Zoe
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Cooking |OT| If you can read, you can cook!
- Thread starter Kraftwerk
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Hey guys, I have a pretty stupid question but I'm very cautious about it so I thought I would ask Cooking GAF for some help.
There's some chicken that I want to cook but the expiration date says December 21st, 2014. It's been in the freezer this entire time though but I'm really worried about cooking it with that expiration date on it. My family says I should just go ahead and use it but my gut feeling tells me otherwise. Any recommendations? I would really appreciate it
There's some chicken that I want to cook but the expiration date says December 21st, 2014. It's been in the freezer this entire time though but I'm really worried about cooking it with that expiration date on it. My family says I should just go ahead and use it but my gut feeling tells me otherwise. Any recommendations? I would really appreciate it
Etrian Oddity
Member
Toss it. If it's a little past date you can always smell and touch it, but no sense risking it. It's just chicken, mang.
:: edit :: Wait, it's been frozen this whole time? Well hell, just thaw it and go from there.
I would cook it. I have cooked frozen chicken that was at least a year old.
Buckethead
Banned
I made bacon wrapped eggs which didn't turn out great but I learned a lot I suppose.
Need some help with preparing a wok I just bought.
Basically I bought a cheap steel wok from a local asian grocery store and figured it needed to be prepared before using.
I found this (http://www.foodservicewarehouse.com/blog/how-to-season-a-wok/). I cleaned the wok with a hard sponge and dish soap and then washed it cleaned, filled it with water and placed it on a hot stovetop.
After a while i noticed it smelling a bit weird, the water having a yellowish tone. I poured out the water and tried to wash it again, but now it looks like this:
http://i.imgur.com/UDW43tk.jpg
Have I ruined the wok?
Basically I bought a cheap steel wok from a local asian grocery store and figured it needed to be prepared before using.
I found this (http://www.foodservicewarehouse.com/blog/how-to-season-a-wok/). I cleaned the wok with a hard sponge and dish soap and then washed it cleaned, filled it with water and placed it on a hot stovetop.
After a while i noticed it smelling a bit weird, the water having a yellowish tone. I poured out the water and tried to wash it again, but now it looks like this:
http://i.imgur.com/UDW43tk.jpg
Have I ruined the wok?
No you actually need to season it. So get some animal fats and set the wok on high heat and allow the fats to bond to the surface of the metal. This will create a layer of seasoning that will build over time and create that non-stick surface that old woks have.
Also if you guys need Chinese cookbook recommendations check out this book, its one of the best and most authentic Chinese cookbooks in English that Ive read..
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0385344686/?tag=neogaf0e-20
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Deleted member 12837
Unconfirmed Member
So in an effort to ease our way into cooking more often, my wife and I are giving Blue Apron a try (let's just skip past the "lol overpriced" arguments, please). So far the meals have turned out surprisingly well despite several moments each night when we're sure we've ruined the entire thing. I have lots of noob questions though (go easy on me please):
1) So far the meals have had us pan-searing/cooking the cuts of meat, but it's producing a good amount of smoke even when we have a window open, our fans turned on, and the vent on. Are we doing something wrong? The meat isn't turning out burnt nor overcooked. The recipes are calling for medium-high heat and I'm using the 5-6 setting on our stovetop dial that goes from 0 to 10.
2) Our once beautiful (because they were rarely used... ) All-Clad pan now has black/brown residue covering the inside. Looks roughly like this. Did we ruin it or is that mostly normal? If the former, how can we avoid this in the future?
3) Any tips to handling meat like chicken or pork and avoiding contaminating the sink, utensils and counter-tops? I try to plan ahead to minimize contact but still end up washing my hands a ton of times and having to clean the counter or utensils in the middle of prep-work.
#1 and #2 are a big reason why I've tended to stick to meals made in the oven or a slow cooker : /
1) So far the meals have had us pan-searing/cooking the cuts of meat, but it's producing a good amount of smoke even when we have a window open, our fans turned on, and the vent on. Are we doing something wrong? The meat isn't turning out burnt nor overcooked. The recipes are calling for medium-high heat and I'm using the 5-6 setting on our stovetop dial that goes from 0 to 10.
2) Our once beautiful (because they were rarely used... ) All-Clad pan now has black/brown residue covering the inside. Looks roughly like this. Did we ruin it or is that mostly normal? If the former, how can we avoid this in the future?
3) Any tips to handling meat like chicken or pork and avoiding contaminating the sink, utensils and counter-tops? I try to plan ahead to minimize contact but still end up washing my hands a ton of times and having to clean the counter or utensils in the middle of prep-work.
#1 and #2 are a big reason why I've tended to stick to meals made in the oven or a slow cooker : /
1. What kind of oil are you using? Low smoke point oils will cause smoke to appear at seemingly lower temps.
2. Again, what oil are you using? The temperature was probably too high and the pan got a little burned. Do not scrub it off, you'll just scrub the stainless steel layer off. It's not ruined, just not as pretty as it used to be.
3. This really depends on how OCD you are about cleanliness and how much you believe that rinsing meat (especially raw chicken) will cover your entire kitchen in salmonella. Personally, I rinse everything and have never gotten sick nor has my cooking made anyone else sick. Clean while cooking has always been the rule of thumb in my family.
D
Deleted member 12837
Unconfirmed Member
Olive oil, which is what the recipe called for. Should we be using an even lower temp, or switch to a different oil? Not a fan of canola for health reasons -- I try to stick to olive or coconut oil. Ghee if I'm working with steaks at max temperature with my cast iron pan, but seems like that'd be overkill for this type of cooking.
Isn't the entire thing stainless steel? And how could one possibly scrub off a layer of metal?
I've heard good things about Barkeeper's Friend for this type of job...worth giving a shot?
beat
Member
I doubt anyone's gonna scrub through a layer of stainless steel that fast.
You can clean stainless steel pans (or pans with stainless steel layers) with Bar Keeper's friend: http://www.thekitchn.com/so-shiny-removing-stains-with-130261
I do second what geomon said about the oil. Oils with high smoke points are what you want for searing.
After the meat is out of the pan, consider making a pan sauce. Full disclosure: I almost never do this. But I do regularly deglaze with water as a cleaning step in cooking even if I don't make a pan sauce. (deglazing explained here.)
The recipe is probably dumb, then. Or you might be using extra virgin olive oil instead of regular olive oil. EVOO has a much lower smoke point than you'd want for searing.
No, it's "all clad". There's a layer of aluminum or copper inside for heat conduction, and it's covered by steel on both sides for durability.
It's possible to scrub metal off over time; I remember reading about a high end restaurant kitchen where the dishwashers were so diligent that the pots looked spotless every night, but after years they had to be thrown out because so much metal had been worn away that the balance was thrown off. But that's a lot of hard scrubbing every single night.
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Deleted member 12837
Unconfirmed Member
Thanks. Hmm, looks like coconut oil is not a better option, then (maybe even worse depending on if I was using normal olive oil or EVOO -- not sure). Maybe I'll try macadamia nut oil...
That ended up being part of some of the recipes, and it worked well for most. Just not this one. The scorch marks aren't actually even layers of food that seem like they could be scraped off. It feels just as smooth as the area around it -- just a mix of brown/black/rainbow-ey.
It was my understanding that All Clad pans have an aluminum core with a stainless steel layer on top. Obviously that wouldn't scrape off after one attempt but trying over time most ght ruin it.
And yes I would go with an oil with a higher smoke point. EVOO should be used for low and slow cooking.
Eye for an Eye
Member
I have all-clad and bar keepers works wonders on it. I would suggest pan searing in your cast iron unless you're using the juices for glaze/sauce that may not turn out well in cast iron.
Also get a good straight edge spatula that you can use to deglaze with. I have two from William Sonoma that are great. After years of use, they haven't bubbled or melted the edges.
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/m/pr...patula/?pkey=cutensils-view-all&isx=0.3.12137
Just heat some water slowly and gently start scraping the spatula around to break up the burnt on stuff.
I also use kosher salt on my non stick when I need to scrub it a little to loosen any dried on bits.
Also get a good straight edge spatula that you can use to deglaze with. I have two from William Sonoma that are great. After years of use, they haven't bubbled or melted the edges.
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/m/pr...patula/?pkey=cutensils-view-all&isx=0.3.12137
Just heat some water slowly and gently start scraping the spatula around to break up the burnt on stuff.
I also use kosher salt on my non stick when I need to scrub it a little to loosen any dried on bits.
Hi everyone. Just got into cooking a lot more. What is everyone's favorite shows? I have been watching a lot of America's Test Kitchen because I like the reviews. Not a lot of the actual cooking yet though.
My main skillet is an old Revere Ware stainless steel pan. These are junk. What were past generations thinking? Very hard to keep the temperature right. Always end up burning off the oil and stuff sticking. I have been lowering the heat lately to find the sweet spot after preheating, but electric ovens suck in that regard.
My plan is to jump on a half decent tri-ply pan at TJ Maxx and hope that helps a little better.
Also, flatten your chicken breasts before cooking them in a cheap skillet or they will never cook through! Step number one! Blue apron never tells you this so you have to remember!
My main skillet is an old Revere Ware stainless steel pan. These are junk. What were past generations thinking? Very hard to keep the temperature right. Always end up burning off the oil and stuff sticking. I have been lowering the heat lately to find the sweet spot after preheating, but electric ovens suck in that regard.
My plan is to jump on a half decent tri-ply pan at TJ Maxx and hope that helps a little better.
Also, flatten your chicken breasts before cooking them in a cheap skillet or they will never cook through! Step number one! Blue apron never tells you this so you have to remember!
I need to check out America's Test Kitchen. As far as favorite shows, I will always love Good Eats, which is apparently coming back. On youtube, I also enjoy SortedFood and Sous Vide Everything. (Mostly because they are doing Sous Vide Experiments so that I don't have to.)
On TV, I'm mostly into the cooking competition shows, but even then, you learn from watching the contestants cook. My all-time favorite is Cutthroat Kitchen. (See the Avatar.)
beat
Member
I used to watch Top Chef. Other than that, not a big fan of cooking shows; I prefer reading the magazines Cook's Illustrated, Cook's Country, Milk Street (the first two by the same empire as America's Test Kitchen, the latter by the ousted founder), and the website Serious Eats.
I prefer chicken thighs, but also they're one of the few things I do in the (toaster) oven rather than on the stove top. Season them overnight with salt and other seasonings (3-5 mL per pound of meat) and leave in the fridge. The next day, roast and they're great.
If I had to cook them on the stovetop, I'd probably do a sear-steam-re-sear process. The steaming part cooks food a lot faster in the pan.
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