|
Is there a thread on presentation somewhere? I'm just a home cook, and a novice one at that, but I like to make my food look sexy when I plate it, especially if I'm cooking for guests.
|
#
¿
Jun 3, 2014 22:57
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Jun 2, 2024 00:09 |
|
|
Steve Yun posted:Might as well post photos in the "I bring a camera to the table" thread, ask for feedback. Yeah, that's a good idea. I don't really feel like I know anything, though. I did find some articles online, so maybe I'll school myself then present my work to be savaged. 
|
|
#
¿
Jun 4, 2014 03:33
|
|
|
CrusherEAGLE posted:Is there an app, game, video, or website for complete and utter, never cooked before newbies? I'm talking about making this recipe, then another one, and another one, until you get better at cooking or your cooking skills get better. Does it have to be in one of those forms? If you're willing to use a cookbook, Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything: The Basics is basically what made me feel comfortable in the kitchen. It has lots of easy recipes that are still good, plus tons of basics, like what it means to roast or sauté or steam something, technique, lots of photos, relevant sidebars (this calls for avocado? Here's how to prep an avocado), the works. I recommend it to everyone who asks who's new to cooking and so far everyone's loved it. I think a lot of cookbooks suffer from being written by professional chefs who have forgotten what it's like not to have a professional kitchen at their disposal. No, I do not keep fleur de sel around. No, I am not going to first spend an hour making fig butter. Yes, new cooks do need to know how to do things like basic cuts. This book gave me that. Some people don't care for Bittman -- I've heard people say that they think his recipes are boring -- but I can't think of a better starting point for a total novice.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 11, 2014 02:22
|
|
|
What can I do with fresh fennel? I'm trying out a CSA this year, and while I've done okay using most stuff, I have no idea how to use it. I don't even know how to prep it.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 11, 2014 14:09
|
|
|
Could someone offer a basic template for vegetable stock, rather than a specific recipe? Like, I looked up a recipe the other day, and I didn't make it because I didn't have any leeks. I'm pretty sure it doesn't matter at all and I could have used something else or omitted them entirely, but I don't have a handle on what's at work when making it and consequently on what's important. If I knew something like "Okay, I need about a pound of root vegetables" or whatever, that would be very handy. I haven't worried about it much before because I wasn't making things that called for it very often, but I'm using it in everything lately and I feel like a chump buying $3 cartons of stuff that's worse than what I could be making. I'm also not sure I understand how to use it when frozen. I think I've seen people talking about freezing it in ice cube trays and using cubes of stock? I don't really understand how a small cube or two of frozen stock could replace several cups of liquid. Maybe I'm misunderstanding.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 21, 2014 18:09
|
|
|
Bob Morales posted:The basics are cold water plus roughly chopped onions, celery, and carrots Thanks, this is perfect! Start with cold water, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer til done I assume? And thanks everyone else for the tips. Edit: do I strain out solids when done? Or use/freeze with the veggies still in? (Or purée it in a blender?) guppy fucked around with this message at 20:15 on Aug 21, 2014 |
|
#
¿
Aug 21, 2014 20:13
|
|
|
Perfect, thanks so much.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 21, 2014 21:37
|
|
|
My prep skills are coming along, my presentation is improving, I'm pretty comfortable with recipes. I'm now trying to get better at creating dishes from scratch -- I want to be able to look at my available ingredients and put together something that's good and that "makes sense." I'm a home cook, not a pro, and culinary school for funsies is not in my future anytime soon even if that would be awesome. Anyone have a book to recommend? Would the Flavor Bible mentioned a few pages ago be a good resource for this? I don't have a sense for what I should be aiming for with a dish, or acidity, or anything like that. Advice welcome, of course, but I imagine this is too big a topic to cover in a few posts.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 20, 2014 16:55
|
|
|
Happiness Commando posted:My blender died so I replaced it with a food processor. Hummus and pesto are already on the list. What else should I make? Bread dough, pizza dough
|
|
#
¿
Oct 2, 2014 03:17
|
|
|
Seeking advice on making injera. I have teff flour, but every website I've seen disagrees about how the correct ratio of flour to water. I tried it once after I got over my food safety concerns about leaving it sitting out under a towel for a couple days, and after a couple days sitting in the bowl it was still watery. Anyone have a recipe they've used successfully?
|
|
#
¿
Oct 13, 2014 17:14
|
|
|
Thanks. Yeah, I know I needed less water and that sitting wouldn't do it. I looked over that recipe, but I think the 1:1 ratio was what gave me the overly watery results the first time, and their final picture doesn't seem thick enough or spongy enough. Maybe I do just need to add some all-purpose flour and yeast. I was hoping someone had done it enough themselves to know the approximate proportions though.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 13, 2014 20:46
|
|
|
Any recommendations for a good go-to Mexican cookbook? I'm not looking for anything too Thomas Keller, but I want to dig in a little more than just, like, fajitas. Vegetarian-friendly stuff preferred but not required, I cook mostly meatless but am not actually a vegetarian. I skimmed the Mexican food thread and will continue to do so, but I like actual cookbooks.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 3, 2014 23:52
|
|
|
Mr. Wiggles posted:The Bayless book is good, but if you really want to buy something fun check out Gran Cocina Latina by Maricel Presilla. It's a pan-Latin American cookbook, but it's fantastic. Thank you!
|
|
#
¿
Nov 4, 2014 00:12
|
|
|
I feel dumb even asking this question, but what are some suggestions for good hot breakfasts, preferably ones that don't take forever to make? My go-tos are various forms of egg (mostly scrambled or omelettes), with some combination of toast, hash browns, skillet potatoes, tomatoes, or sauteed mushrooms; oatmeal (nuts and dried cranberries in); and french toast or pancakes. Once in a blue moon I make paranthas but that's a bit of a time investment. I like all those things but I've been wanting to mix it up lately.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 9, 2014 15:05
|
|
|
Gotta make something for a potluck brunch next weekend. Eggs are my jam and all, but I don't think I can depend on being able to cook them there, so probably nothing egg-based will work. Maybe nothing hot. Ideas? Current best thought is homemade granola, but it seems a little lame, plus it means that I couldn't bring the best part of fresh granola, which is making the place where it was baked smell awesome.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 18, 2014 03:44
|
|
|
I'm in charge of dinner tonight because I took the rest of the week off. Doesn't need to be anything fancy. Neither of us are vegetarians, but we mostly cook veg, and I'm hoping not to have to go shopping. I'm thinking about black bean empanadas, and quinoa with swiss chard. Assuming it doesn't violate some kind of international law not to use meat in my empanadas: What should I season the beans with? Onion, cumin? I assume I should use more than that. Garlic? Cilantro? I don't have lard and I don't really want to use it anyway. Will this recipe make okay dough? I've never made empanadas before. http://blog.grasslandbeef.com/beef-empanadas-/
|
|
#
¿
Nov 20, 2014 19:00
|
|
|
guppy posted:I'm in charge of dinner tonight because I took the rest of the week off. Doesn't need to be anything fancy. Neither of us are vegetarians, but we mostly cook veg, and I'm hoping not to have to go shopping. I'm thinking about black bean empanadas, and quinoa with swiss chard. Assuming it doesn't violate some kind of international law not to use meat in my empanadas: Update: I did this and it went well. The dough was a little sticky, so maybe I should adjust the proportions slightly, but the empanadas were good. and I used those things for the beans plus salt, pepper, paprika, a serrano chile, and a little lime juice.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 21, 2014 13:56
|
|
|
User-Friendly posted:I'm making a fast white bread, and the recipe I'm using says to let it rise for 20-45 minutes in a warm (75-85°) location. There's nowhere that warm in my apartment. What kind of extra time should I be looking at if it's ~60° in here? I'm not an expert, but I have made three loaves of sandwich bread in the last five days (not all for me), and I've consulted two Mark Bittman cookbooks and the King Arthur Baker's Companion, and those times sound weird. Bittman generally recommends about 2 hours for a first rise in a greased bowl at room temperature, followed by a punchdown and a 15 minute rest, followed by pressing it into the loaf pan and another hour of rising. (All of these covered with towels or plastic wrap.) The King Arthur book says that rising in a lower temperature is fine but will make it slower. (They actually suggest an all-day rise in the fridge, so you can accommodate your work schedule.) Amount of yeast (as well as the type, the times I gave are with instant yeast) apparently figures in as well. Both of these suggest to me that 45 and 20-45 minutes is crazytown. King Arthur also says that times are never going to be precise since you're dealing with yeast, and that you should be looking for the rough doubling in size (after the first rise) and then just about filling the pan (for the second rise). If you aren't sure about temperatures and times, I'd say look for that rather than the clock. Others with more experience can correct me. Some suggestions from King Arthur on rising in cooler areas:
There are a couple other suggestions, but they are a bit more involved.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 30, 2014 20:41
|
|
|
TastyLemonDrops posted:I'm heading to Baltimore for a business trip in about a week. Anybody have any suggestions on where to go to eat? Some suggestions: The Food Market - on 36th in Hampden (the Avenue), mid priced modern American, this is probably the classiest thing on my list but you don't need a jacket or anything. I do recommend reservations, they're on OpenTable Clementine - Harford Road in Parkville, farm-to-table restaurant, this might be harder if you don't have access to a car, I just had brunch here LP Steamers - crab joint on Fort in Locust Point, I actually don't eat shellfish so I have no idea if crabs are seasonally limited in availability but if you can get them this is the place to go, it's very casual and Old Baltimore with brown paper on the tables and poo poo The Abbey - off Cross Street in Federal Hill, specializes in to-order burgers with a variety of exotic meats, including a meat of the month, they have stuff like emu. Casual, not upscale, it is a bar with sports on TV and whatnot Blue Agave - Also in Federal Hill, midpriced Mexican food, the kind with molés, not just burritos, you probably want a reservation here We have our fine dining and all, but Baltimore tends to be a bit more down to earth. There are a boatload of Indian places and other good stuff in Mt. Vernon, the Inner Harbor tends to be standard tourist fare like Capital Grille and Morton's and Fogo de Chao if you are with a group that doesn't feel like going anywhere more interesting. Harbor East is a nice neighborhood but is also touristy; about the same distance is Little Italy but I hear the restaurants there have gone downhill. There are a ton of good hole-in-the-wall places in Canton as well if you want some more local flavor, but absolutely do not expect them to be upscale. Totally unclassy but tasty bonus option: Rocket to Venus, on Chestnut in Hampden, last time I was there I got a fried chicken sandwich breaded with Rice Krispies with waffle wedges for bread. Hampden is the neighborhood that plays up the old school Baltimore vibe, think Hairspray There is a bunch of good stuff in Hampden really, there is a charcuterie place called The Other Corner (so-called because it is owned by the same people as The Corner on the same street. While you're there go to the Charmery for house-made ice cream, or hot cocoa if it's too cold for ice cream. Golden West is full of hipsters but does a good brunch and has good coffee. Edit: a chef buddy went to Parts & Labor in Remington (near Hampden) and said it was good. Remington also has Baltimore institution the Paper Moon Diner. There's also the Dizz nearby but I don't really understand why people like it so much. guppy fucked around with this message at 15:45 on Dec 8, 2014 |
|
#
¿
Dec 8, 2014 15:41
|
|
|
I'm making thumbprint shortbread cookies with jam (raspberry, if you're wondering) for a work potluck on Thursday, but they have to get baked tonight because I am hilariously short on time tomorrow. I'm not looking to give anyone food poisoning, can they stay out at room temperature (in containers, obviously) or do they need to get refrigerated/frozen? The jam gets baked with the cookies, if it matters.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 17, 2014 00:49
|
|
|
posh spaz posted:So my shortbread turned out fine. I refrigerated my shortbread dough last time because I wasn't baking them right away, but I usually don't bother and it's always turned out well. In fact, I left the dough in there overnight (in plastic wrap) and it got chilled through so thoroughly that I had to take it out for a couple of hours to soften before I could shape it. I don't refrigerate my chocolate chip cookie dough either.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 20, 2014 19:25
|
|
|
Re: double boilers, you can also just use a second, slightly larger pot on top instead if you don't have a metal bowl. I did that a lot growing up to make fudge.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 22, 2014 13:52
|
|
|
My contribution to New Year's Day dinner will be these dishes: Hoppin' John* Collard Greens (Fudge, but I don't need help with this one) * Yes, without ham, sorry. I've made the former recipe once before and it turned out great; the latter I've never made, I've never eaten collard greens before. Here's the thing: I am unexpectedly cooking for 24 people instead of, you know, 4. The good news is that it is only an adjunct to rib roasts and spinach that someone else is making, so it doesn't need to be a full meal's worth per person and if it winds up terrible we'll live. I have these questions:
guppy fucked around with this message at 12:19 on Dec 27, 2014 |
|
#
¿
Dec 27, 2014 12:05
|
|
|
Anne Whateley posted:I got a good food processor for Christmas! I know it'll be good for doughs and pastry, I'm all over that, but what else should I make a point of trying? I've never had a chopper, blender, anything like that. Hummus! Salsa! Be careful about doughs, you don't want to overtax the motor. I do it, I make white bread and pizza dough in there all the time, but I made 100% whole wheat bread the other day and it was so thick I was concerned I might be damaging it.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 29, 2014 01:44
|
|
|
Anne Whateley posted:It could be because I'm a dummy who learned wrong, but for a lot of everyday stuff -- vegetables, chicken, whatever -- I use a biggish paring knife rather than a full chef's knife. I can do it with a chef's knife (and I'm trying to get those skills up too), it just feels defter with the smaller blade. I'm 5'9", but I have medium-small hands (for a woman). I have all Wusthofs if that makes any difference. Use what's comfortable for you. You can use a chef's knife for most things, but if I'm just doing a small task or three with some small stuff I'll usually reach for my petty knife instead. I did it the other day when all I needed to cut was a couple zucchini.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 30, 2014 00:12
|
|
|
vulturesrow posted:Bought the wife a kitchen-aid for Christmas and I'm looking to buy a good baking book for her. I don't want a book with just recipes, I'm looking for something more instructional. Any suggestions? I really like the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion for this. It has recipes for most of what you'd think of, and it has a lot of sidebars and notes and whatnot about why and how you do things. Note that the KAF website also has a lot of recipes, but the recipes for the same thing tend to be a bit different. We made gingerbread this week, and the cook recipe calls for 1 1/2 tsp apiece of allspice and cloves, whereas the recipe on their website calls for 1/4 tsp of one or the other, and it's definitely not a 1/6th or 1/12th recipe.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 30, 2014 13:56
|
|
|
A GIANT PARSNIP posted:What's everyone's favorite cheap canned tomatoes brand? I'm using muir Glen for everything right now, but I'd like to save some money on weekday meals. I mostly use them in beans/lentils and soups/stews. I usually shoot for Cento. Red Pack is okay.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 30, 2014 18:43
|
|
|
Dante18907 posted:I literally never would have thought to put the bacon in before the pan was hot. How do I know when to turn the bacon? (sorry to ask so many questions D:) My usual method is to get the pan hot with oil in it then put the bacon in the hot oil. I now know this is wrong and will stop this The real answer is "when it's done" but for me on medium heat that's about 5 minutes on each side once it starts sizzling. I did it this morning. That was in cast iron but I did it last night for pinto beans in a nonstick pan.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 5, 2015 14:31
|
|
|
I do that when I'm making a lot, but today I needed like 3 strips and I didn't want to take all that time. And sometimes, like last night, I want the drippings.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 5, 2015 15:20
|
|
|
Booties posted:I really just need recipes so I'm not boiling green beans and braising carrots every single night like I am right now. I'm hungry. I'm not a vegan or even vegetarian but most of my food winds up being that way anyway. I do a lot of curries and the like. Here are a few recipes I've thought were really good: Coconut red lentil curry: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Coconut-Red-Lentil-Curry-236684 Braised coconut spinach and chickpeas with lemon: http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-braised-coconut-spinach-chickpeas-with-lemon-164551 Both are vegan. (Both involve coconut milk, so if you hate coconut these won't work for you.) I like legumes, but I also like not taking a few hours to make dinner; the first recipe uses red lentils, which cook fast, and the second uses canned chickpeas (though you could certainly use dried if you wanted). Bittman has a How To Cook Everything Vegetarian book that's solid for recipes and has information on how to prep most any vegetable, and frequently offers notes on how to make vegetarian-but-not-vegan dishes vegan. I suspect as far as reading on adopting the lifestyle, though, the other book mentioned above is better. The big thing is to avoid trying to "substitute" for meat and just make vegetable dishes that don't require it.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 9, 2015 20:21
|
|
|
I made meat loaf for the first time last night. (I don't cook a lot with meat.) The recipe I used is basically what my mother told me in a two minute conversation about it. It turned out great. She had me put a little bit of water, like 1/4" or less, in my (13x9) pan. I was thinking of trying it with a different liquid next time. I assume it would work well with stock. How about beer? Wine? Would either of these be worth doing? I use ground beef for mine.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 22, 2015 14:05
|
|
|
Oh, sorry. It was in a 13x9 glass baking dish, directly in the dish, but just a loaf sitting in the middle surrounded by sliced potatoes, not filling the pan, with a little water poured into the dish. No secondary loaf pan.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 22, 2015 18:42
|
|
|
How come cake flour, and only cake flour, seems to be sold only in boxes, versus in bags like other kinds? The only cake flour I can find sold in bags is some whole-wheat organic stuff and I don't know if or how much being whole wheat would affect the flavor. Even King Arthur's seems to be boxed, and it's marked as a "cake flour blend." No idea what that means. I haven't noticed much difference in my bread between bread flour and all-purpose. Not sure how much I'd notice in cakes.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 27, 2015 14:05
|
|
|
THE MACHO MAN posted:Going to a a party for the game and I need to bring something that is not a dip, sandwiches, chicken nuggets, pizza, and some kind of bean dish which have all been covered. Normally I'd just make a big pot of chili but I'm gonna be busy all day tomorrow and I don't feel like waking up early to make sure I have enough time for the chili. Stuffed mushrooms or some kind of similar app? There's a recipe here although I've never tried it, you can stuff with other stuff if you want.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 31, 2015 14:13
|
|
|
Nostalgia4Dicks posted:Starting to build a kitchen up and need some suggestions for stuff. Already have a good blender, toaster, nice silveware and a couple basic non-stick pans. Going to get some bamboo cooking utensils. Here is the product recommendation thread. The OP has a good list and recommendations in each category, and you can ask other questions or get more specific if that doesn't answer your questions. http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3381440 Thinking through some of the stuff I use all the time that isn't on your list, these come to mind:
|
|
#
¿
Feb 4, 2015 02:36
|
|
|
I'm going to be attempting a Jamie Oliver recipe tonight for "cheat" pizza that uses self-rising flour and doesn't have a real rise step. I've made traditional pizza before but I want to try this so I know whether I can just throw pizza together on no notice if I want to. I have a few questions. 1. It calls for self-rising flour, there's no significant wait time for the rise, it just cooks in the oven for 5-6 minutes. Rather than buy yet another kind of flour, am I correct in believing that I can make my own with a ratio of 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt per cup of AP or pastry flour? That's what King Arthur is telling me. 2. It calls for "1 1/2 mugs" of flour per pie. What the gently caress does that mean? I can work with volume or weight measures, but mugs don't exactly seem like a standard size. 3. Is this a stupid idea I shouldn't even attempt?
|
|
#
¿
Feb 6, 2015 15:10
|
|
|
Thanks. I'm comfortable with traditional dough -- though I still struggle to get it thin enough -- I just wanted to be able to make one without several hours' notice. I have yet to master the art of rising dough in a refrigator to slow it (haven't tried, it's on my list) so generally I only make traditional bread or pizza dough when I have at least a good 4+ hours before I want to eat it -- 2 hour first rise, 1 hour second rise, time to cool, plus however much time it takes me between steps and the little bit of time to mix the dough at the beginning.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 6, 2015 17:14
|
|
|
How long do storebought tortillas keep? Several times now it's taken me weeks and weeks to go through a package of both flour and corn tortillas, and I just leave them out on the counter (in the bag) and they've always been fine.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 10, 2015 18:41
|
|
|
We are gonna try making corn tortillas for the first time for lunch today. I have a bag of Maseca "instant masa." This is basically just masa, right? I don't need to buy something different?
|
|
#
¿
Feb 14, 2015 15:44
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Jun 2, 2024 00:09 |
|
|
So I bought this, not realizing it was smoked: Is it pre-prepared and meant to be eaten as-is? Or am I still supposed to cook it?
|
|
#
¿
Feb 18, 2015 03:49
|
|