Thunder Moose posted:Is there a tried and true method for tenderizing stew meat? You don't need to keep the meat especially rare before stewing it in my experience. I always try for a very low simmer for 4-6 hours when doing stew or chili and also use cuts of meat with lots of fat and connective tissue like chuck roast, it always comes out nice and tender that way. If you don't have the time to let your meat stew all day a pressure cooker can get you the same results in half an hour or so.
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# ? Jun 9, 2015 02:12 |
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# ? May 13, 2024 03:08 |
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Number 1 Sexy Dad posted:How long are you cooking it? A few pounds of stew meat with a few pounds of diced tomatoes/misc for 4-5 hours on the lowest setting of the main burner on a gas stove. AVeryLargeRadish posted:You don't need to keep the meat especially rare before stewing it in my experience. I always try for a very low simmer for 4-6 hours when doing stew or chili and also use cuts of meat with lots of fat and connective tissue like chuck roast, it always comes out nice and tender that way. If you don't have the time to let your meat stew all day a pressure cooker can get you the same results in half an hour or so. I used rib meat last time alongside the stew meat though I cut away a good portion (not all) of the fat and connective tissue because I was not certain it would all melt away in the pot. Have some chock roasts in the freezer though, I'll try again next time with less "surgery."
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# ? Jun 9, 2015 02:25 |
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Thunder Moose posted:Is there a tried and true method for tenderizing stew meat? you arent cooking it long enough
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# ? Jun 9, 2015 03:13 |
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I bought some ground turkey at the butcher's today, and didn't realize until after the fact that it's 99/1, not 93/7 or 85/15. How can I cook this horrible meat to make it edible?
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# ? Jun 10, 2015 05:06 |
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Ron Don Volante posted:I bought some ground turkey at the butcher's today, and didn't realize until after the fact that it's 99/1, not 93/7 or 85/15. How can I cook this horrible meat to make it edible? Cook it with moist things to help combat the dryness? Add onions or red peppers or minced mushroom; you can add olive oil or bacon grease into it to keep it juicy. You can add shredded carrot to it at a ratio of ~1 carrot for every 4 meat, maybe put an egg in there if you do that. Add shredded cheese or stuff a thin slice of cheese inbetween two thin patties and seal it up - you'll get a nice "juicy" medium-rare burger as a result. Finely dice bacon and cook them together? I have heard of, but never done, adding some bread soaked with milk/butter to the mix. Drifter fucked around with this message at 05:24 on Jun 10, 2015 |
# ? Jun 10, 2015 05:22 |
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I've got a get together coming up on Saturday and I'm making tacos for it. Need some help with planning and food storage/heating. I'll have access to a BBQ and I have a chimney starter, but I don't think I'll have any electricity. Here's my gameplan so far: Chicken for the tacos (pollo pibil) - Cook and shred on Friday, put it in the fridge in an disposable aluminium tray. Transport in a cooler with ice. Heat on the BBQ on Saturday. Desperately hope it doesn't end up dry. Salsa roja - Make on Thursday, fridge, throw it in a thermos on Saturday Pico de gallo - Make on Friday, fridge overnight. Put it in a bowl on Saturday in the cooler with the chicken. Refried pinto beans - Soak Thursday, cook Friday, fridge. Heating these is my biggest concern. Any ideas? Red cabbage slaw - Make Friday, in tupperware in the cooler on Saturday. Corn tortillas - Make Saturday morning, throw them in a small cooler to keep warm. These should keep warm/moist for hours. Flour tortillas - Make Saturday morning, wrap 5 to a foil parcel. Throw parcels on the grill to heat on Saturday. Not super sure about the beans and the chicken. Open to suggestions!
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# ? Jun 10, 2015 09:09 |
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Keep the juices from cooking the chicken. Either add the juice to the shredded chicken right after shredding, and mix to make sure it's absorbed, or do the same after reheating. Also, if it's a bit dry before reheating, add some water. As for the beans... bring a pot, water, and stir frantically to keep from burning?
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# ? Jun 10, 2015 09:26 |
angor posted:I've got a get together coming up on Saturday and I'm making tacos for it. Need some help with planning and food storage/heating. I'll have access to a BBQ and I have a chimney starter, but I don't think I'll have any electricity. For the beans I would put them in a pot and with a larger pot I would make a double boiler and heat them on the BBQ, this way you don't risk burning them on the bottom. For reheating the chicken you can bring a large, heavy pot like a dutch oven and reheat it in portions as necessary. Use a low flame for everything since you just need to reheat stuff and not actually cook it. You could also bring a bamboo steamer and a pot to heat and steam the tortillas.
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# ? Jun 10, 2015 09:26 |
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JawKnee posted:Keep the juices from cooking the chicken. Either add the juice to the shredded chicken right after shredding, and mix to make sure it's absorbed, or do the same after reheating. Also, if it's a bit dry before reheating, add some water. Yes, I'll definitely keep the juices from the chicken. I'm doing the pollo pibil in a dutch oven lined with banana leaves, so it'll stay plenty moist. I'll shred the chicken then mix the sauce in really well. Might make a bit more of the sauce than usual to cook it in this time. AVeryLargeRadish posted:For the beans I would put them in a pot and with a larger pot I would make a double boiler and heat them on the BBQ, this way you don't risk burning them on the bottom. For reheating the chicken you can bring a large, heavy pot like a dutch oven and reheat it in portions as necessary. Use a low flame for everything since you just need to reheat stuff and not actually cook it. You could also bring a bamboo steamer and a pot to heat and steam the tortillas. Good call on the double boiler, but I don't think I have 2 pots big enough for that (starting with 4 cups of dry beans). I might ghetto rig something similar using a disposable tray.
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# ? Jun 10, 2015 11:03 |
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I need a recommendation for a cheese that would go well in this instead of goat cheese http://www.closetcooking.com/2015/05/asparagus-and-mushroom-galette-with.html I would eat it but the gf is not so much into that. She will tolerate blue but its not her favorite.
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# ? Jun 10, 2015 21:35 |
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goodness posted:I need a recommendation for a cheese that would go well in this instead of goat cheese http://www.closetcooking.com/2015/05/asparagus-and-mushroom-galette-with.html Mozarella and parmezan, also throw in some pine nuts
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# ? Jun 10, 2015 21:49 |
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Feta
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# ? Jun 10, 2015 23:26 |
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angor posted:I've got a get together coming up on Saturday and I'm making tacos for it. Need some help with planning and food storage/heating. I'll have access to a BBQ and I have a chimney starter, but I don't think I'll have any electricity. Obviously you're doing a cookout; where? Depending on location you may be able to put a few hot coals in a fire pit or a park grill and do the beans over that with a grate or even just rocks to support your pot. Be creative (and safe), maybe. Hell, you may even be able to use the chimney starter for it.
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# ? Jun 11, 2015 04:18 |
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Do people generally buy candied walnuts or make them themselves for salads? I keep finding events where a salad that is mixed greens / candied walnuts / apple or pear / blue cheese or gorgonzola is served. I feel like making it at home. Maybe with strawberries and balsamic vinegar. nuru fucked around with this message at 09:12 on Jun 11, 2015 |
# ? Jun 11, 2015 09:10 |
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goodness posted:I need a recommendation for a cheese that would go well in this instead of goat cheese http://www.closetcooking.com/2015/05/asparagus-and-mushroom-galette-with.html Gorgonzola jumped out at me, as a nice sharp contrast to the sweet ingredients like the bacon and balsamic.
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# ? Jun 11, 2015 09:32 |
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nuru posted:Do people generally buy candied walnuts or make them themselves for salads? Candied nuts are the easiest thing ever, so long as you don't burn the sugar. Buying them pre-made is a chump's game (unless you pass a candied nut stall on the street, we can forgive buying some of those on the point that they smell insanely good) http://www.food.com/recipe/quick-candied-pecans-354830
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# ? Jun 11, 2015 14:31 |
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If you want to make the real deal serious MF candied nuts, Get 5# or so of walnuts. Blanch in salted water for five minutes. Drain well, then toss with enough powdered sugar (which will melt from the heat of the walnuts) to give them a delicious, jizzy-esque coating. Spread on trays to let cool. Bring neutral oil (grapeseed is perfect but probably overkill for the home cook) to 330ish degrees, then fry walnuts in small batches until about 90% of desired color (they carry over a little, though in general you can go darker than you think). MAKE SURE TO MANAGE THE TEMPERATURE! Keep the heat between 320 and 340. Let cool on racks again, and your walnuts should now be glossy (not sugary/granular), crunchy, and loving deliciousss. Store in airtight containers for weeks; eat as a snack or chop up for salads and whatev. This is definitely a step up in work, but in quality too, I think.
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# ? Jun 11, 2015 15:29 |
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Drifter posted:Cook it with moist things to help combat the dryness? Add onions or red peppers or minced mushroom; you can add olive oil or bacon grease into it to keep it juicy. You can add shredded carrot to it at a ratio of ~1 carrot for every 4 meat, maybe put an egg in there if you do that. Add shredded cheese or stuff a thin slice of cheese inbetween two thin patties and seal it up - you'll get a nice "juicy" medium-rare burger as a result. Finely dice bacon and cook them together? Great suggestions, thanks!
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# ? Jun 11, 2015 16:24 |
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Is sodium citrate dihydrate used the same as sodium citrate? I found an article that uses the terms interchangeable and the dihydrate costs only half as much.
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# ? Jun 11, 2015 16:56 |
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Thunder Moose posted:Is there a tried and true method for tenderizing stew meat? Get a pressure cooker if you want to cook them quickly, otherwise it will take 8+ hours.
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# ? Jun 11, 2015 17:11 |
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EAT THE EGGS RICOLA posted:Get a pressure cooker if you want to cook them quickly, otherwise it will take 8+ hours. My chili chuck beef takes between 4 - 6 hours
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# ? Jun 11, 2015 23:42 |
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tonberrytoby posted:Is sodium citrate dihydrate used the same as sodium citrate? I found an article that uses the terms interchangeable and the dihydrate costs only half as much. The `gotcha' with sodium citrate is that it is not the same thing as citric acid (in all its own many forms) and cannot be used interchangeably with it.
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# ? Jun 12, 2015 02:00 |
SubG posted:Sodium citrate is used generally to refer to any of mono-, di-, and tri-sodium citrate dihydrate, which can also show up on labels as Food Additive E331. All of these are dihyrdates, and recipes are written with the assumption that that's what you'll be using (anhydrous foo-sodium citrate would also work as a chelating agent in cheese sauces but the quantity required would be differnt). Places selling into the modernist/molecular market seem to generally use trisodium citrate dihydrate as their sodium citrate of choice; I have no idea why. Any of the above will work for e.g. a modernist cheese sauce. The only thing to be sure of that your source is selling a food-grade chemical. From my understanding the preparation of anhydrous sodium citrate is a little more cost intensive and the solubulity with the dihydride, tri-sodium salt is better for cooking anyway and both are better than the aqueous solubility of straight citric acid. If you wanted to do a strict molar ratio conversion you could but honestly just use 10% more or something for your sauce by weight for dihydride vs pure trisodium citrate and you're probably going to be fine no matter what.
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# ? Jun 12, 2015 02:10 |
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That Works posted:From my understanding the preparation of anhydrous sodium citrate is a little more cost intensive and the solubulity with the dihydride, tri-sodium salt is better for cooking anyway and both are better than the aqueous solubility of straight citric acid. What I was saying I don't know is why it is in particular tri-sodium citrate dihydrate versus e.g. mono- or disodium citrate dihydrate. Difference in yield makes sense for dihydrate versus anhydrous, but as far as I know not for mono- versus di- versus tri-. I assume it has something to do with whatever industrial process got standardised for it, but I don't actually know.
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# ? Jun 12, 2015 07:19 |
SubG posted:For clarity, what you should expect to get in a bag of sodium citrate/E331 for culinary use is sodium citrate dihydride and so you wouldn't adjust anything because modernist/molecular recipes calling for it will assume that's what you have. That is, if it doesn't say one way or the other, assume it's sodium citrate dihydride and, in particular, trisodium citrate dihydrate. Ah yeah you're right! Forgot the recipes were usually designed for that derivative. As far as mono vs tri, as an ionic partner all the carboxyls are gonna be occupied by the sodium ions. I would imagine stoichiometrically that's just where it ends up in their purification method. I can imagine trying to partially desalt it would be tricky as you'd start getting solubility changes as soon as your sodium:citrate ratio drops below 3:1. I'm more of a biologist than chemist tho so I might be forgetting something here.
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# ? Jun 12, 2015 11:56 |
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I'm going "camping" (really a two night party in the woods) with no access to campfires or anything. What can I bring that isnt sandwiches? I won't be able to cook or reheat or refrigerate anything. Also don't have a ton of time.
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# ? Jun 12, 2015 12:51 |
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Sharzak posted:I'm going "camping" (really a two night party in the woods) with no access to campfires or anything. What can I bring that isnt sandwiches? I won't be able to cook or reheat or refrigerate anything. Also don't have a ton of time. poo poo, that's kind of tricky. Can you take an esky/cooler with you? Assuming you're going full Rambo: - Jerky/Biltong - Pre canned salmon/tuna + capers + lemon + olive oil. Serve on whatever the gently caress you like. - Tortillas (you could eat them "from the bag" since you're roughing it I guess) + Avocado + Salsa (+Lemon, salt, pepper) to taste - pretty easy little wrap. - Baby bell + Quince paste + Figs + crackers - Be a mad bush hipster. Tasting plates are super easy to put together. - Fruitcake. poo poo is dense, tasty, keeps well and packs well. - Sauerkraut + Crackers/bread
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# ? Jun 12, 2015 13:38 |
DumbparameciuM posted:poo poo, that's kind of tricky. Can you take an esky/cooler with you? Good idea. I especially like the baby bell suggestion. You can bring that, some tortillas and some canned sardines along with maybe a couple avocados, bananas and granola.
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# ? Jun 12, 2015 14:10 |
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Sharzak posted:I'm going "camping" (really a two night party in the woods) with no access to campfires or anything. What can I bring that isnt sandwiches? I won't be able to cook or reheat or refrigerate anything. Also don't have a ton of time. I do this for 2 weeks out of the year (ok, we can cook and have coolers as well) and I camp with a guy whose usual meal is an entire Vidalia onion, a sausage, and a hunk of cheese. I mean you might want be able to poop one day in the future so you probably shouldn't do that e: I've found that baby bell gets weird in very high heat so it depends when you're going to be.
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# ? Jun 12, 2015 14:30 |
Can you get those MRE chems that will heat up water? If so you could get some vacuumed stuff and heat that up quick. Whether you do it yourself or like the tastybite things.
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# ? Jun 12, 2015 15:03 |
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Where do you take kitchen knives to get sharpened? Is it worth paying to have it done or is learning to sharpen a chef knife properly something I should do anyway? I want mine to stop skipping over the surface of tomatoes and the like. I do hone it before use. The Ferret King fucked around with this message at 15:09 on Jun 12, 2015 |
# ? Jun 12, 2015 15:06 |
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The Ferret King posted:Where do you take kitchen knives to get sharpened? I take it out of the block and pull out my sharpener? IIRC pro sharpening is only necessary if you true + proper hosed a blade and need serious metal removed. e: Guess which kitchen wizard has an article on this: http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/04/knife-skills-how-to-sharpen-a-knife.html
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# ? Jun 12, 2015 15:19 |
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Adult Sword Owner posted:I take it out of the block and pull out my sharpener? Do you? .....do you?
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# ? Jun 12, 2015 15:38 |
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The Ferret King posted:Where do you take kitchen knives to get sharpened? I had a few knives that were pretty banged up/abused, took them to my local (ACE) hardware store for sharpening. $4/blade, they kept them for a few days. Not great results. Would not recommend. There is a fairly upscale grocery store (Festival) that just opened near me and they will sharpen your knives free, in store, while you wait. Haven't tried it yet, but might be an option. There might be other similar stores in your area that offer that service. However, I feel really weird bringing knives in public JoAnn Fabrics near me has a once a month sharpening service. Finally, if you don't have those options you might be able to track down a guy who grinds mower blades. But I agree with ASO, you should only need a pro to grind if your blades are really dull. It's worth it to learn how to sharpen your knives yourself.
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# ? Jun 12, 2015 16:18 |
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The Ferret King posted:Where do you take kitchen knives to get sharpened? The kitchen knives thread has a bunch of info on sharpening. It depends on how much you use your knives -- if you're a pro using them hours a day you'll be wanting to sharpen a lot more than a home cook -- and also some other factors like the kind of steel your knives are made from, but you should sharpen them or or have them sharpened at least occasionally. There are a lot of options if you want to sharpen yourself; the main takeaways are to be consistent about the angle and not to use pull-through sharpeners on any knives you care about, but the details including equipment are in that thread. The current hotness is a knockoff Edge Pro system because it's like $30 instead of hundreds. Taking them to a professional to sharpen them is also fine, with the caveat that any knife you care about should be taken to someone you trust. You don't want to take them somewhere that is just going to pull them through an Accusharp or whatever. Around me there's a guy at the farmer's market who hauls a sharpening wheel down every Sunday, but ask around in your area. I am slightly puzzled by the proposition that knives don't need sharpening. I can buy that people get neurotic about it and do it more than they need to, but I would never suggest that you never sharpen your knives. Incidentally, Shun offers free sharpening for life on all their knives, although you do have to ship them out to get them sharpened. Other manufacturers might offer something similar, I'm not sure.
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# ? Jun 12, 2015 16:59 |
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That Works posted:As far as mono vs tri, as an ionic partner all the carboxyls are gonna be occupied by the sodium ions. I would imagine stoichiometrically that's just where it ends up in their purification method. Mr. Wookums posted:Can you get those MRE chems that will heat up water? If so you could get some vacuumed stuff and heat that up quick. Whether you do it yourself or like the tastybite things. The Ferret King posted:Where do you take kitchen knives to get sharpened?
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# ? Jun 12, 2015 17:38 |
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I'm gonna suck it up and get some sharpening stones. I can do this. Thanks everyone.
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# ? Jun 12, 2015 18:34 |
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Are there any particularly standout and unique things to do with 3/4 to a pound of pitted dates? I'm completely blanking. I have other things to add to my smoothies, so none of that tasty business. Also, like, reasonable effort, I don't want to have to simmer them in Nepalese dry ice for six days or gently fold in jaguar farts or anything.
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# ? Jun 13, 2015 03:34 |
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Drifter posted:Are there any particularly standout and unique things to do with 3/4 to a pound of pitted dates? I'm completely blanking. Stuff with a soft blue cheese, wrap in procuitto and roast to crisp the procuitto. Chop and add in a green salad with a lemon vinaigrette. Make a bread pudding with maple or honey and dates.
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# ? Jun 13, 2015 03:49 |
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# ? May 13, 2024 03:08 |
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I got a thing of chicken giblets. What should I do with them? I have tortillas. Some kind of giblet tacos? edit: gizzards. I don't know. Are gizzards like giblets? Mescal fucked around with this message at 04:06 on Jun 13, 2015 |
# ? Jun 13, 2015 03:58 |