I like to do burgers in one of those as well. And pork chops. Basically any meat that can be grilled I like to do in door with one of those unless I'm breaking out charcoal.
Case in point: 2" Rib Steak, seared on each side, then finished in a 400° oven for 10 mins, finished with a nice blue cheese and garlic butter infusion. Scalloped potatoes with extra au gratin are just finishing up while the steak rests. The bottle of 2004 NK'MIP Pinot Noir is the 2nd one, and is just about to join it's comrade in the ancestral burial grounds. Tonight is a good night.
I have one that I got for free and I really like it. My mom had one shipped to her and the little knobby handle on top broke off during shipment so they sent her a free replacement; hence I got the broken one. I doubt I would have bought it on my own though. I really like that it behaves like cast iron with regards to heat retention. I'm able to do pretty delicate flavored stuff in it and deglaze with wine and not worry about picking anything else up from the bottom. Not sure if that's an issue with non-enameld cast iron dutch ovens as I've only used mine for man food.
I'm really sorry about coming off ignorant/dumb in this post, but I'm slowly working my way into being self-sufficient. I'm done with the whole deli-meat/buying lunch at work thing, and was figuring I'd cook up a few chicken breasts, cut them up and use them for sandwich meat for a week or so. I was curious as to what you guys would suggest as the best ideas for marinades or cooking methods - for example I have a big pot of slow cooked chicken breast I made for chicken tacos tonight, but I'd think they're a bit too "wet" to keep in my sandwich bag for a few hours, bread would go mushy as hell. Just any tips on the best way to turn chicken breast into something that tastes great on a sandwich. Thanks a lot.
This is how I cook chicken to keep it juicy and tender: Take a couple of chicken breasts, salt and pepper them. Heat olive oil on medium-high in a skillet. Sear the chicken for 4-5 minutes per side, until they're browned (you'll tell when a side is done because it will release easily). After you've seared the second side, turn off the heat, cover the pan and let it sit for another 10 minutes. I have never had dry chicken this way. The other thing you can do is buy bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, salt and pepper them, rub them with olive oil, and roast in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes. Let them cool, take off the skin/bones, pull apart with your hands and use it for a chicken salad.
I take leftover chicken tear it into pieces and bag them. I slice some cheese and take that some of the chicken and bread to work. I arrange the chicken so it's bread size, on a plate and place the cheese over top. I micro for a few seconds until the cheese melts and then slide it off unto the bread and viola warm chicekn&cheese sandwich.
Brining is the best method to keep chicken moist, hands down. It'll impart flavor throughout the meat as well. If you have chicken bones afterwards, I highly recommend making homemade chicken stock. Of all the made-from-scratch items I've made, chicken stock is definitely worth the time spent.
Am I alone here, or does shit taste way better when cooked in a cast iron pan? I can make a better ribeye with my Les Cruset than on a grill.
Nope, I agree completely. I cook about 90% of my meals on cast iron, and until you've had eggs fried sunny-side up in butter on a cast iron pan, you have no idea what eggs are supposed to taste like.
Food porn: Beaujolas marshmallows: That's a marshmellow that has a very strong wine flavor. We came up with the idea while trying to make some "upscale" smores. We pair it with lavender infused white chocolate, but we're still searching for the perfect "graham cracker".
Make a graham puff, like a normal puff pastry only using graham crackers in it or graham flour. Cut the graham puff pastry and place one of those marshmallows and either just drizzle the top with the lavender white chocolate or top with the chocolate and the then top with the cut off top of the pastry. In my mind it would have the combined taste of the "graham", the marshmallow and the chocolate, but a different texture from the normal crackers. An upscale, smore graham puff pastry.
Sounds good, but we want the graham cracker crunch and l don't know if the puff pastry would give us the correct texture. We're working on a graham cracker meringue cookie right now, not sure how it will turn out.
Phyllo pastry maybe? The problem that I've always had with smores is the way the graham cracker is so fragile. One bite and it cracks in 5 places and you have a mess on your hands. If you could find something that has the crunch but is more stable when bitten into, I would be completely sold. Hell, I already am.
I have an overwhelming desire to make a dense chocolate cake bowl, drop that in, then cover it with hot chocolate sauce and serve with a healthy dose of port.
I'll agree 100% on the eggs, but nix the butter. Cook your bacon in the skillet first, then the eggs in the bacon grease. For health reasons and the sake of my marriage, I only have this once a year.
Quick question for the professional chefs on the board, when you create recipes, do you feel your tastes allign with your customers? Do you ever feel pressure to sell out to the general population- ie- blander food, more traditional dishes, etc
I cooked a steak last night that was so rare I think it moved when I sunk the fork in. It was delish. For those that like their meat overcooked and brown in the middle, I ask why oh why? Also I have two different friends that cannot eat chicken that has been near the bone. I find that odd.
Depends on where and whom l'm working for. lf l'm developing a menu with another chef, l'm mostly there as support, so it's entirely up to them and their palate. ln those cases l only offer suggestions and work with the chef to see if we can come up with something new. lf l'm working on a catering menu, l usually have a tasting menu that l have a client come in and try out first. That way if they have any suggestions on how they want things prepared we can make adustments. ln those cases l am working for a client, and the client has the final word on the menu. HOWEVER, l don't do special orders that are not already part of my catering menu already. For instance, a client recently wanted me to do an almost complete Middle Eastern menu. l don't do middle eastern fare, so l suggested some items l could do instead. The client wanted what she wanted, so l dropped them and recommended a friend who specializes in what she wanted.
When I write a recipe for home use, or for a friend, I give it as much wiggle room as possible, keeping it loose to allow whoever's using it to adjust as necessary and cater to their own needs, as well as to help them learn a bit and develop a trust in their own abilities. It's all a learning game, and because there really isn't any money on the line, I can play around a bit and experiment. In the restaurant scene though, while I don't feel overly pressured to sell out, the bottom line is you can do what you want and go broke, or you can do what the customer wants and stay in business. There's nothing I love more than creating dishes I consider to be works of art, but at the end of the day if I'm not giving my customer what they want, my ass will be out of work mighty fuckin' quick. I'm not always on par with what each customer wants, but you can't account for each and every taste. A particular weakness of mine is monitoring the level of spice and heat in a dish. I can't handle spicy foods because of a bad ulcer and frequent cases of gastritis, so it's tough for me to gauge shit like that. So if I'm making chili it might be a swing and a miss, but as for basic S&P seasoning I tend to be pretty spot on.