What's Cooking

[GoingMyWay]

Last night I made what was supposed to be a clone of Red Lobster's Clam Chowder.  It was very easy to make as it used canned minced clams and the total cooking time was like 20-30 minutes.  I don't think it tasted really like Red Lobster (from what I can recollect), but I'd  definitely make it again in the future.

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I was feeling a little nostalgic and wanted to make a steak in the style of how my grandmother used to make them.  She'd buy NY strip steaks that were relatively thin (compared to the 1.5-2"+ that we normally eat), sprinkle them meat tenderizer, and cooked in melted margarine.  I bought pretty thin strip steaks and seasoned them with Lawry's Original Seasoned Salt, and fried in butter.  Because they're so thin they should cook with only a few minutes per side.  I cooked mine 2 minutes per side over medium high heat.  That resulted in a very rare center.  My wife cooked hers for closer to 3 minutes per side, which came out how I would have preferred.  She made hers like a thai style steak salad.  Having a more traditionally cooked steak was a nice change as just about every other steak we cook at home are cooked sous vide.  I also made oven roasted beets to go as a side dish.

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[Cheese]

Last evening's dinner, quick & easy, a rub with 5 ingredients and then finish it off under the broiler with some maple syrup.

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[Rob Z]

GMW,  Sorry for the slow response--I've been down for the count with pneumonia  [scared]    and other illnesses and finally back among the living. 

Thanks for thinking of me and posting your review.  I was sidetracked and never bought an immersion blender, so this helps a lot.

Someone above mentioned working to perfect their technique with hash browns.  I have tried several methods but one that seems to work well for me was posted on YouTube by "Cowboy Kent Rollins".  He's worth watching just for the entertainment value but also I have picked up quite a few tips from him for a variety of recipes.

I'm planning a paella later this week.  [tongue] I'll try to remember to get pics so I can post here in the thread.

I am in the market for an immersion blender.  A quick search of the web reveals that there are about 100,000 options.  [scared] [scared]

Anyone have a particular brand/model to recommend? I would like something that is well-made and will last and don't want to skimp on the cost.  But I don't think I need all the bells and whistles I see on some many models out there.  I am thinking I just need this to puree soups and sauces while they're on the stove.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

[member=6193]Rob Z[/member] I'm not sure if you ever ended up buying an immersion blender, but I just bought the Braun Multiquick 5 immersion blender based on America's Test Kitchen's recommendation:

We got to try it out yesterday.  We used the whisk attachment to whip up some pasteurized egg yolks to make Vietnamese Egg Coffee and also used the blender attachment to thicken up some homemade clam chowder.  I like it.  I had forgotten that my grandmother had the original white Braun immersion blender that was all one piece.  The white plastic at the bottom had discolored from use.

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[Cheese]

I'm planning a paella later this week.

Rob, please post photos of the paella...one of my favorites along with etouffee.

 

[Rob Z]

Good morning Cheese

I will try, but there usually is a strapping young man (son) with a small shovel in his hand, waiting to get to what I have cooked.  [scared] [eek] [big grin]

Speaking of etouffee, this is a reminder to make that again!  It was very popular last time we had  it.

 

[Rob Z]

Late breakfast today, eggs/potatoes/onions/mini sweet peppers, with cheese in the center of the two "pours" of the mix.  Also, some fresh basil off the plant.  Sour crème and hot sauce.

Cheese, we are off to the store later and planning for paella tonight.  [smile]

 

[tjbnwi]

Trying a differnt type of meat loaf.

Had a fried hot dog on a Thomas Everything bagel with colby jack for dinner last night.

Tom

 

[rvieceli]

[member=4105]tjbnwi[/member] Tom shouldn’t that meatloaf have a hunk of Spam in the middle?

Ron

 

[tjbnwi]

[member=4105]tjbnwi[/member] Tom shouldn’t that meatloaf have a hunk of Spam in the middle?

Ron

Ummmmmmmm---Spam......

Tom

 

[Gregor]

... immersion blender ...

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

The brand of immersion blender IMHO doesn't really mean anything anymore as they all seem to be throwaway consumables these days - maybe unless you get a professional one, but that likely won't make any financial sense unless you use it daily in a professional setting.

Just get one where the business end is detachable for a trip through the dishwasher... and preferably metal instead of plastic.

Also get a beaker matching the head of the immersion blender, so you can do 20 second mayonnaise:=15
Done that once you'll likely see no further point in buying ready-made mayonnaise, simply because freshly made is similar in speed, way more tasty and doesn't need the preservatives you'll find in the industrial version...

 

[GoingMyWay]

Someone above mentioned working to perfect their technique with hash browns.  I have tried several methods but one that seems to work well for me was posted on YouTube by "Cowboy Kent Rollins".  He's worth watching just for the entertainment value but also I have picked up quite a few tips from him for a variety of recipes.

I'm planning a paella later this week.  [tongue] I'll try to remember to get pics so I can post here in the thread.

Thanks for reminding me about Kent Rollins.  I've watched some of his videos in the past.  I think I may have seen his hash brown video, but had forgotten.  I like how down to earth he is.  I really like this technique for using a coffee filter to make clarified butter.  That seems really easy.  I really like how the dehydrated Hungry Jack hash browns came out.  I bought another box and am looking forward to making them again.

Speaking of other YouTube cooks - I really like Steven Lavimoniere.  He's actually a plumber and HVAC guy, but he has several playlists of cooking videos.  He likes to say they're "how a working man cooks."  They're straightforward and no messing around recipes, which I like.  I've also learned a lot of good plumbing and HVAC information from his many videos.  I actually used one of his videos to help diagnose an AC problem I was having.  It ended up being a bad capacitor (it didn't have the common bulge/bubble, but it was still bad).

On another note, I finally managed to locate some Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt at of all places, Restaurant Depot.  I wonder if it has something to do with the region, but I checked 3 or 4 grocery stores that I usually go to don't carry the Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt.  Everywhere carries Morton Kosher Salt.  I'm now trying to figure out how to adjust my recipes since the Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt isn't as salty as Morton's.

I learned that one of the other cooking YouTubers, Phyllis Stokes that I watch passed away.  She was a heck of cook.  She also made quite a lot of old jello recipes.  I made her lime Jello with cream cheese dessert since I had both lime Jello and a bar of cream cheese.  Her orange Jelllo with cream cheese and mandarin orange recipe was excellent also!

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[Rob Z]

I'm a fan of Chef John (Food Wishes on YouTube), and get a lot of good tips and methods from his videos. I just followed his recent video "baked chicken and sausage gumbo".  In this video he has experimented with baking the roux rather than doing all the prep work on the stove. I followed his steps and it turned out nicely. The only variation was I did take it to the finish line in a large CI skillet and also used some wine to pay homage to my  first favorite video chef -- Justin Wilson.  [big grin]

It was fun to try this a different way and it freed up time to make something else that my daughter wanted.

Two pictures because in my rush to try this I forgot the obligatory bed of rice.  LOL  [eek]

 

[Cheese]

It looks good Rob...how was the taste? What kind of sausage? It makes me want to make an andouille & oyster gumbo.  [smile]

Did you use okra or filé as a thickener or was it just the roux?

Well, keeping the spirit of Louisiana cooking alive, tonight I'm making Jalapeño Pie. It's a Paul Prudhomme recipe from 1991 and as typical of Paul's cooking, it contains 21 DIFFERENT ingredients. Photos tomorrow.  [wink]

 

[Cheese]

Just purchased the new Thermapen probe with the built-in IR sensor. It's pretty slick. Nice to know the temperature of the griddle before you pour in the pancake mixture.

Last night I used it to measure the temperature of the CI pan before I put in the lamb chops, then I used the Mk4 probe part to cook the lamp chops to 135º.  Lamb chops & oven fries.  [smile]

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[Rob Z]

Good evening Cheese

Man-Oh-Man look at those chops  [eek] .

I did use some file but that was near the end. Chef John's method (shown in the video) did work well and the roux was plenty thick and flavorful.  I used Italian sausage because made daily at our local butcher and also my darling wife is quite a wimp and can't handle the spicy sausage I would prefer to use.  [big grin]

I have used Okra before (I love okra), but didn't this time because the last trip to the produce aisle didn't yield good results.

We were pleased with how this method of Chef John's worked and will use it again.  Give it a try when you get a chance.  Again, my main variation from what was shown in the video was I did use quite a bit of white wine in the sauce.

 

[Rob Z]

Cheese, you asked a few weeks ago about paella and I've been distracted every time I plan to make it. I did find a pic in an email from a while ago.  I followed a recipe for a guy on YouTube (Chef Johnny in San Antonio TX) and ended up trading some emails with him (thus the pic in an email).

This included many "traditional" ingredients, but the one thing that I have never seen elsewhere is the use of hard-boiled eggs.  I am the only one here who likes clams, scallops and mussels, so I usually don't include them.  In the place of those shellfish I have taken to using the eggs, which appearance-wise looks pretty cool and they also taste great once they have picked up  some of the spices.

The first few batches I made didn't turn out the way I wanted because I didn't get that crusty, crunchy texture to the rice on the bottom of the skillet. But I eventually got it so I can make a pretty good batch and have it when guests are visiting.

 

[GoingMyWay]

I don't think I've ever seen a cast iron pan used to make paella.  About 10 years ago, I really wanted to buy a Mauviel paella pan like this:https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/mauviel-m250c-copper-paella-pan/.  I never ended up buying it because it would probably never be used and I got hung up on trying to find the thicker gauge version.

That's a good idea to use hard boiled eggs.  I sometimes like recipes that use ingredients that you'd never find in the "traditional" version.

I think most people (myself included) usually think of seafood paella when you think paella.  I recently learned that there's a Valencian style paella that usually has rabbit, duck, or chicken and no seafood:

There does seem to be a bit a science/technique when it comes to making rice dishes like this.  Obviously,you gotta have the correct water/broth to rice ratio, but you also have to have the heat turned up just right so that the rice full cooks but doesn't end up too wet or too starchy or too burnt on the bottom.  I made jambalaya again last night and I think I had the flame turned down a little bit too low so it came out a little wetter than I was hoping for.

 

[GoingMyWay]

We did a Korean BBQ at home for Valentine's day.  It got a little bit smokey in the house.  Doing it outside would be better next time. 

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Over the weekend we made hot pot since we still had the butane stove out.

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One of my favorite burritos is a Don Miguel Steak and Bean burrito.   Unfortunately, it's not carried locally anymore so I tried to make my own version at home.  This is the first time ever making burritos at home.  They could have used some more spice/seasoning, but not bad.  I just used a pre-seasoned frozen sous vide steak and can of refried beans.

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We ate 3 and froze 4.  I'll have to see how well they turn out when reheated from frozen.

Sunday, we made Indian.  I used some premade Tikka Masala sauce for the Chicken Tikka Masala and made an Indian Vegetable Curry based on an America's Test Kitchen recipe.  The recipe called for the canned diced tomatoes to be pureed in a food processor.  Rather than dirtying the whole food processor, I opted to use my stick blender.  Did a very nice job and less dishes!  Served with some microwaved Papadums.

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[Jesse Cloud]

Crushed corn flakes in the box are getting hard to find.  I see a million recipes for pork chops out there but a breaded corn flake crusted pork chop sautéed / pan fried in butter is better than all those.

Peter

Come on Peter, with all those tools, you must have something that could crush cornflakes!  Doesn't a Feinmaster have an attachment for that?  [big grin]
Oh I know, just drop a sustainer loaded with a big Domino on the bag and you are done!!  [cool]

 

[Cheese]

I did use some file but that was near the end. Chef John's method (shown in the video) did work well and the roux was plenty thick and flavorful. 

So Rob, you used the filé more as a spice rather than a thickener...interesting. I need to get back into cooking a gumbo and a paella. It's been several years already. [sad]

OK...note to self...cook a gumbo, a paella & a jambalaya.  [cool]