No pics, but the other day I made taco nachos. Tortilla chips, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, diced onions, shredded cheese, sour cream and browned ground turkey meat with taco seasoning all set separately on serving plates. Then you just pile everything on to your tastes.
Having a couple of pounds of mandarins that were sure to be uneaten before going bad, I figured I'd try my hand at making marmalade. It can't be that hard, right? I've made jellies before, and it's not that hard, so -
Ah. Shit.
Right, so I used an older method - reduction, rather than adding pectin like most jams - and this is what happens if you aren't diligent in your stirring. This is actually after several passes with just about everything in the kitchen, that horrible black mess was much larger before.
The marmalade, thankfully, was easily enough salvaged. The recipe called for a lot of peel - half of all the mandarins - so it's got a real strong, bitter taste to it. So much in fact that I mixed it with some other jelly I've made rather than eat it as is for fear that my face would become permanently puckered.
I made some usual toll house cookies a couple days ago. Best batch ever.
Bring some over when you come to do the show? Pureeez?
Yesterday I finally got the captain obvious idea to try and duplicate it
Oh, that looks good. Will you cook it for us some time? I want to try it, and then I can duplicate it.
List of things I've cooked lately, usually served with a balsamicSU! salad.
1. Turkey breast with caramelized carrots in a currant reduction sauce - turned out okay. I think I overcooked it a little, though, and I needed some correct cooking wine. 2. Swiss steaks in garlic tomatoes, with mashed potatoes - Super easy. Turned out okay. Next time I want to put garlic in the mash. 3. Crock pot beef curry with cheddar cheese - Tossed the ingredients in the crock pot before work, came home to bubbling brown Japanese curry. Ladle it out on top of rice, put shredded cheese on top. I learned that cheese plus Japanese curry is great from GoGo Curry in Midtown. 4. Summer squash and Brown Rice Chicken Soup. - I think I put too much rice in, because it was super thick, but the spinach and the summer squash gave it a wonderful flavor. How to make: Brown some cubed chicken thighs and chopped onion. Put water with some bullion or some chicken stock in. Put in chopped summer squash and a bunch of spinach Put in brown rice, either pre-cooked leftovers (faster) or uncooked (if uncooked, you have to simmer, covered, 45 minutes.) Bring to boil and then reduce heat to low and cover. Cook like a normal soup until done, maybe 20-45 minutes, depending.
Having a couple of pounds of mandarins that were sure to be uneaten before going bad, I figured I'd try my hand at making marmalade. It can't be that hard, right? I've made jellies before, and it's not that hard, so -
Cook a tomato based sauce or something with wine on that pot, most of it will go away (and it doesn't really fuck up the flavor of the dish)
Erm, nobody thinks of Steel wool? That stuff can massacre just about any mark on your steel cookware. I've worked in more than one bar where every month or so, we'd use it to polish stains and marks out of stainless steel bar surfaces, and I use it to clean and polish my stainless steel cookware.
Yeah, it'll get it off, but it has a tendency to leave behind scratches. If you don't care about scratches, then steel wool is a great way to go.
That should only be an issue for two reasons - 1)You're using teflon or otherwise coated cookware, and you don't want to scratch it up and screw the coating up or 2)Your cookware is for show, not cooking.
Um, coated cookware wouldn't be a stainless steel surface, which was what we were talking about, right? Obviously using steel wool on a coated pan would be moronic.
Pete makes me clean his stainless steel pan with a cloth so it doesn't get scratched if I am washing dishes. So I guess his cookware must be for show. :P
Yeah, it'll get it off, but it has a tendency to leave behind scratches. If you don't care about scratches, then steel wool is a great way to go.
That should only be an issue for two reasons - 1)You're using teflon or otherwise coated cookware, and you don't want to scratch it up and screw the coating up or 2)Your cookware is for show, not cooking.
I've never any scratches on my pots and pans cause a problem, unless they're severe damage rather than just cosmetic - every time I can think of food sticking to my pots or pans, it's directly attributable to something else, for example, lack of stirring, or too much heat burning it onto the cookware.
Edit - If the steel wool you're using is causing scratches big enough to cause you problems, you're doing it wrong. I'm talking about fine steel wool, not the stuff that looks like steel lathe-waste.
I've never any scratches on my pots and pans cause a problem, unless they're severe damage rather than just cosmetic - every time I can think of food sticking to my pots or pans, it's directly attributable to something else, for example, lack of stirring, or too much heat burning it onto the cookware.
Food won't stick to a well seasoned pan (be it the material it is), only sugar and milk, anything else, you just finish burning and it comes right off with any utensil, using steel wool or a abrasive detergent would destroy the seasoning and scratches also makes the pan harder to season well, you only use a steel wool if your pan is rusted.
EDIT: Using fine steel wool would be too much of a hassle, the pan can take care of itself
Food won't stick to a well seasoned pan (be it the material it is), only sugar and milk, anything else, you just finish burning and it comes right off with any utensil, using steel wool or a abrasive detergent would destroy the seasoning and scratches also makes the pan harder to season well, you only use a steel wool if your pan is rusted.
I don't season my stainless steel cookware(which is all general use), only my cast iron stuff(mostly for meat) which I don't use steel wool on, and I don't season my pots, because that's just silly, again, removing the problem.
Food won't stick to a well seasoned pan (be it the material it is), only sugar and milk, anything else, you just finish burning and it comes right off with any utensil, using steel wool or a abrasive detergent would destroy the seasoning and scratches also makes the pan harder to season well, you only use a steel wool if your pan is rusted.
I don't season my stainless steel cookware(which is all general use), only my cast iron stuff(mostly for meat) which I don't use steel wool on, and I don't season my pots, because that's just silly, again, removing the problem.
Stainless steel, only the pan I use for eggs and the wok, there is no reason to season a pot as you said (I said a well seasoned pan though), but the rest still applies, you just finish burning whatever it is that got stuck and it should come off easy with any utensil, no scratches, no mess, unless its sugar or a dairy product, then you go to the tomatoes or the wine (in my case), either way, I never use wool on the pans and pots, only water, soft soap and a cloth or a sponge if needed.
Ugh. Millet. I hate the taste of millet flour. I would also like to get away from rice flour as much as possible; I find it adds a subtle gritty texture to things.
Ugh. Millet. I hate the taste of millet flour. I would also like to get away from rice flour as much as possible; I find it adds a subtle gritty texture to things.
I'm delighted to say I've never had rice flour, except in mochi and other Japanese confections. Mmmm...mochi.
Ugh. Millet. I hate the taste of millet flour. I would also like to get away from rice flour as much as possible; I find it adds a subtle gritty texture to things.
So substitute flour that isn't nasty. Not a fan of millet flour myself, to be honest.
Comments
Ah. Shit.
Right, so I used an older method - reduction, rather than adding pectin like most jams - and this is what happens if you aren't diligent in your stirring. This is actually after several passes with just about everything in the kitchen, that horrible black mess was much larger before.
The marmalade, thankfully, was easily enough salvaged. The recipe called for a lot of peel - half of all the mandarins - so it's got a real strong, bitter taste to it. So much in fact that I mixed it with some other jelly I've made rather than eat it as is for fear that my face would become permanently puckered.
The recipe, if anyone wants it.
List of things I've cooked lately, usually served with a balsamicSU! salad.
1. Turkey breast with caramelized carrots in a currant reduction sauce - turned out okay. I think I overcooked it a little, though, and I needed some correct cooking wine.
2. Swiss steaks in garlic tomatoes, with mashed potatoes - Super easy. Turned out okay. Next time I want to put garlic in the mash.
3. Crock pot beef curry with cheddar cheese - Tossed the ingredients in the crock pot before work, came home to bubbling brown Japanese curry. Ladle it out on top of rice, put shredded cheese on top. I learned that cheese plus Japanese curry is great from GoGo Curry in Midtown.
4. Summer squash and Brown Rice Chicken Soup. - I think I put too much rice in, because it was super thick, but the spinach and the summer squash gave it a wonderful flavor.
How to make:
Brown some cubed chicken thighs and chopped onion.
Put water with some bullion or some chicken stock in.
Put in chopped summer squash and a bunch of spinach
Put in brown rice, either pre-cooked leftovers (faster) or uncooked (if uncooked, you have to simmer, covered, 45 minutes.)
Bring to boil and then reduce heat to low and cover.
Cook like a normal soup until done, maybe 20-45 minutes, depending.
Salt + Pepper + Hot Water + Ketchup = Tomato Soup!
Yay!
Pete makes me clean his stainless steel pan with a cloth so it doesn't get scratched if I am washing dishes. So I guess his cookware must be for show. :P
Edit - If the steel wool you're using is causing scratches big enough to cause you problems, you're doing it wrong. I'm talking about fine steel wool, not the stuff that looks like steel lathe-waste.
EDIT: Using fine steel wool would be too much of a hassle, the pan can take care of itself
I'm going to try some of that other stuff you guys suggested, for lack of anything better at the moment.