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[waxer]

I find the wide bolster annoying as well. I personally find it uncomfortable with a pinch grip. The difference would be small to most but in a restaurant your using it all day so anything that improves things is a good thing. I just got these for work. Hattori Gyuto for myself and the petty for everyone to use.

Decided on the bacon explosion for dinner

 

[Sumidor]

A month or so ago, I wrote a review of a soda on my blog kind of as a joke. Someone at the soda company found the post through a google search and sent me a 6-pack of their soda to try!

They are extremely delicious. As well as their pizza. Probably one of the most popular pizza places in the Portland area. I usually have a case of their soda in my fridge at all times.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

Your meat is beautifully caramelized. Man does that look good.

Any suggestions for good stirfry? Mine always comes out so... flat.

Well the meat was leftover Chinese roast pork from Chinese New Year's.

What do you usually use in stir fry? Your problems may lie in the amount of water in your ingredients.

The key to stir fry is high temperatures but to constantly keep the ingredients moving.

If you find your meat overcooked, do a quick stir fry of the meat alone to get them seared, take them out, add the veges, stir fry those, put meat back in, and then whatever sauce you want to use.

If you are having trouble with flavor a basic sauce that I use when I have no ideas is: 2 parts oyster sauce, 1 part soy sauce, 1 part water, mix well.

 

[OnkelC]

nakedsushi and Blablurn, thanks for sharing!

waxer, good array of knives and bacon explosion indeed! I imagine this dish to be rather salty, what's your experience with it? And what did you serve as side dishes?

Keep them coming, people!

 

[Jables]

Thank you all for the wonderful contributions to this thread! I love coming in here to see what new dishes people are coming up with. I've been a big fan of cooking ever since my mom (yes my mother) taught me how to cook through the summers when we'd grill out almost every weekend. So I have a small background in terms of cooking.

However, I wanted to see if any of you had some tips/suggestions regarding "Cooking Basics". I'm just kind of looking for some general "Do's and Dont's" that I can follow and experiment with when cooking at home.

Personally, I cook alot of chicken (generally just breasts) steaks and pork ribs. One of my biggest questions is generally how to properly marinade and cook these different types of meats.

How long should you marinade them?
Do liquid marinades or spices/rubs work better for applying flavors?
What type of cooking environment works better (grills, oven, broil, pans/stove top)? What different cooking results do these environments provide?
What the proper heat for the different kinds of meat or thickness of meat?
What's the best way to achieve that perfect juicy/caramelized look of the meat?

I've done a lot of experimenting/trial and error and I'm hoping to narrow down some of the places where I went wrong in order to come out with better results. Sometimes I get a nice, juicy, well cooked dish. Other times it comes out dry, overcooked, burnt on the exterior but not cooked all the way through (I didn't think it was possible but I've found ways to do it), rubbery or tough.

I know that's a wealth of information and I greatly appreciate any answers or suggestions you great cooks might have. I'll keep reading through the different recipes from the two cooking volumes already created. Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[OnkelC]

Thank you all for the wonderful contributions to this thread! I love coming in here to see what new dishes people are coming up with. I've been a big fan of cooking ever since my mom (yes my mother) taught me how to cook through the summers when we'd grill out almost every weekend. So I have a small background in terms of cooking.

However, I wanted to see if any of you had some tips/suggestions regarding "Cooking Basics". I'm just kind of looking for some general "Do's and Dont's" that I can follow and experiment with when cooking at home.

Personally, I cook alot of chicken (generally just breasts) steaks and pork ribs. One of my biggest questions is generally how to properly marinade and cook these different types of meats.

How long should you marinade them?
Do liquid marinades or spices/rubs work better for applying flavors?
What type of cooking environment works better (grills, oven, broil, pans/stove top)? What different cooking results do these environments provide?
What the proper heat for the different kinds of meat or thickness of meat?
What's the best way to achieve that perfect juicy/caramelized look of the meat?

I've done a lot of experimenting/trial and error and I'm hoping to narrow down some of the places where I went wrong in order to come out with better results. Sometimes I get a nice, juicy, well cooked dish. Other times it comes out dry, overcooked, burnt on the exterior but not cooked all the way through (I didn't think it was possible but I've found ways to do it), rubbery or tough.

I know that's a wealth of information and I greatly appreciate any answers or suggestions you great cooks might have. I'll keep reading through the different recipes from the two cooking volumes already created. Thanks in advance for your help!

hi and thanks for the kind words.
regarding marinade, I personally prefer oil-based marinades, but dry rubbing works out as well. I'd recommend oil marinades for low-fat meats as chicken breasts and dry rubs for anything with a layer of fat, such as pork chops.

Heat when frying/roasting depends on the cut as well as the thickness. as a rule of thumb, DO NOT heat a pan/skillet to extremes while frying. using a little less heat and a bit more time usually gets you better results. raw inside and burnt outside is a prime example of too much heat. "proper" temperatures depend on you cookware as well as you particular stove.


for that caramelized look, the best bet would be a grill, followed by a cast iron skillet. I had good results with a teflon pan as well, but it requires a bit of routine.

 

[Flo_Evans]

My favorite BBQ place Pappy's Smokehouse had it's 1 year anniversary today!

This dude knows how to smoke a hog. And decorate it! You MUST go check this place out if you ever go to St. Louis.

 

[BladeWorker]

Personally, I cook alot of chicken (generally just breasts) steaks and pork ribs. One of my biggest questions is generally how to properly marinade and cook these different types of meats.

How long should you marinade them?

Depends on the cut of meat. Tender and thin meats can reasonably marinate in 1-3 hours, while thicker ones can take a day.

If you are roasting ribs, you don't need to marinate beforehand, just cook 'em really slowly.

Do liquid marinades or spices/rubs work better for applying flavors?

Depends on the purpose of the marinade. Liquid-based marinades tend to be used to permeate the meat, and are not (always) used in the cooking process. Rubs can give a more intense immediate flavour, but don't necessarily penetrate the meat.

What type of cooking environment works better (grills, oven, broil, pans/stove top)? What different cooking results do these environments provide?

Each type of cooking provides a different kind of flavour - so depending on what you're aiming for, use an appropriate method. Trial and error is a good way to discover what makes what taste best. As others have noted, temperature has a lot to do with it too. Slower-cooked meat at lower temperatures (so long as recommended internal temperatures are met) is ideal for producing fall-off-the-bone ribs. Rotisseries can help to cook a chicken more evenly, making it juicier all-round. And starting your oven off at a high temperature (say, 500) and then lowering it significantly when making a roast helps to seal in the juices, whatever you're making.

What the proper heat for the different kinds of meat or thickness of meat?

Get a basic cookbook like this and it will give you the temperatures at which meat should be cooked.

Happy Cooking!

 

[Tuvoc]

Bump!

Today is officially "World Nutella Day"

http://www.nutelladay.com

We should all give praise to this wonderful chocolate-hazelnut spread.

For any of you that want to create a Nutella based dish, see the recipe section of the NutellaDay.com page.

As for me I'll be shoveling it in my mouth by the spoonful, or maybe make a nutella sandwich on some wonder bread! Yum!

 

[Jables]

Thanks Onkel and Blade, I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions. I'll keep those in mind while preparing future dishes.

 

[lil smoke]

Decided on the bacon explosion for dinner

Unbelieveable. Good job on that.

 

[Aruarian Reflection]

A simple dish for my first post in this thread: cold soba

 

[nakedsushi]

^ great pic. What did you use as the dipping sauce? I love cold soba on hot days.

 

[Eeikod]

Oh fuck, holy meat , I have to try that.

 

[Aruarian Reflection]

^ great pic. What did you use as the dipping sauce? I love cold soba on hot days.

I used a combo of soy sauce, mirin and Dashi stock. Today was about 50 degrees, which is the warmest it's been in a couple months! Nice warm weather for cold soba :lol

 

[OnkelC]

A simple dish for my first post in this thread: cold soba

http://i41.tinypic.com/zofjwp.jpg[IMG][/QUOTE]
great contribution! thanks for sharing and welcome to IronGAF. Please share the recipe as well as your photo equipment, picture looks impressive.

 

[abstract alien]

I know i said i wouldnt post in here until I got my digicam back from my friend, but ah well :^/

Stuffed tomatoes - Italian sausage, red wine, onions, carrots, green onions, bell peppers, and mozzarella. I let the tomatoes hit the oven with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper for a few minutes to give it a little boost.

 

[octopusman]

I know i said i wouldnt post in here until I got my digicam back from my friend, but ah well :^/

Stuffed tomatoes - Italian sausage, red wine, onions, carrots, green onions, bell peppers, and mozzarella. I let the tomatoes hit the oven with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper for a few minutes to give it a little boost.

Wow those look really good.

 

[abstract alien]

Wow those look really good.

Thanks!!!

 

[Aruarian Reflection]

great contribution! thanks for sharing and welcome to IronGAF. Please share the recipe as well as your photo equipment, picture looks impressive.

Very simple recipe.
1) Boil buckwheat soba noodles according to instructions on package. Drain the noodles and wash with cold water, then set on plate.
2) While the noodles are cooking, make the dipping sauce. 4 tbsp soy sauce, 4 tbsp mirin, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1/2 cup dashi stock (if you don't have this, some people use chicken/vegetable stock), bring it to a boil, then set aside. I only very lightly dip the noodles when I eat, so this sauce can last me about half a dozen meals.
3) For garnishes, I just use sliced green onions, toasted sesame seeds, and seaweed slivers, but you can use whatever you want.

Pretty simple, it's a quick and easy meal for when I'm busy. My photo equipment: Rebel XTi with 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens. I didn't use any special lighting or tricks, I just took the picture in the kitchen with the white fluorescent ceiling light.

 

[scottnak]

Finally figured out how to get my cellphone pics onto the laptop... so here are some latest food pics. Plus some photos of my dog as well. Fun fun.

A mashed baked potato, salad with Thousand Island, and Stouffer's Mac & Cheese.
>>> "That was great!"

Yesterday:
Mabo Tofu (w/ ground chicken), salad with Thousand Island, and Gatorade!
Unfortunately I guess I must've cooked it too long cause I had barely any sauce left... oh well.
>>> Interesting...

Today:
Something I'd call the poor man's tofu gratin.
My dad tossed me this recipe after I had some tofu leftover from yesterday...
Stick a tofu, put some oil, soy sauce, a light mayo topping, and top it with a nice slice of cheese.
>>> "Blech..."

 

[abstract alien]

Lmao, that post is awesome

 

[way more]

I was watching Iron Chef America last night and the sous chef of the competitor was this women.

Rosio Sanchez. She is one of those in molecular gastronomy but seems to focus on pastries and chocolate. She was so hot. This was all I could find of her but she currently is sous chef of a pretty swank place called wd~50. She's 24 and probably has more prestige than I will at 32. I really hope she goes far and makes a name for herself before she is gobbled up by Food Network.

Anyway, she was so hot. Can you imagine her coming off work with the scent of chocolate ingrained in her pores?

 

[OnkelC]

scottnak, great contribution in the old "home-style cooking" spirit!:lol :lol :lol

more of it, please!

mac,

 

[Zyzyxxz]

So I got myself a new toy to mess around with. Whipped up some quick Wonton flavored soup to go with it.

 

[nakedsushi]

So I got myself a new toy to mess around with. Whipped up some quick Wonton flavored soup to go with it.

Nice! Can I ask where did you get it and is it hard to crank? We've been thinking about getting a pasta cranker since we LOVE noodles, but not sure if it's worth it or not.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

Nice! Can I ask where did you get it and is it hard to crank? We've been thinking about getting a pasta cranker since we LOVE noodles, but not sure if it's worth it or not.

Just finished cleaning it after my crappy pasta dough making resulted in alot of little tidbits stuck in there.

I got it from Sears, on sale right now for $23.99 (normally 29.99), only reason was I had a gift card for $25.

Cleaning is somewhat of a pain but I think I'll get better at keeping it clean as I use it more, taking it apart, you gotta remember how to put it back together, I spent a good amount of time.

It's quite easy to use, to make the thin noodles I made a flat sheet of dough first then fed it through the thin cutter. You can choose how thick you want to make the sheet of dough also. Only time I had trouble turning the crank was on the thinnest setting for sheet dough but that was because I was stupid and did't realize I didn't read the instructions (I had to make it semi-thin before feeding it again through a thinner setting).

Overall works pretty well but I wish I could use water to wash it, I had no idea that you couldn't use water to wash these things, only wiping through towles.

I'd say it's a great way to experiment with making pasta, all sorts of colors and stuff and mixing in different ingredients into the doubhg, I'll probably try my hand at some random stuff. Ravioli and lasagna will probably ensue as well in the coming weeks.

As for taste, it may all depend on how well you know how to make noodle dough, I'm very much a n00b when it comes to flour as an ingredient but even the first noodles I made tasted decent, and definitely different from dried noodles.

 

[BladeWorker]

We should all give praise to this wonderful chocolate-hazelnut spread.

Basically lived off of this, baguettes, cheese, and wine when I was in Paris.

Oh, to replicate those banana-nutella crepes from the crepe stands; they have them in Paris like we have Street Meat.

 

[beelzebozo]

some spare ribs i made about a week ago:

sichuan dandan noodles with pork, scallions, and bean sprouts in my favorite nabe pot:

homemade ketchup (left) and marinara (right) in some rad new bottles i bought

 

[Zyzyxxz]

some spare ribs i made about a week ago:

]

ah dandan noodles! I love the Japanese variant.

How did you make the marinara by the way?

 

[beelzebozo]

i use a pretty simple classic italian red sauce recipe--lots of fresh tomatoes, garlic, onion, basil, thyme, dried oregano (i like a lot of really strong oregano flavor in my marinara), red pepper flakes, quality olive oil, and a touch of sugar to balance the acidity; after all that cooks down, i like to push the solids through a mesh strainer to get rid of the tomato skins. it goes on all the pizzas i've posted in this thread, and i love it: sweet, spicy, tomatoey (?). . . perfect for me, anyway.

 

[Ashhong]

my brothers "Potato Specialty" and my favorite dish. Its layers of specially seasoned potatoes, ham, potatoes, hot dogs, broccoli, cheese. microwaved then topped with ranch. love it

 

[beelzebozo]

anyone like harissa?

caution: if it looks spicy, that's cause it is.

 

[scottnak]

http://i40.tinypic.com/2mo9rh4.jpg

my brothers "Potato Specialty" and my favorite dish. Its layers of specially seasoned potatoes, ham, potatoes, hot dogs, broccoli, cheese. microwaved then topped with ranch. love it

Wow! That looks awesome. Sounds like a nice quick, easy, tasty thing to throw together ...

 

[deadbeef]

Lunch today:

Delicious

 

[nakedsushi]

anyone like harissa?

caution: if it looks spicy, that's cause it is.

I love harissa, but can only seem to get it in a can around here. I like it mixed with some white bean dip for a spicy chip dip. It's also good mixed in with some olives and slivered almonds and baked.

 

[jarosh]

my wife made gluten-free valentine's cupcakes for me today

 

[beelzebozo]

I love harissa, but can only seem to get it in a can around here. I like it mixed with some white bean dip for a spicy chip dip. It's also good mixed in with some olives and slivered almonds and baked.

this is the recipe i made:

saveur's harissa recipe

 

[OnkelC]

you make me proud, folks. all of you.

 

[beelzebozo]

thanks onkel. and yeah, everyone's food looks fantastic.

and on valentine's day, just let me say that i love this thread, i love cooking, and i love all you people who love to cook. do something special and whip up a great meal for somebody you care about! just remember to take pictures

 

[cloudwalking]

just a note -- the gluten free cupcakes are actually made from a recipe for muffins, but i toned down the sweetness a little by adding pure vanilla instead of vanilla sugar. it's a good thing that i did, too, because the buttercream frosting i made is super sweet!

if anyone would like the recipe, they can PM me. it contains no gluten and i also made it a little more friendly for people who are sensitive to lactose by using less butter and substituting milk for soymilk.

 

[Patrick Bateman]

I made pancakes for the first time in my life:

Always good prepared

Apples.

I used a little too much margarine. :lol After this I used vegetable oil.

TADA!

Second try. I even managed to flip it in the pan.

 

[jarosh]

cloudwalking made some more valentine's cupcakes. these are vanilla flavored (and not gluten-free):

 

[beelzebozo]

you and your wife, and your cupcakes, and your happiness.

you piss me off.

. . . <3

 

[OnkelC]

I'd appreciate the buttercream recipe please.

 

[Cornballer]

Long time, no post for me. I've been cooking a lot, but haven't had the time to put many pictures up here. I'm going to try and at least get a few recipes up from time to time.

Dinner this weekend.

Little gem salad. Made a quick lemon vinaigrette from Bittman's recipe (2:1 olive oil to lemon juice whipped up with the hand blender plus shallots, lots of pepper, and a touch of salt) and topped with blue cheese. Turned out very well.

Fresh noodles and bolognese from scratch. Here's the bolognese recipe - it's one of the Saveur recipes from last year. Very easy to do, but it's somewhat time consuming with the chopping and long cooking times. We made a double batch, so it was worth the effort. Noodle dough was mixed in the cuisinart then run through the pasta maker into sheets. The sheets were hand cut with a knife because that's usually faster than putting them through the machine again. Pasta was awesome and I'm happy that we have so many leftovers.

If anyone has questions, just let me know.

Also, any tips for taking low-light pictures of food would be appreciated. I used the point and shoot this week and the shots didn't turn out very well. Not sure if I should use the flash or just hold steady w/o the flash.

 

[beelzebozo]

that looks incredible cornballer.

saveur is the best magazine ever, am i right?

 

[nakedsushi]

Damn, I don't think we can compete with Cloudwalking's cupcakes. Those look PRO.

The BF made these chocolate red velvet ones for vday:

Our dinner:

 

[Flo_Evans]

ahhh! Being my lazy procrastinating self I failed to secure a V-day reservation in time. So I made some diner myself. But due to an unfortunate meat thermometer malfunction I overcooked my steak I will post the embarrassing pics later. :lol

 

[OnkelC]

Long time, no post for me. I've been cooking a lot, but haven't had the time to put many pictures up here. I'm going to try and at least get a few recipes up from time to time.


Also, any tips for taking low-light pictures of food would be appreciated. I used the point and shoot this week and the shots didn't turn out very well. Not sure if I should use the flash or just hold steady w/o the flash.

Hi and welcome back! I'm looking forward to seeing mor of your stuff, your last run was excellent.

Tip for low-light photography: get a cheap tabletop tripod and take pics with low ISO settings but longer exposure. a cheap halogen desk lamp also helps.

nakedsushi, great pics as usual! I got a marble cake for honeymoon...

Flo_Evans, SHIT! I am sure the cow is sad now
looking forward to the pic, though.