What's Cooking

[GoingMyWay]

I tried making some flourless chocolate walnut cookies.  For some reason, they didn't quite come out like they were supposed to.  The cookies were supposed to look more like the top of a brownie.  They still tasted pretty good.  It's amazing that there's no flour in this cookie, it's mostly powdered sugar.

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I made prime rib yesterday for Christmas dinner.  I salted it with 2tbsp kosher salt overnight and cooked it in a 200 degree oven.  It took just about 6 hours to go from 33 degrees to 130 degrees internal temperature.  At one point I calculated that the temperature was rising about .27 degrees per minute.  This is the first time I've ever tried making homemade au jus. 

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[GoingMyWay]

I made a homemade chocolate cake for dessert.  My cake pan was a little too small and I think I overcooked the cake a little.  A bit of the cake broke off too. Normally I just make a frozen Mrs. Smith's Cherry pie (doesn't get much easier than that), but apparently NOBODY besides me likes cherry pie.  The cake wasn't too bad.  It was a rather simple recipe from Bon Appetit, which is why I made it.

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[xedos]

IHOP and Denny's definitely don't make their hashbrowns with duck fat LOL.

No , of course not.  You brought them up.

I was responding to Seth's query on the St.Paul Grill.

It pains me to even have a conversation about IHOP or Denny's , and I'll bet neither has a secret recipe. They'd probably tell you exactly how they make whatever if you sat at the counter and asked. woukd be at all surprised if the Grill would tell you their recipe. Especially if your a frequent customer. 

Looks like it was pressed and baked in some type of form too.  The shape is too perfect and edges rounded. Likely finished off on the flattop.

 

[GoingMyWay]

Aah!  Sorry, I missed that you were replying to Seth in regard to St. Paul Grill.

Yeah, probably not a secret recipe.  I wouldn't be surprised if IHOP or Denny's hashbrowns come straight from Sodexo or Sysco.

 

[Cheese]

It is the starting with dehydrated that prevents the mush situation. Even though you re-hydrate them, they start out with less water and a little bit of firmness.

I'm going to look for the dehydrated version and check it out...the results certainly can't be worse than what I've already launched into the trash.  [big grin]

Now for New Years Eve...

Jumbo crab legs with butter and green beans with shallots & pancetta. Plus some Argyle sparkling that I was totally amazed with.

Argyle has always produced some good Pinot at a good price point but I never knew they also produced bubbly. It makes sense because they specialize in growing the Bordeaux varietals.

Nominally a $25 bubbly but occasionally on sale for $19.99. Not as good as a Schramsberg bubbly but then that's twice the price. I think it's a good value but don't serve it too cold...some of the flavors do recede.

A special shout-out to [member=66216]GoingMyWay[/member] for starting this thread... [not worthy]  at 71,000+ current views, I doubt that even the thread "Woodworking Made Easy" has that much forum visibility.  [big grin]

Now on to dinner.

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[GoingMyWay]

Thanks for the shout out [member=44099]Cheese[/member]!

I managed to find the Hungry Jack version of the dehydrated hashbrowns.  I'm eager to give them a try.

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Last Sunday I tried making breakfast tacos using chorizo sausage, steamed potatoes, and egg.  They turned out well.  I think I preferred the microwaved flour tortillas as opposed to the ones I toasted (a little too much) in a pan.

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I really liked this taco sauce that I found at the grocery store.

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[GoingMyWay]

We seemed to have similar ideas for NYE.  I picked up a small 1.5lb lobster and a 2lb dungeness crab.  I had the "brilliant" idea to pressure steam them in the instant pot.  I couldn't find many recipes for steaming live shellfish in the pressure cooker.  I did find references to 3-5 minute cook times at high pressure so that's what I tried.  I cooked them separately, but they both came out under cooked.  I cooked the lobster for 3 minutes at high pressure and then separated the head from the tail and cooked for another 3 minutes at high pressure.  I cooked the crab for 4 minutes and separated the shell from the body and then another 4 minutes.  I haven't seemed to have much luck with pressure steaming in the instant pot.  I think in the future I'll just steam it the traditional way.

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I picked up a bottle of Perrier Jouet Champagne this year.  I wasn't very impressed with the Kirkland brand Champagne last year.  This was better, but still not that impressive.

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We made a mimosa on New Year's Day with the leftover Champagne.

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[semenza]

Yup. I have had the Hungry Jack brand too. Work same as the others I mentioned.

Seth

 

[Cheese]

We're all familiar with the TDZ...Temperature Danger Zone of 140º to 40º. Within this range of temperatures, bacteria in/on the food can multiply rapidly and produce Salmonella. It's best to either keep food above 140º or below 40º.

What's new information for me is that the USDA actually states a time window for food that's in the TDZ. The USDA states that food must not linger in the 140º-70º window for longer than 2 hours, and it must not linger in the 70º-40º window for longer than 4 hours.

What this means to me is that Thanksgiving dinner leftovers can remain out for about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours before they need to be placed in the refrigerator.

That large pot of turkey soup however presents a different problem because placing 1-2 gallons of 190º liquid in a refrigerator will not cool down to 40º within 6 hours.

What restaurants use to speed the process are cooling wands or ice wands.
http://dpbh.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/dpbh.nv.gov/content/Reg/Regulatory/Docs/CoolingHotFood.pdf
https://www.webstaurantstore.com/san-jamar-rcu64-rapi-kool-64-oz-rapid-cooling-paddle/27112870.html

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[Gregor]

For everyone else being accustomed to sane temperature units:

190*F -> ~88°C
140°F -> 60°C
70°F -> ~21°C
40*F -> ~4°C

 

[peter halle]

We're all familiar with the TDZ...Temperature Danger Zone of 140º to 40º. Within this range of temperatures, bacteria in/on the food can multiply rapidly and produce Salmonella. It's best to either keep food above 140º or below 40º.

What's new information for me is that the USDA actually states a time window for food that's in the TDZ. The USDA states that food must not linger in the 140º-70º window for longer than 2 hours, and it must not linger in the 70º-40º window for longer than 4 hours.

What this means to me is that Thanksgiving dinner leftovers can remain out for about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours before they need to be placed in the refrigerator.

That large pot of turkey soup however presents a different problem because placing 1-2 gallons of 190º liquid in a refrigerator will not cool down to 40º within 6 hours.

What restaurants use to speed the process are cooling wands or ice wands.
http://dpbh.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/dpbh.nv.gov/content/Reg/Regulatory/Docs/CoolingHotFood.pdf
https://www.webstaurantstore.com/san-jamar-rcu64-rapi-kool-64-oz-rapid-cooling-paddle/27112870.html

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5 Years ago I took a food safety course when I had a wild idea that luckily didn't come to fruition.  The food safety guys from the local government who put on the class mentioned that the number one item that they found violating the food safety temp guides were - refried beans in Mexican restaurants.  Usually made late in the evening shift and then from the stove to the refrigerator.  No way that molten stuff would cool in time.  Shallow pans and ice water in sinks below was their recommendation.  I use that approach for my left overs.

Peter

 

[Cheese]

Introduced in 1937, Spam had its 5th consecutive year of record sales in 2019. Here's a 15 minute video.

The Spam Masubi looks rather interesting. [smile]
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/17/spam-sales-break-record-hormel-foods-corp.html

 

[Gregor]

The Spam Masubi looks rather interesting. [smile]

*shudder*

I thought that stuff is only interesting to preppers as of the effectively unlimited shelf life...

 

[Wooden Skye]

IN my opinion, the only things worse than Spam are scrapple and Vegimite (sorry to all Aussies).

 

[semenza]

I like great food, but I have to say I like Spam too.  [smile]

After watching the video I need to go out and buy some.  [wink]

Seth

 

[Michael Kellough]

What’s the difference between Spam and sausage?
Some spices and the form, a brick instead of a dowel?

 

[Cheese]

The Spam Masubi looks rather interesting. [smile]

*shudder*

I thought that stuff is only interesting to preppers as of the effectively unlimited shelf life...

Well Gregor, interestingly enough, we have a friend and her husband that are in their mid 60’s that vacation in Hawaii every year over the holidays. Their first stop...looking for that ever elusive Spam Musubi.

Another local male friend in his early 50’s absolutely refuses to eat out, however he cooks Spam Musubi once a week to satisfy his hunger pangs.

I know it’s weird but there’s gotta be something there.

About 6 months ago I tried Spam regular..........it was horrific. The salt level was at 10++++.

So I chatted with the 50 something and he suggested Spam Light and he focused on stickey rice. That he said was the deciding factor.

Well stickey rice is nothing more than sushi rice... which is exactly what everyone else is serving this with.

I’ve yet to build up enough courage to sample the Light version as the Spam regular version truly was horrific. But...Maybe this week

 

[Cheese]

I like great food, but I have to say I like Spam too.  [smile]

After watching the video I need to go out and buy some.  [wink]

I’ll be looking forward to your review as this stuff has already made its way to my weekly grocery list.

 

[Cheese]

What’s the difference between Spam and sausage?
Some spices and the form, a brick instead of a dowel?

Well to put it in terms we both understand.

It’s the difference between a pat on the butt and examination by a proctologist.

Pretty much the same thing except for a few key exceptions.

 

[semenza]

So Cheese,

Was that the first and only time you have ever tried Spam?

Yes, the salt level is huge.  There is Spam Lite (which to me is an oxymoron),  and there is also Low Sodium Spam (also an oxymoron).  I think the low sodium may be what you are after.

As with many foods the preparation does make a difference. Cold, hot, grilled, fried, with mustard, sandwich, cut up and mixed, etc.

I probably will not do a review. But, some ways that I like it ...................  diced in mac-n-cheese, Spam moco loco, thick sliced baked with brown sugar and mustard, sliced thick cold on rye with Nance's Original mustard.

I don't like it just plain and cold. If that is how you sampled it, then try again.

Also this is one of those products in which the original name brand is much better (I know hard to believe) than the knockoffs.

Seth