Cookin again

[Dannyalcatraz]

I have an ATK/Cook’s Illustrated online subscription and a 6’ tall rack of cookbooks. I also routinely look at stuff on Food Network (televised and online), NYT, Allrecipes and other sites.

I’m not necessarily looking for complete recipes, but techniques, pointers and suggestions. I’m constantly making adjustments to recipes I find due to ingredient availability, medical and religious dietary restrictions and even simple taste preferences.

And a lot of times, those recipes provide me with crucial insights.

For example, I had been trying for years to figure out how to get cubed potatoes that were crispy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside. ATK’s Duck-Fat roasted potatoes provided me with the answers. I was missing at least one step, and I wasn using a hot enough oven.

 

[Zaukrie]

I almost bought several more recipe books yesterday.....but I managed not to. Mostly because I'm "retired*" and only make enough money to pay for my DnD and other gaming stuff.

*my wife owns a business and now makes what I used to, but still, I really should get a part time job.

 

[prabe]

I have an ATK/Cook’s Illustrated online subscription and a 6’ tall rack of cookbooks. I also routinely look at stuff on Food Network (televised and online), NYT, Allrecipes and other sites.

I’m not necessarily looking for complete recipes, but techniques, pointers and suggestions. I’m constantly making adjustments to recipes I find due to ingredient availability, medical and religious dietary restrictions and even simple taste preferences.

And a lot of times, those recipes provide me with crucial insights.

For example, I had been trying for years to figure out how to get cubed potatoes that were crispy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside. ATK’s Duck-Fat roasted potatoes provided me with the answers. I was missing at least one step, and I wasn using a hot enough oven.

I agree. I think, broadly that someone else's recipe is a starting point. If you cook it more than once, it'll evolve some, inevitably.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

One of our local Japanese places closed last month. It was a shame, too, because they were 1) very good and 2) a good bargain for what you got. The places that were left nearby were either pricey or frankly, not that good, except for a local ramen chain. But the ramen chain’s menu is very limited.

Well, last week, a new Japanese place opened in the same suite as the one that just closed. We decided to try them out tonight.

As it so happens, it wasn’t so much of a closure as a change of management/ownership. Some of the faces- like the head cook and one of the waiters- are the same.

The menu, however, is different. Some old familiar dishes have new recipes. And some things have vanished, like the bento boxes.

Mom’s pork ton katsu was tasty but too big for her to finish. The cabbage slaw that came with it was not to her liking, though, and I didn’t care for it either. The tempura veggies had a heavier batter, but we’re still quite good. A new appetizer- stuffed mushroom caps- was tasty, but a tad too spicy for Mom, so I had most of them.

The surprise was the bowl of ramen I ordered for my meal. This, too, was new, and I’m glad they put it on the menu. It was at least as good as any ramen I’ve had in the past couple of years. Excellent broth. Tasty onions, corn and sprouts. The one thing that brought it down was the chasu. While theirs was good, it really didn’t compare to the ramen chain’s. Still, in the context of the rest of the dish, that’s a minor complaint.

 

[Zardnaar]

One of our local Japanese places closed last month. It was a shame, too, because they were 1) very good and 2) a good bargain for what you got. The places that were left nearby were either pricey or frankly, not that good, except for a local ramen chain. But the ramen chain’s menu is very limited.

Well, last week, a new Japanese place opened in the same suite as the one that just closed. We decided to try them out tonight.

As it so happens, it wasn’t so much of a closure as a change of management/ownership. Some of the faces- like the head cook and one of the waiters- are the same.

The menu, however, is different. Some old familiar dishes have new recipes. And some things have vanished, like the bento boxes.

Mom’s pork ton katsu was tasty but too big for her to finish. The cabbage slaw that came with it was not to her liking, though, and I didn’t care for it either. The tempura veggies had a heavier batter, but we’re still quite good. A new appetizer- stuffed mushroom caps- was tasty, but a tad too spicy for Mom, so I had most of them.

The surprise was the bowl of ramen I ordered for my meal. This, too, was new, and I’m glad they put it on the menu. It was at least as good as any ramen I’ve had in the past couple of years. Excellent broth. Tasty onions, corn and sprouts. The one thing that brought it down was the chasu. While theirs was good, it really didn’t compare to the ramen chain’s. Still, in the context of the rest of the dish, that’s a minor complaint.

We used to have Japanese every week.

Main problem was we preferred kebabs.

Had interesting chat with Stellaris discord group. They're mostly American but they picked up some ANZACs recently.



They said this wasn't remotely authentic but looked tasty. Some tacos at our favorite "Mexican" place.

Top left cheeseburger one of the best.

Top right shredded chicken and fried chicken with bacon jam.

Bottom left beef brisket
Kinda bland

Bottom right kumara and potato better than expected.

Favorite Mexican place ever knocking off the Texex place I found with a USian couple running it.



And to further offend USian senses.
Breakfast pizza/day after pizza. Bacon, sausage, hash brown, hollandaise sauce. It was nicer than the burger pizza.


Gherkin, meatball other stuff.

And an actual breakfast.

 

[trappedslider]

Had interesting chat with Stellaris discord group.

I have that game,but haven't played it lol

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

My personal take on pizza is that a pizza crust- like any bread, rice, pasta, potato, yucca or any other fairly neutrally flavored starch foodstuffs- is a flavor delivery system. So you can’t offend me with pizza toppings. Or what you put on your pasta. Or stuff your baked potato with.

While I mostly gravitate towards pizzas topped with pepperoni, plus things like onions and mushrooms, I eat a pretty broad variety of pizzas if you look at my history over time.

There used to be a place about 30-40 minutes from my house that did a fabulous lox pizza. They topped the hot pizza bread with a thick layer of cream cheese, a liberal scattering of raw sliced red onions and nova lox- capers added on request. Yes, essentially it was a gigantic, classic lox bagel! I ate one by myself ONCE. It was really too heavy not to share.

 

[Zardnaar]

My personal take on pizza is that a pizza crust- like any bread, rice, pasta, potato, yucca or any other fairly neutrally flavored starch foodstuffs- is a flavor delivery system. So you can’t offend me with pizza toppings. Or what you put on your pasta. Or stuff your baked potato with.

While I mostly gravitate towards pizzas topped with pepperoni, plus things like onions and mushrooms, I eat a pretty broad variety of pizzas if you look at my history over time.

There used to be a place about 30-40 minutes from my house that did a fabulous lox pizza. They topped the hot pizza bread with a thick layer of cream cheese, a liberal scattering of raw sliced red onions and nova lox- capers added on request. Yes, essentially it was a gigantic, classic lox bagel! I ate one by myself ONCE. It was really too heavy not to share.

We had a Turkish pizza place that did some sort of cream cheese and tomato pizza.

Was very good. Not there anymore but lasted almost two decades. Think it's a kebab place now vs kebabs and pizza.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

We had a Turkish pizza place that did some sort of cream cheese and tomato pizza.

Was very good. Not there anymore but lasted almost two decades. Think it's a kebab place now vs kebabs and pizza.

I could totally see a “middle eastern” style pizza with something like akkawi cheese, onions, tomatoes, and one of gyro, shawarma or kebab meat on it. Maybe some kind of mild pepper.

Or a moussaka style pizza! Heavily seasoned ground meat with tomato sauce, onions, cheese, béchamel sauce and the like.

 

[niklinna]

My stir fries recently got much better. I put in a little less garlic and a lot more ginger. The other stuff is about the same: mirin, lemon juice, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, dried chili, sichuan peppercorns, black pepper, cardamom.