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The General Cooking Thread

Discussion in 'Cooking' started by Blue Dog, Oct 20, 2009.

  1. bewildered

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    I just wanted to brag about the awesome sushi and sashimi that me and the best friend made this evening.

    [​IMG]

    That was the first one I attempted.

    They got tidier after that. We had tuna, salmon, imitation crab, cucumber, avocado, and cream cheese. I bought about 1.1lbs of fish and a pack of nori and spent around 15 bucks. That made more than 10 rolls and a couple sashimi on rice thingys. They are fun to make and I was able to eat my fill, whereas at a sushi place I am always worried about my bill.
     
  2. Frank

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    I'm shocked more people don't do this, sushi is probably the most marked up food at restaurants. For christ's sake the most important part (taste wise) is not fucking up the rice.

    What did you use for rolling? All I had was some Crate and Carrel bamboo kit I got as a present like 8 years ago. It doesn't matter taste wise how nice it looks, but I'd like the bragging rights of making it look restaurant style and after multiple attempts I wasn't able to come close to yours.

    Might be the fact I don't have dainty little girl hands though.
     
  3. bewildered

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    My friend's dad had bamboo mats. The key is to cover them tightly with saran wrap. They are impossible to clean and the saran wrap helps with rolling, I think. I used this tutorial: http://video.about.com/japanesefood/Roll-Sushi.htm

    Basically, you want to have your nori right at the edge of your mat and roll the mat up with the meat of your hand and your thumbs while holding the guts of the roll with your fingers. It should be pretty tight. Then you square it off. I squared it off with my thumbs on the back, my fingers on the opposite side, my index fingers on top, and pressing down to make the bottom. Another key step is that after you wet the edge of the nori and connect it into a roll shape, you need to let the seam rest. Everything will likely fall apart if you don't.

    Edit: As for your kit, I'm sure it came with those wooden spreading spoon things? I don't use those. I grab a handful of rice with wet fingers and spread it onto the nori directly. It doesn't crush the rice that way.

    Another key part to making the rice is rice wine vinegar. I used regular white rice and it tasted fine. If you use this guide: http://www.sushiencyclopedia.com/ho...ke_sushi_rice_with_tools_you_already_own.html then it is easy, and tastes perfect.
     
  4. Frank

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    Sounds good, I used saran and everything but I definitely didn't let it rest, I'll have to do that next time.

    I HIGHLY recommend trying actual sushi rice here if you can, it is so much more moist. They will sell it in the bulk bins at a lot of Whole Foods stores and failing that I'm sure you could get it from Amazon.
     
  5. PIMPTRESS

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    Last night I threw this together and it was fantastic.

    1 lb chicken breast, cut into strips

    1 12oz pckg Aidells Chicken and Apple Smoked Chicken Sausages, diced

    1 green bell pepper

    portabella mushrooms, sliced

    2 tbsp butter

    Olive Oil

    1 jar Gia Russa Alla Vodka Sauce (or make your own, I was short on time)

    2 cups whole grain penne, cooked

    Using a cast iron skillet, melt the butter with a bit of olive oil. Throw the meats in, cook on medium high heat. I seasoned it with garlic, a touch of salt and fresh cracked pepper.

    Once the chicken is cooked, add mushrooms and bell peppers. Put a lid on the pan and lower the heat to medium. Let the veggies simmer for about 7 minutes.

    Add vodka sauce, replace lid and allow it to simmer on low heat for 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

    I then dumped the cooked penne into the skillet (it's a BIG one).

    Serve in a bowl, with fresh grated parmesan.

    Delicious.
     
  6. bewildered

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    I made sure my white rice was still very wet. There was no water on the bottom of the pan though, and I cooked it until it was soft. I know it's not identical to sushi rice but the differences were very small and weren't worth me buying more ingredients.

    When you let your roll rest, make sure the seam is on the bottom. The inside out rolls weren't as big a deal, but with the ones with the nori on the outside, it is very important that you allow them about 3-5 minutes of rest time with the seam down.

    My biggest problem last night was cutting the rolls. I need a different knife. I was using a serrated blade that was pretty sharp, but even though I made fast, small saws, the cuts weren't as clean as restaurant style. Any tips with this?
     
  7. Blue Dog

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    I'm sure some of you have asked yourselves," Ya know, I wonder what BD's second favorite food of all time is?". Well I'll tell you, I have two second favorite foods of all time- chips and salsa, and chicken wings. So I decided to be a fat kid last weekend and make some wings of my own.

    But it can't just be any kind of chicken wings- I like them breaded, not just fried naked and then drenched with sauce. As long as they're breaded, I'll use some sauce, but I prefer a dry wing with really good seasoned breading. So, for those weirdos like me, here is how I make some that meet this criteria while still being extremely simple:

    - Cut up my wings, throw them in a bowl, and toss with salt, pepper, hotsauce (I used Louisiana hotsauce), and vegetable oil
    - Heat up a pot of vegetable oil to 350
    - In a large plastic shopping bag, pour some flour and a shitton of Tony's seasoning. Mix well
    - Add your wings to the bag and shake the shit out of it. This should result in a nice dredging of every wing, but not wings that are just caked in batter. Let sit for like 10 minutes while the oil heats up
    - Fry in batchs for like 10-15 minutes per batch (depending on how large the wings are), or until the breading is a nice golder color
    - Remove from oil onto a paper towel lined tray to drain and cool, make your sauce

    - Sauce: Put some butter into a pot and melt it. Add a shitton of Louisiana hotsauce and stir. Add cayenne pepper to get the heat you want. This sauce actually tastes just like Hooters'. Pour some in another large bowl (not the one you had the raw chicken in earlier- gross), throw some wings in there, and toss until they are all coated.

    Kept it simple and cheap (total cost for everything was like $12-$15, or one order of wings at a restaurant that aren't even done the right way. Plus, this made like 30 wings), and got the wings I wanted:


    This weekend, I'm going to try to kill The Wife with richness- pan-seared filet mignon, bearnaise with lump crab meat, smoked gouda cheese grits, and creamed spinach. Bitches love gettin killed with richness. More on that later.
     

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  8. Nettdata

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    I've just come into possession of a bunch of PDF cookbooks:

    365 Foreign Dishes.pdf
    A Little Cook Book for a Little Girl.pdf
    Awesome Restaurant Recipes.pdf
    Barbecue Recipes.pdf
    Beef Recipes.pdf
    Betty Crockers Best Of Baking Recipes.pdf
    Cajun Recipes.pdf
    Chinese Recipes.pdf
    Chocolate And Cocoa Recipes.pdf
    Click To Cook.pdf
    Comfort Foods.pdf
    Cook It Juicy.pdf
    Cooking By The Book.pdf
    Creative Homemaking Guide To Casseroles.pdf
    Crockpot Recipies.pdf
    Dale Recipe Book.pdf
    Desserts Of Vitality.pdf
    E-Cookbooks Recipe Sampler.pdf
    Every Step In Canning.pdf
    Favorite Dishes.pdf
    For Breakfast.pdf
    Generations Of Recipes.pdf
    Grill Recipes.pdf
    Grillmaster- Barbecue Recipes.pdf
    Hillbilly Hanks Roadkill Recipes.pdf
    Homebrew Favorites.pdf
    Hotdog Recipes.pdf
    Indian Recipes.pdf
    Italian Recipes.pdf
    Jamie Olivers Cookbook.pdf
    Low-carb Recipe Secrets.pdf
    Malaysian Recipes.pdf
    Many Ways For Cooking Eggs.pdf
    Meals For A Healthy Weight.pdf
    Mexican Recipes.pdf
    Native American Health Recipes.pdf
    Now Were Cooking.pdf
    One-Pot Meals.pdf
    Pasta Recipes.pdf
    Pizzeria Recipes.pdf
    Prizewinning Recipes.pdf
    Recipes To Spice Up Your Summer.pdf
    Salads Recipes.pdf
    Sauce Recipes.pdf
    Secret Ingredients.pdf
    Simple Italian Cookery.pdf
    Soup Recipes.pdf
    Starbucks Frappucino.pdf
    Thanksgiving Recipes.pdf
    The Belgian Cookbook.pdf
    The Essential Seafood Cookbook.pdf
    The Greek Kitchen.pdf
    The Quilt Inn Country Cookbook.pdf
    The Ultimate Grilling Guide.pdf
    The Worlds Best Burger.pdf
    Ultimate cheesecakes.pdf
    Veggies.pdf

    If anyone wants a link to download them, shoot me a PM.
     
  9. Kubla Kahn

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  10. AlmostGaunt

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    I made this last night for company and it was excellent. Probably the most flavourful chicken I've tasted, and when dessert came out you could actually feel the room get... moist. This is a 4 part recipe (Main and 2 sides, and dessert) stolen from Jamie Oliver, which is surprisingly quick to put together. He claims it takes 30 minutes, it took me closer to an hour and a half, but then I was relaxing and drinking a shiraz rather than frantically swarming.
    Spoilered for length.

    Ingredients: (Oh, this meal requires a large baking tray, a large saucepan, and a large frypan).

    DAUPHINOISE
    1 red onion, sliced
    1kg potatoes, thinly sliced
    1 nutmeg (I used 1tsp powdered nutmeg, never seen the real stuff).
    2 cloves of garlic, minced
    1 x 300ml tub of single cream
    4 anchovies in oil (I omitted these, because I'm a picky whore).
    Parmesan cheese
    2 bay leaves
    a very small bunch of fresh thyme

    SEASONINGS
    olive oil
    extra virgin olive oil
    sea salt & black pepper

    CHICKEN
    a few sprigs of fresh rosemary, finely chopped.
    4 x 180g chicken breasts, skin on (I used skin-off, have never even seen skin-on)
    4 teaspoons mustard powder (I used wholegrain mustard)
    3 baby leeks or 1 large leek, thinly sliced
    4 cloves of garlic, minced
    white wine (I substituted chicken stock)
    75ml single cream (taken from cream for dauphinoise)
    1 heaped teaspoon wholegrain mustard

    GREENS (to be honest, the greens were good without being great, if you have a better greens recipe I'd use it. Just so long as you have something tangy to cut through the richness of the other dishes).
    200g Swiss chard or other greens
    1 x 200g bag of prewashed baby spinach
    1 lemon

    AFFOGATO
    1 tablespoon instant coffee (I used drinking chocolate instead, coffee reminds me of work)
    3 teaspoons golden caster sugar (unnecessary with drinking chocolate)
    4–6 round shortbread biscuits
    1 x 425g tin of pitted black cherries in juice (I used mixed berries, cherries are the devil's testicles)
    1 x 100g bar of good-quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
    1 x 500g tub of good-quality vanilla ice cream

    DAUPHINOISE Tip onion and potato into your baking tray and season. Sprinkle with nutmeg, add garlic and pour in 225ml of single cream. Tear in the anchovies and finely grate half your Parmesan. Add the bay leaves, pick the leaves from a few thyme sprigs and add a good drizzle of olive oil. Mix everything together, then put the tray over a medium heat. Pour in 200ml of boiled water, cover tightly with tin foil and leave on the heat.

    CHICKEN Grab your chicken breasts and spread with the chopped rosemary. Sprinkle your mustard powder over each breast, then season and drizzle some olive oil over the chicken and into the frying pan. Massage and rub these flavours all over the meat. Put the chicken breasts in the pan, skin side down. Press down on the chicken to help it cook. It should take around 18 minutes in total.

    DAUPHINOISE Give the tray a shake so nothing catches.

    GREENS Finely slice the stalks so they cook quickly. Wash the leaves. Put the stalks into the saucepan, cover with boiling water, add a good pinch of salt and put the lid on.

    DAUPHINOISE Remove the tin foil. Finely grate over a layer of Parmesan. Drizzle the remaining thyme sprigs with oil, scatter on top and put into the oven on the top shelf to cook for 15 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbling.

    CHICKEN Add leeks to one side of the chicken pan.

    GREENS Add the chard leaves to the saucepan. Add another splash of boiled water if needed.

    CHICKEN Add garlic. Flip the chicken breasts skin side up, then press down on them again. Stir the leeks and add a good swig of white wine (/chicken stock).

    GREENS Empty the bag of spinach into a colander and pour the greens and the boiling water over the spinach. Add a lug of olive oil to the empty saucepan, squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon (I found this a little too much lemon, I'd use half next time), then return all the drained greens to the pan and use tongs to toss and dress in the flavours. Season to taste, then take straight to the table.

    CHICKEN Check the chicken is cooked through, then pour 75ml of cream into the frying pan. Cover the pan with tin foil. Check on the dauphinoise to make sure it's not burning.

    CHICKEN Turn the heat off. Transfer the chicken breasts to a board and slice into uneven pieces. Stir 1 heaped teaspoon of whole grain mustard into the sauce, then taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Spoon the sauce on to a platter and put the sliced chicken on top.

    Serve Chicken and Dauphinoise.

    AFFOGATO Crumble the shortbread biscuits into the bottom of 4 espresso cups. Drain the cherries/berries and divide them between the cups. Bash the bar of chocolate up and add a few chunks to each cup. Mix your chocolate/coffee with some boiling water until you get a fairly syrupy liquid. Add a couple of scoops of icecream to your cup, (and if you are a huge show-off, grate chocolate on top) then pour over just enough hot coffee/chocolate to start melting the chocolate. Congratulations! You now look like an incredibly competent cook, whipping up a multi-course meal in very little time.
     
  11. fishy

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    I rep'd this, but I ended up making a big sushi dinner the other night and thought I'd expand.

    First, get sushi rice. Flavor-wise & with regards to moisture it's pretty similar to long grain, but it doesn't hold up as well texture-wise. I use Nishiki, but Botan or Calrose all work well. These are medium-grain rices, and are about half the price of short grain - you can't tell the difference. A friend of mine's parents have owned a sushi restaurant for close to 30 years, and Nishiki is the only brand they'll use. Make sure to rinse the rice at least a couple of times before you cook it.

    The rice ends up being much stickier than regular long grain rice, so that when you cut it, it doesn't just crumble. Also holds up much better when you're trying to eat it (the roll doesn't just fall apart).

    I use a serrated knife, but I try to use very long knife strokes - the full length of the blade, same way you should be cutting the fish (albeit with a different knife). I can usually get all the way through a roll in 2 cuts- backward & forward.

    Also, make sure your knife and your hands are wet when handling the rice, otherwise it just sticks to everything. I just keep a bowl of water on the counter. And don't be afraid to firm them up after they're cut.

    Your pic looks pretty damn good actually. 1 thing I would suggest it to use only a half sheet of nori when the rice is on the outside. It will get rid of that curly-que part coming down. Full sheet when the nori is on the outside.
     
  12. Blue Dog

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    As mentioned above: pan seared filet, bearnaise with lump crab, smoked gouda cheese grits, and creamed spinach:
    Yeah... That little bit of sauce wasn't nearly enough
    For the grits- just 2 cups of heavy cream 2 cups chicken stock brought to a boil, then 1 cup of white grits. Bring back to a boil, stirring frequently, then reduced to a simmer and go until thickened (still stirring). At this point, stir in some cubed pieces of smoked gouda. Salt and pepper. OLE'!

    For the spinach, I just used this recipe (by the way, I really like this woman's site, and plan on doing a lot more of her stuff. Like her butt.)

    The bearnaise was just this recipe, and then I dumped a bunch of lump crab meat into it at the end. Like a winner.

    STEAKS. Yeah, the steaks. Put a cast iron pan into the oven, set to 500. Coated the steaks in olive oil, salt and pepper. When the oven was preheated, took the pan and moved it to the stove top (which was on high heat) and seared the filets for about a minute of two a side. Then threw the pan back into the oven for 2-3 minutes, opened to flip once, and 2 minutes more. Removed from the oven to a plate, covered with foil, and let rest for 5-10 minutes. High fived myself while waiting. I thought I heard a bird chirp the Rocky theme as I did this, which led to an out of body experience and a spontaneous orgasm. Sweet.
     

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  13. tempest

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    Shitty picture quality from my iPhone, but I finally realized a dream.

    Pancake encrusted bacon:
     

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  14. scotchcrotch

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    My favorite dish of all time might be burnt ends. It's a unique taste, but damn are they tasty. Buttery and crispy like I'd imagine Jesus' foreskin.


    Cover a brisket in yellow mustard and add a generous coat of brown sugar, black pepper, kosher salt, paprika, minced onion, minced garlic, and crushed red pepper.


    Smoke over an oak fire overnite. Mop every few hours with a worchestershire/soy/pineapple juice.

    Slice off the fatback and cube. Place in a foil wrap and poke holes in it.


    Smoke for another few hours until dinner.
     
  15. hooker

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    [​IMG]

    Grilled Zucchini and Tortellini Salad with Asiago Cheese

    This salad kicks royal ass for any summer BBQ. The best part is that it covers veggies, pasta, and salad all in one - and it tastes better when you prepare it the night before. So, the day of the BBQ you do absolutely no prep work, which is great for a lazy ass like myself.

    Vinaigrette:
    1/2 cup (125 mL) olive oil
    2 tbsp (25 mL) red wine vinegar
    2 tbsp (25 mL) balsamic vinegar
    2 tbsp (25 mL) finely chopped fresh oregano
    1 tbsp (15 mL) grainy Dijon Mustard
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

    Salad:
    3 green zucchini
    3 yellow zucchini
    1 lb (500 g) fresh cheese-stuffed tortellini
    1/2 cup (125 mL) Kalamata olives
    1/3 cup (75 mL) chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
    6 ozs (175 g) Asiago cheese, cut into small cubes
    1/3 cup (75 mL) coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

    1. Combine oil, red wine and balsamic vinegars, oregano, mustard and garlic in a bowl; season with salt and pepper.

    2. Cut each zucchini into three length-wise slices, about 1/2-inch (1-cm) thick. Place on a baking sheet and brush with 1/3 cup (75 mL) of the vinaigrette. Place on greased grill over medium-high heat and cook for 4 to 5 minutes per side or until just crisp-tender. Let slices cool slightly; cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) thick chunks.

    3. Meanwhile cook tortellini in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender. Drain; rinse under cold water to chill. Drain well.

    4. Combine tortellini, grilled zucchini, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, cheese and parsley in a large bowl; pour remaining vinaigrette over and toss. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

    Serves 6 to 8
     
  16. katokoch

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    Liberally coat it in Cavendar's Greek Seasoning, put it in the pot, pour beer in until it's covered, and set it at low heat. Cook until you can freely pull the bone out, chop the meat up, and let it cook for another couple hours at low heat. It's stupid simple and you get a pile of delicious, fork-tender pulled pork. Mmmmm.
     
  17. dewercs

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    Try a 8 inch santoku knife (even less expensive ones work, I use costco brand 2 for about 12 bucks), make sure it is very sharp, after each cut clean it off with a damp paper towel or cloth. Clean blade-clean cut. You should be able to make one forward motion with the knife and make a clean slice, no sawing motion needed. Like anything else takes some practice, your sushi rolls look very good. Nice work.
     
  18. JoshP

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    6lbs of bacon turned into a 1lb bacon bowl and a 5lb bacon weave. THAT'S SMART!

    [​IMG]
     
  19. Poopourri

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    I was looking through my fridge and noticed a perfect storm of ingredients, so I threw this motherfucker together. I know, I know...it's just a sandwich, but fuck you. Sandwiches are great.

    [​IMG]

    Ingredients by layer:

    Ezekiel bread
    Mayo
    Spinach
    Thick cut bacon
    Avocado
    Pale Ale mustard
    Tavern ham
    Tomato (hidden, I put it between the meats so you don't get that tectonic shift where the top half slides away when you bite. Fuckin' smart.)
    Honey maple turkey (shaved)
    Spicy dill pickles
    Butterkase cheese
    Mayo
    Ezekiel bread

    Un-be-reevable. There should be a thread dedicated to all things sandwiches.
     
  20. bewildered

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    Fast forward to 5minutes, 10 seconds. How effective do you think this method is?
     
    #700 bewildered, Jul 28, 2011
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 27, 2015