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I'm trying to solve the "sponge problem" in the kitchen. Specifically I'd like a means of storing fresh (or pre-used but sanitized) sponges in a convenient form, like a dispenser. Then when they get a bit used I'd throw em in a bucket under the sink to santize later, with boiling soapy water. This way I don't need to throw em out when they're structurally sound but filthy. I'm having tremendous trouble researching this however. It seems like a sponge-dispensing kitchen gadget doesn't exist. Is there some obvious flaw in my plan that I've overlooked, or simply a better way to deal with sponges?
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Apr 23, 2012 00:10
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dis astranagant posted:Grandma gave me a coffee can of mystery dry beans (pretty sure there's some pintos in there, but there's also some much darker and and some kinda reddish ones). Just looking for something simple to do with them so they'll quit taking up counter space. I don't know the first thing about fixin dry beans, usually just used canned ones. Soak in water overnight, then the next day boil until they're just like your usual canned beans.
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Apr 23, 2012 00:39
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NinjaDebugger posted:Seed your jalepenos, that's where almost all the heat is. And give them a quick rinse to get out any lingering oil. Should be virtually no heat then.
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Apr 23, 2012 00:59
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ShadowHawk posted:I'm trying to solve the "sponge problem" in the kitchen. I just stick the sponge in the dishwasher when it runs, and then throw it out when it starts getting grody.
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Apr 23, 2012 01:12
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Grand Fromage posted:
The heat is actually in the whitish membrane not the seed, the seeds are hot because of their proximity and contact with membrane. (not true for Bhut Jolokia, whose entire fruit contains equal quantities of capsaicin) Removal of the membrane (and thus, also the seeds) will make the chiles mild. Oil is not water soluble. Capsaicin is oil soluble however. I don't know the mechanism by which rinsing a pepper would cause the capsaicin to be released. I do know that cooking it causes the sensation to be less sharp and more droney, if you know what I mean. Fire roasting chiles is a nice way to get this dulled heat while adding a nice sweetness that is brought out due to the roasting.
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Apr 23, 2012 01:21
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All I know is from experience, removing the seeds and poo poo in the middle still leaves some heat, but if you rinse them out it gets rid of anything lingering.
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Apr 23, 2012 01:24
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Grand Fromage posted:All I know is from experience, removing the seeds and poo poo in the middle still leaves some heat, but if you rinse them out it gets rid of anything lingering. yeah, I wasn't doubting your experience, I was just saying that the motivation (oil being rinsed with water) didn't describe the phenomenon. I would be interested to know the mechanism though.
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Apr 23, 2012 01:26
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Bo-Pepper posted:Well okay sure, but isn't it unacceptable to refreeze something that's already been frozen once? Or will the additional cooking time invalidate the idea? I mean generally it's because it will affect the texture. Seeing as we're talking about a liquid, it won't make a difference. Health concerns, blah blah blah. When we made red wine sauce at the restaurant, we would reduce 12ish gallons down to just under 3.
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Apr 23, 2012 01:30
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GrAviTy84 posted:yeah, I wasn't doubting your experience, I was just saying that the motivation (oil being rinsed with water) didn't describe the phenomenon. I would be interested to know the mechanism though. Could just be the force of the faucet, even with the oil not dissolving into the water you can knock that poo poo out. When my dad and I were cooking for mom and absolutely had to get every shred of heat out, we'd boil the seeded and rinsed peppers for about a minute and that totally eliminated it.
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Apr 23, 2012 01:35
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NinjaDebugger posted:Seed your jalepenos, that's where almost all the heat is. The punchline here is that if you're seeding peppers to lower the heat, you really want to be sure to get all the ribs and mucilage (collectively the placenta of the pepper), because that's where most of the heat is. You could in theory leave the seeds themselves in there. Except most pepper seeds are kinda bitter and I can't think of any that really contribute much flavour, so it's usually worthwhile to get them out anyway. Some hot peppers (like habaneros) also have gland-like structures on the inner lining of the outer wall of the pepper. These also contribute a fair amount of heat (although not as much as the placenta). These are harder to cool down. If you're really set on doing it, I'd suggest soaking the peppers in a hard (high proof) liquor (like mescal or vodka) for a couple of hours. This'll work because capsaicin is soluble in alchohol; you can't use water because capsaicin isn't water soluble. Edit: Oh hey look a new page.
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Apr 23, 2012 01:37
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What are some good general tips for cooking in a small apartment for one person?
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Apr 23, 2012 02:52
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I'm looking for some good recipes that use zucchini are are pretty healthy? I love zucchini so I bought a large bag of it but all I ever know how to do is toss it in a little oil, add some thyme and roast it. There has to be something better!
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Apr 23, 2012 03:01
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blakout posted:What are some good general tips for cooking in a small apartment for one person? I assume that means you have a little kitchen with no counter space? Do all the prep work first and clean up everything before continuing.
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Apr 23, 2012 03:05
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blakout posted:What are some good general tips for cooking in a small apartment for one person? Look for things that freeze well or keep in the fridge for a while. And get good at cutting down recipes. Or plan on making something awesome and eating it every day for a week if you don't watch how much you make.
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Apr 23, 2012 03:05
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blakout posted:What are some good general tips for cooking in a small apartment for one person? I tend to make two servings max of whatever I'm making - one for dinner now, leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Also I have emergency "gently caress cooking" meals in the freezer, like pot roast and chili (lasagna...someday). Also I try to buy meat in bulk but then freeze most of it so that it all gets used. I'm still getting the hang of using all the produce I buy.  It goes bad so fast!
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Apr 23, 2012 03:31
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EVG posted:I wanted to make a recipe from How to Cook Everything today for veggie burgers, but I have heard that they come out a bit bland. I find adding shredded cabbage to veggie burgers gives them a nice crunch and makes them less boring. My go-to recipe for veggie burgers: - Sweet potato - Tinned chickpeas - Cabbage - Mushrooms - Red onion - Egg - Panko breadcrumbs - Salt, pepper, spices * Peel and dice a sweet potato and boil * While it's boiling, drain a tin of chickpeas and pour them into a bowl. Mash the beans into a rough paste * When the sweet potato is soft, strain it and put it in the bowl with the bean paste, mash the sweet potato so you have a roughly 50/50 mix of beans and sweet potato * Add chopped onion, mushroom and cabbage * Add some salt, pepper and / or whatever spices you want to use * Add panko breadcrumbs * Crack in one or two eggs depending how much mixture you've made * Mix everything together, form into patties and coat with flour on each side * Put the patties in the fridge for an hour or two to firm them up (this is important) then shallow fry. Wicker Man posted:Quick questions about sausages/bratwurst! To drain some of the grease from your sausages prick the skin with a fork then cook them on a wire rack over a pan in the oven. As they cook the grease will drain out and the sausage will be drier and firmer. It may also help to buy the best quality sausages you can afford as they will have better quality ingredients.
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Apr 23, 2012 04:06
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GrAviTy84 posted:yeah, I wasn't doubting your experience, I was just saying that the motivation (oil being rinsed with water) didn't describe the phenomenon. I would be interested to know the mechanism though. This seems to be a red herring. Of course capsaicin is not soluble in water. But it's certainly possible to mechanically separate some non-water-soluble substance from another substance by hitting it with water under pressure, or sticking it in a boiling pot or whatever.
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Apr 23, 2012 05:31
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DaveP posted:Also, vis a vis radishes: Make Horseradish sauce, goes great with beef & pork Um, that's not going to work. Horseradish and radishes are two different things.
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Apr 23, 2012 05:49
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Noni posted:I do it a bit differently from most folks, but it's faster. Take a carrot, cut it acr... Worked a treat!  In other news: Flatmate did roast beef in cast iron dutch oven, left to soak overnight, bottom covered in black poo poo and sides flaking. Please advise (aside from 'beat to death with hammer') 
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Apr 23, 2012 08:41
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DaveP posted:In other news: Flatmate did roast beef in cast iron dutch oven, left to soak overnight, bottom covered in black poo poo and sides flaking. Please advise (aside from 'beat to death with hammer') Looks like a "scrub it all off and start over again" situation to me, sorry. Also, beat him to death with the cast iron pan, there's no need to waste time grabbing a hammer.
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Apr 23, 2012 12:24
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Make him eat the black poo poo as punishment
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Apr 23, 2012 12:46
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DaveP posted:Worked a treat!
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Apr 23, 2012 14:50
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cyberia posted:To drain some of the grease from your sausages prick the skin with a fork then cook them on a wire rack over a pan in the oven. As they cook the grease will drain out and the sausage will be drier and firmer. It may also help to buy the best quality sausages you can afford as they will have better quality ingredients. Awesome. I hear most common sausages have lots of "filler", which may contribute to the extra grease.
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Apr 23, 2012 19:09
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Wicker Man posted:Awesome. I hear most common sausages have lots of "filler", which may contribute to the extra grease. You're going to lose all of the moisture from the sausage that way. There is a lot of fat in sausage because they should be fatty not because of filler (sausage is made completely of filler) or whatever other weird reasons. An ideal sausage is 25-30% fat as per recommendations in Charcuterie.
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Apr 23, 2012 19:28
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Seriously, don't get rid of all the grease. I made the mistake of cutting out most of the pork fat when I was making homemade bratwurst, and they were horrendously dry. They were only palatable when drowned in brown mustard. If you're trying to reduce the fat for health reasons, you probably shouldn't eat too much sausage as it is. If you just prefer a less greasy sausage, buy turkey or chicken sausage instead of pork.
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Apr 23, 2012 19:42
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Over here (Holland) you have Calf Sausages, and they're so low fat that it is often used for diet food. It tastes good, but dry. Any drier than that, and I'd say: inedible. that's all...
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Apr 23, 2012 19:45
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GrAviTy84 posted:You're going to lose all of the moisture from the sausage that way. There is a lot of fat in sausage because they should be fatty not because of filler (sausage is made completely of filler) or whatever other weird reasons. An ideal sausage is 25-30% fat as per recommendations in Charcuterie. Sausages with rusk or wheat fillers will have a springier texture than all meat sausages. Think a banger, vs "Italian sausage". I do prick sausages I cook towards the end of cooking occasionally if I want to cook onions or peppers in the sausage fat, but the texture does suffer. Often I will prick one of them, and set it aside to be one of the leftovers sausages. Leftover sausages always have a worse texture when you reheat so there is less of a tradeoff. edit: "prick sausages"
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Apr 23, 2012 19:46
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Bought frozen, rendered duck fat on a whim a while back and I think I should use it or something. I'm having a hard time coming up with things that aren't weird or just "potatoes and duck fat". The weird ideas are tortillas, savory pie crust, savory cookies (what?), sausages (I don't have a meat grinder), or just using it in place of butter when frying eggs etc.
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Apr 23, 2012 19:51
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I know you said savory pie crust, but I bet duck fat would make a bitchin pate sucree for some kind of crazy rich awesome dessert pie.
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Apr 23, 2012 20:37
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GrAviTy84 posted:You're going to lose all of the moisture from the sausage that way. There is a lot of fat in sausage because they should be fatty not because of filler (sausage is made completely of filler) or whatever other weird reasons. An ideal sausage is 25-30% fat as per recommendations in Charcuterie. The moisture thing never even occurred to me. I am a guilty sausage pricker. I must stop.
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Apr 23, 2012 20:38
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Hi guys. I've been browsing GWS for a month and so. This is probably my first post here. I want to be a better cook. Up until a few months ago the most complex thing I could make was scrambled eggs. I live with my mother who would normally make decent dishes most nights, but she's been slacking lately on that end and now I have no choice but to start cooking more varied and subsantive meals for myself. I've only learned one recipe so far from the GWS wiki which has served me well (Beef Chili of the Gods) and now I want to try making meals involving chicken breasts. What are simple chicken breast based meals you're fond of or would recommend to a neophyte cook?
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Apr 23, 2012 21:31
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Opus125 posted:Hi guys. I've been browsing GWS for a month and so. This is probably my first post here. I want to be a better cook. I would recommend thighs over breasts. They are more flavorful, are cheaper, and you can do a lot more with them. A basic pan roasted chicken thigh is a great skill to have and you can vary it a lot based on seasonings you choose to use and sauces you may or may not serve with it. You can also braise them in a liquid of your choice. Since you're just starting out, find a good tomatillo salsa. Brown the chicken thighs, skin side down on medium heat, don't rush it. Going slow will allow the fat to melt off. Once a deep brown is accomplished, flip so that the skin is facing up, add about a tsp of ground cumin to the fat and allow to get fragrant, then add the tomatillo salsa. Jiggle the pan so that the salsa settles on all sides of the thighs, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until thighs are tender. Finish with some cilantro. If you feel up to it, I encourage you to make your own tomatillo salsa. You can also brine them, dredge, and deep fry.
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Apr 23, 2012 21:45
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Any yeasted doughs I make taste way too much like yeast. Multiple recipes, multiple types of breads. I made soft pretzels today, and they tasted like salted yeast. I always go under on the amount of yeast, which helps a little, but still doesn't do nearly enough. I'll admit that I tend to over-rise it a little bit, will that affect it? Where should I be looking for too-yeasty flavor?
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Apr 23, 2012 21:57
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GrAviTy84 posted:I would recommend thighs over breasts. They are more flavorful, are cheaper, and you can do a lot more with them. A basic pan roasted chicken thigh is a great skill to have and you can vary it a lot based on seasonings you choose to use and sauces you may or may not serve with it. +1 on thighs -they taste bloody great. Since they're small and cheap they're also a great way to learn how to shallow fry meat really nicely, skin down (of course), really crisp crunchy skin and soft lush tasty flesh. Basis for a great many recipe (one of which I am currently in the process of making) and can stand on their own you ate my cat posted:Any yeasted doughs I make taste way too much like yeast. Multiple recipes, multiple types of breads. I made soft pretzels today, and they tasted like salted yeast. I always go under on the amount of yeast, which helps a little, but still doesn't do nearly enough. What gives? Try and find a cooler place for the main rise and/or leave it for a bit less time -that'd be where the yeast flavours would be propagating, there's not really enough time in proving. Using less yeast won't help, because you'll end up leaving it longer to rise than if you'd used less DaveP fucked around with this message at 22:04 on Apr 23, 2012 |
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Apr 23, 2012 21:59
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My local grocery store has Shark Steaks. I cannot decide if I want to throw money at it to try it at $5 a pound, but I am oddly tempted to buy it for the hell of it. Does anyone have any opinions on Shark Meat and if it tastes worth a drat? The best ways to cook it? I searched the Forums for Shark Meat and zero discussion on it at all.
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Apr 23, 2012 22:02
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Wheresmy5bucks posted:My local grocery store has Shark Steaks. It's good. Meaty texture. Get it, grill it, don't over cook it.
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Apr 23, 2012 22:04
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Shark steaks are awesome because they go well with all kinds of flavors, basically anything that's good with fish or with beef steak. They are awesome with the local classic, Old Bay seasoning, but I had one done up like steak au poivre and it was superb.
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Apr 23, 2012 22:25
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Not to spoil your lust for fishy carnivore flesh, but doesn't shark meat have a ton of parasites..? So make sure it's been frozen
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Apr 24, 2012 00:16
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I have recently acquired a slow cooker. What are some good slow-cooker recipes? I am a picky eater and just frankly have no idea where to start. Is there like a repository of slow-cooker recipes that rock somewhere or
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Apr 24, 2012 00:28
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Best bachelor food, cooking noob food: chicken breasts with a good spice rub on a George foreman. I'd also recommend watching good eats to the goon getting into cooking. But yeah what they said. Thighs > breasts erryday
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Apr 24, 2012 00:29
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