evans's Profile
All from Costco
If you can, get a chest freezer & the foodsaver machine (also available at Costco). I find that buying the meats in bulk (whole chickens & primal cuts of pork/beef) offers great savings & convenience. Takes some practice to get the butchering down to a science...but it's not too hard.
I break down the primals (15 lbs or so) into 2-person servings, pack into the vacuum bags, label & keep a log. chickens freeze whole very nicely. fish such as wild the sides of wild salmon also freeze very well.
Any breads that you will eventually toast (eg, bagels) or reheat in the oven to crisp (baguettes, croissants) also freeze well.
You can increase your thriftiness by saving chicken backs & necks for stock. The beef/pork trimmings also make good ground beef, sausage, stew meat, etc.
The vacuum bags work very well at preventing freezer burn (but I still make sure to rotate stock).
If your garden is very productive, start canning the excess. It is a very rewarding process...much more enjoyable than you'd think & kids love prepping the mass quantities of ingredients (though keep them away from the boiling/pressure cooking parts).
For your pound of figs - Alice Waters has a great recipe for fig preserves & fig newton-like cookies using the preserves.
-Evans
Tasty crock pot recipes?
just watched an America's Test Kitchen episode where they do crock pot recipes: Beef Burgundy & Braised short ribs. Both recipes looked delicious...I'm sure they are available at the website...
-Evans
Canning Caramel or Chocolate Sauce
Why preserve those? The raw ingredients will keep almost indefinitely (sugar, cocoa, chocolate) or are always available fresh (butter).
I find that the chocolate sauce I make keeps for a long time in the fridge - in fact I almost always use it up well before I'd worry about it going bad (moldy). You just have to warm it up in the microwave for a few seconds to get rid of the chill...
-Evans
Outside of Boston
We are visiting the Concord, Lowell area in May and are looking for good places to eat. Any recommendations for Breakfast Lunch Dinner and even afternoon tea. Any views on the Groton Stagecoach Inn (we are staying there)? I have read positive reviews of the Stone Hedge inn and spa restaurant in Tyngsboro and was considering having afternoon tea or sunday brunch, maybe dinner. We will be spending an entire day in Concord and I have read mixed reviews of the Colonial Inn restaurant and a good ones about the ice cream at Bedford Farms. Any recommendations for restaurants or even sandwich places here would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
'Sup with Father's Office? Downhill alert
3) We ordered medium rare and got it more like medium rare to medium.
At FO, I always ask for "medium medium-rare" which is half way between rare & medium-rare. That way if they miss on the upside I'm usually just at true medium rare & on the downside: rare to medium rare.
YMMV
Seeking high-end loose teas -- PLEASE HELP
Try Elixer on Melrose in West Hollywood. They have lots of gift-worthy tea-related stuff in addition to many loose-leaf teas of high quality.
I can also second Palais du The on Canon in BH. It is probably not the cheapest way to buy loose leaf tea...but it gets high marks for presentation & selection. (& the tea is good)
Cheap tasty blueberries?
If they are for cooking or smoothie, try the frozen wild blueberries from Traders. Surprisingly more intense blueberry flavor than the often bland fresh ones...
Pho - in Glendale/Burbank?
I second the Blue Hen. It is small...so call ahead to see if they'll reserve for a large party
What should I order from Casa Bianca?
You will order some salty, greasy pizza cut up in to a weird jigsaw puzzle. Great for hangovers.
The Troubadour, West Hollywood. Need Recommendations
The original BossaNova brazilian is a few blks east on the south side of santa monica at Robertson. Not fancy, but good.
Milk on a Grease Fire?
maybe he meant powdered milk. Enough of that would work. ;-)
-E
Need a Great Recipe for Flounder
This is simple & classic:
1. salt & pepper the filets ahead of time
2. make a mixture of 3/4 mayo & 1/4 Dijon (or less mustard to taste)
3. oil a baking dish lightly
4. lay filets on baking dish & slather with mayo mixture (no thicker than 1/4 inch)
5. broil until top coating starts to bubble & brown
Soaking beans
cooking beans & leaving them in the fridge for a day to reheat the next day actually improves their texture (creamier) & flavor (more savory).
How do you get rid of fruit flies in your kitchen??
time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana.
- Marx
100% grass fed beef. Icky! Am I crazy?
was it the taste, or the texture, or both? I ask because grass-fed has less fat content & burgers can get tough when subjected to normal (grain-fed) beef cooking treatment.
also, since the patties were ready-made, you don't know what cuts went into them. some cuts definitely have a more game-y/liver-y taste.
I recommend that you try again...but go with a good cut - try a thick-cut (1.5-2 in.) new york steak. Split one between you and SO & you will be spending less than $20.
Some websites (including grass-fed beef suppliers!) recommend cooking grass-fed beef more delicately (lower heat; less time). I think this misleads. The best way is to season with salt & pepper, brush with olive oil & grill over a *high* heat fire to sear both sides nicely dark brown & grill-marked. Then move off direct heat & let the steak roast until the thickest interior is 120 degrees. (I like to throw some wood chips over on the charcoal side for this part).
Let rest for 5 minutes or so after you remove from the heat. Interior should rise another few degrees or so & be fairly rare.
...so...quick direct heat for exterior crusty flavor & then slow, even heat to finish.
If you like your steak medium or above, then skip the whole thing.
-E
Speaking of Malt Beverages....
some homebrewers suggest keeping some Malta on hand to use as the base for a yeast starter.
...haven't done it myself, but seems easier than boiling up some fresh wort all the time...
Thoughts on Plenty/100 Mile Diet
haven't read the book...but they must make exceptions for certain items!
Humans have been transporting foodstuffs for millennia - especially spices & exotics like coffee, chocolate & tea. To avoid doing so is to reject human progress along with human excess. There is a better balance to be made.
Re-Cooking Meat - Question
yeah - why would you pull it out of the stewing liquid? the only problem is that you didn't cook it long enough. meat is variable & sometimes need longer stewing than other times.
just reheat to low simmer & let it finish cooking. add some water or broth if needed.
Going to Ruth's Chris tonight in Irvine, A1 question
i think it is fine.
if people are encouraged at the very same high-end steakhouses to slather a good steak with a goopy blue cheese sauce or red wine/mushroom reduction, then I see no problem with the relatively restrained A1.
well-done-with-ketchup would place you into the Philistine category, but I don't think A1 does...especially if you use it in moderation.
-E
simple marinade for shark kebabs?
i take the following & whiz to a loose paste in a small food processor:
onion
garlic
fresh chili pepper
olive oil
soy sauce
lime juice
brown sugar
vinegar
red pepper flakes
amounts can vary to taste (test as you go).
the above has a southeast-asian vibe, but you can swap out the fresh chili/lime/soy for oregano/marjoram/rosemary/salt & have it be more italian, etc...
marinade for a while & then grill. The sugar in small amounts fosters nice browning.
Awful dinner at Eat Well on Beverly
eatwell is satisfactory for breakfast only. & even then, reserved for those pounding hangover mornings.
-E
Summer accompaniment for fried chicken?
roast some corn on the grill, cut off the cob & toss with some salt & chipotle butter...or a light vinagrette.
green beans steamed & then tossed with butter & lemon juice
Sandwiches at Grand Central Oyster Bar
the oysters are great; everything else uninspired.
yes, their seafood is fresh, but the prep & presentation is ho-hum (though traditional).
"How is everything?"
quick note...
"cheers" is a Britishism for "you're welcome"...they are not toasting you.
Place for Rehearsal Brunch in Pasadena?
If you don't need something prim & proper like the Raymond, take a look at Saladang Song on Fair Oaks. They serve refined (but still fairly authentic) Thai food a large modern space...very nice atmosphere.
The older sister restaurant Saladang is next door & is not as suitable...so make sure you book the correct one.
Need good food and cool scene Hollywood
food's not fantastic...definitely okay though...since Yamashiro has great views & an exotic vibe (ask to sit out in the porch area). Food is Cal-Asian-Sushi.
AOC is always a good bet...great food, refined scene.
The places on the Sunset Strip are a total circus, fun, but with variable food quality.
Pace (italian; pronunciation "pah chay") on Laurel Canyon is a classic old place with a strong sense of LA's rocking hippie-ish past
Bella Cucina on Hwd Blvd makes a decent attempt at Italian food in a newly hip setting
OK to bring my own wine from Trader Joe's? [moved from LA board]
jono37,
Has anyone got to the meat of your question?
Irrespective of your theoretical right to bring cheap wine to a nice restaurant, if it makes you feel embarrassed just thinking about it, then definitely don't do it - what, are you going to grow a pair of brass balls between now & then?
If you can find a wine you love for a modest price somewhere else, then bring it & do not be ashamed. All good wine shops will do this for you. At Traders, you'd have to do your own research...but they have options. TwoBuck chuck is probably not that wine, though & you'll be doing yourself a disservice to save less than $30. Is that worth it?
I don't know how Providence got into the mix here since your post doesn't mention specifically, but if you're eating at a place where you pay top dollar for top food, then suck it up & go for some of the wine they offer too - they put a lot of thought into it there. Just tell the sommlier straight up that you are looking for something "modest" & feel free to balk at something too pricey...it is his job to suit you.
Going by the glass, or even better, half bottle would probably be a good option for you. The choices that way are more limited to begin with...which helps. & btw, if you go for the tasting menu, Providence will happily split a wine course for you & your date - you each get half glasses.
If all this still daunts you, why go to a top-of-the-line restaurant & worry about the cost of the wine? Relax. There are plenty of places with great food/great ambiance at less luxe prices where you get a fantastic meal & good wine without the money worry.
Remember - enjoy yourself no matter what. Works for me.
-E
Good Ethnic Eats in LA
Spend a day in the San Gabriel Valley.
Great rec! I second that itinerary.
-E
Too many jalapenos
I make chipotles out them.
Let them ripen (red), slit them open (not in half though) & create a very low heat fire on the far side of the grill; apply soaked wood. I try to keep them under 200 degrees & if your climate is warm & dry like ours in SoCal, the air can do most of the drying...though it will take a whole day or overnight.
I don't bother with adobo sauce & just keep the chipotles dry in a jar. grinding half of one into any dish which calls for bacon (as a flavor base) allows you to omit bacon & use olive oil instead without losing that smoky flavor. healthy.
Early dinner (or filling snack) near Book Soup?
The RedRock bar has relatively decent food for a bar.
