What can you expect in the Food Thread on PF?

[LowlyPion]

I have never liked rice pudding. My grandmother used to make it and it was awful. I'm sure her recipe was originally used as a form of torture in the old days. At least that is what I thought every time I had to pretend I liked the sugary wall paper paste.

Likely her recipe or one similar is the basis of Elmer's?

Tapioca pudding was for me the one that caused me to wretch. I honestly felt that there was no amount of sugar short of the whole canister that could dull its nightmarish combination of pasty taste and texture.

Hell for me would have been a bowl of stewed okra and hominy with tapioca pudding for dessert. Though as I have expanded my culinary horizons beyond my mother's cuisine, I must admit that I have discovered an array of slimier and more disgusting fare that surely must be being served up now in Hell's Lubys.

 

[Evo]

Likely her recipe or one similar is the basis of Elmer's?

I am sure Elmer's stole the idea from her.

Tapioca pudding was for me the one that caused me to wretch. I honestly felt that there was no amount of sugar short of the whole canister that could dull its nightmarish combination of pasty taste and texture.

Tapioca is yucky. Little slimy balls swimming in mucus.

Hell for me would have been a bowl of stewed okra and hominy with tapioca pudding for dessert. Though as I have expanded my culinary horizons beyond my mother's cuisine, I must admit that I have discovered an array of slimier and more disgusting fare that surely must be being served up now in Hell's Lubys.

I do like okra, if it is prepared correctly. I saw on www.cookingforengineers.com that he grilled whole pods of okra. I cannot imagine that.

 

[Moonbear]

What IS tapioca anyway? I agree it's nasty, and I cannot even figure out what those little balls of paste are supposed to be. Rice pudding, I think once someone made one that was edible, but I would have to agree that the vast majority of recipes leave me feeling the same way as Evo did upon initial presentation of the rice pudding from her coworker...I can probably politely choke down one spoonful of the paste concoction if I really can't get out of it. It's not like it really tastes bad, it's more that it just doesn't taste like anything but sugar in a paste form.

 

[turbo]

I can't believe that anyone would buy that except as a gag.

pretty much every RR product makes me want to gag. Appropriate.

 

[turbo]

Friday night I marinated a bag of jumbo shrimp and grilled them yesterday evening for supper. I never measure anything, but if you want to try it, here, roughly in order of quantity are the ingredients:

Burgundy
Olive oil
ketchup
bottled salad dressing (I use Annie's Roasted Vinaigrette)
molasses
Juice of one lemon
heaping tbs or my home-made habnero relish (HOT!)
1-2 cloves crushed garlic
oregano
black pepper
salt

You'll have to substitute something sufficiently hot to spice up this marinade. Soak the raw shrimp in this in the 'fridge overnight, agitating periodically. Fire up the grill, put the shrimp in a wire clamshell basket, and grill them on "high", basting liberally with the left-over marinade. I invented this sauce one day when my wife brought home a large bag of raw jumbo shrimp and said "think of something to go with these for supper tomorrow."

We're experimenting today. I made up another batch of the marinade, and we've got a nice steak marinading in it. I saved out half of that marinade and added a heaping tablespoon of dry curry powder to that, and we've got three skinned chicken breasts marinading in that batch. Come supper-time, I'll fire up the little charcoal grill and see what we get.

 

[LowlyPion]

I do like okra, if it is prepared correctly. I saw on www.cookingforengineers.com that he grilled whole pods of okra. I cannot imagine that.

As far as I am concerned the only good okra is what gets composted and tilled back in the soil.

Though I do have some engaging Christmas ornaments that are made from lacquered okra pods and painted to look like Santa. That is about the only practical uses I can think to make of them.

That of course and as an emergency substitute for Ipecac.

 

[LowlyPion]

What IS tapioca anyway?

Tapioca is a flavorless, colorless, odorless starch extracted from the root of the plant species Manihot esculenta.

I beg to disagree with Wikipedia. It tastes nasty.

 

[Astronuc]

Creative ways to play with food.

Skip the first (animated) image and find the apple.

http://www.impactlab.com/2009/03/20/crazy-photos-from-international-disturbed-peoples-day-email/

 

[turbo]

If you want light, cheap, easily-sharped knives, Acuto is not real bad. They are very lightweight and have small handles (even for my stubby hands) so they are risky for folks that tend to "drift off" and cause self-injuries. The Chinese-made Kuhn Rikon knives are far superior (if you can call a $5 chef's knife at TJ Maxx "superior"). I love the Thiers Issard (4-star elephant logo) hand-forged knives, but they are incredibly expensive. A carbon-steel 6" chef's knife will run you $75+ and a small set of SS knives (4 small knives and a steel) will easily run you close to $400.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I love fried okra as well as rice and tapioca puddings.

 

[turbo]

I love fried okra as well as rice and tapioca puddings.

I'll bet you ate the paste in kindergarten, too.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I'll bet you ate the paste in kindergarten, too.

Yep!

 

[stevo101]

So when i was in Prague last year, I went to the "Titanic Steakhouse" and I have to say that was it very quite possible the best meal I have ever had the pleasure of eating. I was a... I think 300 gram filet with this peppercorn sauce, these oven roasted potatos with some type of cheese on them, and broccoli (I don't think I spelled that right). and a couple of czech beers to wash it down. It may sound some what plain but its almost to the point where words can't describe it. Could go for it right now to bad I am in Iraq :-( Sorry for rambling I'm a huge foodie so I had to comment on this post.

 

[turbo]

It may sound some what plain but its almost to the point where words can't describe it.

That's something that many "chefs" don't seem to get, or they think their customers don't get. Food can be very simple and still taste fantastic. Complexity in preparation and elaborate sauces can be warning signs that you are expected to be "impressed" by the presentation, and not expect to be blown away by the wonderful tastes and textures of the food.

One example is the proliferation of dishes like "baked stuffed haddock" with cream sauces. The more elaborate the stuffings (mushrooms, spinach, feta, etc) and the sauces, the worse the offense. It should be readily apparent that the dish is not made with rich, fragrant, sweet fresh haddock fillets which could stand on their own, but flat-tasting frozen fillets that have to be "dressed up" before people will eat them.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

That's something that many "chefs" don't seem to get, or they think their customers don't get. Food can be very simple and still taste fantastic. Complexity in preparation and elaborate sauces can be warning signs that you are expected to be "impressed" by the presentation, and not expect to be blown away by the wonderful tastes and textures of the food.

On Top Chef Tom Colicchio always says that the way he tests a new chef to see if they know how to cook is to have them cook an egg. In one episode they asked the chefs from what is apparently the worlds foremost french culinary institute to present the contestant chefs with the ingredients they believed would show a good chef's true skill. These turned out to be a chicken, potatoes, and an onion.

I generally enjoy simple. I've never even learned to do much of anything difficult or complex. It always makes me wonder why people have such a hard time cooking and think I do such wonderful things with food when I hardly know what I am doing.

 

[LowlyPion]

On Top Chef Tom Colicchio always says that the way he tests a new chef to see if they know how to cook is to have them cook an egg. In one episode they asked the chefs from what is apparently the worlds foremost french culinary institute to present the contestant chefs with the ingredients they believed would show a good chef's true skill. These turned out to be a chicken, potatoes, and an onion.

I generally enjoy simple. I've never even learned to do much of anything difficult or complex. It always makes me wonder why people have such a hard time cooking and think I do such wonderful things with food when I hardly know what I am doing.

I think you are right. I enjoy simple preparations, and I tend to steer away from these recipes that involve exotic combinations. Good ingredients prepared simply that give the ingredients a chance to be tasted, and of course eaten at a moment that you are hungry is the real secret to good eating I think. I tend to like Alton Brown's shows because understanding what changes are essential to proper preparation in the food I think are far more important that worrying about whether you got a level teaspoon of salt.

 

[turbo]

In one episode they asked the chefs from what is apparently the worlds foremost french culinary institute to present the contestant chefs with the ingredients they believed would show a good chef's true skill. These turned out to be a chicken, potatoes, and an onion.

Not a bad choice, though I would want to have a few more staples at hand. If my wife calls and tells me that she has to work late and wants me to have supper ready, and I have these things at hand, supper is drop-dead easy. Scramble an egg, dip the chicken parts in the egg and then roll them in a mix of crumbs, salt, pepper, and whatever other seasonings appeal to me (I am fond of Javin-brand curry powder) and bake the chicken in a preheated oven (375F) in a covered dish until done, then uncover the dish and brown the breading. I prefer Panko bread crumbs, but Saltines work quite well (just cut back on the salt). In the meantime, I'd either throw some baking potatoes in the oven (while fixing the chicken) or cut up the potatoes with the skins on and boil them with onions and a few cloves of garlic and mash them all together with a little butter, salt and pepper. No milk, no over-mashing to "smooth" the potatoes. If I baked potatoes, I would saute the onion and garlic in butter, take the potatoes out of the oven, split them and spoon in the onion, garlic, and butter, season with salt and pepper, and perhaps add some sharp cheese before returning the potatoes to the oven for a bit.

Simple and tasty. No rules!

College students with limited resources and crappy kitchens, please try this. You'll get a reputation for culinary skills that far exceeds your experience and efforts. You don't need a lot of money, equipment, or skill to produce gourmet-grade foods. Tinker with these basic plans, apply spices with a light hand, and concentrate on getting the food done well, not well-done. Over-cooking and over-processing foods wrecks them, so pay attention.

 

[turbo]

Evo CLOSE YOUR EYES!
I just had a small handful of Nestle Dark Raisinettes, and they weren't too bad. The dark chocolate plays against the sweetness of the raisins pretty well.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

If you want light, cheap, easily-sharped knives, Acuto is not real bad. They are very lightweight and have small handles (even for my stubby hands) so they are risky for folks that tend to "drift off" and cause self-injuries. The Chinese-made Kuhn Rikon knives are far superior (if you can call a $5 chef's knife at TJ Maxx "superior"). I love the Thiers Issard (4-star elephant logo) hand-forged knives, but they are incredibly expensive. A carbon-steel 6" chef's knife will run you $75+ and a small set of SS knives (4 small knives and a steel) will easily run you close to $400.

My friend is selling CutCo knives. What do you think?

 

[turbo]

My friend is selling CutCo knives. What do you think?

Google on Vector Marketing and decide for yourself. When you visit the Cutco web-site and they don't even list prices for their knives, you can be pretty sure that they are WAY overpriced and they rely on friends and family (pity factor) of their sales force to pay the price.

 

[Astronuc]

We have some CutCo knives, which we bought from the daughter of a couple we know. I don't believe they are necessarily overpriced, but I'll have to fine the receipt. But I think the prices were less than those turbo quoted for the 6" chef's knife and SS set.

They are definitely good quality. I managed to slice through my thumbnail and into my thumb with little effort - not intentionally though.

We have at least one Sabatier, which is very good.

 

[turbo]

If you want to make crab-cakes, consider trying Culinary Reserve brand canned swimming blue crab. A 1# can is about $10 - worth every penny. We had crab-cakes for supper tonight and there are 3 more left-over for breakfasts and lunches - Mmmm.

 

[turbo]

BTW, knife update. Acuto knives are light, flexible, and easy to sharpen - high marks for cheap knives. Kuhn Rikon knives are a bit stiffer with thicker blades, and about as easy to sharpen. Both are supplied with colored non-stick coatings with matching plastic handles and plastic sheaths, and neither brand is well-balanced in the hand. If you are a student, or just starting to outfit a kitchen and can't afford a lot for cutlery, knives from both of these brands will get you by on the cheap. Pay enough to get a good steel, so you can sharpen them - they take an edge easily.

When I bought a Sabatier 4-star elephant 6" chef's knife a couple of years back to replace my (lost somehow in moving) 30+ year old carbon steel version, I chose a stainless steel blade because I cut a LOT of tomatoes and fruit, and the acids erode edges on carbon-steel knives. I would like to have another chef's knife from that brand, but this time a carbon-steel version - perhaps an 8".

 

[Evo]

evo close your eyes!









I just had a small handful of nestle dark raisinettes, and they weren't too bad. The dark chocolate plays against the sweetness of the raisins pretty well.

aaarrrghh!

Chicken, potatoes, onion = soup

 

[Borek]

The dark chocolate plays against the sweetness of the raisins pretty well.

Correct combination of chocolate and raisins is what matters. Too sweet chocolate and sweet raisins, and they are inedible. Those I like most are slightly sour raisins, combined with chocolate sweet enough to make a good contrast.

 

[Ben Niehoff]

A few days ago I made an amazing salad with baby greens, cucumber, mango, and red grapefruit. It was a hit at my birthday party.

 

[vorcil]

i'm quite fond of chocolate chip and anzac biscuits =]

 

[physics girl phd]

A few days ago I made an amazing salad with baby greens, cucumber, mango, and red grapefruit. It was a hit at my birthday party.

Making me hungry!

I had a great salad for lunch yesterday at our favorite restaurant. It was called "strawberry fields" and had EVERYTHING -- carrots, cukes, cherry tomatoes at the height of ripeness, fresh strawberries, a nice salad base (including arugula), topped off by blue cheese, walnuts and a big dollop of chicken salad.

Mmm... and we usually save that restaurant for weekend breakfasts. Going there is like our form of going to church every weekend -- the staff has completely adopted our family (even throwing our oldest a birthday party), and we'd have a guilt complex if we didn't go.

 

[turbo]

My wife and I needed a new gas range. We live out in the country, so electricity is not always reliable, and we prefer cooking with gas anyway. We ended up with an Electrolux 30" free-standing Perfect Set gas range with a convection oven, continuous cast-iron cook-top, and 5 top burners. It is a joy! My wife baked zucchini bread, apple bread, and muffins today, and they all came out perfect. I insisted on the continuous cook-top because I do the bulk of the canning and pickling and salsa-making and have to deal with very large canners and stock-pots full of very hot stuff. When I saw that range with the convection oven, I said "there goes the diet", but knew that my wife would love it, so I ordered it. She raves about that range, even about the micro-adjustability of the top burners so that she can make me a pan of home-fried potatoes that are perfectly browned with no scorched/crispy ones.

My niece's husband is a finish carpenter and he is making us a set of plain white pine cabinets with countertops (and a stove back-splash) of black slate recycled from old black-boards, trimmed with Maine hardwoods. Our house is a rustic-looking log cabin, so it will be nice to get the kitchen "in tune" with the rest of the place. With the rearrangement of the refrigerator, and the new cabinet lay-out, we will gain a LOT of counter-top space and lots of storage capacity. The added counter-top area will help me a lot when the cucumbers and chilies come into season and I have to get into full-on canning mode. This little kitchen is pretty tight-feeling when you're trying to work up 12-15 qts of hot stuff at one go.

 

[Evo]

Sounds wonderful turbo! How nice to get the added counter space!