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 Post subject: Cooking amateurs
Post #1 Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2020 1:10 am 
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Been reading different board for some time, but hope there might be any help for me on this one.

On lockdown, I've been spending a lot more time with my wife. I already tried almost everything to keep boredom away (go, movies, sports), and just now starting kind of cooking competition with her. Can anybody advise some good and easy recipes for me to win? I'll share what I've found as well (just in case anyone needs it). Any participation will be appreciated.

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Post #2 Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2020 3:55 am 
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Homemade udon noodles
https://www.chopstickchronicles.com/udon-noodles/

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 Post subject: Re: Cooking amateurs
Post #3 Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2020 7:35 am 
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Cooking amateurs:

The dan players need less salt.

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Visualize whirled peas.

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 Post subject: Re: Cooking amateurs
Post #4 Posted: Tue Apr 28, 2020 7:39 pm 
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Bill Spight wrote:
Cooking amateurs:

The dan players need less salt.


Ha-ha, I was thinking along the same lines when I saw the "Cooking amateurs" thread name: I like my amateurs medium-rare :-)


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 Post subject: Re: Cooking amateurs
Post #5 Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2020 3:32 am 
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tchan001 wrote:

Thanks, that looks really easy to do - and what's more important - tasty!

I've found a recipe containing 4 ways of cooking Cauliflower rice (was amazed that such thing even exists- but it is tasty:razz:!)Cooked it last night and we both enjoyed it.
https://mykitchenadvisor.com/how-to-mak ... ower-rice/

Will share my experience of cooking noodles soon.


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 Post subject: Re: Cooking amateurs
Post #6 Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2020 4:12 am 
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tchan001 wrote:

So, I finally tried to cook these noodles- and saying in advance, they were good! (Though I lost yesterday round to my wife's ramen soup) Was a little confused about maintaining the required percentage of salt - and got a little bit carried away while stepping on dough, so had to cook it a little longer, but the result was worthy of it. Now I'm thinking of cooking this :
https://www.chopstickchronicles.com/matcha-green-tea-ice-cream/

with some techniques from like here:
https://mykitchenadvisor.com/how-to-make-ice-cream-in-a-blender/


Will write about the result soon.

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 Post subject: Re: Cooking amateurs
Post #7 Posted: Mon May 04, 2020 1:41 am 
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Hey everyone!
Just wanted to show off something I've been doing last weekend - BBQ!
Though it is not something special- I still think that it is a wholesome tradition to go grilling with your family on weekends.

What do you guys think about BBQ?

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 Post subject: Re: Cooking amateurs
Post #8 Posted: Mon May 04, 2020 2:16 am 
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Web0r wrote:
What do you guys think about BBQ?


Dry rub and cook slow, turning every 2½ minutes. Let sit for at least 12, I think.

My wife was a great cook and an engineer. Cooking can be a science. :)

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— Winona Adkins

Visualize whirled peas.

Everything with love. Stay safe.


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 Post subject: Re: Cooking amateurs
Post #9 Posted: Tue May 05, 2020 12:06 am 
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Bill Spight wrote:
Web0r wrote:
What do you guys think about BBQ?


Dry rub and cook slow, turning every 2½ minutes. Let sit for at least 12, I think.

My wife was a great cook and an engineer. Cooking can be a science. :)


Cooking IS a science! I'm new to casual cooking- but I've been grilling for so long, that I can't imagine myself without it. Still, there is plenty of space for experiments and improvisation!

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Post #10 Posted: Tue May 05, 2020 1:25 am 
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Web0r wrote:
Cooking IS a science! I'm new to casual cooking- but I've been grilling for so long, that I can't imagine myself without it. Still, there is plenty of space for experiments and improvisation!


When I was growing up in Mississippi, there were roadside barbecue joints everywhere, but I didn't like barbecue. But as an adult, at a bridge tournament in Albuquerque I went to eat with some friends and we ended up at a barbecue place. It was fantastic! Powdrell's is the name of the place. Mr. Powdrell died a while back, but his family is carrying on the tradition. They have a couple of restaurants now. I think the family recipe goes back to slavery days. They went west after the Civil War. Something like 25% of cowboys then were former slaves, something you don't pick up from Hopalong Cassidy films.

Some years ago my wife and I chanced across a great breakfast place in Jackson, Wyoming, called Bubba's. Pure D American fare, scrambled eggs, pancakes, etc. But amazing! Who'd a thunk that food could be so good? OC, they may have changed chefs, so I don't know how it is these days, but probably worth checking out. :)

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The Adkins Principle:
At some point, doesn't thinking have to go on?
— Winona Adkins

Visualize whirled peas.

Everything with love. Stay safe.


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 Post subject: Re: Cooking amateurs
Post #11 Posted: Tue May 05, 2020 1:48 am 
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BBQ is great (and from April to October I prepare most of my dinners on fire)

For amateur cooks who want to excel (esp. when cooking meat, but also other ingredients: fish, vegetables, eggs etc) I have two words: sous vide

(and, you can also combine sous vide with bbq)

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 Post subject: Re: Cooking amateurs
Post #12 Posted: Wed May 06, 2020 2:40 am 
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tj86430 wrote:
BBQ is great (and from April to October I prepare most of my dinners on fire)

For amateur cooks who want to excel (esp. when cooking meat, but also other ingredients: fish, vegetables, eggs etc) I have two words: sous vide

(and, you can also combine sous vide with bbq)


I heard about using this method, but it's quite complicated from how it looks... Any advice or resources where I can read more on how I can do it?

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Post #13 Posted: Wed May 06, 2020 3:02 am 
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Web0r wrote:
tj86430 wrote:
BBQ is great (and from April to October I prepare most of my dinners on fire)

For amateur cooks who want to excel (esp. when cooking meat, but also other ingredients: fish, vegetables, eggs etc) I have two words: sous vide

(and, you can also combine sous vide with bbq)


I heard about using this method, but it's quite complicated from how it looks... Any advice or resources where I can read more on how I can do it?


It is actually much simpler than you might think. The downside is that you need two pieces of equipment, which you might not need otherwise:
- vacuum packager (I don't know the correct term in English, but this is the machine you use to suck air out of a plastic bag with food in it and then seal it)
- circulator (of course you can also purchase a sous vide cooker, but that is an overkill for most users)

For vacuum packager there are other uses, e.g. if you tend to store food in freezer (as I do, since I hunt)

The process is simple: you put the food to be prepared in a vacuum bag using the vacuum packager. Then you fill a large kettle (or bucket or any container) with water, stick the bag with food in, put the circulator in and program temperature and time (depending on the food, can be found in recipe or guide book). Once the food is cooked, some post-processing (seasoning, searing, barbequeing etc) may be required.

I know of one extremely good resource, but it is in Finnish. I will check if I can find some in English.

e: it seems that the correct term is vacuum sealer

e2: the resource in Finnish is largely based on this: http://www.douglasbaldwin.com/sous-vide.html Based on a quick look it contains everything you will need to know about the subject (and much more)

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 Post subject: Re: Cooking amateurs
Post #14 Posted: Wed May 06, 2020 8:03 am 
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German potato salad :clap: could be? who knows :blackeye:

Ingredients:
6 medium potatoes,
6 eggs
1 onion,
½ stack. vegetable oil
salt, black pepper, 70% vinegar - to taste.

Cooking:
Boil the potatoes in their skins and let cool. Hard-boiled eggs. Dice the peeled eggs and potatoes, mix, add the onion, chopped into small cubes, sprinkle with black pepper, salt, and drizzle with acetic acid. Do not overdo it with vinegar - the salad should taste sour, but not sharp. Boil the vegetable oil and fill the salad. Stir and let it brew in the cold for 1-2 hours. if you want to find more interesting recipes and tips check my blog https://mykitchenadvisor.com/blog/


Last edited by Holly Miller on Fri Jun 05, 2020 4:08 am, edited 2 times in total.
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 Post subject: Re: Cooking amateurs
Post #15 Posted: Thu May 07, 2020 12:35 am 
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tj86430 wrote:
Web0r wrote:
tj86430 wrote:
BBQ is great (and from April to October I prepare most of my dinners on fire)

For amateur cooks who want to excel (esp. when cooking meat, but also other ingredients: fish, vegetables, eggs etc) I have two words: sous vide

(and, you can also combine sous vide with bbq)


I heard about using this method, but it's quite complicated from how it looks... Any advice or resources where I can read more on how I can do it?


It is actually much simpler than you might think. The downside is that you need two pieces of equipment, which you might not need otherwise:
- vacuum packager (I don't know the correct term in English, but this is the machine you use to suck air out of a plastic bag with food in it and then seal it)
- circulator (of course you can also purchase a sous vide cooker, but that is an overkill for most users)

For vacuum packager there are other uses, e.g. if you tend to store food in freezer (as I do, since I hunt)

The process is simple: you put the food to be prepared in a vacuum bag using the vacuum packager. Then you fill a large kettle (or bucket or any container) with water, stick the bag with food in, put the circulator in and program temperature and time (depending on the food, can be found in recipe or guide book). Once the food is cooked, some post-processing (seasoning, searing, barbequeing etc) may be required.

I know of one extremely good resource, but it is in Finnish. I will check if I can find some in English.

e: it seems that the correct term is vacuum sealer

e2: the resource in Finnish is largely based on this: http://www.douglasbaldwin.com/sous-vide.html Based on a quick look it contains everything you will need to know about the subject (and much more)


Thank you very much, I'll dig into details, and I'm sure I will be trying sous vide in no time!

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Post #16 Posted: Thu May 07, 2020 1:15 am 
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Web0r wrote:
Thank you very much, I'll dig into details, and I'm sure I will be trying sous vide in no time!

Good luck!

one more potential downside I forgot to mention is that it is not "fast food". You need hours in most cases, and in some extreme cases even days (the longest cooking times I've seen are around 48 hours)

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Post #17 Posted: Thu May 07, 2020 11:52 pm 
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Although having a vacuum sealer is useful, you don't really need it for sous vide as there is the water immersion method with just a ziplock bag.

Check out the Anova site for a bunch of info and recipes in English.
https://anovaculinary.com/what-is-sous-vide/
https://recipes.anovaculinary.com/

I also recommend watching this YT channel >>> Sous Vide Everything
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpFuax ... lFR3gWhrMw

My advice is to keep it simple when you start out. Once your passion upgrades, perhaps consider culturing your own sourdough starter for homemade sourdough bread. It still keeps within a simple budget but requires a bit of time.

Also consider getting a good kitchen knife and learn how to use a sharpening stone. A chef's knife is the one tool you will probably use the most often in a kitchen when preparing food.
Check out this videos for more info on choosing a chef knife.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO35cdWL1MQ


If you have a higher budget, you might explore gourmet ingredients and fancy kitchen tools later on.

Regarding gourmet ingredients, don't use truffle oil as most are scented with synthetic material and not really made from real truffles.
https://www.tastingtable.com/cook/natio ... iceonomics

I'm not a professional chef but just an amateur home cook with a passion for learning about good food and its preparation.

I do own some very nice chef knives. One of my newest acquisitions from this February is a 225mm Gyuto in RWL-34 steel and Redwood Lace Burl.

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Of course, such a handmade knife is much more expensive than most production knives you might find at your local department store. It would be similar to comparing a slate and shell go set from Kurokigoishi with a glass stone go set from Korea.

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Go is such a beautiful game.


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 Post subject: Re: Cooking amateurs
Post #18 Posted: Fri May 08, 2020 1:18 am 
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tchan001 wrote:
Although having a vacuum sealer is useful, you don't really need it for sous vide as there is the water immersion method with just a ziplock bag.

This is true, but without vacuum sealer getting the air out is more difficult. And if you don't get the air out, there are two potential problems:
- the bag will float
- the air acts as an insulator

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Post #19 Posted: Fri May 08, 2020 2:14 am 
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tchan001 wrote:
Although having a vacuum sealer is useful, you don't really need it for sous vide as there is the water immersion method with just a ziplock bag.

Check out the Anova site for a bunch of info and recipes in English.
https://anovaculinary.com/what-is-sous-vide/
https://recipes.anovaculinary.com/

I also recommend watching this YT channel >>> Sous Vide Everything
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpFuax ... lFR3gWhrMw

My advice is to keep it simple when you start out. Once your passion upgrades, perhaps consider culturing your own sourdough starter for homemade sourdough bread. It still keeps within a simple budget but requires a bit of time.

Also consider getting a good kitchen knife and learn how to use a sharpening stone. A chef's knife is the one tool you will probably use the most often in a kitchen when preparing food.
Check out this videos for more info on choosing a chef knife.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO35cdWL1MQ


If you have a higher budget, you might explore gourmet ingredients and fancy kitchen tools later on.

Regarding gourmet ingredients, don't use truffle oil as most are scented with synthetic material and not really made from real truffles.
https://www.tastingtable.com/cook/natio ... iceonomics

I'm not a professional chef but just an amateur home cook with a passion for learning about good food and its preparation.

I do own some very nice chef knives. One of my newest acquisitions from this February is a 225mm Gyuto in RWL-34 steel and Redwood Lace Burl.

Attachment:
20200302_122300.jpg

Attachment:
20200302_122315.jpg

Attachment:
20200302_122912.jpg

Attachment:
20200302_123108.jpg

Attachment:
20200302_123130.jpg


Of course, such a handmade knife is much more expensive than most production knives you might find at your local department store. It would be similar to comparing a slate and shell go set from Kurokigoishi with a glass stone go set from Korea.


Thank you very much for the advice - and you have an impressive knives, I can give you that.
I haven't considered buying some pro-knives before, but now I'm thinking that this will be not just a good present to my wife (who is an excellent cook, which makes sense to our little lockdown challenge) but a suitable appliance for my personal cooking practice. Will dig into this. And I'm still learning about sous vide. And the method without vacuum sealer - thank you very much, that answers my basic question

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 Post subject: Re: Cooking amateurs
Post #20 Posted: Fri May 08, 2020 2:16 am 
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tj86430 wrote:
tchan001 wrote:
Although having a vacuum sealer is useful, you don't really need it for sous vide as there is the water immersion method with just a ziplock bag.

This is true, but without vacuum sealer getting the air out is more difficult. And if you don't get the air out, there are two potential problems:
- the bag will float
- the air acts as an insulator

And that is the thing I haven't thought about... Will keep that in mind

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