mommasue's Profile
best immersion blender?
I just bought the Kalorik based on the CI review, and it is a piece of S***. I used it ONCE to mix protein powder, water, and half a banana and the plastic housing has already started to separate, plus it didn't do such a great job mixing.My Cuisinart didn't stand up, and all I use this for is pureeing soups in the pot and such--I don't try to use it for jobs it's not designed for. So, I am looking for a durable and useful tool. I guess I'll look at some of the suggested ones in this thread.
poaching a whole salmon - method suggestions
My only suggestion--if you use the cheesecloth, make sure you unwrap it fairly soon after you remove it to cool. I made the mistake of leaving it wrapped--when I tried to unwrap the fully cooled fish, the cheesecloth was tearing the flesh. :(
Otherwise, whole poached salmon is wonderful, great party do-ahead which really saves time when you are entertaining.
Olive Oil Poached Fish
@Artemis, sorry I missed your question...just FYI, I poached salmon last night using strained oil previously used & kept in the fridge--I shouldn't even admit this--several months ago! Before I used it, I brought it up to room temperature and gave it a sniff--no odor to speak of, so I used it. I use a coffee filter set into a canning funnel to strain the oil into a glass canning jar; I leave the dregs in the pan & toss. I find I can use this several times--3 anyway--I toss when it really smells of fish. Fine Cooking says 3 weeks, but I'm telling you, I've certainly kept mine longer...in the refrigerator of course.
Olive Oil Poached Fish
Fine Cooking did a great article on this several months ago, and it's become my go-to method: they want you to preheat your oven to 225, heat your EVO on the stove top, slip your ROOM TEMPERATURE fish into the oil (it's not too hot, around 170) and then immediately move the pot into the 2250 oven. I think they want 20-25 minutes, I can't recall. I'm sure you can look it up online. Perfect fish every time, no fish smell in your kitchen, and I strain, refridge & re-use the oil 3-5 times (for fish poaching only).
The Great Pumpkin Pie Cook-Off! CooksIllus vs. Epicurious vs. Libby's
@colonelcrunch, I took a look at the KAF recipe, you made me curious...they explain that mixing the day before helps to bloom the seasonings--which is why CI cooks the filling. Also the pre-cooking that CI calls for reduces moisture & concentrates/intensifies the flavors. If you like the KAF, I think you'd like the CI also.
The Great Pumpkin Pie Cook-Off! CooksIllus vs. Epicurious vs. Libby's
Boy, I'm in the minority here...I made the CI (2008 recipe) and I thought it was perfect! No cracks in the pie, perfectly smooth, dense custard...but I confess, I didn't make their crust, I just used a store-bought. I've been doing Libby's for years, and I like it very much--but Libby's doesn't call for straining the filling, so I can't agree that you made Libby's. The straining is a key difference in approach, right?
Now--I made my TG pie using Libby's pumpkin & Bruce's yams. Yesterday I made another with Libby's pumpkin & America's Choice yams and it was no where near as good.
Love that you did a comparison test!
Freezer alarm?
OK, so I had a freezer (in the garage) go 'dark' for...who knows how long? Everything was warm & stinky, total loss, freezer had to go, and we got a new one.
Just realized the NEW one was off, food still cold, crisis averted. I think I need a freezer alarm! Any recommendations?
Thanks!
50th birthday dinner / 3 couples
I think Il Vagabondo is fun. Neighborhood Italian place with a bocce ball court inside. Food is very good Northern Italian. Rumored to have the best chicken parm in the city. I had a fabulous osso bucco there. Large tables. Easy to talk.
351 E 62nd St
NYC, NY 10065
(212) 832-9221
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Il Vagabondo
351 E 62nd St, New York, NY 10065
Duck under pressure?
Hi Chow Hounds,
Recently made Alton Brown's duck--the one you cut into quarters, steam for 45 minutes & then finish in a hot cast iron pan to crisp the skin. It was great. Worked perfectly. Here's my question: do you think I can do the steaming part in the pressure cooker? Say, duck under pressure for 15 minutes, or maybe 10 with natural release, then finish in the hot pan? I know he's cooking/rendering fat with the long slow steam, just wondering if pressure would have the same result. What do you all think?
Thanks in advance!
Alton Brown's steamed/roasted duck parts - total, utter failure
I made it the other night--followed the directions & it was perfect. Breasts were completely done--in fact, I wouldn't have minded them a bit less done, they were closer to overdone than underdone. But I was pleased. Here's my question: instead of 45 minutes over steam, do you think I could use the pressure cooker for the "steaming" portion of this recipe? Say, 15 minutes in the cooker, then the 475 finish in the oven?
Recycling rotisserie chicken
In my 4H cooking group, we taught this delicious & easy soup:
3 boxes Imagine free range chicken broth
bring to simmer
add 1 c "instant" brown rice (Uncle Ben's 5-minute brown)
add 3 carrots, large chunks (inch or so)
While rice & carrots are cooking, rip all meat from a prepared rotisserie chicken
add meat
add box of baby spinach after rice& carrots are cooked & meat has been added (just wilt--do not cook to death)
You're all done! No other seasonings necessary.
This became a fast & go-to favorite of many of our 4H families, and very kid friendly too.
I can't vouch for your success if you use a different brand of broth. We found the Imagine broth to be the tastiest.
NY Times Duck Confit recipe w/ no extra fat - Anyone tried?
I'm curious about this also, but here's my question--does it have to just be legs? Why can't I buy a whole duck from my local market & cut it up and include the breasts?
Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon...so-so
TomP, I think you hit the nail on the head...I have a friend who swears by this recipe, and will take the days it requires to make it the way Julia says to. I will not--I'll use a pressure cooker to make a delicious stew--but I think some of the other posters here do not take the several days/following all the steps that Julia's recipe in "Mastering...French Cooking"
What's your go-to brown rice recipe?
I vote for AB's method & Lundberg rice--I like the brown basmati
Brown Rice Cooking Time
Alton Brown's technique of baking brown rice gives a perfect result every time.
Ingredients
* 1 1/2 cups brown rice, medium or short grain
* 2 1/2 cups water
* 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Place the rice into an 8-inch square glass baking dish.
Bring the water, butter, and salt just to a boil in a kettle or covered saucepan. Once the water boils, pour it over the rice, stir to combine, and cover the dish tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, remove cover and fluff the rice with a fork. Serve immediately.
Any Good Cracker Recipes willing to share?
I love this Fine Cooking recipe. I make it regularly. Use a pasta machine to roll really thin crackers--makes all the difference.
For the topping:
1 Tbs. sesame seeds
2 tsp. poppy seeds
2 tsp. fennel or caraway seeds
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
For the dough:
6-3/4 oz. (1-1/2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for rolling
2 oz. (scant 1/2 cup) whole-wheat flour
1 tsp. table salt
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 450°F.
Make the topping:
In a small bowl, stir the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and fennel or caraway seeds. Fill another small bowl with water and set it aside along with a pastry brush and the kosher salt.
Make the dough:
In a large bowl, whisk the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, and table salt. Add the olive oil and 1/2 cup water to the flour; stir with a rubber spatula until it collects into a soft, crumbly ball of dough. Use the spatula or your hands to press the dough against the sides of the bowl to gather all the stray flour.
Set the dough on a lightly floured work surface and portion it into thirds. Pat each portion into a square. Set two squares aside and cover with a clean towel. Roll the remaining dough into a rectangle about 1/16 inch thick and 7 or 8 inches wide by 14 or 15 inches long. Whenever you feel resistance, lift up one edge of the dough and sprinkle more flour underneath before you continue rolling.
With a pastry brush, brush the dough lightly with water and sprinkle about a third of the seed mix evenly over the surface. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. of the kosher salt. With a dough scraper, pizza cutter, ravioli cutter, or sharp knife, cut the dough in half lengthwise and then cut across to make rectangles roughly 2 by 4 inches. Don’t bother trimming the edges; rustic edges add character.
Transfer to an unlined baking sheet. Bake until nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.
While each batch is baking, clean your work surface as needed and repeat the rolling and cutting with the remaining portions of dough. Store the cooled crackers in a zip-top plastic bag. They’ll keep for up to a week.
Variations
Rosemary & Sea Salt Crackers: Add 2 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary to the dry ingredients in the dough. Skip the seed topping and instead sprinkle each batch of crackers with 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt.
From Fine Cooking 89, pp. 45
October 15, 2007
