mateo21's Profile
Bloody Roasted Chicken
2.5 hours for a chicken sounds like a lot to me.
Also, 8 pounds? That's a big chicken. Sounds like an old chicken that should have been stewed.
my 2cents.
Home Made Instead of Purchased
Where to begin! Anything I can, really. It's not only cheaper, but in most cases it's much higher quality. I think the only thing I can think of that I don't do are some baked goods, like another poster, I find it easier to list what I don't do at home...:
- Puff pastry... never quite gotten this one down. I think I'm going to try making some with my pasta machine.
- Bread. I simply cannot replicate store bought bread, even though it has the same ingredients, I can't do it. Not sure what I'm missing (although I'm pretty sure it's the flour).
- Dried pasta. I've never actually given this one a try...
- Canned tomatoes. Some day I'll do my own... first I'll need a garden.
- Mayo. Sure, I can make it at home. Sure it tastes a lot better at home. If mayo is going to be something very special (e.g. Aioli for frites) I'll do it at home in the blender. But for a sandwich, or coleslaw, out of the jar doesn't taste any different (yes, I've tried).
That's really the list. Anything else (maybe with a few exceptions, that I can't think of right now) I do at home -- of course, within reason.
Why are chicken breasts so HUGE?
Err... Careful what you say -- I am unaware of any genetic engineering going on in poultry these days. I am curious about the antibiotic and growth link, do you have a source for that?
Can someone please explain the concept?
When it comes to cooking time for roasting meat (not braising), your #5 is the biggest concern. Surface area to volume ratio is what is really important. If your roast is long and skinny it's going to cook much quicker than if it was short and fat.
This is really when a thermometer comes into play.
What's so bad about genetically modified foods?
http://youtu.be/yzTECVk8tVU
A fine overview. Take it how you will.
Food waste in USA
Edit button not working...
But see also:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17349070
Food waste in USA
Lactose intolerance is an inability to digest one of the main sugars in milk -- lactose. Lactose is dissolved in the water part of milk. Studies have demonstrated no difference.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12800871
pizza problem
They make 15" cast iron skillets... I've cooked with one before; and unless you're over a campfire, they are somewhat useless (because no burner is big enough!).
Alternative to Ghiradelli Chocolate Chips Needed
Are you against chocolate chunk cookies? If not, then a whole world of dark chocolate (better than Ghiradelli) is awaiting you!
Cheesecake Questions...Recipe for 8 inch? Sour cream?
Sour cream will generally give a lightly, though more complexly tangy, cheesecake. It will also make the custard come together more easily, which is nice too! If you're looking for a dense weighty cheesecake I would go with something a little more traditional (in the sense of 3-4 packages of cream cheese).
I personally do enjoy this kind of cheesecake -- something that feels, to me, a little more refined and creamy.
A 9in recipe will work, but yes, you will have extra custard, and you'll have to monitor your cooking time a bit. An 8in cake will cook faster than a 9in cake.
As a cheesecake fanatic... I would suggest (I know... I know...) ditching the springform. They are horrible. Plus, you may have noticed I've been calling this cake a custard all along -- which is what cheesecake is! And the best way to cook a custard is? That's right, in a water bath, which NO springform will tolerate.
Accused of being too interested in food?
Yes. Many times.
I care so much about food that when I visit many peoples homes I'm almost always served food with a caveat -- something along the lines of "... this isn't too fancy..." or "... might not be up to your standards..." or I've even had people be afraid to feed me; out of what fear I don't know. I think the issue is partially because I'm blunt and honest, but not rude -- to me this means keeping my mouth shut when I don't like something (unsolicited opinions rarely go over well when negative), but I would never lie to someone and tell them I love their broccoli heads served without salt or pepper, that had been microwaved for 15 minutes on high (which has happened more than once...).
I've tried to be apologetic about this, but I'm kinda sick of it... I care a lot about what I put into my mouth and body, especially what it tastes like! I hear and often touted virtue on these boards "don't yuck someone else's yums" -- I actually do occasionally, but generally only when prompted.
Back to the OP, this is generally when (in the aforementioned broccoli scenario, lets say) things go wrong. I'm asked what I think of the insipid vegetable specimen and I give my honest opinion. Feelings are hurt, and the accusations start flying! Long story short -- yes, I know exactly how you feel, daniellempls.
knife storage
I'm not sure where Zydecopapa got their knife magnets, but Benchcrafted makes great ones. Check them out here: http://benchcrafted.com/Magblok.html
Need eatery in North Seattle
I was going to suggest Sitka and Spruce... but that won't fit the bill...
Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon?
I will say that I have made her recipe to a "T" and it was wonderful. If you've run across reviews that call it bland -- then they haven't made it correctly. The Pinot "substitution" isn't really one, as someone else pointed out above.
Also, stock is easy to make in a pressure cooker (I'm OK with this if I'm not going to be eating it alone -- pressure cooker stock tends to be a little duller than regular stock to my taste, which isn't OK for a beef broth soup or consume, but fine for a braised dish).
I would, however, call into question your meat. I would use ONE kind of meat. Either that, or cook them separately. I know, I know... One of my love of cooking is braising. And if there is anything I've learn is that the old mantra of "a braise, is a braise, is a braise" isn't really correct (I was once told this by a budding chef in culinary school who insisted that braised chicken thighs would not be tender after 2 hours, that 4-5 is necessary for any braise); different cuts of meat behave very differently. I've done Beef Burgundy the recommended cut (beef rump roast) and it only took about 2.5 hrs of cooking for meltingly tender beef, while chuck took closer to 4 hrs.
What to serve with short ribs for 25
I'd go with Polenta... I'm not sure how others here have made polenta in the past, but I've never made it a point of stirring polenta. Actually, one of the best and easiest ways to make polenta is to saute your aromatics in some olive oil/ butter and add your liquid stir in your polenta and put it into an oven for 45mins or so. When it's ready (and it'll keep hot even outside of the oven for a good 30 minutes) to serve finish with cheese and butter and you're good to go.
I Hate Organic Natural Peanut Butter
Interesting... I hate the non-natural peanut butter for the reasons you adore in it. I abhor the spackle-like consistency of skippy, jiff, etc.. I think the worst offender is that the non-natural peanut butters don't actually taste like... peanuts. Rather odd and unappealing if you ask me.
De Buyer Mineral Pan Disaster - Need help.
Yes! Your pan is perfectly fine. That is one of the main benefits to this pan, it's a tank.
You have two routes here - fix or start over. The fix would be, essentially, trying to save what seasoning you can on your pan. Start just like you said, boil with water and scrub with something tough until the blackened nasties are gone.
Personally, I wouldn't try to save your seasoning, because there isn't much to speak of. I'd personally throw it in the oven (if you have a gas oven put it on the floor of the oven) when ever you use you oven next. On the floor of the oven it'll get ripping hot and any charred bits should come right off - what stays on will most likely be jet black, or the start of your seasoning.
Good luck!
Buying a professional chef knife
Reminds me of a story that I heard once about a man named Jack, a mule, and a comma...
How to soften butter to room temp when your house is kept cool?
Any your sponge is most likely the best bacteria harboring device in your house, ever wash your dishes/counter?
Technique versus flavors, which should you learn first?
Thimes, I see you entire post as one technique statement -- a certain taste and evaluate technique to cooking a complex sauce. This has on one had (depending on how it's construed) all and nothing to do with flavor though.
In my current line of work I see LOTS of children being influenced by their parents on flavor (e.g. "don't try that, you won't like it" -- err... they won't like it now!), and I think it's best to allow a persons palate to develop through experience and age, rather than "teaching" them flavor, which I would personally say in VERY hard to teach, especially when compared to technique.
Technique versus flavors, which should you learn first?
First... cooking at home should never be compared to the absurdities in cooking competitions (I see you cite where the "judges say"), especially when those competitions are on television. But you have a point.
To my mind technique encompasses the range of action taken by a cook to produce a dish. This includes tasting your food. Now, I can heard you know, "but tasting relies on taste and that relies on flavor!!!"; but taste will come with time and experience. The technique is in regularly tasting a dish to determine seasoning. Again, this is something that should be done regardless of the dish and destination, or familiarity the cook has with this dish or suite of flavors.
Seasoned Carbon Steel skillets, how do they compare to tri-ply stainless steel or aluminum? [moved from General Chowhounding board]
The thermal conductivity of carbon steel is pretty similar to cast iron; especially when comparing it to aluminum -- the relative difference between CI and CS is small.
I personally love my CS skillets. They have replaced my CI as the go-to pan for eggs, pancakes, etc.
You can get them just as hot as a CI skillet too.
World's best Brownies?
Again... I'll voice here that almost anything involving chocolate will be better off having chocolate in it -- not just cocoa powder. Sorry. I've never had cocoa powder brownie that's better than any recipe that uses actual chocolate.
How long can I keep a cryovacked Beef Tenderloin in the fridge?
For what it's worth, in his "Tender is the Loin" series, Alton Brown mentions that he's held a cryo-vac tenderloin for 18 weeks... that's a very long time. So I think your 10 day adventure is Ok.
Technique versus flavors, which should you learn first?
Technique all the way.
Calliope -- I think the important part here is that, yes maybe experimentation would be neat... but a horribly overcooked pork tenderloin with applies or licorice is still horribly overcooked and not going to taste that great.
Teach fundamentals: how to sweat, saute, sear, braise, simmer... proper doneness standards (especially for meat, and the aforementioned pork), important ratios (vinaigrettes -- which, interestingly, is very similar to most sauces that are fat:vinegar based), etc.
Pasteurized shell eggs?
The time is now upon us to create eggnog! I've been looking for pasteurized shell eggs in the local stores to no avail... (Metro Market & local Safeway). Does anyone know of a store the regularly stocks these Salmonella free gems? Thanks!
Nose to Tail - every animal?
Well then, by those strictures of eating, no animal is completely edible. Nobody eats bones, they can be used in stock, but generally are not eaten. And... do squid have radula (lacking a tongue my guess is no...)?
To the OP -- I don't think I would call eating every part of an animal a resurgence. This is the way the most animals are consumed around the world. Maybe renaissance would be a better term, at least, here in the US.
What Makes a Good Hot Chocolate Good?
Sandy... as a clarification cocoa butter is legally the only fat that can be in chocolate (at least the cocoa percentage) -- there is no substituting emulsifiers for fat. Most chocolate brands have emulsifiers in them (turn over a Valrhona chocolate bar, you'll see lecithin), even the high-end ones.
