|
Trying to think of a simple Italian side dish that features meat, any ideas? (Avoiding antipasto/things that involve cured meats and expensive cheese for the time being because I don't want to spend a fortune.) E: I'm doing meatballs. It took my gf mentioning this to me, I'm retarded. Tots fucked around with this message at 00:02 on Feb 29, 2016 |
#
?
Feb 28, 2016 23:59
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 29, 2024 02:56 |
|
|
The pot roast came out okay! It wasn't quite fork-tender, but it did mostly break apart easily. I think it actually needed more time in the slow cooker cause the center was less easy to break apart than the rest. Definitely not impossible to do so, though. I basically just chopped up carrots, celery, mushrooms, and onions, sauteed the last two for a bit and then dumped all those and the roast into the cooker, added something like 1.5 cups red wine and chicken stock, then just let it go. The one problem with it is that it's pretty underseasoned. I can tell there was red wine used in it, and the veggies are tasty as hell, but the meat and broth are kind of underwhelming. Did I need to add more salt or something? I mostly just added the salt after I took it out of the pot and got ready to eat.
|
|
#
?
Feb 29, 2016 01:10
|
|
Pollyanna posted:The pot roast came out okay! It wasn't quite fork-tender, but it did mostly break apart easily. I think it actually needed more time in the slow cooker cause the center was less easy to break apart than the rest. Definitely not impossible to do so, though. I basically just chopped up carrots, celery, mushrooms, and onions, sauteed the last two for a bit and then dumped all those and the roast into the cooker, added something like 1.5 cups red wine and chicken stock, then just let it go. Whenever I do a pot roast I generously salt the meat with kosher salt and brown it really well in a pan at the start, this works really well for seasoning the meat and makes both the meat and broth much more flavorful.
|
|
|
#
?
Feb 29, 2016 01:21
|
|
|
AVeryLargeRadish posted:Whenever I do a pot roast I generously salt the meat with kosher salt and brown it really well in a pan at the start, this works really well for seasoning the meat and makes both the meat and broth much more flavorful. Yeah, this is super important. You need the Maillard reaction to produce much flavor from the meat, or else it's going to taste bland. Salting generously is also important.
|
|
#
?
Feb 29, 2016 01:42
|
|
|
I usually salt salmon fillets and chicken thighs, I can't believe I didn't think of doing this for the pot roast too.  Good to know about the salting/browning/Maillard reaction, I'll make sure to season the roast well before cooking it next time.EDIT: That makes me wonder, actually. What exactly is going on with the salting-browning combo? I've heard advice to salt meats and let them sit for an hour or so before cooking, but I never quite figured out why or what it does. Pollyanna fucked around with this message at 04:24 on Feb 29, 2016 |
|
#
?
Feb 29, 2016 04:14
|
|
|
Maybe because the salt pulls the water out? And less water near the surface = better maillard?
|
|
#
?
Feb 29, 2016 09:10
|
|
|
No, no, mallards love water
|
|
#
?
Feb 29, 2016 16:13
|
|
|
Hello. I want to start eating healthier and working out. I know a big part of that is taking the time to prepare my own meals. Is there a particular cookbook for generally healthy (and relatively easy to cook) meals you guys recommend?
|
|
#
?
Feb 29, 2016 17:04
|
|
|
Pollyanna posted:I usually salt salmon fillets and chicken thighs, I can't believe I didn't think of doing this for the pot roast too. Salting and browning have nothing to do with each other. When you salt meats it does pull water out of the cells, but the meat eventually reabsorbs it about 40-60 minutes later which is why you should cook meat as soon as you salt it, or wait an hour like you've heard. For browning, you just want to make sure the meat is as dry as possible. Maillard compounds don't form in the presence of water, and it takes a lot of energy to evaporate surface moisture that just ends up cooking the meat rather than browning it if it's not really dry. For your next slow cooker adventure, if you want the best possible result I'd advise salting the meat liberally, waiting an hour, thoroughly patting it dry, then browning it. Let us know how it comes out.
|
|
#
?
Feb 29, 2016 17:23
|
|
|
Red Suit posted:Hello. I want to start eating healthier and working out. I know a big part of that is taking the time to prepare my own meals. Is there a particular cookbook for generally healthy (and relatively easy to cook) meals you guys recommend? This is a really, really broad question which might honestly be better suited to YLLS, if you are a really basic cook. That said, I'm going to try. In terms of healthy recipes, try to eat vegetables, lean proteins, and whole-grain starches. Keep in mind that fat, protein, and fiber will make you feel fuller for longer on less food. Bottled dressings are garbage, and low-fat or fat-free ones are full of sugar; making your own dressing and putting together salads that excite you is a great, easy way to get some more greens into your diet, and--bonus--you can reuse leftover proteins on top of your salad. Basic dressing is just salt, pepper, acid (vinegar or lemon / lime juice) & oil; throw in other stuff like mustard, a sweetner like jam or maple syrup, raw garlic, fresh or dried herbs, or whatever else excites you to customize. Switch up your acids as well. There are some really cool vinegars out there that are worth exploring. I really like the super basic, super easy protein-and-vegetable for dinner. Roast a vegetable (pretty much every non-leafy vegetable comes out great roasted at 400 degrees with salt and a bit of oil; carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, winter and summer squash, etc) and pan-fry a protein (chicken breast, pork chop, steak, shrimp, salmon, fish, whatever) and that's a really solid, easy, healthy dinner. The key with that is portion control--you want to put more vegetable and less meat on your plate. You can fancy things up with sauces to dip in as well, but that all depends on what you like. I honestly don't know how regular people do breakfast. I just do a Kind bar. Maybe you do a bar, or a protein shake, or something like that. Keep fruit around for snacking--apples, clementines, grapes, whatever you like and will reach for. Baby carrots and snap peas are also great for this. Hummus is easy to make if you have a food processor and make a snack more substantial. Honestly, this kind of post needs a lot more info if you want specific stuff. What do you like? What do you want to make? How competent are you in the kitchen? What are you eating now that you want to replicate in healthier form at home? Are you lifting / do you have specific macronutrient goals to hit or do you just want to eat some more veggies? edit: Also alcohol is unfortunately full of calories, so if you like to drink, maybe budget that into your meal--this doesn't mean skip dinner and go drinking because HOO BUDDY will you regret that poo poo, but I am a huge beer nerd and it's goddamn tragic to realize that most of my favorite beers clock in at 200+ calories per 12oz bottle. Solved this by splitting those fancy 12ozers with my dude or limiting my funtimes on weekends to 1 or 2 drinks + eating lighter that day--you don't have to abstain completely but it is MUCH easier to cut calories from your diet if you do. Nicol Bolas fucked around with this message at 21:47 on Feb 29, 2016 |
|
#
?
Feb 29, 2016 19:08
|
|
|
Nicol Bolas posted:Good stuff Everything Nicol Bolas said is better than any over-priced, gimmick diet cookbook. Most of "eating healthy" comes down to common sense. Should I have cheesy poofs or roasted broccoli? Probably the broccoli for a variety of reasons, however, a moderate amount of cheesy poofs on occasion will not kill you or make you fat. Common sense. I also recommend YLLS for recipes. There used to be a megathread that had all kinds of recipes for all kinds of diets.
|
|
#
?
Feb 29, 2016 20:42
|
|
|
The two posts above have pretty much covered it. I would add that if you want to start off with a type of cuisine where you can throw a dart and have a better than even chance of getting a healthy recipe that's easy to make, look at Middle Eastern and Mediterranean. Lots of fresh vegetables, yogurt e.g. Greek or labneh, proteins like chick pea (Nicol Bolas mentioned hummus and it's absolutely trivial to make with a food processor) and seafood, and the fats are usually olives/olive oil and oily fish like sardines. Make a huge plate of tabbouli with a sardine tapenade on pita on the side and a cup of lentil soup and you've got a really tasty, healthy, filling dinner with no actual cooking required except for the soup.
|
|
#
?
Feb 29, 2016 23:48
|
|
|
The Midniter posted:Salting and browning have nothing to do with each other. When you salt meats it does pull water out of the cells, but the meat eventually reabsorbs it about 40-60 minutes later which is why you should cook meat as soon as you salt it, or wait an hour like you've heard.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2016 00:11
|
|
|
SubG posted:Very little water actually comes out of the cells themselves. Salt dissociates into Na+ and Cl- ions. The Cl- ions bond with proteins that run the length of muscle fibres, the Cl- ions repel each other, and this causes the fibres to spread a little. This allows water that's trapped inside the fibres (but isn't sitting in cells in the tissue) to be released. It's the same process by which water is introduced into meat during brining, for example. Got a source for this? I'm curious.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2016 05:49
|
|
|
Lawnie posted:Got a source for this? I'm curious.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2016 06:14
|
|
|
SubG posted:Very little water actually comes out of the cells themselves. Salt dissociates into Na+ and Cl- ions. The Cl- ions bond with proteins that run the length of muscle fibres, the Cl- ions repel each other, and this causes the fibres to spread a little. This allows water that's trapped inside the fibres (but isn't sitting in cells in the tissue) to be released. It's the same process by which water is introduced into meat during brining, for example. Very interesting. Why, then, does the meat reabsorb the water over time?
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2016 14:06
|
|
|
Not much action in the cocktail thread, so I'm reposting here: My husband's 35th birthday is coming up and he wants to try a flight of tequilas. I'd like to pick up six small (750 mL) bottles so he hand his friends can have a bit on the rocks each. He's currently into aged tequilas but the last one he tried was aged in bourbon casks and he can't stand bourbon, so I'd need to steer clear of anything along those lines. A new or "middle-aged" (I don't know tequila terms) to throw into the mix would be nice for contrast. Currently, his favorite is the aged Herradura, and my price range is roughly $30-$40 a bottle. Suggestions? I already know to stay away from Tito's.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2016 17:00
|
|
|
I'm teaching my boyfriend to cook. I didn't know where to begin and just dove right in, and while we've made lots of yummy dinners and he's getting better, he still doesn't seem comfortable cooking on his own. Does anyone have any advice on teaching cooking?
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2016 17:27
|
|
|
fuzzknot posted:I'm teaching my boyfriend to cook. I didn't know where to begin and just dove right in, and while we've made lots of yummy dinners and he's getting better, he still doesn't seem comfortable cooking on his own. Does anyone have any advice on teaching cooking? The most useful tip I've found to teach cooking is to stress the importance of tasting at every step. Ensuring he's doing that will make sure that the food is not under or overcooked, as well as seasoned properly. Can't really ask for much more than hitting those points, especially with a beginner cook.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2016 17:31
|
|
|
The Midniter posted:The most useful tip I've found to teach cooking is to stress the importance of tasting at every step. Ensuring he's doing that will make sure that the food is not under or overcooked, as well as seasoned properly. Can't really ask for much more than hitting those points, especially with a beginner cook. We've definitely done that, but I'm having trouble getting him to understand spices. We made chili for a cookoff on Saturday, and he added beer, which diluted the spices. He wanted to just add more salt and chili powder, and I had to explain that it also needed more basil, oregano, etc. Still, he won second place.  I'm also having a little trouble getting him to do vegetable prep more efficiently. I'm thinking I should have begun the lessons with nothing but chopping onions over and over and over again, but it's too late now. Maybe we'll do a stir fry soon as practice. Does anyone have any advice on teaching spices and/or more efficient prep work? It'll come with time, I know, but I'd like to know what worked for other people to make it click.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2016 18:04
|
|
|
fuzzknot posted:We've definitely done that, but I'm having trouble getting him to understand spices. We made chili for a cookoff on Saturday, and he added beer, which diluted the spices. He wanted to just add more salt and chili powder, and I had to explain that it also needed more basil, oregano, etc. Still, he won second place. First of all, don't put basil and oregano in chili. WHAT. Watch cooking shows with him. Like the old PBS ones like Frugal Gourmet and Yan Can Cook and those. They're so great for basics. I'm sure you can find them somewhere. But that's basically how I learned to cook as a kid. You can get fancy with Food Network but they're so cheeseball.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2016 19:18
|
|
|
psychokitty posted:First of all, don't put basil and oregano in chili. WHAT. Hints of each, not overwhelming. I have been heavily recommending Julia Child; he can watch her online even without cooking and still learn a lot. Food Network is hit or miss, especially with those awful high-drama celebrity chefs. I have both volumes of Mastering the Art of French Cooking; I will bring those over in the next week or so to show him her clear, conversational style.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2016 19:57
|
|
|
fuzzknot posted:Hints of each, not overwhelming. Add Jacques Pepin, of which the same is true.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2016 20:00
|
|
|
fatherdog posted:Add Jacques Pepin, of which the same is true. Definitely Jacques. Btw, I put fish sauce in my last batch of chili. Do recommend. (Remember when I was all "ew fish sauce!")
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2016 20:09
|
|
|
Soy sauce, fish sauce, L&P, anchovy paste, Braggs liquid aminos and
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2016 20:16
|
|
|
Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:Braggs liquid aminos Wait a minute... Normal people cook with that stuff? Mrs. Squashy told me that it was a gluten-free substitute for soy sauce, but I've always found it to be an inferior substitute.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2016 20:20
|
|
|
Squashy Nipples posted:Wait a minute... Normal people cook with that stuff? Mrs. Squashy told me that it was a gluten-free substitute for soy sauce, but I've always found it to be an inferior substitute. I think it's inferior to everything on that list. Fish sauce and maggi are my top two. I use maggi more so than soy because it doesn't have the salt.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2016 20:27
|
|
|
Don't forget Worcester.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2016 20:30
|
|
|
spankmeister posted:Don't forget Worcester. That's L&P (Lea & Perrins)
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2016 20:34
|
|
|
Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:That's L&P (Lea & Perrins) Oohhhh 
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2016 20:54
|
|
|
Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:Soy sauce, fish sauce, L&P, anchovy paste, Braggs liquid aminos and You can also bloom a packet of unflavored gelatin in stock/water/what have you for an easy and huge umami boost for your soups and stews.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2016 21:44
|
|
|
fatherdog posted:Add Jacques Pepin, of which the same is true. Him, too. Also Auguste Escoffier, but that's probably a bit ambitious at this point. Still, I really like my Escoffier cookbook because it explains the hows and whys of the recipe so you understand why a given step is necessary rather than being tempted to skip it and ruin the whole thing. psychokitty posted:Definitely Jacques. Ooo, fish sauce. I think we will do pad Thai one of these soon days. It's fairly simple, it's a good way to experiment with new ingredients, and we haven't done much Asian food so far.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2016 22:23
|
|
|
Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:That's L&P (Lea & Perrins) I thought you meant Lemon and Paeroa for a second, and was really confused.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2016 22:24
|
|
|
The Midniter posted:Very interesting. Why, then, does the meat reabsorb the water over time?
|
|
#
?
Mar 2, 2016 00:43
|
|
|
Cross posting from the chili sauce thread: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3639148&pagenumber=16#post456889274 I'm making chili oil, any goon reccomended recipes or tips? Do I just throw the chile in and that's it? Also can anyone recommend a good larb gai recipe? I have a heap of chicken I want to mix and I have always loved chicken larb...
|
|
#
?
Mar 2, 2016 09:50
|
|
|
psychokitty posted:First of all, don't put basil and oregano in chili. WHAT. Basil no, Mexican oregano yes.
|
|
#
?
Mar 2, 2016 15:59
|
|
|
Sweet Custom Van posted:Not much action in the cocktail thread, so I'm reposting here: First of all, Tito's is vodka so yes, stay away.  Tequila has a few age classifications, depending on how long it is barrel aged: Silver (0-2mo), reposado (2-11mo), anejo (1-3yr), and the latest extra anejo (3yr+). This thread could help you find some interesting reposados: https://www.reddit.com/r/tequila/comments/465n1e/best_reposado_under_40/ Personally, I enjoy Milagro, Riazul, and Clase Azul. Clase Azul and Kah are also available in smaller, really cool bottles if you think that would go over well. I might also suggest getting some lesser known Mezcals and other varietals. Lots of cool stuff there which I barely know anything about. http://www.eater.com/spirits/2015/6/5/8734643/understanding-mezcal-and-its-amazing-ascent
|
|
#
?
Mar 2, 2016 16:08
|
|
|
fickle poofterist posted:Cross posting from the chili sauce thread: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3639148&pagenumber=16#post456889274 Dry the chillies, put in oil, leave for as long as possible before you use. I generally use scotch bonnets, dried in a low oven with the door open for about eight hours. Then put them in the oil, and leave for about three months before I use it at all. It really is that simple.
|
|
#
?
Mar 2, 2016 16:38
|
|
|
Scotch Bonnets are loving delicious and I love them.
|
|
#
?
Mar 2, 2016 17:20
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 29, 2024 02:56 |
|
|
I'm looking to deep fry some oreos and candy bars. Any reason almost everything calls for bisquik instead of a beer batter?
|
|
#
?
Mar 2, 2016 19:32
|
|
