I have 4 main pieces I do the vast majority of my cooking in. -a 30 cm All-Clad frying pan that I bought on sale -a 30 cm saute pan from Du Buyer that I got at a good price -a Le Creuset dutch oven (30 cm in diameter - I forget the volume) -an Ikea stock pot Of these, I would say that the saute pan and the dutch oven are the essentials; the stock pot is a cheap add-on that you can get if you need to be cooking multiple things at a time, and the frying pan is more or less optional. The Ikea stock pot does all of the general boiling duties, mostly cooking pasta. The dutch oven does soups, roasts, risottos, etc. - you could also use it as a general boiling water vessel, but personally I find that I'd rather use a stock pot for that while doing my cooking in the dutch oven (i.e. I'll be making pasta sauce in the dutch oven while boiling pasta in the stock pot). The saute pan acts mostly as a bridge between the dutch oven and the frying pan - if I need to, say, build a curry that requires multiple steps of frying and then removing food, and especially if I need to hold more volume than a frying pan, I use it. Depending on the volume of what you're cooking it could also be used to make smaller soups, stews or sauces, but it's not much good for roasting. The frying pan is really just for frying and I prefer to use it when I don't want the high walls and extra weight of the saute pan. I do have a few extras that I use from time to time, like a small saucepan from Le Creuset (and for the record, only buy the Le Creuset stuff made in France), a pressure cooker, a paella pan, some oven roasting dishes, but if I'm honest, these things will handle the vast majority of what you need to do. They may not do them perfectly efficiently, but you can always start from here and build according to your cooking style. Oh, also, get a good wooden spoon. They work far better than silicone or rubber for scrapings bits off the bottom of the pot, which you're going to need for any cookware that isn't non-stick.
On that front, I have about 10 bamboo spatulas and stuff I picked up from the Dollar Store that do a fantastic job of that. Most spoons from there are too weak and break, but the bamboo is very strong and durable.
I have never eaten striped marlin, I was always told it was not good but had to take one last week that came up with a jig in its gills the mate on my friends boat told me it is very good sashimi and he was correct it is out of this world it has the consistency of tuna with more of a beef flavor. This is a Baja style of sashimi, you can do it with any fish. Ingredients 1/2 cup of soy 2 key limes juiced 1 tablespoon of sesame oil 1/4 cup of mirin 1/4 cup of rice vinegar Mix all together 1.5 pounds of striped marlin sliced thin 1 red onion sliced thin 1 avacodo Wasabi and Siracha for garnish The fish, avacodo, and onion combo is awesome
It is obvious why wood spoons and spatulas would be superior to rubber and plastic utensils, but what is your opinion of it vs. stainless steel utensils?
Stainless steel utensils are hell on any good cookware, scratching the sides and bottom. Using them can even void some cookware's lifetime warranty
I have never seen scratches on my stainless steel or cast iron dishes. I can see avoiding stainless steel utensils for non-stick, but ghettoastronaut mentioned using the wooden spoon to scrape bits from the pots that are not non-stick.
Stainless steel will straight up strip the nonstick coating on nonstick cookware. And then you get to eat it. "These black flecks...are they a type of seasoning?" "Why, yes, it's Teflon. Only the finest spices in this dwelling." I have some nonstick stuff but I don't like it and shit still sticks to it anyway. I do use stainless steel utensils on my stainless cookware. Hasn't caused much of an issue.
Made some homemade pasta sauce that Ive been perfected over time. Its a good base if you want to spin it into a vodka sauce, a creamy tomato sauce, or a ragu with sausage or beef. Ingredients: -1 small yellow onion (if you want, but I highly recommend) -3 garlic gloves, minced -1 14 ounce can of crushed or diced tomatoes (preferably San Marzano) -1 can of tomato paste -1 can of basic tomato sauce (again, San Marzano if you can get it) -1 cup of water - this is if you plan to simmer for a few hours, which I also recommend. You want to add or remove water depending on how long you plan to let it simmer so the sauce doesnt burn up. -1.5 tsp of basil -1 tsp of parsley, you can do dried flakes, but its better to go for the real thing -1 tsp of brown sugar -1 tsp of salt or to taste -1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes -1/2 tsp of black pepper -1/8 cup of red wine -dash of nutmeg -dash of oregano If you plan to make a ragu sauce (Sunday Gravy), brown the meat you want to use before all the steps above and drain before adding it in, otherwise the grease will make it too oily. Steps: -In about a tablespoon of EVOO, soften the minced garlic and onion for about 30 seconds, dont let it burn though. -Add in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and tomato sauce. -Add in the dry ingredients above. -Add in the red wine and stir. I prefer using a hand blender as it makes it a great consistency, but a wooden spoon will work too. -set to simmer on very low heat. -Stir every half hour so and keep an eye on the thickness by adding water about 1/4 cup at a time so it doesnt get too thick and burn. Enjoy! Spoiler: Spoilered for size
Remember that groundhog I iced yesterday? I decided to try it in Brunswick Stew. Used this recipe. I substituted half a tsp of smoked praprika. I don't know what that stuff can't be added to.
Made Shrimp & (Gouda) Grits: Sauce: Cut-up-and-browned about 6 strips of bacon in a pot. Scooped out the bacon one it was finished and set aside for later, then threw in a bunch of diced shallots to brown in the drippings. Cooked for a few minutes, then added some minced garlic and diced tomatoes. After like 10 minutes, deglazed with about 2 cups of white wine (wife was drinking Moscato, so used that) and the juice from one lemon. Reduced by about half, then added about 2 cups of chicken stock. Reduced about 5-10 more minutes, then added about a cup of heavy cream. Let simmer for ~10 minutes to thicken up, then kill the heat and add some sliced green onion, chopped parsley, and bacon pieces from earlier. Season with salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika. Shrimp: Peel and dry completely (I just used a towel). Throw in a bowl with some olive oil (just enough to coat), salt, and garlic powder. Heat a heavy skillet (I used cast iron) over high heat and coat with some kind of fat (I used bacon drippings that I save in a jar in my fridge). Throw your shrimp in the pan and cook over high heat to get a little char on the outside, then kill the heat and toss the charred shrimp into your sauce pot. Grits: Boil 6 cups of chicken stock and 2 cups of milk. Add 2 cups of real (not instant) grits. Cook for ~ 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Kill the heat and add ~ 8oz of diced Smoked Gouda (discarding the rind beforehand). Stir the cheese into the grits until melted through. Salt and pepper to taste. Beer: Canebrake
Where the hell did the pic go!? That looks fucking awesome, and I'm going to have to try and find some grits and give it a go. Friend of mine is a prawn fisherman so I have lots on hand, and am always looking for something new to try with them.
I did a little variation of this salsa recipe last night that I'd recommend trying. Original recipe, which is very simple to make- just mix it all together in a blender: 1 14.5 oz can diced tomato 1 8 oz can tomato sauce 3 green onions, chopped small Half a bunch of cilantro 2 jalapeños, de-seeded, de-veined and chopped small (or leave the seeds in) 1 yellow hot pepper, prepped the same as the jalapeno 1 tsp granulated garlic (or chopped fresh) 1 Tbsp lemon juice (or juice from 1/2 lemon) 1 tsp black pepper 1 tsp salt I like to add a little bit of habañero pepper too. It can easily go from mild to hot, depending on how much heat you want. What I tried differently was slicing the peppers in half and putting them on my Weber grill to smoke for an hour or so to achieve a smoky roasted flavor. The goal for the grill was purely smoke flavor and not to actually cook the peppers so I went for bare minimum heat and maximum smoke from palm-sized blocks of cherry wood- just enough to keep the smoke rolling. There's a burrito place near my office that does a decent roasted salsa but can taste like someone put cigarettes out in it, so I gently wiped the peppers off with a paper towel before chopping them up to avoid that harsh burnt flavor. It was great last night on pork tacos and even better this morning.
This is my version of tuna tartar, I use the trimmings from sashimi and the end of the filets for this, has great flavor. 2 pounds of yellowfin tuna, be sure it passes the smell test. .25 cup of sesame oil .25 cup of chives .25 cup of cilantro a few table spoons of soy siracha to taste 3 avocados 1 can of chunk pineapple (20oz) chop tuna in very small pieces and add sesame oil, chives, cilantro, soy and siracha then put in fridge for 20 minutes to set up. Remove pineapple from can and take both lids off, top and bottom so you have a cylinder you will need an opener that pinches the edge of the lids so you get a clean can, then cover the bottom with saran wrap. Place about 3/4 of the avocado in the can and press down so it is solid, add tuna on top and press into place, remove saran wrap and plate. This recipe will make 3 of these. Garnish with chives
The darker of the the two sauces is a sesame garlic glaze, while the lighter of the two is a cucumber wasabi cream sauce.
$.49/lb. whole chickens + Italian sausages + a couple hours on the Weber grill with indirect heat and handfuls of cherry wood chips = lots of begging I've grilled a few cheap chickens like that this summer and have forgotten about putting a beer can in them altogether- it is a waste of time. Rather, brining them with fresh herbs from the garden (basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme) and injecting the breasts and thighs with brine before putting it on the grill has been working really well to make them super juicy (and just saving the beer for drinking while I make sure it stays smoking). I season by basting on a bit of olive oil after it has been on the grill for awhile and then liberally tossing spicy garlic seasoning onto the bird. Whatever isn't consumed on the spot is chopped up and put in tacos with chipotle sauce and green onions. Really easy, good stuff.
How difficult should it be to slice through a raw chicken breast? I ask because I cut my chicken breasts into thinner slices to cook and lately the knife I've been using has been getting dull, and I haven't been slicing my chicken breasts for too long. I'm considering getting a good knife but this is totally out of my realm. 1. Can I get a good quality knife for $150-$200? 2. How often should I have to sharpen a good quality meat-cutting knife?