The General Questions thread - for quick questions, recipe requests, help.

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Goons with Spoons > The General Questions thread - for quick questions, recipe requests, help.

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The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

Is there a general ratio of salt to ground beef for properly seasoning hamburgers? When I season things normally I taste as I go which works fine, but I'm not about to add some salt to some raw beef and taste it. I also don't feel like having to season, cook a little bit, try it, season some more, cook some more, try that, etc. I mean I'll do that if I have to but it just seems like there should be a rule of thumb ratio, like tbsp of salt per lbs or oz of beef, no?

# ¿ Oct 6, 2011 16:16

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# ¿ Apr 25, 2024 09:34

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

I need some help with my steaks. Last night I cooked a 1.25 inch thick bone-in strip steak in my cast iron pan. I let the steak come up to room temp, salted it just before cooking, and got my pan as hot as it could get. First, I rendered some fat from the side of the steak. Then, I did 2 minutes on one side, checked it, and it was starting to carbonize rather than form a nice crust. I flipped it and did only 90 seconds on the other side, and it didn't carbonize this time. I took it off the heat, let it rest for 10 minutes, and the interior was more blue than the rare I desired. Why is this? Was the steak just too thick? How can I cook it in a cast iron pan without having to throw it in the oven, and have it result in a nice crust with a rare interior? I ate it anyway, and while it was good, it could've been slightly more done.

# ¿ Oct 9, 2011 22:23

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

Kenshin posted:

How do I make caramels (rather than caramel sauce)?

I've so far made two attempts at caramels. The first attempt was silly, I didn't even own a candy thermometer. I ended up with extremely tasty caramel sauce that we just put on brownies.

The second attempt, last night, I tried again, this time with a candy thermometer and following instructions on a recipe very closely, with one exception: I have no desire to use corn syrup, so I substituted molasses. I cook it up to 330F, pull it off the heat, add the cream and butter mixture, then heat it up to 255F, pull it off the heat, stir in some more butter, and then let it cool, exactly how the instructions say. But several hours later, it can still "flow."

I found one website saying that they then heat it a third time up to 260F after adding the last bit of butter, and I figure I'll try that, but instead of ending up with yet another batch of caramel sauce, I figured I'd ask here:

How in the world do I make caramels that I can cut up into little cubes? Do I need to use different temperatures since I'm using molasses? Should I switch to brown rice syrup?

Help me GWS!

(I should note I'm making spiced caramels, not plain--I don't know if that has an effect?)

What is your hesitation in using corn syrup? Making candy is like baking - exact quantities of exact ingredients are very important. You know that corn syrup won't give you sugar AIDS, right?

# ¿ Oct 9, 2011 22:35

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

My local Vietnamese restaurant (Vietnam Grille in Charlotte) is notorious for using the absolute freshest ingredients and using traditional methods for their recipes to much acclaim. I am addicted to their pho, but when I putting my day's menu into the myfitnesspal app I use, all the examples of pho listed have huge huge huge amounts of sodium. That's understandable if it's a commercially prepared pho, but I know this place makes its broth just like one would make a stock (much like a can of chicken broth in the supermarket vs. homemade stock). Does traditionally-made pho broth contain a lot of sodium?

# ¿ Oct 12, 2011 21:39

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

When I get bits of poo poo cooked onto my cast iron, I put some water in it, put it on a burner, get the water to a boil, then scrape that poo poo. Comes right off, then I dump the water, dry it, and wipe it with a very thin layer of oil. Really, cast iron care is very easy - even if you hosed it up, you can't gently caress it up. Just strip it and start over.

# ¿ Oct 19, 2011 21:39

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

Me and my lady are visiting my family in CT this week and we're planning to take a day trip to Boston tomorrow because neither of us have been. The only full meal we'll be there for is lunch - any suggestions? Any cuisine is fine, we'd prefer something not terribly expensive, more mid-range or cheaper.

# ¿ Oct 24, 2011 16:56

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

Very Strange Things posted:

Hurf smashmouth something or other durf.

My girlfriend was working at home yesterday, so I thought it would be a good day to walk her through slow-cooking a rack of ribs we had. I didn't really have time, so I sent her a link to Alton Brown's oven-braised recipe instead and told her a couple substitutions to make (I have no idea what "jalapeno seasoning is, we had no white wine, a couple other things). When I got home I performed the sauce reducing, glazing, and broiling.
They were really quite awesome.

My question: Tonight I was planning on braising 2 lamb shanks, pretty much the way I did it last time where I sear them first then braise them in a pot.
His rib method was to dry rub, refrigerate, slow cook in liquid in a foil packet for 2-3 hours, then char them with a reduction of the liquid.
Should I try that with the lamb?

Too long; I didn't read it:
Lamb.
Brown, then slow-cook or slow-cook then brown?

Always brown first, if you try to "brown" the meat after it's already been braised you will just end up overcooking it and missing out on the delicious maillards.

# ¿ Nov 4, 2011 15:05

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

I got about 4 lbs. of boneless country style ribs that I'd like to put in the slow cooker to eventually make some shredded pork for tacos etc. What should I throw in there to make them delicious? Also, approximate cook times?

# ¿ Nov 20, 2011 00:58

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

dis astranagant posted:

I need some ideas for something easy that uses a ton of eggs and freezes well. I just came into possession of 4 dozen eggs dated 2 weeks from now and I'm leaving town for most of the week.

Garlic, cumin, oregano, onion, salt, and pepper. Give them a good 8 hours on low.

Garlic/onion powder or the real thing? Any water to add, or just a dry rub and throw them in there?

# ¿ Nov 20, 2011 06:13

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

I have four lbs. of boneless country style ribs in the crock pot right now that I rubbed with salt, pepper, cumin and oregano, and threw in a sliced onion and a head of fresh garlic (thanks dis astranagant!). I'd like to use the leftover juices after I remove and shred the pork to make a sauce. Any quick ideas, or is that a bad idea?

# ¿ Nov 24, 2011 23:56

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

Turkeybone posted:

Are you just going to shred the meat? If so the easiest thing is to just strain that liquid and reduce it.. taste to make sure it isnt too salty and then add it back into the meat.

Yeah, was just going to shred it. After I reduce it, if I taste it and it's too salty, then what? Toss it? Dilute it with water?

# ¿ Nov 25, 2011 01:23

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

Lt. Chips posted:

I'm making a slower cooker chicken tortilla soup for tonight, and the original recipe says to cook the chicken first, shred it, then put it in the slow cooker. In the comments sections, some poster's recommended putting the chicken in raw, and shredding near the end of the cooking process.

Is that advisable? I know chicken is kind of iffy, health-wise if not cooked properly. I have never put raw chicken in a crock pot before, so I figured I should ask others before doing something potentially stupid.

How long does the recipe call for it to cook? It'll be fine if it's 6-8 hours as the temperature, while not VERY high, will be high enough for long enough to kill any nasties even if the chicken is raw. I wouldn't cook it and then put it in the slow cooker, that's a recipe for shredded sawdust.

Does anyone have a quick and easy recipe for fried rice? I have a couple cups of white rice leftover in the fridge and I'd like to try my hand at it. I don't have a wok so either a large nonstick or cast iron will have to do. I'm leaning toward cast iron...thoughts?

# ¿ Nov 30, 2011 17:10

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

Sjurygg posted:

Eat them with head cheese and bread.

Eat them with head cheese and sweetbreads.

# ¿ Dec 1, 2011 16:25

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

HoBeau posted:

Well that makes sense. I guess I've been expecting carmelized onions while using the technique for 'sweating' them. Thanks for clearing that up!

There is a recipe for caramelized onions here that explains the whole process and is about twice as fast, too!

# ¿ Dec 4, 2011 00:38

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

I have about one pound of beef heart in the slow cooker with some water and nine fresh habaneros. I will be using these in burritos for dinner tomorrow night. The water has turned into an amazing smelling broth that I am sure is extremely spicy. I would like to turn it into some sort of sauce after the heart is done cooking. Aside from reducing it, anyone have suggestions for seasoning it (aside from salt)?

# ¿ Dec 5, 2011 00:10

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:

Woah what now? Not eating salt will kill you really dead. We need salt. Always use salt.

Edit: You add salt for texture? I am so confused.

I think that person believes that salt is one of those packs of silica beads put in many things to keep them dry. For texture.

# ¿ Dec 9, 2011 00:52

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

Steve Yun posted:

I'm hosting Christmas for my extended family this year. If not turkey, what else would be a good main course?

This is what I'm making for Christmas dinner this year. My first prime rib but it seems pretty low-execution.

Here is a good resource for the crown roast suggested by Very Strange Things.

# ¿ Dec 9, 2011 17:58

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

Ya know astronaut ice cream? The freeze-dried, crumbly stuff? That's basically what you'll be tasting if you use pre-minced garlic in a jar. Nothing.

Take the extra three minutes out of your life to peel and mince some fresh garlic.

# ¿ Dec 11, 2011 06:49

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

I've decided to try my hand at hasselback potatoes tomorrow. Aside from garlic and olive oil, and some fresh parmigiano, what herbs should I add? I'm thinking fresh rosemary as there's a bush right outside but does anything else go well/perfectly with them?

# ¿ Dec 25, 2011 00:25

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

Darth Freddy posted:

Only other type I have easy accesses to is Vegetable oil and that seems to have a even lower point to it. Small town grocery store is not all that impressive.

Looked it up and the extra virgin olive oil I normally use lists its smoke point between 400 and 365� that seems pretty drat easy to hit.

So I either have to be extremely careful or try and find a substitution. Big thanks for the warning though I at least know what to watch out for if nothing else. The burn thing i know all to well, first time i tried to use a wok and make stir fry ended up a very painful experience. The rice was awesome though.

FYI, the vast majority of peanut oil sold in the US is allergen-free and should be just fine for your girlfriend:

quote:

The fact is that highly refined peanut oil is different from peanuts, peanut butter, and peanut flour when it comes to allergy. This is because most peanut oil undergoes a refining process, in which it is purified, refined, bleached, and deodorized. When peanut oil is correctly processed and becomes highly refined, the proteins in the oil, which are the components in the oil that can cause allergic reaction, are removed. This makes the peanut oil allergen-free! The vast majority of peanut oil that is used in foodservice and by consumers in the U.S. is processed and is considered highly refined.

Source here.

# ¿ Dec 29, 2011 15:27

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

My buddy bagged a deer a couple months ago and is currently defrosting the tenderloin he had frozen. Any recipe suggestions? I like the idea of stuffing it but I'm open to any suggestions - all ingredients welcome.

# ¿ Dec 30, 2011 19:54

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

razz posted:

So I made the fried chicken and it was super excellent. I want to make stock with the scraps (wingtips, neck, backbone etc) but it is all raw. I have always seen stock recipes that start with a leftover roast chicken or something like that. Is it the same process to start with raw chicken instead of cooked?

I would think so, it's going to boil for a long time so instead of going:

Cooked chicken ----> rich stock, chicken depleted of flavor

It would go:

Raw chicken ----> cooked chicken ----> rich stock, chicken depleted of flavor

# ¿ Dec 30, 2011 22:27

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

Yehudis Basya posted:

Makin' mayo for the first time. Wooh!

1) How do I store it? Mason jar?

2) Immersion blender or food processor?

1) Squeeze bottle!

2) Hand blender, of course.

# ¿ Dec 31, 2011 04:51

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

internet inc posted:

Is it possible I've used too much water while doing a vegetable stock? It's been simmering for close to an hour and the liquid is still quite pale and tasteless. What is the solution to this? Let it simmer longer? Is there a maximum amount of time?

Regarding all the responses thus far to this post, is an hour even nearly long enough to suck all the flavor out of veggies in this stock? Chicken/beef/pork stock goes for hours and hours and possibly even days...if veggie stock takes that much less time, couldn't you just add a lot more veg to make a better stock? I think I'm confused.

# ¿ Dec 31, 2011 18:21

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

I often make a quick quesadilla for lunch and while I typically buy pre-shredded cheese for such purposes (lazy), I didn't have any today so I grated a bunch from a block of cheddar I had. While eating it, I noticed that the mouthfeel was significantly creamier than using pre-shredded cheese. Is this because of the cornstarch that the pre-shredded stuff is coated in to prevent sticking? If that's the case, I don't think I can go back to that crap. If not, what could've caused it?

# ¿ Jan 6, 2012 20:42

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

I have a 4.5 lb. boneless lamb roast that I plan to prepare like the prime rib I did for Christmas - salt and pepper the night before, let it dry out a little bit on the roasting pan in the fridge overnight, cook at 200 degrees until done. Any idea how long I should cook this? I know lamb is a lean meat so there's not a lot of fat to render, and no collagen/connective tissue to gelatinize, so I imagine it'll take less time than the prime rib. Suggestions??

# ¿ Jan 21, 2012 03:20

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

Mr. Crow posted:

I need a microwave, was looking at this. Awesome or tacky? I can't decide.

Not tacky, but not powerful enough for the "good" looks to account for the price.

# ¿ Jan 24, 2012 02:35

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

Tsurupettan posted:

Going to make some eggs and bacon for breakfast. I went out and bought some 'real' bacon last night, rather than the precooked crap I'm used to eating. Obviously I have to cook it in the pan, so my question is this:

I want to cook two strips or so of bacon in the pan, then drain off the grease and cook the eggs in the same pan for a bit of bacon-y flavor. Is this going to cause any problems? I don't think I've ever used the same pan to cook two things in a row before.

Not only will this not cause any problems, but this is exactly how you SHOULD be cooking your eggs every single time.

# ¿ Feb 3, 2012 15:50

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

Turkeybone posted:

Yeah -- it would just be weird. Boneless shoulders or even "country style ribs" are cheap and easy to make awesome. If you wanted to like, glaze a tenderloin with bbq sauce and grill it and make sandwiches that way, that would be good too, but a completely different kind of thing.

e;f,b

What are country-style ribs anyway? I've made them a bunch of times in my slow cooker and they're delicious without fail, but what makes them country-style, and are they even ribs?? (kind of like how a boston butt is, surprisingly, not a butt)

# ¿ Feb 5, 2012 17:35

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

Ghost of Reagan Past posted:

Well, that'll work, and I loving love gazpacho, and I'll probably make some ASAP, but it is still cold as gently caress out. Any warm soup ideas?

I made this soup a while back and it's fantastic. I used a stick blender to blend about half of the potatoes to make it thicker, but if I did it again I'd blend it all to make a smooth bisque-like soup. It's a vegan recipe, so it's not too rich or heavy, but the way the flavors work together is dynamite.

# ¿ Feb 8, 2012 15:45

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

Darval posted:

Just bought a whole fresh chicken super cheap, any recommendations on what to do with it? I'd rather not roast it whole, I'm likely going to be eating it by my self over a few days and reheating it seems to make it dry.

Last time I took it apart, flipped the pieces in some flour and fried them in butter. The carcass was turned into chicken soup. I'm feeling fat right now so would rather not fry it in butter.

Cook it in a slow cooker, remove the meat from the carcass and make chicken salad.

# ¿ Feb 21, 2012 14:59

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

Liar posted:

Do I need to shred pulled pork while it's warm? I want to cook it up tonight while I sleep, toss it in the fridge in the morning, and then tear it up after work tomorrow.

I know I could just cook it while I'm at work in the slow cooker, but honestly I have strange fears about leaning it running while I'm not home.

It will be much easier to shred when it's still hot/warm. Not saying it can't be done when it's cold but it might be a pain in the rear end. Nothing wrong with letting the slow cooker work on it all day while you're at work though!

# ¿ Mar 10, 2012 01:02

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

Hydrolith posted:

I recently moved to an apartment with electric hotplates. The heating elements are under one big (glass?) panel. I've only ever cooked with gas before, and I'm having trouble getting the temperature I want.

One thing I've been doing is, if it gets too hot, to take a handful of water and throw it onto the plate. It pretty much turns to steam instantly. Is this a bad idea? Is that likely to damage something?

I wouldn't advise that...sudden extreme changes in temperature are usually bad and are prone to causing damage to, well, anything. If you're finding the heat is too high, why not just remove your cooking vessel (pot, pan, whatever) from the heat for a moment and turn the burner down until it cools to your desired temp?

# ¿ Mar 21, 2012 23:10

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

Jose posted:

I've got a tin of chipotle chili's in adobo sauce and was wondering if I use them for something whats a good way of storing them. Getting them requires me going out of my way a bit. I'm guessing there is a decent mark up compared to getting them in the US, they were around £3.50 here.

Any recommendations what I can use them in other than chilli?

I like to put any leftovers in a little ziploc freezer bag and store it in the freezer. Any time I want to add some delicious smokiness and heat to something, I take it out and use it on my box grater like a block of cheese. The little shreds basically melt into whatever I'm cooking and I find it helps to liven up a lot of different recipes.

# ¿ Mar 26, 2012 02:17

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

ultrachrist posted:

So I am making some buffalo chicken dip for a dip competition this weekend. I want to make it spicy but the "spicy" recipes online just seem to change the variety of frank's hot sauce going into it. Does anyone have any wisdom on actually adding chopped spicy peppers to it instead being a good/bad idea?

Because people expect buffalo chicken dip to taste like...well...buffalo chicken dip, if you're looking to increase the heat level you should use a pepper that is high on heat and low on flavor. What does your recipe look like? It might make more sense to cook the peppers in some sort of fat and then use the fat in the recipe rather than the peppers themselves, although I can't think of adding some sort of additional fat to a dish already mostly composed of it.

# ¿ Mar 29, 2012 19:05

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:

Also the easiest way to clean any pan is to toss a half cup or so of water in it while it's still really hot (it should boil as soon as it hits the pan), then stir/scrape to get all the stuck on bits off. Basically you're deglazing as a cleaning method.

If the water's cold, couldn't the thermal shock cause the pan to warp/crack? Am I making that up?

# ¿ Apr 12, 2012 18:30

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:

huh? Pecorino romano tastes a lot saltier than parm regiano.

I think Cowcatcher meant to say parmigiano, not pecorino, in which case s/he'd be agreeing with you.

# ¿ Apr 27, 2012 23:26

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

Trap Star posted:

Cross-posting from apparently the wrong thread:

I'm starting to keep track of what I eat, trying to lose a bit of weight and working out to develop some muscle. I'm trying to determine roughly how many calories, etc are in my daily breakfast. The label lists the info for uncooked bacon, what I'm trying to figure out is how much that information is changed by cooking. I figure the calories and stuff would be a bit lower since I'm not drinking the grease that comes off the bacon.

I've tried using the about.com calorie site but the info there doesn't seem to jive with the label. It's Maple Leaf regular bacon, and I have a food scale on the way if that makes any difference. Thanks for the help guys!

For starters, if you're trying to watch what you eat, a lot of bacon is not going to help you lose weight. Everything is fine in moderation, but the trivial difference in calories between cooked and uncooked bacon is going to be much less than substituting the bacon for something healther, like a piece of fruit or some yogurt.

That said, I like to use MyFitnessPal (they have both a website and an app) to track calories - it's easy to use and very helpful.

# ¿ May 2, 2012 16:41

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

I got a half pound of corned beef from the deli counter, sliced like sandwich meat. What would be the best method to heat it?

Also, I finished a jar of Claussen pickles today. Can I reuse the brine with some sliced onions? If so, how long should I let them pickle before eating?

# ¿ May 6, 2012 23:45

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# ¿ Apr 25, 2024 09:34

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

I have a ~4 lb. boneless leg of lamb that I put on a roasting rack and left overnight in the fridge. To what temperature should I cook it (I like my lamb med-rare) internally, and to what temperature should I set the oven? Estimated cooking time?

# ¿ May 10, 2012 13:50

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Goons with Spoons > The General Questions thread - for quick questions, recipe requests, help.

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