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Arkhamina posted:Anyone have recommendations for a good (emphasis on easy to clean!) Food dehydrator? My CSA this year has an apple add on... 7lbs a week. Lots of different brands and styles it seems now. Had a roommate who made fruit leather and I recall her set up being a pain to wash. Excalibur, and the biggest model that fits your budget. Cleaning sticky stuff out of a screen is always a bit of PITA, but if you want to make fruit leather you can use silicone mats or parchment paper.
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Aug 5, 2020 14:25
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Arkhamina posted:Anyone have recommendations for a good (emphasis on easy to clean!) Food dehydrator? My CSA this year has an apple add on... 7lbs a week. Lots of different brands and styles it seems now. Had a roommate who made fruit leather and I recall her set up being a pain to wash. I have this one, and I put the trays in the dishwasher. Only done dried fruit once, I mainly do jerky and sometimes peppers. But it works. Frankly, any that you buy should work, it's a really low-tech device. But I can confirm that this one is easy to clean. For fruit leather, it does come with one tray insert. I assume you could get more because with that insert you couldn't make much more than one fruit rollup at a time. https://smile.amazon.com/Cuisinart-DHR-20-Food-Dehydrator-Steel/dp/B01IA3HCTU/
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Aug 5, 2020 14:27
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Arkhamina posted:Also, on the off chance - Instant Pot does great with frozen meat, so long as you can fit it in there. bob dobbs is dead posted:sous vide if small enough What adjustments need to be made to roast from frozen? I've never come across that idea before...
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Aug 5, 2020 14:39
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Bollock Monkey posted:No Instant Pot or sous vide equipment! I'd recommend roasting it much lower, for much longer. This will prevent the outside from coming up to temp and drying out while the inside is still frozen. Like, 200-225 degrees low. Depending on the size of the roast this could take 6+ hours from frozen, but it essentially the "reverse sear" method; after it's come up to your desired temp, take it out of the oven to rest for ~20 minutes, crank your oven (or broiler, but this is riskier if you're not familiar with how quickly it'll brown things) as high as it'll go, toss it back in to brown and crisp up the outside. Alternatively, you can finish it off by searing it on the stovetop in a hot pan with some oil.
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Aug 5, 2020 14:54
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Cheers. Any tips on working out the rough time based on the weight? I would usually roast at about 392f so it's a big change if I am going super low.
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Aug 5, 2020 15:31
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Leaving it in a bowl full of water in the sink with a little water trickling over the meat will probably thaw it in an hour or two? And then you can cook as normal. I’ve never had good luck trying to cook meat from frozen except for stock or sow thing.
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Aug 5, 2020 16:34
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Arkhamina posted:Anyone have recommendations for a good (emphasis on easy to clean!) Food dehydrator? My CSA this year has an apple add on... 7lbs a week. Lots of different brands and styles it seems now. Had a roommate who made fruit leather and I recall her set up being a pain to wash. They make an air fryer lid for the instant pot that also has a dehydration cycle on it. I got this: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B085MQ25CM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 which is a 5 rack dehydrator insert for it. It makes dried pineapple like a champ, and don't see why it wouldn't dehydrate everything else just fine, too. It's also stainless steel, which means it goes in the bottom rack on the dishwasher, and it has cleaned up really well every time. The rack also folds down for easy storage when not in use. You've seen my kitchen, so you know why I'm really jealous of my countertop space. When I can make one machine do the work of five, that's a big bonus for me. The downside is that compared to most dehydrators, it's small. I can get maybe 1 to 1.5 lbs of food on it at a time. If you want a larger purpose-built dehydrator, I'd be looking for something that has stainless steel racks. Those seem to run between $130 to $200
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Aug 5, 2020 17:47
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Wow, those Excalibur ones are kind of pricey. Reading some product reviews (no it to discount goon advic!) show Nesco has some under the the $200 mark, but they are mostly out of stock. Checking Facebook marketplace for local used ones, hoping I can profit off of someone's unused gadget. Just bought a smoker recently so I don't hav too much 'fun money' to throw at it now.
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Aug 5, 2020 18:31
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Arkhamina posted:Wow, those Excalibur ones are kind of pricey. Reading some product reviews (no it to discount goon advic!) show Nesco has some under the the $200 mark, but they are mostly out of stock. Yeah, Excaliburs are pricey but they're built like tanks. If you can, get one with a side fan/heater instead of a bottom fan/heater. That way, if stuff drips, it drips onto plastic instead of electronics or a spinning fan blade that flings it everywhere.
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Aug 5, 2020 18:44
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Kaiser Schnitzel posted:Leaving it in a bowl full of water in the sink with a little water trickling over the meat will probably thaw it in an hour or two? And then you can cook as normal. I’ve never had good luck trying to cook meat from frozen except for stock or sow thing. I had considered that but wasn't sure if it would thaw the middle of such a big joint.
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Aug 5, 2020 20:43
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1kg will be done thawing in running water in 2 or 3 hours, probably less, depending really heavily on shape. deffo getting close to not hhappy times territory give us a photo
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Aug 5, 2020 20:54
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Roth posted:What would be some good beginner recipes to do? I am a big proponent of this book for new cooks. The recipes in it are generally simple and there are pictures and good advice. As I got better at cooking I became less into Bittman, because I think his recipes can be a little lacking in flavor, but it's a really good starting point.
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Aug 5, 2020 21:23
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bob dobbs is dead posted:1kg will be done thawing in running water in 2 or 3 hours, probably less, depending really heavily on shape. deffo getting close to not hhappy times territory 
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Aug 5, 2020 21:50
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fridge overnight and finish under sink for like 30 mins?
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Aug 5, 2020 21:54
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These meat lumps stay rock solid in my fridge for well over a day, hence the original query really!
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Aug 5, 2020 22:23
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is there a way to make mushy peas without a food processor?
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Aug 5, 2020 22:41
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When I was getting more serious about cooking in college I thought Alton Brown's books were really useful because he explains why you do certain things rather than just telling you how to do them.
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Aug 5, 2020 22:42
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Bollock Monkey posted:These meat lumps stay rock solid in my fridge for well over a day, hence the original query really! the finishing part will go faster, is the prediction, basically
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Aug 5, 2020 22:52
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Its Chocolate posted:is there a way to make mushy peas without a food processor? I’m confused: what recipe are you using for mushy peas that requires a food processor? Mushy peas does need one, are you making pea purée?
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Aug 6, 2020 06:56
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Here’s how you make mushy peas, no food processor ever went near this recipe traditionally. https://www.thespruceeats.com/traditional-mushy-peas-recipe-435950 I’d also forget about adding any sugar or any cream. Butter is acceptable to my northern British tastes.
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Aug 6, 2020 07:57
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No sugar, cream or butter, they have no place in mushy peas. If you want butter with your mushy peas, it should be thickly spread on white rolls with which you can make chip and mushy pea butties.
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Aug 6, 2020 10:43
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Mmm, mushy pea and chip butty. Stop it, you're making me homesick.
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Aug 6, 2020 10:59
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I want to make an eggplant parm from the Dinner Thread. To prepare the eggplant, don't I need to cut them first, put on a rack, put salt on them, then let the moisture seep out for an hour? I think I remember hearing eggplants being real difficult like that.
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Aug 6, 2020 11:40
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You don't need to salt aubergines https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/mar/29/do-you-have-to-salt-aubergines-kitchen-aide It used to be the case that aubergines were horribly bitter and salting them was a way of reducing this, but bitterness has been bred out of modern cultivars.
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Aug 6, 2020 12:15
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Scientastic posted:You don't need to salt aubergines As for salting, you're pretty much always better off brining instead of just salting. If you're dry braising, stir frying, roasting, or pretty much any high heat cooking method where you're expecting to brown or char the eggplant, the texture will come out better and it'll be more forgiving if you brine first (that is, after slicing but before cooking). If you're steaming or wet braising or something like that it doesn't make much of a difference. This assumes that you're getting good, fresh eggplant. Which honestly is the minority of grocery store eggplant I've bought--eggplant is one of those things where there's a noticeable difference between one that's come right off the plant and one that's been sitting in the fridge, even overnight, although again this is something where it depends on the cultivar. Varieties like round Thai and Lao green eggplants are a lot firmer and hardier than Globe. Common purple striped eggplants like Graffiti and Nubia are somewhere in the middle, and the long, thin guys like Japanese (my favourite for backyard gardening) and Chinese eggplants tend to get soft/pulpy much more quickly after harvest. In any case, if your eggplant isn't very fresh, salting or brining is really just asking for trouble, unless you're making something like baba ghanoush and mush is your goal.
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Aug 6, 2020 15:13
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edit:quote:In any case, if your eggplant isn't very fresh, salting or brining is really just asking for trouble, unless you're making something like baba ghanoush and mush is your goal. excellent bird guy fucked around with this message at 16:19 on Aug 6, 2020 |
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Aug 6, 2020 15:32
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SubG posted:Holy poo poo there are a lot of modern eggplant cultivars and you really can't generalise about them. Oh come on, really? Is it really worth a "holy poo poo" that I assumed Excellent Bird Guy was talking about aubergines you might get in a supermarket. I know you're mega knowledgeable and everything, but 99% of people reading that post know I'm not talking about obscure variants, and there really is no need to salt or brine "regular" aubergines. SubG posted:this is probably true if you're just talking about the giant purple generic grocery store eggplant ... which even in my local boring white people's grocery store is only one of a half dozen varieties of eggplant they regularly have in the produce section. Maybe this is true of your experience, I have never seen anything other than purple aubergines in any boring white supermarket I have ever been to.
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Aug 6, 2020 16:08
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Scientastic posted:Oh come on, really? Is it really worth a "holy poo poo" that I assumed Excellent Bird Guy was talking about aubergines you might get in a supermarket. I know you're mega knowledgeable and everything, but 99% of people reading that post know I'm not talking about obscure variants, and there really is no need to salt or brine "regular" aubergines. lmao i am only interested in cooking to the degree that I am hungry and would like interesting food to eat made how I want it. Expressing deep knowledge in regard to eggplant species and whatever is kind of lulzy. but its ok i appreciate any help. eggplant is hard.
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Aug 6, 2020 16:26
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Eggplant is in my experience pretty soft. You may be getting underripe ones.
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Aug 6, 2020 20:08
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I just toss a lil salt on each side of thick eggplant rounds and let that sit for 20-30 mins. They drop a good deal of fluid and then I rinse these out, flip em over on a kitchen towel to dry and then brush with olive oil and grill. Enough residual salt flavor stays in the rounds to be tasty and the grilling makes the outside char and firm up and the interior juuust a bit soft and nutty. That's my easiest eggplant-only prep and it's always good.
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Aug 6, 2020 20:23
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Scientastic posted:Maybe this is true of your experience, I have never seen anything other than purple aubergines in any boring white supermarket I have ever been to. excellent bird guy posted:edit: If your eggplant parm recipe calls for e.g. slicing and grilling then I would brine beforehand, because brining helps make it less finicky--you can grill/char/whatever the eggplant more aggressively without reducing it to mush. When brining I just throw some salt in a bowl, fill the bowl with water, put the sliced eggplant in the brine, and then put a plate over the top. I usually just eyeball it, but the goal is about a 5% brine. That's easy to do if you have a scale, but if you don't then that's around 2 Tbsp of salt in a quart/liter of water. The eggplant gets left in the brine for at least around 20 minutes and doesn't need to be more than like 45 minutes, but the exact timing isn't that important. Then I dump them in a colander to drain them, rinse them off, and then pat them dry. The goal being that they're not dripping wet, but you don't have to wring them out or anything. Then they get cooked. SubG fucked around with this message at 21:54 on Aug 6, 2020 |
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Aug 6, 2020 21:44
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Playing around with Safeway's online shopping widget it looks like there's an inverse relationship between the number of eggplant varieties available and housing prices. When I select my nearest store it lists the same varieties I did above. Selecting stores further away from me but in posher neighborhoods eliminates everything except the Globe and striped Italian cultivars (and in fact some stores don't have the Graffiti variety mine always has and instead list Tiger, a different striped Italian eggplant). Selecting stores roughly the same distance away but in places with lower property values adds several additional eggplant varieties, one store I checked adding three more than my store. It appears to be regional, though. When I entered the zip code of a rural East Texas county where I used to live, they list zero eggplants. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.
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Aug 6, 2020 22:41
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Safeway, huh? Pretty bougie imho.
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Aug 6, 2020 22:52
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I worked in a Turkish kitchen every summer for years and for pretty much every preparation of Aubergines that didn't involve roasting them we'd slice them and brine them for half an hour or so I used to hate Aubergines until I ate the myriad varieties of Turkish recipes using them and now I fuckin love them These were very fresh locally grown vegetables so maybe that concurs with the other dude's posts
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Aug 7, 2020 00:46
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Butterfly Valley posted:I worked in a Turkish kitchen every summer for years and for pretty much every preparation of Aubergines that didn't involve roasting them we'd slice them and brine them for half an hour or so I’m one of those mutants who can’t do cilantro because of the soap taste. Eggplant is the only other food I know of that I just can’t do. For some reason the smell of roasted eggplant smells a lot like a stale cigarette butt to me, so I just stay away. Everyone’s always telling me, “Oh, but you haven’t had my baba ganoush.” But to no avail, it all reminds me of an ashtray too much 
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Aug 7, 2020 00:59
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Weltlich posted:I’m one of those mutants who can’t do cilantro because of the soap taste. Eggplant is the only other food I know of that I just can’t do. For some reason the smell of roasted eggplant smells a lot like a stale cigarette butt to me, so I just stay away. Everyone’s always telling me, “Oh, but you haven’t had my baba ganoush.” But to no avail, it all reminds me of an ashtray too much That's rough. How are you with other smoked foods like chipotle chilies or barbecued stuff?
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Aug 7, 2020 01:03
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Yo I've got some ground beef and a packet of taco seasoning, what are some pro-tips for cooking up some taco meat? I've never really hosed with ground beef before
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Aug 7, 2020 03:45
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FBS posted:Yo I've got some ground beef and a packet of taco seasoning, what are some pro-tips for cooking up some taco meat? I've never really hosed with ground beef before Tip #1 Do not gently caress the ground beef.
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Aug 7, 2020 04:02
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Helith posted:Tip #1 Do not gently caress the ground beef. Woah now, let’s not limit people’s creativity in the kitchen. FBS posted:Yo I've got some ground beef and a packet of taco seasoning, what are some pro-tips for cooking up some taco meat? I've never really hosed with ground beef before High heat, break it all up into mediumish chunks then let it fry hot for a while. Let it actually get some good, real brown on the bottom. That’s flavor. Stir occasionally until all of the water is gone, but don’t necessarily try try for even more browning. If you cook it too long, too Brown, or chop it up too fine you’ll end up with the mushy Taco Bell texture. Once the water is all gone, add the taco seasoning and fry for another 30 seconds to a minute to toast the spices to wake them up. Add your liquid and follow instructions on the packet.
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Aug 7, 2020 04:12
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Helith posted:That's rough. I love it all. Literally cilantro (soap) and eggplant (stale cigarettes) are the only two common ingredients that I encounter on a regular basis that I dislike.
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Aug 7, 2020 05:01
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