OT - Anyone here enjoy cooking?

[Fishy]

Good thread. I love cooking and make a homemade meal most nights, then something big on weekends.

Last weekend, I decided I wasn't waiting for Thanksgiving and made an entire Thanksgiving dinner for me, my daughter and my girlfriend. The next day, I made pasta dough and made "Thanksgiving ravioli". They were stuffed with 50% mashed potato, 25% turkey and 20% stuffing with a 5% dollop of cranberry sauce inside. Then I boiled them and drizzled them with gravy. It was the best things of your Thanksgiving dinner all in one bite. Amazing.

Deepster's got a girlfriend! Deepster's got a girlfriend!

Perhaps I'll meet her if we actually coordinate our trips to Cape Cod and Saratoga and you don't, you know, drive her away screaming.

Didn't you make waffles out of that meal, too?

 

[Bezzz]

Good thread. I love cooking and make a homemade meal most nights, then something big on weekends.

Last weekend, I decided I wasn't waiting for Thanksgiving and made an entire Thanksgiving dinner for me, my daughter and my girlfriend. The next day, I made pasta dough and made "Thanksgiving ravioli". They were stuffed with 50% mashed potato, 25% turkey and 20% stuffing with a 5% dollop of cranberry sauce inside. Then I boiled them and drizzled them with gravy. It was the best things of your Thanksgiving dinner all in one bite. Amazing.

Deepster, for future reference. Those aren't raviolis. Those are pierogis!

 

[tdrink]

I used to enjoy cooking until my kids got finnicky.

Nothing more disappointing than slaving over a well prepared meal just to see half the family turn their noses up at it.

 

[Citrusdog]

I try and expand my culinary skills as often and as much as possible. I'm no chef but I very much enjoy making tasty things and I'm always looking for new dishes and dinner ideas. Anybody else out there try and be a kitchen wiz?

Tomorrow's menu will be chicken saltimbocca with a quick roasted veggie risotto.

I actually went to school for it over 30 years ago. Do you know how to make the 5 mother sauces? That is an excellent start and so many things come out of that. Also... proteins... what needs to be understood about these is TEMPERATURE. The average joe will cook the living out of beef, pork or fowl. My son now knows how to cook a decent steak (sirloin or rib eye for example) or even a chicken breast or pork loin without destroying it... successfully... is... he now understands that he needs to season it (after rubbing w/ olive oil) and sear it quickly (both sides) with high heat in pan that can be placed in the oven... then 'finish it' in the oven for a short time with a pat of butter on top in the vicinity of 300 degrees. This is how restaurants do it.. it ain't magic.

I would recommend getting a kitchen thermometer as you get further into it - you will need it. Trust me on this. The reason my turkey is perfectly cooked every year is not because I am awesome... it's because of a thermometer.

 

[Citrusdog]

Love cooking but love it even more for larger groups of people. Thats why tailgates are always great, pre cook a lot of stuff at home in large quantities, cook some burgers/sausages/dogs at the game, then save it all for later/the next day as well.

Much prefer cooking to baking. Baking has to be so exact in the measurements. Cooking is more of an "eye test" type of deal

Agree... it is more science than sense of seasoning.

 

[Bezzz]

I
I would recommend getting a kitchen thermometer as you get further into it - you will need it. Trust me on this. The reason my turkey is perfectly cooked every year is not because I am awesome... it's because of a thermometer.

My cousin tried to kill us all one Christmas Eve with a rare pork roast. It didn't work.

 

[sledog]

Burp. Olive oil, ground pepper, sea slat, herbs, hi heast, low heat = !!!

 

[Citrusdog]

My cousin tried to kill us all one Christmas Eve with a rare pork roast. It didn't work.

I've heard that cousins taste pretty good after brining and smoking for 10-12 hours. No seriously, trichinosis (sp?) is a thing of the past and kitchen thermometers are very effective. Get a good one - if purchasing - not some cheap POS. Sounds as though they were unsure how to prepare it - sorry.

 

[aceboon]

You might want to try Blue Apron. $60 a week and a box of food and recipes are delivered to your door. I liked them when I was in NYC, saved me having to shop. I'll get them again when I settle down here in Ess . Only complaint is they tend to push the fish on you, and I don't want to eat tilapia every week.

I was a fan of their recipes but I had to cancel after about a month, way too much prep involved.

 

[Mano]

I actually went to school for it over 30 years ago. Do you know how to make the 5 mother sauces? That is an excellent start and so many things come out of that. Also... proteins... what needs to be understood about these is TEMPERATURE. The average joe will cook the living out of beef, pork or fowl. My son now knows how to cook a decent steak (sirloin or rib eye for example) or even a chicken breast or pork loin without destroying it... successfully... is... he now understands that he needs to season it (after rubbing w/ olive oil) and sear it quickly (both sides) with high heat in pan that can be placed in the oven... then 'finish it' in the oven for a short time with a pat of butter on top in the vicinity of 300 degrees. This is how restaurants do it.. it ain't magic.

I would recommend getting a kitchen thermometer as you get further into it - you will need it. Trust me on this. The reason my turkey is perfectly cooked every year is not because I am awesome... it's because of a thermometer.

Ya, got me a good thermometer. Never messed with a hollandaise, just seems like more trouble then its worth, but the others I've all used and do use. I've got a decent cast iron, but I'm in the market this holiday season for a new cookware set. Would love to get me some tri-ply All-Clad, but man are they expensive. Apparently the Tramontina brand that they sell at (bear with me) Walmart is of comparable build, use and quality. And its an 1/8th of the price.

 

[Citrusdog]

I think we need a recipe to become the mojo recipe of UCONN boys/girls basketball. I know Rolling Rock and wings are pretty dang good... I bet the entire yard I've a recipe that could replace the wings.... I know... that's a bold statement... No, it is not a Chic-o-stix casserole... I take on all challengers... who has a great game dish/snack/etc.. ?? I believe I've got one that will replace most peoples. Simple to make - even by a non cook.

 

[Hoophound]

I was a fan of their recipes but I had to cancel after about a month, way too much prep involved.

Agreed. All the chopping of 3-5 vegetables, herbs and mashing garlic etc. is a drag. Realistically, each meal takes about 40 minutes start to finish. Not really something I want to deal with when I get home.

My wife likes it and continues to order but I really don't want anything to do with it in terms of cooking. Nonetheless, my youngest daughter and I end up doing it once a week to be nice and to do an activity together. Honestly, the food turns out great and the quality of ingredients is very good.

 

[Husky25]

I try and expand my culinary skills as often and as much as possible. I'm no chef but I very much enjoy making tasty things and I'm always looking for new dishes and dinner ideas. Anybody else out there try and be a kitchen wiz?

Tomorrow's menu will be chicken saltimbocca with a quick roasted veggie risotto.

Come to Rentschler Field at 11:30 on Saturday and you'll find about 25,000+ who like to expand their culinary skills. It's not just burgers, dogs and PBRs.

 

[CTMike]

Ya, got me a good thermometer. Never messed with a hollandaise, just seems like more trouble then its worth, but the others I've all used and do use. I've got a decent cast iron, but I'm in the market this holiday season for a new cookware set. Would love to get me some tri-ply All-Clad, but man are they expensive. Apparently the Tramontina brand that they sell at (bear with me) Walmart is of comparable build, use and quality. And its an 1/8th of the price.

My wife and I have had the Tramontina stuff for 3 years now and I think it's great.

 

[Citrusdog]

Ya, got me a good thermometer. Never messed with a hollandaise, just seems like more trouble then its worth, but the others I've all used and do use. I've got a decent cast iron, but I'm in the market this holiday season for a new cookware set. Would love to get me some tri-ply All-Clad, but man are they expensive. Apparently the Tramontina brand that they sell at (bear with me) Walmart is of comparable build, use and quality. And its an 1/8th of the price.

I made hollandaise the other day with my immersion blender (small boat motor). It was really fluffy and it was dolloppd over baked flounder with a crabmeat stuffing and baby asparagus. I will use an immersion blender again - it was killer.

 

[alexd]

Come to Rentschler Field at 11:30 on Saturday and you'll find about 25,000+ who like to expand their culinary skills. It's not just burgers, dogs and PBRs.

Exactly.....during the course of every season, our friends do up deep fried turkey, pulled pork, a seafood boil....

 

[superjohn]

Good thread. I love cooking and make a homemade meal most nights, then something big on weekends.

Last weekend, I decided I wasn't waiting for Thanksgiving and made an entire Thanksgiving dinner for me, my daughter and my girlfriend. The next day, I made pasta dough and made "Thanksgiving ravioli". They were stuffed with 50% mashed potato, 25% turkey and 20% stuffing with a 5% dollop of cranberry sauce inside. Then I boiled them and drizzled them with gravy. It was the best things of your Thanksgiving dinner all in one bite. Amazing.

You made Thanksgiving dinner a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, AugustWest would give you a good throat punch for that.

 

[Walker11]

I made hollandaise the other day with my immersion blender (small boat motor). It was really fluffy and it was dolloppd over baked flounder with a crabmeat stuffing and baby asparagus. I will use an immersion blender again - it was killer.

This is an amazing hack. I've made the hollandaise several times following a recipe from the author @CTMike referenced.

The thing I like most about The Food Lab is that he has facsimile versions of my favorite fast food sandwiches (but with good ingredients). This chik-fil-a sandwich is absolutely killer. And after that drunk kid embarrassed himself in the UCONN cafeteria, I had a hankering for bacon-jalepeno-mac. Kenji's recipe did not dissapoint.

Recently, I have been loving Jim Lahey's no knead bread recipe. Incredibly easy to make, and fresh bread sh!ts on anything you would buy at the grocery.

 

[CTMike]

That no knead bread is fantastic.

 

[fatlucy]

Love to cook. Learned as a sauté chef at Mansfield Depot as a student at UCONN. I ate and drank like a king....for a student. Waitresses were a disapointment.

 

[storrsroars]

I enjoy cooking and happen to be decent at it. Can make competent recipes in most ethnicities except Japanese and Chinese (not Chinese-American). When I owned a coffeehouse I used to do a Sunday brunch where the menu rotated around dishes from countries that grew coffee.

I also still have most of a box of chemicals from my molecular gastronomy phase.

 

[Drumguy]

I'm a baker, like the need to measure and follow the directions. Cooking just help my wife as a line chef.

 

[Deepster]

You made Thanksgiving dinner a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, AugustWest would give you a good throat punch for that.

I'm sitting here nibbling on the last few slabs of turkey from last week. August West molests collies.

 

[August_West]

I'm sitting here nibbling on the last few slabs of turkey from last week. August West molests collies.

I have a pool and a pond , Deep. The pond might be better for you.

 

[Northbound]

Cooks Illustrated is a fantastic magazine to learn about food. They have great recipes, though some of them take some skill. This is no Rachel Ray stuff. Highly recommend it.

I haven't cooked in almost three years though. It is a great way to allow you to eat well without paying for it elsewhere. Now I just pay for it.

Chris Kimball who started America's Test Kitchen and is the EIC (I think) at Cook's Illustrated is leaving. It's going to be interesting to see how it has an impact on the show and the magazine.

CI is great.

My cooking ranges from 16 hours smokes to wild game done in traditional French preparation. Depends on how much time I have.

Did knock out a nice pan braised grouse breast with juniper berries and rosemary over wild mushrooms last weekend. Hard to beat grouse - tasty.