What can you expect in the Food Thread on PF?

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    Evo Food Thread
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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.
  • #4,651
Ribs.

1. Ribs.

First, assemble the grill. Mine is a two burner $100 special so it only takes a hundred steps or so. If you got a larger one, this may take a while.

Then roll the patio table to the front of the house where the water is so you can wash it. Tell your son to bring the chairs up from the basement so you can wash them too. Then bring everything to the back yard and set it up.

Broil the ribs until they're done. I'm talking about the ribs that your wife has been marinading since last night.

Steam some fresh corn on the cob. If you really hate corn you can skip this step.

Cut up some veggies for salad.
 
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  • #4,652
Jimmy Snyder said:
Ribs.

1. Ribs.

First, assemble the grill. Mine is a two burner $100 special so it only takes a hundred steps or so. If you got a larger one, this may take a while.

Then roll the patio table to the front of the house where the water is so you can wash it. Tell your son to bring the chairs up from the basement so you can wash them too. Then bring everything to the back yard and set it up.

Broil the ribs until they're done. I'm talking about the ribs that your wife has been marinading since last night.

Steam some fresh corn on the cob. If you really hate corn you can skip this step.

Cut up some veggies for salad.
You need to be a cooking show host, I'd watch.
 
  • #4,653
Evo said:
You need to be a cooking show host, I'd watch.
Jimmy is a nut! It took me half a day to get my (locomotive) Char Griller assembled, so getting a good grilled meal could take a bit longer. Propane is fast, charcoal is a bit slower to set up, and indirect heat from wood in the smoker-compartment takes a lot more time, but is best for large cuts of meat, whole turkeys, etc. I love my grill!
 
  • #4,654
Tonight I'm doing chicken marsala with roasted potatoes, green beans, baby carrots and bok choi, over rotini noodles.

I started with half an onion sauteed in olive oil, to which I added 3 cloves of garlic, and celery after lightly browning the onion. I then added baby carrots and let those cook. The I added the bok choi. Cooked that up a bit, and then added the chicken marsala with potatoes and green beans.

I tend not to measure directly but do it by what looks right. :biggrin:

Meanwhile, I enjoyed some Brie on toasted rye bread and a glass of good shiraz from S. Australia.
 
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  • #4,655
This thread needs pictures.
 
  • #4,656
Tonight, I have a thick fresh yellowfin tuna steak to grill. I hope the rain holds off, because I hate pan-frying tuna steaks when I could have grilled them.

BTW, if you find tuna steaks on sale at the market at a good price, buy extras. That fatty meat survives freezing quite well, unlike most fish.
 
  • #4,657
I smoked a pork boston butt the other day. I took some pieces and made a broth, then I cooked diced potatoes, then added queso blanco cheese and had a delicious smoked cheese and potato chowder.
 
  • #4,658
Thunder in the distance. I hope the rain holds off (or passes over quickly) so I can grill that tuna when my wife gets home. When you have fresh wild-caught tuna, it's a shame to pan-fry it.
 
  • #4,659
The worst of the T-storms passed around us and the rains died down. The grilled tuna steak was wonderful, with a side of baby-spinach salad. Sprinkle black pepper and salt on the tuna steak, rub with peanut oil and sear it on the grill (high heat), then move to medium heat for a couple of minutes. Put the steak on a plate and cover it with foil for a few minutes to let it continue cooking from its own heat, and relax the meat.

It was fantastic. Grilled tuna and a simple salad...

Tuna steaks are no more expensive than sea scallops, so we'll be having them more often. Duke will love that. He got a couple of bites tonight and he was in ecstasy!
 
  • #4,660
Ice Cream is my favorite kind of food. Especially mint! :)
 
  • #4,661
Evo said:
I smoked a pork boston butt the other day. I took some pieces and made a broth, then I cooked diced potatoes, then added queso blanco cheese and had a delicious smoked cheese and potato chowder.
That sounds so good! :-p What kind of smoked cheese? Queso blanco cheese was smoked? A particular brand to recommend?
 
  • #4,662
Astronuc said:
That sounds so good! :-p What kind of smoked cheese? Queso blanco cheese was smoked? A particular brand to recommend?
The pork was smoked in my smoker, it gave the broth an incredible smoky flavor.
 
  • #4,663
mrcheeses said:
Ice Cream is my favorite kind of food. Especially mint! :)
I would have guessed cheese.
 
  • #4,664
Bean soup here is traditionally made with a smoked bacon. Actually it doesn't have to be a real bacon, just a smoked skin left after the meat and fat were cut off is enough for a flavor.
 
  • #4,666
lisab said:
Nice article about wooden spoons :smile:.

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/...ve_a_rich_history_and_they_last_forever_.html
My wife and I have a wide variety of wooden spoons (regular, slotted, sporks, spatulas) and we use them preferentially, instead of metal/plastic utensils. I'll bet we have had many of them since we got married about 35 years ago. I was a big fan of wooden utensils before I met my wife. My mother and grandmother were, too (both great cooks!)
 
  • #4,667
Nice indeed lisab, I enjoyed reading it. :smile:
 
  • #4,668
I threw away all of my wooden spoons years ago after I found out that not only do they carry foul odors/flavors, they are teaming with bacteria. I only use stanless steel and special plastic utensils that can be sterilized.

The experts' rules for beating household bugs that can trigger heart disease, allergies and strokes

WOODEN SPOONS
Wood is more porous than plastic or metal, making it more susceptible to carrying germs and bacteria, explains John Oxford, Professor of Virology at Barts and the London Hospital. The bacteria particularly prevalent in the kitchen is E. coli, usually from raw meat or children with poor hygiene habits. This can lead to severe food poisoning.

Don’t put wooden spoons in the dishwasher, especially not on a regular basis, as they may crack and therefore provide a haven for bacteria. Instead, soak in *disinfectant for about half an hour and then wash with boiling soapy water.

REPLACE: After five years, but earlier if the wood cracks, or if any part becomes soft or dark, as this could mean the wood is rotting and retaining bacteria.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...-disease-allergies-strokes.html#ixzz1yCO6tPb6
 
  • #4,669
Evo said:
I threw away all of my wooden spoons years ago after I found out that not only do they carry foul odors/flavors, they are teaming with bacteria. I only use stanless steel and special plastic utensils that can be sterilized.



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...-disease-allergies-strokes.html#ixzz1yCO6tPb6

We get this question sometimes at my work from people asking about bacterial growth on wood. Turns out wood is really lousy as a breeding ground for bacteria - UC Davis did some work on wooden cutting boards:

Our safety concern was that bacteria such as Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella, which might contaminate a work surface when raw meat was being prepared, ought not remain on the surface to contaminate other foods that might be eaten without further cooking. We soon found that disease bacteria such as these were not recoverable from wooden surfaces in a short time after they were applied, unless very large numbers were used. New plastic surfaces allowed the bacteria to persist, but were easily cleaned and disinfected. However, wooden boards that had been used and had many knife cuts acted almost the same as new wood, whereas plastic surfaces that were knife-scarred were impossible to clean and disinfect manually, especially when food residues such as chicken fat were present. Scanning electron micrographs revealed highly significant damage to plastic surfaces from knife cuts.

http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty/docliver/Research/cuttingboard.htm

Even when the wood surface is no longer smooth, bacteria don't grow well on it. Of course it's assumed the wood is clean of food which the bacteria could "eat".
 
  • #4,670
My mom had a set of wooden spoons that we used for preparing cakes and pastries. I never remember a problem with them. We didn't use them for meats. But then, that was back when we didn't have a dishwashing machine, and I often did the dishes by hand.
 
  • #4,671
I just couldn't get over the fact that my wooden spoons "smelled" and had a weird "soft' feel to the outside after a period of use.

With my stomach problems, no need to tempt fate. :wink:
 

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  • #4,672
I personally use wooden spoons for cooking. Never the less, I never keep them for more than a year-more or less depends on its status.
 
  • #4,673
Thanks, Lisab. Decades ago (here in Maine) the health-department nuts banned wooden spoons, wooden-handled utensils and wooden cutting boards and butcher-blocks. It cost the restaurants and food-processors a ton of money to comply. People still get food-poisoning.

A good (younger) friend of mine has an island in his kitchen that was taken out of a local restaurant, complete with a laminated maple butcher-block top that must be 2" thick. It was in his parents' kitchen until they split up and he inherited the place.

My wife and I use wooden spoons, wood-handled knives and utensils (forbidden here, commercially) and wooden cutting boards. We are doing OK and haven't killed (or sickened) anybody with food poisoning. Sometimes the old ways are OK.
 
  • #4,674
Evo said:
I just couldn't get over the fact that my wooden spoons "smelled" and had a weird "soft' feel to the outside after a period of use.

With my stomach problems, no need to tempt fate. :wink:

Wood will definitely pick up smells. I haven't noticed it with bamboo, though...although I really don't know how bacteria will grow on bamboo. It's not wood, it's in the grass family.
 
  • #4,675
turbo said:
Thanks, Lisab. Decades ago (here in Maine) the health-department nuts banned wooden spoons, wooden-handled utensils and wooden cutting boards and butcher-blocks. It cost the restaurants and food-processors a ton of money to comply. People still get food-poisoning.

A good (younger) friend of mine has an island in his kitchen that was taken out of a local restaurant, complete with a laminated maple butcher-block top that must be 2" thick. It was in his parents' kitchen until they split up and he inherited the place.

My wife and I use wooden spoons, wood-handled knives and utensils (forbidden here, commercially) and wooden cutting boards. We are doing OK and haven't killed (or sickened) anybody with food poisoning. Sometimes the old ways are OK.
If you're perfectly healthy, I'm sure there is not much risk, but for people like me with compromised systems, I can't take chances.
 
  • #4,676
Evo said:
If you're pefectly healthy, I'm sure there is not much risk, but for people like me with compromised systems, I can't take chances.

In that case, stainless is the way to go. After all, we don't see wood used much in operating rooms, haha.

But in the article I linked to, they find that plastic cutting boards harbor lots of bacteria once the surface has been scored by knives. Typical cleaning can't get into the gouges to really kill the germs.

Are stainless cutting boards available? Seems they might dull knives, though.
 
  • #4,677
lisab said:
Wood will definitely pick up smells. I haven't noticed it with bamboo, though...although I really don't know how bacteria will grow on bamboo. It's not wood, it's in the grass family.
Don't get me wrong, I grew up using wooden spoons, but I have to be very careful now. And wood is just an unnecessary risk. I love wood though, I had a set of wood bowls that went from small enough for a few eggs to large enough to hold two turkeys. Of course the disappeared in a move.
 
  • #4,678
lisab said:
In that case, stainless is the way to go. After all, we don't see wood used much in operating rooms, haha.

But in the article I linked to, they find that plastic cutting boards harbor lots of bacteria once the surface has been scored by knives. Typical cleaning can't get into the gouges to really kill the germs.
I throw those out, they're cheap enough to replace regularly. i use the thin, cheap ones.

Are stainless cutting boards available? Seems they might dull knives, though.
As does glass. Not good for cutting boards.

I can't do anything normal anymore. :frown:
 
  • #4,679
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  • #4,680
lisab said:
We get this question sometimes at my work from people asking about bacterial growth on wood. Turns out wood is really lousy as a breeding ground for bacteria - UC Davis did some work on wooden cutting boards:



http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty/docliver/Research/cuttingboard.htm

Even when the wood surface is no longer smooth, bacteria don't grow well on it. Of course it's assumed the wood is clean of food which the bacteria could "eat".
Ah, I missed your link and had just found it myself and was going to say you're correct about the wood not harboring bacteria. I stand corrected.

I still think I'm going to avoid wooden spoons, they start to smell funny. :frown:
 
  • #4,681
Evo said:
I still think I'm going to avoid wooden spoons, they start to smell funny. :frown:

Smoke wood maybe? :biggrin:
 
  • #4,682
Borek said:
I was always under impression that Daily Mail is not what we call a reliable source, more of a tabloid, but I am not sure. I don't read British papers.

We use wooden spoons that Marzena got as a gift from her class for her 18th birthday. So far, so good.

The Daily Mail is prone to exaggerating their stories quite often, especially science or technology stories, though they aren't as bad as the Sun.
 
  • #4,683
Depression Chicken Soup

1. Leftover chicken stock from the last time I made chicken soup.
2. Leftover roast chicken from tonight's dinner that could not be beat.
3. Leftover veggies from tonight's dinner.

Thaw out the chicken stock, cube the chicken, dice the veggies, Put it all together and bring it all to a boil. Let it cool a little and then serve. Cost: $0. Besides, I've caught cold and this will help with my depression.
 
  • #4,684
Jimmy Snyder said:
Depression Chicken Soup

1. Leftover chicken stock from the last time I made chicken soup.
2. Leftover roast chicken from tonight's dinner that could not be beat.
3. Leftover veggies from tonight's dinner.

Thaw out the chicken stock, cube the chicken, dice the veggies, Put it all together and bring it all to a boil. Let it cool a little and then serve. Cost: $0. Besides, I've caught cold and this will help with my depression.

:smile:

I hope you get well soon Jimmy :)
 
  • #4,685
Jimmy Snyder said:
Depression Chicken Soup

1. Leftover chicken stock from the last time I made chicken soup.
2. Leftover roast chicken from tonight's dinner that could not be beat.
3. Leftover veggies from tonight's dinner.

Thaw out the chicken stock, cube the chicken, dice the veggies, Put it all together and bring it all to a boil. Let it cool a little and then serve. Cost: $0. Besides, I've caught cold and this will help with my depression.
Awww, get well soon, the soup sounds yummy!
 
  • #4,686
Jimmy Snyder said:
Depression Chicken Soup

1. Leftover chicken stock from the last time I made chicken soup.
2. Leftover roast chicken from tonight's dinner that could not be beat.
3. Leftover veggies from tonight's dinner.

Thaw out the chicken stock, cube the chicken, dice the veggies, Put it all together and bring it all to a boil. Let it cool a little and then serve. Cost: $0. Besides, I've caught cold and this will help with my depression.

Sounds great. I'd add egg noodles or maybe rice. Wait...no, definitely egg noodles.
 
  • #4,687
Jimmy Snyder said:
Depression Chicken Soup

1. Leftover chicken stock from the last time I made chicken soup.
2. Leftover roast chicken from tonight's dinner that could not be beat.
3. Leftover veggies from tonight's dinner.

Thaw out the chicken stock, cube the chicken, dice the veggies, Put it all together and bring it all to a boil. Let it cool a little and then serve. Cost: $0. Besides, I've caught cold and this will help with my depression.
Add habaneros or one of Dave's or Blair's Hot Sauces.
 
  • #4,689
Astronuc said:
Edible Fermentables: Wine, Beer, Cheese, Meat

And many pickled (without vinegar) things - like cabbage, cucumbers, apples. I am sure there is more.
 
  • #4,690
I cleaned out my refrigerator last night. Threw a bunch of leftovers and out of date food into a pot to see what the result would be. Got 5 pints of the most excellent bean dip that I've ever tasted, so I canned it in one of my pressure cookers.

Ingredients:

Ground beef prepared for tacos
Pinto beans, mashed
Very ripe tomatoes & green onions
Hot red peppers
Jalapenos
Scotch bonnet peppers
Habanero peppers
Dressing made with malted vinegar, cheri wine, garlic, Italian spices.
Quite a lot of old Sharp cheddar
Sour cream
A bit of olive oil.
Hot dried mustard powder.
 
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  • #4,691
Shaved Ice.

1. Shave some ice. We used to have an ice shaver made by Zojirushi, a well respected Japanese manufacturer. However, it broke. Go figure. It's a really basic piece of equipment. Anyway we have a new one now and it's easier to use. Unfortunately, it's made by no name manufacturer so I can't recommend the brand.
2. Pour some sweet sauce on it. I used Very Cherry by Jelly Belly, but you may have your own favorite.
3. Drizzle some condensed milk on it.

It's a great treat for such a hot day like today.
 
  • #4,692
Jimmy Snyder said:
Shaved Ice.
...We used to have an ice shaver made by Zojirushi, a well respected Japanese manufacturer. However, it broke. Go figure. It's a really basic piece of equipment. ...
My grandfather hauled ice from age 14 to age 65. These are what he used to shave ice.

6274647600_de30ff1331_z.jpg
 
  • #4,693
The milk-man has his ladies, but the ice-man has his pick.:devil:
 
  • #4,694
Hilda's Swedish Apple Pie

Spray or grease pie plate

Fill plate (about 8 regular apples)

Sprinkle with mixture of:

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp baking powder

Beat one egg, add 1/2 cup of sugar gradually, and 1 stick of melted margarine or butter, then add 1 cup of flour and stir until smooth.

Pour batter over apples.

Bake 40 minutes at 350. Batter should be light to golden brown. Cool pie and refrigerate.

Cross-posted, but it's worth trying this recipe.
 
  • #4,695
Independence Day fare in Maine. I'm going to grill yellowfin tuna steak for myself and probably steam a small lobster or two for my wife. This time of year, the lobsters have shed their hard shells and are particularly easy to tear apart. Soft-shell lobsters have less meat than hard-shells because they need some space to grow into their new exoskeletons, but they are very popular on the 4th because you don't have to use nut-crackers and picks to get the meat out. Just tear them apart. Due to the glut on the market, they are selling for ~$3.50 to $5.00/lb. That's cheap. I still want my tuna steak though.
 
  • #4,696
I bought an expring ham for 99 cents a pound. I'll smoke it and it'll be great for bean soups.
 
  • #4,698
Eureka! I have finally perfected my technique for BBQing steaks on a gas grill. Last night they were about as close to perfect as one can get.

I added a second grate below the factory grate. The BBQ was preheated to max temp with all burners on 100%. It is important to get the entire grill up to temp to minimize temp drops when opening the lid. Then dry, oak branches, about and inch in diameter and cut to length, were placed on the lower grate with enough cover one half of the grilling area, with spacing to allow air flow. Once those were burning intensely, I threw the steaks on over the wood for searing, for about two minutes. Rotate the steaks by 45 degrees after one minute, as always. After about two minutes of allowing the steaks to be engulfed in flames, they were moved to the other half of the grilling surface. There they were still exposed to max burner temps but without the raging fire below. After three minutes [total cooking time 5 minutes] they were flipped over and placed back over the wood for searing for another two minutes or so. Then moved over away from the wood again to finish cooking for the last three minutes. At that point I turned down the burners under the wood so as to reduce the fire and produce more smoke, which worked like a champ.

I keep the lid closed as much as possible.

The oak flavor was very strong, they were evenly cooked with no visible layering, a perfect pink from surface to surface, and they melted in your mouth. They might have been two of the best steaks I've ever cooked. It was definitely a first using gas and wood.

I had wood and charcoal down pat for years, but gas has been a real challenge.
 
  • #4,699
For anyone who hasn't seen this before, and while I mentioned the time involved, this is the final test.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-JqE0_bAZA
 
  • #4,700
Ivan Seeking said:
For anyone who hasn't seen this before, and while I mentioned the time involved, this is the final test.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-JqE0_bAZA

Using this method, I would always get steaks too well done. Dang Trigger finger. :biggrin:
 

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