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InvisibleMonkey posted:Hey spoon-goons, I need some help. My boyfriend is really into cooking and his birthday is coming up so I want get him some cool kitchen-gear, but I'm also kind of on a budget because he had the gall to be born in mid-December. Any ideas for must-have items for an amateur-chef? What does he like to cook? That can help us narrow down some recommendations.
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Nov 29, 2012 19:47
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GrAviTy84 posted:Nothing wrong with MSG though. Like the fight against nitra(i)tes and "funny sounding words" most of the fearmongering is pseudoscience at best stupidity at worst. Yeah I know, but MSG still feels "wrong" if only just because it feels like it's "cheating" to get that savory flavor I'll get over it eventually :p Steve Yun fucked around with this message at 19:55 on Nov 29, 2012 |
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Nov 29, 2012 19:52
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InvisibleMonkey posted:Hey spoon-goons, I need some help. My boyfriend is really into cooking and his birthday is coming up so I want get him some cool kitchen-gear, but I'm also kind of on a budget because he had the gall to be born in mid-December. Any ideas for must-have items for an amateur-chef? A decent knife is a pretty good bet. What's the budget?
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Nov 29, 2012 19:54
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Scientastic posted:A decent knife is a pretty good bet. What's the budget? I wouldn't go for a knife if it's going to be a surprise because so much of what makes a good knife is how it feels when you handle it.
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Nov 29, 2012 19:58
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GrAviTy84 posted:What does he like to cook? That can help us narrow down some recommendations. Scientastic posted:A decent knife is a pretty good bet. What's the budget? Ideally <€100, I'd love to get him a few things that last like a good knife and a good cast-iron skillet and have money left for small handy accessories. Is that even feasible?  edit: can't math 
InvisibleMonkey fucked around with this message at 20:06 on Nov 29, 2012 |
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Nov 29, 2012 20:00
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InvisibleMonkey posted:Ideally >€100, I'd love to get him a few things that last like a good knife and a good cast-iron skillet and have money left for small handy accessories. Is that even feasible? You mean "<€100"... I'd say a good knife was easily feasible for that money, but I'm not a huge expert, as Aramoro has just demonstrated! It might not be very exciting, but I seriously love my ricer...
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Nov 29, 2012 20:04
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I picked up some star aniseed from an amazing Chinese cash/carry ( ) because I love aniseed, and then I promptly realised I have no idea what on earth to do with it. Any tips/ideas?
Fraction fucked around with this message at 20:40 on Nov 29, 2012 |
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Nov 29, 2012 20:37
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I still think a nice knife would be great if you don't need to have the surprise factor of a ready to use knife in a box to be opened. You could cut out a cardboard knife with "I'll take you knife shopping" on it to wrap up or something like that. If that doesn't appeal, a nice end grain wooden cutting board is a beautiful gift or a nice oven safe stainless steel pan. Some smaller items if you want to get a collection of things: microplane grater scale spatula, wooden spoons, kitchen tongs nice jelly roll pans larger mixing bowl (to mix a cake batter or hold bread dough) smaller mixing/prep bowls - I have a set of 6 or 8 bowls that range from just about a cup and a half size to 2 quarts, I find them really handy to use to hold cut up vegetables, meats, and batters when I'm making something with a number of different ingredients whisk pepper grinder Not sure what of the above he already has but these are some of the things I use most often.
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Nov 29, 2012 20:46
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InvisibleMonkey posted:Pretty much everything, he's just starting to get into it more so I want to help him step up his game. He likes classic food, loves both meat&fish-dishes and uses our oven a lot. Depending on what his current knife is I wouldn't upgrade to a ~$125 knife, so if he has a nice knife(knives) I wouldn't go that route, especially because of what Aramoro said. There are a lot of variables like knife geometry, handle contour and type, steel, beveling, etc that can all depend on personal preferences. If he likes cooking Asian foods, a real wok could be cool, especially when paired with a jet burner like the Camp Chef SP1 and a propane tank. This combo gets you serious BTUs for a low(ish) price. a pizza peel, bread stone/steelslab could be cool if he's a bread maker a mandoline is useful all over the kitchen, as are microplanes, quality spatulas, whisks, tongs. Cast Iron skillet is also a good idea. Edit: what mich said about taking him knife shopping is a great idea. Then you can have some quality time with him as he spergs on about metallurgy and the finer points of HRC to edge retention.
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Nov 29, 2012 20:50
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The single greatest cooking item I have in my house is my enameled cast iron dutch oven. I use it very nearly every day. http://www.lodgemfg.com/enameled-cast-iron/color-enamel-dutch-oven-EC6D43 So I would recommend that as a gift for sure! Everyone's previous recommendations have been great too.
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Nov 29, 2012 21:23
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Saint Darwin posted:So I done gots me a hunk of chuck roast and no idea what I should do to slow cook it. I've been doing slow cooked beef recently that has amounted to "throw in garlic, onion, carrot, potatoes, sear meat with a ton of the herbs on the outside, deglaze pan with red wine, put all in slow cooker and cook" I hate to bump my own post, but I didn't see an answer and I have to use this meat TONIGHT.
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Nov 29, 2012 21:25
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Saint Darwin posted:I hate to bump my own post, but I didn't see an answer and I have to use this meat TONIGHT. Anything braised: chili, bourguignon, pot au feu, rendang, penang, ragu neapolitan, chinese beef noodle soup, etc. or grind it into burgers. Jmcrofts posted:The single greatest cooking item I have in my house is my enameled cast iron dutch oven. I use it very nearly every day. If one was to go the enamel dutch oven route, I highly recommend Staub over all the others. That would be beyond the range of the request though.
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Nov 29, 2012 21:35
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Looking for impressive but easy to make in bulk holiday treats for friends/coworkers. I've done truffles (so much work) and peanut brittle (easy but comments about being to sticky were had) in the past. Ideally suggestions will not involve mixing cocoa powder with cream cheese. Is there a thread for this yet?
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Nov 29, 2012 22:49
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Jmcrofts posted:The single greatest cooking item I have in my house is my enameled cast iron dutch oven. I use it very nearly every day.
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Nov 29, 2012 23:01
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Time Trial posted:Looking for impressive but easy to make in bulk holiday treats for friends/coworkers. I've done truffles (so much work) and peanut brittle (easy but comments about being to sticky were had) in the past. Ideally suggestions will not involve mixing cocoa powder with cream cheese. Is there a thread for this yet? Twisted sugar cookies are easy to churn out in huge batches.
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Nov 30, 2012 00:16
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$49 from Amazon.
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Nov 30, 2012 00:17
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SubG posted:Recommendations for what application? I dunno. General snacking and sandwiches?
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Nov 30, 2012 01:38
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I've come into possession of a few yellow and orange bell peppers, which I don't normally cook with since they have a sweeter, less-peppery (in my mind) taste than their red and green counterparts. Any suggestions as to what I should do with them? Bonus points if the idea involves a slow cooker.
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Nov 30, 2012 05:29
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Stuffed peppers!
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Nov 30, 2012 08:44
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It's my turn to cook dinner for our little group Saturday, and I've been wanting to eat/cook paella for a while now. Does anyone know of a simple but still good recipe that ideally wouldn't take more than 1-1.5 hours to prepare?
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Nov 30, 2012 10:20
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Tell me the best thing I could possibly make to showcase some home grown Meyer lemons. I think I have like 6 lemons about ready to be picked. Edit: 7 lemons, actually. Randomity fucked around with this message at 16:02 on Nov 30, 2012 |
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Nov 30, 2012 15:59
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InvisibleMonkey posted:Hey spoon-goons, I need some help. My boyfriend is really into cooking and his birthday is coming up so I want get him some cool kitchen-gear, but I'm also kind of on a budget because he had the gall to be born in mid-December. Any ideas for must-have items for an amateur-chef? Buy him this knife immediately. Even though some people suggested avoiding getting him a knife, it is so cheap and such a step up from the typical knives home cooks use that even if it doesn't have a 100% perfect feel in his hand, it will still be a massive upgrade from what he's probably using right now. Plus, it's cheap enough that it'll still leave money in your budget for other stuff.
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Nov 30, 2012 16:08
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Randomity posted:Tell me the best thing I could possibly make to showcase some home grown Meyer lemons. I think I have like 6 lemons about ready to be picked. Lemon curd, then use it in lemon bars
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Nov 30, 2012 16:24
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Hi, I've never roast a chicken before and I bought one that already has a bunch of stuff on it. It's got herbs and such on it plus its already stuffed with pork sage and onion (I imagine it's better to just buy a regular chicken but this was in the reduced section). It doesn't have cooking guidelines so I was wondering if the following is correct. (I have one fan oven by the way) preheat oven at 190 C, put (1.5kg)chicken in roasting tray with foil loosely placed on top cook it for a total of 110 minutes turning half way put potatos in when i turn it Is that a good enough temperature for cooking chicken and potatos at the same time? Is it in for long enough? Should I take the pork stuffing out? Also since the point of this exercise is for me to try the whole "be fed by a whole chicken for days", is there an issue with the left over meat considering the chicken has pork stuffing in it?
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Nov 30, 2012 17:28
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I am going to make some ravioli tonight with some leftover turkey (from a bird cooked wednesday, so it's not old thanksgiving turkey or anything). Two questions: 1. Any recommendations on a good dough recipe? I know it's just flour, eggs, oil, salt, and water but I'm not sure as to what the best ratio would be. 2. What should I fill them with other than the (dark meat) turkey? Ricotta? Parmesan? Minced onion? I'm going to toss them with a parsley-walnut pesto after cooking. Thanks!
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Nov 30, 2012 20:54
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Time Trial posted:Looking for impressive but easy to make in bulk holiday treats for friends/coworkers. I've done truffles (so much work) and peanut brittle (easy but comments about being to sticky were had) in the past. Ideally suggestions will not involve mixing cocoa powder with cream cheese. Is there a thread for this yet? Chrismahanukwanzakah: The *Holiday* Meal Planning, Recipe Sharing Thread I also saw a more general craft/gift/etc. thread in GBS which had some easy recipes in it. Edit: also try this thread: Infuse your booze: Home-made liqueurs and flavoured spirits Drimble Wedge fucked around with this message at 21:27 on Nov 30, 2012 |
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Nov 30, 2012 21:22
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So I'm looking into getting my first set of cookware and I'm looking for some recommendations. Only requirements are induction friendly and in the $50-$60ish price area. (Maybe from someplace like Amazon?) Also what's the consensus on non-stick cookware? Are they safe? The stuff I'm reading is that they are relatively safe but with the caveats that you should always wash them a certain way, make sure they don't get too hot, don't use metal utensils with them. If it's that easy to scrape off the non-stick coating maybe it would just be better to not use non-stick so I don't have to be paranoid about it. But maybe it's not that big a deal? -Blackadder- fucked around with this message at 05:01 on Dec 1, 2012 |
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Dec 1, 2012 04:59
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I can't get shallots where I live, but I've recently found bags of dried shallots in my Thai import joint. Are they any good? How would I use them as opposed to fresh ones?
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Dec 1, 2012 05:52
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-Blackadder- posted:Also what's the consensus on non-stick cookware? Are they safe? The stuff I'm reading is that they are relatively safe but with the caveats that you should always wash them a certain way, make sure they don't get too hot, don't use metal utensils with them. If it's that easy to scrape off the non-stick coating maybe it would just be better to not use non-stick so I don't have to be paranoid about it. But maybe it's not that big a deal? Don't get a set, just get one pan. Never cook on high unless there's food inside it Never use green abrasive side of sponge, just use the sponge side or the abrasive side of a sponge that says it's safe for nonstick Don't use metal utensils, only wood, plastic or silicone Don't wash in machine Don't let stuff burn, especially sugary sauces It will fall apart eventually, but if you follow those rules and it should last a few years. And most importantly Never feed after midnight
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Dec 1, 2012 06:00
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-Blackadder- posted:So I'm looking into getting my first set of cookware and I'm looking for some recommendations. Only requirements are induction friendly and in the $50-$60ish price area. (Maybe from someplace like Amazon?) The general concensus is that non-stick isn't really worth it. Get one small pan for eggs, as cheap as you can get, and expect to replace it every year or two. As a cast-iron junky I'd suggest that if you'd like a truly non-stick pan that will never wear out / break / warp / etc., get a decent cast iron skillet and cook bacon in it.
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Dec 1, 2012 06:00
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I use nonstick for eggs and stainless or cast iron for everything else. This strategy has served me pretty well.
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Dec 1, 2012 06:15
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I only use my non-stick for omelets and that's mostly due to the gradual sides, since nothing really sticks to my cast iron.
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Dec 1, 2012 06:19
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depends on what I'm doing but I use nonstick for a lot of my fast lazy foods. Eggs/omelettes/etc of course. Quick sauteing veg, finishing pasta, etc. It's also super fast to clean if you care for it well. I have lots of cast iron stuff, too, and it's great, but for supremely lazy cooking, it takes way too long to heat up.
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Dec 1, 2012 06:24
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You can get a cheap non-stick pan for super cheap. Don't think of it as a long term investment. Treat it nice, but don't feel bad when you toss it out in 6 months or a year to get a new one.
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Dec 1, 2012 06:26
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I really like my hard anodized aluminum cookware. It's not quite as nonstick now as it was when I bought it, but still very good, and it's safe to get it very hot unlike Teflon coated pans. And you can use metal utensils in it. I do feel that it will need to be replaced much more quickly than my stainless steel, but it's already outlasted any Teflon I've ever owned. I bought mine at Costco and got a really good price on it, and will probably buy the same set in a couple more years when this stuff gives out.
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Dec 1, 2012 06:43
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Has anybody here made Har Gow before? (Chinese shrimp dumplings) I offered to make soup, then unthinkingly added dumplings, and MY BOSS took that to mean I was bringing a full dim sum spread. She requested steamed pork buns and har gow. No pressure, though. Any good recipes that people have tried personally and like? Either delicious or authentic, preferably both?
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Dec 1, 2012 07:37
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I made the below recipe exactly as specified, except I used 12oz of shredded cheddar cheese instead of American cheese, because I wasn't sure what American cheese was. It tasted great, but it separated into a soupy cream part and a more solid cheese part, so we had to keep stirring it. Did subbing out the cheese mess up the texture, or is there something else I'm missing? From http://www.jasonandshawnda.com/foodiebride/archives/2135/ Ingredients 1 Tbsp cooking oil (veggie, olive, canola - whatever you have) 1/4 cup white onion, diced 1 large jalapeno or serrano, seeds and stem removed; diced 12 oz white American cheese (I have the deli give me 3 slices on 10), shredded 4 oz Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded (optional; don't use pre-shredded) 1/4-2/3 cup cream, half-and-half, or whole milk 1 roma tomato, seeds removed and diced 1 small bunch cilantro, roughly chopped Instructions Heat the oil in a saute pan. Cook the onion and pepper until softened and reduce heat to medium-low. Add the shredded cheese and 1/4 cup of the cream. Stir until mostly melted. Add the tomatoes, cilantro, and additional cream a little at a time until you reach desired consistency. Serve with chips, on migas, or my favorite - a stack of still-warm homemade tortillas.
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Dec 1, 2012 10:17
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American is basically fake cheddar, you probably got something that tasted better but the american probably would've melted more uniformly as it's more processed. I bet you could alter that to melt the cheddar better but I have found that some brands melt completely different in general so I have no advice.
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Dec 1, 2012 10:39
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I think American cheese was invented with a priority on melting easier, so that's a good bet.
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Dec 1, 2012 10:45
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Steve Yun posted:I think American cheese was invented with a priority on melting easier, so that's a good bet. You can get real cheddar to melt just fine with some sodium citrate or melting together on low heat a 3:1 to 2:1 ratio of cheddar to Velveeta (which probably has a bunch of the aforementioned sodium citrate). The sodium citrate is what allows super smooth melting of processed cheeses without resorting to flour roux and other things like that, which might make the final cheese sauce texture ever so slightly grainy. Mach420 fucked around with this message at 14:11 on Dec 1, 2012 |
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Dec 1, 2012 14:06
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