The General Questions thread - for quick questions, recipe requests, help.

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Goons with Spoons > The General Questions thread - for quick questions, recipe requests, help.

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TychoCelchuuu: Jan 2, 2012; This space for Rent.

legendof posted:

Whoa this gelatin oil cleaning thing may low key change my life. Brb making excuses to fry something

I think it's a bit of a pain in the rear end if you've just cooked, say, french fries. Much easier just to filter.

# ? Jul 21, 2018 01:28

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# ? May 24, 2024 20:20

SubG: Aug 19, 2004; It's a hard world for little things.

baquerd posted:

I agree more or less completely. That said, there are a few ways to get suboptimal results.

Too little sodium citrate, cheese can break.
Too much sodium citrate leads to off flavors.
Cheese sauce will thicken significantly as it cools, so nailing consistency at the table without a recipe can be tricky.
Some cheeses will benefit significantly from blending and even straining to help remove graininess.
Adding too much cheese too fast can cause issues where pockets of cheese are breaking down without sodium citrate in contact with it.

Sure, anything can be hosed up. But even when that happens, a citrate cheese sauce is super loving forgiving compared to most similar sauces, whether you're talking about reheating it without breaking, getting it to come back together after breaking, or loving up the proportions without the sauce failing.

I mean it's not magic or anything. But it really can't be stressed enough how much of a not-scary-science thing it is. Name an ingredient by its chemical name and I think people start imagining that they're going to have to balance stiochiochemical equations in order to make the recipe or something. And it's exactly the opposite. It's roughly as complicated as preparing a packet of Jell-O mix or something like that.

The main warnings/tricks/whatever I'd suggest are:

Always helps to grate the cheese. I usually use a coarse microplane for typical melting cheeses (like cheddar) and a fine microplane for hard/dry/aged cheeses (like parm or whatever). That said I've often made a ramekin full of sauce by just combining citrate, water, and hand-crumbed cheese and then microwaving it
It's fine to work from a recipe, but I usually work with a known ratio of liquid to citrate, and then add cheese until I get the consistency I want rather than relying on the recipe. For very uniform/predictable cheeses (like a block of supermarket cheddar) you can probably get the same results from the same proportions every time, but if you're dealing with a dry or aged cheese you'll end up with a lot of variation between the cheese close to the rind and the cheese further away from it. For cheeses that have a very hard or dense rind using a fine microplane will definitely help
If the sauce is lumpy or seems like it's taking the consistency of wet blobs of cheese in thin cheesewater, then you probably just need a little more heat
The exception to this is if you're adding something very acidic to the sauce (like a lot of vinegary hot sauce or something that contains a lot of wet veg) and the sauce starts looking like it wants to break then you probably just need to add a little more cheese

# ? Jul 21, 2018 03:46

StrixNebulosa: Feb 14, 2012; You cheated not only the game, but yourself.
But most of all, you cheated BABA

I have a lot of frozen broccoli and yesterday I learned the joy of roasting it in the oven with garlic/herb seasoning and oil and lemon juice.

I'd like to do more with it, though - does anyone have any kickin' rad broccoli recipes?

# ? Jul 21, 2018 11:46

Tendales: Mar 9, 2012

Gordon Ramsay's broccoli soup (ingredient list: a broccoli, end of list) is pretty damned good. I like setting aside some florets to be roasted, then mixed in when the soup is done.

# ? Jul 21, 2018 20:07

Bagheera: Oct 30, 2003

wormil posted:

I've made the Food Wishes Mac & cheese 3 times and it seems to be missing something and I would it to be creamier. I'm using good sharp cheddar. Anyone have a favorite mac & cheese recipe?

1) The Food Wishes recipe is, IMO, light on cheese. I add a lot more cheese. It does make the sauce much thicker, but I think it's also much tastier.

2) Bacon improves everything. Don't just add crumbled bacon to the dish, though. Use bacon drippings instead of butter when making the roux. Substituting bacon fat for butter gives it a much better flavor.

Edit: Oops. Drippings not droppings.

Bagheera fucked around with this message at 23:43 on Jul 21, 2018

# ? Jul 21, 2018 21:15

Feenix: Mar 14, 2003; Sorry, guy.

Bagheera posted:

1) The Food Wishes recipe is, IMO, light on cheese. I add a lot more cheese. It does make the sauce much thicker, but I think it's also much tastier.

2) Bacon improves everything. Don't just add crumbled bacon to the dish, though. Use bacon droppings instead of butter when making the roux. Substituting bacon fat for butter gives it a much better flavor.

Lol. Can you correct that to drippings? Because all I can think of is pig poo poo.

# ? Jul 21, 2018 23:00

Flash Gordon Ramsay: Sep 28, 2004; Grimey Drawer

Bagheera posted:

bacon droppings.

# ? Jul 21, 2018 23:31

Tendales: Mar 9, 2012

Use every part of the pig

# ? Jul 21, 2018 23:36

Ghost of Reagan Past: Oct 7, 2003; rock and roll fun

Beyond salad, what are some good uses for feta cheese?

# ? Jul 22, 2018 07:08

Bluedeanie: Jul 20, 2008; It's no longer a blue world, Max. Where could we go?

Make a white spinach pizza on thin crust/flatbread.

# ? Jul 22, 2018 07:13

Helith: Nov 5, 2009; Basket of Adorables

Ghost of Reagan Past posted:

Beyond salad, what are some good uses for feta cheese?

Spanakopita

# ? Jul 22, 2018 11:48

BrianBoitano: Nov 15, 2006; this is fine

Pickled beet + feta + capers + roasted eggplant + mixed herb sandwiches. Pretty flexible to substitutions, and a favorite in our house.

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/roasted-eggplant-and-pickled-beet-sandwiches

# ? Jul 22, 2018 14:10

Feenix: Mar 14, 2003; Sorry, guy.

Ghost of Reagan Past posted:

Beyond salad, what are some good uses for feta cheese?

Serious Eats black bean burgers.

# ? Jul 22, 2018 15:18

Human Tornada: Mar 4, 2005; I been wantin to see a honkey dance.

I want to make red beans and rice today but don't have time to soak them. Would I be better off using dried beans without soaking or using canned beans?

# ? Jul 22, 2018 15:30

DasNeonLicht: Dec 25, 2005; "...and the light is on and burning brightly for the masses."; Fallen Rib

Human Tornada posted:

I want to make red beans and rice today but don't have time to soak them. Would I be better off using dried beans without soaking or using canned beans?

If you're in a hurry, you'll save a lot of time and get a better dish using canned beans. You'll probably want to reduce the amount of water your recipe calls for.

# ? Jul 22, 2018 15:54

Ghost of Reagan Past: Oct 7, 2003; rock and roll fun

Good ideas, all. Thanks.

# ? Jul 22, 2018 15:55

Human Tornada: Mar 4, 2005; I been wantin to see a honkey dance.

DasNeonLicht posted:

If you're in a hurry, you'll save a lot of time and get a better dish using canned beans. You'll probably want to reduce the amount of water your recipe calls for.

Cool, canned it is.

# ? Jul 22, 2018 15:56

Hauki: May 11, 2010

Human Tornada posted:

I want to make red beans and rice today but don't have time to soak them. Would I be better off using dried beans without soaking or using canned beans?

You can also do a quick soak by covering dried beans in water just off the boil. Still better to let it sit for an hour afterwards if you can though.

# ? Jul 22, 2018 15:58

Human Tornada: Mar 4, 2005; I been wantin to see a honkey dance.

Hauki posted:

You can also do a quick soak by covering dried beans in water just off the boil. Still better to let it sit for an hour afterwards if you can though.

Good to know.

I had Popeye's for the first time in my life yesterday and the red beans and rice actually lived up to the hype so I've been in the mood to make a big batch.

# ? Jul 22, 2018 18:43

That Works: Jul 22, 2006; Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy

Human Tornada posted:

Good to know.

I had Popeye's for the first time in my life yesterday and the red beans and rice actually lived up to the hype so I've been in the mood to make a big batch.

Hell yeah

# ? Jul 23, 2018 00:49

Oxyclean: Sep 23, 2007

Submarine Sandpaper posted:

I'm a broken record with this method but it's the only way I'd ever make fries at home. https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/cold-fry-frites

Once the oil cools filter through a funnel and coffee filter or full paper towel sheet and re-use until it's gross.

Had to adjust a bit since I was only using one potato, and tossed with a mixture of spices instead of just salt - came out great, thanks for the recommendation!

# ? Jul 23, 2018 02:17

Hopper: Dec 28, 2004; BOOING! BOOING!; Grimey Drawer

Ghost of Reagan Past posted:

Beyond salad, what are some good uses for feta cheese?

Red beets and feta lasagna. use beet slices as pasta substitute, filling made from ground meet, feta, herbs.

# ? Jul 23, 2018 23:33

Hauki: May 11, 2010

Hopper posted:

Red beets and feta lasagna. use beet slices as pasta substitute, filling made from ground meet, feta, herbs.

can totally use up feta topping boureki or briam

# ? Jul 23, 2018 23:41

DasNeonLicht: Dec 25, 2005; "...and the light is on and burning brightly for the masses."; Fallen Rib

Ghost of Reagan Past posted:

Beyond salad, what are some good uses for feta cheese?

This dank shakshuka recipe

# ? Jul 24, 2018 02:45

Argue: Sep 29, 2005; I represent the Philippines

I have a bottle of pomegranate syrup. I seem to be seeing conflicting info--is this the same as pomegranate molasses, or should I be reducing this before using it in a recipe that calls for pomegranate molasses? (gonna marinate some lamb)

# ? Jul 24, 2018 07:13

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

How thick is it, and what are the ingredients? If it's thin and lightly colored, I doubt it's molasses.

Second, rather than marinate lamb in it, I'd recommend just periodically basting it with the stuff while cooking it rather than marinating, because it won't really absorb that much pomegranate flavor from doing so.

# ? Jul 24, 2018 17:57

Iron Lung: Jul 24, 2007; Life.Iron Lung. Death.

Is there a baking/cake thread still? I remember one from a long time ago. Looking for recs for a tall cake holder, as the dumbass one I got from amazon can't contain a 3-4 layer cake and the rest on there are like crystal/$99.

# ? Jul 24, 2018 23:52

Argue: Sep 29, 2005; I represent the Philippines

The Midniter posted:

How thick is it, and what are the ingredients? If it's thin and lightly colored, I doubt it's molasses.

Second, rather than marinate lamb in it, I'd recommend just periodically basting it with the stuff while cooking it rather than marinating, because it won't really absorb that much pomegranate flavor from doing so.

Color looks pretty dark to me, but it's definitely not thick. I guess I'll reduce it. Thanks for the advice re: basting, will try that.

# ? Jul 25, 2018 05:31

ibntumart: Mar 18, 2007; Good, bad. I'm the one with the power of Shu, Heru, Amon, Zehuti, Aton, and Mehen.; College Slice

Okay, sodium citrate is some beautiful dark alchemy. It didn't taste quite as good as the old-fashioned way, but it was still pretty drat delicious and ridiculously easy. I hardly had to use any of the sodium citrate either. That bag is probably going to be a lifetime supply.

No flour means my wife can slot this cheese wizardry into her keto diet, so now I'm trying to figure out some other good recipes. I already have plans to make queso fundido, fondue (no more Laughing Cow wedges to emulsify now!), and cauliflower cheese soup. What else would people recommend?

# ? Jul 25, 2018 09:54

Doom Rooster: Sep 3, 2008; Pillbug

Iron Lung posted:

Is there a baking/cake thread still? I remember one from a long time ago. Looking for recs for a tall cake holder, as the dumbass one I got from amazon can't contain a 3-4 layer cake and the rest on there are like crystal/$99.

This was the tallest one I could find when I went looking a while back. It's been great for me.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EWK0T22/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

# ? Jul 25, 2018 13:40

SubG: Aug 19, 2004; It's a hard world for little things.

ibntumart posted:

Okay, sodium citrate is some beautiful dark alchemy. It didn't taste quite as good as the old-fashioned way, but it was still pretty drat delicious and ridiculously easy.

If you think the flavour is off (versus a traditional Mornay-style sauce) you can try using milk (or cream or whatever you usually use) instead of water. Or just use a cheese you prefer the flavour of. Because unless you went way overboard on the citrate the only thing you're tasting in the sauce is the cheese.

# ? Jul 25, 2018 20:31

sterster: Jun 19, 2006; nothing; Fun Shoe

So I bought some of the citrate stuff. Figured I'd make for a good beer cheese what kind of ratios cheese/citrate for a more hummus like texture should I expect.

# ? Jul 25, 2018 21:01

Outrail: Jan 4, 2009; www.sapphicrobotica.com

sterster posted:

beer cheese

What the...

*one Google search later*

How the hell have I gone my entire life without being exposed to this?!

This is like the time I discovered dulce del leche only I have to make it for myself first.

# ? Jul 25, 2018 21:10

ibntumart: Mar 18, 2007; Good, bad. I'm the one with the power of Shu, Heru, Amon, Zehuti, Aton, and Mehen.; College Slice

SubG posted:

If you think the flavour is off (versus a traditional Mornay-style sauce) you can try using milk (or cream or whatever you usually use) instead of water. Or just use a cheese you prefer the flavour of. Because unless you went way overboard on the citrate the only thing you're tasting in the sauce is the cheese.

The flavor wasn't off. It just wasn't quite as... I don't know, subtle, I guess? It seemed more cheesy if that makes any sense. That's not bad (it was actually really good), just kind of different from the last time I made it using a roux.

I did use milk. I couldn't bring myself to use water, it just didn't seem right for mac and cheese.

# ? Jul 25, 2018 21:17

Submarine Sandpaper: May 27, 2007

last time I made it I stupidly was stupidly cutting cheese with a real sharp knife so I can only recommend blood & beer.

# ? Jul 25, 2018 21:27

TheCog: Jul 30, 2012; I AM ZEPA AND I CLAIM THESE LANDS BY RIGHT OF CONQUEST

I bought this at the asian grocery store.

Can anyone clue me in as to what its called so I can google some recipes?

# ? Jul 25, 2018 23:24

Mr. Wiggles: Dec 1, 2003; We are all drinking from the highball glass of ideology.

It's a kohlrabi. Good as slaw, nice sliced and simmered with sauce on top for serving, and makes a great cream soup.

# ? Jul 25, 2018 23:26

spankmeister: Jun 15, 2008

TheCog posted:

I bought this at the asian grocery store.

Can anyone clue me in as to what its called so I can google some recipes?

That would be a kohlrabi

# ? Jul 25, 2018 23:27

TheCog: Jul 30, 2012; I AM ZEPA AND I CLAIM THESE LANDS BY RIGHT OF CONQUEST

Mr. Wiggles posted:

It's a kohlrabi. Good as slaw, nice sliced and simmered with sauce on top for serving, and makes a great cream soup.

Thank you! Quick googling suggests they have a flavor sorta like radishes, (which I really enjoy), so I'll probably try the slaw suggestion and go from there.

# ? Jul 25, 2018 23:28

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# ? May 24, 2024 20:20

SubG: Aug 19, 2004; It's a hard world for little things.

ibntumart posted:

The flavor wasn't off. It just wasn't quite as... I don't know, subtle, I guess?

Yeah, you're just tasting the cheese there. Use water instead of milk and you'll get more of the cheese flavour. If you want something milder, more complex, or whatever you can just use a different cheese (e.g. one that has the flavour you want) or use multiple cheeses. A common modernist mac & cheese approach is Gorgonzola and Fontina, for example, but I doubt anyone except the biggest fromagephile (caseophile?) would dig a pure Fontina mac & cheese.

If you're looking for something like-blue-box-but-with-better-cheese and you're using a sharp cheddar you might just try using a milder white cheddar, or cutting your sharp cheddar with something milder like jack.

sterster posted:

So I bought some of the citrate stuff. Figured I'd make for a good beer cheese what kind of ratios cheese/citrate for a more hummus like texture should I expect.

You can look up exact recipes if you want that kind of thing, but for most liquids I figure 1/4 tsp of sodium citrate for 1 fluid ounce of liquid, warm it up enough the citrate dissolves (some sources suggest bringing the liquid to a simmer but that generally isn't necessary), and then add microplaned cheese until you get the consistency you want. If you're not serving immediately you have to take into account that it'll get thicker as it cools. And until you get the hang of how this kind of thing behaves be sure to add cheese slowly and keep stirring to make sure everything's getting incorporated before you add more. Same with the grating---once you get the hang of it you can do this with hand-crumbled chunks of cheese, but when you're still trying to get a feel for it grating the cheese fine will give you better control over how much cheese you're adding at a time.

For a traditional melting cheese (like supermarket cheddar) to make something like a dip for chips this usually works out as 1/4 tsp citrate, 1 oz liquid, and about 2 oz of cheese. Or 1/2 tsp citrate, 1/4 cup liquid, 1/4 lb cheese. Using a different cheese or going for a different consistency will require different proportions, but you can start out with the same ratio of liquid to citrate, gently caress around until you get the amount of cheese you want, and then scale everything if you're going for a specific amount of sauce, want to use a specific amount of cheese, or whatever.

# ? Jul 25, 2018 23:45

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Goons with Spoons > The General Questions thread - for quick questions, recipe requests, help.

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