What can you expect in the Food Thread on PF?

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The discussion revolves around a vibrant exchange of food-related topics, with participants sharing favorite recipes, culinary experiences, and kitchen mishaps. A notable focus is on lentil recipes, with suggestions for dishes like chocolate lentil cake and lentil lasagna, as well as creative uses of lentils in various cuisines. Participants also share recipes for pasta with pesto, grilled shrimp marinades, and Indian dishes like dahl and gulab jamun. There’s a strong emphasis on improvisation in cooking, with many contributors discussing how they cook "by feel" rather than following strict measurements. The conversation also touches on cultural influences, such as the appreciation for Lebanese and South Indian cuisine, and the importance of traditional meals like the Indian sadya. Additionally, humorous anecdotes about kitchen disasters and the challenges of cooking techniques, like frying mozzarella sticks, add a lighthearted tone to the thread. Overall, the thread celebrates the joy of cooking and the communal sharing of food experiences.
  • #3,051
HeLiXe said:
Lol...time to go to a coffee shop in Amsterdam:-p I'm sure they'd buy the recipeo:)

I've never had creamed onions! Is it similar to French onion dip?

Creamed onions are a bit more like a creamed leeks or turnips... smooth, creamy... delicious.

http://www.wbur.org/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2010/11/Creamed-Onions.pdf

In fact the friend who made them sent me this link: http://www.wbur.org/2010/11/24/restaurants-thanksgiving

and I don't think you could go wrong with any of those.
 
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  • #3,052
nismaratwork said:
Creamed onions are a bit more like a creamed leeks or turnips... smooth, creamy... delicious.

http://www.wbur.org/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2010/11/Creamed-Onions.pdf

In fact the friend who made them sent me this link: http://www.wbur.org/2010/11/24/restaurants-thanksgiving

and I don't think you could go wrong with any of those.
My mother used to make the traditional creamed pearl onions, this updated recipe sounds delicious, except NIX on the CLOVES.
 
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  • #3,053
I think we waited a day too long to cook the roasting chicken. It smelled a little funky when my wife opened the bag, and my nose concurred. Bye. So this year's "Thanksgiving" feast consisted of potatoes, onions, and carrots, all boiled together and mashed, roasted garlic, baked buttercup squash, and pan-seared rib-eye.

I used the Good Eats method on the steak - it always works. Preheat a cast iron skillet to 500 deg in the oven when the steak comes to room temperature. Rub the steak with a very light coating of oil (peanut oil is my favorite) and season with salt and black pepper. Take the pre-heated pan out of the oven and put it on a large burner set to "High". Put the steak in the pan to sear and don't touch it for 30 seconds. Flip the steak with tongs to sear on the other side for 30 seconds, then put the pan and steak right back in the oven. After 2 minutes, flip the steak and return to the oven for another 2 minutes. Place the steak on an inverted plate on a larger plate to collect any juices and let the steak relax for 2 minutes before slicing. This timing is good for medium rare on an inch-thick steak. Got some nice left-over thin-sliced rib-eye for sandwiches.
 
  • #3,054
Thx nismaratwork :)

Om I asked my mom what she does with the turkey. She said she cooks at 320 degrees for about 7 hours. 6 of which the bird is completely covered in a covered roaster like this
[PLAIN]http://www.cookingfor.us/catalog/images/Columbian%20Home%20Graniteware%20Covered%20Roaster18-22%20Lbs19x135x8.jpg
or a roaster bottom with foil on top, for the last hour she takes off the foil and cover and bastes the turkey frequently so that it gets brown but not dry. The turkey is usually like 12 -15 lbs I think.

This was my first year away from her for thanksgiving.
 
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  • #3,055
HeLiXe said:
Thx nismaratwork :)

Om I asked my mom what she does with the turkey. She said she cooks at 320 degrees for about 7 hours. 6 of which the bird is completely covered in a covered roaster like this
[PLAIN]http://www.cookingfor.us/catalog/images/Columbian%20Home%20Graniteware%20Covered%20Roaster18-22%20Lbs19x135x8.jpg
or a roaster bottom with foil on top, for the last hour she takes off the foil and cover and bastes the turkey frequently so that it gets brown but not dry. The turkey is usually like 12 -15 lbs I think.

This was my first year away from her for thanksgiving.

Ohhhh! :cry: My mom passed away 17 years ago, and I remember that she always cooked turkeys in a device like you've shown. They were always delicious.

I guess there must be at least two ways to cook a bird.

o:)
 
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  • #3,056
OmCheeto said:
Ohhhh! :cry: My mom passed away 17 years ago, and I remember that she always cooked turkeys in a device like you've shown. They were always delicious.
sorry to hear it :(

OmCheeto said:
I guess there must be at least two ways to cook a bird.

o:)

Yes and turkey cooking is a sensitive subject for turkey cookers...it's an artistry. I've never cooked one, and I think it's a good thing for humanity :) a new pandemic might come from it.
 
  • #3,057
I used to cook with the dark enameled roaster, then tried the paper bag method (that actually was very good), then saw the Alton Brown method. Granted, he's acting from a script, but this is another one of the cooking techniques that his research staff nailed. This will produce a super moist bird with brown crispy skin every time.

Changes I made - For my oven, I do 450F for the first 30 minutes and 325 for the next 1 1/2-2 hours. After the first 30 minutes I completely enclose the turkey in heavy duty foil, then remove it the last 30-45 minutes to crisp the skin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AREWEOxVKD8&feature=channel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AREWEOxVKD8
 
  • #3,058
Evo said:
I used to cook with the dark enameled roaster, then tried the paper bag method (that actually was very good), then saw the Alton Brown method. Granted, he's acting from a script, but this is another one of the cooking techniques that his research staff nailed. This will produce a super moist bird with brown crispy skin every time.

Changes I made - For my oven, I do 450F for the first 30 minutes and 325 for the next 1 1/2-2 hours. After the first 30 minutes I completely enclose the turkey in heavy duty foil, then remove it the last 30-45 minutes to crisp the skin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AREWEOxVKD8&feature=channel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AREWEOxVKD8

I know you don't like him, but his show definitely has shared some excellent recipes and techniques... it just takes sifting through the dross as well.
 
  • #3,059
nismaratwork said:
I know you don't like him, but his show definitely has shared some excellent recipes and techniques... it just takes sifting through the dross as well.
I love him, I'm just dispappointed that he's not real. :cry: I was crushed to find out he wasn't really a geeky science loving foodie.

His finest moment.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuixJaAia84
 
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  • #3,060
Evo said:
I love him, I'm just dispappointed that he's not real. :cry: I was crushed to find out he wasn't really a geeky science loving foodie.

:eek: He's not?! How did you find out?
 
  • #3,061
HeLiXe said:
:eek: He's not?! How did you find out?
It's common knowledge. He was a video producer and had an idea for a show about a science nerd that cooked and pitched the idea to Food Network. He's just acting, although for the show he did go through a culinary course.

I have to say his show Good Eats is one of my favorites although some of the shows have been horribly wrong. One show where he mistakenly confused grits and cornmeal received so much negative feedback from viewers explaining his mistake that they actually filmed a correction to the original episode.

Recently he hosted "America's Best restaurants" and because he was reading from a script he mis-identified milled French iron pans for cast iron. If he had even seen the video before reading the narration, he would have noticed (hopefully). Food Network posted the same incorrect narration on their website, so it was obvious that the mistake was in the script. It was really pathetic, the chef even says that the secret to the dish is the French Iron pans, so Alton didn't listen to the audio either. I wonder if he even knows about the goof up? So, he narrated a show that he didn't even watch. Come on, can you care enough to at least watch it?

Of course my favorite food show of all time is the original Iron Chef from Japan and that show was based on an imaginary multi-millionaire food enthusiast Chairman Kaga who created Kitchen Stadium and his Iron Chefs. :-p That show was a hoot, but also had extremely skilled chefs and was so much better than the American version that Alton currently hosts.
 
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  • #3,062
Well at least he's a pretty good actor :)
 
  • #3,063
HeLiXe said:
Well at least he's a pretty good actor :)
He is. I wish he'd get back up to a reasonable weight, he looks terrible, he really does look like he's had cancer. I'm really shocked that he actually did this to himself, on purpose. Hopefully his weight will go back to normal.

He needs to gain some weight, and go back to his original, funny, imformative science/food premise. That was his best.
 
  • #3,064
Nismar, you seem to have a lot of cooking knowledge, I now expect you to share your cooking knowledge.

Maybe we can plan a meal and each commit to one dish and report back how it went.
 
  • #3,065
Does anyone have a killer recipe for orange-flavored beef?

Also, I had a Chinese friend in college who always brought these delicious and sweet dim sum treats, for study sessions. How many kinds of dim sum are there; is it possible to figure out what I probably had, and does anyone have a good recipe?
 
  • #3,066
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  • #3,067
Evo said:
He is. I wish he'd get back up to a reasonable weight, he looks terrible, he really does look like he's had cancer. I'm really shocked that he actually did this to himself, on purpose. Hopefully his weight will go back to normal.

He needs to gain some weight, and go back to his original, funny, imformative science/food premise. That was his best.

The last time I saw him was a few years ago...I haven't watched television in a while -_- I googled him to see how thin he's gotten, and I found a picture that has convinced me he's been lurking on PF and is trying to mimic Dave's doom factor
Alton-Brown-lost-weight-365tp120809.jpg

I think he needs a lot more practice:-p
 
  • #3,068
Evo said:
Nismar, you seem to have a lot of cooking knowledge, I now expect you to share your cooking knowledge.

Maybe we can plan a meal and each commit to one dish and report back how it went.

First, I admit to feeling dissapointed when I first discovered that Mr. Brown wasn't what he appeared, so I can understand the reaction. At least he does a fantastic Scottish accent... right? :wink:

As for me, I've been cooking since I was a kid... just a family passion. I'm always happy to share what I know... and I'll say this for starters...

ALWAYS pre-heat your pan when you're making popovers, and add a bit of honey to keep them from drying out while adding a subtle flavor. Personally I like them with Bonne Maman wild-blueberry preserves.

edit here... I love using orange-blossom honey in my popovers, but I've used sage honey for savory applications... I even add sage honey to Yorkshire Pudding (which I LOOOOOVE)
 
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  • #3,069
Ivan Seeking said:
Does anyone have a killer recipe for orange-flavored beef?

Also, I had a Chinese friend in college who always brought these delicious and sweet dim sum treats, for study sessions. How many kinds of dim sum are there; is it possible to figure out what I probably had, and does anyone have a good recipe?

There are generally 2 ways to achieve the orange beef experience... the first is this:

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/crispy-orange-beef/Detail.aspx
"Toss dried beef in cornstarch to coat."

THAT IS KEY. I will add: make very sure that your beef is just tacky to the touch, or as dry as can be. That little tiny dusting of starch is the different between limp beef, and something orangy-delicious.

I would add, that you can ratchet up the spice factor by adding chilis, but a little Sriracha will straighten you right out. just add sparingly and about in the middle of the final cooking process.

edit: Right.. I forgot the second! The second is a version I had which I can only guess at... a kind of orange DUSTED sauteed beef. I THINK that orange juice and zest are mixed lecithin or one of those "molecular cooking" bits, along with some vinegar and sugar. You use the powder as the coating INSTEAD of the starch, and then sautee or lightly brown in the pan, cook the veggies in the sauce seperately, then you bring them together and cook the beef through.
 
  • #3,070
This is Alton Brown today, way too thin. The weight loss has aged him about 20 years.

[PLAIN]http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/9411/altonbrowntoothin.jpg
 
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  • #3,071
Evo said:
I have to say his show Good Eats is one of my favorites although some of the shows have been horribly wrong. One show where he mistakenly confused grits and cornmeal received so much negative feedback from viewers explaining his mistake that they actually filmed a correction to the original episode.

Recently he hosted "America's Best restaurants" and because he was reading from a script he mis-identified milled French iron pans for cast iron. If he had even seen the video before reading the narration, he would have noticed (hopefully). Food Network posted the same incorrect narration on their website, so it was obvious that the mistake was in the script. It was really pathetic, the chef even says that the secret to the dish is the French Iron pans, so Alton didn't listen to the audio either. I wonder if he even knows about the goof up? So, he narrated a show that he didn't even watch. Come on, can you care enough to at least watch it?
Yep! He is just reading a script, and his producer and research staff are woefully inept. He needs a better research team and a better writer to keep him out of trouble.

The worst episode IMO is the one in which he explains that professionals in food-prep industry don't know how to sharpen their own cutlery apart from using a steel to touch up the edge. Instead, he claimed they had to hire some guy with a belt-grinder to sharpen their knives periodically. I wanted to call him on the phone and holler at him. I actually DID holler at the TV. What a moron! Would a chef pay $75 and up (each) for Thiers-Issard knives and let some itinerant "knife-sharpener" ruin the temper of those hand-forged blades with a belt grinder? I sharpen regularly with a steel, and if a blade's edge has been drawn out by the steel enough so that it dulls quickly (after maybe a year or so) the edge can be re-formed quickly and safely on a water-cooled diamond hone. It's not rocket science. It's similar to someone claiming that cabinet-makers don't know how to properly sharpen their planes and chisels. Ludicrous.
 
  • #3,072
I'm a vegetarian, have been so for a year now, but every single one of my top ten dishes has had meat in it. It's torture...
 
  • #3,073
trautlein said:
It's torture...

Being vegetarian is a torture you inflict on yourself :devil:
 
  • #3,074
All I have to say Evo is wow
 
  • #3,075
trautlein said:
I'm a vegetarian, have been so for a year now, but every single one of my top ten dishes has had meat in it. It's torture...

I was vegetarian for a long time and then vegan. When I was a vegetarian I think one of my favorite things in the world was a veggie quesedilla with sauteed onions, mushrooms and green peppers <3 And roti with channa is soooo good :)
 
  • #3,076
HeLiXe said:
I was vegetarian for a long time and then vegan. When I was a vegetarian I think one of my favorite things in the world was a veggie quesedilla with sauteed onions, mushrooms and green peppers <3 And roti with channa is soooo good :)

Trick is, when you are not vegetarian you are still allowed to eat these things.
 
  • #3,077
Borek said:
Trick is, when you are not vegetarian you are still allowed to eat these things.
I am a humitarian, but not a strict humanitarian. :-p
 
  • #3,078
Borek said:
Trick is, when you are not vegetarian you are still allowed to eat these things.

Yeah I know, when the office used to order Pizza on Fridays all the non-vegetarians would eat all the cheese pizza, I had to rush to the table and knock a few coworkers over just to avoid being left with things I could not eat, like meatlovers and super pepperoni deluxe or something :rolleyes:
 
  • #3,079
turbo-1 said:
I am a humitarian, but not a strict humanitarian. :-p

*hides*

I went to this Japanese restaurant down the road today. I only got take out, but man was it good. I like it there, it's like a low cost Benihana :) I wasn't adventurous this time, only dynamite rolls, california rolls, and shrimp rolls (with some orange roe looking things), but I'm looking forward to my next visit :biggrin:
 
  • #3,080
HeLiXe said:
Yeah I know, when the office used to order Pizza on Fridays all the non-vegetarians would eat all the cheese pizza, I had to rush to the table and knock a few coworkers over just to avoid being left with things I could not eat, like meatlovers and super pepperoni deluxe or something :rolleyes:
In my office no one ordered cheese pizza. I always voted for the eggplant & zucchini pizza, knowing I'd have it all to myself. My office was full of meat eaters.
 
  • #3,081
nismaratwork said:
There are generally 2 ways to achieve the orange beef experience... the first is this:

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/crispy-orange-beef/Detail.aspx
"Toss dried beef in cornstarch to coat."

THAT IS KEY. I will add: make very sure that your beef is just tacky to the touch, or as dry as can be. That little tiny dusting of starch is the different between limp beef, and something orangy-delicious.

I would add, that you can ratchet up the spice factor by adding chilis, but a little Sriracha will straighten you right out. just add sparingly and about in the middle of the final cooking process.

edit: Right.. I forgot the second! The second is a version I had which I can only guess at... a kind of orange DUSTED sauteed beef. I THINK that orange juice and zest are mixed lecithin or one of those "molecular cooking" bits, along with some vinegar and sugar. You use the powder as the coating INSTEAD of the starch, and then sautee or lightly brown in the pan, cook the veggies in the sauce seperately, then you bring them together and cook the beef through.

thanks! I will try and report back with the results. Tsu and I both absolutely love orange beef. There is one place in town that makes a somewhat okay orange beef - great flavor but too much fat and low-quality meat - but there is lots of room for improvement. I've been threatening to try this for years.
 
  • #3,082
Evo said:
In my office no one ordered cheese pizza. I always voted for the eggplant & zucchini pizza, knowing I'd have it all to myself. My office was full of meat eaters.

OMG that sounds good :) They ordered veggie pizza a few times, and that went faster than the cheese pizza.
 
  • #3,083
Every time we have to grade exams we get 20 or 30 pizzas for dinner for everybody. For some reason they always order 2 or 3 ham pizzas, and they're the only leftovers at the end
 
  • #3,084
Office_Shredder said:
Every time we have to grade exams we get 20 or 30 pizzas for dinner for everybody. For some reason they always order 2 or 3 ham pizzas, and they're the only leftovers at the end
Do they have pineapple on them?
 
  • #3,085
My jar of yeast is expiring so I'm making a bunch of bread. My favorite is a basic pizza dough rolled into a ball and soaked in olive oil and baked. OMG, it's so good.
 
  • #3,086
Evo said:
My jar of yeast is expiring so I'm making a bunch of bread. My favorite is a basic pizza dough rolled into a ball and soaked in olive oil and baked. OMG, it's so good.

Sounds good to me! I might set aside a bit to make thin-crusts with some lightly sweated garlic and shallots, and a lot of Parmesan to make a crust...

Bread... in whatever form, is the one of the greatest things next to a truly good steak, or a glass of ice cold (for me) water.
 
  • #3,087
Ivan Seeking said:
thanks! I will try and report back with the results. Tsu and I both absolutely love orange beef. There is one place in town that makes a somewhat okay orange beef - great flavor but too much fat and low-quality meat - but there is lots of room for improvement. I've been threatening to try this for years.

Good luck, and I waive liability for fires or accidental demon summonings! Bon Appetite! :wink:
 
  • #3,088
I was going to ask for a recipe for gravy yesterday, (I'm so insecure in my abilities), but I just discovered something that is a triumvirate of culinary nirvana:

a. mom's gravy (sorry if your mom couldn't cook)
b. that gravy they used to put on the mashed potatoes at KFC (why else would we eat that stuff?)
c. hollandaise sauce

An actual vortex of gustatory sensual delight.

(Not some of that 'VR' 3D tasteless crap they try and feed us nowadays...)

Oh my god. I am so glad there is a La Niña going on right now. I'm going to need a whole lotta cold weather to burn off the 20lbs of fat I'm about to put on.

:smile:
 
  • #3,089
OmCheeto said:
I was going to ask for a recipe for gravy yesterday, (I'm so insecure in my abilities), but I just discovered something that is a triumvirate of culinary nirvana:

a. mom's gravy (sorry if your mom couldn't cook)
b. that gravy they used to put on the mashed potatoes at KFC (why else would we eat that stuff?)
c. hollandaise sauce

An actual vortex of gustatory sensual delight.

(Not some of that 'VR' 3D tasteless crap they try and feed us nowadays...)

Oh my god. I am so glad there is a La Niña going on right now. I'm going to need a whole lotta cold weather to burn off the 20lbs of fat I'm about to put on.

:smile:


Master the roux spectrum and no gravy or mother sauce will foil you, except perhaps a sabayon.
 
  • #3,090
I can't eat filet mignon without bearnaise.

In a pinch, heat some Hellman's mayonaise in a tiny pan with some white wine and tarragon. My ex actually liked my makeshift bearnaise so much, it became the only bearnaise.
 
  • #3,091
nismaratwork said:
Master the roux spectrum and no gravy or mother sauce will foil you, except perhaps a sabayon.

Definitely worth it to learn to make a good roux. My favorite: peanut oil and flour. It takes a *long* time but the oil gives a nutty flavor that mixes beautifully with the toasted flour.
 
  • #3,092
lisab said:
Definitely worth it to learn to make a good roux. My favorite: peanut oil and flour. It takes a *long* time but the oil gives a nutty flavor that mixes beautifully with the toasted flour.

Mmmmm... I've never tried that... but I will now!

Evo: Well mayo has the egg, the spicing... it makes a lot of sense really. I used to make a similar sauce using mayo, tarragon, lemon and capers for poached salmon. I like your idea a lot for a quick steak when I don't feel like a saucier!
 
  • #3,093
I'm thinking of trying to make brownies from scratch
 
  • #3,094
While I was doing dishes this afternoon, I started doing a mental inventory of the cooking tools that my wife and I have that we didn't have 35 years ago. Now we have separate measuring cups for solids and liquids, a digital scale, nice bread peels, a custom "whisk" for mixing bread dough, and all kinds of torture devices to crush and juice fruits, vegetables, etc. Not to mention nice hand-forged knives and a growing collection of antique cast-iron cookware. The important part is that we use all of that stuff.

Some of the tools (like the Hobart/Kitchenaid mixer and all the attachments) seemed to be really pricey at the time, but after 20 years or so of regular, reliable service, they seem like good investments, and would have to be replaced immediately if they were stolen or lost in a fire. We used to have an Oster blender with about 20 buttons on it. Now we have a heavy metal-bodied restaurant-grade Oster with a toggle-switch and two speeds. Another must-have. Some stuff is worth paying for and keeping forever, like Thiers-Issard cutlery.
 
  • #3,095
HeLiXe said:
I'm thinking of trying to make brownies from scratch

Do, or do not. There is no try.
 
  • #3,096
lisab said:
Do, or do not. There is no try.

>_< too strict!

I made them from scratch once before, and they came out ok...a little fudgy but ok.
 
  • #3,097
HeLiXe said:
>_< too strict!

I made them from scratch once before, and they came out ok...a little fudgy but ok.
Heed Yoda Basil well, young one, or risk falling to the dark side.
 
  • #3,098
:smile:
 
  • #3,099
I wanted soup yesterday and I had milk that was about to go bad, a large can of veg-all (nasty stuff, someone gave it to me), so I decided to make soup. I made a light roux, poured in the veg all (seriously if you have real vegetables, use them), added three chicken bouilion cubes, a quart of milk, some red pepper flakes, some velveeta (two 1/2 think slices, chopped) a couple of tablespoons of grated parmesan/romano. Heated until thickened, then pureed with a hand blender.

When I started, I figured I would be throwing the milk and veg-all away, so WTH. It was good! I had 2 bowls and the Fruit Bat had one.

Who knew?
 
  • #3,100
Tsu went out for dinner with a cousin and brought home a gryo and some tater tots for me. I'm not much of a ketchup or tater tots eater, but got to have ketchup on tater tots. We were out of ketchup so I started poking around for something else that might work. Then I spotted the hot chile oil. Hey, not bad! And the tots really soak it up.
 

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