Camping, Princess Style

[Anna N]

12 hours ago, Dave the Cook said:

Flavor, I dunno.

Yeah. It has quite a distinctive flavour. If you've had Indian bhaji/pakora then you know the flavour.

[Smithy]

1 hour ago, lindag said:

Most stores that stock Bob's Red Mill products have his rice flour.

Common in the West.

The Red Mill Store is located just outside Portland OR in Milwaukie OR.  I visited the store on numerous occasions when I lived in  Portland and spoke to Bob himself.

(Sorry for the name-dropping).

 

That apology gave me a good morning laugh. Thanks! 

[Smithy]

48 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Yeah. It has quite a distinctive flavour. If you've had Indian bhaji/pakora then you know the flavour.

 

I feared that might be the case. I'll wait to buy rice flour, or else use corn starch (of which I have plenty). Thanks.

[Dave the Cook]

The JAZ™ Method for French fries (my paraphrase)

 

I didn't develop this method, although I have benefitted from the results. Janet ( @JAZ) did all the work. Any errors in the following are mine, not hers. I am pretty sure she relied on Kenji Lopez-Alt, the Kitchn, and a few other resources to cobble this together.

1. Buy as many russet potatoes as you want to eat. One large (~a pound) serves 2 fry lovers.
2. Peel potatoes and cut them into planks about 3/8" wide, then into ~3/8" fries. As you cut them, drop the fries into a big bowl of water to prevent discoloring.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the fries and cook them until they're not quite done --- about 6 minutes. They should still have a tiny bit of snap in their centers.
4. Drain the potatoes from the boiling water. If you have a salad spinner, now's the time to use it. Dump the potatoes in.
5. Lift the basket out of the bowl and pour out the water. If you don't have a salad spinner, jump to step 7 (but really, consider getting a salad spinner).
6. Put the basket back in the bowl and spin to dry the potatoes as much as possible.
7. Put a close-fitting rack into a sheet pan. Cover the rack with two or three layers of paper towels, or a clean kitchen towel. Spread the potatoes on the towels, then add another layer of towel(s) on top. The point here is to get the fries as dry as possible.
8. Remove all the paper towels and redeposit the potatoes directly on the rack. Refrigerate overnight.
9. Fry at 375° until nicely browned. Drain on paper towels. Season to taste while the fries are still warm. 

Now comes the confession. The fries in the photo above were fabulous. But we've done fries twice since then, using that same method, with -- let's say -- variable results. I watched Janet make them all three times, and I fried them all three times. We've been consistent and diligent. But the fact remains that the second batch was not as good as the first, and the third was not as good as the second. I've concluded that it's the potatoes. They vary in ways that consumers can't easily monitor, especially age, carbohydrate and moisture content. Large potato concerns like Ore-Ida and McDonalds can (and I'm sure) do monitor and manage these things. I'm pretty sure that there are programs for selling potatoes to restaurants that do the same thing. 

 

 

[SLB]

On 3/19/2023 at 12:03 AM, Smithy said:

Of course we also loved our respective beverages.

Me, I love those placemats.  

[gilbertlevine]

3 hours ago, Dave the Cook said:

The JAZ™ Method for French fries (my paraphrase)

 

I didn't develop this method, although I have benefitted from the results. Janet ( @JAZ) did all the work. Any errors in the following are mine, not hers. I am pretty sure she relied on Kenji Lopez-Alt, the Kitchn, and a few other resources to cobble this together.

1. Buy as many russet potatoes as you want to eat. One large (~a pound) serves 2 fry lovers.
2. Peel potatoes and cut them into planks about 3/8" wide, then into ~3/8" fries. As you cut them, drop the fries into a big bowl of water to prevent discoloring.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the fries and cook them until they're not quite done --- about 6 minutes. They should still have a tiny bit of snap in their centers.
4. Drain the potatoes from the boiling water. If you have a salad spinner, now's the time to use it. Dump the potatoes in.
5. Lift the basket out of the bowl and pour out the water. If you don't have a salad spinner, jump to step 7 (but really, consider getting a salad spinner).
6. Put the basket back in the bowl and spin to dry the potatoes as much as possible.
7. Put a close-fitting rack into a sheet pan. Cover the rack with two or three layers of paper towels, or a clean kitchen towel. Spread the potatoes on the towels, then add another layer of towel(s) on top. The point here is to get the fries as dry as possible.
8. Remove all the paper towels and redeposit the potatoes directly on the rack. Refrigerate overnight.
9. Fry at 375° until nicely browned. Drain on paper towels. Season to taste while the fries are still warm. 

Now comes the confession. The fries in the photo above were fabulous. But we've done fries twice since then, using that same method, with -- let's say -- variable results. I watched Janet make them all three times, and I fried them all three times. We've been consistent and diligent. But the fact remains that the second batch was not as good as the first, and the third was not as good as the second. I've concluded that it's the potatoes. They vary in ways that consumers can't easily monitor, especially age, carbohydrate and moisture content. Large potato concerns like Ore-Ida and McDonalds can (and I'm sure) do monitor and manage these things. I'm pretty sure that there are programs for selling potatoes to restaurants that do the same thing. 

 

 

 

[gilbertlevine]

@Dave the Cook my experience making fries from scratch in restaurants echos your results. They will be fine for 11 months then out of the blue we can’t get them to work ,changing potatoes and suppliers doesn’t help, it’s the potatoes! I’ve read that that’s why Thomas Keller uses frozen. Fries  at his bouchon restaurants, I wonder how a place like Balthazar in Manhattan manage to keep their fries consistent 
 

[Smithy]

Interesting about the potatoes. Anyone who has been reading this topic for a while knows that my darling LOVES potatoes cubed and crisped, in his version of hash. The thing is, he can't always get them to get crisp in the frying pan. We've attributed it to small variations in the oil:potato:skillet proportions, despite measuring...except...a year or two ago, we stored the potatoes in the same cooler as a bunch of citrus and the potatoes had a noticeably yellow cast. They stubbornly refused to crisp up by his usual methods. 

 

We stopped storing potatoes in the same cooler as citrus, but maybe there are other factors at work too.

[Smithy]

We made our (realio, trulio) last trip to Yuma and purchased our (realio, trulio) last batch of groceries before we move camp. Couldn't find rice flour. I remember this problem some years ago, when I was determined to make Dutch Crunch (aka giraffe, or leopard) bread. Perhaps I was too pressed for time, but I couldn't find it in this well-stocked store. Cornstarch it is. Or will be, in a few days. I bought a fresh container to be sure I'd have enough. And I bought beer!

 

 

Hey, any port excuse in a storm.

[Anna N]

6 hours ago, Smithy said:

We stopped storing potatoes in the same cooler as citrus, but maybe there are other factors at work too.

Remember the warning about storing potatoes in the refrigerator? Well I have recently noticed that the instructions for storing tiny potatoes are to refrigerate them!  That intrigued me. And lo and behold -- click.  so I wonder if storing them in the refrigerator might lead to more consistent results. It's just a thought.

[lindag]

9 hours ago, Smithy said:

We made our (realio, trulio) last trip to Yuma and purchased our (realio, trulio) last batch of groceries before we move camp. Couldn't find rice flour. I remember this problem some years ago, when I was determined to make Dutch Crunch (aka giraffe, or leopard) bread. Perhaps I was too pressed for time, but I couldn't find it in this well-stocked store. Cornstarch it is. Or will be, in a few days. I bought a fresh container to be sure I'd have enough. And I bought beer!

 

 

Hey, any port excuse in a storm.

'Kilt Lifter"?

Reminds me of the old St. Patrick's Day joke about not letting the wind at your back be the result of the corned beef and cabbage you had for lunch.  😀

[Smithy]

4 hours ago, Anna N said:

Remember the warning about storing potatoes in the refrigerator? Well I have recently noticed that the instructions for storing tiny potatoes are to refrigerate them!  That intrigued me. And lo and behold -- click.  so I wonder if storing them in the refrigerator might lead to more consistent results. It's just a thought.

 

Well, who knew?! Not that we have any room in the refrigerator, but it's interesting to see the updated information. Thanks.

[FauxPas]

6 hours ago, Anna N said:

Remember the warning about storing potatoes in the refrigerator? Well I have recently noticed that the instructions for storing tiny potatoes are to refrigerate them!  That intrigued me. And lo and behold -- click.  so I wonder if storing them in the refrigerator might lead to more consistent results. It's just a thought.

 

We've always been advised to refrigerate new potatoes like the Warba variety that we get in the Spring. They are truly a new potato and don't have a proper skin when harvested and they aren't cured at all. But in warmer places like AZ and Mexico, I kept most new potatoes in the fridge. I don't think I'd do that with russets though. 

[MaryIsobel]

4 hours ago, FauxPas said:

 

We've always been advised to refrigerate new potatoes like the Warba variety that we get in the Spring. They are truly a new potato and don't have a proper skin when harvested and they aren't cured at all. But in warmer places like AZ and Mexico, I kept most new potatoes in the fridge. I don't think I'd do that with russets though. 

Like FauxPas, I have always kept "new potatoes" in the fridge. Russets live in a basket in the pantry, I've never had a problem but then I am not buying 50 pound sacks - usually four at a time.

[heidih]

28 minutes ago, MaryIsobel said:

Like FauxPas, I have always kept "new potatoes" in the fridge. Russets live in a basket in the pantry, I've never had a problem but then I am not buying 50 pound sacks - usually four at a time.

Me too on cool dark pantry and i donlt buy a lot. BUT keep them from the onions - seems to negatively affect lifespan.

[Kim Shook]

@Smithy – those shrimp in the Bolivar are gorgeous!

 

@Dave the Cook – your coating is perfect.  I’ve saved your directions.

 

We keep lots of frozen vegetables on hand.  I love frozen corn and butter beans.  I buy the bags of sliced carrots for soup because they get tender so quickly. I haven’t bought frozen broccoli or cauliflower in years, but since I’m not supposed to eat cooked from fresh of either of those, I tried the frozen kind and found that the quality of both have improved so much over the years.  I get the microwave bag of broccoli and the seasoned cauliflower that you roast and we like both of them very much.  I detest frozen green beans – I’ve never found a brand yet that gets tender.  I’m usually a canned or dried legume person, but I’ve also tried frozen black eyed peas and field peas during the pandemic shortages and found them pretty good. 

[Dave the Cook]

On 3/23/2023 at 9:29 AM, lindag said:

Most stores that stock Bob's Red Mill products have his rice flour.

Common in the West.

The Red Mill Store is located just outside Portland OR in Milwaukie OR.  I visited the store on numerous occasions when I lived in  Portland and spoke to Bob himself.

(Sorry for the name-dropping).

 

Bob's seems to be a national brand. We can get it in Atlanta, and my SIL in Ohio has no problem sourcing their stuff. Their white rice flour  is good and dependable. It's also expensive -- about twice what we pay for the blue-box stuff (pictured here) we get at the local mercado. It's only 2 -3 bucks in absolute terms, but you know how things add up. Pretty soon you're talking about real money.

[heidih]

I get my rice flour from Asian markets.  Often comes in small bags so nice if not a staple in your cooking. 

[Smithy]

A Mexican market is not far from our next stop. I'll look there for the rice flour. 

[heidih]

From experience I initially used rice flour in my batter for fried zucchini flowers and herbs. I've subbed cornstarch with no noticeable difference. 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

3 hours ago, Smithy said:

A Mexican market is not far from our next stop. I'll look there for the rice flour. 

I have found that Asian rice flour is a different product from Mexican rice flour.    Asian is a powder; Mexican is a finely granular.   I haven't noticed a difference as used in tempura batter.  

[Smithy]

13 hours ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

I have found that Asian rice flour is a different product from Mexican rice flour.    Asian is a powder; Mexican is a finely granular.   I haven't noticed a difference as used in tempura batter.  

 

Thanks for that. As I recall, my Bob's Red Mill rice flour (still at home) is granular, not powdery. Given my current travel circumstances, I'll settle for whatever I can find...and Asian isn't in it around here. I'll have a chance to look around tomorrow, I think, at the local Mexican market.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

19 minutes ago, Smithy said:

 

Thanks for that. As I recall, my Bob's Red Mill rice flour (still at home) is granular, not powdery. Given my current travel circumstances, I'll settle for whatever I can find...and Asian isn't in it around here. I'll have a chance to look around tomorrow, I think, at the local Mexican market.

IMHO you can sub cornstarch or other non-gluten flour for rice flour without hazard.

[Smithy]

1 minute ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

IMHO you can sub cornstarch or other non-gluten flour for rice flour without hazard.

 

That's what Dave said, but since he and JAZ had settled on rice flour I thought I'd try that first if possible.

[Anna N]

20 minutes ago, Smithy said:

 

That's what Dave said, but since he and JAZ had settled on rice flour I thought I'd try that first if possible.

I am with you and Dave. If you possibly can get the rice flour.