greygarious's Recent Activity
Chowhound Post
Ad Hoc At Home by Thomas Keller.
He made the potato paves on Martha Stewart's show this week. They looked delectable, but I had to chuckle when I realized that despite the oohing and aahing and deference paid to Mr. Keller, this is the sort of thing that would be right up Paula Deen's much-criticized and ridiculed alley. He should enjoy his time on a pedestal, but bring a ladder - it's a long way to fall.
Chowhound Post
ISO mushroom noodles
Some years ago I bought some bags of dried noodles which included mushrooms. Though they were eggless, they looked like medium flat egg noodles and were flecked throughout with dried mushroom. They were at Ocean State Job Lots, which means they were liquidation or outdated stock from other stores, and once sold out, were no longer available there. This was before I had a computer, so I never expected to be able to find them again and consequently never made note of the brand, but if memory serves, they were from Switzerland, Hungary, or Denmark - definitely Europe. I've searched online unsuccessfully.
Does this ring a bell with anyone?
Chowhound Post
Is there a substitute for evaporated milk?
No! Sweetened condensed milk is more concentrated and very thick, like pudding. Evaporated milk is the consistency of heavy cream.
Chowhound Post
Just Curious - Turkey Prices Paid
A friend in Wisconsin got hers from a turkey farm down the road. When she reserved it, she was told to expect between 35 and, if memory serves, 50 pounds. She got a "small" one and her husband sawed it in two so they could freeze half until Christmas.
Chowhound Post
Just Curious - Turkey Prices Paid
Someone posted on another board that last year TJ's in their area dropped the price to 99 cents/# the night before T-day. Does anyone know if this happens at all of them? If so, I was thinking of getting one this weekend, or a day or two after Christmas.
Chowhound Post
Alton Brown turkey brine - which kosher salt?
Personally, I would not trust a recipe that omits this information. I hope he got the other amounts and directions right. I would use 2/3 cup of Morton - better to need a salt shaker on the table than to serve an oversalted bird.
Chowhound Post
Is there a substitute for evaporated milk?
It calls for sweetened condensed milk - subbing with evaporated milk willl not do at all. Thickness and sweetness are completely different. This does not sound like there would be a problem with a detectable "cooked milk" taste.
Chowhound Post
Aside from convenience, what's the point of a casserole?
I can't think of a single example of a casserole which includes not-yet-cooked meat.
You don't care for casseroles, which is certainly your prerogative. Like most of the other responders here, I think you're missing out. Don't assume to know how much care is or isn't given to "the lowly casserole" in other people's kitchens. Enjoy your divided plates.
Chowhound Post
"Canberry" sauce
This was the word of the day on Addictionary.com. Self-explanatory, though IMO particularly suited to the jellied version, plopped onto the dish in one piece, with the lines intact.
Chowhound Post
Nominees for Best Thanksgiving Movies & TV (showcasing food)
The 2000 dramedy "What's Cooking" is not very well known but worth watching. It deals with the various intertwining Thanksgiving Day trials and traditions of four families - one African-American, one Vietnamese, one Jewish, and one Latino. The stars include Mercedes Ruehl, Julianna Margulies, and Alfre Woodard.
Chowhound Post
Nominees for Best Thanksgiving Movies & TV (showcasing food)
The Cheers episode is only one of the countless sitcom episodes wherein guests arrive for a meal and everyone is surprised because the oven wasn't on. You can't smell any cooking aromas but you think dinner is ready? Always makes me nuts!
Chowhound Post
"The Complete Pepin" DVDs
A dial-up connection precludes my watching online videos, but I have Netflix and just recently discovered the cooking and craft DVDs are included in the Special Interest genre. The Complete Pepin came out in 2006 but judging by his appearance, must have been filmed at least 15 years ago. I have watched the first disc so far, and the other one is en route. The segments are brief, no-nonsense close-ups of prep techniques with just a few recipes. The highlight is the poultry section. He relies more on pulling the raw sections apart than by cutting - it is fast, effective, and a wonder to behold. Even for home cooks with years of experience, there's something to be learned, and I would especially recommend this set to those who are just beginning to cook seriously.
Chowhound Post
Squash, Leeks and apples: How would you improve this recipe?
Saute some curry powder (maybe 1-1/2 tsp? - I'm an eyeballer, not a measurer) into the leeks for their last minute or two of cooking, scrap the Parmesan, and add 1/3 cup of cream halfway through baking.
Chowhound Post
Is there a substitute for evaporated milk?
Noticeable difference in taste since the fat content is far less with EM. But EM is a lifesaver and for me a regular staple. When the cream or half&half go sour, EM is an acceptable substitute in coffee, won't curdle in a cheese sauce, and makes richer mashed potatoes than does whole milk. Leftover EM freezes well. It does have a cooked taste that is unpleasant if you wanted to drink it straight, but that is not a factor when using it heated.
Chowhound Post
Spatchcocking 101
I didn't catch the beginning so am not sure what size turkey Martha spatchcoked but it looked to be 10-12# and cooking time was 70 minutes so I am not surprised you had a problem..
Chowhound Post
Aside from convenience, what's the point of a casserole?
Scalloped and au gratin potatoes.
Lobster pie.
Chicken Divan.
Chowhound Post
Spatchcocking 101
The fast cooking time eliminates the dryness problem that brining is meant to remedy, so the latter is unnecessary. Possibly brining might make the meat TOO moist, necessitating longer cooking time. I have not experience of this; just thinking about what might happen.
Chowhound Post
Spatchcocking 101
Spatchcocked - it is my understanding that the difference between the two is that the former removes the backbone and flattens the meat while the latter is
for boneless meat, to create a thinner slab. As far as I am concerned, this is a word that a culinary professional should know. I am strictly a home cook, but learned it via cookbooks and cooking shows on PBS.
Chowhound Post
Turkey thawed in fridge 8 days...ok to use?
It should be fine, considering that you had it in the coldest part of the refrigerator and that it is prebasted - which means it has been salted and salt is a preservative. Just don't brine it! NEVER brine a bird whose ingredient label already includes salt. Doing that WILL ruin the meal. If the raw bird is at all smelly or slimy, I would not cook it for human consumption but absolutely cook it - cut up raw turkey and simmer covered in water for 3-4 hours. Turkey is not fatty enough to cause GI upset in your dogs as long as they don't gorge ona huge amount. You can debone it, or if you cook it extra-long (like 8+ hours), the bones will become soft and you can just press them into small, soft chunks which are safe for pets to eat. Divide it up into bags or containers and freeze, so you can thaw some once or twice a week and add it to their regular ration. Dog and cats have far less sensitive guts than we do - after all, they evolved happily eating carrion and feces. Just sayin'....
Chowhound Post
Cookie question: too soft to remove from sheet?
Many if not most cookies and bars need to come out of the oven when they are still quite soft, or they will be too hard and dry when cooled. I line the cookie sheet with parchment and always slide the whole parchment sheet onto a cooling rack immediately. IMO, this is the best way to control baking time. There is still a little carry-over cooking even on the cooling rack, but much less than when the hot pan transfers its heat as it sits on the counter. There's also the time-saving benefit of being able to load another parchment sheet with cookie dough while the first batch is in the oven, then slide it right onto the sheet pan as soon as the first batch is out.. I have a silpat but rarely use it. When you lift it off the sheet pan, the silpat is hot and the cookies are very likely to slide right off onto the counter or floor.
Chowhound Post
Spatchcocking 101
For anyone interested, it was demonstrated on Martha today, and can be viewed on her website.
I was rather appalled that when she mentioned spatchcocking to a subsequent guest, famous chef Thomas Keller, he asked "What's that?"
Chowhound Post
thanksgiving dessert - help
There should be a pie of some sort on the Thanksgiving table, and since someone is doing cheesecake, the pie is up to you. On the other hand, Costco's 12" diameter pumpkin pie, for $6, will feed 10-12, and is very very good. I would buy one of those, and make homemade whipped cream and a sauce to drizzle, with pecans and either caramel or maple. As Garrison Keillor says, the best pumpkin pie you ever had is not all that much better than the worst pumpkin pie you ever had.
Sweet potato pie is great, too, but really, other than pumpkin pie, I can't think of a pie that takes significantly less prep time than an apple pie, as long as you don't have itty bitty apples. I can peel, core, and slice an apple in about a minute.
Chowhound Post
Heartless turkey
It's extremely unlikely that your turkey came with its own giblets. When poultry is butchered, the accompanying packets are made up from big containers of heart, liver, giblets, and necks. I've had chickens come with 2 hearts and no gizzard, and pint containers of chicken livers that contain several hearts. The workers doing the sorting and packing aren't always on top of their game.
Chowhound Post
Turkey Size- When You Only Roast the Breast
You'll have enough and then some, unless it is a heritage, free range, or more naturally-raised bird. Those have thinner breasts and bigger legs and wings.
Chowhound Post
Roasted carrots and parsnips...with cider
If you mix a small amount of the cider with oil or melted butter and toss the vegetables in that, I think you would be fine roasting them at 375, adding a bit more cider halfway through. It will reduce so that it saves you the extra step of separately reducing the cider.
With approach #2, the cider won't marry with the vegetable flavors.
Chowhound Post
Is it necessary to brine a turkey before roasting?
Dry turkey breast is the bane of roasting a whole bird because the dark meat takes longer to cook. If you have a thermometer, it's simple to produce a juicy breast as long as you are cooking it separately. Brining a separate breast won't create as dramatic a difference in juiciness as brining when roasting a whole bird. In recent years, basting has fallen out of favor. It creates uneven oven heating and slows the rendering of fat from the skin, so it's not as crisp as the skin of unbasted poultry.
Chowhound Post
Brining an already salt injected frozen turkey?
If a poultry label says salt, there is already plenty of salt in there. If you want to brine or marinate your poultry, the content on the label should say "chicken", or "turkey", or whatever other species of bird it may be - and NOTHING else. Unless you have a preference for extremely salty-tasting food, do not brine further, and do not use any marinade containing salt or salty ingredients (e.g. soy sauce). You WILL ruin the meal if you do.
Chowhound Post
Aaron's Best Kosher Turkey
Trader Joe's has fresh Glatt Kosher all-natural turkeys for the holiday season, at $2.29/#.
Chowhound Post
Is it necessary to brine a turkey before roasting?
If you search this board you will find hours' worth of reading in the many dozens of posts already addressing your question.
Chowhound Post
Porkless pot sticker fillings?
Stuffed cabbage recipes call for either boiling the outer leaves to soften, or freezing then thawing the whole head. Either method softens the leaves by breaking the cell walls. If I were making potstickers I would shred, freeze, and thaw the cabbage. ( I use cabbage prepped this way in meatloaf and frikadellen.) Then, to dry and sweeten it, I would saute it in a little oil over medium heat until it starts to caramelize.
Costco's Ling-Ling brand potstickers are made with chicken and are pretty decent, if a tad bland. I think you could make a good Thanksgiving leftover potsticker using ground dark meat, stuffing, sweet potato, gravy, and cabbage and scallion/chive.
