Thanks. Since I'm new.. this whole 'reduce' thing is very new to me. PS: No marsala anything available. :/

Thanks! I'm going to try this out..

Seasoning after cooking? How does that work... If you don't mind?

Here are the before and after pics as promised.

Guys, sorry for being off for a little. Weekend was out.
I have pictures that I'm going to upload of the steak so it makes it a little easy for everyone instead of guessing.

I did something funny last night. I used a nonstick pan and a stainless steel pan and cooked two angus rib-eyes half inch. Both of them had Canola oil (since I didn't want to use the evoo and didn't have any other oil).

I used an electric stove and both were at 1000dfht. Waited for the oil to get hot, removed the room-temp steak and put it on the pans and covered it. Five to six minutes for each side.

Stainless steel steak got burnt slightly, and was well-done.
Nonstick pan steak didn't get burnt, but seemed like well-done.
Both steaks lost their shape and turned into something else, lol

Chopped half onion, and chopped three shallots. I tried making au jus but was scared since there was a lot of oil left over. So, I threw away the oil and put half of the chopped ingredients in one pan and the other half in the other pan. Dropped some wine and water. But it didn't turn out that great. Looked like some sauce, but without taste.

Any thoughts?

Thanks so much. I just like a wet steak which is why I need a sauce. :)

Hello,

I've never wanted to go through the trouble of using an oven for cooking. Always been a pan kind of a guy. (Out of necessity and time constraints, and sometimes I don't have an oven)

So far, this is what I've been doing. When I bring home a steak (angus rib-eye or whatever), I apply some EVOO and then drop one of those store bought "Montreal Steak Spice" powders on it. Dab it well, put it in saran wrap and put it in the fridge till the next day. Then, I let it sit out for an hour or so next day and then get to work. That is #1.

#2 is what I do with it. Remember that the marinade is thick power with peppercorns here and there. I take that and drop it in a pan that has heated EVOO in it and sear it for 3-4 minutes on one side, and then flip it for the same time and we're done.

I wrap that in tinfoil and wait for 10 minutes before putting it on a plate to eat. Now, during the cooking process, when I to flip it to the other side.. as you can imagine.. the peppercorns and the marinade burns and sticks to the pan. This part is confusing. Is that supposed to happen?

Now, here are my questions:
1) Yes, I am going to buy a cast iron skillet.
2) During that flip, how do I make sure not to have all that burnt stuff stuck to the pan
3) When I buy more than 2-3 steaks, obviously I'm going to freeze the other steaks. But when I'm ready to use it, I would like to remove it from the freezer, put it in the fridge over night. Next morning, take it out, marinade it like I mentioned above and then put it back in the fridge. Go to work. Return that night, take out the steak.. let it calm down to room temp before cooking. Correct?
4) How can I make a sauce that I can dip pieces of this steak before putting in my mouth? A quick sauce please. :)

Thanks so much!

Thank you!
I will be sure to check them out too!!

I don't think I'll do the frozen one because it's called "Hot" tamale for a reason, I'd think. Maybe I'll take them hot and home.

Hello,

Back in March, me and a friend were crossing US-Mexico border at 5am from Tijuana, Mexico back into San Diego, CA-US.

Right before we crossed the gate, a LOT of Mexicans were standing in a line (to show paperwork to the US border security). Around there, there was a kiosk (if you can call it that), with a boy behind it making some food stuff. My friend says "Let's pick this up, I'm really hungry.".. I said sure. The guy asks me red or green - I automatically say red because I'm a spicy kinda guy.

I ended up getting a Tamale (told to me next morning). In our cab ride back to another friend's place near the border in San Diego, I devoured the best "food" EVER! It was SO TASTY! (Either that, or the 5am drunkness didn't really give me a good feel?)

Something about it being given to me like a roadside hotdog stand or the fact that it was hot and tasty over the corn makes me wonder when I will go back there again. But let's be realistic now, who goes to Mexico for a tamale? Not me. I don't have that kind of money.

Hence, here I am. Asking you hounders for help. Please tell me where I can find a similar experience of a tamale in Toronto, most preferably downtown Toronto.

(I've looked at this post: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/548434 and I can't wait to go there and try it out since I work a couple blocks from there

Thanks!

Thanks guys, I'm going to check these restaurants out. Starting with Utopia because I'm 1 minute away from it.

Really appreciate it.

Hi,

I'm looking for the best, best best ever sweet potato fries in Downtown Toronto, and I can't seem to find any places that offer that at all.

Please, please help.

Wow, thanks a lot for your help guys. Really appreciate it.
I've gone out to Indigo and gotten myself a book that gives healthy recipes for people strapped on time.

I'm going to start using it too.
If someone has any knowledge on what books I can follow for making fast meals, or meals in bulk over the weekend with high prot/carb... please let me know.
Thanks.

I'm off to Eaton Centre today to Chapters to get some books, lol.
Thanks everybody for all the help and suggestions.

Wow, that website is amazing. I'd love to have it working for me, but I don't make THAT kinda money to spend close to $1000 p/m for the food, lol.

I currently spend $450 for someone to make it for me, but it's not cutting it.

Do you think I can make all of this for me for a fraction of the cost?

dlw88: Looks like a search site to me. Do they have a delivery service?

sumashi: Thanks for the website, and the eggwhite part is my part of the mealplan too ;)

How can a beginner like me who never cooked before, do this?
Any books, websites?

Any inexpensive services like this in Toronto?