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The one bit of advice that I would add to learning to bake if you are American is to get a scale and weigh ingredients rather than use cup measurements. Weighing is far more accurate and consistent. You might need to look at recipes from non American sites though to get actual measures (do US recipes give both?)
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Oct 5, 2020 11:00
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It varies. Series baking books give both measures but a ton of the recipes in other cookbooks and online only give volume measures. Precision is of course much better with weight measures, but one other underrated aspect is not having to dirty a lot of extra measuring cups and spoons. You can just tare the scale after every ingredient. Some recipes you don't have to dirty anything but a bowl and a large spoon or rubber spatula.
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Oct 5, 2020 11:09
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yeah we grew up i communist scandinavia, everything is measured down to the litre  Thanks a lot all!
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Oct 5, 2020 11:34
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guppy posted:Precision is of course much better with weight measures, but one other underrated aspect is not having to dirty a lot of extra measuring cups and spoons. You can just tare the scale after every ingredient. Some recipes you don't have to dirty anything but a bowl and a large spoon or rubber spatula.
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Oct 5, 2020 14:39
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I. M. Gei posted:How safe is it to eat Betty Crocker sugar cookie dough mix that expired 2 years ago? It turns out that after years of people being warned not to eat raw cookie dough because of salmoella risk from raw eggs, the actual problem is that a lot of raw flour contains e coli, so I'd advise against it.
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Oct 5, 2020 14:43
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guppy posted:It varies. Series baking books give both measures but a ton of the recipes in other cookbooks and online only give volume measures. Anyway, if anyone's looking for an actual textbook designed to teach all the basics of baking there's Baking and Pastry: Mastering the Art and Craft, which is the equivalent of the Culinary Institute of America's The Professional Chef only for baking. There's a lot of poo poo you won't care about if you're not working in industry, and there's a lot about baking at commercial scales that a home cook won't need. But it covers all of the basics in a programatic way with a lot of illustrations in a way that is intended to be comprehensible to someone who is starting from nothing. Not saying that this is ideal for everyone cooking/baking at home, but if you're good at self-learning from a textbook it's a good start.
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Oct 5, 2020 21:26
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SubG posted:Any source that only gives volumes is not one you should use to learn baking. I love you SubG, but this is bullshit. Millions of people have learned to bake perfectly well from books like Fannh Farmer and similar that work in volumetric measurements. I agree that it's not the gws-hivemind approved method for baking stuff, but it is absolutely just fine for someone starting out
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Oct 5, 2020 23:19
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Mr. Wiggles posted:I love you SubG, but this is bullshit. Millions of people have learned to bake perfectly well from books like Fannh Farmer and similar that work in volumetric measurements. I agree that it's not the gws-hivemind approved method for baking stuff, but it is absolutely just fine for someone starting out
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Oct 5, 2020 23:40
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Unreliable recipes definitely discourage aspiring home bakers, so it's good advice in my book. But, given than flour is the main source of measurement error* I'd say "if you like a person's writing style or a recipe looks tasty, use a weight calculator online to convert flour measurements" allows a slightly more finicky but less limited approach. If you go in with open eyes, it should be good. It's probably broadly true that someone who uses weight is more likely to test their recipe more thoroughly, and more likely to specify brands when it matters e.g. King Arthur flour for higher protein. But don't throw out the majority of fun looking recipes, just be aware that author carelessness can be a thing. * I guess brown sugar and butter can be tough to get precise, but much less so than flour. Anything I'm forgetting?
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Oct 6, 2020 00:24
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BrianBoitano posted:* I guess brown sugar and butter can be tough to get precise, but much less so than flour. Anything I'm forgetting? The density of "granulated sugar" varies between brand, or at least it can--I usually buy C&H (for no particular reason) but earlier in the pandemic I ended up with a grocery store's own brand, and the difference in weight between the C&H and the own brand was something like 7%. Dunno about non-granulated sugars (e.g. confectioner's, caster, and so on). Same with salt--standard table salt doesn't have a standard density unless you're always using the same brand, and there's a lot of variability in coarse/kosher salts. Corn meal and masa are pretty variable. Most dry starches are finicky in dry measure, just because they're so fine and so the weight of a given dry measure will depend a lot on how it's handled. Stuff like rolled oats and so on are also pretty variable between brands and also are fairly dependent on how you're conducting the dry measure.
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Oct 6, 2020 00:44
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My wife just cut the cornbread I made, without taking it out of the cast iron pan, with my favorite chef's knife. How do you go about searching for a knife sharpening service? I'm in the North Bay Area. I imagine the knife sharpeners you buy on amazon for $40 are probably garbage?
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Oct 6, 2020 03:34
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SA Forums Poster posted:My wife just cut the cornbread I made, without taking it out of the cast iron pan, with my favorite chef's knife. Pfft that's nothing. A decade ago when I first lived by myself one summer I came back from work to find that my roommate had used my chef's knife to open a loving soup can. I'm just glad he didn't cut the poo poo out of himself. Not sure how you find a good sharpening service. Around me google maps shows several places but it's no guarantee they'll do a good job. And yeah, the "pull-through" sharpeners are not good. Sharpening stones of some sort are usually recommended. There's a knife thread (https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3846213) that fell off the first page, there's probably quite a few recommendations in there for different systems/methods if you wanted to get into it yourself.
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Oct 6, 2020 04:07
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I. M. Gei posted:How safe is it to eat Betty Crocker sugar cookie dough mix that expired 2 years ago? this dogshit product only costs like one or two bucks just loving THROW IT OUT
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Oct 6, 2020 04:09
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SA Forums Poster posted:My wife just cut the cornbread I made, without taking it out of the cast iron pan, with my favorite chef's knife. probably overkill but they'll do a really nice job on your knife: https://bernalcutlery.com/ one of the best knife shops in the country
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Oct 6, 2020 04:11
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SA Forums Poster posted:My wife just cut the cornbread I made, without taking it out of the cast iron pan, with my favorite chef's knife. A $40 knife sharpener that's not just a stone or set of stones is probably going to be garbage, but I've been quite pleased with the Ken Onion edition Work Sharp (which is about $125 on Amazon) as a belt sharpener. If you're looking for a sharpening option in the $40 range that's not just a traditional stone, I've been pretty happy with this Lansky kit which is currently on sale for $44. I like the former for, "It's time to sharpen half a dozen or more knives," and the latter for, "I have a knife or two to sharpen."
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Oct 6, 2020 04:27
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I was gifted an expensive grand western wagyu steak. It came shipped in a vacuum sealed bag. I normally buy ribeye in bulk, season, vacuum seal myself and freeze. Dethaw then sous vide. Is there any problem with dethawing this steak, cutting it in half, seasoning, vacuum sealing and then freezing each part separately to cook later? Also would appreciate any ideas on good food to serve with this for a date night meal.
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Oct 6, 2020 15:17
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https://food.unl.edu/free-resources/newsletters/it-safe-refreeze-raw-meat-and-poultry-has-thawed Even though it's probably safe, its not fair to do that to wagyu.
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Oct 6, 2020 15:20
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Fritzler posted:I was gifted an expensive grand western wagyu steak. It came shipped in a vacuum sealed bag. I normally buy ribeye in bulk, season, vacuum seal myself and freeze. Dethaw then sous vide. Is there any problem with dethawing this steak, cutting it in half, seasoning, vacuum sealing and then freezing each part separately to cook later? Nooooo don't thaw then refreeze a fine piece of meat why would you do that
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Oct 6, 2020 15:21
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OK thank you for this lesson. I appreciate it. I have never received meat frozen in the mail. Thank you.
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Oct 6, 2020 15:26
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Fritzler posted:OK thank you for this lesson. I appreciate it. I have never received meat frozen in the mail. Thank you. Chances are it was flash frozen, which minimizes (but doesn’t eliminate) damage to the cells because it limits the size of ice crystals formation. But when you freeze it at home, you don’t have that luxury, so the damage can be significant.
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Oct 6, 2020 15:30
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Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:Chances are it was flash frozen, which minimizes (but doesn’t eliminate) damage to the cells because it limits the size of ice crystals formation. But when you freeze it at home, you don’t have that luxury, so the damage can be significant.
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Oct 6, 2020 15:54
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SA Forums Poster posted:My wife just cut the cornbread I made, without taking it out of the cast iron pan, with my favorite chef's knife. Sod the knife sharpening service, you need to search for a new wife Jokes aside ask on your local Facebook group if such a thing exists, in my city there's a guy with a van who drives around doing it. Or go to some restaurants you're friendly with and ask the chefs who they use.
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Oct 6, 2020 16:01
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Anyone have a tip on how to mash chickpeas quickly? They're too small for my potato masher and using a fork is tough and takes forever. I don't have a food processor or stand mixer to money the problem away either.
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Oct 6, 2020 18:22
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Manager Hoyden posted:Anyone have a tip on how to mash chickpeas quickly? They're too small for my potato masher and using a fork is tough and takes forever. I don't have a food processor or stand mixer to money the problem away either. I always mash them with my potato masher but if they're too small for that, use your fists/hands maybe? Get down and dirty and beat them into a paste.
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Oct 6, 2020 18:38
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Butterfly Valley posted:Sod the knife sharpening service, you need to search for a new wife My experience with traveling knife trucks is that they're good for gardening shears and lawnmower blades, but I wouldn't use them for chef's knives I cared about. Manager Hoyden posted:Anyone have a tip on how to mash chickpeas quickly? They're too small for my potato masher and using a fork is tough and takes forever. I don't have a food processor or stand mixer to money the problem away either. Ziploc bag and rolling pin?
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Oct 6, 2020 18:51
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Manager Hoyden posted:Anyone have a tip on how to mash chickpeas quickly? They're too small for my potato masher and using a fork is tough and takes forever. I don't have a food processor or stand mixer to money the problem away either. What are you using as a potato masher? You could try a pastry cutter/dough blender? Should be less than $5
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Oct 6, 2020 18:51
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If you can find a food mill at a thrift store it would do a good job of it. This one looks nice and is cheap right now https://www.shopgoodwill.com/Item/104949503
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Oct 6, 2020 19:38
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Unless it's a super fancy knife, this is also a good opportunity to learn how to sharpen your own. I found a super dull victorinox chef's knife in the back of a drawer and it was fun learning how to get a nice edge back on it. Now I just go through the kitchen every 6 weeks or so and sharpen everything again. It's a pretty chill way to spend a cold or rainy or lazy afternoon listening to podcasts.
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Oct 7, 2020 01:33
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Even if it’s pretty fancy, it’s hard to gently caress up the angle worse than you can fix as your technique improves. Also, knives are tools: embrace the scrapes from sliding off the stone.
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Oct 7, 2020 01:55
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Does anyone have experience cooking for olds (75-90)? It's possible I may be staying with my grandparents and taking care of them for awhile. I personally am a mess at scheduling who has a piece of fruit for breakfast and gets around to cooking dinner by 9 pm. I'm good at cooking and planning meals for myself, but I'm worried about taking care of them. 1) how do you fit in 3 prepared meals a day? Do I have to get up at like 5 to make them toast and an egg? Does anyone actually seriously cook 3 meals/day while working full-time, even from home? 2) what do people realistically make for lunch? Currently their breakfast/lunch aren't great (one reason for me staying there would be to improve that), so I can't get ideas there. 3) what foods do old people like? Their teeth and digestion are fine. But like, googling for recipes for elderly people, the first result is "simply make them smoothies with kefir and spirulina." Zero trendy ingredients are going to happen here. I was thinking some nostalgic food might be to their liking, not aspics or anything, but like broiled tomatoes or cottage cheese, just stuff that's considered dated today? My grandpa ate home cooking about 1930s–1960s, and then they were both pretty cosmopolitan world travelers during the '70s/'80s, which is probably when their concept of fancy food solidified. Any trends or global cuisines that were popular then would be good. They especially like Californian, Mexican, Japanese, Hawaiian, very bad red-sauce joints, and diners. 4) how often do regular people eat leftovers? I don't get bored of food, so I can easily make a pork shoulder and eat it for a week, especially if it's redone in different ways, but tbh I don't mind even if it's not. Batch cooking is super convenient for me, but I'm not sure everyone would be on board.
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Oct 8, 2020 07:26
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i like nice words
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Based on cooking for my 80 year old father in law you need to cut down on salt wherever you can. At that age you should honestly be asking them what their doctor said they should be eating (or is this super presumptuous?).
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Oct 8, 2020 07:38
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In general that hasn't been a huge deal for them so far. Like, their salt shouldn't be nuts, but that's generally achieved if you're cooking rather than eating at restaurants or frozen meals. And like, chicken kiev is a very '80s restaurant dish, but it won't be on the menu. They already don't eat much junk and don't like grease, so it'll be more about continuing that, rather than forcing oatmeal and prunes every day.
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Oct 8, 2020 07:45
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If your olds are anything like my olds then they like to have dinner around 5 despite having lunch at 12 ish. They'll then have a cup of tea and a cake/biscuit for supper around 8. My olds are British though. They like quite plain foods, like meat/fish and 3 veg style, nothing too spicy but they like to think they're adventurous by having a very mild curry from Marks and Spencers now and again. They'll have a desert on weekends though it'll be simple like strawberries and cream or a supermarket made trifle. My mum tends to eat toast for breakfast and my dad likes porridge. Lunches tend to be sandwiches or boiled eggs, that sort of thing, or they'll eat out and have a 'big lunch' and then just something light at 5. As for leftovers, my husband and I are both at home at the moment so we eat leftovers for lunch each day as we tend to make too much for dinner, so we'll just work our way through whatever's left for our lunches for the week. If we run out then we might buy some sushi or makes eggs or beans on toast, whatever's in the pantry really.
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Oct 8, 2020 07:49
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Anne Whateley posted:Does anyone have experience cooking for olds (75-90)? It's possible I may be staying with my grandparents and taking care of them for awhile. I personally am a mess at scheduling who has a piece of fruit for breakfast and gets around to cooking dinner by 9 pm. I'm good at cooking and planning meals for myself, but I'm worried about taking care of them. surely the easiest thing would be to just ask them what they want in terms of types of food and timing of meals?
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Oct 8, 2020 11:07
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One of them is going in for surgery (one reason I'd go), so the focus right now is on that and not on "what might you like for dinner in two weeks." Also, of course we'll discuss it, but they're both super nice and their answer will be "oh, whatever, we don't want to trouble you." Left to their own devices, the default is a pot or two of black coffee, so "oh idk whatever" isn't a great solution (another reason I'd go).
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Oct 8, 2020 13:22
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Do they have any cookbooks or recipe cards in their house you know they like? Could use those for inspiration. Also, if they do any cooking for themselves, see what staple ingredients they tend to use. Good luck! Sounds like a fun and challenging project.
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Oct 8, 2020 13:57
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Anne Whateley posted:Does anyone have experience cooking for olds (75-90)? It's possible I may be staying with my grandparents and taking care of them for awhile. I personally am a mess at scheduling who has a piece of fruit for breakfast and gets around to cooking dinner by 9 pm. I'm good at cooking and planning meals for myself, but I'm worried about taking care of them. 1) I don't know what your WFH schedule is like but here is our schedule:
2) lunch -As noted above, simple and under 30 minutes. A bit more calories/balance when we have a workout that afternoon. 3) Old people are just people who are older. Most of them still like everything they liked before. If they were adventurous eaters before, then you can probably make whatever you/they like. Picky eaters is a whole 'nother world, but the whole "Olds want mush, globs, and gravy" stereotype is just that. You have so much available with them liking "Californian, Mexican, Japanese, Hawaiian, very bad red-sauce joints, and diners" 4) It depends on how much I've made and how many ways I can spin it, but we usually top out at the third or fourth remix of an item. If I make a large batch of something (pulled pork, sunday gravy, casseroles), i'm likely to split in in half and seal and freeze half for 2-3 meals later instead of 4-6 this week. I also spin some leftovers into breakfasts as well.
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Oct 8, 2020 14:49
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Might be a frequently asked question, but I've been getting into Asian cooking and I've been wondering how to make stir fry sauces purposefully instead of just following seemingly arbitrary recipes. I have most of the common staple ingredients(shao xing, light/dark, oyster, sesame oil, old lady, etc.).
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Oct 8, 2020 15:33
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There's a huge amount of variation in what older people can/will eat based on their personal preferences, general health, food tolerances, and dental status. You really should just talk to them about it unless someone else was managing their diets in which case you should talk to whoever that is. Definitely find out what's on the verboten list. I will say that if you deal with the "are you sure it's cooked", "are you boiling it", and "why does it look like that" questions, sous vide is phenomenal for cooking for older people. My grandfather has about half of his teeth and we cooked steak for his most recent birthday. My grandmother has dentures and lets me cook the turkey on Thanksgiving because she can actually eat it without having to dice it. As far as flavors, there's a huge amount of variation here. My grandfather finally decided in his mid 80s to tell everyone that he doesn't like basil, but he likes spicy foods. One of my grandmothers won't eat anything spicy or that can potentially cause digestive upset because she almost died from an ulcer. My other grandmother can barely taste anything and basically has to be goaded into eating enough calories.
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Oct 8, 2020 15:45
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lurker2006 posted:Might be a frequently asked question, but I've been getting into Asian cooking and I've been wondering how to make stir fry sauces purposefully instead of just following seemingly arbitrary recipes. I have most of the common staple ingredients(shao xing, light/dark, oyster, sesame oil, old lady, etc.). Just mix and match what feels good. You want to keep an balance of sweet, sour, salty, spice, but otherwise the sky is the limit. For more info see the Chinese cooking thread here, or Chinese Cooking Demystified on the YouTubes.
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Oct 8, 2020 15:50
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