What can you expect in the Food Thread on PF?

[Evo]

I must say that Alton Brown's method of pan-frying steak is quite handy. Last night it was pouring rain, so instead of grilling our flat-iron steak, I cooked it inside. The method is drop-dead simple.

Warm the steak to room temperature. Put your skillet in the oven and preheat it to 500 deg. Lightly oil the steak and season it with salt and cracked peppercorns. Transfer the skillet from the oven to the grill-top with the burner set on "high" and put the steak in the skillet. Don't move the steak while it is searing. After 30 seconds, flip the steak using tongs. After searing the second side for 30 seconds, put the skillet right back in the oven. After 2 minutes, flip the steak and leave it in the oven for another 2 minutes. Then get the skillet out of the oven and immediately put the steak somewhere where it can relax. I use an inverted luncheon plate on top of a dinner plate (to catch the juices) and cover the steak with the cover from my large Revere stew-pot. After 2 minutes, serve the steak. It's a pretty fool-proof method. Not real energy-efficient, but the results are quite consistent.

This is a method I tried and it was very good, but I found that my steaks were coming out overdone. I like rare. This works pretty well for a thick bone in steak.

For a petit sirloin 6oz, this is perfect - heat skillet on medium high heat on the stove top, throw meat down and cook for exactly 2 minutes, do not touch, when timer goes off, flip and cook for another two minutes. When timer goes off, remove to plate and cover for 2 minutes. Dig In.

For filet mignon

I had one of those custom restaurant aged filet mignons from my meat connection tonight. I only used a fork to eat it, it was so tender, I did not need a knife, unbelievable. Like "buttah".

I seared it on the stove at medium high heat for 2 minutes on each side, seared the edges, rotating it with my tongs, then finished it for 4 minutes in a 375F oven. It was 2 inches thick. It was rare, cook it for 6 minutes in the oven if you want it medium. If you like it cooked more than medium, don't waste your money, go to McDonalds and buy a Big Mac.

 

[physics girl phd]

[RANT]Grrr, On American Iron Chef, Mario Battali says he's serving grits, or polenta, like there is no difference. People in the south only call milled white hominy corn "grits", yellow cornmeal, course or fine grind, when cooked in water (or milk) is called cornmeal mush, now that is what the Italians call polenta. I understand that only a small portion of the US is familiar with grits, and I may be the only forum member to have eaten them, but if you are a chef, you shouldn't talk about things you don't know about. Just spreading misinformation.[/RANT]

Also: "no self-respectin' southerner uses instant grits" (My Cousin Vinny, 1992)


(Grit part starts at about 8:30)

In my opinion: the two best things about the south... grits and sweet tea.

 

[Evo]

Also: "no self-respectin' southerner uses instant grits" (My Cousin Vinny, 1992)


(Grit part starts at about 8:30)

In my opinion: the two best things about the south... grits and sweet tea.

Too bad the screenwriters don't know that there are "instant" grits and then there are the pretty much standard "5 minute" grits. I use 5 minutes grits, set the timer to 5 minutes, turn off, stir and eat.

 

[Evo]

mmmm, I made shrimp scampi served with couscous. Fabulous!

I used 1 pound of shelled and deveined shrimp, sauteed it in one stick of melted butter, 6 finely chopped garlic cloves, 1/4 cup of white wine, the juice of half a lemon, and a good covering of Morton's Nature's Seasons.

 

[MotoH]

I had crab legs tonight.

Word of advice: Dont get crab legs when you are in the middle of a continent.

 

[Evo]

I had crab legs tonight.

Word of advice: Dont get crab legs when you are in the middle of a continent.

I love Alaskan King Crab legs, so they are always precooked and frozen. Trouble is they are almost always too salty and have freezer burn. :(

 

[Evo]

I thought this little "what food is in season" guide with tips might be hlpful for some people.

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/shopping-storing/seasonal-fruit-vegetable-tool-00000000008233/

 

[turbo]

I thought this little "what food is in season" guide with tips might be hlpful for some people.

It should be helpful for some folks. In fact, it should be required reading for managers of produce departments. Sometimes it seems that either they don't know that their produce is sub-standard, or they don't care because they can get poor quality stock cheaper and foist it off on the clueless. Much of the produce in New England comes all the way from Florida, California, and Mexico, so it is rarely of good quality. I can't wait for gardening season, so I can cook with really great ingredients!

 

[hypatia]

I wish my partner liked string beans, apparently he was traumatized by one at a young age. Maybe I could tie some broccoli to the ends and call them Mongolian asparagus?

 

[Evo]

I wish my partner liked string beans, apparently he was traumatized by one at a young age. Maybe I could tie some broccoli to the ends and call them Mongolian asparagus?

Buwahahah.

 

[turbo]

I wish my partner liked string beans, apparently he was traumatized by one at a young age. Maybe I could tie some broccoli to the ends and call them Mongolian asparagus?

I can't wait for fresh garden string beans! I love them raw, steamed, in stir-fries...about every way you can think of. I plant Provider beans, and once they start coming, we get more beans than we could ever eat fresh. I put a pizza pan and some cookie-sheets in the freezer and spread the beans out on those, so they freeze quickly, then bag them. No chopping, rinsing, or other processing. They don't stick together, so when you want to put beans in a soup or casserole, just open a bag, take out a handful or two, rinse them in a colander, snap them and throw them in the pot. Real easy, and lots better-tasting than commercially-frozen stuff, in large part because they were frozen within minutes of being picked.

 

[turbo]

Book recommendation: If you do any baking, get "Beard on Bread" by James Beard. A co-worker who used to own a bakery gave a copy to my wife and it seems every recipe that she tries out of it is great. Today, she tried out one of the banana bread recipes, and baked it off in a muffin tin instead of making a single large loaf. Very tasty.

The rye bread she made last week is gone, now - it's a very hearty bread that stands up well to strong flavors. Great with smoked shoulder, sharp cheddar, sliced dill pickles and hot beer mustard (my lunch yesterday). I'm glad I bought her a bread-stone/pizza stone - she's getting excited about baking bread and has Post-It notes marking all the European-style whole grain bread recipes in the book.

I hope my cukes produce well this summer. If I keep eating sandwiches like this, I'm going to have to make lots more kosher dill pickles.

 

[Astronuc]

I wish my partner liked string beans, apparently he was traumatized by one at a young age.

Maybe I could tie some broccoli to the ends and call them Mongolian asparagus?

Or cut them diagonally across? They are great with almonds. Of course, if it's the taste, then try sugar peas.

 

[turbo]

I had to finally break down today and order a Thiers Issard 7" Santoku. I love my TI 6" chef's knife, but it is a knife designed for slicing, and sometimes, I want a knife that is designed for chopping and mincing. The santoku has ground hollows that help release materials while cutting, and I really want that quality. That was brought home tonight when I was chopping mushrooms and onions for our pizzas. With a French chef's knife, you have to cut down and rock up toward the tip, which is a bit slower than a santoku, and you have to deal with the thin slices of vegetable that stick to the polished blade. Not a big deal most of the year, but if the garden comes in well this summer, I'll be a chopping fool, making salsas, chili relishes, pickles, etc.

BTW, Thiers Issard is the primo knife-maker in France. Other firms have the legal right (somehow) to use the name Sabatier, but TI is the gold standard. Their knives are very pricey, but they are wonderful, and they can be passed down for generations.

 

[turbo]

Tonight, my wife brought home a 12-pack sampler of Dundee beers and ales. So far I have tried Pale Ale, Pale Bock Lager, and Porter. 3 down, and no winners. The beers and ales produced by the local Oak Pond Brewery are far superior, with more character, unique flavors, etc.

 

[Evo]

Ok, I am ready for St Patrick's Day. Corned beef points (I prefer the point cut) were on sale for $1.58 a pound, I found a pretty lean one, you need to really check point cuts for fat. Cabbage was 25 cents per pound. And avocados were on sale for 69 cents each, don't ask me why they were part of the St Patrick's sale, but I scooped up three of those.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

I'm thinking of making some corned beef or something irish like for Patty's Day.
I was thinking something along the lines of a stew, which should be easier for me with my tiny kitchen.

Any one know any good recipes? I was kind of thinking of some sort of creamy potato stew with corned beef in it.

 

[GeorginaS]

And avocados were on sale for 69 cents each, don't ask me why they were part of the St Patrick's sale, but I scooped up three of those.

On sale because they're green?

 

[turbo]

My wife is taking care of her mother today, so I'm cooking for tonight's meal. New England-style baked beans (no tomato sauce, you Texans!)

It's easy, you just have to plan ahead a bit. Last night, I put a pound of dried black beans (turtle beans) in a large bowl and covered them with water to soak. Always put in more water than you think you'll need because the beans soak it up quickly and swell, leaving the top beans uncovered if you didn't use extra water. This morning I drained and rinsed the beans, put them in a large saucepan, covered them with water, and brought them to a slow boil and let them boil for about 10-15 minutes while preheating the oven to 300 deg. Drained the liquid and transferred the beans to a large casserole dish. Then added 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup of molasses, salt, pepper, 1 tbs of prepared mustard, one large chopped onion and 2 cloves of minced garlic. Lastly, add water until all the ingredients are well-covered, stir a bit to mix things, put on the lid, and transfer the dish to the oven. After 2 hours or so, I'll check the water level (adding boiling water from a teakettle, if needed) and taste the bean-juice to see if I need to touch up the seasonings. When the beans are tender, they're done, and I'll remove the lid from the casserole and pop the dish back in the oven to let the bean-juice evaporate off, if needed. Usually, I stop when the beans are just a bit on the runny side, because they will soak up more juice over the next day or so.

 

[Borek]

When cooking beans I use a method my Mom read about somewhere 30 years ago. Put beans into cold water, bring to boil and wait till they start to float on the surface. Get the pot off the heat, wait till beans fall to the bottom. Then cook as usuall. Much faster than keeping beans in water for whole night.

 

[turbo]

My wife made pumpernickel bread this weekend, and we had a bit of leftover rye bread and about 1/4 loaf of black bread (both of which she had made previously) in the 'fridge. Not wanting them to go to waste, I cubed the bread, tossed them in a bowl with garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, basil, parsley, and extra-virgin olive oil, spread the bread cubes out on a large baking sheet and popped it into the 300 deg oven while the beans were baking. About an hour later, the croutons were done. Nice and crisp and spicy. Now, she has croutons to put on the tossed salads she often takes for lunch. Lots more flavor than the store-bought stuff.

Don't waste money tossing out bread that is beginning to dry out or go stale. Make croutons and use them on your soups and salads. It's really easy. It's especially nice if you have a loved one that is watching their sodium intake, because you control the spices, and don't have to use salt. I didn't.

I should have added another really great use for such croutons. When you have a roasting chicken and want to stuff it, soften the croutons in milk, season liberally with sage, add a raw egg or two and chopped onion and mix with your hands. Chopped walnuts and finely-slice mushrooms are options, too.

 

[turbo]

That was fast! My Thiers-Issard Santoku arrived today in the mail. Here is a line-up of my current stable of cooking knives. At the top is a French-made hidden-tang chef's knife. I bought it from an old friend who buys and sells knives. He knows of my love for old cooking knives and he saved this for me. It was pretty corroded (surface-stuff, no pitting) and he only charged me $10. The blade is so beautifully tempered that if you stroke the edge, it rings. I buffed the blade with crocus cloth and then gave it a nice coating of gun-blue to help prevent further corrosion. Next is a chef's knife that has been sharpened over and over again, bought at a lawn sale years ago. From the extreme re-shaping due to sharpening, I expect that it lived much of its life in a busy commercial kitchen. Next is the new Santoku, which will be my primary vegetable/herb-chopping knife. Next is my Thiers-Issard 6" chef's knife - the real workhorse of the group. Under that is a Kuhn Rikon utility knife. The beveled blade and non-stick coating give this sturdy little knife good release properties for small slicing jobs. Last (and least) is a little Acuto paring knife. It has a thin, flexible blade and non-stick coating. My wife bought the last two knives at TJMaxx for a couple of bucks each. They sharpen easily, and fit her smallish hands well.

The 6" chef's knife replaces a similar carbon steel TI that was lost in a move years ago. the new Santoku replaces a 10" Chicago cutlery chef's knife. That knife has a heavy and rather soft blade. It was my vegetable-chopper for years (using the rear portion of the blade), but the large squarish handle and blade-heavy (lack of) balance made it awkward for my wife to use.

Tip: For you newly-weds or newly-employed former students who want to upgrade your cutlery, do not fall into the trap of buying a large set of $$$ knives. Go slow! Buy high-quality 6" chef's knife first - it will be your most-used knife. Get a nice diamond hone and a good sharpening steel, and you're good to go. Keep some inexpensive paring knives around, and then upgrade your other knives from open-stock. I still have my Chicago butcher's knife in the knife block - it is thick and heavy and does a heck of a job on chicken and turkey carcasses, and for the really heavy jobs, there is the big Gladiator cleaver.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

So I found a recipe for creamy corned beef, potato, and cabbage stew. I'll be making that later today after I get some sleep.

This is the recipe I am using...
http://meemoskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/03/quiet-man-pub-cream-of-corned-beef.html
Though I decided to not use carrots, since I do not want to accidentally over cook them and have nasty carrot mush, and I decided to use whole baby potatoes instead of cut potato. Also I think I may use some whiskey in place of the beer though I am unsure about this as of yet.

 

[turbo]

That sounds interesting, SA. Never had a creamy corned beef soup before...

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

That sounds interesting, SA. Never had a creamy corned beef soup before...

Nor have I. I thought it might be interesting. I was going to improvise if I didn't a recipe.

I think I may leave out the corn starch too, or at least keep the quantity small. I'm not really looking to have something very thick.

I'll let you all know how it turns out. Just put the brisket in the pot a few minutes ago.

 

[turbo]

I really like my santoku, though I haven't yet gotten my technique down, totally. I'll get plenty of practice this summer, if the weather cooperates and the garden comes in well. We had pizza for supper tonight, and I used it to chop onions, mushrooms, ripe olives... The blade has less rocker than a chef's knife, so the appropriate chopping motion has less vertical range of motion and you end up with a longer contact-area, too. I can see why so many sous-chefs like santokus - it is very efficient for chopping/mincing.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

The stew was fairly good though I think I ought have used cut potatoes instead of whole. Some crushed pepper corns instead of ground pepper probably would have been better too.

 

[turbo]

The santoku has been baptized. It drew first blood from my wife. She's got this Evo-like tendency to injure herself with knives. Her comment to me: "Boy that thing is sharp!" (All of our knives are sharp. That's a lot safer than letting them get dull, requiring more force to cut.) The santoku has no choil, and requires a more controlled grip than the TI chef's knife, even though the depth of the blade provides more clearance for your grip-hand. It's not a good idea to be rushed, inattentive, or distracted when handling blades you can shave with. Film at eleven.

 

[Ouabache]

My wife is taking care of her mother today, so I'm cooking for tonight's meal. New England-style baked beans (no tomato sauce, you Texans!)
Then added 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup of molasses, salt, pepper, 1 tbs of prepared mustard, one large chopped onion and 2 cloves of minced garlic.

This sounds tastey! I sometimes render and add thick smokey bacon to my beans. Just saute my onions and garlic in the smokey bacon grease. Pimentón is another wonderful seasoning that adds another dimension of flavor to New England baked beans. If you like a little zest, I may add some fresh cayenne and minced habeneros to the pot.

I wonder, how's the Maple Sap Run, this time of the year, in your neck of the woods?

 

[turbo]

This sounds tastey! I sometimes render and add thick smokey bacon to my beans. Just saute my onions and garlic in the smokey bacon grease. Pimentón is another wonderful seasoning that adds another dimension of flavor to New England baked beans. If you like a little zest, I may add some fresh cayenne and minced habeneros to the pot.

I wonder, how's the Maple Sap Run, this time of the year, in your neck of the woods?

We sometimes add smoked meats to beans, too. Smoked bacon, shoulder, etc go really well in there. When I make a double-batch, I sometimes bury 4-5 chicken legs in the bottom of the pot. When the beans are done, the meat is just falling off the bone. Chicken legs have a lot of fat in them and I started baking them in beans back when I was in college, instead of using salt pork or bacon. If you like spicy, chipotle is a good additive. I kept that last batch pure and simple, though.

Maple sap started running weeks earlier than normal this year, and lots of producers got caught flat-footed. Those that tapped very early (especially those with vacuum-assist systems) got a nice big run - as good or better than in most recent years. Those that fell behind found that their season was shortened and have stopped evaporating already.

 

[Moonbear]

Nor have I. I thought it might be interesting. I was going to improvise if I didn't a recipe.

I think I may leave out the corn starch too, or at least keep the quantity small. I'm not really looking to have something very thick.

I'll let you all know how it turns out. Just put the brisket in the pot a few minutes ago.

Too bad I missed that recipe sooner. It sounded pretty tasty. I agree on leaving out corn starch from soups. If you need to thicken it a bit next time you try it, a good way to do that is just to mash some of the added potatoes.

 

[Ouabache]

We sometimes add smoked meats to beans, too. Chicken legs have a lot of fat in them and I started baking them in beans back when I was in college, instead of using salt pork or bacon. If you like spicy, chipotle is a good additive.

That sound delicious! I will try chicken in my beans next time. And chipotle is perfect. I use them whenever I have a supply on hand.

I was afraid that might happen with the maples. I am thinking this is going to be even more problematic as spring temperatures continue to shift in years to come. Either they may want to sample more often, early in the season or enlist some instrumentation to monitor the trees.

 

[turbo]

That sound delicious! I will try chicken in my beans next time. And chipotle is perfect. I use them whenever I have a supply on hand.

When my wife and I were living in Bangor early in our marriage, we used to visit a slaughterhouse in a neighboring town nearly every weekend. For some reason, when they processed chickens, they ended up with excesses of chicken livers and thighs, and always had great prices on them. Those ended up being comfort foods in lean times. We would put thighs in our baked beans, and we'd pan-fry the livers with onions and green peppers and serve that alongside nice sharp home-made macaroni and cheese.

Both very cheap and tasty meals with lots of left-over potential.

 

[Evo]

When my wife and I were living in Bangor early in our marriage, we used to visit a slaughterhouse in a neighboring town nearly every weekend.

I thought this was going to be the beginning of a love story.

 

[turbo]

I thought this was going to be the beginning of a love story.

It WAS! You're not much of a romantic. We couldn't afford steaks, roasts, etc, and even avoided buying poultry at the market unless it was on sale. The slaughterhouse's store offered very attractive prices, so we could afford to eat meat regularly (as long as "meat" was chicken thighs and livers).

 

[Evo]

It WAS! You're not much of a romantic. We couldn't afford steaks, roasts, etc, and even avoided buying poultry at the market unless it was on sale. The slaughterhouse's store offered very attractive prices, so we could afford to eat meat regularly (as long as "meat" was chicken thighs and livers).

My mother made incredible gizzards and rice and now gizards cost around $1.79 a pound. They're crazy.

 

[lisab]

Had a lot of leftover ham from Easter, so tonight I made quiche tonight. Tasty but a bit too rich.

Still have a lot of ham, though!

 

[Evo]

Had a lot of leftover ham from Easter, so tonight I made quiche tonight. Tasty but a bit too rich.

Still have a lot of ham, though!

I love quiche. I made my first quiche over 42 years ago. The only quiche was Quiche Lorraine. Swiss cheese and bacon.

 

[lisab]

I love quiche. I made my first quiche over 42 years ago. The only quiche was Quiche Lorraine. Swiss cheese and bacon.

Can't go wrong with cheese and bacon!

Hmm...now, if I had to choose between them, it would have to be just bacon .

 

[Dembadon]

... I made my first quiche over 42 years ago. ...

If the photos I've seen of Dweevo are fairly recent, then your claim is biologically impossible; you'd have had to be at least -10 years old when you made the quiche.

 

[Borek]

Don't worry, she has been 5 when her first daughter was born. We've been through it on many occasions.

 

[Evo]

If the photos I've seen of Dweevo are fairly recent, then your claim is biologically impossible; you'd have had to be at least -10 years old when you made the quiche.

My Facebook picture is 3 years old.

I was baking quiche before I could walk.

I think I'm going to make dark fudge with pecans today, I'm going to cheat and use the chocolate chip and condensed milk trick. I add a lot of cocoa powder to it. Not as good as real homemade fudge, but I don't have the patience to do the whole candy thermometer thing, or worse, the soft ball test.

If anyone wants the recipe for the shortcut stuff, here it is.

Foolproof Dark Chocolate Fudge

Ingredients
3 cups (1-1/2 packages, 12 ounces each) HERSHEY'®S SPECIAL DARK® Chocolate Chips or HERSHEY'®S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
Dash salt
1 cup chopped pecans
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

optional: unsweetened cocoa powder


1. Line 8- or 9-inch square pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan.

2. Melt chocolate chips with sweetened condensed milk and salt in heavy saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat; stir in pecans and vanilla. (this is the point where I add the cocoa powder to taste, I like my fudge to be super chocolaty) Spread evenly in prepared pan.

3. Refrigerate 2 hours or until firm. Remove from pan; place on cutting board. Peel off foil; cut into squares. Store loosely covered at room temperature.

Note For best results, do not double this recipe.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

If you are a gluten for punishment, here is the best homemade "Real" fudge recipe. I've been making this since I was 10 or 11. My mother was alaways there rolling her eyes and telling me it was going to be grainy because i was too impatient. But that's what I *LOVED* about my fudge, that grainy texture. :!) I must warn you, this is considered advanced candy making now on the internet. I saw someone criticize a fudge recipe online saying that there should have been a warning this was not for first time fudge makers. Well, you know, there's got to be a first time at least once.

Skill Level: Advanced

Rich Cocoa Fudge

Ingredients:3 cups sugar
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa or HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa
1/8 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:1. Line 8-or 9-inch square pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan. Butter foil.

2. Mix sugar, cocoa and salt in heavy 4-quart saucepan; stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to full rolling boil. Boil, without stirring, until mixture reaches 234°F on candy thermometer or until small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water, forms a soft ball which flattens when removed from water. (Bulb of candy thermometer should not rest on bottom of saucepan.)

3. Remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla. DO NOT STIR. Cool at room temperature to 110°F (lukewarm). Beat with wooden spoon until fudge thickens and just begins to lose some of its gloss. Quickly spread into prepared pan; cool completely. Cut into squares. Store in tightly covered container at room temperature. About 36 pieces or 1-3/4 pounds.

http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipes/detail.asp?id=5303

 

[Borek]

Ingredients
3 cups (1-1/2 packages, 12 ounces each) HERSHEY'®S SPECIAL DARK® Chocolate Chips or HERSHEY'®S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
Dash salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

You forgot raisins.

 

[lisab]

You forgot raisins.

 

[Evo]

You forgot raisins.

<BANNED>

<BANNED>



I know chocolate covered raisins are really chocolate covered cockroaches, I am no fool.

 

[Evo]

I hate bacon packages. Why aren't they resealable?

 

[lisab]

I hate bacon packages. Why aren't they resealable?

<lisab uses another GOOBF card from her large stack...gives one to Borek too, along with a box of raisins>

What's left to reseal ?

 

[Dembadon]

... What's left to reseal ?

Those are precisely the words that came to my mind when I read Evo's post. Cook all of it; put any leftovers in a ziplock bag to use on a hot sandwich the next day.

 

[Evo]

<lisab uses another GOOBF card from her large stack...gives one to Borek too, along with a box of raisins>

Evo thinks Lisab has been counterfeiting GOOBF cards.

What's left to reseal ?

Those are precisely the words that came to my mind when I read Evo's post. Cook all of it; put any leftovers in a ziplock bag to use on a hot sandwich the next day.

I might need three slices for a recipe, and may not need to cook any more for several weeks.

Oooh, I might try that chicken fried bacon.

 

[rewebster]

walnuts are great in chip cookies----pecans come in a close second---- (too bad I don't bake or have a maid)