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pnumoman posted:Stock, cream, mushrooms. Cook down mushrooms, toss in some shallots if you feel like it. Deglaze pan with cognac or generic "brown", add stock, reduce a touch, add cream. Salt+pepper to taste. Oh yes, I want to eat this right now.
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Oct 19, 2011 17:59
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| # ? May 9, 2024 09:27 |
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I thought there was a cast iron megathread, but if it survived the Whirled Peas thread massacre, I can't find it. So I'll ask here. I'm the proud owner of a brand new, already seasoned, super awesome cast iron skillet/dutch oven (really deep skillet with lid and frying basket thing) that my cajun aunt gave me as a wedding gift. Last night I used it for the first time to do breaded pork chops. I know that NO SOAP is the rule. I dumped the oil, wiped it out with a paper towel, then used my dishcloth (which had been used with soap on it, but had been rinsed since then) and hot water to scrub off any stuck on food bits. I was terrified of removing the seasoning, but I think I did okay. Then I dried it really well and rubbed a little vegetable oil on it before I put it away. (I also made my husband stand in the kitchen and watch me wash it because I'm a mean kitchen nazi harpy and I don't want him ruining it by 'soaking it in the sink' after he uses it to make grilled cheese sandwiches or something.) My main question is, if I got cooked on food bits using 1/4-1/2" oil to fry something, what's going to happen if I try to sear a steak in it using significantly less oil? Should I stick to high fat items like bacon and deep frying for the first 5 uses or so until it's better seasoned? How much can I scrub the stuck on food bits without rubbing off the seasoning? Is there anything else I need to be doing? I really want a perfectly seasoned, 'nothing will ever stick to it' pan. Can I 'reseason' it when I don't need to, just to get it to that point eventually? Honestly, I'm not cooking a lot of bacon or deep frying, so I'm concerned that it won't get enough use to get it like I want it in order to cook eggs and cornbread in it...
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Oct 19, 2011 20:20
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 If it is seasoned fine, I'm guessing you either used too high of heat or didn't let it heat up long enough. Cast iron can heat unevenly, and if you toss food in too quickly, you're gonna get poo poo stuck to the bottom. Also, soap is fine if you accidentally add a bit. I've soaped my dutch oven more than once, and OMG it's still fine. Just keep cooking with it. Use metal utensils, and scrape your pan after using. Use a 3M no scratch pad if it gets bad enough. But really, if you can scrape off "seasoning" with a spatula or a scrub pad, it was a poo poo "season". Most of the super slick cast iron has been used longer than you've probably been alive. My main skillet and dutch oven are gifts from my granddad. If you wanna quicken it up, get some sand paper and grind off all the bumps and stuff on the cooking surface, then reseason.
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Oct 19, 2011 20:28
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Goddamn, cast iron is the dry denim of this forum. Just use it. Maybe you need a little more oil the first few times. Big deal!
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Oct 19, 2011 20:48
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yes posted:Goddamn, cast iron is the dry denim of this forum. Just use it. Maybe you need a little more oil the first few times. Big deal! Where you been all my life, yes?
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Oct 19, 2011 21:01
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My mom bought me a bunch of different kinds of flours for my birthday and I have no idea what to do with some of them. I have regular unbleached white flour, whole wheat and barley flour. Those I can just use for normal bread recipes, but I'm not sure what to do with the Blue Cornmeal, Dark Rye Flour, and Sweet White Sorghum flour. I'll be making some blue cornmeal muffins for sure, hopefully they turn out to be some weird colour and I'll take pictures.
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Oct 19, 2011 21:05
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Nione posted:I thought there was a cast iron megathread, but if it survived the Whirled Peas thread massacre, I can't find it. So I'll ask here.
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Oct 19, 2011 21:22
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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.
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Oct 19, 2011 21:39
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How do I make The Best Sauteed Mushrooms? Currently I just cook on high heat with salt, pepper, and garlic, and it's mighty good. But what would take it over the top? Also, any takers on my mayo question? The Macaroni posted:Question: I was making mayonnaise by hand the other day, and at my mother-in-law's request didn't put any sugar in. (Don't ask.) So I whisked an egg yolk with a bit of dry mustard, added some salt and lemon juice, then started whisking away. No emulsion at all, just a gross soupy mess, which has never happened to me before. Likely this was from the lack of sugar. My question is, what role does sugar play in the formation of a mayo emulsion?
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Oct 19, 2011 21:52
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Re: Mayo Sugar plays no role whatsoever. Next time, try using a whole egg instead of just the yolk. For a fail-safe way to hold your emulsion early on, try a half teaspoon of dijon mustard.
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Oct 19, 2011 21:59
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The Macaroni posted:How do I make The Best Sauteed Mushrooms? Currently I just cook on high heat with salt, pepper, and garlic, and it's mighty good. But what would take it over the top? I've never put put sugar in mayo. I have found that adding salt at the beginning with the lemon juice does something and the egg yolk kind of seizes and poo poo just doesn't work.
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Oct 19, 2011 21:59
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The Macaroni posted:How do I make The Best Sauteed Mushrooms? Currently I just cook on high heat with salt, pepper, and garlic, and it's mighty good. But what would take it over the top? Needs butter or olive oil, a splash of sherry and a bit of lemon juice.
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Oct 19, 2011 22:01
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Got beaten to it, but sugar's role is limited strictly to taste in mayo. As suggested, add a bit of mustard, which has its own set of emulsifying agents it can bring to the table. Additionally, try using a hand blender for, basically, fail-free mayo making.
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Oct 19, 2011 22:03
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Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:I've never put put sugar in mayo. I have found that adding salt at the beginning with the lemon juice does something and the egg yolk kind of seizes and poo poo just doesn't work. Expounding upon this, I would assume the acid denatures the protein responsible for emulsion (lechitin?) thereby making your mayo break.
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Oct 19, 2011 22:08
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Actually, lecithin is mostly phospholipids, so the acid doesn't negatively affect the emulsion process. Whole eggs and mustard is the answer. I've made hundreds of gallons of mayo during my lifetime!
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Oct 19, 2011 22:34
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yes posted:Actually, lecithin is mostly phospholipids, so the acid doesn't negatively affect the emulsion process. Whole eggs and mustard is the answer. I've made hundreds of gallons of mayo during my lifetime! Well then, color me informed.
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Oct 19, 2011 22:40
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My wife made a beef & squash stew but it's too tart. What can I add to counter that?
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Oct 19, 2011 22:44
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wormil posted:My wife made a beef & squash stew but it's too tart. What can I add to counter that? Sweets. Either sugar, if you're in a rush, or lots of caramelized onions, if you're not. Sweet fortified wines would work too, depending on what you have on hand.
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Oct 19, 2011 22:47
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GrAviTy84 posted:Needs butter or olive oil, a splash of sherry and a bit of lemon juice.
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Oct 19, 2011 22:53
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The Macaroni posted:Duh on the fat (but I should've mentioned that I use olive oil), will definitely try sherry and lemon. Just letting you know, this is basically what you'll be making. http://www.spain-recipes.com/ajillo-mushrooms.html
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Oct 19, 2011 22:56
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pnumoman posted:Sweets. Either sugar, if you're in a rush, or lots of caramelized onions, if you're not. Sweet fortified wines would work too, depending on what you have on hand. Thanks, I ended up using brown sugar. She was supposed to add wine to recipe but didn't have any and used vinegar instead :?: and she used a whole jar of sun dried tomatoes.
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Oct 19, 2011 23:02
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Hahahah your wife sounds awesome.
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Oct 19, 2011 23:03
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wormil posted:My wife made a beef & squash stew but it's too tart. What can I add to counter that? Salt and butter and a little sugar.
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Oct 19, 2011 23:10
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yes posted:Goddamn, cast iron is the dry denim of this forum. Just use it. Maybe you need a little more oil the first few times. Big deal! I love this.
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Oct 19, 2011 23:54
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wormil posted:Thanks, I ended up using brown sugar. She was supposed to add wine to recipe but didn't have any and used vinegar instead :?: and she used a whole jar of sun dried tomatoes. GrAviTy84 posted:Just letting you know, this is basically what you'll be making.
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Oct 20, 2011 01:50
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Is there a good book that teaches basic/advanced cooking techniques and terms? I like cooking but sometimes I feel overwhelmed when I read a recipe book.
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Oct 20, 2011 02:15
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I'd suggest lurking around here a lot, and reading wikis on words you don't recognize. There's also a ton of youtube videos on basic stuff like how to dice an onion, how to peel garlic, etc. And ask questions! Don't know what exactly "sweating" foods entails? Ask! I've learned a ton, and that's exactly what I've done. 
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Oct 20, 2011 02:45
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Kuros posted:Is there a good book that teaches basic/advanced cooking techniques and terms? I like cooking but sometimes I feel overwhelmed when I read a recipe book. How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. It's good for basics, but a lot of his flavour profiles are way off.
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Oct 20, 2011 02:47
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What exactly is a simmer? I know it is "less than boiling" but in practice I find it somewhat difficult to gauge. Should bubbles be forming but not rising to the top?
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Oct 20, 2011 03:01
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Kuros posted:Is there a good book that teaches basic/advanced cooking techniques and terms? I like cooking but sometimes I feel overwhelmed when I read a recipe book. The best thing for beginning cooks is to study techniques, not recipes. Read Norman Weinstein's Mastering Knife Skills book to figure out how to chop up everything. Veggies like potatoes, carrots, celery, and onions are cheap, and you can get a lot of inexpensive practice in trying to get uniform pieces customized for whatever you need to cook. Then, instead of focusing on a soup, read Alton Brown or Mark Bittman to learn how to make a stock. Then learn your sauces. Then start studying ways to prepare meat: searing, roasting, braising, sautéing, etc. Pretty soon you'll figure out how to start putting the pieces together. Look at idiot-proof but delicious classics like bœuf bourguignon and coq au vin and pot au feu and navarin d'agneu. They sound fancy but are pretty simple and involve amazing flavor combinations. Plus you'll get good practice hacking up a chuck roast, a chicken, and a lamb shoulder, plus all the various veggies involved. Gazpacho is a fun dish to make, though we're at the end of the tomato season. It requires that you cut up a lot of different herbs and vegetables in different ways, you get to skin and core tomatoes, and then you have to learn to wait until the second day to truly enjoy it.
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Oct 20, 2011 04:25
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Chard posted:What exactly is a simmer? I know it is "less than boiling" but in practice I find it somewhat difficult to gauge. Should bubbles be forming but not rising to the top? Bubbles should be as few as possible while still being active.
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Oct 20, 2011 04:38
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Does anybody have a good, Lebanese falafel recipe? Last weekend, I went to a festival and there was a food booth set up by the local Lebanese Catholic church serving authentic Lebanese food. I had a falafel and I swear it was the best drat falafel I have ever had. In addition, the bread they served it on was extremely flat, like a tortilla. But I cannot find out what the name of it is. Wikipedia suggests that it is Taboon bread, because the top-most image is exactly what I ate. All of the recipes I find online for this make Taboon bread seem lightly leavened. Does anyone have any insights?
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Oct 20, 2011 04:56
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It is leavened. That's one of the things that makes it taste good.
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Oct 20, 2011 05:17
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Why is the smoking thread closed, and is there a replacement thread for smoking/bbq? I looked around and didn't see one.
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Oct 20, 2011 05:53
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Dear GWS, I simultaneously love and hate you today. You convinced me that chicken thighs are way better than breasts if I simply have to eat boneless, skinless versions. Before I did not know that I was eating terrible dry poo poo. Before I thought chicken thighs were kind of gross tasting. Now here I am, having successfully made coconut milk curry with peas and onions, sincerely regretting having ever bought chicken breasts and definitely regretting putting them in this awesome-tasting curry. God drat are these ruining my meal. So, I think I've now eaten all remaining chicken breast in my house with this meal. But just in case I'm hungry one day and all there is is chicken breast, is there anything on earth I can do to make it not suck? On a related note: How is coconut milk so freaking awesome? I was under the impression that I thought coconut things were pretty mediocre. I tried a taste out of curiosity and almost drank the whole can.
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Oct 20, 2011 05:53
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Hawkgirl posted:So, I think I've now eaten all remaining chicken breast in my house with this meal. But just in case I'm hungry one day and all there is is chicken breast, is there anything on earth I can do to make it not suck? Yep, just don't overcook it. Get an instant read thermometer, and pull it off the heat when it gets to 160F. You could also sear it at a high heat at the very beginning of cooking to give it a nice browned colour / flavour.
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Oct 20, 2011 06:09
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Hawkgirl posted:...all there is is chicken breast, is there anything on earth I can do to make it not suck? Don't over cook them. Here is how I prepare mine and people often comment they never knew they could be so juicy. Starting with a boneless breast... *cut off the tender (optional) *slice through the breast horizontally so that the main piece is equal thickness This will leave you with either 2 or 3 pieces. I usually marinate the tenders and small cut-offs and have them the next day. *salt, pepper & olive oil the main breast (other seasonings are optional) *saute in a hot skillet until they feel like rubber when picked up by the end with tongs. This sound unappetizing but if you cook them until stiff they will be dry. *let sit for 5+ minutes *eat
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Oct 20, 2011 06:17
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Hawkgirl posted:Dear GWS, I simultaneously love and hate you today. You convinced me that chicken thighs are way better than breasts if I simply have to eat boneless, skinless versions. Before I did not know that I was eating terrible dry poo poo. Before I thought chicken thighs were kind of gross tasting. Now here I am, having successfully made coconut milk curry with peas and onions, sincerely regretting having ever bought chicken breasts and definitely regretting putting them in this awesome-tasting curry. God drat are these ruining my meal.
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Oct 20, 2011 06:33
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Hawkgirl posted:On a related note: How is coconut milk so freaking awesome? 1 Tbsp Coconut Milk = Saturated Fat 3.2g (16% Daily Value) I'm not saying that it isn't delicious, or that you shouldn't use it, but be aware that it tastes good because it's bad for you.
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Oct 20, 2011 06:48
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Chard posted:1 Tbsp Coconut Milk = Saturated Fat 3.2g (16% Daily Value) It's not bad for you. I wish people wouldn't perpetuate the whole "only things that are bad for you taste good." In reality, there isn't really any "bad for you" food outside of modern industrialized nonsense. ----------------
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Oct 20, 2011 06:57
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