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[Cosmic Bus]

Look forward to seeing it. This one looks a little fancy but if you strip away the micro herbs it's a really easy dish to make.

Well, a little presentation goes a long way, as nakedsushi and jarosh seem especially adept at pointing out every time they post something new. Your dish reminded me that I need to get around to adding lentils to my diet...

My egg submission is a crisp, almost paper-thin omelette stuffed with roasted mushrooms and feta, with corn and lime fritters (held together by more egg!) and lightly sautéed summer squash.

 

[Schrade]

Well, a little presentation goes a long way, as nakedsushi and jarosh seem especially adept at pointing out every time they post something new. Your dish reminded me that I need to get around to adding lentils to my diet...

My egg submission is a crisp, almost paper-thin omelette stuffed with roasted mushrooms and feta, with corn and lime fritters (held together by more egg!) and lightly sautéed summer squash.

[IMG ]http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg192/cosmic_bus78/S6305541.jpg[/IMG]

That looks fucking AWESOME. (Well, except for mushroom part. Yech)

Oh man... great job!

That looks like Zucchini, not summer squash though.

 

[CrushDance]

depends, I try not to use too much oil and these days if I need to use alot its gonna be olive oil.

I cook many different varieties of foods and I try not to restrict myself to any one culture. When it comes to Asian foods I typically stir fry, make curry, or steam/boil so I suppose not that much oil goes into my food.

I'm no health nut but my main concern is ingredient quality while health benefits are second. Although I am trying to cook and eat better these days so my past dishes are probably gonna seem unhealthier than now.

Also Brianemone that egg dish is phenomenal! I've got to try it myself sometime. Alright I gotta get my egg dish in.

Cool! I'm going to copy your dishes from now on then :lol They always look great with the mixed veggies and meats. I quit eating white rice though as my main staple for the most part and will be switching to some other kind in the future. What rice do you guys recommend? i tried brown rice years ago and it was the worst taste ever *blargh*

 

[Shorty]

Cooked some Butter Paneer Masala.

I dont know what it is but it looks fucking delicious

 

[hydragonwarrior]

Shout out to all the students out there who can't cook fancy because of the shoestring budget constraints!

*awesome tomato sauce recipe*

As an onion, garlic, and tomato sauce fan I will DEFINITELY try this out soon! Thanks!

 

[soultron]

Awesome presentation on this page, guys. Keep up the good work!

 

[norinrad21]

I love this thread, so many ideas

 

[Blablurn]

so many good meals. daaaamn, too bad i'm doing a diet at the moment

 

[Cosmic Bus]

That looks like Zucchini, not summer squash though.

Not sure if this is the case everywhere or not, but in this area of the country most grocery stores seem to use the two descriptors almost interchangeably, and to be honest, I'm not entirely positive what the difference is. These were labeled as squash, but they looked like zucchini to me, too, but whatever, I guess.

so many good meals. daaaamn, too bad i'm doing a diet at the moment

Almost everything I've posted over the past couple of months is very diet-friendly (and vegetarian to boot). I've been watching closely what and how much I eat and it's unquestionably making a difference.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

Cool! I'm going to copy your dishes from now on then :lol They always look great with the mixed veggies and meats. I quit eating white rice though as my main staple for the most part and will be switching to some other kind in the future. What rice do you guys recommend? i tried brown rice years ago and it was the worst taste ever *blargh*

I'm too Asian to give up rice but I'm gonna be experimenting with Textured Vegetable Protein which is suppose to be a good alternative to rice.

 

[Brianemone]

My egg submission is a crisp, almost paper-thin omelette stuffed with roasted mushrooms and feta, with corn and lime fritters (held together by more egg!) and lightly sautéed summer squash.

Dude, I'd hit that.... with my mouth........ still sounds wrong.........

Looks good man.

In your Corn/Lime fritters what makes up the bulk of it? Is it a flour type mixture?

 

[Cosmic Bus]

In your Corn/Lime fritters what makes up the bulk of it? Is it a flour type mixture?

Tofu! Not ideal for a lot of people, I'm sure, but it turned out quite well. They consisted of: tofu, corn, lime zest and juice, green and white onion, garlic, some egg to help bind, smoked paprika, a splash of soy sauce and sriacha, and s+p. I formed them into patties and tossed 'em into a 450° oven for about 10 minutes per side and a few minutes more on the first side.

 

[Doytch]

Boom! Egg salad. :lol Changed from the traditional egg salad was Greek yogurt instead of mayo since I picked it up on recommendation from this thread. Dill and red pepper flakes for spice. I always liked egg salad, but I've been eating healthier over the past year and a bit, and haven't had egg salad. The light Greek yogurt is definitely better for you than a helping of mayo.

Tofu! Not ideal for a lot of people, I'm sure, but it turned out quite well. They consisted of: tofu, corn, lime zest and juice, green and white onion, garlic, some egg to help bind, smoked paprika, a splash of soy sauce and sriacha, and s+p. I formed them into patties and tossed 'em into a 450° oven for about 10 minutes per side and a few minutes more on the first side.

Those look really good, just some follow up questions: I'm assuming it's a softer tofu so you can get it into some sort of a mix? And what shape was the corn in? As in, canned, dry, other?

 

[Cosmic Bus]

Those look really good, just some follow up questions: I'm assuming it's a softer tofu so you can get it into some sort of a mix? And what shape was the corn in? As in, canned, dry, other?

That's such a good tip about Greek yogurt! I've been craving some mayo lately, too... See, this is why IronGAF is king.

As for the tofu, it was the firm variety. I just sliced off a decent chunk and used my hands to mash it into the mix. The corn was frozen, although fresh off the cob would've been AWESOME.

 

[Brianemone]

Bugger, now I want an egg sandwich.

 

[Brianemone]

Here's an Egg Dessert. Just a different take on Lemon Meringue Pie. Eggs in the Citrus Curd and the Meringue obviously.

 

[OnkelC]

impressive dishes all around, folks! It's good to see that this years attempt at a cookoff seems to start promising.

Since I do not have the time to cook at the moment, would you mind if i only act as the ringmaster?

Keep sharing, please.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

sure thing, also I'm not sure if you guys want but maybe it would be better if we made a new thread for a these cooking assignments to better organize? Well either way works.

I'm still gonna try one more egg dish before I post since I'm not satisfied with my previous two.

 

[Cosmic Bus]

I'd just assume keep everything in this thread, myself. We aren't planning(?) to vote for certain people like the photography assignments since it's just a specific ingredient we're tasked with using. I don't personally make enough presentation-worthy meals to warrant contributing to two separate topics, anyway.

Brianemone: Ohhh, those meringues look great! The lighting had me thinking it was a biscuit/shortcake on top at first.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

OK here is my egg submission, I just couldn't muster the inspiration to create something truly wonderful so I went with something simple as eggs are something that doesn't need to be complicated. Just made a crepe and baked an egg on top of it.l

 

[OnkelC]

I'd just assume keep everything in this thread, myself. We aren't planning(?) to vote for certain people like the photography assignments since it's just a specific ingredient we're tasked with using. I don't personally make enough presentation-worthy meals to warrant contributing to two separate topics, anyway.

Brianemone: Ohhh, those meringues look great! The lighting had me thinking it was a biscuit/shortcake on top at first.

my thoughts exactly (including the verdict on the meringue!)

 

[nakedsushi]

Oh wow, great egg submissions people. Eggs are one of my favorite foods! There's just something about a perfectly poached or fried egg (with a still-runny yolk!) that makes my mouth water.

 

[MelloBoy]

not sure if this is the appropriate thread for this, but here goes.

I'm thinking of dabbling into bread making. I remember kneading the dough by hand ages ago and also remember that it was quite annoying to do as well. Enter my question since i'm a bit of a weakling

I'm thinking of buying a mixer and see prices running the gamut from around $30~$500+. Are these things like microwaves where a $20 unit will do most of what a $120 unit will do or is there a reason why some units are exorbitantly priced? I'm hearing that KitchenAid mixers are the industry standard for amateur bakers, but are they really worth the (minimum i've seen new) $200 or so entry price?

 

[Yes Boss!]

I dont know what it is but it looks fucking delicious

Yeah, probably my favorite indian dish and so easy. Even making the paneer (curd cheese) takes about five minutes. I used this recipe from Manjula on youtube. She used three tablespoons of oil which I substituted with ghee to enrichen it a bit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIkRo-2mIEw

Here were the ingredients:

And a single serving. (about 1/3 of the finished portion):

 

[santouras]

I've been trying for the last couple of weeks and I just cannot get the poached egg thing going correctly. I've got the boiling water and vinegar going, the little tornado starting, but it just won't cocoon itself like you get from a restaurant. Anyone with any tips?

 

[funk0ar]

I've been trying for the last couple of weeks and I just cannot get the poached egg thing going correctly. I've got the boiling water and vinegar going, the little tornado starting, but it just won't cocoon itself like you get from a restaurant. Anyone with any tips?

It takes some time to learn, but here are two other ways you can try:


(Let me say, i love heaps of vinegar in the water

Of the first method takes a bit more time but will probably be worth it if you are starting off. Grease some cling film with oil and place it over a cup so there is a small depression, crack the egg into the flim and grab the sides so you have the egg in your cling film 'bag'.

Then carefully twist it around so you remove ALL of the air in the bag and tie a knot as clost to the base (egg) as you can. DONE pop it into your water and cook.


The second way is to use only about 2 inches of water in a smallish frying pan. Crack your egg into a cup so you can slide it in better (and also check it's a healthy egg) and when you pour it in do it slowly onto the side of a large spoon or similar so it enters the water gently.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

I've been trying for the last couple of weeks and I just cannot get the poached egg thing going correctly. I've got the boiling water and vinegar going, the little tornado starting, but it just won't cocoon itself like you get from a restaurant. Anyone with any tips?

Is the water boiling hard? I usually let the water simmer.

 

[Brianemone]

Tips for poaching eggs -
Use fresh eggs. As eggs get older the egg white gets runnier.
Slow simmer, should only be a few light bubbles.
If you are turning the water do it gently.
Don't add too much vinegar. (a tsp should be enough to make the water slightly acidic)

 

[santouras]

ok, sounds like I'm boiling the water too much (had it cranked). Will try a simmer and report the progress after breakfast tomorrow

 

[nakedsushi]

not sure if this is the appropriate thread for this, but here goes.

I'm thinking of dabbling into bread making. I remember kneading the dough by hand ages ago and also remember that it was quite annoying to do as well. Enter my question since i'm a bit of a weakling

I'm thinking of buying a mixer and see prices running the gamut from around $30~$500+. Are these things like microwaves where a $20 unit will do most of what a $120 unit will do or is there a reason why some units are exorbitantly priced? I'm hearing that KitchenAid mixers are the industry standard for amateur bakers, but are they really worth the (minimum i've seen new) $200 or so entry price?

You don't really need a mixer to start baking bread. There are plenty of no-knead recipes out there if you google for it. For really easy bread, you can do the 5 minute artisan bread which requires almost no kneading at all: link

Now if you *really* get into it, then yes, Kitchen Aid mixers are the way to go. The BF got me one for Christmas and it's fantastic and easier to clean than scraping dough off a bench for half an hour. Ours feels very durable and it seems like it'll last a long time. You really do need something durable when it comes to bread because the dough can be very stiff and rubbery sometimes.

But sometimes, I still do like using my hands to knead. Even if you're a weakling, you'll soon get better and stronger at it. I heard that in the past, bakers never salted their dough directly -- all the salt came from the sweat that dripped onto the dough from kneading :lol

[edit] As for poaching eggs, I almost never do it with vinegar and it works fine. You just need a very low simmer (you shouldn't even be able to see large bubbles come up from the water) and be gentle when cracking the egg into the water.

 

[OnkelC]

as nakedsushi stated it, KitchenAid is the safe bet considering kneading machines. Kenwood makes a few good appliances in the "chef" and "premier" range of mixers that aren't as expensive as KitchenAids.

 

[silentgiant]

Finally got off my butt and fired some frozen whole chickens I had in the freezer.

3 in total. Each with a different rub. Only have pics of 2 as I practically devoured the first one haha!

Each chicken had 1 lemon and a handful of rosemary and a bay leaf in the cavity. Trussed up and then stuffed under the skin of the breast a herb de provence(sp?) mix for the first, Sundried tomato for the second, and a spicy cayenne/sweet paprika mix for the third bird.

Bit of salt and pepper and some Olive oil. Placed on top of a bed of fingerling potatoes, baby carrots, white onions and some garlic cloves.

Basted with some Manuka honey and butter

Yum!

 

[Price Dalton]

Got some pics I'd like to post, but they are huge. Forgot to resize.

Are there size limits in here?

 

[WTFing]

Yeah, probably my favorite indian dish and so easy. Even making the paneer (curd cheese) takes about five minutes. I used this recipe from Manjula on youtube. She used three tablespoons of oil which I substituted with ghee to enrichen it a bit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIkRo-2mIEw

Here were the ingredients:

pic1

And a single serving. (about 1/3 of the finished portion):

pic2

This dish looks really great. Sorry for my english, but I hope you can help me. What is the Lady cooking in the beginning? (the white sliced thing). Is it the same near the end? Thanks.
Just to let you know I love this food, my preferred dishes are keema matter or keema allo .

 

[nakedsushi]

This dish looks really great. Sorry for my english, but I hope you can help me. What is the Lady cooking in the beginning? (the white sliced thing). Is it the same near the end? Thanks.
Just to let you know I love this food, my preferred dishes are keema matter or keema allo .

I didn't watch all the way at the end, but in the beginning, the white sliced cubes are paneer, which is like an Indian cheese.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

Got some pics I'd like to post, but they are huge. Forgot to resize.

Are there size limits in here?

generally we dont set any rules in this thread but I think it would be courteous of you to keep with within 1280 width? Most people have monitors that can at least do 1024 pixel width so 1280 wouldnt be asking for them to side scroll that much.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

Finally got off my butt and fired some frozen whole chickens I had in the freezer.

3 in total. Each with a different rub. Only have pics of 2 as I practically devoured the first one haha!

Each chicken had 1 lemon and a handful of rosemary and a bay leaf in the cavity. Trussed up and then stuffed under the skin of the breast a herb de provence(sp?) mix for the first, Sundried tomato for the second, and a spicy cayenne/sweet paprika mix for the third bird.

Bit of salt and pepper and some Olive oil. Placed on top of a bed of fingerling potatoes, baby carrots, white onions and some garlic cloves.

Basted with some Manuka honey and butter

Yum!

Beautiful and brilliantly done! Roasting a chicken is one of those things I have yet to try but too scared of messing up and wasting a good chicken but you've inspired me to give it a go.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Finally got off my butt and fired some frozen whole chickens I had in the freezer.

3 in total. Each with a different rub. Only have pics of 2 as I practically devoured the first one haha!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3658/3767307252_d8957bdc98.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3452/3767306570_9d69ae4aa9.jpg
[IMG]http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2511/3766508135_f9857ed9c3.jpg
[IMG]http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3544/3766507483_2a30cea2c1.jpg

Each chicken had 1 lemon and a handful of rosemary and a bay leaf in the cavity. Trussed up and then stuffed under the skin of the breast a herb de provence(sp?) mix for the first, Sundried tomato for the second, and a spicy cayenne/sweet paprika mix for the third bird.

Bit of salt and pepper and some Olive oil. Placed on top of a bed of fingerling potatoes, baby carrots, white onions and some garlic cloves.

Basted with some Manuka honey and butter

Yum![/QUOTE]

OM NOM NOM OMFG. Roasted Chicken is the food of Gods.

 

[ccarver3]

Alright, new to this thread but figured if anyone could help it would be gaf.


I've got quite a bit of venison (cubed steak about the size of a deck of cards).

I've used a couple of marinades before, but I was looking for something different.

Anyone with experience with venison have suggestions?

Normally I grill them quickly but if someone has a suggestions otherwise, please tell.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

Alright, new to this thread but figured if anyone could help it would be gaf.


I've got quite a bit of venison (cubed steak about the size of a deck of cards).

I've used a couple of marinades before, but I was looking for something different.

Anyone with experience with venison have suggestions?

Normally I grill them quickly but if someone has a suggestions otherwise, please tell.

I've never had the chance to try cooking it.

But maybe you can get some inspiration here:

http://www.tastespotting.com/search/venison/1

 

[ccarver3]

I've never had the chance to try cooking it.

But maybe you can get some inspiration here:

http://www.tastespotting.com/search/venison/1

Grew up with it as a staple, family farm in North Carolina was in a surplus area of deer.

Unfortunately except for breakfast sausage the most common use for vension was to cut it into strips, flour and season it, and then pan fry it.

Those being non-viable options for me, I figured I could ask here.

Site looks great, I'll have to try some of these ideas.

Thanks.

 

[Yes Boss!]

I didn't watch all the way at the end, but in the beginning, the white sliced cubes are paneer, which is like an Indian cheese.

Yeah, that is it. Really easy to make so no point in buying pre-made. Here is a batch I made earlier this evening for Malai Kofta:

Boil 1/2 gallon whole milk and at the boil stir in 1/4 cup lemon juice till it looks like below, remove from heat and let stand for about ten minutes (yields 8oz paneer):

Pour off the separated curd into a flour-sack towel lined colander, then rinse quickly with luke-warm water to rid of a bit of lemon flavour:

Then place on top of the upturned colander and loosly wrap the curd and place a light-ish bowl on top to press for about an hour:

Then remove the cheese wheel and it is ready for prep in a recipe...if you want it a bit firmer then wrap in saranwrap and refrigerate for a bit.

The key is to always be gentle with the curd and never over-squeeze or over-weight. The curd will naturally fuse over time.

 

[Liabe Brave]

Excellent! I was just talking to my wife last weekend about trying to make paneer. Thanks!

 

[Zyzyxxz]

Excellent! I was just talking to my wife last weekend about trying to make paneer. Thanks!

yeah its quite easy from reading, I've yet to try it myself but it should make a great vegetarian alternative in curries.

Anyway does anybody have any suggestions for what to do with blueberries? There was a sale at the supermarket and they were dirt cheap while being good quality so I bought a bunch of boxes. All I've done so far is try making some blueberry pancakes.

 

[Talon]

Does anyone have any experience with cooking Korean food? I've decided to start cooking it since I enjoy eating it so much. I know a lot about it already in terms of dishes and ingredients plus I bought a Korean cookbook. I was just looking for some general tips, like what to do and what not to do when preparing the food.

I'm actually probably making some Bulgogi Thursday night. Maybe I'll take some pics...

 

[Cosmic Bus]

Anyway does anybody have any suggestions for what to do with blueberries?

Blueberries are so perfect that you don't need to do anything with them, just eat 'em by the handful! I have heard that they're quite good with beef pot roast or tenderloin, actually, in the form of a chunky sauce with some rosemary.

 

[Brianemone]

Blueberry pie is about as awesome as pies can get!

 

[Cosmic Bus]

Maybe blueberries should be our featured ingredient for the weekend.

 

[JDS 1977]

yeah its quite easy from reading, I've yet to try it myself but it should make a great vegetarian alternative in curries.

Anyway does anybody have any suggestions for what to do with blueberries? There was a sale at the supermarket and they were dirt cheap while being good quality so I bought a bunch of boxes. All I've done so far is try making some blueberry pancakes.

For some reason I see a frog with a butter hat.

 

[Doytch]

Blueberries are my least favourite berry... I love raspberries and blackberries, both incredible.

For some reason I see a frog with a butter hat.

Now I see it! :lol