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Kenning posted:What do you mean forcing yourself to eat beans? Beans are the bomb. I can't stand them. 
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Feb 20, 2013 23:08
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Kenning posted:What do you mean forcing yourself to eat beans? Beans are the bomb. I really don't care for the texture. Feels like I'm eating a bunch of soggy bees.
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Feb 20, 2013 23:28
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Saint Darwin posted:I really don't care for the texture. Feels like I'm eating a bunch of soggy bees. Beans sting you in the mouth when you eat them? what kind of beans are you eating?
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Feb 20, 2013 23:32
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Maybe he doesn't know you are supposed to rehydrate them first...
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Feb 20, 2013 23:43
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neogeo0823 posted:Beans sting you in the mouth when you eat them? what kind of beans are you eating? Imagine a bowl of soggy, dead bumblebees.
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Feb 21, 2013 00:29
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Saint Darwin posted:Imagine a bowl of soggy, dead bumblebees. Yeah, they can sting you even after they die, you know. And that seems like it'd be much crunchier than some well soaked beans. I really think you're either eating the wrong kinds of beans, or you're not prepping them right.
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Feb 21, 2013 01:02
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neogeo0823 posted:Yeah, they can sting you even after they die, you know. And that seems like it'd be much crunchier than some well soaked beans. I really think you're either eating the wrong kinds of beans, or you're not prepping them right. My analogy sucks. They're just too mushy for me.
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Feb 21, 2013 01:04
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Saint Darwin posted:My analogy sucks. They're just too mushy for me. I think I know what you mean. The sort of weird.. cheap-instant-mashed-potatoes texture inside of a tough, slightly slimy skin.
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Feb 21, 2013 01:08
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I like beans but a "bowl of soggy, dead bumblebees" seems uncomfortably close to the mark for me.
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Feb 21, 2013 01:17
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Ah, that makes more sense. you're either soaking them way, waaaaaaaay too long, or cooking them for way too long. Try starting with bagged dry beans, not canned. Canned are great for quick cooking, but you get a better flavor and more texture out of bagged. Follow the package directions for soaking, which usually means overnight or for 8 hours. Then you generally simmer in a pot of water for ~1-2 hours with seasonings until they're done. Here, I found this really good sounding recipe for red beans and rice while looking for a different beans recipe. It's a bit more complex than just simply cooking straight beans, but it also looks drat tasty and I'll be making it next week.
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Feb 21, 2013 01:21
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So hey, another double post, but here's a trip report. The soup turned out really fantastic. I threw a bunch of stuff that seemed pretty random into the pot and it all worked out well. Here's what I used. Apologies for the lovely cell phone pics. First, almost all of one of these:  I had chopped off maybe a 5th of it for hawaiian pizza the other day. I took the rest and diced it up nicely. Next, you'll need some fiber. Add these in:  If you can't read it, it's 2 cans of kidney beans, a can of navy beans, a can of black beans, a can of peas because why the hell not, and I had the GF bring home a can of pinto beans. There's also a package of little tubs of homestyle veggie stock. I used 3 of those tubs. All the canned stuff was drained and rinsed. After that, you'll also need this stuff:  This is one of the shittier pics, so the spices are ground sage, bay leaves, cumin, and a small-to-medium onion. Not pictured was the pepper shaker, which was holding up the cumin, and the 3-4 cloves of garlic, which I'd already minced. Finally, I added this:  I used a quarter of a box of this stuff, mostly just because. I'll talk about it a bit further down. So, instructions. I started with a large stockpot filled with 3 quarts of hot water. I added in the 3 tubs of veggie stock and, since my bay leaves are like 2 years old and really lovely, I added in 4 of them. If your bay leaves are fresher, you can probably get away with 2 of them. Anyway, I added that stuff in and began heating the water up. In the meantime, dice your ham, chop your onion, and mince your garlic. Add the garlic as soon as it's minced. Wait till the water boils and add the ham and onion. Next, add 1 tsp each of cumin and sage, and a generous amount of pepper. Let the water almost come to a boil again and add the beans and peas. Bring the water to a boil, and just as it boils, add 1/4th of a box of the Acini De Pepe. Let the water boil for 5 to 7 minutes, I honestly didn't time how long it boiled. Turn the heat down to a simmer and taste it. Adjust the seasonings to taste and check the Acini for doneness. At this point, it should almost be done. Let it simmer till the Acini is done, and then serve. I had mine with saltine crackers.  EDIT: It would probably help if I posted a pic of the final product, huh? This soup should feed me and the gf for 2 or 3 days. 
neogeo0823 fucked around with this message at 06:49 on Feb 21, 2013 |
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Feb 21, 2013 05:38
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I have never in my life soaked beans, and the fact that everyone is always recommending it continues to seem insane to me. My beans get to the right level of cooked within an hour and a half, and since I'm usually cooking them in a stew or soup I just start the beans, prep the rest of the stew, then add the almost cooked beans after like 45 minutes and then cook them for the remaining 45 in with the rest of the stew ingredients. Why do people soak beans.
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Feb 21, 2013 10:23
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Kenning posted:I have never in my life soaked beans, and the fact that everyone is always recommending it continues to seem insane to me. My beans get to the right level of cooked within an hour and a half, and since I'm usually cooking them in a stew or soup I just start the beans, prep the rest of the stew, then add the almost cooked beans after like 45 minutes and then cook them for the remaining 45 in with the rest of the stew ingredients. Why do people soak beans. They get less gassy. You discard the soaking liquid and move forward, and you won't have the amount of gas. There are some folk for whom beans mean really uncomfortable, sharp, stabbing stomach pain, because of the amount of gas it produces.
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Feb 21, 2013 11:24
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If I eat unsoaked or even soaked but undercooked beans I don't just get gassy, I get debilitating stomach cramps for the rest of the day and part of the next. It's really awkward to be going to the bathroom every 10 or 15 minutes at work for sweet, blessed relief. If you don't have a problem that's fine, but if you're ever cooking for other people please soak your beans. You can also just boil them for a couple hours and throw out the water. Chickpeas, Lentils, and other non-bean beans don't have this effect though so you're safe not soaking those.
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Feb 24, 2013 01:19
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Windyblade posted:This is my favorite quick(ish) and cheap tomato sauce ever. I like to throw some fresh garlic in too. We just cooked this tonight - it was absolutely great on spaghetti with a few salad greens on the side.
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Feb 26, 2013 00:34
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Windyblade posted:This is my favorite quick(ish) and cheap tomato sauce ever. I like to throw some fresh garlic in too. Holy drat, that is genius. I wish I hadn't eaten already, 'cause I want to cook that poo poo RIGHT NOW.
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Feb 26, 2013 11:33
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neogeo, this isn't a huge variation from your ham and bean soup but this split-pea/ham soup is pretty easy, might use some of your canned goods, and freezes very well. http://www.canadianliving.com/food/classic_pea_soup_with_ham.php quote:Portion size: 8
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Feb 27, 2013 21:41
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More bean talk: I typically buy my beans pre-cooked and canned/jarred. It's only marginally more expensive than getting dried beans, and I don't have to soak them or worry about cooking times. After rinsing properly, they can go straight from the can into chilis, salads, cooked rice, etc. Are pre-cooked canned beans a European thing? My contribution for a super delicious, fast, easy and cheap bean recipe that is filling but reasonably low in carbs. For a VERY gerenous serving for two: - 400 or 500 grams of jarred green fava/broad beans. - 125 to 150 grams of Bacon bits. - 250 to 300 ml of Milk - 2 heaping tbsp of butter - 1 tbsp corn starch - Herbs de provence (thyme, rosemary, parsley, etc) 1. Fry up the bacon bits until they're nice and crispy, set aside. 2. Make a simple roux. A roux is great for a million things and costs nearly nothing to make, so here's a rundown: Put milk in a pan and add butter, bring to a low boil. In a separate mug, mix a splash of cold water with corn starch. Add the starch to the milk and butter while stirring the pan continuously. Stirring cold starch into hot liquid should avoid lumps 100% of the time! Allow the starch in the roux to cook for 1 or 2 minutes, stirring continuously, and it should thicken up to the consistency of heavy cream. Season generously with black pepper, be careful with salt in this particular case because that bacon is salty as well. Add herbs de provence to your liking. 3. Rinse the beans properly in hot water. Canned beans float in a liquid that supposedly makes them gassy; wash thoroughly to be sure. 4. Add the beans to your roux, mix, and use a masher to mash roughly 1/10th of the total bean mass into a pulp. Mashing maybe 5 or 6 times would be enough. Make sure the beans are nicely coated by the roux and mashed beans. Possibly add a splash of milk if the mix becomes too thick. 5. Add the bacon bits to the pan. Cook on low for another 5 minutes to let all the flavors meld into each other. 6. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Please try this even if you don't normally like fava/broad beans. My girlfriend hated them and now we eat this dish once a week because she loves it so. It's soft and creamy and savory bean heaven. Palpatine MD fucked around with this message at 17:24 on Mar 5, 2013 |
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Mar 5, 2013 17:19
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Palpatine MD posted:2. Make a simple roux. A roux is great for a million things and costs nearly nothing to make, so here's a rundown: Put milk in a pan and add butter, bring to a low boil. In a separate mug, mix a splash of cold water with corn starch. Add the starch to the milk and butter while stirring the pan continuously. Stirring cold starch into hot liquid should avoid lumps 100% of the time! Allow the starch in the roux to cook for 1 or 2 minutes, stirring continuously, and it should thicken up to the consistency of heavy cream. Season generously with black pepper, be careful with salt in this particular case because that bacon is salty as well. Add herbs de provence to your liking. This isn't really a roux. This is a sauce thickened with a cornstarch slurry. A roux is also super easy to make and just as cheap--melt butter in a pan, add an equal amount of flour, toast to wherever you want it (gumbo wants a very dark roux, cream sauces want a very light roux, gravy might want a slightly toasted roux, etc) and then add scalded milk and whisk. (You can use cornstarch in the same way, but part of the essential process is cooking the flour with the fat.) A traditional roux longer to thicken and requires actual cooking to thicken, unlike cornstarch slurry, which can be added to a hot sauce and make it thicken even off the heat. However, the final texture is different, and how it reheats is also very different. (Cornstarch cooks to clear, flour adds a cloudiness to clear liquids; cornstarch sets as more of a gel and flour-thickened stuff tends to reheat more evenly in my experience, etc.) Either way works in most applications, though, I'm just being pedantic. Nicol Bolas fucked around with this message at 17:55 on Mar 5, 2013 |
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Mar 5, 2013 17:52
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You're quite right, what I describe isn't a proper roux! The reason I suggest cornstarch instead of flower is that it cooks thicker more quickly, which means you can use less of it and therefore end up with less carbs in the sauce. You may be right that there is a difference in consistency but I honestly never noticed it myself. I'm pretty much a roux heathen because I've also used margarine instead of actual butter to make it, when I had nothing else on hand.
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Mar 5, 2013 18:15
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I've heard of roux made with canola oil (  ) but never corn starch. But what do I know?
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Mar 5, 2013 19:11
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There's nothing wrong with roux made with canola oil with the proper application. You use an oil based roux for gumbo for example.
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Mar 5, 2013 19:40
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Oil-based roux is fine, the fat is just there to prevent clumping. To be honest the biggest benefit of a cornstarch-based thickener is that you don't need to cook out the flour taste. If you want something very good, you can pick up some Ultratex and go on a thickening adventure.
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Mar 5, 2013 19:45
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mich posted:There's nothing wrong with roux made with canola oil with the proper application. You use an oil based roux for gumbo for example. It was in fact in relation to gumbo. Having it both ways, non-oil was WAY better.
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Mar 5, 2013 19:49
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Maybe the oil based one you had was just made poorly? Butter is for sure tastier than neutral oil but in the context of a gumbo, done right the difference shouldn't be that stark. The oil based one should still be really good, not barf inducing like you implied with your post.
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Mar 6, 2013 22:34
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Personally thickening things with cornstarch is way more likely to lead to misery for me than using a roux. It's hard to thicken things too much with the latter (the opposite, I've found), but in the case of the former - jelly is only a few teaspoons away.
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Mar 7, 2013 01:00
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I have never had luck thickening with cornstarch. It always comes out like gelatin and it's just terrible.
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Mar 7, 2013 02:13
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The problem most people have with cornstarch is that they add it when their sauce is very hot, and don't realize that they've used too much until it starts to cool, which is when the effects become exceedingly noticeable.
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Mar 7, 2013 02:24
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When using corn starch as a thickener, make a slurry by dissolving the corn starch into water before adding it to whatever it is you are cooking. But seriously, just make a proper roux, it will turn out better. Also, you can make a big batch of roux and keep it refrigerated, it lasts a long time in the fridge.
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Mar 7, 2013 04:52
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mich posted:Maybe the oil based one you had was just made poorly? Butter is for sure tastier than neutral oil but in the context of a gumbo, done right the difference shouldn't be that stark. The oil based one should still be really good, not barf inducing like you implied with your post. Yeh actually, I mentioned it to my ~girlfriend~ (she worked at the restaurant in question) and he would also blacken the roux. I don't mean darken, I mean burn the everliving poo poo out of it.
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Mar 7, 2013 05:56
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Kalavinka posted:Also, you can make a big batch of roux and keep it refrigerated, it lasts a long time in the fridge.
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Mar 7, 2013 09:02
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I'm honestly surprised people have trouble using cornstarch. I usually use tiny amounts because it has a lot of carbs, which I avoid as much as possible. My sauces and gravies and thick soups usually come out perfectly whether I use flour, cornstarch or even potato starch.
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Mar 7, 2013 14:39
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Semprini posted:Jesus H Christ, how did I never think of this beforehand? If you want to make it even easier, just do it in the oven and stick your pot in the fridge after it cools.
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Mar 7, 2013 15:58
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This is the first time those little cocotte things have sounded actually worth having around.
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Mar 7, 2013 16:11
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http://www.samsclub.com/sams/riceland-extra-long-grain-rice-50-lbs/164527.ip?navAction=#BVRRWidgetID Heh... I didn't realize rice was this cheap, it's been so long since I last purchased it in bulk so I assumed it would be twice as much as that. Anyway, I'm going to go for a $200 a month budget but I get the impression I might be able to go lower now that I know rice is that cheap, a 50lb bag would last us several months even if we have rice every day. Sephiroth_IRA fucked around with this message at 04:23 on Mar 12, 2013 |
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Mar 12, 2013 04:21
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Don't spend your dollars at a moral hole in the wall like Walmart (which owns Sam's Club). Rice is generally very cheap if you're buying in large amounts. Also, if you venture into more ethnic markets, you'll find varieties of rice much tastier than enriched long grain.
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Mar 12, 2013 07:12
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Gonna second Wiggles in this case. Get some variety. Plain white rice is pretty boring and white bread as gently caress.
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Mar 12, 2013 10:04
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Mr. Wiggles posted:Don't spend your dollars at a moral hole in the wall like Walmart (which owns Sam's Club). Rice is generally very cheap if you're buying in large amounts. Also, if you venture into more ethnic markets, you'll find varieties of rice much tastier than enriched long grain. Weren't you the person who stated that people never need more than Calrose?
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Mar 12, 2013 13:46
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Calrose is a wonderful, fragrant, chewy rice that is the perfect utility selection, and is what I grew up eating every day, so I was only being partially facetious. Sometimes, however, it is appropriate to serve jasmine or basmati or some other such variety.
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Mar 12, 2013 14:49
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Mr. Wiggles posted:Calrose is a wonderful, fragrant, chewy rice that is the perfect utility selection, and is what I grew up eating every day, so I was only being partially facetious. Sometimes, however, it is appropriate to serve jasmine or basmati or some other such variety. If he's running on such a low budget, I honestly doubt he's going to have the ability to make enough varied dishes that large bags of multiple rices is really efficient. Just saying, he is probably best off grabbing a big bag of Calrose (I at least totally agree with you there), and if he really is making something special, grabbing the smallerish bags of the special rice. It's not like they go bad, but getting the huge bags are expensive and impractical. Orange_Lazarus, $50 a week for you and another is going to be tough but probably doable. Personally I can't do under $100 a week for myself and another, but I also get pretty depressed if I can't make decent food and have a real problem with eating the same thing within a few days of each other. I grew up having vastly different food every day from all over the world, so I just can't do it. Adult Sword Owner fucked around with this message at 15:47 on Mar 12, 2013 |
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Mar 12, 2013 15:45
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