blkery's Profile
Electric deep fryers?
OK, it sounds totally lame to buy an appliance for this, but I hate hate hate the smell of deep frying in the kitchen - no matter how hard I have ventilation going, the residual oil smell in the house drives me crazy.
I'd like to do some deep frying, though, mostly for Chinese preparations, and I'm wondering if one of those electric deep fryers with a lid might be the ticket to preventing residue/odor around the house. Does anyone have experience with these?
Duck, venison and boar sausages - how should I use them?
I got some frozen sausages from d'Artagnan that have been living too long in my freezer. They're duck and armagnac, wild boar and sage, and venision and cherry. They're smaller than I anticipated (not really eat-on-a-bun size) and pretty fatty, so I'm thinking of incorporating them as a flavoring agent rather than eating them as a main dish. What would you use these with?
Best advice for a novice smoker?
I really want to smoke some brisket. I've never smoked anything before. If I were to read one set of instructions and recipe on this, who should I read? Raichlen? Cooks Illustrated? Someone else?
What am I doing with this cheese?
i was given a wheel of Cougar Gold late last year that needs to go. It's kind of like white cheddar (but not quite) with some caramelly aged-gouda like flavors riding in parallel - at least, that's the best I can describe it. It's pretty dry and flaky at this point. I have about 30 oz to take care of. I don't eat much cheese so I'm at a loss - it seems inappropriate for fondue, and I'm not a big mac and cheese guy - any ideas?
Make ahead for a novice cook
Up until now, I cooked for my girlfriend and I - I worked halftime, she worked full-time. She's also a recovering vegetarian and a novice in the kitchen.
I took a second job and will be working 11-13 hour days. I'm not going to be able to cook much anymore and I'm hoping she can take over in the kitchen. I also see it as a great opportunity for her to build her cooking confidence - she takes it really hard when things don't turn out as described.
I talked about this with her and she mentioned that she'd like to make as much ahead as possible. We're both pretty healthy eaters - as for preferences, I don't like heavy starch meals, she doesn't like mushrooms, blue cheese, or eggs. Cheap is a plus as there's a definite reason I'm working two jobs ;D
I know there are always a bunch of these threads and I'm trying to sort through them, but I appreciate any suggestions and recommendations.
Fortune cookie tips?
I'm having a lunar new year party and would like to make some fortune cookies (with custom fortunes) for my guests. Many of the recipes I see online have been rated down for "not working" in various ways - I'm guessing making successful fortune cookies can be tricky business. What are your tips for success?
Savory bread pudding?
I have a massive loaf of artisanal potato bread, slightly sour, that I'd like to turn into a bread pudding. My go-to is caramelized onions, thyme and gruyere, but I'd like to branch out. What's your favorite savory bread pudding recipe? I'd like to keep it on the healthy side, so something with lots of veggies would be nice.
Help! Lost a Cook's Illustrated recipe I was going to cook for New Year's Eve.
That's it, thanks!
Help! Lost a Cook's Illustrated recipe I was going to cook for New Year's Eve.
Cook's Illustrated had a magazine-format edition called 30 Minute Suppers - I think it was published for Winter 2010. I had it and can't find it, but I was planning to cook a recipe for my girlfriend tomorrow night from it. The recipe is: Seared Scallops with Butternut Squash and Sage Butter
Can anyone please share the recipe with me? Thanks!
Bûche de Noël recipes?
My aged mother has the inclination to make a bûche de noël for Christmas this year, but has never made one and asked for my help, including in recipe selection. Any suggestions? She's starting to have difficulty with her hands so I'm going to try and take care of the work for her; any techniques and tips would also be well appreciated.
My Hachiya persimmons aren't softening
I bought a flat of Hachiya persimmons from Costco about 10 days ago. These are the kind of persimmon you only want to eat when they are super soft and almost gelatinous - when eaten firm, they have a metallic astringency like hot copper fusing your tastebuds. The ones I bought were the appropriate color, but still very hard. "No sweat," I thought, and put them in a brown bag to soften.
Nothing's happened since then. How do I get these guys to ripen or soften or whatever the appropriate fruit term is?
Thanksgiving main on the cheap
I'm hosting a Thanksgiving potluck for a group of friends. We're all on tight budgets and I don't think I can swing a full turkey, but I'd still like to be able to provide some sort of focal point dish with some protein. No preference as far as meat/vegetarian, but a few people don't like egg dishes, so quiches and strata and whatnot are probably out of the question. Any thoughts?
Rum-based drinks that don't use many ingredients?
I have some white (Ayers and Castillo) and dark (Ayers) rum to kill, but I don't have many of the other traditional tropical/tiki mixers, and I don't really feel like juicing a lot of fruit. What are some simple drinks that make good use of these spirits?
Best liquor store in Seattle?
I'm looking for a place with good prices and a large selection of liqueurs. I know Washington is strongly regulated, but I'm hoping to find more variety than what can be had in Oregon.
Punt E Mes?
What do you like to use it for? I find that it's more bitter than I'd like to enjoy in, say, a Manhattan, although I'm guessing it was never intended to be a direct replacement for sweet vermouth.
Do you buy online? If so, where?
I live in Oregon, a state with a worthless liquor control commission (fun fact: in 2006 the director of said commission was charged with a DUI after testing at .16) and state-controlled liquor stores with pathetic selection that charge more or less full retail. As we become more of a distilling state I'm hoping for policy to change, but I'm not holding my breath.
Anyways, off the background cum soapbox - some of the things I buy here are ridiculously expensive, and some of the things I want I can't find at all (Contray, Amaro Montenegro, Yellow Chartreuse, lots of liqueurs). Does anyone ever buy this stuff online at a reasonable price?
Best gin for a non-gin drinker
I'm a gin die-hard and not into it myself, but every gin hater I give Rogue Distrillery's spruce gin to absolutely loves it. Give it a shot.
Lemons and limes
I have a bumper crop of both in the fridge, and would like to find good mixing opportunities that use lots of lemon and/or lime juice. Margaritas and Gimlets would be slow going - something with a higher amount of citrus would be handy.
My Austrian food pact with the devil
My girlfriend wants me to watch the Sound of Music. I told her I'd do it if she cooked me an Austrian dinner (I haven't eaten much Austrian food and I'd like to help her build her cooking confidence - we've been together five months and it's somehow ended up that she's only cooked two nights in that time).
I don't think either of us are crazy about things that are breaded and fried. I'm not a huge dessert guy and she's been abnegating it herself lately, so I don't want her to make a legendary sweet on my behalf. Other than that, anything should be fair game. Any ideas?
What cookbooks have you cooked through?
I've never cooked through a book - or at least, the majority of one (I'm guessing we can ignore appendices, condiments, etc). I'm wondering where to start - I'm tempted by some of the big ones on my shelf like the Cooks Illustrated Best and New Best Recipe or Mark Bittman's Everything. What have you cooked through? Any thoughts on the process?
Food processor or KitchenAid stand mixer for grinding meat?
Hi!
I'm not a vegetarian, but I don't eat a lot of ground meat. That said, I am supremely enticed by Kenji Alt's Big Mac recipe on Serious Eats ( http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2011/05/the-burger-lab-building-a-better-big-mac.html ). I have a food processor, my girlfriend has a KitchenAid stand mixer. Should I grind the meat for this burger (or any future burgers) in the processor, or buy a meat grinder attachment for the KitchenAid and use that? Is it worth the $50?
Yet another first time in Vancouver thread
My significant other is taking me to Vancouver for my birthday next weekend. I have no idea what to see/do/eat. We'll probably be staying downtown. I have a lot of questions!
I really want to go to Vij's, even though we'll be there on a Friday and Saturday night. Doable, do you think? How does Rangoli compare?
I'd also like to have a lot of Chinese, but I'm more into Sichuan and Hunan than dim dum and cantonese. Any recommendations there?
Guu, Hapa, or something else for izakaya?
Any underrepresented Asian cuisines I should try, like Malaysian or Laotian or ?
Aside from eating, what do you recommend visitors do? We're looking for things that are physically active or culturally intriguing.
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Vij's Restaurant
1480 11th Ave W, Vancouver, BC V6H1L1, CA
Guu
838 Thurlow St, Vancouver, BC V6E1W2, CA
What to do with a bunch of limes and lemons?
I have a bunch of citrus left over from a cocktail party - about 12 lemons at 3-4 tbsp juice each and 18 limes at 1-2 tbsp juice each. They need to go! So far I've thought of lemon meringue pie, but that uses only 2-3 lemons. Any other ideas? I don't think the limes would be suitable for key lime pie as they are the relatively bitter persian variety, so I might dry them, but that still leaves some to be reckoned with.
Laphroaig Vs. Ardbeg
I much prefer the Laphroaig to the Ardbeg...I had them side by side last Wednesday to confirm; Ardbeg has an almost plasticky soapy taste to me, but that could be something with my palate.
Are Nestle chocolate chips good for anything besides their chocolate chip cookie recipe?
I grew up with said recipe but after trying some better recipes (the Torres/Leite is my favorite) with better chocolate, I don't know what to do with all the Toll House chips in my pantry. They don't melt like real chocolate (frightening) and I have no idea how to use them up outside of cookies. Any ideas?
Cooking with whiskey/whisky/bourbon/scotch
I have a bottle of bourbon I'd like to get rid of, and thought - hey! What better theme for a potluck than whiskey? Any good recipes you know of that incorporate whiskey? I'm focusing on the main dish, but other ideas are appreciated.
Orange / anise flavored cocktail?
After realizing how much I like oranges and fennel together, I'm on the hunt for those flavors in liquid form. I already have a bottle of Pernod at my disposal, but am out of Cointreau and am amenable to trying other orange ingredients. What recipes do you recommend?
How do you keep yourself on track while executing a recipe?
Yesterday I was making King Arthur Flour's Pumpkin Ginger scone recipe...and forgot salt. Today my girlfriend was making carrot cup cakes for me...and forgot salt. It's not like there's a paucity of salt in this kitchen; but we do find it hard to remember all the steps in a recipe when we're cooking after work and tired. How do you keep yourself on track?
Baked donuts?
I despise room temperature donuts, but love them hot. That said, I hate frying in my house - the oil smell lingers for quite a while. This review (http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/04/mixed-review-king-arthur-flour-buttermilk-doughnuts-donuts-mix.html) suggested that baked donuts might be a plausible alternative. Has anyone baked donuts before with satisfying results? I'm not sure if I should take the plunge for a donut pan.
Carrot cake?
I'm much more inclined to pie than cake, but if there is one cake I do love, it's carrot cake - and lately I've had a hankering. Should I just try the Cook's Ill recipe, or is there a better one out there? I'm not too picky other than not wanting a moist cake that isn't a frosting bomb.
