interiors until you could no longer see individual tots. I was furious with him for doing that and literally threw him out of the kitchen.

There are those who understand The Tot, and those who remain ignorant all their lives. 

[gfweb]

On 2/4/2022 at 2:29 PM, Smithy said:

 

Thanks for that information. What internal temperature would you use in this case?

 

Halibut takes more heat than salmon.

Guessing ...130F?

[Smithy]

1 hour ago, blue_dolphin said:

 

Of course this reminds me of our dearly departed @Toliver:

 

Oh, thank you for that! I'd forgotten his little explanation of it...and I miss him too. That quote is a good (and funny) reminder.

[weinoo]

On 2/6/2022 at 1:19 PM, Smithy said:

The new step to me is something Kate says she "borrowed" from America's Test Kitchen: steam the beans in a covered skillet with a little water, and when they're nearly tender then lift the lid and cook off the water.

 

Methinks ATK might've "borrowed" that technique from a million others; Jacques does it with peas as well. You can also throw a tablespoon of butter in there when the water is almost cooked off, and have a nice little saucy thing going on.

[heidih]

3 hours ago, weinoo said:

 

Methinks ATK might've "borrowed" that technique from a million others; Jacques does it with peas as well. You can also throw a tablespoon of butter in there when the water is almost cooked off, and have a nice little saucy thing going on.

The version with butter is often suggested as a way to explore n unfamiiar vegetable, esp a green one. I knw where I first saw it but forgot the writer's namepublication. Works for me.

[Smithy]

3 hours ago, weinoo said:

 

Methinks ATK might've "borrowed" that technique from a million others; Jacques does it with peas as well. You can also throw a tablespoon of butter in there when the water is almost cooked off, and have a nice little saucy thing going on.

 

25 minutes ago, heidih said:

The version with butter is often suggested as a way to explore n unfamiiar vegetable, esp a green one. I knw where I first saw it but forgot the writer's namepublication. Works for me.

 

Come to think of it, that's what I did with a package of mixed vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, carrot) a week or two ago, because I was looking for something easy. We were both quite happy with the result from steam, a bit of butter and some curry powder.

 

I just didn't remember that I'd "borrowed" the technique from somewhere else. A friend in college used to say "Originality is concealing your source." 😄

[Dave the Cook]

On 2/8/2022 at 1:02 PM, Smithy said:

Clearly, I'm inept at shallow frying. The tots disintegrated.

 

 

Mind you, they were good - but might as well have been hash browns from the outset. I'll be pleased to try shallow-frying them again with further guidance, but since we finished that package I think the next effort will be shredded potatoes for hash browns.

 

I weep for your tots.

 

It seems we have different definitions of "shallow frying." By our definition, "shallow frying" means tots go in a single layer, in enough oil to come halfway up their sides (probably about 1/4" in this case). So "shallow" is not in comparison to no oil at all. it's in reference to deep frying. Bring the oil up to heat before tot application (a single sacrificial tot can be deployed; when he starts sizzling merrily, it's time for the rest.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

2 hours ago, Dave the Cook said:

 

I weep for your tots.

 

It seems we have different definitions of "shallow frying." By our definition, "shallow frying" means tots go in a single layer, in enough oil to come halfway up their sides (probably about 1/4" in this case). So "shallow" is not in comparison to no oil at all. it's in reference to deep frying. Bring the oil up to heat before tot application (a single sacrificial tot can be deployed; when he starts sizzling merrily, it's time for the rest.

 

 

In context, what is the advantage of shallow frying over deep frying?

 

[gfweb]

10 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

In context, what is the advantage of shallow frying over deep frying?

 

For me, less oil and quicker heating (which isn't nothing).

But if I had a deep fryer loaded and ready, I'd use that happily.

[Dave the Cook]

What @gfweb said, although I'd add that the "less oil" part also means less to deal with afterwards, and "loaded and ready" implies the existence of someone/something to filter and store the oil, and clean up the fryer.

 

Also, there is, or seems to be, a bit more participation with shallow frying. A deep fryer isn't exactly a black box, but you cede some measure of control when cooking with it. It's kind of like when using a pressure cooker. Based on experience and external reference, you know what's supposed to happen when you lock that lid (or, in the case of a deep fryer, drop that basket), but a bit of finger-crossing accompanies he action. Or maybe that's just me. 

[gfweb]

7 minutes ago, Dave the Cook said:

What @gfweb said, although I'd add that the "less oil" part also means less to deal with afterwards, and "loaded and ready" implies the existence of someone/something to filter and store the oil, and clean up the fryer.

 

Also, there is, or seems to be, a bit more participation with shallow frying. A deep fryer isn't exactly a black box, but you cede some measure of control when cooking with it. It's kind of like when using a pressure cooker. Based on experience and external reference, you know what's supposed to happen when you lock that lid (or, in the case of a deep fryer, drop that basket), but a bit of finger-crossing accompanies he action. Or maybe that's just me. 

Me too.   I like being involved...flipping the thinner piece of chicken sooner etc.

[chileheadmike]

I have a fairly large home deep fryer. I don't use it very often because there is no good way to filter and store the oil. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

1 hour ago, Dave the Cook said:

What @gfweb said, although I'd add that the "less oil" part also means less to deal with afterwards, and "loaded and ready" implies the existence of someone/something to filter and store the oil, and clean up the fryer.

 

Also, there is, or seems to be, a bit more participation with shallow frying. A deep fryer isn't exactly a black box, but you cede some measure of control when cooking with it. It's kind of like when using a pressure cooker. Based on experience and external reference, you know what's supposed to happen when you lock that lid (or, in the case of a deep fryer, drop that basket), but a bit of finger-crossing accompanies he action. Or maybe that's just me. 

 

For deep frying small items such as commercial frozen potatoes, I use a Fissler pressure cooker bottom, for which Frissler makes a frying basket.  The oil does not get all that messy, and I don't see a need to change or filter the oil very often.  When I do filter the oil I use an iSi filter funnel.

 

I once had a deep frying appliance, which I admit was a real pain.  It didn't hold temperature, it was essentially impossible to clean, and it took up enormous counter space.  I store the Fissler pot of oil on top of the blast freezer.  I never clean the Fissler unless I change the oil, but when I do it just goes in the dishwasher.

 

I've played with deep frying chicken in a stockpot.  That is more of an adventure.

 

[Dave the Cook]

4 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

For deep frying small items such as commercial frozen potatoes, I use a Fissler pressure cooker bottom, for which Frissler makes a frying basket.  The oil does not get all that messy, and I don't see a need to change or filter the oil very often.  When I do filter the oil I use an iSi filter funnel.

 

The problem with a dedicated pot, whether it's the bottom of a pressure cooker or a deep fryer, is that it takes up space that can't be used for anything else. Princess-mobiles are notable for the paucity of their storage. 

[quiet1]

51 minutes ago, Dave the Cook said:

 

The problem with a dedicated pot, whether it's the bottom of a pressure cooker or a deep fryer, is that it takes up space that can't be used for anything else. Princess-mobiles are notable for the paucity of their storage. 

Yeah, even if you filtered it back into a jug it’d be annoying to have to store a whole extra bottle of oil. Storage is a constant issue in our RV.

[gfweb]

I've been thru several dedicated fryers. As @JoNorvelleWalkersaid they are bulky and hold temp badly. I like a pot or a pan